Today I’m thrilled to return to Pretty Cure, as we check out the second episode of the ongoing Precure Hugtto! The show’s first episode was delightful in all sorts of ways, from its alternately silly and evocative visual design to its compelling character work and intriguing set of narrative motifs.
The show’s first and greatest strength so far is its heroine, Hana Nono. Not only is her energy and expressiveness generally charming and relatable, but her specific focus on attempting to live up to the person she wants to become felt like a particularly poignant and universal motivation. I really love stories about people who don’t think they’re strong, but essentially trick themselves into embodying a greater, aspirational strength – My Hero Academia is all about that, Madoka Magica hinges on a similar instinct, and here in Hugtto it’s being used to give us an immediate and sympathetic understanding of our beleaguered heroine.
Additionally, Hana’s focus on “who I want to grow up to be” seems to currently be mirrored by this show’s antagonists, who seem to literally represent “growing up to be an unhappy cog in some vast corporation.” I really don’t think Hugtto will be venturing into any scathing criticism of modern capitalism, but the fact that this show’s enemies are visually represented through skyscrapers and business suits and speak in phrases like “this’ll look terrible at my quarterly review” doesn’t mean nothing. The show is going somewhere with this very direct contrast of future-focused hope and despair, and I’m eager to see where it leads. Let’s see what comes next in Precure Hugtto!
Episode 2
We open with Hana leaping up to grab the camera so she can drag it down and announce the recap. Stuff like this just feels so effortlessly inventive and engaging compared to so many shows aimed at older audiences. Young audiences tend to be willing to accept drastic shifts in style or presentation without being drawn out of a production, but I don’t think that alone explains the expressive joy of great children’s anime
The casual tone of Hana’s recap makes this segment pass lightly, and act as a brief recap of her own personality as well
“And then she went… ‘the Precure of Spirit: Cure Yell!’” Hana’s classmates are actively discussing her adventure. That’s very interesting – I wasn’t aware that Pretty Cures were a publicly known and accepted institution within the Precure universe. Generally being a magical girl, and the existence of magic in the world in general, is framed as a drama-friendly secret
But Hana herself isn’t allowed to reveal her secret identity. That seems like a weird compromise: “we can’t hide the fact that magic exists, but you still can’t tell anyone about your powers”
“But I want to tell everyone!” Hana is pretty great. I appreciate a heroine who gets angry that she can’t brag about her sweet new powers
“Hana, you have to protect your secret identity! That added air of mystery is super cool!” Oh my god these two. This is a terrible explanation, but I would totally believe that Hana would find this convincing. All right Precure, you win this one
“Everybody’s Angel! Cure Ange!” So it looks like Saaya will be joining the team pretty much immediately
I feel like growing up in the ‘90s in America saddled me with enough “being a superhero is a terrible curse” tonal bullshit that I’ll find “it sure is cool to be a hero!” attitudes refreshing until I die
Saaya is the class rep, and the other kids all depend on her
The Saaya focus means this episode is already a little less high energy than the first, purely because Saaya is so much less of a high-energy person than Hana. Making your lead headstrong and energetic doesn’t just facilitate character arcs – your lead’s perspective can dictate the overall tone and even pacing of your narrative
We abruptly jump to a meeting with Harry and Hugtan, where Harry summons the magical cottage that he and Hugtan will be living in. I suppose that solves the rooming situation
Harry has a human form! Hugtan breaks into tears instantly at this mascot betrayal
This little cottage offers more excellent demonstrations of Hugtto’s beautiful, delicate backgrounds and prominent use of lighting as a dramatic tool
So if the mirai power is stolen, the future itself will literally disappear
I’m glad Hana asks what that actually means – like in the first episode, time will just stop
Harry reveals that there are devices for three more team members, but Hana wants to do it all on her own. “It’ll be cooler all alone! All eyes on me!” I wonder if she’s genuinely not thinking this through, or if there’s some other reasoning
Her reaction here is accompanied by another simplified stand-in background to match the comedy beat. You normally see these sorts of background shifts most often in manga adaptations, which are copying a technique that tends to seem more graceful for single panels, but children’s shows are also very willing to employ them, another reflection of how kids are less bothered by dramatic visual disruption
Saaya apparently also handles the school newspaper, because she is the only achiever at this entire school
