Asanuma: You’re all such amazing people. I want to become strong like you guys.

I want to be of some kind of use to you, Makoto. As a strong man you can lean on…

(he grabs her hand, and looks at her sincerely)

If I had the power, I would protect you.

(Mako kisses him on the forehead and smiles)

Thisssss paaaaage. I can’t taaaake it.

First of all, one of the things I absolutely adore about Sailor Moon: it is full of men blatantly looking up to and being inspired by women, wanting to me like them and admiring their strength and being absolutely unashamed about it. This is incredibly rare to see. I’ve already talked about how Mamoru clearly looks up to Usagi (despite being older than her!) and admires her strength and says that she’s invincible and the most amazing person in the world and he’d do anything to support her etc. (He does this in both the manga and the anime, there’s also the fact his method of crimefighting was apparently inspired by Usagi showing him kindess when she was TWO in the anime) Then there’s Asanuma here, saying “You guys are so amazing, I want to become strong like you guys” talking about the Senshi. And Usagi’s little brother Shingo, is an unabashed Sailor Moon and Sailor V fanboy who imitates Sailor Moon when he’s playing superhero and practically wets himself with glee whenever the Senshi show up. And then there’s Chibiusa’s friend who was also a huge Sailor V fan with a badge and counted on Sailor V to come rescue him the instant a monster showed up and gave Chibiusa a Sailor Moon badge because “you’re really strong, like her” (there was also a similar bit in the anime when Chibiusa saved her crush and he gave her a statue).

It is just incredibly rare to see men being inspired by women and their strength and wanting to imitate them in any media, but it’s all over the place in Sailor Moon and treated like no big deal at all. It’s just an assumed fact all the little boys and young men AS WELL as the little girls admire and want to be like the Sailor Senshi, because they are strong women and awesome superheroes after all.

Also, I really wish this bit had been in the anime, because I find it so heartwarming that Mako was finally able to find a guy who loved her for her strength instead of rejecting her for it. After being treated like crap by guys, it’s nice to see her finally find one who accepts her and be able to have a sweet romantic moment with him. I think it’s really important, because it shows there ARE guys who can accept a strong woman like Mako, and that she DOES have the option of having a boyfriend if she really wants one. Obviously, Mako/Asanuma was never shown as going anywhere even in the manga (we do see him worrying about her when she goes missing and reuniting tearfully with her when she comes back, but that’s it. Other than that, his only scenes after are concerning Mamoru. OF COURSE). I assume that Mako figured she was too busy to pursue a relationship with him and that she prioritized her friends too much, and so they chose not go further. Which is in character, and Mako doesn’t really need a relationship to be fufilled, but I really appreciate that she was given the option to pursue one in the manga, and just chose something else. It really means a lot for her character.

(If you’re confused by the “I would protect you” thing, that also basically has the connotation of “I’d be by your side/be there for you” in the Japanese language at times. It shows the depth of Asanuma’s feeling there, and that he’d express his feelings for Mako the same way she expresses her feelings for her friends- by fighting for her/defending her- if he could, and that he wishes he had the strength and power to support her in her battle-filled life)