Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Hugtto! Precure, as we charge ever closer to the season’s epic finale. Our last episode wrapped up the season’s primary remaining conflict not related to the Cure team directly – although it did not remain that way, as the resolution of Henri’s struggles saw him actually becoming a Pretty Cure as well, donning the title of “Cure Infini” and offering a gorgeous final performance to his adoring fans. It was the perfect conclusion to an arc that has frequently challenged the implacability of culture and identity, firmly attesting that anyone can be whoever they want to be, including a Pretty Cure. Just like our professional aspirations, our identities are our own – and in Hugtto, pursuing a happier selfhood is always something to be met with a heartfelt “hooray, hooray!”

With Henri having resolved his anxieties regarding moving beyond his skating career, the stage is now clear for a final confrontation with Criasu Corp. But frankly, considering neither Listol nor Traum are personally invested in George’s mission, I wouldn’t mind some more villain rehabilitation before that – or even a goofy one-off, if we’ve still got time for such things. Regardless, I’m sure we’ve got a charming adventure ahead as we dive back into Hugtto Precure!

Episode 43

We open with Homare going on an early morning run, the scenery still shrouded in a predawn haze, an assortment of cool blues emphasizing the stillness and bracing chill of the moment. Hugtto’s backgrounds are so good at not just setting a scene, but establishing a clear atmosphere as well; these muted pastels and general lack of hard-edged lineart evoke a sense of calm and security, a background you would feel safe curling up and luxuriating in

As light breaches the horizon, we see a single star shining brightly above. Homare reaches to grab it, echoing her pursuit of her dream

Right, Homare was also competing in this ice skating tournament! Presumably it was rescheduled on account of Oshimaeda attack – I assume such things are considered commonplace in Precure world, and there are built-in scheduling accommodations to account for rampaging supervillains

“Cheeky little mouse.” As the group gathers to cheer Homare on, she banters comfortably with Harry, emphasizing how the two have regained their prior easy rapport. No more falling in love with hamsters, Homare!

Wait, nevermind, Harry pulls her cheeks in turn and she blushes scarlet. Still some lingering feelings there, apparently

“The Loving Heart of a Shining Star – Homare’s Start”

Popple helpfully informs the rest of the team that Homare is in love. Apparently her and Charaleet are now running some kind of baked potato pop-up truck – essentially one level above a lemonade stand, which feels like an appropriately child-minded conception of finding a job

“Love isn’t something you do, it’s something you fall into. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Given she was previously manipulated so callously by George, it makes sense that Popple would frame love as something beyond her control, perhaps even a trap

Lots of excellent super-deformed faces in this episode, a good counterbalance to its relatively weighty subject matter

Meanwhile, Saaya is the one member of the group who approaches Homare directly. When you discount Harry and Homare, Saaya is indeed the next most mature member of the group, making her the natural confidant for a situation like this

Saaya reveals she’s actually known for a while, and is only approaching Homare because she’s seemed so troubled lately. A credit to Saaya’s maturity, understanding that sometimes your contributions to an emotional conflict won’t actually make things better

“You’re not going to tell him?” “He has to go back to the future.” Truly, the complications of falling in love with a time-traveling hamster are numerous indeed

Saaya goes extremely hamster-faced herself as Harry arrives

Harry thinks she’s just nervous about the competition, and so he offers to get her some ice cream, essentially asking her out on a date. Not what she needs at the moment!

