A FLAME NO DOUBTS WILL QUENCH

Kirakira Precure à la Mode
Episode 44 - My Own Review
A FLAME NO DOUBTS WILL QUENCH

Akira tells Miku she wants to become a researcher

The episode begins with Akira visiting Miku at the hospital, and their conversation happens to move towards what Akira wants to do in the future. Akira says she wants to become a health science researcher, so she can cure Miku’s ailment.
Miku feels like she is robbing Akira of her future due to that. Visiting hours end, so Akira leaves and then Miku gets a phone call.

Aoi would spend a cold day eating ice cream in front of the fireplace

Aoi by the fireplace of Tategami Hall

Moving on, the girls gather at the KiraPâti. They eagerly talk about what sweets they would like to make next, though Akira seems to be spacing out. Naturally, Yukari picks up on this...

Later on, Akira’s grandma presents Akira with some sweets and a note. After that, Akira goes over to help others study for an upcoming test.

Later on, they learn that Miku has disappeared from the hospital.

Miku, you shouldn't talk to strangers on the phone...

Elysio kidnapped Miku to lure Akira... once more...

Everyone starts to search for her. Akira happens upon a suspicious telephone, from which she can hear Miku’s voice. She picks it up, and finds herself transported to the Monde Noir, as her sister before her...

Miku has become a snowman

Elysio shows up and reveals that Miku has become the form that she wanted. Miku believes that she is holding preventing Akira from having her own future, and that she should just disappear. Of course, Akira isn’t just going to stand there.

For strength... and selfless love...

Let's la mazemaze!!

Cure Chocolat: ready to serve!

Elysio isn’t exactly going to do nothing, either.

Elysio and Chocolat clash – though only briefly

As Chocolat and Elysio fight, Elysio tells Chocolat that it is her fault for the way that Miku has ended up. Miku saw that Akira’s future was full of possibilities. However, Akira decided her future for the sake of Miku, and that just didn’t sit right with the younger sister.

Snowman!Miku grows stronger and increases in size. Chocolat ends up being pulled inside through the black star in her abdomen, where Elysio tries to do his mind games thing. Much like with the other girls, that fails to work.

Macaron arrives, spearheading the cavalry...

Chocolat refuses to be stained in darkness

Chocolat admits that she has been lonely, but it is that loneliness that she draws strength from. She has no intention of giving on her dream to become a researcher and find a cure for Miku – and others who suffer from the same terminal illness.

The Kenjo sisters are reunited

With Miku saved from hwe snowman self, Chocolat takes her in her arms and returns to the outside world. They engage in the usual Finishing Move, defeating Elysio once again. However, this time is it not Elysio who retreats after the battle – it is the PreCures themselves.

Noir tells Elysio that the Cures' light is not enough to undo his darkness

Elisio has realised that he is unable to stain their hearts in darkness.  However, according to Noir that won’t be a problem as his darkness still surpasses their light.

They return from the Monde Noir with Miku in tow

After all that, Miku is eager to tell Akira about a dream she had. There was someone cool who happened to look just like Akira…

Anyways, the episode ends with some Kenjo sisterly bonding with a snowman made of the best chocolate – white chocolate.

In the end, everything went well with Akira and Miku are more honest with each other and the two of them enjoying some quality time under a cute makeshift shelter, a snow fort. 

I found this episode to be fairly enjoyable, much like the couple before it. I’m fairly certain I have said before that this show is at its best when it is focusing on the main cast, and I still feel that way – for the most part. There may be one or two outliers.
I can’t help but wonder if this really added anything to Akira’s character though – we know her motivation pretty much revolves around her sister. I guess we got an idea of what she wants to do in the future, but it wasn’t exactly something that came as a shock.

Next week, it’s a Christmas treat as it will be Yukari’s turn in the spotlight for Christmas Eve, and she has an important announcement to make... – and, of course, it is a Christmas episode. All I want for Christmas is more Yukakira... <3 <3 <3 

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
The feels, the feels, the feels, the feels, the FEELS!!!
Akira-centric episode+Elysio's plan+Elysio's costume... I think I'll die of a stroke pretty soon, right?
The ice prince look, the best one he's donned so far, fits our favourite sissy villain and Iago figure like a glove, with those epaulettes and that sharp ice crystal kilt... giving me ideas for the Snow Queen AU In the Shades of Dawning, to have some connection between the Snow Queen and Elysio...
The swordfight was really radass and giving me tonnes of ideas for the self-same AU. It reminded me of one of those Shut vs Scarlet confrontations that kept me of tenterhooks two years ago...
Once more, Miku gets damselled. But now there is this scene where Cure Chocolat tells Elysio why she refuses to be stained in darkness. How her loneliness makes her strong. A great scene as well, and we can see how much pluck our favourite redhaired bifauxnen has got... Cold dark ice against fire burning bright, indeed. A flame that no doubts will quench.

The Good: Even though we have seen it throughout the series, Akira and Miku's relationship was really put to the test since Miku blamed herself for holding Akira back because of her illness and Akira was not very honest with her feelings. 

But it was very nice to see the two sisters really said how they felt of each other as seen in the beginning, Akira's dream is to be a researcher and hope to research more on Miku's illness but Miku took it the wrong way as she blamed her illness for ruining Akira's life (Which led to Elysio taking advantage of the situation to trap them inside a giant snow monster)

Elsio is really up there as one of the most hated villains in Precure history as he hit a down low by kidnapping Innocent Miku and brainwashing her to attack Akira and the others. Hopefully in his demise will he sacrifice himself to Noir (which I don't care) rather than purified as a new person since his crimes are really unforgiven (Framing Giulio, taking Aoi's voice, burning Himari's notes, and kidnapping Miku)?

The Bad: As the girls were searching for Miku, Giulio/Leo suggested that Elysio has taken her to the Monde Noir and somehow the girls (Minus Akira and Pekorin who were lured by Elysio) found the way to enter the dark realm through some strange payphone booth.  The question is how did and where did they find it? Where is Bibury? Shouldn't she be more experienced in the realm too? Giulio/Leo is also useless since he didn't join in but then he has no powers nowadays, so he is forgiven.

Overall, we finally got over Akira and Miku's dilemma after several episodes that Miku was used a plot device for Akira to overcome and seriously, how many times can you used the same plot device in a season?

IN NEXT EPISODE (45):

It seems there's an announcement that Yukari has to make...