"Movie Night"
"I'm sorry, Mamo-chan. I just don't get it."
Usagi could see the excitement in Mamoru's eyes and knew that this would not end quickly. She was thrilled when he'd first asked her to watch his favorite movie with him. Her enthusiasm waned a bit when she learned it was a science fiction movie, but she was more than willing to sit through it (after all, Mamoru had accompanied her to more than her fair share of romance movies). But now, after the movie was finally over, she just felt confused.
"Well, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a very complex movie, Usako," he told her. "I didn't get it at first, either. But it's very profound when you think about it."
"But what was with that big black block? Why did it keep showing up?" She could feel her brow wrinkling together, the way it did when she worked through a difficult math problem.
"The monolith is a symbol," he explained, his eyes bright. "Every time it appears, something monumental happens for humanity. The first time we see it, humans discover tools..."
He went on for several minutes, talking about allegories and something about Zarathustra. When she asks about the computer HAL, Mamoru launches into an explanation about infallibility and Frankenstein and human error. She doesn't stop him, falling somewhere between feeling hopelessly confused and delightfully amused by his passion for this strange movie.
When he finally stopped his speech, slightly out of breath from speaking so quickly, he smiled and asked her if she had a good time. She smiled and nodded, not bothering to mention that she enjoyed watching him more than watching the movie. "I like it when you share things you like with me, Mamo-chan."
He smiled back at her and said, "In that case, we should definitely continue watching more of Stanley Kubrick's films! They're all so interesting and deep. Maybe we could rent a copy of Dr. Strangelove next week?
Usagi could only nod at him, hoping that maybe Ami had seen this movie and could prepare her for it. If it was anything like this movie, she'd never be able to get it.