EPISODE 022

Gekkano romance! Usagi no hatsu kiss

(Romance Under the Moon! Usagi's First Kiss)

Original Air Date: 08-15-1992
Director: Yuji Endo
Animation Director: Kiyoshi Matsumoto
Writer: Sukehiro Tomita

Screencaps

What's In This Episode?
Diamond Kingdom, Gurio Umino, Kenji Tsukino, Kunzite, Naru Osaka, Nephrite, Princess Dia, Zoisite

As usual, Usagi is late for school. She sees a traffic checkpoint, and her friend Naru walks by. She asks Naru what is going on, but Naru isn't really paying attention. She is thinking about when she met Masato Sanjoin in the Shinjuku MS Department Store (episode 019). She is quite confused by his behavior, and wonders what he really thinks of her. Usagi grabs Naru's arm, and the two girls run to school together.

At Juuban Junior High School, the girls run into their classroom just in time. Umino approaches them and tells them that the first princess of the Diamond Kingdom is going to be visiting Japan. Usagi has never heard of the Diamond Kingdom, but Umino explains that it is the country that produces the most gemstones in the world. He heard that they will be holding a dinner party at the embassy that night, and suddenly Usagi understands why the police were doing the traffic stop on the way to school. Umino continues telling her that at the dinner party, Princess Dia will be inheriting the "legendary secret treasure" that has been passed down through the royal family. Apparently, the treasure will be introduced to the world for the first time at the dinner party.

Usagi is unable to imagine just how spectacular the treasure must be, but Naru quietly says that she will look at it and let Usagi know. Her family owns a jewelry store, so she was able to obtain a special invitation to the dinner party. Usagi is jealous! She wishes she could go, too.

At the Tsukino residence, Luna reads in the newspaper, "The final mystery of the century will be revealed tonight! Princess Dia visits Japan with the world's greatest legendary secret treasure of the Diamond Kingdom's royal family." When it is shown, the newspaper also notes that Princess Dia hates the media.

In the Dark Kingdom's lair, Queen Beryl speculates that the Diamond Kingdom's secret treasure could be the Ginzuishou. She instructs Zoisite to look into the matter, but Nephrite suddenly appears and takes the mission, saying that the Earth is his jurisdiction. Queen Beryl says that if the secret treasure really is the Ginzuishou, they will be able to use its power to revive Queen Metallia, and the Dark Kingdom will be able to dominate the world. Zoisite is quite upset that his mission has been taken away from him, but Queen Beryl ignores him and asks Nephrite what his plan will be. Nephrite tells her to "just watch," then promptly disappears. Zoisite angrily asks the queen why she has allowed Nephrite to take the mission after his repeated failures. She says that Nephrite is very desperate now, so he will work harder.

Later, Zoisite is comforted by Kunzite, who tells him that the impatient always lose. Zoisite is still angry, but Kunzite reminds him that Nephrite can be ousted at any time. They will take the opportunity to just watch Nephrite's actions.

At Hikawa Jinja Shrine, Luna tells Usagi, Ami, and Rei that the princess of the Diamond Kingdom just may be the princess for whom they have been searching. Usagi doesn't think so, but Ami doesn't want to ignore Luna's intuition. She suggests that they find a way to investigate the matter, but Usagi can only think of the obstacles in their way. Rei angrily reminds her that they should be using their brains to overcome obstacles, and she begins to cry. Ami suggests that they go to an area close to the dinner party to wait for a chance to see Princess Dia.

As they walk home, Luna tells Usagi that she wants her to have a more passionate sense of duty. When Usagi arrives at home, she sees that her father, Kenji, is dressed in a tuxedo. He tells her that he is going to the dinner party at the Diamond Kingdom embassy, and of course, she is jealous. He says that it is different because he is a magazine reporter, and he has a job to do. He promises to tell her everything when he returns.

Suddenly, Usagi has an idea. Despite Luna's protests, she pulls out her disguise pen and transforms into a "pretty princess." Luna scolds her for treating the disquise pen like a toy, but Usagi says that she picked the disguise to get into the dinner party.

Mamoru is having a dream in which he is Tuxedo Kamen and a woman in pigtails is desperately telling him to search for the Ginzuishou. Just as he asks what the Ginzuishou is, he wakes up sweating. He has this dream over and over, though he can't figure out what it means.

Meanwhile, Usagi arrives at the Diamond Kingdom embassy in her princess disguise. Rei and Ami are also there, and they recognize Usagi despite her disguise. Usagi walks directly up to the reception desk and announces that she is the princess of the Ivanovich Kingdom. The clerk is unable to find her name, but she walks past. When she reaches the ballroom, she sees that the party is a masquerade where dozens of people are dancing.

Nephrite spots Naru in a corner alone and asks her dance. She recognizes him as his alter ego, Masato Sanjoin, and accepts the invitation to dance. She says that she is attending the party in place of her mother, the jeweler. The two begin to dance as Usagi looks on.

Kenji is taking photographs for his magazine when he sees Usagi in her disguise. He doesn't recognize her, but he says, "She looks just like Usagi! I woner if Usagi will be as beautiful when she grows up?" Usagi notices her father and is amused.

