I’ve checked the stars, sifted through the tea leaves, and consulted with the Old Ones, and it is abundantly clear that it is time for more Hugtto! Precure. In the show’s last episode, the introduction of Henri prompted Homare to reconsider the trajectory of her life, and her decision to step back from the rigorous training demands of a classic professional skater trajectory. Henri frankly and convincingly argued that taking a break at this point could easily be detrimental to her career prospects – and in response, Homare argued with equal certainty that it was the close support of her friends that had given her the courage to return to the ice at all, and that their continued support gave her a kind of strength unreachable through personal effort alone.

Henri ultimately ceded to this argument, because Henri’s a pretty great character. The episode’s treatment of Henri was likely its greatest strength, from its positive framing of his androgynous, multiracial identity to the way it managed to cast him as an “episode antagonist” while still keeping his position consistently sympathetic. It was an episode that clearly demonstrated the strengths of Hugtto’s storytelling, and I’ve been eager to watch the next one for far too long. Let’s see what’s in store in the ninth Hugtto! Precure!

Episode 9

Oh my god they’re having Hugtan do the last episode synopsis. This is the best show ever

Hugtan just waving her arms and gurgling as we scan over the last episode’s drama. Precure is too good to us

Some very nice outdoor backgrounds to open the episode proper. There’s a natural softness to Hugtto!’s backgrounds that does an excellent job of setting the show’s gentle tone, an effect created through the combination of lightly penciled linework, soft-edged watercolor fills (which themselves don’t sharply adhere to that light linework), and the overall emphasis on milky pastels

The girls are approached by a short girl wearing a Queen of Hearts dress, who I recognize from fandom as our next Precure. Alright, time for a new party member!

This new girl seems hyper-fixated on the potentially horrific consequences if they’re careless in their hiking. That seems like an easy fixation to tether to this show’s themes, since she could just as easily be feeling general anxiety about the future. She even ends her statement on “that’s the future that awaits you.” In a show for young audiences, repeating one key word like “future” (or “mirai,” I suppose) seems like a good way to focus their attention on what’s important

“Over the Hill We Go! Let’s – La -Hiking!” Nice. I bet a conceit like this will offer plenty more beautiful background designs

Hana decides the new girl is adorable, and she is right

It seems the new girl speaks with a sort of exaggerated politeness – lots of elongated expressions and “desus” at the end of everything

Her name is Emiru Aisaku, and she’s in Hana’s sister Kotori’s class

Emiru’s backpack includes “insurance for every possible risk.” So yeah, she’s deathly afraid of making a wrong choice

Harry offers the very reasonable “do you not want to go, or are you actually loving this?”

Emiru has more critiques, but Hugtan does something cute and that’s the end of that

How can Emiru critique Hana’s prep choices when she clearly remembered her emergency banana

Wait, she didn’t, she only has an emergency cucumber

The cucumber segues them into a conversation about kappas, and of course Saya wants to see a kappa some day. Saya’s random interests are a pretty great running gag

We actually run into the cabaret villain lady, who’s enjoying her time off on a big rock. “The heroes and villains run into each other on vacation” never gets old; there’s something inherently satisfying about seeing characters you know interact divorced from the restrictions of their narrative roles, an appeal clearly indicated by the massive proliferation of coffee shop AU fan writing

Emiru uses her hammer to check the bridge’s stability, and it immediately collapses. Perhaps Emiru actually just lives in a world of perpetual peril

Hana recognizes that Emiru’s genuine concern for her friends is putting some distance between her and them

They run into Hinase, a classmate practicing his trumpet

Hana asks Emiru to join them singing, which she responds to with “singing will attract the kappa!” Taking care with your decisions is a good thing, but at a certain point, excessive prudence can ultimately reflect a more general fear of vulnerability and taking chances. I’m guessing Emiru’s turn will come when she learns to take some risks

I appreciate that the show is following an episode about such consequential, career-impacting choices with an episode focused on a younger character who must learn about the opposite case – that often in life, particularly as children, it’s good to take chances even if they don’t work out, and to try things even if we’re not sure about them

A monkey steals Hana’s transformation tambourine, and she and Emiru actually get lost chasing after it. A perfect chance for Emiru to learn that going outside your comfort zone and making some mistakes is actually a good thing

“The life and times of Aisaki Emiru have come to an end.” I like the new girl. I can appreciate a Precure with anxiety

And then Hana knocks all three of them into a ridiculously deep pit, proving Emiru’s concerns entirely right

“Emiru can be kinda frantic.” “She reminds me of Hana that way.” “I can tell you that having two people like that in your life is exhausting.” Kotori gets in some savage burns while the others are away

“I am such a worthless human being!” Emiru is the most relatable magical girl

“When I simulated the hiking trip, one danger after another came to mind.” The shot accompanying this line is phenomenal. The camera has pulled back to convey the full depth and width of the cave, with Hana and Emiru in a tiny funnel at the bottom. The shot naturally conveys the sense of these holes that Emiru digs for herself – that from her psychological vantage point, she can only see all the things that could go wrong, and thus sees all potential actions as futile attempts to climb out of the deep hole she’s in

“You’re the hidden hero protecting everyone!” Once again, Hana proves that her signature strength is her ability to cheer for others, and celebrate the things that make them special in such a way that they feel truly validated

Hana’s encouragement inspires Emiru’s own strength, and she ends up singing to calm down Hugtan. “Singing” in this case seems tethered to a general embracing of self-expression

All the people at the park are having too much fun for the villain lady to channel their frustration into a monster, but then the fucking monkeys start bickering and she harnesses their anger. Goddamnit monkeys

And of course, the cucumber actually transforms into a giant kappa monster

Kappas like cucumbers, by the way. I’m not sure if I really need to explain what a kappa is, but it’s a kind of humanoid frog-like Japanese river demon that keeps a cup of water in a cavity on its head, tries to steal human organs through their anuses, and likes cucumbers. So there you go

♪ Bank footage, it’s footage you bank / animate the fights, but this part’s in the tank ♪

“The kappa’s weakness is the bowl on its head!” This is true, Saya didn’t just make that up

They don’t really have any trouble dispatching the monster, because this isn’t about any of the current precures learning a new lesson – it’s about Emiru discovering what she wants to do

The group praises Emiru for her singing voice, completing that thematic circuit by rewarding her for expressing herself

And Done

Well, that was a charming introduction for our latest Precure. This episode was fairly light in terms of its overt drama and thematic argument, because the greater part of it was dedicated to a very different goal: getting to know Emiru. And as far as that went, this episode did a fine job of characterizing her as a person who can actually be pretty hard to get along with, but who clearly has her heart in the right place. Emiru’s overly stiff manner of presenting herself was both endearing in its own right and a natural way of emphasizing how she represses her desires, and her sharp swings in and out of confidence felt totally true to her style of loud but ultimately brittle self-assurance. She’s a charming, sympathetic girl, and I’m eager to see her join the actual team. Precure Ho!

This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.