The Breakup Breakdown
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We get a few scenes before Operation Breakup With Usagi begins, namely of the two being adorable together.
Episode 61 - hey whatchu doin
Usagi!
I'm impressed, you always come jogging around here?
Usagi:
Mamoru!
Chibi Usa has fled from home and Usagi's looking for her. Mamoru happens to be jogging around in his very interesting choice for sportswear and he's the one to call out her name when he sees her.
Does he like her company or something?
Episode 61 - it must be fate
I never thought I'd find you here,
without planning it or nothing...
I'm so lucky!
Mamoru:
Seems like it's our destiny to be together
don't you think?
Mamoru's observation once more suggests a complete change of pace with his previous teasing,
but also we get that little tease about destiny.
Considering this fated love has had them die for eachother twice at this point, saying it about something so casual is pretty sweet.
Like a little bit of ironic self-awareness, a little bit of reclaim, a gentle little lean into it.
They certainly don't seem to mind their circumstances.
Episode 61 - Good Morning Kiss
HEY!
What do you think you're doing, you two!?
Usagi! Listen to me, it's no time for this sort of thing!
This time Usagi puckers up for a kiss, and Mamoru's all too happy to lean into it.
So far it's perfectly consistent with the previous episode and reinforces their routine.
All the more reason why we didn't really need any more episodes to display.
Of course they don't mind being interrupted because urgent Missing Child matters are at play,
and Mamoru joins the search for Chibi Usa.
Episode 61 - Baby's Day Out
Chibi Usa?
Chibi Usa:
Mom... Dad...
Mamoru:
Chibi Usa.
Usagi:
What's wrong?
Why did you leave without telling us?
Everyone was worried about you.
Chibi Usa:
Leave me alone!
When they find her she's being a pouty little creature, and it takes Mamoru's gentle voice before she decides to go back home. I can't get out of my head that he's an orphan, it adds a layer of sweetness that he's good with kids.
Episode 61 - Mamovision DLC
Oh dear...
Mamoru:
Chibi Usa...
Let's go home.
I'll take you there.
Very good!
You're a good girl.
Mamoru?
What's up?
Mamoru:
Nothing! it's nothing...
Her touch triggers a second dream, with an extra zoom-in frame into the Crystal Palace this time.
There's still no context to be concerned with, so Mamoru doesn't tell.
Episode 61 - I wanna ride dat move over sister
Hey Chibi Usa!
Don't you think you should walk a little bit!?
Don't call me Chibi Usa!
My name is Usagi, understand?
I'm Usagi. Discussion over.
Usagi:
That's a lie! MY name is Usagi!
And if you haven't understood it yet:
Mamoru, who's carrying you on his back,
is my boyfriend.
They look like a happy family walking back home, but they don't know that yet. I'm noticing at this point how every scene leans perfectly into the next, a trait that the show loses towards it's last fourth.
Usagi's jealous, presumably because she also wants a piggyback ride. I can't blame her for that.
Episode 61 - Bunnies
Not true! Mamoru's my boyfriend, only mine!
Usagi:
What's up with you? Let's see if you get it...
Mamoru and I are tied by a great love!
Trying to seduce him will be no use!
Mamoru is the only one who seems to get through to Chibi Usa, and she in turn has claimed him as her boyfriend.
We don't get a silly, blushing, arm-flailing, sweatdroppy 'Whaaat?' as a response;
our boy just keeps on walking because this is what little girls do
and it's ridiculous to take this with any degree of seriousness.
Usagi proves to be a beacon of maturity by not getting the memo and proclaiming that Chibi Usa doesn't know dick cheese about the bond shared between her and Mamoru.
Now that prompts a little blush from the man.
So far any time he's been comfortable with showing her love seems to be when they're alone.
I believe this is a Japan thing, where public displays of affection are seen as filthy degeneracy,
so we know our Good Boy wouldn't engage in such a thing.
I'm bringing it up because the R movie, which hasn't been made yet as of this point in our timeline, seems to run with that interpretation of Mamoru. I wanted to keep a tally so far to see if this is consistent with what we've been shown so far. Seems to be the case! I like to read him that way.
It's also of note that Usagi, at least in the dub we're watching, seems to struggle to come up with a way to describe her relationship with Mamoru.
