Which is the true nightmare, the horrific dream that you have in your sleep or the dissatisfied reality that awaits you when you awake?
“Mamo, who's that girl? And why do you keep avoiding me? This can't be happening. It's gotta be a dream, it just has to be! Droid Akumuda! How dare you turn a young girl's romantic dreams into a nightmare! I am Sailor Moon! In the Name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”
— Usagi Tsukino
(DiC Episode: "Prediction Of Doom")
Mamoru really outdoes himself in crushing Usagi's heart by tricking her into thinking that he's involved with another girl. But it works too well as the bunhead's misery leaves her vulnerable to a Droid's nightmare-inducing trap that only he can break.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Luna convinces Mamoru to go save Usagi by telling her that she'll die if he doesn't save her.
- As You Know: While hanging out and eating paletas, the girls discuss what they know about Chibi-usa's origins and the Black Moon Clan that's terrorizing her and her mother.
- Bathos: Just after the Akumuda turns into smoke to enter Moon's mind, Jupiter tries to wave at the smoke hoping to stop it.
- Batman Gambit: Mamoru's newest act of cruelty towards Usagi involves taking Motoki's sister on a joyride knowing that Usagi would believe that he's moving on to another girl. It works too well.
- Beat the Curse Out of Him: Sailor Mars tries to use a slap to wake Sailor Moon from her cursed sleep.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Mamoru decides to be colder and harsh towards Usagi because a voice in his head told him that she'll experience a tragic fate if they stay together.
- Death Trap: Calaveras summons her Droid, Akumuda to trap Sailor Moon in a nightmarish trance that will drain her of all her life energy.
- Everyone Has Standards: Sailor Moon chastises Petz and Calaveras for being grown women who have nothing better to do at night then to pick on a little girl.
- "Eureka!" Moment: After hearing Moon painfully whisper "Mamo-chan" during her sleep, Luna realizes the solution to saving her and runs off to find him.
- Fairy Tale Motifs: Usagi reads the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty and the episode's conflict and resolution revolve around the story's defining elements.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: While Mamoru is out on the pier begging for Usagi's forgiveness, one of the billboards reads "S R Moon".
- Forced Sleep: Anyone who listens to Akumuda's chanting will fall into a cursed sleep.
- Funny Background Event:
- When Mamoru asks Motoki how to be a guy that women would want to hate, there's a couple several booths behind them where the girl dumps her date for his slobby mannerisms.
- As the girls are eating ice cream and Ami adds her opinion to their conversation, Luna and Artemis are fighting over Ami's ice cream!
- Heartbreak and Ice Cream: Usagi decides to eat pork buns in the middle of the night to cope with Mamoru getting a new girl.
- Just Friends: Mamoru refers to Usagi as "just a friend" when Unazuki asks who she is during their motorcycle ride. Usagi ends up crying over her new title.
- Nightmare Sequence: Mamoru has a nightmare of Usagi dying on their wedding day followed by an ominous voice warning him that tragedy will befall her if he doesn't stay away from her.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Chibi-usa gets the bright idea to leave home late at night to see Mamoru. This leads to her getting almost run over by a truck which activates another flash of light, allowing Petz and Calaveras to find her again.
- Nightmare Weaver: Akumada entraps Sailor Moon in an abstract nightmare world where she tries and fails to reunite with Mamoru.
- Paper Talisman: Sailor Mars uses her ofuda to keep Akumuda from trapping them in cursed sleep.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: The last scene has Usagi learning that Unazuki, the girl Mamoru was riding with on his motorcycle, is actually Motoki's sister and she has her own non-Mamoru boyfriend. This gives Usagi hope that she'll still have a chance to win back Mamoru's love.
- The Reveal: We finally learn why Mamoru decided to break up with Usagi and treat her like yesterday's trash.
- Say My Name: Everyone says Sailor Moon's name as soon as the Droid enters her mind to drain her energy.
- Super-Deformed: In her nightmare world, Sailor Moon resembles a chibi caricature of herself.
- True Love's Kiss: Tuxedo Mask giving one to Sailor Moon frees her from the cursed sleep and drives the Mesmerizing Droid out of her body.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Calaveras quits the fight as soon as the Four Guardians show up outnumbering her and Petz.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Even after saving her life with True Love's Kiss, Tuxedo Mask still refuses to love Sailor Moon and insists that they're no longer bound by fate.
- You Are Fat: Luna warns Usagi that she'll get fat if she eats pork buns as a midnight snack. But Usagi doesn't care if the man of her dreams won't notice her.
