The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer

Template:Infobox anime“The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer” is the 28th episode of season one of Sailor Moon, and the 28th of the overall series. It first aired in Japan on October 17, 1992.

Overview

Usagi and Mamoru are asked to model for the reclusive painter Yumemi Yumeno, who is unexpectedly targeted by Zoisite.

Summary

Queen Beryl is upset because she has lost two out of the three Rainbow Crystals that were already found. Also two of her four men had been killed already. Zoisite apologizes. He says that he will get the next Rainbow Crystal. Zoisite discovers that the next one belongs to a girl with glasses. He says that he will get it even if it costs him his life.

Usagi is in a park. It is autumn and there are a lot of couples around her in the park. Usagi is depressed. She is wondering if Tuxedo Mask is her enemy. Luna says that he is an enemy because he is after the Silver Crystal too. Usagi starts to argue. Then Naru comes and pulls Usagi away. When she is leaving, Usagi drops the Moon Stick. Usagi doesn't even notice. A very shocked Luna grabs the Moon Stick before it falls into the pond. Luna is disappointed in Usagi.

Usagi and Naru go to an art gallery. It has illustrations by an artist called Yumemi Yumeno. Usagi likes the illustrations. There are couples all over. Umino appears. He says that it is said that if one has her illustrations, a dream will come true. Then Usagi says that she will buy one of the posters.

There is a self illustration of Yumemi. She is a very pretty girl. But Umino says that Yumemi never goes out in public. Then Usagi says that Yumemi might be an ugly girl. Yumemi is sneaking around in the gallery. She is looking for the right image for her illustrations, but she can't find the right image. Then Usagi spota an illustration and stops. It is a picture of a couple (a man in a tuxedo and a girl with long hair). Usagi says, "I thought I've seen it somewhere before."

Mamoru walks by the gallery and sees the same picture on a poster outside. He says that it is like the dream that he always has. Yumemi goes out of the gallery and runs into Mamoru. Yumemi falls down. When she gets up and puts on her glasses, she sees Mamoru. She says he is just the image that she has been looking for. Naru spots Mamoru and says to Usagi that it is Motoki's friend. Usagi sees Mamoru with a girl besides Rei, so she runs out as she sees a chance to tease him.

Yumemi is holding onto Mamoru's arm. She says, "Please be my model." Usagi runs over to them and says, "I'm going to tell Rei-chan on you!" Mamoru says, "Don't make a mistake." But Usagi says, "It's no mistake. You're holding hands." Then Yumemi sees Usagi and grabs her. Yumemi doesn't let go of Usagi and says, "My perfect image. Please be my model."

Mamoru and Usagi go with Yumemi. They still do not know who this girl is. Mamoru says that he is busy. When they get to her house, Usagi finds out about Yumemi's identity. Yumemi says that she kept her identity a secret, so that everyone would think she was pretty.

Yumemi tells Usagi to sit next to Mamoru. Usagi is shocked. Mamoru says that he doesn't want to do it. But Yumemi begs them to. She says that she needs a model for her image. So Usagi sits next to Mamoru. Usagi thinks that Rei will kill her if she finds out. When Usagi looks closely at Mamoru, she thinks he is handsome. But then she hits herself for thinking about someone other than Tuxedo Mask.

Yumemi draws some sketches. She says that she feels like she could draw some good illustrations. Usagi looks at Yumemi's sketch. She says it is very good. Yumemi says that when she draws, she thinks, "Please become happy. Please be able to meet someone nice." Usagi is disappointed that Yumemi doesn't have any friends. Yumemi says that it is ok as long as she makes other people happy. Then Mamoru says, "If you can't make yourself happy, how can you make others happy?"

Usagi then finds a nice picture of a couple. Usagi gets mad at Mamoru and says that Yumemi's illustrations are very good. Mamoru sees the picture and gasps. The illustration is one of a girl giving a pendant as a present to a guy. Yumemi says, "I always feel very painful when I draw that couple."

