Rainbow Chara X
Impossible to gauge!
- 129
- Posts
- 9
- Years
- Shiny Hunting in Sinnoh
- Seen May 12, 2025
Ooof, time to get into some rough waters. Not gameplay-wise, thankfully.
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chapter #8 - Family Troubles[/font][font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
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[Current OST: Harumi]
(I like the song here, by the way. I can't pin down what it is, but it just feels shady.)
Last time on Sailor Moon: Another Story, the Inner Senshi wound up gathering all of the stone pieces to restore Mamoru from his coma.
However, Chibi-Usa has decided to take matters into her own hands and snatch the last ingredient to make him completely healthy again(?): the Rose Crystal. (Yeah, he has his own crystal for some reason.)
[Screen scrolls up to the school]
... Or as the game likes to call it, the Barazuishou.
You can only tell this will lead to shenanigans.
This place in particular is Mugen (Infinity) Academy, an elite private school that serves as a hideout for the Death Busters (S's main villains) in every version of Sailor Moon it appears in. It was founded by Professor Souichi Tomoe (Hotaru's father) after he was exiled from the scientific community and is absolutely massive with like 60 floors, like jesus christ.
: "The Rose Crystal has to be here."
Momo, full name Momoko Momohara, is Chibi-Usa's best friend in the present and a largely flat satellite character, aka. there's not much to her personality.
: "You ask too much, Chibi-usa-chan. You shouldn't ask me that. There's a stone in here that can make Mamo-chan healthy again, right? Let's go inside quickly."
I have to admit how much more I'd enjoy this game if it had a better translation, because redundant sentences like that get noticeable after a while.
But really, we're gonna just sneak into the private school that the Death Busters used to own? Who knows what kinds of terrible shit is still in there?
[Chibi and Momo walk inside, but the gates shut behind them]
: "It looks like they closed the gate. What'll we do...?"
: "It's okay, there'll be another entrance somewhere."
I've looked around and that gate was the only exit. You're kinda hosed, girls.
(Sailor Chibi Moon) -
* HP: ******* (Above Average)
* Attack: ****** (Above Average)
* Defense: ***** (Average)
* Speed: ********** (Excellent)
* Evade: *** (Awful)
* Moveset:
- Pink Sugar Heart Attack (4 MP - pitiful attack that only hits one enemy)
- Pink Sugar Heart Ache (6 MP - strong attack that hits all enemies, Super Chibi Moon exclusive)
* Preferred Gemstone/Equipment: Diamond
???? how the hell is Chibi Moon stronger than Sailor Moon???
I mean, granted, Pink Sugar Heart Attack is one of the worst moves in the game. I don't think Chibi was ever meant to fight for real, but I did hear that PSHA was able to actually kill stuff in the manga.
Her utility as a fighter increases when she goes Super Chibi Moon because the Heart Ache version is way stronger but still not enough to justify transforming. (It's also strange that there even was a Super Chibi Moon before season 4, because the second Mooncup definitely didn't exist in either the manga or the anime. This would imply there were two Holy Grails, which is just silly.)
Her primary role, though, is to serve as the Team Medic thanks to her ludicrous speed and astonishing endurance for a girl her size. She's the perfect character for multi-character heal items due to her almost always going first, which makes her important in a different way than straight up damage.
[Current OST: Apsu]
"That person... She's helping Lady Serenity."
Oh yeah, Chibi's full name is Usagi "Small Lady" Serenity. Man, if that's not a mouthful then I don't know what is.
... Wait, the more important question is what even inspired Chibi-Usa to look here for the Rose Crystal? It's not like Mamoru would keep it in Infinity Academy of all places.
: "Sister, may I go to where they are and have them escorted out?"
[Sin teleports in]
[Sin paces towards the window]
"They're our enemy. They are in their youth, so it would be easier to just kill them. Kill those girls quickly, and then we'll return to the future."
[Sin does a Headbutt of Love with Anshar, likely to calm him down]
"Okay?
"
In hindsight that's a pretty brutal thing to say, given how Sin and Anshar aren't pure evil bad guys. In Sin's case it's especially rough given what we learn about her later on, but I'll get to that when we're there.
I do like how Anshar doesn't really want to hurt anybody - it humanizes him quite a bit, given how he was said to be the leader(?) of the Opposito Senshi aside from Sin.
[Anshar teleports away]
"The person for my brother should be someone like me... Droido! Youma! Kill that girl!"
Um... alright. You do you, Sin. Don't get any weird ideas, now.
"Chibi-Usa-chan, let's get out of here fast!"
I cut out some wandering around because a lot of the rooms don't have much in them barring one room with a Luna-P ball.
[Two monsters show up and attack Momo]
[Current OST: Suspense and Illusion]
: "Kyaaaa!"
: "Momo-chan!"
Well this sure went south quickly.
[Anshar comes in from the other door and destroys the monsters]
: "I'm just in time... Are the two of you okay?"
Oooh, good shit! Glad he wasn't just going to sit around and let Chibi's friend get axed.
: "Who're you?"
: "I'm Anshar. Are you really okay? This girl looks a bit funny."
: "Huh? Momo-chan! Momo-chan, are you okay? Hold on tight!"
"I'm just... just a bit sleepy and... [snore]"
: "Momo-chaaaaaan!"
Famous last words if I've ever heard them. She's getting ready for the dirt nap, boys.
: "This is... It looks like she's been poisoned. She's gonna get weaker and eventually..."
: "Eventually...?"
: "She might die..."
: "NOOOOOO! Momo-chan... Momo-chan can't..."
Wow, that escalated quite a bit.
Poor Momo keeps getting used as the victim in these scenarios, huh?
: "It's okay. If we can get her to sleep in the sick room, I can give her some treatment and make her all better."
: "Really? Well, Momo-chan has to get better, she just has to..."
Hmmm. To further bolster what I said about Anshar, I like how he completely disobeys his sister's commands and helps Chibi-Usa and her friend.
His (and the Opposito's by extension) ultimate goal requires Chibi dead and the Silver Crystal stolen, but his conscience said no. I like that quite a bit.
[The small animal following Anshar hops up to Chibi and mews]
: "He's called Kishal."
[Chibi bends down to get a closer look at him]
: "He's so human-like."
: "Yeah, everyone seems to think he's cute."
I like how even though Chibi's friend is on the verge of dying, a fluffy animal is enough to distract her.
In all seriousness, Kishar is a reference to the Sumerian earth goddess that served as the counterpart to the sky god, Anshar.
Kishar's white fur and the fact Anshar refers to them as a male (despite them both being based off of goddesses) makes me think he's the Evil Artemis of the Opposito Senshi, so that's cute.
: "Well then, let's go, Princess."
whoops, bad call
: "Princess?! My name is Chibi-Usa."
: "A... ahhh, sorry. You look like someone I know. Let's get out of here quickly."
Nice save.
: "But it looks like the school's gates have been closed."
Yeah. The same ones you saw close with your own eyes.
What happened to finding another way out?
: "We can open them if we get to the school's control room."
: "Yeah, but let's get Momo-chan to the sick room for treatment first."
How many times have they said Momo's name (whoops) as it is?
: "I see. Well then, let's go."
[Chibi leaves the room]
"If she was the one who attacked this girl, then I'll never forgive her..."
Whoof. Sorry to break it to you, Anshar buddy, but there's quite a lot more that you won't be forgiving your sister for as this game rolls along...
Long story short, you have to find the sick room first to get a left-over key to open the control room... for reasons.
Chibi goes in by herself while Anshar and the unconcious Momo are left behind.
[The door locks behind Chibi-Usa]
: "Ahh!! Trapped!"
: "Princess, are you okay!?"
: "I can't open the door!"
[The lights flash between dim and bright, followed by a warning siren]
: "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Password has not been entered. Enter password immediately?"
