THAT'S NOT THE DOCTOR WHOM I'D LIKE TO VISIT

Hugtto! Pretty Cure
Episode 23 - My Own Review
THAT'S NOT THE DOCTOR WHOM I'D LIKE TO VISIT

Whilst the focus of Hugtto! PreCure has been on the newest additions to the team for the last few episodes, this one moves the plot forward. PreCures' enemies are only going to get stronger, and this is where they discover that. 

This episode starts with Cryasse Corporation revealing that PreCures awakening the Future Crystals is part of their plan. (LISTOL, YOU B****RD...)

We also see Lulu and Emiru giving Hugtan the power of their Future Crystals.

Our OTP are now officially part of the opening credits, though they aren’t the only new faces to appear.

The best things from this Abbey Road plus three opening pic: Emiru all hyperactive (ALLONS-Y!!), Lulu all dreadpan, and Homarry. Harry in a very pimp-looking zoot suit, with Hug-tan strapped to his abdomen, while Homare has this boyish, carefree look. Like a blonde Éponine. Which kind of pleasure baron would pimp this hoyden? Thus, we know that he is not her pimp and she is not his b*tch. There is a deeper relationship; and right now, at the beginning of this summer cour, it will unfurl even more...

The wild, catlike eyes of our new cadre, Bishin...a person of indeterminate gender...

Dr. Trauma (in the top hat) and Listol (The taller fellow)

The Opening now includes Lulu and Emiru as expected but new generals have arrived for our girls to battle! Although I am expecting another change of the opening with probably the girls getting a new power-up later in the series and maybe an answer to Hug-tan and the Mysterious Gold Lady. 

At school, the girls overhearing their classmates talking about PreCures, and how cool they are for standing up to enemies that are bigger than they are.

After school, the girls go their separate ways, but not before deciding to call each other up to sort their plans out.

Hana encounters this mysterious man again

When she is alone, Hana decides to do some sketching. However, the rain starts to fall so she rushes over to a shelter – one that is occupied by the mysterious man she has met a couple of times before.

As they wait for the rain to pass, they end up talking about dreams. Hana doesn’t really know what her dream is, whereas the stranger dreams of a world of eternal happiness where smiles last forever.
When the rain clears up, a rainbow appears. Hana goes to get a better look at it, and when she turns around the man has vanished from sight.
Earlier in the episode, Hana met George under a shelter and he spoke of his dreams of creating an ideal world where everyone can smile. Hana liked the idea but he disappeared after that. 

Chief Daigan of Cryasse Corporation

Criasu Corporation make a move, with Daigan convinced that he could defeat PreCures in less than five minutes, unlike Charalit and Papple. He soon finds plenty of toge-power and calls forth a theender.

The source material this time: A woman is upset that the restriction to her device has been changed.

All five members of the PreCure ensemble transform and rush over to the scene. Daigan introduces himself, claiming that it will all be over in five minutes.

Daigan gets blasted

Daigan isn’t able to finish his sentence before he is attacked from behind. The person responsible is another Cryasse Corporation employee.


I didn't see this coming. Daigan who claimed he can take down the girls in five minutes was immediately ambushed after creating a theender. The attacker was a new general, Dr Trauma, who is the steampunk Evil Genius of Cryasse Corporation.

Doctor Trauma. Not the Doctor Whom I would like to visit...

Daigan was right in the end; it did take less than five minutes. In fact, by Doctor Trauma’s estimation, it was actually above five seconds.

Furthermore, when Cure Ange tried to heal Daigan, his body actually burned to nothing which is pretty dark and sad that Daigan was just a throwaway character (Probably why his summoning was very plain compared to the previous two generals)... but maybe he has become a loaded Chekhov's gun, right?

Ange tends to the injured Daigan

Cure Ange attempts to treat Daigan’s wounds, but it seems that the best she can do is soothe him before he disappears. She has a go at Doctor Trauma for attacking one of his own, but he really doesn’t care.


Now what will this li'l button do?

The theender gets a power-up

Doctor Trauma powers up Daigan’s theender, turning it into a Wild Theender (please insert Pokémon reference here!). It proves to be a powerful foe, with PreCures struggling to even damage it. As the fight goes on, the mysterious man from earlier appears.

Cure Yell attempts to protect him, but Harry reveals that he is actually the president of Criasu Corporation: George Kurai.

Yup. George is his first name and Kurai his surname. Suspicions about tall, dark Well-Intentioned Extremist confirmed.

He is able to take all of the Future Crystals, thus returning the Cures to their normal forms. He then freezes time – that is how he intends to create a world of eternal happiness.

