PLUS FORTE QUE CE QUE TU CROIS

Hugtto! Pretty Cure
Episode 2
My Own Review

PLUS FORTE QUE CE QUE TU CROIS

"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern"

These two girls are also big fans of Saaya

Hmm… so the two girls talk about how amazing Cure Yell is, and they like Saaya quite a bit as well. She gets called the ‘angel of the class’, and they also make a point of mentioning how cute she is.
After that, Saaya walks to the library with Hana. It seems that Hana agrees with the two girls, as she says right to Saaya’s face that she is cute.

Harry Harryham Handsome Change!

Et voilà, the hamster became this dashing ginger 20-something!

The Beauty Harry parlour was a model enlarged by Harry using Future Crystals (kind of like the Engorgio Charm).

Harry explains that Pretty Cures effectively have to protect the future. If the Cryasse Corporation get their way, and bleed all worlds dry of Morrowpowewer, then there will be no future for anyone and Hugtan will remain a baby forever.

We didn't see Listle/Restore had a queue hairstyle.

He sternly chides a carefree Charalit, who decides to take this second job as well.

Later on, the scene shifts to the library to find Saaya working on the school newspaper. She publishes it every month, but it doesn’t seem like there is much interest in it. Saaya decides to write about the most recent PreCure confrontation on the school grounds.

The conversation then moves on to why Saaya is writing the newspaper. She doesn’t really know, but seeing Hana eager to read it gets her fired up. Hana also offers to draw an illustration for the Pretty Cure story.

Saaya explained that a few days back, she did hear Hug-tan's cries in the schoolyard and, the next moment, everything around her stopped moving.

 Saaya feeds Hugtan

Saaya also quoted Mother Theresa's words of how more things can be accomplished if we help one another. This conversation goes on, talk a little more, with Saaya saying that she isn’t as brave, but is reassured that it takes courage to be as nice to everyone as she is. And we were of course impressed by Saaya's talents and kindness.
(Oh... Hana and Harry are right... she's really an angel fallen down to Earth...)

But enough of that: it's Charalit time!!

This week's theender was made from two stubborn truckers bickering over who was on first. Kind of reminding me of that La Fontaine fable of the two nanny goats:

Ainsi s'avançaient pas à pas,
Nez à nez, nos aventurières,
Qui toutes deux étant fort fières,
Vers le milieu du pont ne se voulurent pas
L'une à l'autre céder. [···]

Not to mention the Northgoing Zax and the Southgoing Zax:

"Never budge!  That's my rule.  Never budge in the least!
Not an inch to the west!  Not an inch to the east!
I'll stay here, not budging!  I can and I will
If it makes you and me and the whole world stand still!"

Again, like in many other occurrences of The Heartless trope, #BeenThereDoneThat (with both literal and metaphorical paths; stubbornness is one of my besetting sins)! My only pet peeve is that, while there were two victims, only one theender was transformed. I prefer it when there are twin, or even triplet, monsters of the week.

PS. Nota bene: for every time in Miraculous or this series that the catalyst for a new MotW is something I have gone through myself, there should be a hashtag #BeenThereDoneThat!

 With Hugtan in her arms, Saaya watches as Cure Yell takes on the theender. As Cure Yell fights, the desire to protect her wells up within Saaya. Sure enough, this causes the birth of another Future Crystal, and thus the next Pretty Cure is born.

And Saaya is absolutely adorable. She is hands down, the cutest precure I have seen to date. Her sweet and caring personality, her humbleness, and the way she blushes, what is there not to like about her? She is so loveable! She has not only won my heart, but it looks like Harry is quite smitten himself. I have a feeling Cure Ange might become his bias! HAHAHAHA!

 Saaya transforms into Cure Ange, and it seems that her speciality is protecting her allies. I guess that would make her the barrier maiden of the team, though whether she can actually use her abilities to heal others (she calls herself the Healer of Everyone as a Precure title) remains to be seen.
What she can do, though, is create a barrier or shield with her own special ability, Heart Feathers.
(It appears that Étoile will be the more offensive to Ange's defensive.)

