masquerade

Minako is unflappably cheerful and always getting herself into ridiculous situations that either make Sailor Moon fans laugh or sigh. However, because of her vibrant personality and crazy antics many forget that she does have her worries and doubts. Underneath her hardheadness and tough exterior, she is still a young, insecure teenage girl.

Secret #1 - "Like this, I'll just be a burden on everyone."

Someone once noted that being awakened so early in life must had made Minako's confidence and sense of self extremely contingent on her ability as a Sailor Soldier. I believe this observation is correct because when Minako loses her powers in Volume 13 of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon (BSSM) manga, she becomes an insecure mess. She starts to not only doubt her own strength, but also her ability as a soldier, and whether she is a reliable leader. Minako doesn't tell the others of her lost powers and ends up snapping at the team for mentioning Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna so often in conversation. Minako believed the reason Rei, Makoto, and Ami missed Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto so much is because they find her inadequate in comparison. Her frustration at herself for childish behavior and her powerlessness leads her to infiltrate the Dark Moon Talent Auditions alone in an attempt to prove herself. Minako gets pretty far without her powers and even regains them in the end, but she greatly endangers herself and the others during the process.

Secret #2 - "I don't think I want to be a Sailor Soldier anymore."

Balancing between her duties as a Sailor Soldier and the demands of everyday life meant that Minako had to make some sacrifices. Minako for the most part has accepted this fact, but the weight of what she has given up hits her particularly hard in Episode 100: She wants quit being a Sailor Soldier?! Mina's worries. Asai, a classmate who greatly admired her, asks her why she had quit volleyball after returning from England and told her that he had planned to ask her out once he became a regular on the team. After such a confession, Minako realizes just how much she has given up since she became Sailor V at 13: a life as a normal school girl, her chances of really falling in love, volleyball, and her dream of becoming an idol. Minako becomes a bit lost and wonders whether being a Sailor Soldier is worth all the scarifices she made. However, when Asai gets attacked by a daimon, Minako realizes that there some things she can only do by being a Sailor Soldier and that it is worth it. This constant struggle between her duty and her desire to live a normal life is probably her greatest weakness and has been exploited several times by her enemies throughout the series. In one instance, Mimete was able to successfully trap Minako in an illusionary world where she becomes an idol and this causes Minako to lose her desire to be a Sailor Soldier and fight.

Secret #3 - "Except for me, all of us were targeted for our pure hearts."

In Episode 109: A Time of Shock! True Identities Revealed to One Another, Minako becomes anxious over the fact that she is the only member of the team that has yet to be targeted for her pure heart. Minako begins to wonder if her lack of commitment and her constant fliting from one topic to the other might be the reason why she is not considered pure-hearted. So she decides to do some community service via daily blood donations. Her efforts do pay off and she is shot in the back by Eudial, but instead of passing out (like most victims) Minako hoards her pure heart, laughs deliriously, and runs off.

Secret #4 - "Unlike you, I guess I'm just a scummy girl!"

Although Minako is the reincarnation of the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Minako is insecure about her own femininity and beauty. As mentioned in Everyday Girl, Minako is somewhat of a tomboy and is not particularly graceful or refined. Much to Minako's chagrin, Artemis (and her male classmates) often comment on her lack of femininity and such comments hits a sore spot as Minako herself is aware of her "boyish" ways. Minako is also once seen wishing, as she stared at herself in the mirror, that she was pretty and girly.¹ For the most part, Minako hides this insecurity well, but it becomes particularly apparent in her relationship and interactions with Rei. Minako obviously admires and envies Rei believing her to be lucky and "having it made" as Rei is high-class, popular with the boys, beautiful, free of a nagging mother, and also free from taking high school entrance exams. From Minako's point of view, she is definitely not in Rei's league, but this doesn't stop Minako from trying! In the Special Exam Chapter on Rei and Minako, Minako visits Raye's school and tries her best to fit in with the other high-class girls, but instead causes all sorts of trouble for Rei. Her experience at T.A. School only makes Minako even more sensitive of her own "uncouthness" and the difference between herself and Rei. Minako later lashes out at Rei telling her that she hates her (she thought Rei had laughed at her), but soon realizes she was out of line and apologizes to Rei. After this incident, Rei and Minako become very close friends.