(By Greg Taylor, partially from memory using VKLL subtitle and Kyoko Otonashi's script) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 (<your jamming session>) 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.