This is a tool that will help us later.
Episode 61 - she doesn't get fed at home
I don't want you coming near my Mamo!
Mamoru:
But Usagi! Don't exaggerate,
don't you see that Chibi Usa is a little girl?
And besides, she's all alone in the city?
Unbelievable! Why are you also calling me Chibi Usa!?
That's not my name!
Mamoru:
Hah! I'm sorry, but I think Chibi Usa sounds really cute!
don't you think?
Chibi Usa:
Really?
Mamoru:
Of course I do, Chibi Usa!
Chibi Usa:
Then you're allowed to call me Chibi Usa!
Eh? What's up, Usagi?
Usagi:
I see how it is! go ahead and have fun!
You should marry Chibi Usa, or whatever you want!
Mamoru:
Usagi! What's up? Why are you upset?
Usagi:
I don't know!
Mamoru:
What...?
Usagi pulls the 'if you like her so much, why don't you marry her' card, much to Mamoru's confusion.
This scene gets the job done in regards to two things;
Usagi is awfully insecure about their relationship, and Mamoru is not.
Chibi Usa is, obviously, no threat to their relationship, but Mamoru is not oblivious to Usagi's feelings, and clarifies to her that she has nothing to worry about. His confused response is only after she insists on believing otherwise.
Season one Mamoru would have probably rolled his eyes while trying to explain, but Reloaded Mamo is a more patient guy, and he's not giving us a single sign that his relationship to Usagi is strained in any way.
Episode 61 - An Age Gap!? In my 90's Japan!?
This is my... friend, Mamoru.
Mamoru:
Hi.
Ikuko:
Nice to meet you, Mamoru!
Shingo:
Eh? I think he's too old to be Usagi's boyfriend...
Kenji:
BOYFRIEND?
I won't allow this!
Is this your boyfriend, Usagi?
I uh... uhm...
Mamoru:
I... have to go!
I must keep... running,
BYE
Wait a minute!
Come back here, boy!
Ikuko:
Psst, Usagi...
He seems like a really cute and polite boy.
Why don't you invite him over for dinner and I make teppanyaki?
Kenji:
MOM
Our little girl is dating A MISTER
that could be HER FATHER
Ikuko:
Hun, he's just a slightly older boy...
Shingo:
Dad's acting crazy because of you now.
Child is safely delivered to the Tsukino household and we get to see normal human beings interacting with Mamoru haters.
I was made aware that in the original japanese version, the argument is worry about Usagi being a delinquent instead! Japanese culture showing through and tying back to the concern about public displays of affection. Apparently having a boyfriend is a softly enforced rule at that age.
The latam dub makes one or two references to the 3 year gap during Classic and it's always in the context of it being an unreasonable complaint, but still something that would raise eyebrows.
In either version I think it's a good detail to have their relationship have the one slightly odd trait to the outside world. It's a good mask for the fact that their circumstances are supernatural and grandiose and they'd have a lot of trouble explaining them if they were asked.
It's interesting to note that Usagi and Mamoru both seem on the same page about their relationship: a bit shy to make it official just yet. Meeting her parents is a big deal in most cultures, and later on we'll see Usagi lamenting she won't get to bring Mamoru home for dinner, so we can safely interpret this scene as jumping the gun on that.
Episode 61 - New Phone Who Dis
Um...
I'm really hungry, I need to eat!
Kenji:
Wait up...
Mom, is this girl a relative of ours?
Ikuko:
Who knows?
Hey... Who are you?
Mamoru bails outta the scene to avoid confirming his relationship to Usagi by claiming he has to go get milk and cigarettes I mean carry on jogging, and immediately, the Tsukinos forget about Chibi Usa's existance.
Curious. Fascinating.
Of course this scene is here to establish what the Luna Ball can do and also how Chibi Usa uses it, but the timing is particularly soothing to my brain.
I'm not sure it was just a happy accident given how well the following scenes slot together.
Episode 61 - Bad Guys Discussing Plot
Take a look at this, Berthier.
Berthier:
The future city is Crystal Tokyo, isn't it?
Rubeus:
We must finish this city immediately,
and for that we must destroy the Silver Crystal.
and be done with the girl that's here.
Berthier:
That's true, but we haven't been able to find them.
