Part 3

So, we’ve done Ami and Usagi, so now we have to notch up the Yuri ratings with the advent of:

Hino Rei – Rei comes onto the screen like a scorching flame, no pun on her attributes intended. Kitagawa Keiko is playing Rei with an admirable sense of discomfort, distaste and annoyance, which makes her utterly charming and irresistable. She’s the kind of gal who will scare little kids in her aged years and make 20-something psychic wannabees pee their pants when she looks right throught them. One of the best things about Rei is how really uncomfortable she is in her own skin, and how that comes through with her being so unbending and uncompromising. Usagi softens her up, but it doesn’t make her any happier to be soft and woojawooja.

When Rei meets Minako, the sparks fly immediately – more than a few folks who watch them see a torrid, and probably self-destructive, love affair in the making. ^_^ And Minako returns Rei’s interest with, well, interest. She’s horribly mean to Rei – pushing her to perform in public and generally break out of her self-imposed box…all for Rei’s own good. Rock on, Minako!

After Rei’s little sleepover with Ami, her Yuri goggle rating has got to be a 9.

Kino Makoto – Yup, she’s boyish, tall, strong, athletic. We love her. Sure, she has this stupid old sempai thing, but they put that to rest almost immediately and, in her super-duper fun power-up episode, Makoto informs us that she, and all the rest of the Senshi are meant to be alone in this life – i.e., “Stop writing us to see if Makoto and Motoki will ever get together already! No! No, they won’t!” To which we all say, “Yay!”
Because, if they girls will never have a boyfriend in this existence, then they’ll just *have* to rely on each other, won’t they. ^_^

Azama Myuu is doing a bang-up job of making Makoto butchy, without losing her essential girl-ness, and giving extra time to her internal torment, without making her pathetic.

Yuri goggle rating of a 7, because while she perfect baby dyke material, we haven’t actually seen her staring at anyone since she met Rei (and has obviously lost Rei to Minako.)

Last, but definitely NOT least, I’ll linger lovingly over Minako…tomorrow. ^_^