8 "Tensai shoujoha youma nano? Kyoufuno sennoujuku"
(Is the Genius Girl a Youma? Terror's Brainwashing Cram School)
92-5-2
5 "Computer School Blues" 95-9-15

A new girl named Ami Mizuno starts going to Usagi's school. Rumors fly around that she has a 300 IQ and that she is very snobby. Luna is suspicious about the girl and decides to follow her. Usagi sees Luna jump on Ami and Usagi goes to see what's up. Usagi and Ami then become friends. Usagi takes Ami to the video arcade where Ami, having never played a video game before, gets the high score in the Sailor V video game. Her winning streak is ended early, however, when she realizes she's late for her cram school. In her haste, she accidentally drops a computer disk. Usagi tries to return it but to no avail. She returns home and Luna and her decide to look at it. On the disk is a brainwashing program from the Dark Kingdom. Usagi and Luna rush to the cram school to save the students there. Once there, the teacher reveals herself to be a youma. Usagi transforms and fights the youma. Sailor Moon doesn't get very far before getting cornered. All things look hopeless when suddenly the sign of Mercury appears on Ami's forehead. Luna realizes that Ami is actually Sailor Mercury and throws her a henshin stick. Ami transforms and with her help, Sailor Moon is able to defeat the youma.

Probably the most signifigant Sailor Moon episode yet (aside from the first one), this episode introduces Sailor Mercury. So you'd think DiC would take extra care not to screw this one up, right? EEEHHH!!! WRONG! Boy, this one was a stinker. I'm really getting tired of DiC messing with scenes with adding and deleting and replacing. It's really really annoying (especially for me who desperately tries to keep my tapes in sync). Oy, just read the comparison already....

While I feel that the first episode was handled pretty well, this second non-filler episode should've been handled better. The hack and slash method with new music to play so episodes flow well isn't working too well anymore. Well, it could still work, if the script wasn't dealt with so badly. Up until now, though most of the aspects of the season had been changed, at least the aspects that are unique to each episode have been done well for the most part. Not only is everyone a hell of a lot more meaner when talking about Ami, they changed Usagi's disguise! She didn't look like much of a superintendent to me. And those were the major script changes.... Seeing this non-filler episode treated like this makes it seem like the quality of this season is going downhill fast.

My poor amichan..*sniff* well, she's given an english accent (wtf? is she related to dubbed luna?) and is made out to be more of a nerd that she really is. And how does one LOOK like a superintendent? -_-; Pretty bad episode.


Ok.....DiC....You're REALLY starting to piss me off here.....This is the EIGHTH EPISODE in a row that has had a sucky script. You would think that just translating it accurately would make it much easier, but noooooo, we have to dumb it down so every person with an IQ above 10 will be able to understand the episode 100%.....*sigh*....In other words, the script sucked...again.....

Ami Mizuno's name is changed to Amy. What's the difference, you say? Ami is pronounced somewhat like (ah-ME). Amy is pronounced somewhat like (AYE-me). In short, the A sound is short in Ami, it's long in Amy.

(30 seconds) Opening Usagi segment is cut. It's almost as reliable as old faithful, it is.

In the beginning of the episode, we originally see Usagi looking at a Japanese manga then her falling backwards onto the couch, busting up laughing. In the dub, the shot of the manga (before Usagi falls back into the couch) is replaced with a shot of the Tsukino house.

