THE QUEEN OF QUISINE AND THE PET OF THE SET

Hugtto! Pretty Cure
Episode 26 - My Own Review

THE QUEEN OF QUISINE AND THE PET OF THE SET
or,
WELL, I DON'T LIKE ONIONS EITHER...

Remember Saaya? She hasn’t really had a lot to do in recent episodes of Hugtto! PreCure, but episode 26 shines the spotlight on her – and it is well deserved. Saaya’s mother also plays a prominent role in this episode. And Saaya's father debuts as well!

Let’s all get fizzy with Saaya

An advert for Angel Fizzy Mineral Water starring Saaya airs in this episode, and she gains quite a following due to it.

Ah, the kind of refreshing advert that always makes me thirsty now around Thermidor (for cool liquid, NOT for Saaya)...

Totally NOT Toei. Well, Bland-Named as Ohei. All rights reserved.

As related to the source material as Guns 'N' Rodents or Farbucks Coffee.

Even Lulu wants to get fizzy with Saaya

With the popularity of the advert, Saaya finds herself mobbed by fans who want to shake her hand and get autographs.

Everyone gets together after that. 

However, Saaya is actually undecided on becoming an actress. She wants to hear what her mother thinks about it. When she says that, Lulu suggests, in her matter-of-fact tone, that they all go to Ohei Studios and ask her directly. 


Ohei Studios. Ut supra, no relation to the actual Toei Studios.


After the girls congrat Saaya's drink commercial, she has her doubts of whether to pursue a career in acting as she rarely sees her actress mother Reira at home for advice. 


Why is Lulu salivating? All right, she's from decades into the future. Guess robotics would develop into such an advanced state that such a gynoid would have nearly all human functions.

Saaya’s Dad, Shuji Yakushiji

Saaya and the others go to a TV studio, where they are greeted by Saaya’s dad. He has made lunch for Reira – Saaya’s mother – and he has some business at the studio as well. As such, he takes them into the studio to meet with Reira.

Heeeere's... Ranze! (The Shining impression)

Ranze Ichijou appears again

Inside the studio, Ranze appears when she hears the word "celebrity," and gives away multiple copies of her autograph. Ranze then goes on to upset Hugtan.

Hooo hoo hoo hoo... mama's girl is back, isn't she?
But this time I'm back with a vengeance.
Give it all for the Grrrreat and Powaaaaful Ranze Ichijo!!!


Oh, I'm so sorry for making the li'l one cry... I know we all Ichijos have a tendency to be loud talkers and all dat jazz...

So Lulu suggested to meet her in person during filming and the girls together with Saaya's father visited Ohei Studios on the set of her new show. They even met Ranze who was playing a minor part in the show. (She even accidentally startled Hug-tan!)

Saaya’s mother Reira, the One and Only Queen of Quisine

Reira arrives, and she is quickly able to calm Hugtan. Both Saaya and Ranze apologise for causing a disturbance, but Reira assures them that it’s fine. Harry decides to go for a walk with Hugtan so they don’t interrupt any more.

But Reira appeared and with her gentle demeanour, she was able to calm Hug-tan but remained cold and distant towards Saaya when they met.

Hana, Saaya, and Homare watch as Reira, Ranze, and the other actors film a scene. Reira eats a raw leek and manages to maintain her composure – until the scene is finished at least. 

Reira soon regrets biting into a leek

Eating the leek was an ad lib, simply because she felt that was what her character would do.



Reira was very professional in her acting and bit off a raw spring onion in style. Although she regretted it after that since it tastes terrible.

Saaya talks to Reira during her break

When the lunch break arrives, Saaya approaches Reira and asks if she has been causing any trouble for her. Reira responds with a rhetorical question: are you prepared to face the people who accuse you of getting roles because you are the daughter of Reira Yakushiji?

Saaya doesn’t have an answer for that.

Saaya meets some people who knew her as a baby

Following that, Saaya ends up meeting some old folks of the studio staff who know her. She spent a lot of time at the studio as a baby, and they helped to look after her.

Reira worked hard to balance both being parenthood and career

The old folks reminisce back to when Saaya was a baby, and how hard Reira worked. They helped out in order to support Reira’s family in any way they could. Back to the present, they suggest that Saaya’s stay-at-home dad take them to see just how hard Reira works.