Meanwhile, George continues his attempted recruitment of Hana

I like how the use of heavier soft focus and more saturated colors always lends this air of unreality to George’s appearances – an aesthetic echo of “time stopping” that emphasizes his overwhelming presence

Though truthfully, this whole episode has a sort of unreal veneer to it, partially owing to the unusually subdued sound design and total lack of any background music. It’s like we never truly left that early morning run, and have been moving through a daydream ever since

The ever-insightful Henri tells Homare not to claim her skating is for anyone’s else’s sake. She must skate for herself, and give the crowd her true passion, not a borrowed passion or obligation

Yeah, unusually considered compositions and visual parallels all throughout this episode. I like this sequence of essentially “tucking in” each of our leads, briefly checking in on their thoughts as they each find their own way to bed. This sequence is lent a sense of unity through its subtle variations on match cuts – Hana and Harry linked through each of them looking up at the same sky, Emiru and Homare linked through the parallel geometry of their bedroom doors

And of course, it is Homare’s mother who ultimately consoles her, telling her that being in love can be a wonderful experience even if it ends acrimoniously or prematurely. Love is an adventure, and there’s no telling what treasures you’ll find along the way – like Homare herself, her mother’s greatest treasure, a gift that persisted long after the love that conjured it ended

“If you hurt, the friends that have brought you your smile will be there to console you.” A piece of wisdom that can only come with age: try things and allow yourself to get hurt, knowing the people you love will be there to cushion your fall. It’s a lesson that always struck me in Madoka Magica as well, the importance of taking risks and failing while you’re young, since the lessons of failure are important and the consequences are relatively light

Homare at last meets with Harry, out in one of the long halls surrounding the skating rink. The geometry of these storyboards emphasizes the emotional distance between them, with the camera forced to pan across the vast open hall to turn from one to the other, the segmented window panels making the distance all the more clear

Nice detail that the two “youngest” members of the group (Emiru and Lulu) have to be dragged away from this private confession by Saaya and Hana

She said it! She said the thing!

I like this focus on a romance that is essentially hopeless, but still important to Homare, and still fully respected by all her friends. Sometimes our feelings will draw us in impossible directions, but that doesn’t mean those feelings aren’t valid or worthy of respect

Harry lets her down gently, and Homare thanks him for being so straight with her. Another lesson there: it’s better to get these feelings off your chest rather than stew in them, and even being rejected can come as a great relief. As her mother said, better to take these leaps wherever you can when you’re young

And of course, her friends are there to embrace her in her sorrow, to emphasize she still has a community who love her

After an episode with no background music at all, Homare’s insert song strikes all the harder, offering an aesthetic unburdening to echo her emotional release

“I couldn’t shake the feeling. Unrequited love… if it’s never returned, is there any point? But there is. Feeling my heart race… That gripping sensation in my chest… and all the tears I’ve shed… now they all shine from deep inside my heart.” Love enriches us, even if it’s never returned. To love is to become more fully yourself, to be inspired through the connections we feel with others, through our most powerful and all-consuming emotions. Even the pain of separation is precious – for the worst thing of all is to not feel, is to remain in emotional stasis, as Criasu Corp would wish

This show sometimes struggles to fit an episodic battle in with its emotional drama, and you can really feel that rush here as our Oshimaeda abruptly arrives

Apparently the latest Precure season is actually going to pull back on the episodic fights, which I’d be more intrigued by if that season’s theme weren’t “the bond between pets and their owners.” Can’t imagine I’d find as much to dig into there as in Hugtto

“Someone finds the bravery to move forward, and you talk down to them!?” Unlike Harry’s companions, Homare was able to accept failure and move forward, rather than remain beholden to a vanishing fantasy

And Done

Good for you, Homare! You managed to navigate your passionate first love for a time-traveling hamster with remarkable grace, embracing the fact that even an unrequited love can inspire and empower you. This episode was practically overstuffed with crucial lessons about following your heart and allowing yourself the room to be hurt, so much so that it was barely able to even fit in our requisite Oshimaeda stompdown. To shy away from your potential happiness due to fear of rejection is to deny your possibility for growth, and even a confession that is not reciprocated can lighten your load, replacing the anxious ambiguity of shouldering this burden alone with the freeing reality of embracing rejection and turning towards whatever comes next. Besides, I seriously doubt a long-distance human-hamster romance would be healthy for either of you!

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