Seriously, DiC....Is that Japanese writing system _THAT_ evil!?!? Because of stupid edits like that, you're making my job comparing these episodes soooooooooo hard! *whine complain moan*

(2 seconds) Originally, after Ikuko suddenly stops laughing at Usagi's manga and gets a stern look on her face, Usagi gets a huge sweat drop over her face. The shots of the sweat drop are cut out of the dub. Why was this cut, you ask? Because 60% of children wouldn't get it. So instead of letting the other 40% enjoy it, DiC decided to make the episode as bland as possible so that EVERYONE would be equal, in other words, so that no one would be laughing. If those 60% of kids can't laugh, neither can the 40%!!! This is an equal opportunity show, people! Just remember, DiC does NOT discriminate against idiots!!! Infact, they hire them! Calling all morons! Calling all morons! Andy Heyward needs a new vice president!! ............Ok, I'll stop now *sweat drop*

  • The amazing sweat drop
  • (1 second) The end of the scene with Luna and Usagi arguing over studying is cut short because Usagi makes a very cliched "anime face". You know, the ones where their eyes get all super-deformed and they look really funny? The ones that are supposed to make you laugh? Yeah...One of those faces. Apparently laughter in children promotes death in old people. I think that was DiC's logic for getting rid of this one.

  • Usagi's anime face
  • (1 second) Right before Luna jumps up to the Sailor V video game (when she's trying to communicate with the "Command center" or whatever), there's a short snippet.

    The beginning of the scene with Luna logging into the Sailor V video game is screwed with to avoid shots of the hiragana/kanji/katakana. Shots not showing any writing is used instead to fill the gap.

    BTW - From now on I will refer to any type of Japanese writing (Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji) as "kana". Is that an official word? Hell if I know. I made the world up, but typing out hiragana/kanji/katakana repeatedly gets old. Thus, this is my logic for using it, so thus, I'm not implying it's a real word or if it's the proper word to use. By reading this you waive any right to "flame" me on the issue. haha! Sucks to be you. Nyah nyah! You can't flame me!! *gets knocked unconscious by a bowl of chicken noodle soup hurled by tiff*

    Sidenote from Dan: Kana is an offical word that is used to describe all Japanese characters in general. We all know Bob isn't clever enough to make up such a useful word all by himself. ^_~

  • Shot 1
  • Shot 2
  • During the scene with Luna at the Sailor V game talking to the command center, when Ami shows up on the screen, DiC adds a little "fuzzy" thing (you know, that fuzzy snow stuff you get when you change the channel to...oh....532...) when Ami's head changes direction. This fuzzy snow was not there in the original.

  • Arcade game fuzz
  • (2 seconds) This is actually a mix of a censored box and a cut box. The actual cut is of a bunch of students looking at the rankings for the latest test. This was cut because of the excess use of kana. However, the entire shot was not cut, part of it was replaces with that generic shot of "Crossroads Junior High School".

    (4 seconds) After Umino comes into the little group discussion thing that Usagi/Naru/friends are having, Naru gets REALLY mad and hits him. The "hit" and "motion of hitting" Umino is cut from the dub.

    Just so you guys know, in the dub, when they're talking about Amy in their group, they are WAY meaner than they were in the original. In the original, they were talking about Ami, but not necessarily that bad about her, while in the dub it's just a bunch of put-downs. Wait, wasn't DiC trying to set an example to little kids, here??

    (1 second) After the whole school scene, we see Usagi walking home. The beginning of the scene with Usagi walking home is cut a bit.

    (6 seconds) Same scene as mentioned above, Usagi starts to think about what her mom is going to do to her when she finds out how she did on the test. She pictures a rabid satan-Ikuko with a choke-chain around Usagi's neck. Of course, this is "too violent" for young America, so this was cut.

  • Satan-Ikuko
  • (1 second) Ok, after Luna jumps at Ami, we see a shot of Ami, "Looking up" at the jumping cat. This "looking up" was longer in the original.

    The shot with Luna landing on Ami's shoulders is sped up in the dub for some odd strange reason.

    (1 second) A shot of Luna shaking her head really fast after Ami scratches Luna's neck is longer in the original. Jeez, DiC, what's up with all these stupid, irrelevant cuts!?!? Do you WANT me to go crazy doing these comparisons?!?! Is that what you want!?!??!

    (1 second) After Usagi calls Luna the shot of "Ami turning around" is longer in the original. Yes...as if anyone cares....

