The script for this episode was pretty bad. It started out in my "meh" category, but at time went on in my individual watching, then in my dual-watching, and it went from straddling that line to falling under it. While yes, the main plot points were kept, the dub just took too many liberties in my mind. The MotD today is named Amaderasu, which is a play on the name of Shinto sub goddess, Amaterasu. This is probably why DiC changed the name of her in the dub, calling her Scalker. The episode specific character (VotD doesn't seem right as he's never a direct target) is the baby, Manami. The dub changed his name to Jordan Winston. Also worth noting is the baby's voice here. Originally, Manami's thoughts are done using a child's voice. In the dub, the voice of Jordan's thoughts was done with an older voice. My best guess for the reasoning for this decision is that in the 90s, the "Look Who's Talking" movies, as well as the TGIF show "Baby Talk," all featured toddlers who had similar older voices to show their thoughts as they communicated with each other. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that DiC likely wanted to emulate this craze in this episode. And since I don't have any specific SDA boxes for him, I will say right here he is a lot meaner in the dub. Originally his comments weren't that harsh.

The pre-episode preview continues to have its normal treatment of having the special frame added to the video.

(1 second) A camera pan of the nursery school starts higher than normal in the dub, cutting the kana sign of the name of it.

(3 seconds) Where a scene bumper is placed, another kana sign was cut, as was the start of a camera pan of the playground. Nice to see how the previous episode had only one kana cut, yet with this one we've already surpassed that in mere seconds. -_-;

Here's a good example of DiC taking some liberties with the script. Apparently, Serena and Amy already knew Mrs. Winston and Jordan when they were passing by according to the dialog. In the original the two were just passing by and were commenting on how cute the baby was.

(2 seconds) The camera pan outside the hospital changes to inside earlier than normal, once again, cutting a kana sign.

When Serena offered to help Darien, Amy make a witty reply about her not being able to handle a goldfish. Why would something like this that seemingly makes sense be an SDA? Because Ami said nothing of the sort, when Usagi asked Ami if she wanted to help too, Ami merely said she didn't want to get in Usagi's way. Since I already have a box open, may as well mention another thing from this scene. Amy mentions that they (the baby and mother) just moved to the area recently and don't know anyone (yet they knew Serena and Amy somehow, good going DiC, great way to stay in your own script just minutes later), and also decided to add in that Amy would help if her mother were in the country. It must be nice to just add and take away things at will.

As Usagi attempts to make a bottle in Mamoru's kitchen, there's little screen-wipes for each little scene change in this small section. These were actually there originally in the form of a black line. DiC decided that the effect that was already there just wasn't good enough, and spruced it up a bit.

In a move I can only think they did because they could, as Usagi was making different faces for different diseases, they added a fancy frame. Just out of nowhere, and it went back to normal after she was done with the faces.

(10 seconds) We miss Usagi's shock of finding out Manami being a boy in more ways than one. Besides this being completely absent from the dub script, we have a couple of big cuts in this scene. In this cut was Usagi's face looking very shocked, and Mamoru holding a clean diaper as they talk.

Just after that cut, there is a shot of Manami where you can slightly see that his diaper is still under under him. However in the dub, this shot is zoomed in enough to hide that diaper until...

(15 seconds) ... the camera pans down to the bottom half of the baby, showing full well that he is a boy. In this cut we see the aforementioned proof of the baby's gender, Mamoru hold the baby in the air with his butt fully exposed as he continues to talk with Usagi, Usagi putting a new diaper down below the baby. The dub picks up from where Usagi finishes putting the diaper on.

And we arrive at the first commercial break. It looks like my theory about the first half being butchered with not nearly as many cuts and edits in the second half will not help my case with this episode. It felt like I spent about the same amount of time with the two halves, it was not easy to identify which was worse. Script-wise definitely was horrible today, but video-wise I wasn't nearly as frustrated as normal.

Not long after the commercial break, Usagi is pushing around Manami in a stroller. You can clearly see "Manami" on the front of the stroller and it stays visible in the dub as well. And while we're on the subject of things unexpectedly staying, as Natsumi notices Usagi and Mamoru with the baby, DiC does nothing to hide the kana of the drinks in the vending machine nor the kana on the street pole next to her.

(5 seconds) Usagi's angry and embarrassed reaction to Minako is shortened, which also happens to cut when Ami caught up with them.

You know, as much as DiC added and took things away from the script, I will give them credit here by staying with one of their own additions. I do feel sorry for that goldfish that Serena owned though....