: "Huh? I don't know any password!"
Reminds me of the Security Robot sequence from Earthbound, not gonna lie.
: "Removing intruder!"
[Two Youma slide in from the left and right]
Well, good night Chibi-Usa. See you in the next life.
Name: Boxy
HP: 0
Attack: 0
Defense: 40
Speed: 70
EXP: 70
Yen: 980
Item Drop: MoonShard (Cures 120 HP)
Monster Type: Youma
Based off of: Boxy
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Classic, episode 26
Wait, Zero HP and Attack?!
... Wow, and here I thought this was gonna be a nightmare. Heh.
Boxy here is one of the Seven Great Youma - he was reincarnated into a nameless priest and possessed the orange Rainbow Crystal. The joke here is that boxing and bokushi (minister in japanese) sound similar, so his Youma form is a boxing vulture priest... which is hella cool, not gonna lie.
In Another Story though, he's a massive joke and even easier than the first enemy just so Chibi-Moon can even stand a chance... and there's two of him for some reason.
Here I was, ready to freak out because they threw the weakest Senshi in the series against two "strong" monsters... yet this is the best they can do, huh. (Also this might be proof that being in the center of Cluster formation triples the damage you take, which makes perfect sense in hindsight.)
Keep in mind Chibi is still at Moon Prism Power (the first tier of transformations for the Silver Crystal transformations), and these are strong monsters from Season 1, so she should logically be in a bit more trouble than this... but nah.
Pictured above, a young girl beats up two grown-ass demon men while screaming bloody murder.
I find this whole scene incredibly amusing because there's no logical reason this should be happening, but it is!
If we had Pink Sugar Heart Attack, it would be even more embarrassing... but alas, it costs four EP to even shoot so no deal.
Mama mia, look at those boosts.
If this fight served anything, it was to give Chibi Moon some valuable level-ups. I like that - at least we don't have to stumble across hordes of random battles with the one Senshi who's nothing more than a pink baby marshmallow.
: "Yeah, it was nothing."
Even less than nothing. Beneficial, you might even say.
: "Okay! Let's shut down that computer."
[Anshar does some typing stuff, but gets frustrated and kicks the computer, shutting it down]
Okay, that's not what really happened, but I find it sillier that way.
: "Well then, let's go, Princess."
This boy just cannot get out of the habit of calling her Princess.
: "My name is Chibi-Usa! Stop messing it up!!"
Tee hee.
: "I... I'm sorry, my fault."
: "Before we leave the school, we have to go to the sick room and heal Momo-chan."
[Current OST: Apsu]
Side-note, I like how Another Story has different sprites for character actions instead of the limited Final Fantasy "arms raised" template.
Sin's sitting sprite here is neat because it gives her more personality than if she was just standing or walking around.
[Sin hops off the table and paces around the room]
: "There's no escape, I've got them now. Whatever shall I do... Yeah! If I use that girl... Anshar. Quick, come back to your sister."
At first I was confused as to what she meant by this, but it'll make sense in the following cutscene.
The "always tired people!!" guy is here in case you got roughed up, but I'm not sure why to be honest?
Spoiler alert, the Boxy fight was the only one in Chibi-Moon's solo part and it was literally just a free way to gain experience... so this guy being here is useless for once. Beats me why they put him in.
"In a little while, Momo-chan will wake up."
: "Thank you, Anshar. Let's get Momo-chan out of here."
Wow, that was some fast acting medicine! Must have been the same stuff we use to cure "numbness" (the poison ailment of this game, in case you forgot).
"Do you know of it?"
: "N... No, I don't know. I've never heard of that stone. Why are you looking for this 'Rose Crystal?'"
He's such a bad liar.
: "That is... She wants to steal away that girl's important person, Anshar..."
I was originally like, what the hell is Momo talking about? But, well...
: "Momo-chan!"
: "That's my sister's voice!! What have you done to that girl!?"
Oh, Sin is possessing her. Makes more sense than insinuating Chibi was trying to steal Mamoru from Usagi for... some reason.
Wait, why do we need the Rose Crystal if the Four Heavenly King stones are supposed to be what cures him anyway? Is it a contingency plan? I'm so confused.
: "Anshar, open your eyes."
[Sin teleports in]
: "How many times have you missed the princess and not looked out for us? If you helped us now, the flow of time would change."
Time travel is a hell of a plot element because it raises so many uncomfortable questions. It's not just something unique to Another Story, either, because Chibi-Usa's very existence is that she's Usagi's child from the future come back to take back the Silver Crystal or something but... you got me.
: "But sister!!"
: "Sister...? Then she's Anshar's sister..."
Sin forces the possessed Momo to crawl out of bed and attack Anshar - he holds her off, leaving Chibi-Moon confused at what to do next.
Then this happens.
[Sin sucker-punches Chibi-Usa in the gut and knocks her unconscious]
Ouch! She's definitely more ruthless than her Senshi counterpart, that's for sure.
"No! You must be doing something to that girl..."
[Momo vanishes]
Uh, bye. Guess we have to go rescue her later or something.
: "Well, let's go back then, Anshar."
: "I don't want to follow your ways, sister!"
[Anshar takes Chibi-Usa and teleports away himself]
Aw snap, he saves the day again! Good thing too, because I'm pretty sure Sin would have won if he wasn't here.
[Current OST: Cave]
[Chibi looks around]
"Huh? Momo-chan?"
(What I assume is her): "I'm okay..."
Wait, never mind, she's fine.
I think.
[Screen pans over to Anshar on the ground; Chibi runs over to him]
: "I'm just a little tired... I'm okay..."
Could've fooled me. You look a bit dead, my guy.
: "That kid... sent back the red clothed girl..."
... What kid, though?? The only other person in the room was your sister and the princess, so this sentence doesn't make sense to me unless you're talking about your sister.
: "Where are we?"
: "I don't know... It looks like we're inside your guiding light..."
: "Ah, it's the Silver Crystal's light... Maybe the Rose Crystal is around here...?"
Guiding light? What's that supposed to mean?
She has a forest inside of her copy of the Silver Crystal... somehow. How did Anshar even get us here?
[Anshar groans]
: "Anshar..."
"Ahhh, I'm so scared! Somebody, come help me! Help me! Sailor Moon!!"
I do feel quite bad for Chibi-Usa - your dad figure gets hospitalized, your best friend gets poisoned, your new friend gets knocked unconscious and now you're stuck in an unfamiliar place by yourself... as a small, mostly-helpless kid.
No wonder she's screaming for Sailor Moon to help her.
Oh huh? That's it?
... I mean I'll take it if we get to play as regular Moon again.
I've heard people in the West don't like Chibi-Usa and I can kind of see why - she started off as a brat in the anime and didn't even become Sailor Chibi-Moon until Super, but I like her quite a bit, especially given how sweet she becomes to Usagi and how she grows as a person.
People in Japan love her though because I guess they're into that tiny cute princess thing - just take a look at Shaymin in its movie. (Even though I can't stand that Shaymin in particular due to them being a bitch for no reason - it's especially egregious given how they're supposed to be the Gratitude Pokemon.)
[Current OST: Tokyo City]
: "Chibi-Usa? Just now... I could hear Chibi-Usa's voice..."
[Luna jumps into the room via the window]
"Something about Chibi-Usa, maybe?"
: "No, Hotaru-chan's disappeared!"
: "Maybe she just went for a walk?"
... Come on, dude. You know it's not that easy.
: "Perhaps, she might of... But Hotaru-chan's not like you, Usagi-chan. She's not such a wandering child..."
: "What did you say about me, Luna?!"
: "It's true, but anyway..."
Mega burned by your own cat.
: "Right now there must be tons of enemies wandering around. If Hotaru-chan's all alone, then it must be dangerous for her."
