"Minako you sly girl! Why didn't you tell us you had a cute boyfriend when you were on your school's volleyball team? Now he's being targeted by a Daimon?! How dare you attack the Pure Heart of an athlete who plays for the joy of the sport?! I won't allow it! I am Sailor Moon! In the Name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”
— Usagi Tsukino
(CWi Episode: "Individual Happiness")
Minako starts to worry if her duties as a Sailor Guardian are interfering with what should be the best days of her adolescent years. These feelings are intensified when she reunites with an old volleyball playing crush with a Pure Heart that catches Kaolinite's interest.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Tsutomu Asai revealed that he used to have a crush on Minako. But after she quit the team and began doing other things with her life, his romantic feelings for her began to diminish. Especially after he moved on to another girl.
- Alone Among the Couples: Minako leaves school while having to deal with couples being together and making plans in front of her.
- Book Ends: The episode starts and ends with Minako walking out of school while single and lonely. Though Artemis does give her a nice surprise in the end.
- Character Celebrity Endorsement: In-Universe. Minako brings Sailor V vitamin drinks and Sailor V diet chocolates to share with her friends during the study session.
- Chekhov's Skill: Asai mentions how Minako was so cool for her "Flying Dig and Flip" move when she was on the team. As Sailor Venus, she uses the same move to overpower the Daimon and preserve Asai's stolen Pure Heart.
- I Choose to Stay: After besting Haikyuu with her special move, Minako comes to accept her double life and has no intention of leaving the Sailor Team.
- Close to Home: Haikyuu taunts a tied up Venus claiming that she would have lived a long, happy life if she wasn't a Sailor Guardian.
- Continuity Nod:
- Asai brings up how Minako quit the volleyball trip after her trip to England.
- Haruka mentions wanting to have a rematch with Minako at the arcade.
- Crush Blush: Minako's entire body turns pinkish-red after learning from Asai that he used to have a crush on her but didn't want to confess his feelings until he was an official player.
- Did Not Get The Guy: Minako returns to her school's gym to talk with Asai about a potential relationship. But she's heartbroken to see that he's already in a relationship with another girl.
- Energy Ball: Haikyuu serves balls of destructive purple energy.
- "Eureka!" Moment:
- While complaining about his stiff shoulders from his ongoing research, Professor Tomoe realizes that a person with a healthy and active body can be a candidate for a Pure Heart with a Talisman.
- After seeing Sailor Venus use the same "Flying Dig and Flip" move, Asai comes to realize why Minako had to give up volleyball.
- Flashback: While alone in her room, Minako thinks back to her volleyball days and how close she and Asai were.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Throughout her appearance, the message on Haikyuu's headband changes based on her reactions.
- Hidden Depths: Professor Tomoe reveals to his assistant that his favorite sport is stair stepping. In the Viz Dub, it's rhythmic gymnastics.
- Hostage MacGuffin: Haikyuu enfuses Asai's Pure Heart into a ball of energy to be used as a volleyball during her match against the Sailor Guardians. This means that they'll have to be extra cautious to retrieve the heart without letting it shatter.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: After her encounter with Asai and how she missed out on her favorite sport and a potential romance, Minako wonders if she should retire from being Sailor Venus.Minako: Maybe I'll quit the Sailor Guardians for awhile...
- I Was Just Joking: Minako tries to pass off her shocking statement as her just kidding around. But her friends can tell that she meant it.
- Meaningful Echo: Earlier on, Minako dramatically wishes that some guy would gift her a bouquet of roses and ask to take her out on a romantic date. Artemis would surprise her with a rose bouquet and asks her out on a friend-date in the last scene.
- Passionate Sports Girl:
- Minako used to be one as she was a star player in her volleyball team. But she was forced to give it up when she became Sailor V.
- The Volleystar Daimon: Haikyuu is born from a volleyball and takes great pride in her sport.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: During her conversation with Haruka in the original, Minako insisted that there must be some type of man that would be worthy of her interests and talents. In the Viz Dub, Minako asks if Haruka could only go after people who are as talented as her.
- The Resenter: Minako starts the episode thinking bitter thoughts about a nearby couple and their plan to get matching outfits.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Tsutomu Asai discovers Minako's identity as a Sailor Guardian but doesn't inform her that he knows.
- Signature Move: According to Asai, Minako was famous among her volleyball team for her "Flying Dig and Flip" technique.
- Something Only They Would Say: In order to save Asai's pure heart, Sailor Venus does the "Flying Dip and Flip" technique. A still-conscious Asai recognizes this and figures out that Minako and Sailor Venus are the same person.
- The Spook: Even after putting all their collected data on their supercomputer, Artemis proclaims that they're still clueless as to what the Daimons truly are or where they came from.
- Stepford Smiler: Minako goes exceptionally hard with her happy-go-lucky and carefree personality during her study session. She drops the act when she reveals what's been bothering her.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Minako tries to brush off Asai's former crush on her as a joke before realizing how serious he is.
- Your Favorite: Kaolinite bakes a fresh batch of cookies for Professor Tomoe knowing how he loves them with his tea.
