(By Greg Taylor, partially from memory using VKLL subtitle and Kyoko Otonashi's script)
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Sailor Moon SuperS Special
"Ami-Chan no Hatsukoi" or "First Love of Ami-chan"
Scene opens on Ami sleeping in bed. Luna provides a narrative voice-over:
Luna: This story is about a strange tale that happened to the girls during
the middle of the stormy exam period.
The sun shines in the room, Ami wakes up and stretches. She opens the
window by her bed and wishes the birds outside a good morning. The birds
fly off into the title sequence and background music continues to play
while Ami introduces herself.
Ami: I'm Ami Mizuno. Born on September 10th, a Virgo, blood type A.
Interests are reading and chess. Every morning I go to school 40
minutes early and read books before class starts. My favorite
food is the sandwich. It's because I can eat and read at the
same time. My favorite color is blue. My favorite sport is
swimming. My favorite subject is Math. And my least favorite
thing is...
(During the introduction, we see shots of Ami: in the bathtub, eating
a sandwich, putting on her shoes and walking to school. At this point
in the narration, Ami opens her locker and discovers that least favorite
thing - a love letter.) Ami blushes, appears to break out, and cries
out "Noooooooo!!!!"
Slightly later, the Senshi (normal guise) are walking up to Rei's
temple. Makoto comments about Ami's love letter anxiety and Minako
messes up a quote, which makes them freeze in their tracks. When Artemis
corrects Minako, Ami giggles. But then she notes:
Ami: During this important time for us 10th graders, there is only
one thing that we should be focusing our energy on! And that is...
All: Studies, right?
Ami agrees, and adds that the words "free love" are no longer in her
dictionary, as she pulls out her glasses and puts them on. The glasses
flash in the sunlight. Makoto asks what's bothering her, and Ami
directs the others to page 42 of a book containing the national exam
results. The other Senshi are amazed that Ami placed first with a perfect
score of 500 points. She wrote the exam under the alias Mercury, and she
points out that someone else got a perfect score with the alias
"Mercurius". (Artemis notes this means Mercury in Latin.) Ami reveals
this other person has been getting the same perfect scores as her,
and wonders if this is a challenge by a new enemy. But her friends
think she's just overanalyzing things.
There is a Luna voiceover agreeing with the others, but later on, in
class, Ami is still bothered by the identity of Mercurius. Leaving
class, she sees a sign reading "National Exams" and decides to take
more exams and seminars to try and meet Mercurius. She contemplates
how exciting it is to have a rival, and, spinning her bookbag around
her, shouts that she's going to go for it. (Then is somewhat embaressed
as everyone turns to see what she's shouting about.)
Another Luna voiceover notes that it's the next day, and that Ami-chan
may be overdoing things a bit. Indeed, at Rei's temple we open on a shot
of Ami in her glasses, writing frantically against a backdrop of many,
many books. Ami can't figure out how this other person always has the same
perfect score, and wishes she could meet them. Minako comments that it's
as if Ami's in love, but Ami protests. A discussion ensues as to
whether "Mercurius" is really a "he" or not, and Ami is asked what her
ideal type of person would be. Ami folds her hands and says her ideal
person is probably someone like Einstein. (Which sort of spoils the
mood for the others - Usagi not even knowing who that is.)
The scene changes to all the girls except Ami in the Cafe, Luna's
voiceover noting that they seem to be scheming something...
Rei: That's the first time I've seen Amichan this way.
Mako: With a gleaming glint in her eye...
Usagi: And acting so girlish!
Chibi: Could it be...
All: Amichan's first love?!
Minako vows to help to help Ami-chan, and decides they have to figure
out who this "Mercurius" is. But none of them seem to have a plan for
how to do this at the moment.
It's now late in the day at school, and Naru comes up to Usagi with
Umino, saying he can give them the inside scoop on the midterm test.
Usagi stares at Umino then eventually grabs him by the collar, and asks
if he knows anyone with the alias name "Mercurius". Umino comments that
the person in question is a friend of his. Usagi is overjoyed, and
lets go of Umino, whereby he crashes to the floor.