Wow, that's cold of you. Usagi, are you feeling okay?
: "Usagi-oneechan!"
(big sis Usagi, basically, for those who aren't proficient in japanese)
[Momo runs into the room]
Basically - Momo cries that Chibi-Usa's gone after they tried to look for the Rose Crystal, but Usagi volunteers to help find her.
On top of making this silly boast. I love her, okay?
She tells Momo that it's dangerous outside and that she needs to stay at home. After every incident she gets herself in, that's a wise idea.
: "Did you get any of that, Luna?"
: "I didn't understand it much, either... But there's probably something that can help us at the Infinity Academy."
.... Wait a second. I just remembered - wasn't the academy reduced to rubble after Sailor Moon destroyed the main villain of Super? Did the Opposito restore the building's Destiny too? I guess so.
Oh yeah, I forgot we had this.
The disguise pen lets Usagi change her appearance into anything she wants, but it kind of fell out of style after the first season.
The Space Sword, Aqua Mirror and Garnet Orb are the talismans that belong to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto... although why we have them is a mystery. I assume it's the same deal as Venus somehow nabbing the Mooncup from the last chapter.
180 yen is the equivalent to one dollar and 61 cents over in the US, so that sounds about right.
"Sailor Moon! Why's she here?!"
[Sin walks over to the mysterious man]
: "Invite them all to Tomoe Labs... and kill them."
: "... I understand, Sin-sama."
Oh. Oh no.
This is gonna be rough.
: "Yes, I can feel it too. But that energy isn't from the Infinity Academy."
: "Usagi-chan, it's the Tomoe Lab!"
: "What the... I can feel a premonition..."
A premonition? But I thought Rei was the psychic one.
[Usagi transforms, complete with pillar of light]
: "Tomoe's Lab is southwest from here. Let's go!"
Oooh, I like the sea tiles... especially since they're animated in-game.
That said, there's already monsters waiting for us!
Name: Steering
HP: 50
Attack: 29
Defense: 12
Speed: 20
EXP: 4
Yen: 100
Item Drop: Manicure (Boosts attack power)
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Steering
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Super, episode 3
Steering is a Daimon created from Haruka's race-car of all things, and well...
Hey, they even get to die the same way as they did in the anime. Stuff like this is why I play Another Story.
Manicures as a drop item are great because the extra attack boost is essential, even if it's for way later.
There's some good stuff here, but the outside is otherwise pretty basic either way.
Inside, there's spooky labs that... I don't think have much in them, alas.
[Current OST: Intro]
: "Doctor Tomoe!"
: "Did you really think I'd been destroyed? Come out, Mistress 9! Cause a calamity to befall that person! Beat up Sailor Moon!"
... Hold up. What do you mean "destroyed"? Doctor Tomoe got to live in the anime - his manga counterpart was the one who bit it, so what's going on here?
[An adult version of Hotaru appears in front of the doctor]
"Why? Hotaru-chan transformed back from being Mistress 9."
: "What are you saying? If Hotaru were to stop being Mistress 9, she would cease to exist."
Oh.
: "Perhaps, Hotaru-chan is the same as before... Have you really changed into Mistress 9?"
: "... Sailor Moon. This time, we shall receive our true Destiny!"
Oh snap, here we go.
[Current OST: Boss]
Name: Mistress 9
HP: 500
Attack: 38
Defense: 10
Speed: 13
EXP: 65
Yen: 12000
Item Drop: None
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Possessed Hotaru / True form (Anime) / True form (Manga)
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Mistress 9): Sailor Moon Super, episode 24 / Act 33 - Infinity 7, Transformation, Super Sailor Moon
Okay, we're just fighting Mistress 9. This is fine.
The reason this is such a big deal is because Mistress 9 is effectively the Antichrist to Sailor Moon's Messiah - they are the right-hand woman of the Death Busters's true leader, Pharaoh 90.
To let you know what he's like, he doesn't even have a physical form. He is an eldritch energy being of incomprehensible evil from the Tau Nebula, and looks the part.
His plan? Have Mistress 9 gather the Holy Grail so she could summon him, nuke everything and make Earth the second home of the Daimons. Rei even has a premonition at the start of Super where she sees all of her friends destroyed via a shockwave of dark energy, like god damn.
Mistress 9 took up residence in Hotaru's body and possessed her from time to time, but thanks to Sailor Moon's help and her own calling as Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Destruction, she wound up saving the day.
That said, Mistress 9 is super easy.
Yeah, all that build up and she gets 70% of her health ripped out by one Moon Spiral Heart Attack.
To make matters more embarrassing, she barely hit Usagi for anything despite being in the center of Cluster (although that's thanks to her natural high defense) and used the hilariously awful Sonic Wave as a counterattack.
... Yeah... I think there's a reason why Sailor Moon never fought her in the anime, and not because she was strong.
Without the Manicure boost it would have taken five Heart Attacks, so...
: "Oooh..."
: "Those who go against Her Destiny shall die! With that, I ask you, Kaolinite, to beat up this girl!"
Wait, what?
Name: Kaolinite
HP: 650
Attack: 38
Defense: 16
Speed: 12
EXP: 65
Yen: 10000
Item Drop: Nigiri (Cures 300 HP)
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Manga / Anime
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Mistress 9): Sailor Moon Super, episode 1 / Act 27 - Infinity 1, Premonition
We're suddenly fighting her too? Not even an introduction this time! Wow, they must not have wanted to draw her portrait or something, jeez.
Anyway, Kaolinite is the first member of the Death Busters introduced (even before the Doc) and is a woman who was struck by lightning, only to be resurrected with a Daimon possessing her body. She's the Magus (leader) of the Witches 5, the group of scientists who are all responsible for Daimon creation.
She's also an abusive stepmother to poor Hotaru, as if her life wasn't any harder as it was... which kind of explains why Kaori was zapped to death by Mistress 9 in the anime.
Also, they were not holding back with her design at all.
A demonstration of the difference between how much we do vs. how much we take. It's kind of nuts, especially in this game where stats are influenced by percentages instead of flat numbers.
I do find it interesting that Kaori here is stronger than Mistress 9, like that just doesn't make any sense.
We slam her with a Rainbow Moon Heart Ache...
But it isn't enough to kill her, so we punch her face in. It works.
I think after a while Puzzle Pieces stop showing up, so we need to be careful about progressing too far into the story before they run out.
"We shall withdraw... for now. Fwahahahaha..."
[The Doctor runs into the open door]
What a dork.
"Hotaru-chan's body just moved!"
: "Hotaru-chan!"
[Her body shifts between Hotaru and Mistress 9]
: "W... What's this? Hotaru-chan's returning to normal..."
"What the heck is going on?"
Well said.
[Hotaru's body keeps shifting between the two forms]
: "Hmmm... It seems that Hotaru-chan's gone into limbo. Seeing as she is, Sailor Moon, use your Silver Crystal to help her."
: "You're right, let's give it a try. Moon Cosmic Power!"
[Hotaru finally shifts back to her normal human self]
: "O... oooh... Huh? Usagi-chan?"
: "Hotaru-chan! I'm so happy!"
How many times have we said her and Momo's name in this chapter alone? Like it's getting a bit much.
: "But, you were only a shell of your former self. You became Mistress 9... it was strange."
: "But has Doctor Tomoe changed into a strange person as well?"
... I mean, did you see him laughing like an idiot before running off? Or was that just me.
: "I don't know. But with the power of the Silver Crystal, we can change him back into a human."
: "He's alive, but it seems... He's helping to revive our enemies. Hotaru-chan, where does that door lead to?"
[Screen pans over to the same door the Doctor went through]
: "Ummm... is there something through that door? Has it been used recently?"
