RECIPE FOR HOPE BUNS

Hugtto! Pretty Cure - Episode 29
My Own Review

RECIPE FOR HOPE BUNS

Hana introduces her friends to her grandmother in the 29th episode of Hugtto! PreCure. She runs an okashi shop, but her old age has started to catch up to her…

Hana hugs her grandmother

The episode starts with an excited Hana leading her friends to a place called Tanpopo House, where they meet Hana’s grandmother – Tanpopo Nono (her first name means Dandelion, and she has the floofy hair to match!).

She makes okashi (traditional Japanese sweets), and prepares a batch of dorayaki for everyone to sample.

Tanpopo’s dorayaki is a big hit

After eating the dorayaki, Hana tries to draw more customers to the shop by handing out free samples.

One person who tries is a loyal customer of Tanpopo House.

Yone is not only a regular, but the old lady's about a decade younger best friend and confidante.

 Yone can tell that the quality of Tanpopo House has gone down

Yone knows that Tanpopo House’s products used to be far better than they are now. She says that directly to Tanpopo, who pretty much just tells her to go away if she is going to complain. That’s exactly what Yone does.

Tanpopo is determined to prove Yone wrong, and, after chasing her friend off, attempts to make a new batch of ‘mega-dorayaki’. However, she ends up throwing her lower back out.

 Tanpopo ends up hospitalised
We get a rare case of an older character throwing their back out not being played for laughs, and Tanpopo going to hospital.

She doesn’t want Hana to see her in that state – Hana tries to protest, but Homare encourages Hana to go on a walk with everybody else.

 Everyone end up at Yone’s place, a rice shop, where they have a chat. Yone has been aware of the declining quality of Tanpopo’s treats for a while now – she talks about how all her okashi used to be amazing, and mentions ‘hope buns’ (kibou manju) – treats that Tanpopo used to make before Hana’s grandfather passed away. Tanpopo had stopped making hope buns after becoming a widow, because the recipe reminded her too much of her husband...

The usual locket keepsake...

ALLONS-Y!!

Youne even mentioned that Hana's grandfather used to create a special manju bun called Hope Bun (Kibou Manju) that was delicious but Tanpopo stopped making it after his passing. Hana decided to make Hope Buns although she has no idea how to make it... (Face palm)

Hana is eager to make hope buns, but there is a small problem…

Hana decides that they should recreate those hope buns – though nobody knows how. Fortunately, there happens to be an old notebook with the hope bun recipe just laying around. On Grandpapa's altar, no less!

Hana went to her grandfather's altar to find answers and Hug-tan pointed a notebook on top of the altar. Hana then found the recipe of the Hope Buns and started creating a batch with her friends.
While making, Hana also learns the love (ai: agape or unconditional love) and dedication (ganbare) that her grandmother has put in making the treats and was determined to get it right. 

 It’s tough, but Hana is determined to make hope buns

It’s quite a struggle, but when Hana thinks about Tanpopo exerting herself so much everyday, she finds the strength to push on and make the hope buns. Of course, Hana is also supported by the other Cures, too.


Whilst they do that, Yone visits Tanpopo.

Tanpopo has some unexpected visitors

the others managed to make the hope buns, though their presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

 

However, the hope buns bring back fond memories for Tanpopo, who gets tearful.

As young people picking potatoes together...

...test-tasting together...

 ...fond memories of when husband and wife were both alive

When Hana finally presented the Hope Buns to Tanpopo, the old granny was surprised in tears as she reminisce the times with her husband and how they created the Hope Buns with their hard work/perseverance (ganbare). 

Tanpopo admitted that she didn't want to make any Hope Buns as it was too painful to remember her time with her husband. 

 She tries one, and approves, drying up her tears – though she does tell Hana that she has a lot to learn still.

  

But now, Hana has showed her that it is okay to cry out the loss and to always cherish the time with Hana's late grandfather.

At around the same time, Gelos happens to be in the neighbourhood. Naturally, this means that it is time for the prerequisite monster of the week to appear, and for PreCures to do their thing (The negative emotion of the week came from a bike delivery man, who was being scolded by Tanpopo herself for slacking off).

When the Wild Theender’s attacks threaten to destroy Tanpopo House, Tanpopo steps up.
 

Tanpopo defends her precious treasure, swatting away the projectiles

 

When the theender threw a projectile at Tanpopo's shop, she used a giant pancake-turning pan to hit the projectile back to sender!

 

 COME BACK IF YOU DARE!!!

The Wild Theender tries to attack Tanpopo after that, but Cure Yell rushes to her defence. When Cure Yell punches the monster, Tanpopo realises that Hana is Cure Yell.
Cure Yell even helped to deflect another projectile and Tanpopo realised that Cure Yell is Hana. Although she will keep her identify a secret for now...

Cure Yell, Ange, and Étoile get the honour of finishing off the monster this week. (WE WILL MISS AMOUR AND MA CHÉRIE DOING THE FINISHING MOVE... :'( )

After the battle, Tanpopo finally made the proper Hope Buns and Yone praised that this was the exact taste that Tanpopo's husband created. Tanpopo thanked Hana and friends for a new start and Youne even offered to help her. (She even showed her bulk muscles which shocked everyone!)

After the dust settles, everyone goes back to Tanpopo House. Hana volunteers to help Tanpopo in the future, but Tanpopo couldn’t possibly impose. Tanpopo insists on continuing to do it alone, but her lower back has other ideas. Fortunately, there is someone else who is willing to lend a helping hand.

