Hello all, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. It has been far too long since we checked in on the stars of Hugtto! Precure, so today we’re addressing that oversight directly, and diving back into the world of Hana and her very patient friends. We arrive on the heels of an absurd run of episodes, with two of the series’ greatest animation spectacles leading directly into Lulu’s long-awaited break from Criasu Corp. In our last episode, Lulu’s story came full circle, as she once again confronted Hana in a maelstrom of flowers, and ultimately came to embrace the joy and the pain of a human heart.

All that’s well and good, but personally, I’m mostly just waiting for Lulu’s reunion with my own favorite Precure, the anxious rock star Emiru. Last episode left her stranded mid-step, as she raced to save her friend in need, so I’m hoping this episode will open with them bonking heads pretty much immediately. But however the story winds, I’m sure we’ll have an excellent time with Huggto. Let’s get to it!

Episode 18

All three of our original leads are saying hello this time, likely because this episode has such close continuity with the last that it requires some exposition, and conveying that exposition as a dialogue between the leads is more graceful than a straight speech

If you want a major head start on your own critical career, one of the most important principles you need to adopt is training yourself to ask “why would the writers do this,” rather than “why would the characters do this.” You frequently won’t know the answer when you start out, but examining the architecture and wondering at its design, rather than simply being guided by the narrative’s overt terms, is the first step towards eventually seeing the beauty in both the technical mastery and inspiration of a great artist at work

Incidentally, questions like that are easiest to answer when a text is fairly transparent in its goals, so anime for young folks is a good place to test it out. Things get messier when texts are working to dazzle or challenge more complex, media-savvy audiences, which is why we don’t get many blog posts about how Nabokov doesn’t understand the Hero’s Journey, or whatnot. But even toying with or breaking the simplified rules of narrative structure is a process built on a keen initial understanding of narrative’s general rules; it is only our understanding of how things normally proceed that lets us appreciate the impact or purpose of deviation from that standard model. A child playing with finger paints isn’t making compelling abstract art, because compelling abstract art is composed with a clear understanding of traditional formalism, and exists in conversation with its technical forebears. The general audience backlash against the self-awareness of modern art isn’t surprising, given much of modern art doesn’t look “technically difficult,” but artists aren’t attempting to make the “most difficult-looking art,” they are attempting to progress an ongoing conversation regarding the nature of representation, and communicating with other people who are also on that journey

Alright, that’s more than enough of that tangent, let’s get back to Precure

“Odd Couple! The Melody of the Heart!” YES YES YES

Harry wants to get Criasu Corp info from Lulu, but unfortunately all confidential information was removed when she got remodeled. Another extremely “the writers needed this to be true” beat, which you’ll start to notice all over the place if you’re looking for them

Lulu is worried she can’t return to Hana’s home, considering she brainwashed Hana’s mom and all that. But Hana grabs her hand anyway, and calls her back. This show loves the outstretched hand almost as much as Symphogear does

The gentle use of soft focus around the character’s edges is a very effective trick; it gracefully mitigates the sense of disconnect between the soft painted backgrounds and the hard-lined characters, resulting in a more cohesive composite, and also amplifying the overall gentle tone of this quiet, late-afternoon scene

I genuinely love how adults in children’s anime get to be such all-stars. There’s an obvious moral lesson in that – children should feel safe revealing their problems to their guardians, and presenting reliable guardians in media is a useful way to encourage that. But as an audience member, it’s mostly just nice to see adults treated as real people, rather than the buffoons or mental teenagers you see in anime for teens. Cynicism can be exhausting at the best of times, but juvenile, flat-out wrong cynicism is the worst

Seems like the clock turning twelve here offers a bit of a Cinderella motif, with Lulu fearing the end of her transformation, but ultimately being accepted even in her true form

I was just about to comment on how absurd this curry looks, when Hana’s mom admits she was trying to make something else entirely, and just swerved into curry when it didn’t work out. I suppose anything can technically become a curry, so it’s a good backup plan

“We can all start over on most things. That’s what I believe.” Another crucial lesson relevant to this show’s “becoming your adult self” theme – it’s okay to make mistakes, and to try something new

Alright, so Emiru saw Hana’s Precure transformation. Surely she’ll confront them soon, right!?