: "Let's see if Doctor Tomoe's through there."
Was I really the only one paying attention to him leaving?
At least we get to have Sailor Saturn on our team again
The Luna-P ball is in the room above the cutscene, so that's nice at least.
"Well, isn't this convenient. How about I take care of things and beat you guys myself?"
: "Why are you dragging Hotaru-chan into a battle again?"
That's right, this is right after we blasted her with Moon Spiral Heart Attack. Sorry about that, by the way.
: "This is not a battle, this is a project. We are resurging with a thing called, 'strength.' And we will get some proper results this time around."
Well, I'm resurging with a thing called 'laughter'. It's pretty infectious, don't let it get to you.
Name: Gelmadoid
HP: 1000
Attack: 48
Defense: 10
Speed: 10
EXP: 65
Yen: 13000
Item Drop: None
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Possessed Doctor Tomoe (Anime) / Possessed Doctor Tomoe (Manga) / Germatoid
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Dr. Tomoe): Sailor Moon Super, episode 1 / Act 28 - Infinity 2, Ripples
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Germatoid): Sailor Moon Super, episode 34
Oh boy, here we go. We get to fight the Daimon form of the professor in all his plant-like glory, and he's a bit trickier than the other two.
Dr. Souichi Tomoe is a man who was ravaged by an accident that disfigured him and his at the time eight year old daughter. (This is why Hotaru is a cyborg in the manga.)
The accident was caused none other by Germatoid, an emissary of Pharaoh 90 that caused the good doctor to create the Death Busters.
The thing about Germatoid is that he's only a separate character in the anime - in the manga he was just an alias used by Dr. Tomoe after he went cuckoo crazy.
Ooof, that's not flattering. The 15 damage is from Saturn, and this is after I talked her up as being a great character.
We'll get a fix for that soon though, don't you worry.
The power of a good manicure is enough to overthrow even the mightiest of monsters.
1000 health is a bit of a step up from before, though. Even if he can't really kill us, he can still drive us crazy from tedium.
This pink mist is Fascination, the infamous Charm-inducing attack of Another Story. Charm (or as it's known in the game, Enchantment) is a really dangerous status ailment due to how it forces you to attack your allies.
I'd argue to say it's even worse here than something like Final Fantasy, given how it doesn't go away when you get hit. It takes away your turns too, which is a serious problem in a game where each action matters.
Still went down easy though.
The funny thing about Germatoid is that his main body is actually easy to break (hence why he has 10 defense) - the problem was that he hid his Daimon Egg in one of his fake bodies. Uranus and Neptune had to use their Talisman weapons to reveal the real one and... well, he gets stabbed in the eye.
It's honestly one of the most satisfying monster deaths in the entire show... and here's a gif of it!
Like god damn that's metal.
"Answer me! Papa!!"
: "Ooh... Ooohhh... Hotaru?"
Did we actually knock him back to his senses?
: "Papa!"
[A pillar of light envelops the doctor]
An unknown voice pretending to be Hotaru: "Papa, protect me! The one in front of you is a fake! Take me and protect me like you did with the Taioron Aliens!"
Who's doing this? Is it Sin again?
That said, this is pretty messed up.
: "... Ho... taru..."
: "Papa, please open your eyes. I am here, right in front of you. Don't be lead astray!"
: "No! Shut up! Shut uuuuuuup!"
Oh no, it's purple Luminaire! Run for your lives!
: "Kyaaaa!"
[The doctor teleports away - both Saturn and Moon are flung back with incredible force]
: "Owww... Saturn, are you okay?"
[Both girls get back onto their feet]
: "Saturn... your father is being controlled. It's getting dangerous. It's not right for you to help this time."
: "Yes, it would be too heartbreaking for you now. We can't lose because of sadness."
I like how they care about Hotaru enough to not have her witness her father die a second time(?), but...
: "Mm, you're right... Thank you, Sailor Moon. This time, you help Papa."
She's still tagging along, so she might still see it happen anyway.
Oh wow, another Red Rose. This is only the start of the treasure pile, so ooh boy.
After three boss fights in a row, we kinda deserve some rewards.
Name: Combater B
HP: 250
Attack: 39
Defense: 15
Speed: 23
EXP: 6
Yen: 300
Item Drop: Candy (Cures 5 HP)
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Germatoid's clone bodies
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon S (Season 3, episode 34)
Name: Combater C
HP: 370
Attack: 40
Defense: 10
Speed: 15
EXP: 7
Yen: 500
Item Drop: Candy (Cures 5 HP)
Monster Type: Youma
Based off of: Nothing in particular
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: N/A
How are there more clone bodies after we destroyed the main Germatoid? Oh whatever, it's a video game.
B is fast, but C has more girth and attack - if you need to grind a bit more, then they should suffice. Why do they drop candy though? It's like the worst healing item in any game I've seen, and we're already a fair amount into the Another Story as it is.
Unless... oh my god it's a genius plan! There's only one enemy Sailor Moon can't defeat with her magic powers, and that's tooth decay! It all makes sense!
An... apple juice of all things. Something that's not even good at the beginning of the game.
Wait, it gets better.
Yeah... let's just put a 15 HP restoring item right next to what is effectively the Megalixir of the game. I guess someone got thirsty and just left it there? I dunno.
The harisen is used to bring people back from the sleep status because it's one of those big paper fans used to smack people over the head.
Granted, despite how funny that'd be as a sight gag, getting hit by an enemy has the same effect so... it's kind of useless.
Oh damn. That's a preferred item for Saturn! We're really running into good stuff today.
This is the throne room that they used to put Hotaru in when she was still possessed by Mistress 9, so to see it in video game form is amazing attention to detail.
Oh boy, this looks fun. This seems to be the place where they store Daimons, which I dig because I was already all for the mad science aspect of the Death Busters when they showed up the first time.
The Destruction Tiara is the second piece of Saturn's preferred equipment! She has gone from being the weakest Senshi to one of the strongest just with this alone, and this isn't even all of it, trust me...
You'll see what I mean when we get into another fight.
The other chest is far less interesting, unfortunately.
Is this the room in the anime where Doctor Tomoe does his experiments? Oh, that's sick!
So the interesting thing about this cutscene is your choice does change things up, even if it's largely "do you want to fight a boss yes or no". The events still play out in more or less the same way, though, as I'll explain in a bit.
: "... No! Painful... It must be that this pain is... Ho... Hotaru... where did you go..."
: "Papa! It's okay, I'm right here!"
: "Now!"
[Dr. Tomoe falls to his knees]
: "Hotaru, thank you... Your voice brought me back to my sen... ses..."
[Dr. Tomoe flings his entire body back, followed by a spirit flying out of him]
"Once again, it's that annoying Silver Crystal!!"
[The Daimon spirit clashes into Hotaru]
How is it doing that, by the way? It's a ghost.
Dr. Tomoe, now un-possessed, takes the next hit and falls to his knees again.
"You did that for me..."
: "I'm... okay... Quickly, beat that spirit."
Way ahead of you, buddy.
Name: Stone Danger
HP: 1600
Attack: 43
Defense: 10
Speed: 28
EXP: 65
Yen: 12000
Item Drop: Nothing
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Unnamed Daimon (Anime) / Generic Daimon (Manga)
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Super, episode 17
Huh. So the interesting thing about this guy is that technically, this is what Daimons are supposed to look like when they're not possessing people/items or stuck inside of their Daimon Eggs.
They're actually giant disgusting looking eldritch worm things instead of wacky looking Lady Gaga ripoffs, which is pretty nuts if I can be blunt if you.
... That said, how did Germatoid become this thing? The spirit part still confuses me because that's what happens when Daimons are killed, yet it's fighting us like any other monster, so...
MAMA MIA!
