Who's smarter? Who's prettier? Who even cares? ^_-

There is often much discussion among avid fans of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon about who is really the greatest senshi. More often than not, there are disagreements and misunderstandings among them because they each favor a particular senshi while others like another. These arguments lead to comparison between the senshi, and eventually, character bashing and hate shrines.

Being one of the main characters in this series, Sailormercury is no exception. She is often pitted against other senshi because of her weak offensive attacks and more often compared to Sailorneptune because she is said to be merely booksmart. Well, is it really true? Is she only second best to everyone, particularly Sailorneptune?

Mizuno Ami: Sailormercury… The bishoujo senshi of ice… The brains of the inner senshi… Gentle Mistress of the Shine Aqua Illusion… Smart and pretty, if not a little shy and innocent…

Kaiou Michiru: Sailorneptune… The bishoujo senshi of the sea… The brains of the outer senshi… Elegant Queen of the Deep Submerge… Also smart and pretty, but motherly and nurturing…

Before I start, I would like to tell everyone that though I have a Sailormercury Shrine (really? where? ?_?) and my obvious favorite is Ami, I have thought of these points in the most objective way possible. If I will sound biased in defending any of my points, I'm sorry but I guess I can't really help it. I hope this article will help enlighten you on this matter.

Ever since Michiru Kaiou entered the Sailormoon series, people have always compared her against Mizuno Ami. They say that she's more intelligent than Ami, and that she's prettier, more talented and that she actually has a life, unlike studious Ami. Some would even go as far as to dub Ami a waste of space. With Sailorneptune functioning as the better and improved brains of the senshi, surely there's really no need for Sailormercury and her weak powers anymore?

Well, what is the truth? I'll try to tackle some of the most common Mercury/Neptune questions that people tend to ask and help you decide...

Who is the smarter one? Many say that Michiru is, because she's naturally smart... while Ami (supposedly) got all of her knowledge from having to read books all the time. They say that Ami is merely book-smart, in the sense that she knows nothing other than what she reads in her books, and she's terrible in practical application because all she only memorizes facts. It's weird, minna, that fans actually see her fighting as a senshi, coming up with brilliant strategies that could not have come from any book by applying what she learned in her constant study (not unless there is actually a manual for being a senshi ^_^), and they conclude that she's terrible in practical application.

Another point that most people tend to overlook is that reading actually requires comprehension. As Apatt said in his article , Ami could not have gotten so knowledgeable about all sorts of stuff if she didn't have a high aptitude for understanding what she read. So Ami is actually quite intelligent after all!

Even her genealogy proves the "book-smart" theory questionable. Ami's mother is a doctor, so Mrs. Mizuno is, most probably, smart. And Ami's father is an artist. A child born to such parents should have at least a faint trace of Dr. Mizuno's intelligence, and Mr. Mizuno's abstract reasoning, in my opinion.

And another thing: Michiru is older than Ami by, more or less, two or three years, and therefore, more street-smart than her. We also know that Ami is quite shy and naďve, and that's where Michiru has an edge over her. It can't really be denied that Michiru would know more about the world at the time of the series than Ami because she's older and has no problems with meeting people. So, have we resolved the question about who's smarter? When Ami reaches Michiru's age, maybe that's the time we ought to be asking questions…

Who's the more powerful? Now this is a much easier question to answer. In truth, Sailormercury trails Sailorneptune by a considerable gap. The outer senshi have arguably more powerful attacks than those of the inner senshi, which is probably the reason why they were never given new attacks when they became Supersailors, because their old ones were probably adequate weapons. By the time Sailormercury was given her new powers in SuperS, the gap was probably narrowed by a bit.

But if we're talking endurance, not even Sailorneptune can beat Sailormercury. Sailormercury is one of the best defensive senshi, if not the best... so even if Sailorneptune is more powerful than her in offense, this gap is made up for by her excellent defense.

Who's prettier? Now this is purely a matter of opinion. Both senshi are drop-dead gorgeous and extremely sexy, but they appeal to different tastes. I think that Ami's cute sort of beauty appeals to the people who are smart and shy themselves, who also prefer subdued, gentle-looking characters. Michiru, on the other hand, wows certain people who like her worldly elegance and ultrafeminine looks. There is no real answer to this question, minna, not unless you can get everyone to think alike and throw away their preferences.

Now, after trying to answer all of these tedious questions about who's the better of the two, I think it's my turn to ask a question.

My question is: What's the point of this argument? But if you think about it carefully, it doesn't really matter, because both senshis function differently Neptune is the elegant intelligentsia of the outer senshi, and Mercury is the inner senshi's brilliant deductress. And since the two teams work seperately most of the time (in the Silver Millenium, the inner senshi are assigned to protect the royal family, while the outer senshi defend the kingdom outside), there was never any instance that the two had to be pitted against each other in a contest. There was never any need for comparison.

Finally, what's the conclusion? Well, I say we leave these two senshi alone. After all, they are both fighting on the same side, and it would be unthinkable to place them against each other in a petty contest of sorts. As for the question of who's greater--let's leave it unanswered and everyone's happy.

It's weird, really, when you come to think of it, that people would actually argue over such a silly thing as comparing two senshi. Did Naoko Takeuchi really create a senshi that would stand out among the rest as the best (exclude Sailormoon, of course) causing others to look weak and useless?

The truth is, there is no greatest senshi... Each and everyone of them is great in their own way. Each of the senshi have their own distinct qualities that appeal to the different tastes of all the fans. To decide who is the greatest would be futile since Sailormoon fans are just too different from each other to agree on just one...

I love enrico! ^_-