“You look kind of like a mountain bluebird.” I really like this comedy beat. It’s taking something we normally see as an embellishment directly aimed at the audience, anime’s exaggerated reaction faces, and making it an in-universe reflection of Hana’s character, as well as one of her first friendly experiences with Saaya
Hana actually makes a pretty decent drawing of her Precure outfit. This is a very convincing little friendship-building scene
Our heroes are enjoying an afternoon nap, which makes sense – their new house is permanently lit as to evoke the perfect atmosphere for an afternoon nap
Hana has a dramatic dream that seems to foretell a terrible future. Even here, the one defining feature of the faceless enemies is their corporate name tag
And Saaya walks right into their secret hideout. Whoops
So far, it appears Saaya’s defining quality seems to be “is very good at using google”
I love Harry being so overjoyed at a potential Cure who can actually help prepare Hugtan’s baby formula
Saaya apparently experienced the same baby cry and time stop as Hana in the first episode, presumably a reflection of her latent Precure power. That’s sort of a weird device here – the idea that certain people are predestined to have the potential to become a Precure. I wonder if that will be subverted, or if it’s just being used for convenience’s sake in spite of its thematically inappropriate implications. “Certain people are destined to be superheroes” doesn’t mesh quite so well with a “you can become anything you dream of becoming” message
Even Hana notices how angelic the framing of this house is, though she attributes it to Saaya. Nope, it’s mostly lighting and filters
I like how Hana is getting a little jealous of Saaya’s apparent suitability to be a Precure. I admire Hana’s spirit, but for her drive for self-improvement to feel meaningful, she likely has to start from a point of pretty limited competency and confidence. “You can achieve anything!” doesn’t carry much weight when spoken by a person who starts out great at everything
While Hana admires Saaya’s current abilities, Saaya admires Hana’s ambition and courage in facing the future. We’re naturally countering Hana’s claim that she can do everything herself, by introducing a girl who’s very aware of her personal limitations
“I think it takes great courage to be kind to people!” It’s nice to watch shows that say things which are good
And now Hana gives Saaya her signature pep-up cheer
This time our episodic monster is created from two workers arguing about some delivery at a construction site. More mundane job-related grievances
I really like the palette swap for these “dark world” segments. They maintain visual congruity with the pastel palettes of the leads, but lean into unnatural tones reminiscent of JoJo’s Diamond is Unbreakable arc, that fulfill a similar “something is wrong beneath the surface” role here
Transformation time! As someone who writes about episodes beat-by-beat for a living, I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who can appreciate bank footage in exactly the same way the show creators do. “Ah good, transformation time, my fingers can rest for thirty seconds”
The animation’s a bit more limited so far, but I really love the dynamic layouts of this fight
Great little cut of Hana stumbling and then regaining her balance in a new stance. These incidental actions are very good at bringing fights to life, moreso than dramatic but weightless special attacks
Hana’s cheer that “you can do anything!” genuinely reaches Saaya, letting her embrace her own potential. NEW CURE TIME
Saaya’s whole entrance “arc” here was kinda abridged, but I guess the show really wants to get the team together first
Saaya had the opposite problem of Hana: plenty of ability, zero confidence. But seeing Hana in action, she realizes that’s not true
Oh wow, Saaya’s transformation is gorgeous. This shimmering blue water motif lends it a strong sense of cohesion, and the animation is beautiful
The team gains: STRATEGY! Saaya suggests they attack the crane’s feet to knock it off-balance
And Done
The team grows in strength! Honestly, as a dedicated “Saaya episode,” this wasn’t really a stunner – though I found her friendship with Hana totally convincing, her own lack of confidence felt a little half-baked. There just wasn’t any personal grounding for her feelings beyond “I don’t have confidence,” so there wasn’t really the foundation necessary to result in a dramatically satisfying ultimate shift. That said, I don’t think Hugtto is unaware of that; instead of telling a more focused personal story, this episode was relentlessly dedicated to filling out many of the fundamental necessities the first episode brushed aside, like a better understanding of our villains and a permanent home for our magical creatures. And in spite of that, this episode still demonstrated all the visual beauty and personal charm that made the first episode so engaging, finishing on one more satisfying battle and the promise of more teammates to come. Hugtto is looking sturdy as heck coming out of its second episode.
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