Look at that damage. The 702 is Saturn's while the 326 is from Sailor Moon... and that's without an attack boost!
If Saturn was in the center and had a Manicure applied, she would deal 2000+ damage and kill Stone Danger in one hit. It's busted.
Equipment really matters in this game, alright?
Good thing too, because doing only 300 damage would have taken a while with Stone Danger's (amazing name, by the way) incredible 1600 HP.
A bad formation would make the battle take a ridiculous amount of time, so be careful of that.
[Current OST: Sadness]
: "Hotaru, don't cry. I'm just returning to my original Destiny... Are you hurt?"
: "No, because of you. Thank you, Papa..."
: "I'm happy... you're at peace..."
[Dr. Tomoe fades away]
: "I'm alright... But... I... I just wanted a little more time... Papa... PAPAAA!"
[Saturn leans into Sailor Moon and sobs]
Ooof. I meant what I said when I said this would be rough.
I know it's kind of supposed to be a continuity snarl regarding Dr. Tomoe's existence (is he the same one from the anime or the manga?), but the Opposito Senshi still robbed this poor girl a chance to be with her father.
Even worse if you go by the anime where he got to live after being un-possessed.
If we chose No back at the choice, the cutscene would play out the same way but the only major difference is that we wouldn't have to fight Stone Danger. This technically makes it optional, which is weird.
: "Usagi, what do you think that spirit was?"
A cheater.
: "Huh? Th... that was just our imaginations. It's all sealed up now. All that sadness..."
: "But Usagi-chan, Doctor Tomoe had come back to life..."
: "Stop it! I don't want to remember anything that happened then."
Wow, it's even affecting Usagi too. It's pretty rough on everybody lately.
: "Usagi-chan, it's too heartbreaking to ignore... Maybe if we went back to Tomoe Labs, we could find some clues. The Tomoe Labs have been purified by the Silver Crystal so the enemies can't get in, which means we'd be free to investigate."
: "... Yeah."
As much as I'd want the girls to grieve, they have to stop the Opposito from doing what they want...
: "Hotaru-chan! You woke up!"
: "Usagi-chan... I'll... I'll go with you too."
Wow, what a trooper. Even after what just happened, she still wants to fight.
: "No, Hotaru-chan. Under these circumstances..."
: "I... couldn't save my father, so... this time... I want to at least help Chibi-usa-chan. Please take me with you, Usagi-chan!"
Awww, that's sweet.
Usagi thinks about it and lets her go, so yay we get to keep Saturn as a party member!
: "Luna, I thought you said it was safe!?"
Shenanigans, I tell you.
Alright, next time on Sailor Moon Another Story, we hunt for the Rose Crystal and try to rescue Chibi-Usa. We also get to meet a few "old friends"...
See you then.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Team Set-Up:
(Sailor Moon, level 11,
, Inner Senshi) - "Ugh... I don't like that we're coming back here a third time."
(Sailor Saturn, level 10,
, Outer Senshi) - "I'm worried about Chibi-Usa, though. Where do you think she's gone?"
-
~Fun Sailor Moon Fact~:
A double whammy for Chibi-Usa and Hotaru:
Chibi-Usa has her own Inner Senshi counterparts known as the Sailor Quartet - Sailor Vesta (Mars parallel), Sailor Pallas (Mercury), Sailor Juno (Jupiter) and Sailor Ceres. (Venus)
The interesting thing about them is that they technically started off as villains - they were members of season 4's/the Dream arc's villain group, the Dead Moon Circus. Their leader Nehellenia corrupted them, but after she was defeated, the quartet reawakened as Chibiusa's personal guardians.
Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn is explicitly stated to be one of the most powerful Sailor Senshi in existence due to her destruction abilities. She's strong enough to wipe out a galaxy at the cost of her own life.
She also has rebirth powers - she's the one who allowed the members of the Moon Kingdom to be reborn into their modern counterparts after the moon was destroyed by Beryl's dark forces.
I find it interesting that her Silence Glaive is shaped after the scythe of the god Saturn.
The name of Hotaru's mother is Keiko, although we never go to see her even in a flashback.
[font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chapter #8 - Family Troubles[/font][font=verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/font]
Spoiler:
[Current OST: Harumi]
(I like the song here, by the way. I can't pin down what it is, but it just feels shady.)
Last time on Sailor Moon: Another Story, the Inner Senshi wound up gathering all of the stone pieces to restore Mamoru from his coma.
However, Chibi-Usa has decided to take matters into her own hands and snatch the last ingredient to make him completely healthy again(?): the Rose Crystal. (Yeah, he has his own crystal for some reason.)
[Screen scrolls up to the school]
... Or as the game likes to call it, the Barazuishou.
You can only tell this will lead to shenanigans.
This place in particular is Mugen (Infinity) Academy, an elite private school that serves as a hideout for the Death Busters (S's main villains) in every version of Sailor Moon it appears in. It was founded by Professor Souichi Tomoe (Hotaru's father) after he was exiled from the scientific community and is absolutely massive with like 60 floors, like jesus christ.
Momo, full name Momoko Momohara, is Chibi-Usa's best friend in the present and a largely flat satellite character, aka. there's not much to her personality.
I have to admit how much more I'd enjoy this game if it had a better translation, because redundant sentences like that get noticeable after a while.
But really, we're gonna just sneak into the private school that the Death Busters used to own? Who knows what kinds of terrible shit is still in there?
[Chibi and Momo walk inside, but the gates shut behind them]
I've looked around and that gate was the only exit. You're kinda hosed, girls.
* HP: ******* (Above Average)
* Attack: ****** (Above Average)
* Defense: ***** (Average)
* Speed: ********** (Excellent)
* Evade: *** (Awful)
* Moveset:
- Pink Sugar Heart Attack (4 MP - pitiful attack that only hits one enemy)
- Pink Sugar Heart Ache (6 MP - strong attack that hits all enemies, Super Chibi Moon exclusive)
* Preferred Gemstone/Equipment: Diamond
???? how the hell is Chibi Moon stronger than Sailor Moon???
I mean, granted, Pink Sugar Heart Attack is one of the worst moves in the game. I don't think Chibi was ever meant to fight for real, but I did hear that PSHA was able to actually kill stuff in the manga.
Her utility as a fighter increases when she goes Super Chibi Moon because the Heart Ache version is way stronger but still not enough to justify transforming. (It's also strange that there even was a Super Chibi Moon before season 4, because the second Mooncup definitely didn't exist in either the manga or the anime. This would imply there were two Holy Grails, which is just silly.)
Her primary role, though, is to serve as the Team Medic thanks to her ludicrous speed and astonishing endurance for a girl her size. She's the perfect character for multi-character heal items due to her almost always going first, which makes her important in a different way than straight up damage.
[Current OST: Apsu]
"That person... She's helping Lady Serenity."
Oh yeah, Chibi's full name is Usagi "Small Lady" Serenity. Man, if that's not a mouthful then I don't know what is.
... Wait, the more important question is what even inspired Chibi-Usa to look here for the Rose Crystal? It's not like Mamoru would keep it in Infinity Academy of all places.
[Sin teleports in]
[Sin paces towards the window]
"They're our enemy. They are in their youth, so it would be easier to just kill them. Kill those girls quickly, and then we'll return to the future."
[Sin does a Headbutt of Love with Anshar, likely to calm him down]
"Okay?
In hindsight that's a pretty brutal thing to say, given how Sin and Anshar aren't pure evil bad guys. In Sin's case it's especially rough given what we learn about her later on, but I'll get to that when we're there.
I do like how Anshar doesn't really want to hurt anybody - it humanizes him quite a bit, given how he was said to be the leader(?) of the Opposito Senshi aside from Sin.
[Anshar teleports away]
"The person for my brother should be someone like me... Droido! Youma! Kill that girl!"
