Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to be returning to Hugtto! Precure, wherein we most recently witnessed Homare attempting to reconcile her romantic feelings for a goddamn hamster. I’m frankly not sure how any episode could hope to top that one’s lunacy, and to be honest am not entirely discounting the possibility that it was all a fever dream or gas leak hallucination, but we must nonetheless do our best to carry on. Sometimes high schoolers fall in love with hamsters, this is just a thing that happens, and we’re all going to have to deal with it in our own ways.
With Homare x Housepet safely defused, I imagine we’re nearing the climax of Bishin’s villain arc. Bishin has always seemed more desperate for familial validation than truly villainous, so I’m guessing it won’t take too much of a push from our heroes to rehabilitate Harry’s old crewmate. I frankly wouldn’t mind if Bishin joined the team formally, but given we’ve already had one enemy turn Precure, I imagine “goth hamster Precure” is too powerful a concept to exist in this world. Whatever happens, I’m sure we’re in for a delightful time as we return to the world of Hugtto. Let’s get to it!
Episode 33
We begin with a rare cold open, revealing that Twin Love are really breaking out as idols. It seems we’ve reached the point in the narrative where all of our heroes are actually gaining some renown for their chosen specialties – Saaya’s getting more acting work, Homare’s thinking about international competition, and the idols have become local celebrities. I imagine these developments might prompt a fit of anxiety from Hana, given her own path is still totally unclear
Emiru and Lulu’s “omigosh we’re on TV” faces are adorable. Love how Lulu’s been getting steadily more expressive all through the past dozen episodes
“Twin Love? Are they really that good?” Oh no, Twin Love is under attack from the most loathsome, hateful, wretched invention in all of God’s creation – a critic
“Is their sound supposed to be idol or rock? It’s just sloppy!” Idols can have electric guitars if they want to!
Hah, Pupple actually managed to become their manager. And she states that.. they’re going to have “exclusive coverage” of Henri as their next assignment? I am apparently not entirely sure what idols actually do
“Watch Out! Criasu Corps’ Recruitment Drive!?” Oh my god, the Precures have been so successful in de-staffing Criasu that they actually have to go scouting new employees. Well, I’m sure there’s plenty of fresh-faced young college graduates out there just hoping for a spot on the villainy corporate ladder
Ah, I see, they’re just acting as celebrity interviewers. Unfortunately, that bad review has stolen Emiru’s smile. You’re gonna have to get used to it, girl; savagely negative responses are sadly part and parcel of any public-facing media job
Pupple waving her fan to try and cheer up Emiru is adorable. I’m so glad she’s become a fixture of the friend group in her post-villainy career
Meanwhile, Bishin is trying and utterly failing to look intimidating while punching a pillow in her hamster form. The animators certainly aren’t helping her cause; she is swiftly flipped backwards by the pillow, resulting in her wiggling her tiny hamster legs in the air
Apparently the blue-haired villain is Risutor, another hamster, and “the first to abandon Harihari.” I suppose I can see the staffing issue if Criasu is currently run by like seventy percent hamsters
Aw shit, it turns out Homare’s still got hamsters on the brain. Her skating practice is accompanied by swooning visions of Prince Harry sweeping her off her feet
Pupple’s mental happy place is just a rave with a dozen versions of her all boogying at once. Bless this mess of a character
Great cut of Hana imagining her “adult interviewer self” with eyes from a ‘70s shoujo manga. Drawing on older styles of visual design is always a fun way to define age among anime characters – that Koimonogatari OP is a work of brilliance.
Hana follows that up with one of her most impressive Mouth Hana roars ever
Emiru’s brother arrives at practice, demonstrating once again that he has got it bad for Henri
Henri states that “for me to feel complete, I have to keep winning.” I appreciate that Pupple is here to push back against that sentiment; most of this show’s characters are too young to have experienced failure in any lasting, course-of-life-affecting way, and thus can still hold on to dreams like perpetual ascension and victory. In contrast, Pupple has essentially already had to start her life over at least once, and has thus learned that you truly can start over, and shouldn’t feel discouraged even if you have to abandon some particular dream
Emiru resolves to get stronger, but it’s clear she’s forcing herself. Excellent skeptical faces from her friends as they acknowledge this
Yesss Lulu! She actually challenges Henri’s words, wondering whether people must always pursue greater strength. “I want our song to reach far and wide. But to do so, we are hiding a soft heart in armor.” This is the terrible bargain of basically any career in the arts – to create great art you must express something you consider true and meaningful, which necessitates a degree of vulnerability in your self-expression. But as your art spreads, it will naturally be challenged more and more, forcing you to develop an emotional shell to protect yourself. The balance between expressing yourself earnestly and maintaining a degree of distance to avoid getting hurt is a constant negotiation for every artist, one that you can only manage for yourself based on your willingness to endure painful feedback
Paparazzi believe they’ve got their scoop when Henri leans in to help Lulu with her hairband. And that’s the other thing – beyond earnest personal responses and critical feedback, you’ve also got a whole industry that thrives on inventing spectacle and making your life miserable
“I cannot live the life you need to get the kind of story you want.” What a great line from Henri
Aw shit, Risutor’s planning to scout Henri!
“Erasing tomorrow, stopping time.” Love Risutor’s absolutely straightforward description of his company’s products
“And I thought my next invite would be to join Precure.” Goddamnit Henri, don’t rub it in! We’d be so happy to have you!
Emiru does a truly magnificent panic and tumble after seeing that Henri’s noticed her. We’re really getting spoiled this episode
Excellent layouts for this episode, too. I like the sense of isolation created by this broad composition as Lulu relates her fears to Hana. And of course, Hana is the perfect person to comfort Lulu regarding the fear of staying close to someone whose talent outshines your own
“All those rumors, trying to categorize me. If only they were true.” Henri is dealing with some heavy shit this episode, as he’s forced to cope with puberty undercutting the “androgynous idol” persona that the media has tacked upon him. No wonder he’s vulnerable to the allure of stopping time now
“You’ve taught me something important too, Henri. That I should love myself.” “Are you sure you’re not just solving your own problems, and not mine?” Emiru and Henri have turned out to be an unexpectedly terrific pair
“There is something I’d forgotten. That when Lulu tells me she loves me, that is enough for me to be invincible.” That right there is one of the only answers to this question. You’ll never please everyone, so create for yourself and the people you love
“No matter what anyone says, if there’s one person who believes in you, you can do it.” And Emiru’s brother proves himself to be Henri’s one person. What an episode!
Henri even blows him a kiss during the performance. Bless these two
Grabbed once again by an Oshimaeda, Henri can only laugh at being stuck in this same situation
The team’s got so many dang powerups and transformations that it takes about a quarter episode to get through them all at this point. Even Hugtan’s got an outfit switch now!
“I look forward to a world and time where we can all live freely as we wish.” Henri is a goddamn icon. Every one of his episodes is so good
Aw, but he’s still got some kind of ankle injury. Is his career doomed from the start!?
And Done
Goddamn that was a great episode! Between Emiru and Henri, we tackled a wide swathe of complex and poignant topics, from the inherent perils of life as an artist to the more specific hurdles that Henri’s identity force him to face. Henri once again proved himself to be one of Hugtto’s most compelling characters, and though I would have loved for him to join the Precure team, it actually seems like this story’s got something more complex in store for him. Contemplative, insightful, and yet still brimming with goofy Precure energy, this was a top notch episode by any metric. Precure holds strong!
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