I have fond memories of this episode. I don't really remember why... but nevertheless. We once again pick up the Silver Crystal arc, which was only mentioned in passing in the last three episodes. They really can't get enough of this crystal, huh?
Oh, Toei, you really do spoil us! A focus episode for Chibiusa already? My copy of Eternal Edition is too big to comfortably flip through and check if this was in the manga whilst I'm in the middle of writing the review, but this still counts as a focus episode anyway due to its subject matter, even if it might not strictly be a filler episode. We also get a small amount of focus on the... four evil ladies? I don't actually remember (or know) what their naming theme is. They're all makeup obsessed (very progressive) and bicker with eachother over their makeup too.
A lot of the episode is filled with the screams of children, both literal young children and Usagi who is acting very childish in this episode. She's terrified of lightning! She has to scream about it constantly! There's a line here where Chibiusa tells a kid that boys don't cry, and then he immediately gets picked up by his father who tells him he'll be late for cram school, which is a bit too on the nose in terms of social commentary. The other half of it is Chibiusa wandering around the city looking at happy families and wishing she could go back to the future. She turns off gravity, Sailor Moon saves the day, so on and forth.
They really ham it up with the break-up arc scenes here, with Usagi literally immediately getting covered in rain when Mamoru pushes him away. Obviously, it's a stupid and evil arc that I hate with a passion, but I like how you can see Mamoru immediately bury his feelings in searching for Chibiusa; one of his only worthwhile character moments in terms of the breakup arc.
We also get a bit more of Chibiusa's mysterious backstory; her Luna plush can send her back and forth from the future but she can't go back until she finds the Silver Crystal to save her parents. This gives her an actual motive for acting the way she has been to some degree, although it doesn't excuse how much of a vile child she generally has been to Usagi.
Animation-wise, again, it's fine. The slapstick bitts are done well, the visual style of the city in rain is really pretty with the signature turquoise/pink colour palette. It almost feels like a first-season episode in the way it looks! I like this episode despite the ear screeching of all of the characters, so I give it a 3.5/5, with the extra points docked for the final scenes where it gets really weirdly creepy around Chibiusa and Mamoru.
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