“Restore Naru’s Smile: Usagi’s Friendship” is the 26th episode of the 1st season of the Sailor Moon anime and the 26th of the overall series. It aired in Japan on September 12, 1992. The DiC English dub title for this episode is "The Power of Friendship" and it aired in North America on October 10, 1995.
Summary[]
Naru is still very depressed after Nephrite's death. Usagi and Umino decide to take her to Yokohama to cheer her up. There, a kindly priest is attacked by Zoisite. Mamoru realizes that he is Tuxedo Mask, and drops a locket on the ground, where Usagi finds it.
Plot[]
The episode opens to a foggy scene within a dream; Tuxedo Mask stands before a kingdom and its princess. She urges him to find the Silver Crystal, as all his questions will be answered. Mamoru wakes up in a cold sweat, having had this dream many times before. He wonders if he’s really the hero he’s been dreaming of, and if the crystal will truly answer his questions.
Elsewhere, Queen Beryl asks Zoisite what his next move will be. He shows her that the second Rainbow Crystal has been located inside of a pastor.
Back in Tokyo during the day, Usagi sits in class and sullenly glances over to the empty seat next to her; Naru isn't at her desk and hasn’t been to school since Nephrite died. Flashbacks to two episodes prior begin to play. Usagi walks home with Umino and tells him that she’s going to Naru’s house in order to check on her. Umino had assumed it was a cold for the previous week, dumbfounding Usagi. Once there, Usagi apologizes for any inconvenience, while Umino mentions how he thought she had a cold. He then teasingly asks if someone broke her heart, and Usagi punches him in response. She tells him not to bring the subject up and switch topics, to which he asks to get chocolate parfaits. Usagi is angered by him again, until Naru replies they should get out of the house and get something good to eat. Usagi is hesitant at first, but happily agrees.
Luna has an important meeting with the other Guardians at Hikawa Shrine. She explains the Silver Crystal holds enough power that it can destroy the planet, if fallen into the wrong hands. Though not knowing much, she knows there’s fragments of it called Rainbow Crystals. The Silver Crystal was shattered into seven pieces, each sealing away one of the Seven Great Youma. These monsters were reincarnated on earth as normal humans with the fragments inside of them. Luna goes on to say that Zoisite is trying to extract the Rainbow Crystals from these humans. If he’s to obtain all seven, the universe as they know it would be destroyed. Ami asks how to tell one of these humans apart, to which Luna replies the Moon Stick that Usagi just received last episode reacts to the presence of Rainbow Crystals.
Rei says she’s against leaving such an important item with Usagi, thinking she won't be responsible with it. Luna expects Usagi to rise to the expectations under pressure, which is why she’s chosen as leader. As Rei continues to protest, Makoto states she doesn't actually know Usagi very well. Makoto, trying to gain an opinion on Usagi, calls her on the Communicator and asks her to attend the meeting. Usagi apologizes while not showing much concern, as she’s out with friends. The group, unaware she's helping Naru cope with losing Nephrite, are taken aback and assume she still lacks responsibility.
Usagi, Naru and Umino stop by a cemetery on the way to Chinatown. Looking past all the gravestones, Naru realizes Nephrite doesn't have one, and starts to cry. Umino, still oblivious, once again upsets Usagi. Naru escapes while the two bicker, causing them to search for her. A pastor walks among the graves when Naru calls out to him, asking for advice on what to do about her anguish, clutching the bandage she once tied around Nephrite's arm. The pastor consoles her, when Zoisite appears behind her and laughs at how coincidental it is to meet her again.
Usagi, still looking for Naru, is surprised to run into Luna. The Moon Stick begins to flash in Usagi’s bag, and Luna tells her this means a fragment has been located. Luna suspects a monster could already be at the source, so she and Usagi hurriedly follow the signal. Makoto’s also been notified and dashes to the graveyard for support. Once Usagi arrives, she sees Naru having a tussle with Zoisite over the Dark Crystal, as it was once Nephrite’s.
Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon in order to help, when Zoisite extracts the Rainbow Crystal from the pastor, transforming him into Boxy. He throws punches towards Naru, when Umino crashes into her, saving her from the blows. Just as one races towards Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask picks her up and brings her to safety. As Tuxedo Mask begins sparring with Boxy, Sailor Moon spots a star-shaped locket on the ground. Makoto gets there just in time, transforming into Sailor Jupiter and using Supreme Thunderbolt to incapacitate Boxy. The Moon Stick’s power, Moon Healing Escalation, is then used to turn the pastor to his original form. After he is healed, Tuxedo Mask escapes with the Rainbow Crystal.
As the sun begins to set, Tuxedo Mask holds up the Rainbow Crystal and detransforms into his civilian identity. Mamoru regains his memory, learning that he’s been the hero in his dreams all along.
Meanwhile, Usagi, Naru and Umino sit on a park bench by the water. Naru wraps Umino's injury with Nephrite's bandage; it is the same spot she wrapped it on Nephrite. Usagi is hesitant about this, but Naru assures her, flattering Umino's bravery and saying she will return to school the next day. Usagi pulls out the star locket she found as it begins to play a soft tune. Naru and Usagi enjoy the soothing music as the episode fades out.
International Dub Titles[]
- Brazilian Portuguese: A Amizade de Serena Devolve a Felicidade à Molly ("Serena's Friendship Returns Molly to Happiness")
- European Portuguese: A Bunny Fez a Sara Sorrir de Novo! ("Bunny Made Sara Smile Again!")
- French:
- TV: Le sourire retrouvé ("The Smile Found")
- DVD: Faire sourire Naru ! L’amitié d’Usagi. ("Make Naru Smile! Usagi’s Friendship.")
- German: Die Splitter des heiligen Kristalls ("The Splinters of the Sacred Crystal")
Changes[]
Changes From the Manga[]
- The Rainbow Crystal/Seven Great Youma arc did not exist in the manga.
- The Orgel is exclusive to the anime; however, it seems to resemble Mamoru's pocket watch from the manga.
Dub Changes[]
- In the English dub of the anime, Usagi mentions that she's going to see the new Sailor V movie but in the Japanese version, this is not mentioned as she is going for some food.
- In the DiC dub, when trying to cheer Naru up, Melvin (Umino) mentions the disappearance of Maxfield Stanson (Nephrite's alias in the DiC dub), instead of chocolate parfait since the reference was removed from the dub of Nephrite's last episode.
- The shots of Usagi punching or strangling Umino, as well as the shot of Rei pinching Ami, were all either cut or edited.
First Appearances[]
Items[]
Gallery[]
Easter Eggs[]
Trivia[]
- This is Makoto's first time entering a fight while aware of her Sailor Guardian identity.
- Mamoru consciously transforms and detransforms into/from Tuxedo Mask for the first time, as he was unaware of his alternate identity before. However, this is his second transformation in the series overall, the first being in the aforementioned Episode 19.
- This was the last episode in which Heart Moving was used as the ending theme song.
- This is also the last time the first version visuals for Moonlight Densetsu were used; next episode features new visuals featuring Sailor Venus and Princess Serenity, despite not appearing until Episodes 33 and 34, respectfully.
- Mamoru's vision of a princess resembles Usagi's disguised appearance in Episode 22.
- There is an easter egg in this episode[where?] referencing the famous Japanese composer and director Mamoru Fukisawa (professionally known as Joe Hisaishi), who produced a score of over 100 films, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and other works. His official site can be seen here.
- When Tuxedo Mask says, "Boxers are gentlemen; they never hit beautiful young ladies. They embrace them with tenderness," it is similar to Michael P. Watson's quote, "Strong people don't put others down. They lift them up."
- Usagi's introduction at the beginning of the episode has changed, now introducing Makoto/Sailor Jupiter.
- Umino saves Naru in this episode, foreshadowing their eventual romance later in the series.
- The bridge that appears in this episode is the Yokohama Bay Bridge which also appears in the episode I Want a Boyfriend: The Luxury Cruise Ship is a Trap.