Time freezes for everyone except Hugtan

Ever since the president appeared, Hugtan had been crying. She continues to cry and move even when time around her is completely frozen.

WILL YOU NOT SHUT THE HELL UP?

Later George reappeared during the battle and Harry saw him carrying a strange book (tome of forgotten eldritch lore?) and immediately warned the girls that the dark stranger is George Kurai, the head of Cryasse Corporation! George used his powers and took all the Future Crystals from the girls (which forced the girls to de-transform) and froze the world into a similar state like Harry's future!
 

 

When Kurai attempts to grab her, she calls out each of the PreCures by name. Except for Hana – she calls Hana ‘Mama’.

George even monologue that his ideal world is to have everything froze in time to maintain the beauty of it. Yeah, he is clearly not right in the mind somewhere... Evil shard of the Snow Queen's mirror inside him, maybe? Or Seeds of Evil/Dark Spores? (Side effects of both these forms of Corruption include: enhanced physical and mental capabilities, cynicism, envy of everyone else, extreme perfectionism, extreme rationality, and outright psychopathy!)

It is always a bad idea to make a Cure angry

Hana is able to start moving again, and her Future Crystal returns to her. Cure Yell leaps towards Kurai, and she attempts to punch him. He dodges it, but Cure Yell is able to safely rescue Hugtan.

With Hugtan back, time returns to the world and the other girls regain their Future Crystals.

With time moving again, PreCures are ready to do their thing

 Somehow Dr. Trauma recognized Harry in Hamster form..

Kurai decides it is best to retreat, surprised by the Cures' strength, leaving them to Doctor Trauma and the Wild Theender. The girls fight it, and Amour and Ma Chérie get the honour of finishing it off with their queer twin rock Finishing Move.

We end the episode with some intrigue, as Harry wonders why the White Crystal hasn’t had its power restored yet, and Cryasse Corporation brings out a member who seems to be rather dangerous.

MEANWHILE AT CRYASSE HQ?

 

As George gets back to his usual overlord's quarters (and overlord's ensemble!)...

...with Gelos to his beck and call...

... he commands Listol to free one Bishin, a fair-haired prisoner of indeterminate gender that has to be kept at bay with a laser door (and doesn't it look like they're wearing a straitjacket?). Looks like a wild card that even the Cryasse higher-ups dread!

GEORGE: Free Bishin on parole. 

And thus, we've got new theory fodder for this summer cour...

George was welcomed back by Gelos as he watched the previous battle. Ristle went to a cell and released a new general, Bishin...

MEANWHILE AT BEAUTY HARRY...

 And, in the meantime, Harry wonders why the White Crystal hasn’t had its power restored yet...

What on Earth could have quenched its light?

 Harry has been uneasy for the past few episodes, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Homare. 

HOMARE: Please swear that you will confide in me in your hour of need, when your secrets become too heavy for you alone to handle!

 Harry was monologuing to himself as he was carrying the White Future Crystal which Cryasse Corporation is after it. He wondered why nothing is going accordingly to the prophecy. Homare found him which again he tried to shun it off as nothing although Homare made him do a pinkie promise to tell them anything important to her.

She confronted him today, asking him to make a pinky promise that he won’t keep things to himself when it gets tough, but that is a promise that has already been broken, and he knows it. He has so many secrets, it is only a matter of time before they all come out.

 Locking their pinky fingers, Homare and Harry make a pinky promise that he will not keep his secret to himself when the going gets tough, but confide in her instead...

(YEAH FOR THIS HOMARRY MOMENT!!)

Moving on to another OTP of ours, Lulu and Emiru...

Although the girls are worried that Cryasse Corporation will double their efforts to defeat them, they are making plans for the summer holidays and the girls agreed to take the short break for now. Not knowing that the White Future Crystal in Harry's pocket is glowing, without him even having noticed it...

PRECIOUSSSSSSSSSSS...

This was a good episode – I’m liking the new villains so far. I guess with Daigan’s elimination, that is everyone who didn’t know what the president actually looked like out of the picture.
The mysterious man turning out to be George Kurai, president of Cryasse Corporation isn’t really a surprise. There was enough hints dropped before that he wasn’t exactly one of the good guys.
Talking of Cryasse, this episode further suggested that Harry has some link with them – most likely a former employee, a Defector from Decadence. It’ll be interesting to see that story thread play out.

Doctor Trauma is a decent addition to Cryasse Corporation’s cast, though it is Bishin that I am most eager to see more of.

I also think we should take a moment to mention that Cure Yell, who cast aside the sword in an earlier episode, didn’t even think twice about punching Kurai when he was making Hugtan cry. This was someone that she thought was actually a decent person not even five minutes beforehand.
Just goes to show: never anger a Cure.

