“Why do two pretty and sweet young girls have to stay after school to study in a gloomy classroom? That time is supposed to be for shopping and dates. Not for staying behind to study. Wait! Hold on! Was that a Cardian? This looks like a job for Sailor Moon! In the Name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”
— Usagi Tsukino
(DIC Episode: "Detention Doldrums")
Usagi and Natsumi are punished with afterschool detention after getting into trouble with Miss Haruna. Though the transfer student gets seriously low on energy and makes a desperate effort to steal some of Usagi's. As she does, her partner conjures a new Cardian who proves to be too violent and uncontrollable.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Action Prologue: The episode starts with Sailor Moon destroying an unnamed Cardian with her finishing move just as the sun rises.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Amanju targets some ducks and strangles them for their energy.Alan:(DIC) Oh no, not the ducks!
- The Bet: Natsumi challenges Usagi to a competition over answering their detention assignments as best as possible. The loser has to give up on Mamoru forever.
- Call-Back: Minako remembers her British crush Alan after seeing the movie's leading man.
- Detention Episode: Both Usagi and Natsumi are given detention for eating in class and for giving a wrong English response respectively.
- Exact Words: A tired Natsumi justifies her answer by saying that Miss Haruna told her to translate the passage. So she did. Using her home planet's language.
- Exhaustion-Induced Idiocy: Natsumi's lack of energy causes her to not think clearly while making minor mistakes in keeping up her human persona.
- The Faceless: We never do see what Koichi looks like.
- Foreshadowing: During Amanju's summoning, the scene cuts to the Makaiju Tree who's leaves grow bright purple.
- Freudian Slip: Natsumi openly mentions her "home planet" when explaining herself to her teacher. That said, no one caught on to her suspicious answer.
- Hidden Eyes: Haruna's eyes become this when her date Koichi cancels on her.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Amanju breaks into buildings at random and steals the energy of anyone she comes across.
- Love Makes You Dumb: When Haruna gets another call from Koichi saying that he can make the date afterall, she immediately leaves the school to see him while forgetting to tell her two students who are stuck in detention.
- Misdirected Outburst: After having her date canceled during work, Miss Haruna becomes exceptionally aggressive towards her students and sentences Usagi and Natsumi to detention for minor misdemeanors.
- Mood Whiplash: The mood turns grim when An tries to steal Usagi's energy twice while stuck in the classroom only for Usagi to unintentionally, and comically, thwart her intentions everytime.
- Murder the Hypotenuse:
- Realizing that Mamoru stands in the way between him and Usagi, Ail orders Amanju to target him first for his energy.
- While stuck in detention, An realizes that she could simply drain Usagi of all her energy thus ensuring that she can have Mamoru all to herself.
- Necessary Drawback: The Oni Cardian Amanju is regarded as one of the strongest Cardians and could very well best the Sailor Guardians. Her main flaw though is that she doesn't listen to orders and wildly attacks everyone. However, that isn't the case...
- Obsessed with Perfect Attendance: Honor student Ami has never been late in her fourteen years of life and is worried about being late to school for the first time.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The cold and unforgiving Miss Haruna softly tells Usagi to come into class quietly and doesn't mind that she was tardy. That's because she finally scored a date...
- Red String of Fate: Usagi proclaims that she and Mamoru are bound together by the red string. An imaginary Natsumi cuts it with scissors showing her drive to interfere.
- Skewed Priorities: Rei tries to procrastinate in stopping the Cardian as she paid 10.50 for the movie she's watching.
- Slow and Steady Wins the Race: An remembers the Tortoise and the Hare and thinks of her situation as the fable. Especially when Usagi presents an opportunity for her to steal her energy.
- Smash Mook: Amanju is a super strong Cardian who refuses to listen to Ail and prefers to attack anyone or anything in her warpath.
- Something We Forgot: During her date, Miss Haruna worries about having forgotten to do something.
- Telepathy: Ail communicates with An through their minds about the out of control Cardian.
- Vagueness Is Coming: After the purification of Amanju, Ail thinks to himself that something big is about to happen.
- Villainous Rescue: Just before Usagi gets her energy completely drained by An, the Oni Cardian barges through the classroom which interrupts the energy draining process.
- Worthy Opponent: Natsumi considers Usagi to be a worthy rival.
