FROM THE ASHES

Kirakira Precure à la Mode
Episode 43
FROM THE ASHES

The episode begins with Himari showing just how much more confidence she has become recently. She makes a recommendation to a couple of customers, and they then suggest she should try auditioning to be an assistant on a sweets TV programme. She eagerly accepts that challenge.

Himari studies with Yuu Tachibana (anyone else missed the Prof?), and furiously scribbles down what she learns in her third notebook. Yuu mentions how the notebook is the crystallisation of intelligence and hard work/doing one's best (ganbare).
Moving on, Himari arrives at the TV station in preparation for the audition. However, she’s not alone.

Yukari and Akira are scouted by a talent agency… whom they promptly turn down

When the girls go inside, they discover that it looks more like popstars are auditioning. It’s quite the scene… and our high-schooler OTP draw some attention as well.

Ciel draws quite a crowd for herself as well.

For the audition, Himari has to pretend to whip cream whilst saying why she loves sweets. However, she ends up being herself, asking to know what the whipped cream is for and specific ways to prepare it for different reasons, using physics and chemistry as usual. However, that’s not quite what they are looking for in the show.

Himari leaves the audition, and she isn’t exactly feeling happy.

Himari’s friends are there to comfort her

Himari’s friends tell her that she doesn’t need to change, but Himari thinks otherwise. She doesn’t like her shy and timid self and runs off. Off course, Elysio happens to be nearby, and he uses dark power to cause arguments to break out.

With people arguing and the other Cures busy, Elysio approaches Himari.

Elysio burns Himari’s notebooks

Himari gets to watch as the crystallisation of her intelligence and doing her best goes up in flames. As you might imagine, our introvert is incredibly upset... but Elysio isn’t done trying to break her just yet.

Elysio's costume of the day: Sherlock (Victorian Sherlock)!

Empty Eyes: not precisely a good sign...

Elysio makes Himari relive the memories where she ended up isolated from others due to her love of sweets. However, Elysio’s attempts to get Himari to sink into the darkness come to an end due to the ashy remnants of her notebook. She recalls all the fun memories she made when creating sweets.

Not everyone crushed by criticism is crushable enough to become the next Hitler!

She snaps back to normal and transforms, and the rest of PreCures soon join her to fight Elysio.

When the cavalry arrives, Elysio pretty quickly binds them. He tells Cure Custard that she will fail again and again. She is aware, but she accepts herself for who she is. After all, there is a world of sweets out of there full of discoveries to look forward to.

Then, the PreCures force Elisio to retreat in the usual manner.
Following that, Cure Custard ends up going for a second audition in Cure form --as opposed to muggle form-- due to a case of mistaken identity (they take her for a costumed popstar). She goes for it again.
After that, the girls head back home. Himari may have lost her notebooks, but her recipes live on in her heart.

Is this girl a blood relative of Rinrin Akeboshi's?

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:

I am more of a humanities and life science person. Never understood physical science and/or Maths nerds. 

Never understood introverts either, for that matter. You know what I mean from my previous reviews of Himari-centric episodes.

Once more, Elysio proves that he is the Ultimate Iago Figure, the star graduate from this year's batch in the Iago School of Chessmastery and Magnificent Bastardry.

The costume of the day for Elysio is a Sherlock (classic Victorian Sherlock, trenchcoat and deerstalker) one.

I know Elysio is a villain, but I can’t help but feel that him burning Himari’s notebooks was one of his most despicable acts so far. She had spent most of this season putting those notes of hers together, and she had to watch them disappear in the space of mere moments, reduced to ashes. Just another reason that Elysio is my favourite villain of this season, I guess. Maybe the Starscream or the Man behind the Man of the Monde Noir?

Moving on to a happier note:

OUR OTP GOT TALENT-SCOUTED!!! <3 <3 <3 Although, knowing Akira's modesty, they wisely decided to turn that offer down.

This is definitely some intense preparation for the next episode, which will be Akira-centric!! And the Bifauxnen of the Decade (so far) has, for some reason or another, wound up in the Monde Noir... Let's see if our leader discovers anything interesting! Next episode, it will be Akira’s turn for the spotlight to shine on her once again. Aren't you excited?

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