Episode title

Tsukiyo no Unicorn

[A Moonlit Night's Unicorn]

Air date

1993.05.07

• Summary by George Robbert, 1994.09.20

Noda and Yamagishi are waiting at the entrance to an art gallery. Noda comments that Tomomi is late. Yamagishi, tired of waiting, goes in to find where the pictures of nudes are located. Tomomi arrives and embarrasses Noda by asking what he was talking about nudes for. She also explains why she's late. This embarrasses Mikage, especially when Noda comments it's a grade-school game. They enter and Tomomi telepathically calls Mikage to come to the art gallery, there are some paintings Kurashige on display.

As they walk through the gallery, Tomomi and Noda talk about Kurashige and his skill as an artist. They are amused by Yamagishi's enthusiasm at finding the nudes. Mikage enters and ``calls'' to Tomomi asking where she is. Tomomi replies and adds that Sempai's paintings are very good. Mikage takes a wrong turn on the way and finds herself facing a painting of a unicorn. She stops and just stares at it, entranced, and her flower-bracelet flashes. Tomomi then comes and hauls her off, breaking the trance.

While Yamagishi and Noda look at some paintings of nudes, Tomomi shows Mikage Kurashige's paintings. Mikage likes them, but laments, ``They're all of London,'' and wonders if he's forgotten her. Tomomi says he hasn't, pointing out an impressionist painting he did of him watching Mikage dance in the sunlight in a park.

That evening, the twins are talking about the exhibit and Mikage is sketching in her notebook. She's not that good, and is embarrassed when Tomomi comes over and looks at her work. Tomomi then realizes that there's a test tomorrow and goes back to study. She studies late into the night while Mikage simply sleeps.

Outside, a sparkle of light runs down Mikage's window and it blows open. A shadowy unicorn comes in through the open window and materializes in the room. ``Did you come to meet me?'' she asks. Mikage gets up and the unicorn nuzzles her in friendship. She rides it out through the open window, and the two fly to a park where they romp and play. There, Mikage picks a flower and asks the unicorn, ``why did you come to me?'' It smiles silently as the moon shines down on them.

The next morning, it is Mikage who is sleepy. When Tomomi wakes her, Mikage thinks that this was all just a dream until she notices the flower that she picked sitting next to her pillow. She holds it to her nose and thinks that it smells like the unicorn.

In class, Mikage sits staring at the flower in her hand. She turns around to see the unicorn in the back of the classroom. It comes up and looks at her test paper. ``Since you're here to help me, we can go play afterwards,'' she tells it. Daijouji looks over at Mikage noticing that she's not working much on the test and thinks that maybe this time she'll beat her. She's quite surprised when Mikage stands up early, finished. Kageura is too, considering how quiet she was. Daijouji goes back to working on her test fast and furiously.

Mikage leaves and heads up to the roof with the unicorn. She tells him that Kurashige used to like to come up here to look at the ocean. She stares out at it and thinks of him, feeling lonely, asking the unicorn if he knows Sempai. After all, his pictures were in the same gallery with the unicorn's. The unicorn comes up and tickles her with its nose. This makes her laugh. As she runs around, now happy, the unicorn disappears.

At lunchtime, Noda and Tomomi are looking for Mikage. They find her on the roof. Noda comments that she's asleep again and Tomomi puts her jacket over her sister. Noda looks out over the sea and says that Kurashige used to come up here often. He comments that London is far away, and speculates about studying abroad himself. He then turns the talk to memories of Tomomi and track events which starts them both laughing. Mikage wakes up to find Tomomi and Noda laughing. She notices the jacket on her, that the unicorn is gone, and her melancholy returns.

That evening, Mikage is sitting in her pajamas, looking at Kurashige's watch and sketching. Tomomi is studying, runs out of potato chips, and goes off to get more. The moon comes out from behind the clouds. When Tomomi comes back, she finds Mikage gone and her window open. Tomomi sees her sister running off down the street and heads after her.

Mikage is chasing the unicorn down the street, and asks if it can take her to London, to where Sempai is. Tomomi follows her sister to the art gallery, where she finds the doors locked, but her flower glows and the doors open. She finds the unicorn painting just as a glow has vanished from it. Further on, she finds a pool of light, and Mikage lying asleep in the middle of it. On the wall behind her is Kurashige's painting of the two of them. The glow from Mikage's flower goes out as Tomomi tries, unsuccessfully, to wake her.

The scene fades to Mikage happily riding the unicorn. They stop at a bridge over a river just as the moon comes out from behind the clouds. It fills the the river with thousands of sparkling lights like stars. Mikage thinks they're beautiful and turns to the unicorn to find that they're now standing on a river of stars in the sky. She runs around happy as the unicorn watches. Kurashige's voice stops her, ``No matter where you look from, you see the same moon.'' She looks at the unicorn, wondering who said that. Tomomi is not pleased at having to carry Mikage home, but when she wakes up, is happy that she's ok. Mikage tells her that she was playing with a unicorn and hopes that they can do so together next time.

The next day at school, Mikage falls asleep in class (Kageura's lecture doesn't help). Noda runs into Tomomi in the library. He's surprised to find her there and asks if Mikage is sick or something. Tomomi doesn't think so. She's there looking up unicorns and finds a description of them. They are imaginary animals and, according to some, can be summoned by peoples dreams, especially by moonlight.

That night, Tomomi comes over to make sure Mikage is sleeping ok. She looks through Mikage's sketch book and finds one of a unicorn, and one of Kurashige. Just then, the moon comes out from behind the clouds and its rays fall on the window. The window opens and the unicorn enters just like it did the first night. Tomomi is stunned by this event. Mikage wakes up and asks Tomomi if she can see the unicorn too. Mikage is pleased that she can and that the unicorn is friendly with Tomomi.

Tomomi asks if they can both ride with the unicorn. Mikage agrees, and the twins link little fingers. Their flowers shine and a spiral of light encloses them. The unicorn shines and they fly up to the clouds, the twins happily hanging onto the unicorn's neck. Mikage asks the unicorn to take them to London. Tomomi suggests calling Noda too, and Mikage agrees.

As they fly, we see the moon, scenes of both twins sleeping, a streetlight in London and the tower bridge there. It is night, and the four are playing the same game that opened the episode. Once again Mikage is left behind. She then wins a round and is able to come up to Kurashige. He welcomes her, and the other two step up. Next round, Kurashige and Mikage tie with paper while Noda and Tomomi choose rock. Kurashige grabs Mikage's hand and they run off together, happy.

They stand, holding hands, looking up at the moon. Mikage comments that it is the same moon shining down on both Yokohama and London. Kurashige replies that nothing has changed between them. The unicorn whinnies and flies off toward the moon.

The moon fades into one of the atoms in Mikage's molecular model. It is morning and she's working on it after waking up. Tomomi comes over and asks if Mikage remembers seeing Sempai and playing together in London. It was lovely she replies. Mikage looks up at the picture of Kurashige on her ceiling, no longer sad.

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