Um... alright. You do you, Sin. Don't get any weird ideas, now.
"Chibi-Usa-chan, let's get out of here fast!"
I cut out some wandering around because a lot of the rooms don't have much in them barring one room with a Luna-P ball.
[Two monsters show up and attack Momo]
[Current OST: Suspense and Illusion]
Well this sure went south quickly.
[Anshar comes in from the other door and destroys the monsters]
Oooh, good shit! Glad he wasn't just going to sit around and let Chibi's friend get axed.
"I'm just... just a bit sleepy and... [snore]"
Famous last words if I've ever heard them. She's getting ready for the dirt nap, boys.
Wow, that escalated quite a bit.
Poor Momo keeps getting used as the victim in these scenarios, huh?
Hmmm. To further bolster what I said about Anshar, I like how he completely disobeys his sister's commands and helps Chibi-Usa and her friend.
His (and the Opposito's by extension) ultimate goal requires Chibi dead and the Silver Crystal stolen, but his conscience said no. I like that quite a bit.
[The small animal following Anshar hops up to Chibi and mews]
[Chibi bends down to get a closer look at him]
I like how even though Chibi's friend is on the verge of dying, a fluffy animal is enough to distract her.
In all seriousness, Kishar is a reference to the Sumerian earth goddess that served as the counterpart to the sky god, Anshar.
Kishar's white fur and the fact Anshar refers to them as a male (despite them both being based off of goddesses) makes me think he's the Evil Artemis of the Opposito Senshi, so that's cute.
Nice save.
Yeah. The same ones you saw close with your own eyes.
What happened to finding another way out?
How many times have they said Momo's name (whoops) as it is?
[Chibi leaves the room]
"If she was the one who attacked this girl, then I'll never forgive her..."
Whoof. Sorry to break it to you, Anshar buddy, but there's quite a lot more that you won't be forgiving your sister for as this game rolls along...
Long story short, you have to find the sick room first to get a left-over key to open the control room... for reasons.
Chibi goes in by herself while Anshar and the unconcious Momo are left behind.
[The door locks behind Chibi-Usa]
[The lights flash between dim and bright, followed by a warning siren]
Reminds me of the Security Robot sequence from Earthbound, not gonna lie.
[Two Youma slide in from the left and right]
Name: Boxy
HP: 0
Attack: 0
Defense: 40
Speed: 70
EXP: 70
Yen: 980
Item Drop: MoonShard (Cures 120 HP)
Monster Type: Youma
Based off of: Boxy
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Classic, episode 26
Wait, Zero HP and Attack?!
... Wow, and here I thought this was gonna be a nightmare. Heh.
Boxy here is one of the Seven Great Youma - he was reincarnated into a nameless priest and possessed the orange Rainbow Crystal. The joke here is that boxing and bokushi (minister in japanese) sound similar, so his Youma form is a boxing vulture priest... which is hella cool, not gonna lie.
In Another Story though, he's a massive joke and even easier than the first enemy just so Chibi-Moon can even stand a chance... and there's two of him for some reason.
Here I was, ready to freak out because they threw the weakest Senshi in the series against two "strong" monsters... yet this is the best they can do, huh. (Also this might be proof that being in the center of Cluster formation triples the damage you take, which makes perfect sense in hindsight.)
Keep in mind Chibi is still at Moon Prism Power (the first tier of transformations for the Silver Crystal transformations), and these are strong monsters from Season 1, so she should logically be in a bit more trouble than this... but nah.
Pictured above, a young girl beats up two grown-ass demon men while screaming bloody murder.
I find this whole scene incredibly amusing because there's no logical reason this should be happening, but it is!
If we had Pink Sugar Heart Attack, it would be even more embarrassing... but alas, it costs four EP to even shoot so no deal.
Mama mia, look at those boosts.
If this fight served anything, it was to give Chibi Moon some valuable level-ups. I like that - at least we don't have to stumble across hordes of random battles with the one Senshi who's nothing more than a pink baby marshmallow.
Even less than nothing. Beneficial, you might even say.
[Anshar does some typing stuff, but gets frustrated and kicks the computer, shutting it down]
Okay, that's not what really happened, but I find it sillier that way.
This boy just cannot get out of the habit of calling her Princess.
Tee hee.
[Current OST: Apsu]
Side-note, I like how Another Story has different sprites for character actions instead of the limited Final Fantasy "arms raised" template.
Sin's sitting sprite here is neat because it gives her more personality than if she was just standing or walking around.
[Sin hops off the table and paces around the room]
At first I was confused as to what she meant by this, but it'll make sense in the following cutscene.
The "always tired people!!" guy is here in case you got roughed up, but I'm not sure why to be honest?
Spoiler alert, the Boxy fight was the only one in Chibi-Moon's solo part and it was literally just a free way to gain experience... so this guy being here is useless for once. Beats me why they put him in.
"In a little while, Momo-chan will wake up."
Wow, that was some fast acting medicine! Must have been the same stuff we use to cure "numbness" (the poison ailment of this game, in case you forgot).
"Do you know of it?"
He's such a bad liar.
I was originally like, what the hell is Momo talking about? But, well...
Oh, Sin is possessing her. Makes more sense than insinuating Chibi was trying to steal Mamoru from Usagi for... some reason.
Wait, why do we need the Rose Crystal if the Four Heavenly King stones are supposed to be what cures him anyway? Is it a contingency plan? I'm so confused.
[Sin teleports in]
Time travel is a hell of a plot element because it raises so many uncomfortable questions. It's not just something unique to Another Story, either, because Chibi-Usa's very existence is that she's Usagi's child from the future come back to take back the Silver Crystal or something but... you got me.
Sin forces the possessed Momo to crawl out of bed and attack Anshar - he holds her off, leaving Chibi-Moon confused at what to do next.
Then this happens.
[Sin sucker-punches Chibi-Usa in the gut and knocks her unconscious]
Ouch! She's definitely more ruthless than her Senshi counterpart, that's for sure.
"No! You must be doing something to that girl..."
[Momo vanishes]
Uh, bye. Guess we have to go rescue her later or something.
[Anshar takes Chibi-Usa and teleports away himself]
Aw snap, he saves the day again! Good thing too, because I'm pretty sure Sin would have won if he wasn't here.
[Current OST: Cave]
[Chibi looks around]
"Huh? Momo-chan?"
(What I assume is her): "I'm okay..."
Wait, never mind, she's fine.
I think.
[Screen pans over to Anshar on the ground; Chibi runs over to him]
Could've fooled me. You look a bit dead, my guy.
... What kid, though?? The only other person in the room was your sister and the princess, so this sentence doesn't make sense to me unless you're talking about your sister.
Guiding light? What's that supposed to mean?
She has a forest inside of her copy of the Silver Crystal... somehow. How did Anshar even get us here?
[Anshar groans]
"Ahhh, I'm so scared! Somebody, come help me! Help me! Sailor Moon!!"
I do feel quite bad for Chibi-Usa - your dad figure gets hospitalized, your best friend gets poisoned, your new friend gets knocked unconscious and now you're stuck in an unfamiliar place by yourself... as a small, mostly-helpless kid.
No wonder she's screaming for Sailor Moon to help her.
Oh huh? That's it?
... I mean I'll take it if we get to play as regular Moon again.
I've heard people in the West don't like Chibi-Usa and I can kind of see why - she started off as a brat in the anime and didn't even become Sailor Chibi-Moon until Super, but I like her quite a bit, especially given how sweet she becomes to Usagi and how she grows as a person.
People in Japan love her though because I guess they're into that tiny cute princess thing - just take a look at Shaymin in its movie. (Even though I can't stand that Shaymin in particular due to them being a bitch for no reason - it's especially egregious given how they're supposed to be the Gratitude Pokemon.)
