Usagi's Awakening: A Message from the Distant Past

Template:Episode Anime
"**Usagi's Awakening: A Message From the Distant Past**" is the 44th episode of 1st season of Sailor Moon anime and the 44th of the overall series. It aired in Japan on February 13, 1993*.* The DiC English dub title for this episode is **"The Past Returns"** and it aired in North America on November 2, 1995.

## Summary

An attack by Kunzite sends the Sailor Guardians to the ruined Moon Kingdom, where they meet a hologram of Queen Serenity and learn about their past. Luna and Artemis manage to find the entrance to the Dark Kingdom and Kunzite attacks them.

## Plot

In the middle of the night, Luna is frantically running home. She finds Usagi in the middle of another Tuxedo Mask nightmare (which ends with an "I love you, Tuxedo Mask!" ). Luna wakes up Usagi with the news that Minako and Artemis have found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom.

Beneath the Game Center Crown, a tunnel has opened up. Luna and Artemis lead the way, while the Sailor Guardians cautiously follow. Eventually, Luna and Artemis find a side tunnel, and investigate there. They continue to move down the long tunnel until a glob of energy forms in front of them, which reveals itself to be Kunzite blocking their way. Kunzite "welcomes" the Sailor Senshi to the Dark Kingdom and threatens to send them away somewhere. Sailor Jupiter doesn't stand for this and attacks with Supreme Thunder, which Kunzite dodges. Kunzite demands the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon in exchange for her own life being spared. He threatens to send the girls to the Multi-Dimensional Chaos World, and summons a vortex that sucks them all in. The vortex pulls all of the Sailor Guardians into the air and in panic, Sailor Moon loses hold of the Moon Stick, and it flies toward Kunzite. Kunzite lunges at the Moon Stick, but when he touches it, the Moon Stick shows sentience and smacks his hand, and flies into the vortex along with the girls. Wandering through the vortex the girls spiral across space and time itself, screaming in horror. They are saved, however, when the Moon Stick guides them to land on the ruins of the Moon Kingdom.

Sailor Moon is the first to wake up, and finds herself among ruins. She notices a glowing sphere coming down in front of her. The sphere forms into the miniature figure of a woman who introduces herself as the "incarnation of the Moon Goddess Selene." She introduces herself as Queen Serenity, ruler of Silver Millennium, once known as the "land of the gods", as well as Princess Serenity's mother. Gaping, the other Sailor Guardians can only watch as Queen Serenity tells her story to the Princess. Queen Serenity tells Usagi to remember her past life, and summons an enormous white sphere that grows and encases everything, including the Sailor Senshi. The sphere completely reforms the Moon Kingdom, which now appears in its full glory in a flashback.

Once, it was a beautiful architectural kingdom where the people of the moon lived. One night, there was a celebration for the Moon Princess with fireworks and a ball. Princess Serenity, standing on the balcony, notices Prince Endymion, who warns her that a war is coming; a human woman named Beryl has been corrupted by an evil energy called Metalia. Beryl has convinced humans that in order to live longer lives, they must take over the moon. Being chased away by guards, Endymion is forced to leave, promising to see her later at the ball.

Back in the present, Luna and Artemis have reached the end of the tunnel to find a snowstorm taking place: they have reached the Arctic.

In the flashback once again, when Princess Serenity comes down to rejoin the ball, her hand is taken for a dance by Endymion, who has disguised himself using a tuxedo and a mask.. The couple is the center of attention as they regally move around the dance floor. Endymion warns Princess Serenity of the coming war, and that Beryl is not human, but a sorceress; and that they will soon become enemies.

Plodding through the snow, Luna and Artemis, though both weary, promise not to die until they locate the Dark Kingdom's hideout.

On the balcony, Endymion asks Serenity to help him vanquish Metalia, which should stop Beryl, and Princess Serenity agrees. They both confess their love for each other and Serenity begins to cry Endymion kisses her. Later, hordes of soldiers have come from Earth, driven and lead by the presence of Queen Metalia. The commanding general is Beryl and the armies are led by four men, the Shittenou. As Queen Metalia attacks the palace, Luna and Artemis sound the alarm, and the four Sailor Guardians (sans Sailor Moon) attack her with all of their combined powers. This has no effect on Metalia, and with a very strong attack, she kills the Sailor Guardians instantly. Beryl gloriously announces the birth of her own Dark Kingdom, and uses her crystal ball to destroy the palace.

Beryl, wanting Endymion for herself, sees the Moon Princess as an unwanted rival. She attempts to kill Princess Serenity, but Endymion throws a red rose imbued with such blinding power it halts Beryl in her tracks. Horrified Endymion is protecting the Moon Princess, she tries to convince him to marry her, as he has no loyalty towards the Moon Kingdom, though he tries to get her to come to her senses. She refuses, and Metalia carries Endymion away into the air. Princess Serenity leaps forward and gets caught in the windstorm as well. As they reach each other and hold hands in the air, Metalia kills both Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, and Beryl gloats at the death of her rival.

Queen Serenity has witnessed the death of her daughter and of her kingdom with horror and cries out in anguish for her daughter's death. Against the advice of Luna, she takes out the Silver Crystal and installs it in the Moon Stick. With all of her strength, she calls out Moon Healing Escalation, and all of the Dark Kingdom's forces, including Queen Metalia, are sealed away by the Silver Crystal. Soon, all that remains is the ruins of the Moon Kingdom.