Saaya approached Reira during break and asked about her drink commercial. Reira didn't comment much and claimed it was only adequate. Later Saaya was approached by some of Reira's colleagues and learned an interesting thing about her mother.
It seems that Reira was determined to be both a professional actress and a mother at the same time; however the director was reluctant since it would be hard for Reira to take care of a toddler Saaya. The director gave in and Saaya was brought along to the set and became the darling of the staff. Shuji took care of all the housework and the refreshments.


The Yakushijis: the media family that always sticks together, both on and off the set. Also, Reira is the breadwinner, while her hubby Shuji most frequently had the duty of sitting little Saaya...

Though still there was spare time allowed for mother-daughter cuddling, like in this adorable pastel-chalked memory...


Here, Saaya. Eat it all up!


Awwww... Really, these mother-daughter moments are full of fluff, especially in anime...

Saaya notices how busy her mum is cooking the dish for the show once more.
Saaya also peeked at Reira in the kitchen as she practiced her kitchen skills for the show, since the household chores are taken care of by Saaya's father. Saaya has more respect for her mother as she really gives her all (ganbare) for her career.

Reira puts in a lot of effort behind the scenes

Despite playing a character who is renowned for her cooking skill, Reira isn’t actually able to cook very well. It is Saaya’s dad Shuji who takes care of that, and the very reason he was at the TV studio. He basically fed and refreshed the whole crew of the shows his wife starred in!
Seeing Reira practicing her cookery behind the scenes reminds Saaya that her mother is awkward at times, but always did her best/gave her all (ganbare). She would always cheer her on when she was on television. Saaya has always wanted to see the world behind her.

Ranze is still bitter about her previous experience with leeks, and that generates enough toge-power for Gelos to bring forth a wild theender. The studio crew all fall unconscious, including Reira.

The Ranzecam attacking Reira at the set entrance. Yes, the source negative emotion for this theender was Ranze Ichijo having a traumatic past with leeks and onions, and embarrassing herself in front of the camera lens! Gelos could not have picked a better source material, right?

The girls transform to confront the enemy, but the Ranzecam is able to fight back, just leaving Cure Ange to confront it. The Ranzecam charges at Ange, but some support from Cure Ma Chérie gives her a chance to counter.



Cure Ange storms into the battleground to save her ailing mother, who is also being bled dry of negative emotions...

Gelos appeared and created a theender from Ranze (Again!?) and sucked all the energy from everyone including Reira. The girls went to battle and Cure Ange who had a new resolve gave all her strength and overthrew the Ranzecam in an epic smackdown.

Cure Ange slams the Ranzecam into the ground

That's one badass angel. No more Miss Nice Girl, eh, Saaya?

Ange is able to attack the Ranzecam, leaving it open for Cure Amour and Cure Ma Chérie to finish off.

With the enemy defeated and everyone regaining conscious, it is time to eat. Saaya has also reached a decision about something, which she tells her Mum.

Saaya wants to act alongside Reira

Though Saaya hasn’t made the decision to become an actress just yet, she does know that she wants to act alongside Reira at least once.

That brings this episode to an end, and I enjoyed it. It was a nice warm and fuzzy episode, which gave Saaya some much needed time in the spotlight. I think Cure Étoile said it best: ‘Ange is pretty cool too, isn’t she?’.
There isn’t much more for me to add here; Saaya has a good relationship with her parents, and this episode showed us that.

After the battle and the end of the filming, the girls joined the staff for a Spring Onion meal course (Why is Lulu eating non-stop?) Saaya finally told her mother that she is not really sure if acting is her choice, but for now, she hopes she can act alongside her mother in the future and her mother gave her blessings...

After last week's reveal of Harry's backstory, we had a subtle episode but some character development for Saaya. Saaya still had to content that she is the daughter of Famous Actress Reira Yakushiji and Ranze still claimed that Saaya is just that lucky due to her mother. 

Although Reira acted indifferent to Saaya but she does care about her, since the entertainment world / show-biz is a harsh place and she choose to be both an actress and mother at the same time, doing her best to juggle career and parenthood. But thanks to the support of her husband and understanding staff members, she persevered and got her status as a nationwide celebrity today.