 

After fending off an attack from the theender, Ange devises a plan for defeating their foe – aim for its feet. That’s exactly what Cure Yell does. Does she use a special attack? Nope.

(Yet another pet peeve: that the pink Cure gets the lion's share or the entirety of the Finishing Move. While she's generally as interesting as plain vanilla ice with artificial flavour.)

With the theender defeated, Charalit retreats.

Harry and Haa-chan can drive their cart in peace.

This episode was an introduction to Saaya's insecurities. Unlike Minami Kaido/Cure Mermaid who is a control freak, Saaya is the goody two shoes who is almost Little Miss Perfect. However she has self-confidence issues and probably everyone looked up to her like some Guardian Angel (pun intended). This will definitely bite back Saaya in the future (like Fluttershy, or Desdemona). So far, we have seen nothing of her career on screen, knowing her only as this kind-hearted and intelligent class president who is completely the second coming of Rikka Hishikawa...
Another good introductory episode for the second Cure of the season, Cure Ange. I quite like the way in which Saaya will look stuff up on the Internet whenever she wants to learn more about something – I’m pretty much the same way. But more impulsive, more similar to the Étoile that will debut within a fortnight.

As Harry explained how Hug-tan required Morrowpowewer to grow up, the dream that Hana had might be connected to Hug-tan since the female voice told the three figures who looked similar to Huggto Team so time travel is in the works? ("Hold the door!")

Saaya has a similar experience of time freeze when she heard Hug-tan's cries which Homare will also have a similar experience when her debut episode come up later. Cure Ange's transformation was really beautiful like Cure Mermaid and Cure Beauty.
 

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
Being a European, I didn't know that mountain bluebirds were a thing. Saaya gets all the facts right, Sialia currucoides of the turdid, or thrush, family of avians. They live in the Pacific Northwest (Just had to Google it myself).

 Not as pudgy as the one Saaya looked up

For all that Saaya calls Hana a mountain bluebird, the class representative herself, with her angelic motifs and colour scheme, might fit more properly.

Charalit is once more the cadre of the week. Thus he still acted that smug and cocky, hoping that the Cures would stand defeated... Wham. Maybe next episode he'll get some spotlight sharing with Loulou (and hope
The victims of the week were two stubborn truckers bickering over who was on first. Kind of reminding me of that La Fontaine fable of the two nanny goats:

Ainsi s'avançaient pas à pas,
Nez à nez, nos aventurières,
Qui toutes deux étant fort fières,
Vers le milieu du pont ne se voulurent pas
L'une à l'autre céder. [···]

Not to mention the Northgoing Zax and the Southgoing Zax:

"Never budge!  That's my rule.  Never budge in the least!
Not an inch to the west!  Not an inch to the east!
I'll stay here, not budging!  I can and I will
If it makes you and me and the whole world stand still!"

Again, like in many other occurrences of The Heartless trope, #BeenThereDoneThat (with both literal and metaphorical paths; stubbornness is one of my besetting sins)! My only pet peeve is that, while there were two victims, only one theender was transformed. I prefer it when there are twin, or even triplet, monsters of the week.

Homare Kagayaki: our golden star is still the aloof loner that would completely feel at home in a Wes Anderson flick. "Later Homare saw the newsletter posted on a classroom door and giggled about the Mountain Bluebird too..." The writing is on the wall, more or less. Let her wait in the wings for this fortnight, but soon our Étoile will March into action!
 
Harry's Handsome Change: I like this bad boy ginger ikemen all right. Not my princely young man type, but still pretty rad, right?
Harry also explained the goal of Cryasse: bleeding all worlds in the multiverse dry of Morrowpowewer and Future Crystals. The reasons why are still unknown. But he gives out some consequences: no more birthdays, or Christmases, or any other celebrations. Plus, Hugtan will be stuck in infancy.
Saaya's angelic strength: her intelligence and kindness make me already sympathise with "the worth that learned charity aye bears" (and I bet my life that our angelic healer would know and cherish that Shakespearean quote as well as the motto she's borrowed from Mother Theresa).
Possible Irikka pairing redivivus? If Charalit is established as evil counterpart to Saaya... Anyhow, let's see how that premise unfurls...




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