Rei doing her chant to her fire to identify the Cardian, was changed to Raye counting down from five to one to its appearance in the fire. Yes. A countdown. A ritual downsized down to a fucking countdown. >.<

(10 seconds) The last part of the fire ritual is cut. In this cut, we see the Cardian being associated with the "Sun" tarot card (and an interesting conversation regarding that fact), a shot of Rei in a different angle, and a second shot of the other four from the side.

(15 seconds) More baby fun! When Natsumi starts to change the baby's diaper, she notices that its dry. The baby keeps crying as he doesn't like Natsumi, and then proceeds to pee on her! She rushed to the kitchen to wash her face, with the scene resuming in the dub when Mamoru gives the baby the bottle.

(Half a second) Normally, we see Natsumi step back into the room as she just washed her face. But since she never left the room in the dub, this half second step was cut.

Anne says "All dry!" when she was going to change it in a tone implying that the change was completed, yet after that half second cut above, we can clearly see no diaper on the baby.

(5 seconds) As Natsumi picks up the (still diaperless) baby, we miss the camera angle change, before the baby pees on her AGAIN! If that wasn't enough, in her shock and rage, she THROWS the baby in the air! Mamoru does catch him, but wow. I can see why this was cut, we don't want to promote baby tossing now, do we?

Since both instances of Natsmui getting peed on were cut, in the dub it doesn't make sense why we see Anne leave in a huff. Apparently DiC found the best way to handle this was to have Darien tell Serena that the baby threw up on her and she flipped out. Like anyone would believe that being it wasn't on the screen at all, alongside there being no indicator that any time had passed. Your coverup fails DiC.

(4 seconds) Before we see the second nursery school of the episode, DiC cuts yet another kana-sign, as well as the start of a camera pan of the playground.

"Stop right there Nega-slug, or I'm going to turn your sizzle into fizzle!" ~Mars "So don't give us any of your dribble!" ~Jupiter ........... If that doesn't strike fear into the heart of your opponent before a fight, I don't know what will. -_-;;;

So we have reached the second commercial break for the dub, which many times has a few second replay of what happened right before the break. A few times DiC decides to change it up. This is one of those times. So like last time when they just went change happy, here's a list of what the original did at this exact spot: We see the three senshi on a top 3/4 view Cardian shoots a laser attack at the senshi Usagi and Ami arrive on the scene and transform And here's how DiC interprets that short list: The zoom out from before the break was reversed to look like a zoom in Side view of the three senshi Recycled clip of the Cardian starting to use her energy strings Three senshi shown with the top 3/4 view Cardian shoots the laser at the senshi Serena and Amy arrive and transform I think they do this because they can, and want to frustrate anybody doing what I'm doing.

Is it just me, or did it feel like the music didn't line up with Sailor Moon's transformation too well? The end of it seemed like it didn't line up the way it usually does in the dub.

Moonlight Knight usually has somewhat profound speeches, instead he just has a rage induced rant. Way to kill an important character trait.

Shabon Spray Freezing ---> Mercury Bubbles Freeze I guess this makes sense, since all DiC did was change the word from "Blast" to "Freeze" from their own attack name, so I don't have a big issue with this.

Sailor Moon didn't have a speech, so there's no way to prove the theory. She did manage to get an "I shall punish you!" in the original even with no speech, but DiC didn't try to use that nor did they try to sneak "And that means you!" even though that would've been appropriate. Today's script was shit, I'm going to say the bad writer did this one because I have the faith the good writer would've attempted to sneak the catchphrase in there.

(1 second) Snippets during the battle somewhere.

Maybe I'm going crazy yet again, but for Moon's attack, the music doesn't feel as lined up as DiC has had previously.

"Excellent work Sailor Scouts! But it sounds like you have some diapers to change" *cough* "...I'll leave it to you!" ~Moonlight Knight Do I have to say anything here?

At the end of the episode when the baby is going home with his mother, he originally says "Mamoru, Usagi, bye bye." In the dub, he says "Darien, Meatball Head, bye bye." Some may not like the change, but I think it's cute. I don't even think Mamoru has referred to Usagi by her name in this story arc, so this actually makes sense.

A circle fill is used to bring us to the now normal pink background with moons and stars.

In the Sailor Says segment, we get to see one of the cuts above. The cut that was deemed a bad idea to have in the episode itself, but deemed fine for a public service announcement is the second time the baby peed on Natsumi. Yes, the one where she tossed the baby in the air. Yes, the baby tossing was also there. So DiC apparently DOES think it's ok for people to toss babies since they put it in an educational segment. Hmmm....