Rubeus:
Don't forget we have other means to destroy the future of Crystal Tokyo.
These are the sacred places of Crystal Tokyo, the Crystal Point.
I've already found the Crystal Point of this place
that will become a sacred place in the future.
Berthier:
You mean that-
Rubeus:
Berthier, I want you to turn this place to evil.
Berthier:
And then the future Crystal Tokyo will be-
Rubeus:
Destroyed in a couple of days, yes.
I'm assuming the reason Sailor Moon peppers these around is to remind our constant viewers of what the current plot is,
so most of them will be roughly the same in any given episode unless there's a point to make about the characters.
I'm lingering on this one in particular because Rubeus and company explain
how they wanna conquer the future city of Crystal Tokyo
by corrupting strategic points in the present in order to weaken it.
But this time, we have visual aid for what their goal is:
Episode 61 - Dream Reveal
I have to do something soon...
Or else, Usagi...
Once we see a Serena being swallowed by the crumbling earth, as the ultimate goal of their plan, we fade into the reveal that this is also the vision that's been haunting Mamoru.
This is brilliant storyboarding.
I'm not claiming anime in the 90s produced to sell toys have the cinematic quality of Kubrick movies, but can we give credit where credit is due? This sequence is as good as it can possibly be.
Mamoru's dreams and the eventual explanation for them are infamous for being cryptic and abstract, and if you are really uncharitable, you can isolate them and claim the writers didn't know what they were doing, but I think it's a disservice to take them at face value when scenes like these seem so carefully constructed to evoke a comparison between Dark Moon's motives and Mamoru's fears. It's shaping up to have a theme about the uncertainty of the future, and how planting seeds of doubt or malice in the present can change it.
Going back to Mamo, not only this is the first time the vision is debilitating for him, it's also the first time it happens without any contact from Chibi Usa.
If the glimpses we got as the audience are meant to be all Mamoru's getting up to this point, then this is also the first time he sees Usagi's likeness in them.
We have to assume there might be more to them that we're not seeing just yet, as he concludes from this alone that he must act quickly, or else something bad might happen to Usagi.
Before we dismiss this course of action he's decided to take as unreasonable, we have to remember how seriously Mamoru takes his dream visions.
Episode 22 - Mamoru's Dream
Please, look for the Silver Crystal...
Tuxedo Mask:
But I need to know,
what is the Silver Crystal?
The same dream again...
Episode 26 - Mamoru's Dream 2: Reloaded
Please... hurry and find the Silver Crystal!
But tell me!
What is the Silver Crystal?
Who are you?
Serenity:
Please...
Look for the Silver Crystal...
I promise everything will be clear once you find the Silver Crystal...
That same dream again...
(Who is that Princess...?
And the masked man in ettiquette...)
Is that me?
The Silver Crystal...
Everything will be cleared if I find it.
In Classic, dreams are established as a recurrent event that give him a sense of purpose in life.
Because...
Episode 34 - Mamoru's Dreams: Beginnings
Hey, why do you want the Rainbow Crystal?
Sorry! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to
Mamoru:
To recover my past.
Usagi:
Eh?
I have to gather the Rainbow Crystals and the Silver Crystal to remember...
a lot of things.
Usagi:
(Is he talking about THE Silver Crystal...?)
My parents died when I was six.
Doc:
I'm sorry, but they're not all good news.
Their only son survived miraculously,
but he's lost his memory.
BabyMamo:
Doctor, who am I?
I don't... know myself.
I haven't been able to remember anything ever since.
And I've had the same dream in many occasions.
Serenity:
The Silver Crystal...
Find the Silver Crystal, please...
...He's had them since he was a little bean, after a traumatic event gave him amnesia, making him question who he is.
That's the majority of his life spent clinging to them as his only bit of guidance in finding a sense of self.
Episode 28 - Mamoru's Dream, Oil on Canvas
That looks so much like the dreams I have...
Episode 28 - Mamoru's Dream (Just a little doodle haha)
How could it be possible that a person makes others happy,
if they cannot be happy themselves?
Usagi:
Don't say such nonsense!
How is it possible that you say things like that
when she can make such a pretty painting?
Look at this one!
AH!
Usagi:
H-hey! What's up with you!?