Saaya knew it is not going to be easy if she chooses this acting path but seeing her mother on the TV screen makes her want to be next to her as an equal. Let's see how it goes in the 2nd half of the season. 

Hugtto! will be on a break next week, but it will be back the week after.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
The "don't like" in the second title of this review is maybe too weak an expression. In fact, in my own case it happens to be a visceral aversion or loathing that, worst-case scenario, results in emetic reactions.
Ranze Ichijo, in other words, has a good reason for me to sympathise with her; furthermore, there are even fricking Facebook groups of onion loathers... which already speaks volumes.
Once more, Ranze's negative emotions fall into the targeting of the enemy. This time, Disgust is at the helm instead of Anger. But still she is prime Heartless material.

The whole leek incident reminded me of Flueflen's banter with Ensign Pistol about that Welsh leek, and, since I am translating Henry V at the moment, why not remember it (and, besides, picture ourselves Reira as Flueflen and Ranze as Pistol, in military uniforms and all)?

Act 5, Scene 1:

PISTOL

Ha! art thou bedlam? dost thou thirst, base Trojan,
To have me fold up Parca's fatal web?
Hence! I am qualmish at the smell of leek.

FLUEFLEN

I peseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave, at my
desires, and my requests, and my petitions, to eat,
look you, this leek: because, look you, you do not
love it, nor your affections and your appetites and
your digestions doo's not agree with it, I would
desire you to eat it.

PISTOL

Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.

FLUEFLEN

There is one goat for you.
Strikes him
Will you be so good, scauld knave, as eat it?

PISTOL

Base Trojan, thou shalt die.

Furthermore, if we stick to our headcanon that Ranze is blood-related to the now celebrated Ranko Ichijo, the most likely scenario is that she has a strained relationship with her elders and envies the Yakushijis for sticking together in spite of their careers. Yes, let's invite the green-eyed monster to the mix as well!

I also adored and admired how the Yakushijis subverted the traditional gender roles of a married couple, with a breadwinner mum and a stay-at-home dad; which reminded me A LOT of Mrs. Fawcett and Charles Eastwood. I can completely relate to the scenario and, moreover, relate to how much it encouraged Saaya's freedom of thought, which has made her so bright.

Mrs. Fawcett, a soon-to-be divorcée who has left her first husband and their birthplace oop north, and her decades younger paramour Major Charles Eastwood, a war veteran, have taken up at a cottage in the southern English countryside.
There seems to be a parity in the Fawcett/Eastwood household that ought to be emulated, not scorned. It is noted that Eastwood’s “powerful athletic white arms… deftly and carefully washed the dishes while the woman wiped” and that “he went round attending to the stoves of the small house” (67).  The domestic chores, then, are split evenly among man and woman. 
The couple are outwardly friendly and progressive, just like the Yakushijis in this anime, but living in the UK one century before them.

It started out with how Saaya reveals she is worried about troubling her mother by following her footsteps. So she and the girls decide to visit her on set to help her get some clarity. There she meets the extended family who have known her since she was a little babe. The staff behind the “The Queen of Quisine" supported Reira when she passionately fought for the role. Despite being a young mother, the director hired her and he and the staff, alongside her husband, helped take care of Saaya so she could continue pursuing her dreams as an actress.
Initially Saaya misunderstood her mother when Reira asked her if she was prepared to face the peer pressure of those who would assume she is riding off her success. And to be fair, Reira did make a good point, but she certainly could have explained it better, especially when she finished off the conversation with how Saaya doesn’t have to follow her footsteps. Even I can see a misunderstanding coming out of that from a mile away! But she is that kind of mum who is a bit awkward when it comes to explaining her intentions. She is ready to support Saaya in whatever decision she chooses, and gave her fair advice of the challenges she will face should she decide to become an actress.


NEXT WEEK, THERE WILL BE NO NEW EPISODE! But when we come back the week after, it will be featuring the teacher and his pregnant wife we saw during the Pool Party episode. To add more sugar, I leave Spain for Sweden the next weekend...

Remember Mr. Uchufuji (Uchufuji-sensei)? 

Remember that his wife is expecting?

Well, the nine-month term is due this mid-August (will that make the little one a Leo or a Virgo, or cusp-born)?

Will things go smoothly for the delivery?