And of course, Emiru sends Hana a letter of challenge at school. She truly appreciates the importance of theater

Lulu stops her public announcement. Love this ball of smears as they wrestle her out of the schoolyard

Emiru essentially requests a Precure ride-along, so she can witness the daily routine of Homare figure skating, Saya acting, and Hana… doing whatever Hana does with her copious piles of free time

Clear to see where this is going, though. Hana is actually the most important of them, precisely because Hana isn’t “special” in any way beyond her kindness and dedication. Emiru delights in putting the Precure up on a pedestal, but framing them that way denies her own agency, her potential to be anything she wants. Hana offers the more meaningful lesson – that anyone can achieve anything, and therefore Emiru herself can achieve her dreams, too

“You and I are best friends!” “Is that so.” They are so good

Emiru puts her own talents to use playing piano for Hana, as she preps for a singing test. Apparently they have singing tests in Japanese schools?

Lulu tries singing, to mixed results. Her pitch is perfect, but there’s no personality in her delivery – she just hits every note precisely at the tempo indicated on the sheet music. And when Emiru says there’s “no heart in her delivery,” her underlying anxieties about her identity flare up again, and she experiences some kind of system error

I very much like that – it’d be disappointing if Lulu’s problems were simply “solved” by last episode’s breakthrough. Growth doesn’t imply entirely defeating your prior anxieties

As Poppel attempts to explain the loss of Lulu, we get brief cuts of three separate replacement villains. Things are heating up!

Ooh, I love this shot of Emiru sitting by Lulu’s bedside. Great use of foreground objects to frame the scene, creating a sense of depth and intimacy by enclosing the characters within a private space. Also great use of lighting here, drawing the viewer’s eye towards Lulu

Oh my god, their height contrast is so adorable

“We are best friends. We have nothing to hide from each other!” Emiru is gonna Best Friend you whether you like it or not, Lulu

The clock sound effect returns as Lulu denies her ability to become a Precure. It mimics her mechanical nature, acting as a representation of her anxiety

More excellent use of soft focus, as Emiru parses the extent of Lulu’s feelings

YES, INVIGORATE HER HEART WITH THE POWER OF ROCK, EMIRU!

Emiru is uncertain about her method of cheering Lulu up, and so she at last gets to witness Hana’s signature power – her unerring belief in others, and ability to push them towards their best selves. And even Hugtan joins in the cheering now, amplifying Hana’s powers to a ludicrous extent

Solid advice from Saya, who tells Lulu that when you try hard to create a perfect performance, you’ll often end up with a stiff delivery

This episode’s brainwashed monster was originally a fashion designer, so of course she has the power of weaponry-shifting costume changes

Well, it appears all three original Precure have been defeated. Whatever shall we do?

Poppel is talking big, but it’s clear this is her last chance. I really appreciate the vulnerability and desperation of this show’s ostensible villains; they don’t just “love evil,” they are terrified, overworked underlings

“It is because she has a heart that she is troubled. It is because she had a heart that she told me how she loved my music!” Emiru is so good

“Stop messing… with friendship!” Ahahah Hana. Don’t fuck with friendship, or a Precure is liable to sock you one

I never noticed how they shift from classic sword stances, like Hana’s scabbard-strike pose, into musical instrument poses during their combo attack. A neat trick, and a nod to their powers’ original forms

Oh my god, Emiru wrote a whole song about friendship to match the melody she played for Lulu back at her home. Genuinely tearing up over here, these two are too good together

And Done

Aw jeez, my heart can’t take it. That ending song was just so charming, and these two have helped each other grow and come to love themselves so much. I wanted a Lulu-Emiru episode, and now here I am wiping the snot off my nose, bawling over these adorable heroes. That was a great episode, obviously, and their bond continues to be one of the most endearing and emotionally rich aspects of the series, even though they’ve only gotten a couple of episodes together. This shared song was so cathartic, such a poignant win for both of them – neither of them would be here in this moment without the strength and love of the other, guiding them towards the happiness they deserve. DAMN YOU PRECURE, YOU GOT ME AGAIN.

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