NPC:
This is the scene of a pretty young lady
giving a gift to her beloved as a sign of her love!
I don't know why, but I always feel sad when I paint this pretty couple...
Usagi:
Yes, I get it...
I don't know why my heart tightens with nostalgia.
Mamoru:
A sign of love...?
He reacts very strongly to imagery related to his dreams.
Episode 28 - A Sign of Love
Tuxedo Mask!
Tuxedo Mask:
Thank you very much.
Today it was your turn to save me.
Sailor Moon:
No, it was- ah!
I'm sorry, I think this is yours, is it not?
The Princess...
What? You know our princess?
We're looking for her,
please, I'm begging you, tell me where she is!
Tuxedo Mask:
No, I don't know where she is,
but if your mission is to find the Princess,
you better hold onto this.
Sailor Moon:
You're giving it to me!?
...And takes cues on what said imagery might mean, way beyond giving him a sense of direction.
Episode 26 - Tuxedo Mask is a Werewolf
Now I know who I am, after so long...
I've always been Tuxedo Mask...
Episode 34 - Mamoru is a Prince
Usagi...
I remember everything, Usagi...
I managed to remember...!
I'm... Endymion.
Usagi:
Endymion...?
That's right, I'm...
Serenity...
...they've helped him find precisely what he'd been looking for: his memories.
Episode 46 - Locket of Mamories
Remember me...
I'm Princess Serenity.
A long time ago,
you and I swore to eachother eternal love...
I'm Princess Serenity,
from the Moon Kingdom...
Anyone who defies the Dark Kingdom...
Must die!
Sailor Moon:
You're being manipulated by a Dark Energy...
You used to be a kind person.
Please, don't make me fight you.
Please...
What happened?
I don't remember... who I am.
Am I alone!? I have no one...!
Usagi:
No...
You're not alone.
I'm here with you.
You're not alone.
Mamoru!
Endymion:
Usagi...
...Thank you.
Memories and imagery strong enough to undo the liquification of his brain.
Considering he's also perfectly happy with the life they've led him to. I daresay the lad has no reason to question them.
I'm of the opinion that good character flaws are more like a double edged sword, rather than something inconsequential to the character. It's the dark side to a good trait. This is a good example of one.
Mamoru takes his dreams a bit too seriously.
Let him have it.
Episode 61 - Test Score Meet Cute
Ayy, not again...
Oh, it's Mamoru...!
MAMO-!
...Mamoru!
Hiii!
Mamoru...!
Destiny has reunited us once more,
I'm so happy...!
Usagi's encounter here reflects their previous meetings in the season, and doubles as a callback to their very first encounter. It's an invitation to compare every instance of their interactions as a pair, so we can contrast them against this next one.
Episode 61 - Begone Thot
Let go...
I don't like those displays of affection.
Usagi:
Sorry!
You're right, people might think that-
Mamoru's reaction feels out of character with everything we (and Usagi) know about him.
In spite of this, she pulls back without making a fuss. Last time they saw eachother, Usagi's family was being overbearing, so we can probably assume that's why she's humbled.
For reasons related to his visions that we don't know specifics of yet, Mamoru decides to break up with her on the spot.
Episode 61 - We're Donion Rings
It's not that, I just...
stopped loving you
Usagi:
What?
Mamoru:
We are done, Usagi.
The reasoning he gives is vague and generic, and most importantly, it's a lie.
Nothing so far has shown that he would have any reservations about their relationship, so there's nothing that he can exploit to give Usagi a valid reason.
She has no reason to believe it, either.
All we have to conclude is that he's acting out of concern for her, and that the threat he perceives to Usagi's well being will not be realized if he keeps his distance. He's also under the impression that he must act quickly.
As the audience we might a problem with the lack of communication, but as I've said before, Mamoru takes his dreams very seriously. What are the odds that telling Usagi about the situation, will result in her graciously accepting the breakup for her own well being? We've already seen how highly she values their relationship, She completely buys into the idea that they're destined to be. Having a dialogue about it would mean Mamoru's open to having his mind changed, or that he has a reasonable explanation for Usagi that would shake her own belief.
Independant of whether this is the right approach or not, he's acting with absolute certainty that it is.
Continued in Part 2...
