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I’m sitting here chatting
with Sailor Moon’s Ami. Her first name is the same in the
Japanese and English, but her last name is Mizuno and Anderson, respectively.
She transforms into Sailor Mercury, and she is also the Princess of the
planet Mercury.
Mich:
Hi, Ami.
Ami:
Hi, Michele.
Mich:
You are the brains of the group, aren’t you?
Ami:
Well, yes. I don’t like to brag, but I do have an IQ of 300!
I ranked at the top of my junior high class, and later I was admitted to
a good high school. I also attended juku, or "cram school."
Mich:
Cram school?
Ami:
Yes. In the DIC, it’s translated as computer class. It’s a
school that Japanese students go to, well, after school. It’s designed
to help us learn more than we learn during our regular school. Americans
normally go to public high school, and then try hard to be accepted into
a good college. Is that correct?
Mich:
Yes…
Ami:
Well, in Japan, getting into the right high school is the big deal.
So we study extra-hard to get into the right high school. Well, some
of us do, anyway…
Mich:
Ah, I see. That probably clears up a lot of things for some North
American viewers who aren't familiar with cram schools. In fact,
it was in cram school that you learned of your destiny of becoming Sailor
Mercury, wasn’t it?
Ami:
Yes. Jadeite had sent a youma to steal energy from the students.
Luckily, Usagi had found a disc I had dropped, and she and Luna followed
me there and saved the day! In fact, the disc I had dropped contained
the "evil program," so I wasn’t affected by the youma’s spell.
Mich:
You do know that at first Luna and Usagi thought that you were the enemy,
don’t you?
Ami:
Yes, that’s very funny! We laughed about it for a long time afterward!
Mich:
I also noticed that as soon as you joined Usagi, Luna began riding about
on your shoulder instead of hers.
Ami: Yes, I guess she felt safer with me since I wasn’t falling down all the time!  Ami:
Yes. I thought that was pretty clever, don’t you?
Mich:
Definitely! Now, Ami, you have been nicknamed "Brainiac" by a lot
of SM fans. How do you feel about that?
Ami:
Well, I understand that I do study a bit more than most people, and I’m
sure that they’re just jealous of my good grades. Perhaps if they
studied a bit more, they could be brainiacs, too!
Mich:
But Ami, you do realize that good grades aren’t everything, don’t you?
Ami:
Well, uh…
Mich:
Have you ever thought about what it’s like to give up your entire social
life in school to obtain that almighty A, and then one day you wake up
and you’re thirty years old, and you have no one to keep you warm at night
but a couple of cats, and you live by yourself in a two-room apartment,
and you amuse yourself by making up conversations with cartoon characters,
and you finally realize that that A means absolutely nothing…
Ami: Uh, I thought that we were talking about me…  Ami:
Actually, I do know what you mean. I have passed up several romances
to pursue my academic goals and of course, my destiny as Sailor Mercury!
Sometimes something has to go… (Ami and I continue to commiserate
together for the next few minutes. I’ll spare you the details.)
Mich:
Okay, your mother is a doctor, isn’t she?
Ami:
Yes, a pediatrician. That’s what I want to be, too. I suppose
that’s why I study so hard. I want my mom to be proud of me.
Mich:
What does your dad do?
Ami:
He is an artist. But he doesn’t live with us. My parents are
divorced.
Mich:
That’s too bad. Do you see him much?
Ami:
I really don’t want to talk about my dad.
Mich:
Okay. Then let’s talk some more about your work as Sailor Mercury.
You seem to be the least popular senshi, ranking even after Rei and Chibi-Usa.
People love to hate them, but you just don’t seem to elicit any emotion
in most people other than disgust or sheer apathy.
Mich:
You’ve also been called the weakest of the senshi because your attacks
are purely defensive, not offensive. I mean, all you do is make fog!
Ami:
Uh…
Mich:
So how does that make you feel? Do you agree or disagree?
Ami
Why are you being so mean to me?
Mich:
Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m just
asking…
Ami:
First of all, I do have other attacks later in the series! I have
a pretty cool attack with my Mercury Aqua Harp! And secondly, I might
not be the Mich: Harp?  Mich:
Does it play music, too? Ami:
Of course!
Mich:
Cool! I hope I get to see it sometime! I'm sorry to have hurt
your feelings. You know, it does seem like a lot of male fans like
you the best. Let's talk some more about Sailor Mercury. Now,
your element is water, correct?
Ami:
Yes, all of my attacks use water. My fuku has blue accents, and even
my last name means "friend of water."
Mich:
Fuku?
Ami:
Sailor Suit.
Mich:
Oh, okay. Now, Sailor Neptune also represents water, doesn’t she?
What is the difference between the two of you?
Ami: Well, I use water as an element whereas she uses the power of the ocean. Her attacks are more powerful. My attacks use water in its various physical phases.  Ami:
Uh, that’s not exactly what it does…
Mich:
Close enough. Now, what would you like to say to all of those anti-Ami
people out there?
Ami:
Go do your homework and stop spending so much time surfing the Web!
Ami:
Yes. He was once a general under Prince Endymion, and one of Endymion’s
best friends. However, he was wooed to the dark side by Queen Beryl,
and so was reincarnated evil.
Ami:
No, actually Zoycite was a male. His voice was changed to a female
voice for the DIC translations because they thought that the American audience
would react negatively to a gay romance.
Mich:
I’m sure that you’re right. I always wondered why she dressed like
a guy…
Ami:
What’s interesting is that in the manga, there is no romance between Zoycite
and Kunzite.
Mich:
For those of you who may not be familiar with the Japanese names, Kunzite
is Malachite. Now, Ami, are there any parting thoughts that you’d
like to leave with us today?
Ami:
Well, just study hard, always be true to yourself, and always do your best!
Mich: Thank you for talking with me today, Ami. And kids, do your homework! But don’t forget to have fun, too! Return to The Coffee House... |
 Images have been slightly
edited by me. |
Ami:
Well, uh…
prettiest
senshi or the strongest, but I am the smartest! My brains have got
us out of a lot of tight spots, and my computer visor can find the way
into a lot of places, especially when they’ve been converted into alien
abodes. And most of the time, my "fog attack," as you call it, gives
the others enough time to regroup and prepare their attacks!
Mich:
Well, after you’re done with my site, of course! Okay, Ami, now I
have a question about your past life as the Princess of Mercury.
There is a rumor that in that life, you had a love affair with Zoycite.
Is that correct?
Mich:
Uh, he? I thought that Zoycite was a female. Which of course,
was going to lead to my next question…