“Usagi’s Panic: Rei’s First Date” is the 15th episode of the 1st season of Sailor Moon anime and the 15th episode overall. It aired in Japan on June 20, 1992. The DiC English dub title for this episode is "An Unnatural Phenomena" and it aired in North America on September 26, 1995.
Summary[]
Rei falls for Mamoru and persuades him to go on a date with her, whilst Nephrite targets the caretaker of a local park.
Plot[]
Ami takes Rei and Usagi to one of her favorite parks, and Usagi decides it would be perfect for a date. The girls meet the park's caretaker Kunitachi, who says the owner has recently sold the land, which will soon be changed into a business district. Rei plans to bring a boyfriend to the park before it closes.
Luna searches for the girls near Game Center Crown, when she’s almost hit by a truck. Mamoru leaps in to save her just in time. Usagi starts screaming at him for touching Luna, when Rei and Ami step in to stop Usagi, as she should be thankful she's not dead. Motoki hears the commotion and steps out to greet Mamoru, the two know each other as they both attend the same college.
Nephrite consults the stars to determine that his target will be Kunitachi.
Back at Game Center Crown, Usagi plays arcade games while Ami watches. Rei asks about Mamoru to Motoki, who says Mamoru lives alone in an expensive high rise apartment, as the son of a wealthy family. He asks Rei why she‘s asking so many questions, but she plays it off while thinking he’d make a great boyfriend.
Kunitachi watches the demolition crew destroy the park. Nephrite appears and says It’s time to teach humans the wrath of nature, placing a crest on Kunitachi's hat. It becomes possessed by a youma, as Nephrite sends a swarm of butterflies to break the demolition equipment and harass the employees. He notes Kunitachi can now control animals but the more he uses the power, his energy will increase towards its peak.
The next day, Rei plans to ambush Mamoru on his way home. She would dash from a corner as he walks by, crashing directly into him. Then he’ll ask her out on a date to make up for bumping into her. Usagi and Luna watch from afar, as Rei rushes and falls flat on her face. Mamoru steps on her head and freaks out, Rei says she's okay so he keeps walking. She chases after him, introducing herself and offers to pay for tea to apologize. He asks why she's apologizing, though agrees to have tea with her.
Usagi is mad that a college student is going for a date with Rei as it’s improper. Luna says he’s not so bad, but she insists on following them. Rei takes Mamoru to the local Cafe Amigo. Outside, Usagi decides to use her Disguise Pen to transform into a waitress and spy on them. Luna stops her, as she's supposed to use that for justice. Umino sneaks up behind Usagi, who asks for some money and a date. Inside the cafe, she attempts to listen in on the conversation.
Luna approaches Ami and sits on her shoulders, noting she seems sad. Though the crew in the park left and he can continue work, Kunitachi is irritable than ever. At the park, Ami and Luna see a council representative, he doesn't believe the demolition was attacked, throwing a cigarette to the ground annoyedly. A squirrel witnesses this action, and soon a heap attack him. Luna speculates that this is the work of the Dark Kingdom.
Elsewhere, Mamoru and Rei go on a boat ride together. He comments about the park's atmosphere, and Rei tells him about it soon being demolished to build a business district. The two agree the park is beautiful and that it’s tragic, people should take better care of nature. Usagi watches the two from behind a tree, she'll have to get closer to hear their conversation. Usagi abandons Umino and walks around the lake, trying to get nearer but meets Ami and Luna instead.
Ami warns Usagi something terrible is happening in the park, when Kunitachi spots them and says the only way to atone for nature’s damage is a human death. Petasos emerges from the crest Nephrite placed on Kunitachi's hat, as he falls to the ground unconscious. Petasos orders the animals to kill the humans in the park. Ami and Usagi transform into Sailor Mercury and Sailor Moon, though Rei continues the date with Mamoru unaware. He suddenly gets a painful headache, as birds fly across the lake to attack them, causing the boat to capsize.
Sailor Mercury uses Bubble Spray to weaken all of the affected animals. Petasos uses her Hand Flower attack, which ensnares Sailor Moon. Her Petasos Rope transforms her hair into vines that wrap themselves around Sailor Mercury.
Meanwhile, Rei and Mamoru crawl out of the water after the boat sank. She senses an evil aura in the air, and tells Mamoru to wait there. Sailor Mercury is being squeezed by Petasos, who is strangling her to death. Sailor Mars appears, using Fire Soul to free the two Sailor Guardians.
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars both swear vengeance with a catchphrase. Sailor Moon gets mad, that’s her line. Just as Petasos moves to attack them, a red rose hits her face. Tuxedo Mask appears and tells Sailor Moon that this is her chance, she uses Moon Tiara Action and finishes Petasos. Kunitachi wakes up, and the girls are back in their uniforms. Mamoru soon walks up to the group soaked, and Rei whispers to Usagi that perhaps Mamoru is really Tuxedo Mask. Umino sees the group and says he and Usagi should finish their date, and Mamoru teases her about her supposed type.
International Dub Titles[]
- Brazilian Portuguese: Serena Preocupa-se Com o Primeiro Encontro de Rei ("Serena Worries About Rei's First Encounter")
- European Portuguese: A Bunny Entra em Pânico ("Bunny Panics")
- European Spanish: Ray tiene su primera cita ("Ray has her 1st date")
- French:
- TV: Premier amour ("First Love")
- DVD: Usagi panique ! Premier Rendez-Vous pour Rei. (Usagi's Panic! Rei's First Date")
- German: Der Park ("The Park")
Changes[]
Changes from the Manga[]
- These events never happened in the manga.
- Rei never had a crush on Mamoru, nor did they ever date.
Dub Changes[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Mamoru's name was revealed for the 1st time in this episode.
- This episode began the Rei-dating-Mamoru subplot that only existed in the anime.
- The title of this episode in the English dub is not grammatically correct, as "phenomena" is the plural of "phenomenon." Correct versions of the title would be "An Unnatural Phenomenon" or "Unnatural Phenomena."
- This was Terri Hawkes's 1st episode portraying Serena and Toby Proctor's first episode portraying Darien in the English dub.