    When "Serena" and "Amy" begin talking about the library, we see "Serena" get these weird eyes. What you don't see is a little thought bubble Usagi had with a little devil Usagi giggling. In the original, Usagi was being devious and was excited because Ami could "help her" get good grades.

  • Devil-Usagi
  • Basically the whole scene with Ami playing the Sailor V game is messed up. All shots of the Sailor V game are blown up to fit the screen. Also, for some reason, in the Japanese version the game is in a blue hue, while in the dub it's in a red hue.....Oooooook......At the end of the scene DiC also decides to add a "Game Over" screen. In the original, this "Game Over" was not there.

  • Shot 1 - Original
  • Shot 1 - Dub
  • Shot 2 - Original
  • Shot 2 - Dub
  • (5 seconds) Ok, you know how I said that the whole scene with Ami playing the Sailor V game was messed up? Well, with all the screen switching and altering they did, the scene itself ran about 5 seconds shorter than the Japanese scene did.

    (3 seconds) A shot of the sign of Ami's cram school is cut. It had kana on it, thus it was cut.

  • Crystal Cram School
  • Ok, the shot where we see the youma through some blinds at Ami's cram school is considerably LONGER in the dub. Yes, in the DUB. DiC decided to add 7 seconds to this scene!! In the original, we see the youma, and 3 seconds later she closes the blinds. In the dub, we see the youma, she talks for a while, and then it goes to a commercial (with no closing of the blinds).

    After the commercial, we see the same scene but it is how it should be (where we see the youma and she closes the blinds about 3 seconds after we see her).

    (13 seconds) The scene with Usagi and Mamoru interacting in front of Ami's cram school is hacked to death. There's scenes inserted here and cuts there, all to avoid some kana. All in all, 13 seconds of footage was lost.

    The scene with Usagi talking to Luna about Ami's disk is severely messed up (with scene inserting and deleting) all to avoid a shot of Usagi getting a sweat drop.

  • Sweatdrop 1
  • Sweatdrop 2
  • (2 seconds) A shot of the sign of Ami's cram school is cut again.

    Ok, just so you know, in the original, Usagi uses the pen to change into a nurse, not a school superintendent. She then rushes into the classroom yelling "Where's the emergency!?!?" Why did they change this? Because they felt like it, and because they could, simple as that....

    (1 second) Before Usagi turns into Sailor Moon, there's a short snippet of her saying her henshin phrase (probably to make it so her lips synched up with the shortened henshin phrase).

    (2 seconds) A shot of Luna telling Ami to say "Mercury Power, Make Up" is cut short so that Luna's lips synch up to compensate for the shortened henshin phrase.

    Mercury Power, Make Up! is changed to just "Mercury Power".

    (3 seconds) In Ami's henshin to Sailor Mercury, the part where we see her and her body lines is cut out completely. The body lines were "too suggestive" I guess.

  • Ami in all her glory
  • Some extra bells and whistles are added to Mercury's end pose at the end of her henshin. Just some things like stars flashing and things flying across the screen that were not there in the original.

    Mercury's attack, "Shabon Spray" is changed to "Mercury Bubbles Blast!"

    (2 seconds) After the youma is killed, there is a shot of some kana reappearing in the window. Now this is a particularly stupid cut considering that we saw the kana in the window earlier in the episode in the dub. Riiiiiight.....

    (2 seconds) The very last shot of Sailor Mercury in the episode is longer in the original. Oh boy, wasn't THAT cut interesting.

    (2 seconds) In the scene with Usagi and Ami on the roof of the school (I'm guessing), a shot of Usagi bowing to Ami is cut. I guess the "bow" was too Japanese for DiC.

  • Usagi bowing
  • (4 seconds) A shot at the end of the episode of Usagi looking mischievous is cut.

  • Usagi plotting
  • Total Retained 46%














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