FLAU
フラウ · Furau
“This is where you die!”
– Balm to Sailor Moon
The solo arc of Sailor Moon has its detractors, but even they have to admit the first season’s third episode is pretty entertaining. In what turned out to be less routine than its immediate predecessor, this Usagi-and-Luna-only outing brews some surprise excitement in the coda. Of course, the reason why has everything to do with the enemies. Not only does our hero tangle with another fierce enforcer from the Dark Kingdom, she also comes up against one of the sub-bosses: Jadeite.
WHEN AND WHERE
In Episode 3, The Mysterious Sleeping Sickness: Protect the Girls in Love, an illness is affecting women in the Azabu-Jūban area. Usagi and Luna eventually trace the epidemic down to a Tokyo radio station, FM No. 10, that’s airing the late-night program “Midnight Zero”. Weirdly, though, there is no mention of said transmission in the newspaper, and the employees of FM No. 10 don’t seem to know of its existence, either. Nevertheless, avid listeners are invited to send in their love letters that show host J. Dite then reads over the air. The participants receive flower brooches in return, and soon after, those very same recipients, including Naru and Usagi’s teacher Haruna Sakurada, all become unconscious and energy-deprived.
ETYMOLOGY
It’s tricky nailing down the intended meaning of some Sailor Moon monster names, but it can also be just as difficult presenting them, if not more so. Take Flau, for example, a Yōma whose name seems pretty obvious; “Furau” appears to be derived from “furawā” (literally flower). This assumption is based on the Yōma having those energy-stealing flower brooches. Yet the issue here is, how does one write out the name in English?
Going literal with “Furau” seems to be the safest bet, but then “Frau” sounds like the German word for a woman. If the aim is to convey the flower connection as well as maintain the sound of “flower”, and without the potential mispronunciation that would come with using “Flow” (as in flowing), “Flau” might be the best option.
DESIGN
Flau has no apparent motif, wears a one-shouldered chitoniskos, and like other early Yōma, she has elven ears and a distinguishing symbol on her forehead. Admittedly, there’s not a great deal of design work here, but in lieu of detail and idiosyncrasies, Flau is vicious and dreadful. The anime’s tendency to make that initial batch of Yōma repulsive, in contrast with their conventionally attractive human disguises and the beautiful heroines, also continues here. In addition to frightful facial expressions, Flau spews volatile gas. I appreciate the show upping the gross factor here.
As an aside, I must add the fact that I always think of Sigourney Weaver’s possessed character from Ghostbusters (1984) whenever I see Flau. Surely the resemblance only exists in my head, yet it’s an amusing idea to think a Yōma was inspired by Dana Barrett.
THE BATTLE
While there are fans who find Sailor Moon’s lone adventures to be boring, the fights are better than some seen later on. Even those with more Sailor Senshi present. Here it feels like there is more at stake for Sailor Moon with only herself, and to a lesser extent Luna and Tuxedo Mask, to count on. And the struggle with Flau is the best yet. After Usagi storms FM No. 10 — following a shot of courage from her using the Transformation Pen for the first time — she and the Yōma have a brief yet exciting skirmish on the building’s rooftop. It’s a welcome change of scenery after keeping the action inside in the last two episodes.
I always think about the structural damage these monsters cause and how the civilians, namely those affected, deal with the mess. Just imagine FM No. 10 wondering how one of its studios was blown to hell. Naturally, we hardly ever see the aftermath of these scraps. Even still, Flau’s explosive breath has both comical and thrilling effect. Usagi triggering “Moon Prism Power Make Up” mid-air sits high in my ranking of pre-transformation sequences.
It’s often overlooked how Sailor Moon’s control over her tiara improved here — way more than anticipated after just two other tries. Yes, that first attempt at hitting Flau was a flop, however, Sailor Moon manages to completely redirect her tiara even while it’s still in flight. This lends to the theory that, on top of any advanced skill in tiara-throwing, Sailor Moon is actually steering the thing with her mind. Tiara-kinesis perhaps?
Another great aspect of these introductory battles is the occasional brutality of the enemies’ deaths. There is no implication here when she’s struck by Moon Tiara Action; upon impact, Flau gets cut in half by the tiara. For once, the episode doesn’t cut away. It’s kinda graphic for an early ’90s magical girl anime.
EPILOGUE
One thing society lost when the vast of entertainment moved online was the radio show. While not extinct, they were also a different beast back in the ’90s. Viewer participation, under the guise of some anonymity, made them more fun and, in some cases, taboo. And Jadeite’s “Midnight Zero” smells of that trend of romance and sex-related variety of call-in programming, such as Loveline here in the U.S. Unlike today, though, no one was volunteering their every personal detail in public spaces and instead gravitated to these specific and somewhat outlying outlets of societies. By way of comparison, “Midnight Zero” is a more tame specimen of that aforementioned kind of show, especially given its late-night scheduling. The format of sending in love notes is so wholesome, by today’s standards.
Now, this episode felt the most satisfying of the three shown so far, mainly due to how well-paced and less formulaic it played out. Indeed, there’s the abrupt mystery that ultimately connects to the Dark Kingdom, but the way Usagi and Luna do some genuine detective work to figure that out is pleasing. Even Usagi seems more confident, as detected during her first use of Moon Power. Which, by the way, is such an underused technique in the series.
In addition to that great fight between Sailor Moon and Flau, there was also the bonus encounter with Jadeite — and it happens so early on in the season, too. Sailor Moon was definitely running on adrenaline when she went on the offensive. Overall a terrific dose of filler that looks even better when contrasted with the next episode. Yeah, that one.
Another thing before parting: With the emergence of the Dark Kingdom on Earth, there was this new onset of bizarre and unexplained maladies all over Tokyo. Temporary exhaustion, collapse and weakness had gone way up, and there was no telling when you’d be the next to fall sick to this strange condition that usually went away as quickly as it had first appeared. What made this episode more alarming was the reach of Jadeite and Flau’s scheme; it wasn’t just a jewelry store’s customers or several boys from Usagi’s school. No, the spread of illness went farther this time and would only grow in the near future. Scary times, indeed. 🌙
Tales from the Paulside 
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