2002-2003
SAILOR MERCURY, BUT WITH RED HAIR

My second year at Haapaveden Lukio started in Autumn 2002, and I learned that Sailor Moon anime was going to start in September in Finland. It was on a channel called SubTV and I couldn't see it in Haapavesi so I had to visit my mother, who had moved to Kokkola, in order to see it. Nevertheless, my first Sailor Moon episode I could remember was to be a Special Episode I found from the Internet in August. It was called Ami-Chan no Hatsukoi, Ami's First Love. Thus became Bishoojosenshi Sailor Moon the second anime to change my life. If Pokemon saved me from jumping from the window, and brought TPM to my life, Sailor Moon anime encouraged me more towards a new girl.

Our story might be traced back to my Yläaste years. When I looked at the girls in our age group, there was one who answered to my glance in a way I learned more about in lukio. Already in the second Physics course I attended, she came to sit near me and started asking my advice in calculations. The course was about physics in society. We both learned a lot, and I started to notice how beautiful and clever she was. Our third physics course was harder to me. She was sitting further away from me, and my grade was affected immediately.

But finally, I got to sit behind her in Thermodynamics course! The Red-Haired Girl started to remind me more and more of Sailor Mercury. Both of them wanted to became a doctor. Ami was going to move to Germany at one point, and the Red-Haired Girl studied German. Both of them were good at Mathematics. Somehow I memorized the equations through her hair and we both got 10/10 from the very same course.

After a brief break I returned to TPM under a new user title – 'Renewed Restoration'. The less glorious title, 'I Finnished last' came later. A notable new user appeared in Pokemon Anime Forum. The name was Hanada Tattsu. Hanada had literally every second post in the subforum and what was even more remarkable was that he managed to avoid spamming. There was always a lot of content, yet well summarized so that everyone had the patience to read them.

I was inspired to write one of my most successful threads. I named it 'Team Rocket Motto Collection'. It had lots of different Team Rocket Mottos in different languages along with English translations. For instance, I translated the Swedish motto and a Swedish guy praised my Swedish. I really have to mention that anime has always helped me in my language studies, Sailor Moon was also in Finnish TV as a Swedish dub.

Sailor Moon? I also found the 200th eppie from the World Wide Web and watched it on the same day when I went to watch my crush dancing for she was taking a part in an event called 'Vanhojentanssit'. Spring 2003 entered the Northern hemisphere and I had to make my move towards her. I wanted to make sure nobody would find out I loved her, so I hesitated. Our new Physics course was about Electricity, and once again, I got to sit behind the girl. My teacher might had had noticed something, because he said: 'Mikael is in his own place.'

May 2003 began, and I finally had the courage to approach her. It was Friday. We had a maths lesson about integrals and we both happened to get to write some homework on the blackboard at the same time. Afterwards, we had a physics lesson in a different class. I threw a piece of paper on her desk. I asked in the paper if we could meet somewhere when we are not at school. When that physics lesson ended, the red-haired beauty returned the piece of paper and it was saying why not.

We met in Haapavesi library as agreed on the following Saturday. I had fun talking with her. It was the first date, and one of the few real dates, of my whole life.

The problem was that when I met her again at school on Monday, I still kept some distance from her so that the rest of the pupils wouldn't notice I had fallen for her. As expected, I got 10/10 from the Integral course, and even 10/10 from a demanding Philosophy course, using the power of love, but still I failed to arrange proper second date. I did ask if we could meet during the summer holiday, and she said yes, but the Red-Haired Sailor Mercury didn't come on either of the dates we had agreed on.

I was still in the substitute family, and I couldn't even ask for her phone number. I was practically the only one in my class who didn't have a mobile phone! Well I finally got an old-fashioned Nokia from my music therapist after a few weeks of summer holiday but it was too late. I tried to call the girl and she texted back that she had a boyfriend. Again, I felt as if I was dying and I cursed the stupid summer holiday which was to last for two months. I didn't even tell anybody I had the mobile phone, not even my substitute parents.

So, we can compare summer holiday 2000 and summer holiday 2003. Ending of the 8th class of elementary school was a relief, because I didn't have to see Endless Laughter anymore. I could focus on starting my Japanese studies big time. On the contrary, ending of the 2nd year in Lukio was a nightmare! I could have kept studying on and on behind the Red-Haired girl. I felt as if the summer would kill me.