FORTUNATELY, THE EGGS

Hugtto Pretty Cure - Episode 15
My Own Review
FORTUNATELY, THE EGGS

We begin with the Nono family learning that there is a sale on eggs at Hugman, but everyone is too busy to take advantage of the limited time offer. However, Lulu offers to go and pick them up. After she leaves, Lulu wonders why she volunteered to do such a thing.





Cure Emiru, dekiagari!

Cure Emiru, keeping the world safe (through careful prevention)

Lulu then meets Cure Emiru – or just Emiru, who is copying a PreCure. Cosplaying. Lulu suspects that she isn’t a real PreCure, though there is a sliver of doubt. Lulu presses on, but Emiru decides to accompany her.

Saaya and Homare have a… erm… ‘tricky’ conversation

Lulu and Emiru happen to pass by Saaya and Homare. Apparently Saaya’s most recent audition didn’t go so well, and Homare isn’t exactly having much like with her figure skating.

Saaya is a fan of Emiru’s outfit – Homare doesn’t seem to agree

Moving on, Lulu makes it to the supermarket where the eggs are on sale, ie to Hugman, and there are a horde of shoppers all making a mad dash for the cheap eggs. Of course, Lulu has the advantage, and she is able to procure her prize.

At least Lulu detected around 87% precure potential in Emiru.

Never get involved with a horde of crazed housewives (and housedads) unless you have superspeed...


RUN, LULU, RUN!



Catching a dozen eggs in midair without breaking a single one.
Lulu Amour proves once more her badassery.

Not even halfway through, and this episode is amazing

Lulu has no problems getting two dozens of eggs from the crazed housewives and housedads who were rushing for it. She encountered Emiru who tried her best to help others but failed badly. Although Lulu told her that the people she help were happy with her thoughts. 

Whilst Lulu focuses on getting the eggs, Cure Emiru decides that she should help out some of the shoppers. However, since this is Emiru we’re talking about, things don’t really work out.

After leaving the supermarket, Cure Emiru laments about how she wasn’t really able to help everyone. However, Lulu says that everyone she tried to help left with a smile on their face. This cheers Cure Emiru up.

Voulez-vous... voulez-vous rester avec moi ce soir?
A flustered Emiru then invites Lulu over to her place, but she has to make a quick stop first. Before that, we briefly check in with the main cast.

The girls’ reactions to hearing Hugtan say Homare and Saaya’s names

Hugtan speaks Homare’s name, and we then get a delayed reaction from the three girls. She then says Saaya’s name. 

MEANWHILE IN THE OCTOPARK...

Emiru’s brief stop is to change into her normal clothes. She also reveals that she is not actually a PreCure, but a common muggle cosplayer and LARPer – Lulu had come to this realisation a little while ago.
Moving on, it turns out that Emiru’s home is practically a castle. Amusingly, whereas most people would have shown some kind of reaction to all this grandeur in the Aizaki estate, Lulu just takes everything in her stride.


Bienvenue chez les Aïzaki!
(Also, Emi's parents do enjoy their period costumes... are they actors, reenactors? opera singers, or what? They sing opera and dance ballroom moves, after all...)
They're actually cosplaying as eighteenth-century characters. Like what? Do they cosplay for a pastime, just like Batman dresses up in a dark cowl and prowls the streets at night?

Emiru’s parents and older brother Masato greet them when they enter. Emiru quickly takes Lulu to her bedroom, which has a couple of violins and a piano in it. Lulu is curious about the instruments, as she doesn’t know what music is. In fact, she has never heard any music in her lifetime.
This is when Emiru decides to reveal a secret about herself.

Just like Aoi Tategami before her, Emiru may be high society but she prefers hard rock to classical!

Emiru plays guitar

Turns out Emiru absolutely loves to play guitar. She then plays a song for Lulu, which captivates her. Lulu doesn’t really know how to process the emotions it makes her feel, but she does know that she wants to hear it again after the first performance.

Cue me daydreaming about Emiru and Aoi playing a duet, Master and Commander style, of the epic riff from Smoke on the Water.

