Evolution of Rei

The first time I saw Rei in profile, I couldn't help but think that she looked absolutely gorgeous. It seems that Takeuchi-san does more profile studies of Rei than of anyone else, anyway... perhaps it lends her dignity.

Rei, act 3 This is Act 3, the first time Usagi and Ami ever see Rei -- and the first thing Usagi can say (with hearts in her eyes!) is that Rei's very pretty. The edge of the profile here could almost be drawn as a straight line down, with the nose pointing out in the middle.

Rei's eyelashes are so long that we can see the other eye's lashes past the bridge of her nose, and the ends of her bangs trail past the eyebrows but manage not to obscure the eyes. This seems to be a rule with the hair - it will trail across the forehead and past the eyebrows, but must stop at the upper eyelash curve. The top eyelash curve is very thick, with lashes poking out from the front and back in gentle sweeps. Nothing too fancy, but enough to show that Rei has very pretty eyelashes indeed. Notice how the eyeball isn't exactly round? It's got this weird S-like curve in front and a sharper curve in back. The lack of definition adds to the mildness of Rei's expression, I think.

This is from Act 14, one of the Black Moon acts. Rei's walking by, and people are talking about her... Asanuma reflects that she's a really pretty girl, and the kind of girlfriend he'd expect Mamoru-senpai to have. (Keep in mind that at this point he's already met Usagi. <grin>) You'll notice that her eye has lost the S-curve in front and is now a straight line down; the back curve is less pronounced as well. She's got shorter eyelashes in back, but the ones near the front front (especially from the far eye, behind the nose) seem much longer and curved. The eyelash curves themselves are not as thick.

As for the rest of the face, the nose and mouth portions of her face seem to protrude much farther out than her forehead - a distinct difference from the first picture. The nose has a much cuter pertness to it though, pointing out and up more.

Rei, act 14

Rei, act 36 Act 36 is the Dream arc, and Rei's profile is somewhat blocked by her newly-acquired Mars Arrow. However, we'll do our best... This is fierce Rei; she's aiming at Tiger's Eye, full of renewed strength and self-knowledge. I think that Takeuchi-san's made Rei's chin shorter - you could almost draw a straight line down from her forehead to the point of her chin, and that was definitely not the case in the picture before this one. The face line curves in more towards the eyes, though.

As for the eye, the sharp angle in the upper eye curve is very indicative of Rei's fierceness and concentration. It's tilted at the same angle as the eyebrow, accentuating the slant in general. You'll also notice that the lower eye line is much longer than in the previous two examples. Oh, and the eyeball's front is now completely straight.

This point in the Stars arc, act 45, is the last time we see Rei clearly. At this point, she is telling Mina about drawing the tarot card of Death, and the foreboding she feels. (Justified, as it turns out.) The solemnity and quiet of her mood is evident in the gentle, almost curved slant of her eye lines, and the eyeball is relatively larger than it has been in the pictures before.

As for the face line, Takeuchi-san's curved it out again. There's a perceptible bend outwards from the forehead and chin, ending in the point of the nose. She's also done a lot more with different kinds of shading and toner, lightly emphasizing the nose and chin, and placing shadow on the face curve as well.

Rei, act 45

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