Post by ateliertohka on May 21, 2017 19:32:56 GMT -5
So, the sixteenth episode of this year's PreCure series came out today, and it's turned out to be surprisingly good for third-of-the-way-through episode in an annual sunday morning anime series, with the central conflict this week focusing not only on melancholy and self-discovery, but also making smart use of subtext to depict a more tactical battle in the form of a mind game between Yukari Kotozume, also known as the PreCure member Cure Macaron, and the show's central antagonist, Julio.
(Warning: These next couple of paragraphs will contain spoilers. I highly recommend keeping this in mind.)
First, I feel like I should recap. The show, in case you're not aware, is about three middle-school girls and two highschoolers who are imbued with magical powers to battle against the forces of evil as heroic patisseries. The initial setups had the girls, Ichika, Himari, Aoi, Yukari, and Akira, battling against evil fairies who stole the flavor from sweets, called Kirakiraru, to gain power. After some time, we learned that the Kirakiraru theives were being controlled by a greater villain named Julio. After the theives were freed from Julio's control, they apologized for the trouble they caused, and Julio began operating more directly, using deception and manipulation to influence events in his favor disguised as a transfer student named Rio Kuroki. Julio secretly influenced the PreCures to help Kirakiraru develop inside the hearts of people, so that he could extract said Kirakiraru from the people's bodies to create weapons, leaving them in a comatose state until the PreCures defeated him in a battle and destroyed his weapon. Julio was also aware of the girls' secret identities, allowing him to manipulate them easily without them knowing.
And this brings us to the beginning of the newest episode, with the PreCures discussing the actions of their enemy at their sweets shop, although Yukari has by now started to suspect that Rio knows more than he lets on, while also struggling to find what it really is she enjoys. When Rio approaches her, she invites him and the other PreCures to her house to practice the tea ceremony. It's at this point that a battle of wits begins between Yukari and Rio. After Rio seemingly perfectly copies Yukari's tea-making techniques, she tells him about her struggling under the shadow of her older sister. The experience with tea ceremony inspires Ichika to invite Yukari to work with her on a project for the Kirakira Patisserie, turning the shop into a teahouse serving white whale-themed daifuku. (A rice cake stuffed with sweet filling, usually red bean paste.) Afterwards, Julio attacks Yukari's fanclub and lures her, as Cure Macaron, into a fight. Although Julio eventually dangles Yukari from a rooftop, taunting her about her sister, Yukari laughs, revealing that she made up having a sister in order to trick Julio into blowing his cover as Rio, causing him to lose his composure when he realizes that she's beaten him at his own game. Afterwards, the other Cures arrive and together, they destroy Julio's weapon, waking the fangirls from their coma. By the end, Yukari has found her passion for the tea ceremony, and also delivered a crippling blow to Julio, sending him back to square one and forcing him to rethink his approach for the future.
(End of spoilers)
As someone who has watched multiple incarnations of the PreCure franchise and considers himself a fan of the shows, I can safely say that this episode provided one of the best storylines I've seen in this series, showcasing the fantastic character of Yukari Kotozume as a brilliant young woman dedicated to her craft who is also able to outwit her enemy with a carefully planned strategy. If I'm being totally honest, this episode will be hard to top, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the show goes next.
(Warning: These next couple of paragraphs will contain spoilers. I highly recommend keeping this in mind.)
First, I feel like I should recap. The show, in case you're not aware, is about three middle-school girls and two highschoolers who are imbued with magical powers to battle against the forces of evil as heroic patisseries. The initial setups had the girls, Ichika, Himari, Aoi, Yukari, and Akira, battling against evil fairies who stole the flavor from sweets, called Kirakiraru, to gain power. After some time, we learned that the Kirakiraru theives were being controlled by a greater villain named Julio. After the theives were freed from Julio's control, they apologized for the trouble they caused, and Julio began operating more directly, using deception and manipulation to influence events in his favor disguised as a transfer student named Rio Kuroki. Julio secretly influenced the PreCures to help Kirakiraru develop inside the hearts of people, so that he could extract said Kirakiraru from the people's bodies to create weapons, leaving them in a comatose state until the PreCures defeated him in a battle and destroyed his weapon. Julio was also aware of the girls' secret identities, allowing him to manipulate them easily without them knowing.
And this brings us to the beginning of the newest episode, with the PreCures discussing the actions of their enemy at their sweets shop, although Yukari has by now started to suspect that Rio knows more than he lets on, while also struggling to find what it really is she enjoys. When Rio approaches her, she invites him and the other PreCures to her house to practice the tea ceremony. It's at this point that a battle of wits begins between Yukari and Rio. After Rio seemingly perfectly copies Yukari's tea-making techniques, she tells him about her struggling under the shadow of her older sister. The experience with tea ceremony inspires Ichika to invite Yukari to work with her on a project for the Kirakira Patisserie, turning the shop into a teahouse serving white whale-themed daifuku. (A rice cake stuffed with sweet filling, usually red bean paste.) Afterwards, Julio attacks Yukari's fanclub and lures her, as Cure Macaron, into a fight. Although Julio eventually dangles Yukari from a rooftop, taunting her about her sister, Yukari laughs, revealing that she made up having a sister in order to trick Julio into blowing his cover as Rio, causing him to lose his composure when he realizes that she's beaten him at his own game. Afterwards, the other Cures arrive and together, they destroy Julio's weapon, waking the fangirls from their coma. By the end, Yukari has found her passion for the tea ceremony, and also delivered a crippling blow to Julio, sending him back to square one and forcing him to rethink his approach for the future.
(End of spoilers)
As someone who has watched multiple incarnations of the PreCure franchise and considers himself a fan of the shows, I can safely say that this episode provided one of the best storylines I've seen in this series, showcasing the fantastic character of Yukari Kotozume as a brilliant young woman dedicated to her craft who is also able to outwit her enemy with a carefully planned strategy. If I'm being totally honest, this episode will be hard to top, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the show goes next.