That's passion. That's perspiration...!

That's the worthy successor of Aoi F-ing Tategami!!

Lulu can do nothing but listen, entranced by this soothing melody.

My heart is rushing... my head is reeling... my face is flushing...
what is this feeling?


 However, Emiru’s encore is cut short.

Emiru’s older brother Masato Aizaki. So far revealed to be both an ikemen and a major sexist jerk... but we give him the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

Emiru’s older brother Masato says that girls of her rank have no place playing guitar – they should play classical instruments like violins or pianos (sounds like a familiar critique? Think Aoi F-ing Tategami once more!). Lulu isn’t taking any of his crap though, and has a go at him for trying to decide what Emiru should and shouldn’t do.

When Lulu pointed out she does not know what music is, Emiru immediately showed her prized possession which is a red electronic guitar. Emiru played a gentle number which got Lulu to feel very strange about her feelings and when Emiru's douche brother Masato commented that guitar is not a proper girl's instrument, it got Lulu so mad that she reprimanded Masato on the spot.

This episode is the gift that just keeps giving

Lulu’s angry pout is amazing, by the way. Emiru thanks Lulu for getting angry and standing up for her – this is something else that Lulu struggles to process.

Lulu immediately got into a little fit which Emiru was amazed by her feelings and thanked Lulu for standing up for her.

This theender attacks with sound waves

It means that is about time for an attack by the monster of the week. The theender du jour is a cat-piano hybrid thing. It is not known what caused the adult male victim to be targeted, but it may have something to do with the Keyboard Cat meme (if you wish to know more, google "keyboard cat" on YouTube!). Cure Emiru rushes out. Of course, the actual PreCure girls also confront the monster.


Cure Emiru saves a young boy from the monster’s attack, and the real Cures call her a hero as well. 

Though all she got was a little woozy and Spinda-faced... hey, what's collateral damage?

The theender is then finished off in the usual manner.

A theender was attacking and the girls went into battle. Emiru wanted to help but Lulu told her it is dangerous. But Emiru told her that she wanted to help people because it is the right thing to do and proceeded to save a boy from being attacked by the Keyboard Cat theender. 
The girls saved the two of them and Cure Emiru was praised for being a hero!

I... me... a shero...?

Emiru is convinced that meeting Lulu was destiny

With the monster defeated, calm returns. Emiru is a little shocked that she done something so dangerous, but Lulu says that she did the same thing before. Lulu doesn’t really know why, but Emiru sees Lulu as a kindred spirit.
And thus, Emiru suggests that she and Lulu become PreCures together.

And thus, the Good Ship Emilu finally sets sail!

Lulu, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
(that ho-yay Casablanca reference just deserved popping it into this review, right?)

Emilu Pretty Cure...

…I would totally watch this.

Lulu... Do you want to be a Precure?

After the battle, Emiru was shaken that she just risked her life to save the boy but Lulu told her that she did something similar too. (From the previous episode) Emiru realised they are kindred spirits and wants Lulu to become a Precure.

Emiru is very enthusiastic about it. 

Lulu, on the other hand… (dreadpan as usual)

#Dreadpan. But Emiru is far more persistant than Anna in Frozen...

Which Lulu turned her offer down immediately however Emiru was persistent towards her. Although Papple was wondering why Lulu is behaving oddly...

This is one of the most funniest and best episode yet for this season. We knew that Emiru's stubbornness from her debut episode but this reach a new level especially Lulu's deadpan tone was a match against Emiru's antics. 

We do get to know more about Emiru especially her relationship with her dysfunctional family. Her family are clearly living in their own world and her older brother Masato is a sexist. It actually gave a chance for future episodes on how Emiru will overcome her family relationship which I hope to see it. 

Lulu was clearly affected by Emiru's song which awakened the anger emotion (righteous anger) in her. Although I am seeing a pattern now since the beginning of this arc. From Hana, Lulu learns about Comfort in a family. From Saya, she learns the Joy of taking care of others. This episode is awakening the Anger in her which I am suspecting the last emotion could be Sadness as she has yet to experience loss. Once all emotions awaken, it is possible that a miracle will happen to Lulu at the end of the arc.