The new ending theme seemed pretty good on first listen, but I’ll need to hear it a few more times before I can compare it to the first one.

At least we got a shot of our lesbian OTP together in their Precure forms...
 Next time, a pool party, rather appropriate for the season... #UnEstateAlMare

WOOT! FINALLY THE VILLAINS MADE THEIR MOVE!

We finally got the confirmation that George was in fact the big bad all long. The Dude in Blue (AKA Listol or Ristle) was merely serving as a figurehead, the rest of the lot who he worked with were nothing but disposal fodder at the bottom of the chain, Chief Daigan didn’t even get a chance to show what he’s worth. Instead he was taken out within five seconds by an entirely new character, who is part of George’s inner circle of powerful elites. He goes by the name of Doctor Trauma, and is one heck of a creepy guy, even his name even freaks me out a bit. He has no qualms of taking out the weaker members of the company. His strength was no joke, the Precures couldn’t even hold up a fight against him.

Either way, now that Emiru’s and Lulu’s arc is finally over and dealt with (sobbing), I hope we get to see more of the Futari wa two again, or the group properly doing things together as a group of five.

As for George’s dream, I don’t think any of us are surprised. In fact it is more or less exactly what I expected based on what we knew about him, and what he has done: He wants to protect the smiles and happiness for all eternity by stopping time. I must say the conversation he and Hana had together was a chilling one to say the least. When she praised his dream, and how she would love to help him make it come true, I was like “OH NO. GIRL YOU HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA WHAT YOU’RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO!” Their concept of “Eternal Happiness” couldn’t be more different. Oof, that was a tough one to listen to. And if Hana briefly developed a crush on him, all of that quickly flew out the window when it was revealed he is the Big Bad, the Well-Intentioned Extremist.

But perhaps the most alarming part of all, was the fact the precures reclaiming the Future Crystals were all according to Cryasse’s plans. They wanted them to do it, probably because they are the only ones who can. Without the Future Crystals, George can’t fulfill his dreams of creating a perfect world. And now, having witnessed what Hana is capable of, George is already making revisions to their plans, and the most terrifying part of all: is that he is enjoying this. Rather than becoming impatient, he welcomes the challenge, eagerly anticipating who will come out on top.

And he isn’t alone. As mentioned earlier, his inner circle is no joke. Another new face by the name of Bishin, who has been locked up all this time will be joining them. Supposedly this guy... girl... person of indeterminate gender has the ability to destroy everything. After seeing what Doctor Trauma brought to the fight, I sure hope this half of the show will make the fights a lot closer than they have been. The villains don’t have to be super dark in personalities to be threatening, there just needs to be a lot more put at stake than usual, and that could very well be Hugtan’s safety since George now knows she is the only one who was able to freely move as he began to cast the spell.

Harry has been uneasy for the past few episodes, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Homare. She confronted him today, asking him to make a pinky promise that he won’t keep things to himself when it gets tough, but that is a promise that has already been broken, and he knows it. He has so many secrets, it is only a matter of time before they all come out. But today we learned one of the biggest, and the most damning secret of all: Harry has been secretly protecting the White Crystal all long. If it weren’t in his hamster form, George probably would have been able to steal it away, unless he simply didn’t have it on him at the fight (which could have also been a possibility). We learned that its power is missing, which leads me to believe it probably originally belonged to Hugtan. However Harry doesn’t seem to realize it actually responds to the girls, as we saw it glowing in his pocket.

But even if it originally belonged to Hugtan, the chances are, if Hugtan is unable to have a magical growth spirt, Hana will likely be the one to inherit its power. I imagine this may end up being the key to a precure’s final and most powerful form. She will need that power when she faces off against George in the near future.

Emiru and Lulu are basically joined at the hip, their own mini circle of a sorts (VIVA EMILU!! <3 <3 <3), and Saaya and Homare are busy pursuing their own dreams. 

New Enemies, New Challenges... and we haven't even reach the midway of the season! Although I am happy that the main plot is developing since George has returned to claim his seat. But a few questions still lingered.

Why did Ristle create a puppet leader before George's return? In a previous episode, George met Harry and Hug-tan in the supermarket and Harry didn't mention a thing of George being the Big Bad. It was until Harry saw George holding that strange black book that he then recognize him as George Kurai.

George's ideal world is very similar to Elysio from the previous season; of how the world would become a better place when there's no conflict since time has freeze everything, preserving it from decay and violence, and to maintain eternal beauty. But his motives is still unknown for having such an ambition. There are over fifty ways one can become a Well-Intentioned Extremist, aren't there?

