#my analysis

First of all, WOOHOO a tweet about Sailor Moon got almost 200k likes!

Secondly, YES this is an aspect of Sailor Moon that I've always loved but hesitated to voice just because I don't want to be mistaken for a creep, lol. Both the anime and manga/Crystal reboot utilize nudity not only in an artistic sense, but as a way to represent a character being stripped down to their truest self, the essence of their very soul.

In fact, in the manga, characters in dreams, visions, or in the space between life and death (among other situations) are shown to be entirely naked or are depicted with clothes that seamlessly blend into their bodies.

And of course, the finale of the final arc has Usagi saving the day not through a last-minute power-up form, but by stripping down to her purest, truest self:

Sailor Moon has so many great examples of non-sexual artistic nudity and I hate when people are too immature to see what Naoko Takeuchi was going for.

I also love how, at the same time, Naoko doesn't portray sexuality/sex as something dirty and impure. I've said this before, but in the manga Usagi is heavily implied to be sexually active with Mamoru (in fact, it's outright stated that she's already pregnant with Chibiusa on their wedding day), but in no way does that diminish her role as the purest being in the universe and the star that shines the brightest.

Seeing anime onlies watch this moment and immediately think that Qifrey did it on purpose to scare coco or that he is hiding something evil that he can't let people see

Meanwhile, we manga readers now know it's a reflex to keep himself safe because of the abuse he went through before getting to the Great Hall, abuse that he doesn't even REMEMBER clearly but it is still there 20 something years later.

It is such good misdirection, makes Qifrey look insanely scary to both the audience and Coco herself, his secrets and motives still hidden and giving way to theorizing something darker or evil from him.

So, when Holly broke down to Max about not feeling like Holly the Heroic and feeling helpless in the face of monsters, as I was watching I was thinking to myself this should be Mike. This is literally the breakdown I wanted for Mike in relation to his "Mike the Brave" persona and I was kind of crushed they gave it to Holly.

Except, I've been thinking about something:

Holly isn't just reminiscent of Mike: she is him.

I know Mike Wheeler is in there somewhere. And he's dealing with the same fears that we see from Holly in this scene with Max.

Both Holly and Mike keep their figurines with them at all time as a way to stay brave. This is a habit Holly picked up because of Mike and his attempted pep talk to her in The Crawl, the scene which is also the only time we get Mike admitting he's scared despite seeming emotionless in the face of so much terror throughout season 5.

But they're not just toys: they're something that can empower them to be brave, to be the best versions of themselves.

But Holly admits it doesn't work - that it doesn't stop the fear.

And Holly is her brother, according to the show. So we can assume the same is true of Mike. That he still feels "scared shitless" despite his usage of Mike the Brave as a mask and persona to stay level-headed, to keep being the Heart to the party despite his own fears.

But as Max tells Holly, it's not just a mask or a persona. Holly (and, by extension, Mike) may be faking it until she makes it, but it does make her brave, and heroic, like she wants to be.

All this to say, if Holly is meant to parallel Mike (and I think it's safe to say she is, considering the constant comparisons of the two Wheelers by Max, paired with Mike having been the one to introduce the idea of Holly the Heroic in direct connection with his own idea of Mike the Brave) then this confirms Mike also feels like he's faking, he also feels scared. And he also, in the end, must realize that he is the Mike the Brave he's always wanted to be.

I think about this line a lot.

Of all places Toby could have put this line, I find it interesting he chose the Titan Spawn fight. Enemies described as mindless beasts, that don't even possess the self-preservation to stop you from killing them. They're one of the only enemies the game allows you, expects you to kill.

But you don't have to. You can banish them, purify them. They don't understand mercy, but you can show it to them. And the game will remember if you do. They aren't sentient, they aren't people. You can kill them, and the game will keep track of it. But it doesn't penalize you for it. They're mindless beasts, and you can put them down as they are. But if you choose not to, can they become something else?

And of course the line applies to more than spawn. Identity is clearly a major theme of the game. Each main character has a role projected upon them, one they are expected to be. And yet they want to be more.

Ralsei thinks of himself as an object. He views himself first and foremost as the "prince alone in deepest dark". He struggles to see himself as a person, sees himself as lesser. He's told that his life has value but can't believe it. He wants to make his friends happy, want's to go against the purpose he was created for even if he doesn't think it's possible. He doesn't even know what being himself means.

Susie, who was viewed as "the monster". Something scary, something cruel. Something you can only befriend as a joke, and she believed it. Only recently letting herself get close to people, let herself slot into a new role, "the girl with hope crossed on her heart", only to find out that role too leads to tragedy. And yet she fights to break it.

And of course Kris. Kris, who goes on grand adventures, makes friends, becomes a hero, saves multiple worlds. But, is it really them doing that? They're the "cage with human soul and parts". They still have their soul barking orders in their ear. And when they rip their soul out, they're still not free. They just go from one voice to another. Soul to caller. And they seem to enjoying it even less. Even when they have no strings they're still a puppet.