At night Usagi walks home with Yumemi. When Yumemi says that Usagi probably wanted to walk home with Mamoru, Usagi says that it isn't so. Then they see one of Yumemi's illustrations on a poster. Some girls walk by it and say that Yumemi must be pretty. Yumemi quickly hides behind Usagi. Usagi tells Yumemi not to worry too much. Usagi says that Yumemi is a very nice person, and runs off.

Usagi runs into Luna. Luna gives the Moon Stick back to Usagi. Luna says that she will give the stick to someone else. But Usagi says that she wants it. She says that she had been thinking about Tuxedo Mask when she dropped it. Then Luna insults Usagi by saying that she is very simple-minded, and Usagi runs off.

The Moon Stick responds. It is in the direction of Yumemi's house. Yumemi sees Zoisite and thinks he is very pretty. But Zoisite uses his Black Crystal and turns Yumemi into the fourth Monster of the Seven Great Youma. Usagi goes to Yumemi's house and looks inside. She finds out that Yumemi is a youma. Usagi is scared. But she calls the others and transforms. Zoisite and the youma go off. Zoisite thinks that they got away. But Sailor Moon catches them at a construction site. Zoisite tells the youma to attack Sailor Moon. The youma draws rocks with a pen and drops them on Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon runs around trying to avoid the rocks. When Sailor Moon falls down, the youma draws a large rock on top of her and drops it. The rock is heading for Sailor Moon, but Tuxedo Mask comes at the last minute to save her. When Zoisite tries to escape, Tuxedo Mask goes after him.

Sailor Moon is fighting the youma. She says, "Return to Yumemi. Please remember your kind heart." Then the youma attacks again. But the other Sailor Senshi appear and save Sailor Moon. When the youma attacks again, Sailor Mercury uses Bubble Spray. Sailor Moon leaves the other girls to fight against the youma, and goes to Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask is fighting Zoisite. Tuxedo Mask wants the Rainbow Crystals. Zoisite blasts Tuxedo Mask. But Sailor Moon comes and uses the Moon Tiara to protect Tuxedo Mask. Then Zoisite disappears with the fourth Rainbow Crystal.

Sailor Moon goes to Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon drops the pendant that she had picked up before. Tuxedo Mask says, "Princess." Sailor Moon asks if Tuxedo Mask knows about the princess. Tuxedo Mask says that he doesn't know. He also says that Sailor Moon can keep the pendant. Then Sailor Moon asks for the Rainbow Crystal he took back. But Tuxedo Mask says that he can't give it to her. He says that he will even come for the one that the Sailor Senshi has. When Sailor Moon asks if he is an enemy, Tuxedo Mask says, "In the case of the Rainbow Crystals, yes." Then Tuxedo Mask leaves.

Sailor Moon realizes that the battle against the youma is still going on. "Oh no, the battle's not over yet!" When Sailor Moon returns, the youma is very weak. Sailor Moon uses the Moon Healing Escalation and the youma turns back to Yumemi. Then the Sailor Senshi go off.

Yumemi invites Mamoru and Usagi to her gallery. Yumemi shows the illustration that she has completed. Usagi and Mamoru both like it. Then Usagi notices that Yumemi's self illustration has been taken down. She has replaced it with a more realistic one. Yumemi thanks Usagi for convincing her that she should be herself more.

Changes

Dub Changes

• In the English dub, the scene in which Serena whined to Luna about Tuxedo Mask keeping a Rainbow Crystal was cut, but it did make an appearance in the Sailor Says segment.

Trivia

• The fourth Rainbow Crystal is captured and is kept by Zoisite.
• Tuxedo Mask narrowly avoided getting impaled by a shard of crystal in this episode; which turns out to be only temporary.
• The Princess Serenity in Mamoru's dream was wearing the dress that Usagi wore to the masquerade ball in episode 22.
• When Yumemi talked about her paintings, some were shown in the background. One resembled Princess Kaguya, whose story was later referenced in Sailor Moon S: The Movie, and another resembled Nephrite and Naru.
• Usagi's opening introduction changes, instead of focusing on her or her companions, she talks about their search for the Silver Crystal.
• When Usagi, Naru, and Umino are looking at a painting at the art gallery, in the background there are two other paintings from one of Naoko Takeuchi's previous series, The Cherry Project. 

Gallery

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