keyofnik: As with Ami’s Shine Aqua Illusion just a few minutes before, Mako’s Supreme Thunder isn’t a phraseless attack, but it is one we see outside of stock footage, which is almost as good. I was saying a little bit earlier how I see the use of the attack calls, and how they aren’t something integral to the attack happening so much as a focus. Ami is a weaker offensive type, and so I see her using her attack phrases much more often and much longer than the other Senshi. In that instance, especially, she had once chance to save everyone, and so her using the phrase is no question. For Mako I think it’s something of a similar situation. We’ve twice in this movie seen her attacking with Sparkling Wide Pressure without saying a word and doing it like it’s nothing at all. But the first instance, the only one in danger was herself, and in the second, it was an instinctive (and I think knowingly futile) attempt to get Chibi-Usa back when it was already far too late. But here, all the girls are facing down four or five times more of those monsters than they’ve faced before, and the last time it happened, they’d been powered up and could regenerate. So Mako’s not fucking around. Everyone’s counting on her, and she goes for her fastest area of effect attack, using the phrase to make sure she does exactly what she wants to do. And even for all that, I love how CHAOTIC this looks. It’s never really hit me until just now how perfect Mako’s hair suits her in these moments. It’s tied back, so it looks like it’s under control, but in reality it’s whipping around everywhere, just barely restrained like Mako herself. I also really love how Mako’s eyes transform. Mako and Mako alone has this thing where one second she looks wide-eyed and gentle, and the next she’s slipped on her FIERCE EYES where shit is serious and she’s glaring at you and you need to pretty much run for your life. Her eyes change as she crosses her forearms and her hands pass over them, and it’s in that moment that her lightning just goes fucking everywhere. It’s fantastic. Mako’s lightning, too, is something already in-progress when she begins attacking. She’s already got everything cooking (ha ha, sorry Mako) before she says a single syllable, like those words are just to help her find yet more power to channel out. That also plays in how Mako’s body motions are reminiscent of Supreme Thunder, but don’t duplicate it. Another wonderful contrast to Ami, who has to go through the exact same sequence the exact same way every time. That’s a fantastic parallel between the nature of those two characters: Ami who would be comfortable with precision and repetition, versus Mako who is free with her power and can adapt to whatever enemy and situation she’s facing.