Although I got a feeling that George is not the true Big Bad but Ristle could be the one pulling all the strings, the Man behind the Man, since he is the one that comes  up with all the schemes. (Guys, it's Miki Shinichiro! He voiced Zamasu in Dragonball Super, one of the most dangerous villains in recent years, so I am expecting something similar from Ristle too)

Dr. Trauma is creepy and could be Cure Ange's opposite  since she tried to save Daigan but it was too late for him. Poor Daigan for bitting the dust without doing anything at all. But with the theender given that extra power-up, it could be time for the girls to get their next mid-season power-up in the upcoming episodes too.

Not much is said about Bishin who was released by Ristle although they will be voiced by Satomi Arai, who voiced Kathy the crystal ball in Mahou Tsukai, and Railgun fans will know this voice actress as the Mikoto-obsessed Kuroko. From their first lines with Ristle, it seems Bishin could be the "Berserker" of the group... and who do you think is her opposite in Team Hugtto?

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION...
We are still unaware of Papple's whereabouts as of now, but fortunately we got a brand new Cryasse cadre to make up for her absence, aside from another peek at our favourite hefty, bespectacled Mo Bro, albeit a pretty short one, right? And definitely, this eccentric is not the Doctor Whom I'd like to visit, as the title explains, his surname being one to run away really fast from. Besides, I quite enjoy the steampunk aesthetic, so there is definitely a plus when it comes to his attire!

On Dr. Trauma's Starscream potential: I feel backstabbing coming nearly a month away. Kurai better watch his back, I tell him (even though he'll pay no heed), especially around the finale of this summer cour (surely, Dr. Trauma is most likely to be an arc villain whose intrigues and backstabbing efforts will backfire in true Wallenstein fashion at the finale!). Now will Dr. Trauma and Listol become co-conspirators or not, as their shot in the opening foretells? And, should they conspire, will one of them stab the other in the back -who will betray whom?-

More on Daigan: Is our hefty Victorian Large Ham really sleeping with the fishies? The body has not been found yet, and, if it had left a charred trace, it must have been of considerable size. My own personal theory states that Daigan is kept imprisoned somewhere in another dimension or timeline, and that he shall return on a payback mission to warn George Kurai of Dr. Trauma's betrayal in extremis. Since both the pince-nez wearer and the doctor are both Victorians of about the same social rank, the most likely scenario is that they were recruited from the same epoch and most surely know one another. Were they friends or rivals? Or maybe even blood-related?
PS. The stinger in this episode (see below, in the preview of next episode) shows Daigan trapped in a mirror, confirming our suspicions of his confinement!
George and Kurai are one and the same person (his first name and surname, respectively): WHAM! That's a revelation to blow your mind, isn't it? To me, it hit me right between the eyes.
Who is this blond prisoner? Not Jean Valjean or Edmond Dantès for sure, but still this Bishin person of indeterminate gender looks like someone who will be quite plot-relevant, what with that messy fair hair, those fierce catlike eyes with vertical pupils... (and didn't they appear to be wearing a straitjacket?) They may be a brand new cadre, one of Harry's estranged siblings, or both (Harry's sibling brainwashed and crazy into Cryasse cadrehood)... Already a slew of theories are born circulating around this mysterious presence behind bars...
HOMARRY UPDATE! We now know that Homare and Harry can trust in one another, so sooner or later our blonde Étoile will get to know the secret when it feels to heavy a burden to carry alone for Mr. Harryham (VIVA HOMARRY... Little by little, these two come closer...)



IN NEXT EPISODE (24):

Un'estate al mare...

And even if you are a cadre or former cadre at a Standard Evil Organization Squad, now that Thermidor begins, it's time to throw routine out the window!

Charalit is the King of the Tube, with his most recent viral sensation clips! Could this be the song of the summer that brings on the Resurrection of Pop?

 Gelos shows off some scrumptious caffè-latte skin in her revealing swimsuit, while her three-piece-suited henchmen perspire in their ensembles (I think this is her gambit: her intention is to make them thirsty so they get drunk, and thus closer to her!)

Our bifauxnen wild card Bishin finally debuts upon the stage... and they is noticeably younger than Harry (would that make Harry the older brother?)... Let's see in which brand of show-biz they gets her kicks! And if they ever gets a pairing with anyone...

Finally, we are aware of Papple's and Daigan's whereabouts; while she poses in a hipster locale in her skin-baring sexpot baroness outfit (but won't the leather jacket make her even hotter? And what is she doing post-heel-face-turn?), while he remains trapped in the Mirrorverse, if not in a mirror prison...