There’s a little bit of loser in us
Just two weirdos who fell in love
I guess we’re made from the same weird stuff
Being a loser with you doesn’t suck
Just two weirdos who fell in love
I guess we’re made from the same weird stuff
Being a loser with you doesn’t suck
"Umino's love is pure and should be savored like a hint of lemon on fried shrimp. Covered with shredded cabbage, and sautéed with to perfection. I will never forgive you for taking away such a deliciously pure boy's heart! I am Sailor Moon! In the Name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”
— Usagi Tsukino
(CWi Episode: "Blinded By Love's Light")
Worried that they're hitting a rough patch in their relationship, Umino and Naru are convinced to enter a romantic contest to prove their love for one another. But they'll have their work cut out for them in the form of perfect couple Haruka and Michiru who hope to find the next target during their participation.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Battle Couple: Implied with one of the contestants as the strongman charges at his woman only for her to trump him with a wooden mallet.
- Breaking Old Trends: For the very first time, it's Umino who's the Victim of the Week instead of Naru.
- Dub-Induced Plotline Change: The first episode to include the “cousins” edit in the Cloverway dub. Specifically, it’s mentioned that Amara and Michelle are only entering the couples contest as a practical joke, and drop out because it wouldn’t be fair to the actual couples trying really hard to win.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Umino and Naru win the competition and their relationship is strengthened once more.
- Expert Consultant: To get better help on what to do for Naru and Umino's insecurities, Usagi goes to her best friend Rei for advice. And sure enough, Rei decides that the solution is for them to participate in the Affection Contest.
- "Eureka!" Moment: While initially annoyed that Umino went for a hand with a band-aid even though it happened to her months ago, Naru is astonished to realize that her lover would never forget something so small and trivial.
- Failure Montage: The second act shows Umino failing some of the challenges alongside Naru.
- Fat and Skinny: One of the couples was a tall teen guy in a trenchcoat and his heavyset girlfriend with glasses.
- Hidden Depths: A guitar can be found in Umino's room, suggesting that he has an interest in the instrument.
- Honey Pot: Die-Heart's main attack involves creating illusions of handsome guys to dance with the Guardians to distract them. They soon turn into hideous monsters that trap them with electric tentacles.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: One couple in the contestants consist of a particular large broading boy with his girlfriend who is much shorter in comparison.
- I Owe You My Life: Umino vows to be in Usagi's eternal debt if she talks to Naru about their relationship.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: Michiru shows admiration towards Umino for taking the affection contest so seriously as he's willing to show his vulnerability to the world and treat his girlfriend with sincere dedication.
- Innocently Insensitive: While vouching how Umino wouldn't be interested in another girl, Usagi unintentionally insults him by saying how he'd be lucky to get a single girl to like him. This strikes a nerve with Naru.
- Insecure Love Interest:
- Both Umino and Naru are worried that their lover is avoiding each other and are potentially seeing other people behind their backs. Turns out they were actually ordering tickets to the affection contest and wanted to keep it a secret.
- Played straight during Umino's Love Confession where he wonders at times if he deserves to be with a wonderful girl like Naru and is just waiting for the day the universe decides to separate them.
- Internal Reveal: Kaolinite reveals herself to the Guardians Inner and Outer.
- Love Confession: For the final challenge, the men (or masculine partners) must profess their love to their partners with the most endearing speech to be the one to win them the competition. Umino's confession proves to be the strongest of all.
- Master of Illusion: Die-Heart creates illusions of perfect dream boys that manage to catch the Guardians off-guard.
- Not So Above It All: The normally study focused Ami decided to spectate the affection contest so she can prepare herself when she finds romance in the future.
- Say My Name: Defied. Haruka refuses the host's request to call out loud Michiru's name on the grounds of it being lame to do so. She settles for simply saying her girlfriend's name in her regular voice.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Subtlety done with Kaolinite. After seeing the newest Daimon be defeated easily by Uranus, Kaolinite refused Neptune's challenge for a final showdown and leaves the battlefield after launching a single lightning attack.
- Skewed Priorities:
- After Rei brings up the Lover's Park's affection contest to help Naru and Umino, Usagi gets the idea to enter the contest with Mamoru to win.
- Umino refuses to run away from Die-Heart because he still wants to light the heart monument.
- Tactical Withdrawal: In the last round, Haruka and Michiru decide to drop from the competition. Haruka professes that they're doing so they can give the couples a chance to profess their love to one another without them interfering. That and they wouldn't be able to find the next target if they were the winners.
- Too Dumb to Live: Minus Mercury who gives in anyways, none of the Guardians show hesitation with dancing alongside the beautiful men that Die-Heart conjures to attack them. It's exceptionally jarring since they lived through this same trick happened twice with one of them having grievous consequences.
- Villain Opening Scene: Professor Tomoe begins the story by expressing exasperation over how many of his Daimon eggs have been wasted by the Sailor Guardians and how none of them have led to Talismans. Kaolinite assures him that she'll personally oversee the next Daimon's hatching.
- We Have Reserves: Kaolinite brags that she and her superior can always produce more Daimon eggs to wear down the Sailor Guardians.