[Current OST: Tokyo City]
[Luna jumps into the room via the window]
"Something about Chibi-Usa, maybe?"
... Come on, dude. You know it's not that easy.
Mega burned by your own cat.
Wow, that's cold of you. Usagi, are you feeling okay?
(big sis Usagi, basically, for those who aren't proficient in japanese)
[Momo runs into the room]
Basically - Momo cries that Chibi-Usa's gone after they tried to look for the Rose Crystal, but Usagi volunteers to help find her.
On top of making this silly boast. I love her, okay?
She tells Momo that it's dangerous outside and that she needs to stay at home. After every incident she gets herself in, that's a wise idea.
.... Wait a second. I just remembered - wasn't the academy reduced to rubble after Sailor Moon destroyed the main villain of Super? Did the Opposito restore the building's Destiny too? I guess so.
Oh yeah, I forgot we had this.
The disguise pen lets Usagi change her appearance into anything she wants, but it kind of fell out of style after the first season.
The Space Sword, Aqua Mirror and Garnet Orb are the talismans that belong to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto... although why we have them is a mystery. I assume it's the same deal as Venus somehow nabbing the Mooncup from the last chapter.
180 yen is the equivalent to one dollar and 61 cents over in the US, so that sounds about right.
"Sailor Moon! Why's she here?!"
[Sin walks over to the mysterious man]
Oh. Oh no.
This is gonna be rough.
A premonition? But I thought Rei was the psychic one.
[Usagi transforms, complete with pillar of light]
Oooh, I like the sea tiles... especially since they're animated in-game.
That said, there's already monsters waiting for us!
Name: Steering
HP: 50
Attack: 29
Defense: 12
Speed: 20
EXP: 4
Yen: 100
Item Drop: Manicure (Boosts attack power)
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Steering
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Super, episode 3
Steering is a Daimon created from Haruka's race-car of all things, and well...
Hey, they even get to die the same way as they did in the anime. Stuff like this is why I play Another Story.
Manicures as a drop item are great because the extra attack boost is essential, even if it's for way later.
There's some good stuff here, but the outside is otherwise pretty basic either way.
Inside, there's spooky labs that... I don't think have much in them, alas.
[Current OST: Intro]
... Hold up. What do you mean "destroyed"? Doctor Tomoe got to live in the anime - his manga counterpart was the one who bit it, so what's going on here?
[An adult version of Hotaru appears in front of the doctor]
"Why? Hotaru-chan transformed back from being Mistress 9."
Oh.
[Current OST: Boss]
Name: Mistress 9
HP: 500
Attack: 38
Defense: 10
Speed: 13
EXP: 65
Yen: 12000
Item Drop: None
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Possessed Hotaru / True form (Anime) / True form (Manga)
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Mistress 9): Sailor Moon Super, episode 24 / Act 33 - Infinity 7, Transformation, Super Sailor Moon
Okay, we're just fighting Mistress 9. This is fine.
The reason this is such a big deal is because Mistress 9 is effectively the Antichrist to Sailor Moon's Messiah - they are the right-hand woman of the Death Busters's true leader, Pharaoh 90.
To let you know what he's like, he doesn't even have a physical form. He is an eldritch energy being of incomprehensible evil from the Tau Nebula, and looks the part.
His plan? Have Mistress 9 gather the Holy Grail so she could summon him, nuke everything and make Earth the second home of the Daimons. Rei even has a premonition at the start of Super where she sees all of her friends destroyed via a shockwave of dark energy, like god damn.
Mistress 9 took up residence in Hotaru's body and possessed her from time to time, but thanks to Sailor Moon's help and her own calling as Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Destruction, she wound up saving the day.
That said, Mistress 9 is super easy.
Yeah, all that build up and she gets 70% of her health ripped out by one Moon Spiral Heart Attack.
To make matters more embarrassing, she barely hit Usagi for anything despite being in the center of Cluster (although that's thanks to her natural high defense) and used the hilariously awful Sonic Wave as a counterattack.
... Yeah... I think there's a reason why Sailor Moon never fought her in the anime, and not because she was strong.
Without the Manicure boost it would have taken five Heart Attacks, so...
Wait, what?
Name: Kaolinite
HP: 650
Attack: 38
Defense: 16
Speed: 12
EXP: 65
Yen: 10000
Item Drop: Nigiri (Cures 300 HP)
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Manga / Anime
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Mistress 9): Sailor Moon Super, episode 1 / Act 27 - Infinity 1, Premonition
We're suddenly fighting her too? Not even an introduction this time! Wow, they must not have wanted to draw her portrait or something, jeez.
Anyway, Kaolinite is the first member of the Death Busters introduced (even before the Doc) and is a woman who was struck by lightning, only to be resurrected with a Daimon possessing her body. She's the Magus (leader) of the Witches 5, the group of scientists who are all responsible for Daimon creation.
She's also an abusive stepmother to poor Hotaru, as if her life wasn't any harder as it was... which kind of explains why Kaori was zapped to death by Mistress 9 in the anime.
Also, they were not holding back with her design at all.
A demonstration of the difference between how much we do vs. how much we take. It's kind of nuts, especially in this game where stats are influenced by percentages instead of flat numbers.
I do find it interesting that Kaori here is stronger than Mistress 9, like that just doesn't make any sense.
We slam her with a Rainbow Moon Heart Ache...
But it isn't enough to kill her, so we punch her face in. It works.
I think after a while Puzzle Pieces stop showing up, so we need to be careful about progressing too far into the story before they run out.
"We shall withdraw... for now. Fwahahahaha..."
[The Doctor runs into the open door]
What a dork.
"Hotaru-chan's body just moved!"
[Her body shifts between Hotaru and Mistress 9]
"What the heck is going on?"
Well said.
[Hotaru's body keeps shifting between the two forms]
[Hotaru finally shifts back to her normal human self]
How many times have we said her and Momo's name in this chapter alone? Like it's getting a bit much.
... I mean, did you see him laughing like an idiot before running off? Or was that just me.
[Screen pans over to the same door the Doctor went through]
Was I really the only one paying attention to him leaving?
At least we get to have Sailor Saturn on our team again
The Luna-P ball is in the room above the cutscene, so that's nice at least.
"Well, isn't this convenient. How about I take care of things and beat you guys myself?"
That's right, this is right after we blasted her with Moon Spiral Heart Attack. Sorry about that, by the way.
Well, I'm resurging with a thing called 'laughter'. It's pretty infectious, don't let it get to you.
Name: Gelmadoid
HP: 1000
Attack: 48
Defense: 10
Speed: 10
EXP: 65
Yen: 13000
Item Drop: None
Allegiance: Death Busters
Official Art: Possessed Doctor Tomoe (Anime) / Possessed Doctor Tomoe (Manga) / Germatoid
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Dr. Tomoe): Sailor Moon Super, episode 1 / Act 28 - Infinity 2, Ripples
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga (Germatoid): Sailor Moon Super, episode 34
Oh boy, here we go. We get to fight the Daimon form of the professor in all his plant-like glory, and he's a bit trickier than the other two.
Dr. Souichi Tomoe is a man who was ravaged by an accident that disfigured him and his at the time eight year old daughter. (This is why Hotaru is a cyborg in the manga.)
The accident was caused none other by Germatoid, an emissary of Pharaoh 90 that caused the good doctor to create the Death Busters.
The thing about Germatoid is that he's only a separate character in the anime - in the manga he was just an alias used by Dr. Tomoe after he went cuckoo crazy.
Ooof, that's not flattering. The 15 damage is from Saturn, and this is after I talked her up as being a great character.
We'll get a fix for that soon though, don't you worry.
The power of a good manicure is enough to overthrow even the mightiest of monsters.