About the same time, Ami is attending yet another seminar session,
as we see her arrive at "The Number One Tutorial Centre".
She vows not to lose to Mercurius, that she will study and study and
study, take a short break, then study and study and study... Ami
abruptly wakes up, shocked that she fell asleep. A pair of eyes watches
her from outside a window. As Ami walks out of the seminar, we see
someone writing "Mercurius" on a paper.
Hovering in the air outside, watching, is apparently a being of
selfishness (referred to here as Bonnon) who says she can sense someone thinking selfish,
lewd, thoughts. She mentions she's been around for 100 years and can
pick up on things like this. When Ami walks out muttering "Mercurius",
Bonnon, slightly phased out, goes down to land in Ami's bag of
books that she has over her shoulder. Ami walks off, saying she's
not feeling well as Umino and the other girls approach from the other
direction. Umino calls to Mercurius inside and the girls looked shocked
at whoever Mercurius is.
Back at Ami's apartment, (possibly next morning) Luna says she's worried.
Ami is lying in bed
with swirlies in her eyes, unable to move and wondering if Mercurius is
doing it to her. The demon, sensing the time is right, turns the room
into some sort of vortex, whips the sheets off Ami's bed, and attacks
her with love letters of the same type that Ami found in her locker at
the start of the show. One gets stuck on Ami's face and she sits up
in shock, crying out "Love letter?" Then Bonnon starts to drain the
knowledge from Ami's head, saying that when it's gone, Ami will become
a slave to her desires. Ami cries out.
Outside Ami's apartment, Mamoru, Usagi and Chibi have arrived, Usagi
wondering if she should reveal Mercurius' identity. They hear Ami's
cries and Usagi runs into the room. But the floor is "gone", and she
falls, grabbing onto the door frame. Ami manages to finally yank
the persistant love letter off her forehead, but can't focus on what's
going on. Chibi-Usa asks who Bonnon is, but before she can say,
Ami jumps in, saying that it's Mercurius. She stands on the bed
and says she won't let her (Bonnon) win, and does Mercury Crystal
Power Make-Up. As she does so, she shouts:
Ami: exam class + seminar class + sqr rt(stress) X () X rival situation = Mercurius = Enemy!
Bonnon shouts in terror as Mercury continues with:
Mercury: Going so far as to pull one into the gutter just to make
the number one grade! I can't forgive you! I am the sailor
soldier of Love and Exams, Sailor Mercury! Douse your head in
water and repent.
Usagi comments it's not Mercurius, but Mercury will hear nothing of
it and declares their fight is now at an end. Bonnon tries to introduce
herself as someone other than Mercurius but Mercury cuts her off and
says she'll show her "Mercury's winning equation". She then attacks
with "Mercury Aqua Mirage".
Bonnon gets slammed by water from many sides, still protesting her
identity. Then there is a large implosion, Bonnon falls apart and the
room is restored to normal. Usagi falls on the floor, and Ami declares
she feels better now, falling back on her bed. Chibi-Usa and Mamoru
dash to Ami, who laments not being able to see Mercurius's true face.
Later on, all the girls except for Ami are gathered in the Cafe again.
They discuss what happened and decide to avoid talk of Mercurius when
Ami's around. Ami abruptly pops up behind them at the next table,
asking if they saw him, and what kind of person he was. Minako says
it's something like a person in a magazine she has. Ami gets a little
starry eyed, saying he looks like a young Einstein. Usagi mutters
that she hopes Ami doesn't find out Mercurius really looks like Umino.
(Here we see a shot of his face for the first time.) Makoto wonders
why he chose the same "Mercurius", and Usagi explains his real name,
"Suuri Kurame" is like "Mercurius" backwards.
As the girls walk back to the temple, Ami suddenly cries out - she's
found Mercurius in the exam results next to her name again, even though
she defeated him. The others aren't sure what to say, but Ami says
to just leave him up to her, and she runs ahead of them up the temple
steps. Luna voiceovers:
Luna: So it goes, the high-goaled Mercury's fight is still to continue.
Ami reaches the top of the temple steps and declares: "I'll keep on
giving it my best!" Many birds fly up in front of her and the ending
theme (SuperS: "Never give up") begins.