Tag Archives: Hugtto! Precure

Hugtto! Precure – Episode 8

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At long last, we return to Hugtto! Pretty Cure. I’ve been greatly enjoying our journey through Hugtto!, both appreciating how it illustrates the evolution of the magical girl genre, and also enjoying it as a charming, good-hearted, and visually compelling production in its own right. While standout episodes like Homare’s big introduction have been genuinely stunning, episode-of-the-year level aesthetic objects, even the show’s usual mode is energetic and visually appealing and an altogether endearing time. And as a standard-bearer for its genre, Pretty Cure essentially slots in between Ojamajo Doremi and Nanoha, blending its life lessons with falcon punches while offering an unexpectedly forward-thinking focus on the difficulties of integrating into adulthood.

Our last episode was Saaya-focused, and featured a rival from her glamorous Veggie Girl past coming back to challenge her commitment to acting. With that resolving on the refreshing “I genuinely don’t know what I want yet, but I’d like to keep acting in order to find out,” we find ourselves immediately bumping into an old friend from Homare’s past. Homare’s focus episodes have been the show’s strongest yet, and though I’m not necessarily expecting another aesthetic triumph on the scale of her first appearance, I’m still excited to see what the show can pull together next. Let’s dive into Hugtto’s eighth episode!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 7

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Folks, I’m so happy to be watching another episode of Huggto! The show has been a total joy so far, constructed on a variety of stellar fundamental pillars, from Hana’s excellent performance as the heroine to its great sense of humor, along with both its generally appealing art design and its major directorial highlights. Huggto! has already offered some truly stunning cuts of action animation, with their signature appeals so far seeming to be their clear sense of scale and weight. You can really feel how massive and imposing these Precures’ enemies are, as well as the impact of their attacks, be it through the carefully animated struggle of their limbs to hold back some attack, or through the understanding of tempo and sound design that informs the often terrifying distance between when a Precure is knocked aside and when they actually hit the ground.

And outside those fight scenes, Huggto! has established a clear thematic thrust and a team of heroines worth rooting for. After last episode offered Homare’s proper introduction into the team’s everyday life, I’m guessing this one will be ramping up the threat of their foes, or perhaps even moving us towards our next Cure. I have no goddamn clue, frankly, but I’m excited regardless. Let’s check out some Precure!

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Hugtto! Precure – Episode 6

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Folks, it is absolutely time for more Precure. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this journey through one of the modern anime institutions, and am eager to see how the dynamic shifts now that Homare has joined the team. I frankly don’t know how that dynamic is going to shift – Precure is a franchise that has established its own rhythms and assumptions over close to fifteen years now, but as a newcomer to the franchise, I’m basically in your care in terms of getting to know this series. Is there a specific pattern to acquiring team members? Will we experience a few episodes settling the dynamic before filling out the roster? Like with my Nanoha watch series, it’s very fun for me to finally get to experience works that so many of my friends and readers have such a strong attachment to, especially a work so earnest and kindhearted as this one.

So far, Hugtto’s fourth episode has been the clear standout so far, elevated through gorgeous compositions and plentiful fluid animation that all helped bring Homare’s story to life. I’ve been informed that can be credited to Yuuta Tanaka, one of Precure’s premiere directors, but the show in general has demonstrated a compelling aesthetic sensibility and a surprisingly keen eye for composing fight scenes. Hugtto’s manipulation of scale and momentum during its big battles puts a lot of straightforward action shows to shame, and I’m excited to see how these battles shift as our heroes grow into a real team. Let’s see what awaits us in another episode of Hugtto! Precure!

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