Overall, a great episode especially the amount of face and over the top expressions in this episode and how Lulu and Emiru's fated encounter will change their lives forever.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:

I am typing this review in a very bad mood. Due to flunking a subject taught by an exceedingly finicky and critical lecturer, who finds the faults and the "wrong work" everywhere in my works.

I am in tears, oh my god, what is air?! I CAN’T BREATHE! This episode was hysterical! Comedy was on point!!!

Is it a strange to say this episode felt like an entirely different series? It felt like I wasn’t watching Precure, but like a spin-off. I guess to some extent that sums up the nature of the episode.

As much as I enjoyed the comedy and interaction between Emiru and Lulu, and I am feeling a bit iffy about how rapidly Lulu’s development has been progressing. When she got angry on Emiru’s behalf, while it is supposed to “out of character” for her, I can’t help but feel as though they are they are being quite hasty with her “emotional growth”. I more or less suspect they are setting it up so Lulu will eventually rediscover herself and become a precure. In just the short period of time she was with Emiru, Lulu expressed various forms of emotions, from pain, comfort, nostalgia, pouting, and even getting angry. When this happened, it felt as though I was watching an entirely different character. By the end of the episode, she goes back to her usual deadpan expressions, so it is a strange progression to say the least.

I don’t know if Emiru will ever become a Precure, but she certainly wants to be a hero in her own way, even if it’s a clumsy one with no super-powers. Her role today was to help introduce all these things to Lulu, even it some of the things were borderline annoying (the comedy skits were really the only thing that kept things in balance). Although Emiru wishes to be friends with her (and rightfully so, since Lulu did a fantastic job of shutting up her "obnoxious" -actually nerdy and adorkable- brother Masato), Lulu has no interest in that, nor does she want to become a Precure with her. I laughed so hard when they brought up the spoof title (Erutto! Pretty Cure) and name, “CURE LALILULELULU”. Overall this was a great episode to watch! This episode’s primary focus was on Lulu’s character growth, one that we spotted a sparkle on her throat (although I don’t know if that was supposed to belong to Lulu, or Emiru, it was a bit vague to me). Next week will be focusing on Homare, perhaps we will be seeing a bit more of the other layers to her character as we did with Saaya in last week’s episode.

Of course, Lulu and Emiru were the stars of this episode, but the main cast got some nice little highlights as well.

With their interactions over the past couple of episodes, I’m really starting to like the idea of a Saaya x Homare ship. Admittedly the moments they have had together are relatively small, but I think there is enough there.
Hugtan expanding her vocabulary was a fun scene, too. The delayed reaction really made that scene.

Without a doubt though, Lulu and Emiru were the main attractions here. Their interactions with each other were brilliant. I have a new-found appreciation for Emiru now, particularly since we have learned that she plays guitar.
I don’t care for Emiru’s older brother though. What a terrible view to have on girls of rank who play electric guitars. I’m glad Lulu had a go at him. In fact, if the Tategamis were far less lenient and open-minded, she would just grab Mr. Tategami by the collar and call him out in front of his wife and retainer in that dreadpan way, while Aoi, eavesdropping, would stand frozen on the threshold.

Overall, this episode just felt like pure fun. It seemed liked whoever was responsible for putting this episode had a lot of fun doing so, and that really shines through. In turn, it made this episode a very memorable, and indeed, a very fun, experience.

Just like Aoi Tategami before her, Emiru may be high society but she prefers hard rock to classical! That was definitely a positive surprise, right?

WORTHY SUCCESSOR INDEED.  #WORTHYSUCCESSOR

IN NEXT EPISODE (16)
The spotlight shines once more on our Étoile Filante, now forced to prove her mettle on the basketball court, when she becomes caught in the crossfire of a feud between two classmates of hers who used to be best friends...

Despite her gaucherie and lack of tact, will Homare not screw up this making-up mission?