Just then, two women spill wine on Usagi's dress, and she rushes out of the ball room. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen has arrived through an open window. He thinks to himself, "If the Diamond Kingdom's treasure really is the Ginzuishou, and I can get a hold of it, I will surely find out who I am." He sees Usagi wandering around in the hallway and is reminded of his recurring dream about the princess searching for the Ginzuishou.

Naru and Nephrite walk out onto the balcony, where he admires and flatters her. He then possesses her with a spirit, taking complete control of her mind. Her eyes begin to glow an eerie color of blue.

[Commercial Break]

The dancing continues in the ballroom. Usagi laments that transforming into a princess is no fun if she is alone, but suddenly, Tuxedo Kamen asks her dance. As they dance, Usagi has the strange feeling that she has danced with him before, a very long time ago.

Meanwhile, Naru, who is possessed, attempts to gain entry into Princess Dia's room. The guards try to stop her, but she tells him that she is a friend of Princess Dia.

Inside the room, the princess is very nervous. Everyone is only interested in the secret treasure, and she wishes that she was more beautiful. She feels that she is "just a throw-in" with the secret treasure. There is a knock on the door, and a guard introduces her "friend." Naru barges in, smiles, and introduces herself. The princess wants to befriend her, but as soon as the guards leave, Naru says that all she wants is the secret treasure. The princess attempts to run away, but the spirit possessing Naru dives into her. Naru collapses, while Princess Dia grabs the treasure and runs out of the room.

In the ballroom, Luna leaps into Usagi's arms and whispers that Princess Dia has gone onto the balcony with the secret treasure. Just as she is about to throw the box containing the treasure down to Nephrite, Usagi tries to shake her and wake her up. Usagi falls over the edge of the balcony, but luckily, Tuxedo Kamen catches her hand just in time. The possessed Princess Dia sees this happen, and bumps Tuxedo Kamen from behind, saying, "Both of you can fall and die together!" He doesn't fall, but Luna sees what is happening and attacks the princess.

Nephrite is furious because Tuxedo Kamen seems to always interfere with his plans. Just as he is about to attack Tuxedo Kamen and kill him, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury appear. Sailor Mars attacks with Fire Soul, which distracts Nephrite from performing his attack.

Meanwhile, Usagi's hand slips out of her long glove, and she begins falling from the balcony. Tuxedo Kamen leaps after her. Luckily, Luna throws Usagi's parasol to her, which she catches and opens, allowing Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen to gently float to the ground and land on their feet. Nephrite leaps into the air and Tuxedo Kamen rushes forward. Sailor Mercury stops Tuxedo Kamen and demands to know who he is, but he tells her, "I would like to know who I am as well. To do that, I must solve the mystery of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou." Sailor Mercury asks him if he is the senshi's enemy or ally, but he says, "If we are looking for the same thing, I could be your enemy." Usagi quickly transforms into Sailor Moon.

Inside the ballroom, Princess Dia lies on the floor, holding the box which contains the mysterious secret treasure. Everyone looks on, and Kenji begins taking photographs for his magazine. Outside, Nephrite hides in an alley and calls upon his "other self" (the spirit which possessed Naru and Princess Dia) to "come back to life." In the ballroom, dark energy begins to swirl around Princess Dia and she suddenly stands up and demands that everyone clear the way for her. She blasts them with energy, and they all fall to the ground, unconscious.

The Sailor Senshi arrive on the scene and recognize that the princess is possessed. Princess Dia laughs at them and greedily clutches the secret treasure, which she calls the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Energy swirls around her and she leaps out of the window, gently floating the the ground. The Senshi follow her, and Sailor Mars uses her Akuryou Taisan attack to place an anti-evil scroll on the princess's back. When the scroll touches Princess Dia, Nephrite's spirit floats out of her body and blasts them with a burst of energy.

Sailor Mercury uses her Sabão Spray attack against Nephrite's energy burst, causing it to stop. Sailor Moon uses the opportunity to attack Nephrite with Moon Tiara Action, which disperses the spirit (but does not kill the real Nephrite).

Princess Dia wakes up and Sailor Moon rushes to help her. Luna asks her if she is the princess for whom they have been searching, but Princess Dia doesn't respond because she has lost her glasses and she is unable to identify who is speaking to her. When she finally puts her glasses on and realizes that a cat was speaking to her, she screams and faints. Luna says that she must not be the princess!

Inside the ballroom, the guests slowly wake up with no memory of the princess's strange behavior. Kenji finds that the film from his camera has been destroyed! Naru wakes up in the princess's room with no recollection of her earlier actions. A servant soon announces that Princess Dia will be revealing the secret treasure. Princess Dia steps through a doorway holding the box. She opens it to reveal a 2,000 carat diamond shaped like herself.

Nephrite sees that the treasure is not the Ginzuishou, and is quite disappointed. Luna is, too, as it means that they are "back to square one" with their search for the princess. Meanwhile, Usagi mistakenly drinks an alcoholic beverage, thinking that it is juice, and gets slightly drunk.

Tuxedo Kamen escorts Usagi onto the balcony and thinks to himself that he feels that something like this has happened in his past. He kisses her, and she experiences the same feeling.