1000 health is a bit of a step up from before, though. Even if he can't really kill us, he can still drive us crazy from tedium.
This pink mist is Fascination, the infamous Charm-inducing attack of Another Story. Charm (or as it's known in the game, Enchantment) is a really dangerous status ailment due to how it forces you to attack your allies.
I'd argue to say it's even worse here than something like Final Fantasy, given how it doesn't go away when you get hit. It takes away your turns too, which is a serious problem in a game where each action matters.
Still went down easy though.
The funny thing about Germatoid is that his main body is actually easy to break (hence why he has 10 defense) - the problem was that he hid his Daimon Egg in one of his fake bodies. Uranus and Neptune had to use their Talisman weapons to reveal the real one and... well, he gets stabbed in the eye.
It's honestly one of the most satisfying monster deaths in the entire show... and here's a gif of it!
Like god damn that's metal.
"Answer me! Papa!!"
Did we actually knock him back to his senses?
[A pillar of light envelops the doctor]
An unknown voice pretending to be Hotaru: "Papa, protect me! The one in front of you is a fake! Take me and protect me like you did with the Taioron Aliens!"
Who's doing this? Is it Sin again?
That said, this is pretty messed up.
Oh no, it's purple Luminaire! Run for your lives!
[The doctor teleports away - both Saturn and Moon are flung back with incredible force]
[Both girls get back onto their feet]
I like how they care about Hotaru enough to not have her witness her father die a second time(?), but...
She's still tagging along, so she might still see it happen anyway.
Oh wow, another Red Rose. This is only the start of the treasure pile, so ooh boy.
After three boss fights in a row, we kinda deserve some rewards.
Name: Combater B
HP: 250
Attack: 39
Defense: 15
Speed: 23
EXP: 6
Yen: 300
Item Drop: Candy (Cures 5 HP)
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Germatoid's clone bodies
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon S (Season 3, episode 34)
Name: Combater C
HP: 370
Attack: 40
Defense: 10
Speed: 15
EXP: 7
Yen: 500
Item Drop: Candy (Cures 5 HP)
Monster Type: Youma
Based off of: Nothing in particular
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: N/A
How are there more clone bodies after we destroyed the main Germatoid? Oh whatever, it's a video game.
B is fast, but C has more girth and attack - if you need to grind a bit more, then they should suffice. Why do they drop candy though? It's like the worst healing item in any game I've seen, and we're already a fair amount into the Another Story as it is.
Unless... oh my god it's a genius plan! There's only one enemy Sailor Moon can't defeat with her magic powers, and that's tooth decay! It all makes sense!
An... apple juice of all things. Something that's not even good at the beginning of the game.
Wait, it gets better.
Yeah... let's just put a 15 HP restoring item right next to what is effectively the Megalixir of the game. I guess someone got thirsty and just left it there? I dunno.
The harisen is used to bring people back from the sleep status because it's one of those big paper fans used to smack people over the head.
Granted, despite how funny that'd be as a sight gag, getting hit by an enemy has the same effect so... it's kind of useless.
Oh damn. That's a preferred item for Saturn! We're really running into good stuff today.
This is the throne room that they used to put Hotaru in when she was still possessed by Mistress 9, so to see it in video game form is amazing attention to detail.
Oh boy, this looks fun. This seems to be the place where they store Daimons, which I dig because I was already all for the mad science aspect of the Death Busters when they showed up the first time.
The Destruction Tiara is the second piece of Saturn's preferred equipment! She has gone from being the weakest Senshi to one of the strongest just with this alone, and this isn't even all of it, trust me...
You'll see what I mean when we get into another fight.
The other chest is far less interesting, unfortunately.
Is this the room in the anime where Doctor Tomoe does his experiments? Oh, that's sick!
So the interesting thing about this cutscene is your choice does change things up, even if it's largely "do you want to fight a boss yes or no". The events still play out in more or less the same way, though, as I'll explain in a bit.
[Dr. Tomoe falls to his knees]
[Dr. Tomoe flings his entire body back, followed by a spirit flying out of him]
"Once again, it's that annoying Silver Crystal!!"
[The Daimon spirit clashes into Hotaru]
How is it doing that, by the way? It's a ghost.
Dr. Tomoe, now un-possessed, takes the next hit and falls to his knees again.
"You did that for me..."
Way ahead of you, buddy.
Name: Stone Danger
HP: 1600
Attack: 43
Defense: 10
Speed: 28
EXP: 65
Yen: 12000
Item Drop: Nothing
Monster Type: Daimon
Based off of: Unnamed Daimon (Anime) / Generic Daimon (Manga)
* If applicable, what was their debut in the show/manga: Sailor Moon Super, episode 17
Huh. So the interesting thing about this guy is that technically, this is what Daimons are supposed to look like when they're not possessing people/items or stuck inside of their Daimon Eggs.
They're actually giant disgusting looking eldritch worm things instead of wacky looking Lady Gaga ripoffs, which is pretty nuts if I can be blunt if you.
... That said, how did Germatoid become this thing? The spirit part still confuses me because that's what happens when Daimons are killed, yet it's fighting us like any other monster, so...
MAMA MIA!
Look at that damage. The 702 is Saturn's while the 326 is from Sailor Moon... and that's without an attack boost!
If Saturn was in the center and had a Manicure applied, she would deal 2000+ damage and kill Stone Danger in one hit. It's busted.
Equipment really matters in this game, alright?
Good thing too, because doing only 300 damage would have taken a while with Stone Danger's (amazing name, by the way) incredible 1600 HP.
A bad formation would make the battle take a ridiculous amount of time, so be careful of that.
[Current OST: Sadness]
[Dr. Tomoe fades away]
[Saturn leans into Sailor Moon and sobs]
Ooof. I meant what I said when I said this would be rough.
I know it's kind of supposed to be a continuity snarl regarding Dr. Tomoe's existence (is he the same one from the anime or the manga?), but the Opposito Senshi still robbed this poor girl a chance to be with her father.
Even worse if you go by the anime where he got to live after being un-possessed.
If we chose No back at the choice, the cutscene would play out the same way but the only major difference is that we wouldn't have to fight Stone Danger. This technically makes it optional, which is weird.
A cheater.
Wow, it's even affecting Usagi too. It's pretty rough on everybody lately.
As much as I'd want the girls to grieve, they have to stop the Opposito from doing what they want...
Wow, what a trooper. Even after what just happened, she still wants to fight.
Awww, that's sweet.
Usagi thinks about it and lets her go, so yay we get to keep Saturn as a party member!
Shenanigans, I tell you.
Alright, next time on Sailor Moon Another Story, we hunt for the Rose Crystal and try to rescue Chibi-Usa. We also get to meet a few "old friends"...
See you then.
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Team Set-Up:
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~Fun Sailor Moon Fact~:
A double whammy for Chibi-Usa and Hotaru:
Chibi-Usa has her own Inner Senshi counterparts known as the Sailor Quartet - Sailor Vesta (Mars parallel), Sailor Pallas (Mercury), Sailor Juno (Jupiter) and Sailor Ceres. (Venus)
The interesting thing about them is that they technically started off as villains - they were members of season 4's/the Dream arc's villain group, the Dead Moon Circus. Their leader Nehellenia corrupted them, but after she was defeated, the quartet reawakened as Chibiusa's personal guardians.
Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn is explicitly stated to be one of the most powerful Sailor Senshi in existence due to her destruction abilities. She's strong enough to wipe out a galaxy at the cost of her own life.
She also has rebirth powers - she's the one who allowed the members of the Moon Kingdom to be reborn into their modern counterparts after the moon was destroyed by Beryl's dark forces.
I find it interesting that her Silence Glaive is shaped after the scythe of the god Saturn.
The name of Hotaru's mother is Keiko, although we never go to see her even in a flashback.