Yone is jacked

So, things all work out in the end, with Yone volunteering to help Tanpopo and presumably restore Tanpopo House to the same quality it had before.

The episode ends with this heartwarming shot of the notebook and a hope bun as an offering at the late husband's altar <3
Hana hoped to see more of her grandmother's recipes and even offered a Hope Bun to her grandfather's altar...

I can understand how Tanpopo is going through after her husband's passing. Although she showed a positive face (a brave face) in front of everyone but deep down, she still felt the loss of her husband which resulted a drop in standard of her production.

But the most cruel was her refusal to make any more Hope Buns as it was an original creation that was made with her husband and it represented their love (ai) and dedication (ganbare) together. However Hana showed her that it is okay to cry out and overcome grief. (Which I am suggesting that Hana might face a similar trial in the future since she is still conflicted over George's ideals)

 This was a sweet episode – Hana and Tanpopo clearly care for each other a lot, and it was amusing to see the ways in which they were similar. It had some pretty good funny moments as well.
I’m sure the hope buns are full of kirakiraru – oops, sorry, wrong season or continuity. Having a pâtissière on board might have made things go easier, though. Still, everything was resolved by the end.
An enjoyable episode, when all is said and done.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
On bedridden pensioners in anime: It is very rarely you get to see a bedridden senior in a modern-day setting, whether hospitalised or at home, without being able to leave the bed and wearing an IV drip on their arm and all... unless they are on their deathbed or terminally ill. On screen in anime, that is.

And it's not hard to understand the reason why: we use speculative fiction to escape from harsh reality... and the pain of losing a grandparent and/or an elderly friend in a similar scenario cuts deep. Thus has it happened to Yours Truly, as well as most surely to the dear reader.
On Cool Old Ladies (feat. Olenna Tyrell):
On the non-sixth-ranger Cures doing the new Finishing Move: to be honest and obvious, I preferred when Lulu and Emiru did the Finishing Move of the last cour.
On Gelos: The only thing I disliked this episode, well… at this point I am not longer surprised, is Gelos. I don’t understand the point of her character anymore. She is basically Papple 2.0, only with two ikemen minions by her side to do all the work for her. With her laziness, she certainly seems to be a prime candidate to put up to the chopping block, especially since she has done little to contribute to the story. The only thing we know about her and why she is working with Criasu is because she doesn’t want tomorrow to come, she wants to retain her youth. Much like the Wicked Queen in Snow White, right?
The negative emotion of the week came from a bike delivery man, who was being scolded by the sweetshop's owner, Tanpopo herself, for slacking off. Once more I say: dereliction of duty is something we have all yielded to sooner or later, Lieutenant Cassio and me and everyone else who has been assigned a task to perform.

Wow I am not okay, this episode really hit home for me. I was tearing up the entire time, actually I still am as I am writing this. I guess this makes me especially emotional because it will soon almost be a year since I have lost both of my grandfathers. Both of them, I have witnessed the struggles and hardships they had to face when they realized they can’t do the things they used to do. Hana’s grandmother was no exception when it came to learning the harsh truth that the quality of her sweets have been declining and it is terribly difficult for her to run the shop on her own. She loves her job, the shop is something that keeps her connected with her love who is no longer with her, but her body just can’t keep up with it anymore. It is the one thing we all dread, losing our ability to be independent. It is demoralizing and really hurts one's self-esteem, especially if these seniors are very prideful individuals. On top of that, to have no choice but rely on relatives or social services to help them get by their remaining days, most can’t help but feel like a burden to their families and others.

Fortunately the episode didn’t go that deep, because this story is supposed to be about hope and happiness for the future, and that stuff is just dark, gloomy and depressing. I am glad Hana’s grandmother didn’t have to close up the shop, and was able to find support through a friend and loyal customer to help her with some of the tasks she can’t do anymore without hurting herself in the process. Instead we were given an endearing backstory of how she and her husband had formed the business together, and goodness they are so adorable! It makes me even sadder that he has already passed away.

It didn’t surprise me that Hana didn’t quite understand or catch onto her grandmother’s despair. She can’t help but be ignorant to these ordeals because not only has she never met her grandfather (who died when she was a baby), but she still has that innocent mindset of thinking our grandparents will always be capable of doing their thing. It was Saaya who identified the root of the problem, and Yone who explained it. Once Hana tried to make the Hope Buns to cheer her grandmother up, she realized just how brutally difficult it was to make traditional Japanese sweets. It made me happy though, she still made it and it cheered her grandmother up a bit. Making the Hope Buns together will be a great way for the two of them to continue bonding with one another.

The only thing I disliked this episode, well… at this point I am not longer surprised, is Gelos. I don’t understand the point of her character anymore. She is basically Papple 2.0, only with two ikemen minions by her side to do all the work for her. With her laziness, she certainly seems to be a prime candidate to put up to the chopping block, especially since she has done little to contribute to the story. The only thing we know about her and why she is working with Criasu is because she doesn’t want tomorrow to come, she wants to retain her youth.

Although this episode didn’t contribute much to the plot, I still enjoyed it because is consists an important life lesson for the children or any who is watching this show to come to terms to the hardships their grandparents, and elderly have to face. Be good to your grandparents, especially if they have been good to you. Just because things get difficult, don’t ignore them, keep in touch, talk to them, visit them and support them in doing what they still can.

PS: Hana’s grandmother ROCKED that floofy dandelion hairdo! How dare they say she tried too hard!