Luna and Artemis eventually find the entrance to the Dark Kingdom, a smoking purple crater. They turn back to report when Kunzite appears before them.

In her dying breath, Queen Serenity tells Luna and Artemis about the Moon Stick's power and that only members of Silver Millennium bloodline are able to use it. Queen Serenity decides to reincarnate everyone in the most peaceful era in history, in the hopes that the Dark Kingdom will never return to torment them. She uses the Silver Crystal to send the spirits of Princess Serenity, the Sailor Guardians, and everyone else who lost their lives be reborn on Earth. Her final parting wish is for everyone to live in peace and happiness. As her pulse fades and the Moon Stick drops from her hand, Luna and Artemis cry out for her, before being put into cold sleep and sent to Earth.

The Moon Stick reappears in the tunnel and with a flash, the Sailor Guardians appear. With their memories fully awakened, Sailor Moon is in tears at her mother's sacrifice, while the other Senshi sorrowfully mourn the fact they now know why they protect the Earth as Sailor Senshi. Usagi quietly mourns the death of Queen Serenity by hugging the Moon Stick, until they hear Artemis scream for help in the tunnel.

Artemis is vainly trying to protect Luna when the Sailor Senshi comes up. Kunzite is in utter shock, as he thought that the Senshi were sent away to the Multi-Dimensional Chaos World. He recovers and forms two energy knives which he throws at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon tries to protect herself, but the knives slice her. Reacting quickly, the Sailor Senshi invoke their powers and form a barrier to protect Sailor Moon. They can't hold against the knives which come again and again, and the Sailor Senshi collapse protecting Sailor Moon as she cries out for him to stop.

Sailor Moon looks at Kunzite with new determination and anger in her eyes. She calls out Moon Healing Escalation and the power of the Silver Crystal falls on Kunzite. He resists the effects of the Silver Crystal, the power so strong that she her entire body shines with white energy. Kunzite, refusing to be healed, attacks her and sends an energy knife at her. She deflects it away with the Moon Stick causing it to hit him instead, impaling him. With a call to Zoisite, he says that he's coming to the world where Zoisite's soul is in limbo and dies. The Sailor Senshi realize they need to storm the Dark Kingdom immediately.

## International Dub Titles

* Brazilian Portuguese: Serena Desperta – Uma Mensagem do Grandioso Passado ("Serena Awakens - A Message from the Great Past.")
* European Portuguese: A Bunny Acorda Com uma Mensagem do Passado! ("Bunny Wakes Up With a Message from the Past!")
* Croatian: OŽIvlJavanje Uspomena Usagi I Mamoru - 2.Dio ("Reviving Usagi And Mamoru Memories - Part 2")
* German: Am Nordpol ("At the North Pole")
* French:
	+ TV: Voyage dans le chaos multidimensionnel ("Journey into Multidimensional Chaos")
	+ DVD: L’éveil d’Usagi ! Message d’un passé lointain.("Usagi's Awakening! Message from the Distant Past.")

* Hungarian: Utazás egy másik dimenzióba ("Traveling to Another Dimension.")
* Italian: Un viaggio nel tempo ("A Journey Through Time.")

* Korean: 우사기의 각성! 과거를 뛰어넘은 메시지 (usagiui gagseong! gwageoleul ttwieoneom-eun mesiji) ("Usagi's Awakening! Message Beyond the Past.)
* Mandarin Chinese: 小兔的觉醒 (Xiǎo tù de juéxǐng) (Bunny's Awakening.")
* Polish: Przebudzenie Usagi ("Usagi's Awakening")
* Russian: Банни пробуждается. Послание из далёкого прошлого (Banni probuzhdayetsya. Poslaniye iz dalokogo proshlogo) (Bunny Awakens. Message from the Distant Past.")
* Taiwanese Mandarin Chinese: 小兔覺醒！過去的訊息 (Xiǎo tù juéxǐng! Guòqù de xùnxí) ("Bunny Awakens! Past message.")

## Changes

### Changes from the Manga

* The Inner Sailor Guardians killed Kunzite with their Sailor Planet Attack technique.
* After Kunzite's death, a gem came out of his body. It returned to Queen Beryl.
* Queen Beryl gave the four Shittenou stones to Endymion.
* The Sailor Senshi went to the ruins of the Moon Kingdom on their own will.
* In the manga, Queen Serenity said the people of Earth knew her as Selene, the Moon Goddess, but in the anime, Queen Serenity refers to herself as the incarnation of Selene.

### Dub Changes

* In the English dub, the scene where Queen Serenity died on a cross-shaped fallen pillar was cut out.
* In the French dub, the scene where Queen Serenity cleansed the Dark Kingdom was completely removed.
* This episode was skipped from the Hungarian dub.

## Trivia

* This is the 1st episode with Kae Araki as the voice of Usagi/Sailor Moon. She will continue in this role until episode 50 of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R.
* This episode marks the final appearance of the Shitennou.
* This episode shared similarities to Act 10 of the manga.
* This episode featured the last use of Moon Healing Escalation's stock footage, although the attack itself would be used again during the final episode of the season (albeit without any stock footage).
* Movement Three of *Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto No. 2 in G minor* ("Summer" of *The Four Seasons*) is used as background music when Prince Endymion protects Princess Serenity from Beryl.

de:Am Nordpol
pl:Przebudzenie Usagi! Przesłanie z odległej przeszłości