KIRARA (AND RANKO) ON THE WAR PATH

In this corner, the champion...

Standing five feet tall of stunningness and badassery, lethally beautiful, and as badass as she's classy... 

KIRARA AMANOGAWA!

In this corner, the challenger...

Cutesy and petite, sweet as a treat, never to admit defeat... The Napoleon of prospective stardom. That über-ham who shakes the scene. The attention whore who usurps the whole show:

RANKO ICHIJOU!

A host of elated Rankos are many times better than one.

Let the Doughnut Wars begin!

The stakes are high, tension is mounting...

Both mascots give it all, mano a mano, in the tie-breaking third round.

At first, Ranko led the leaderboard with 1-0 thanks to her outré Brave Doughnut mascot design.

Kirara's average princess...

...and Ranko's Brave Doughnut.

Ranko scores 1-0 for creativity.

Then, Kirara managed to tie 1-1 thanks to her less hammy speech on the taste of the treats.

Kirara's review: modest, normal...

Ranko's: "This.. this is..."

"I'm in doughnut heaven!"

"Oh no! Back to reality!"

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The judge settles in for Kirara.

The third round, a running race dressed each contestant in the Princess (Kirara) and Brave Doughnut (Ranko) costumes they had designed, was going to be DECISIVE.

Neither one of them would yield to the other. 

The stakes were high: the prize was a preview taste of an inedit Marble Doughnut flavour. Bliss beyond belief for both rivals. Serious business as well.

On your marks...

Get set...

Both mascots give it all, mano a mano, in the tie-breaking third round.

Not far from the finish line, an exhausted Ranko fell unconscious on the ground, while an elated Kirara (in spite of wearing a skirt), who has gone through physical training, 

triumphantly crossed the finish line.

The strawberry blonde was obviously not amused. And by that, I mean utterly crushed.

Still, unable to give up, and in spite of her condition, she reeled and staggered forth, eager for the second place... Yet she collapsed as she crossed the finish line:

Only then did Shut step forth, criticizing Ranko's hot blood before looking into her dream of stardom...

It appears that Shut is the only one capable of making Ranko Shut up, and this he did

by Shutting her dream of mediatic stardom:

Ranko's superstar dream, the Shut dream of the week...

At first, as he looked into her heart, Shut thought she wished to be a comedian,

but Ranko within the dream corrected him:

RANKO: I wish to be a media star! Top of the pops!

SHUT: A comedian?

RANKO: A media star!!! SHUT UP!!!

SHUT: Oh well... (Pause.) Let me shut that dream inside a cage of despair. SHUT YOUR DREAM!

Best banter since Renly asked if Stannis was a ham...

Shut said that was just a pointless dream.

When Ranko had her dream Shut, Kirara dropped her wig and forgot all about the competition,

purifying her rival turned enemy Desporg.

During the confrontation, the Cures made use of new attacks with the Elegant Keys and Crystal Rods:

Rose Tourbillon

Full Moon Humming

Frozen Ripple

Minami had planned a strategy worthy of Gustavus Adolphus, 

and needless to say it succeeded.

Kirara addressed Shut: "I will have you return Ranko's fiery dream!"

Seems they had forgotten their differences.

So who won the competition in the end?

Not Shut, anyway...

Kirara was rewarded with the inedit doughnut, while Ranko had to swallow her disappointment.

Ranko, you've committed one of the classic blunders:

NEVER GO AGAINST KIRARA WHEN DOUGHNUTS ARE ON THE LINE!

Yet she's still eager for a rematch...

Ranko also studies at Noble Academy...

Looks like, in spite of all their differences, they regard each other as worthy opponents.

Don't let appearances fool you: Ranko is one year older than Kirara
(Ranko is 15 and Kirara is 14).

Next week (ain't you excited?), a cold tone will herald the debut of a new dark princess...

Twilight, Shut, and Lock?

Hasn't the pattern broken?

Shut and Lock will have their hands full of Twilight, a more interesting accomplice than Close...

Twilight will be epic. Totally epic. More than just the bastard child of Aerys II and Azula or Galadriel.
I mean, if she is the first Dysdark to target an adult,
if she is so cool and confident,
and if Shut and Lock cower before her...
she has become my favourite Dysdark, relegating Shut to a second place!

It appears that her first victim will be an elderly master luthier.

The Dysdark had hitherto only attacked teenagers. This is the first adult victim.

Which means that Twilight will get even more serious than Shut...