RAMUA
ラムア · Ramua
“I’ve stopped time entirely for you.”
– Ramua to Sailor Mercury
Before Sailor Mars made her fiery debut, the Sailor Moon anime offered one additional episode with the current Sailor Senshi lineup. Mind you, it doesn’t exactly stand out in that first season; the story plays out like another solo Sailor Moon adventure, only now with Mercury in tow. There’s also not much in the way of character development, either. Nevertheless, it features one of the rare instances of Moon and Mercury fighting together and without aid. Unless, of course, you count Tuxedo Mask’s uncredited support.
WHEN AND WHERE
A new shop called Clock Look has popped up in the ninth episode, Usagi’s Disaster: Beware of the Clock of Confusion, and Usagi and Ami check it out during their first social hang-out since becoming allies. Naturally, everyone else, including Usagi’s mother, stops by the store; Ikuko even buys her daughter an alarm clock after she can’t afford to buy one herself. So, Usagi’s tragic sense of tardiness is about to get a major timeout.
Surprise, surprise, Clock Look turns out to be another energy-collecting scheme of Jadeite, and his minion, Ramua, has been put in charge of the nefarious mission. In the meantime, Clock Look’s patrons all begin to endure strange effects after visiting the business; their notion of time has been sped up, and the energy produced from this temporal phenomenon is being collected inside of Ramua’s big grandfather clock.
ETYMOLOGY
Ramua’s name (ラムア) comes from the rearrangement of the three syllables in “arāmu (アラーム)”, the Japanese transcription of “alarm”. This anagram style of Yōma naming only happens a few more times after this episode, with it ceasing entirely once Nephrite is gone. And unlike Murid/Murīdo/Mooleed, Ramua’s transcription is straightforward and best left untouched. I myself have yet to see anyone call her anything like “Larma”. “Ramwoir” from the DiC adaptation, on the other hand, is a decent English rendering that observes, as well as localizes, the original name.
DESIGN
Apart from her head, hair and skin, Ramua doesn’t change as much in appearance as her immediate predecessor did. Her human disguises’s updo, plus the presence of a Big Ben-ish clock, suggests a Victorian English influence. The halter mini dress, however, is pretty modern.
Akira Nakamura debuted as an animation director in this episode, and while I prefer his work over that of the similar Taichi Nakamura (R, S, SuperS), Akira’s own takes on the anime’s monsters have never quite struck me as too creative or ornate, apart from Jiji (Episode 30). Ramua is modestly designed, even elegant, but she doesn’t make a huge impression. Her true face is what I’d call “kabuki meets KISS”, albeit way tamer than that description suggests.
THE BATTLE
This episode showed the existence of strange dimensions as the two Sailor Senshi faced off with Ramua. And on top of her home turf advantage, the monster could manipulate time. In fact, Ramua seemed unaffected by time as a whole, seeing as she could navigate her zone freely and without the fear of being turned into a toddler like Sailor Moon. As an overthinker, I can’t resist wondering how well the Senshi of Time herself, Sailor Pluto, would have fared here.
The actual fight with Ramua, however, was disjointed. In her human form, Ramua appeared alongside Usagi and Ami at Clock Look, yet in combat, the Senshi are physically, not to mention visually, separated from Ramua. Those moments whenever just the Yōma’s offenses—her spear and energy blast—come into frame are never as satisfying as two-shot interactions. This sense of apartness between the two sides only became more pronounced as the first season furthered along. The growing cast entailed extra animation, and there were definitely shortcuts in that regard.
With all that said, this episode devotes a sizable chunk of its runtime to the battle. From Sailor Moon charging into action and transforming earlier than usual, to Ramua’s realm being a giant, disorienting labyrinth that requires exploration, the episode delivers the most extensive confrontation so far. And although Sailor Mercury receives two new devices here—the Mercury Goggle and the Supercomputer—she still doesn’t save the day. No, it’s Tuxedo Mask who tips the scale back in the heroes’ favor. Don’t say he never did anything for the Senshi.
EPILOGUE
Apart from some quibbles over the fight scenes, and the story not doing anything notable with Mercury’s brand-new toys, this episode is a solid bridge to the next arc of Season One. Those following ten-plus episodes, the ones where the team is just a trio, are a great batch. There you find action, laughter, and even tears. Sure, the anime was about to settle into a bit of a formula from hereon out, but at least it’s an entertaining one. 🌙
Tales from the Paulside 
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