IN WHICH ARTEMIS GETS THINGS HER WAY

Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure
Episode 9 - My Own Review
IN WHICH ARTEMIS GETS THINGS HER WAY


This is my review of Star Twinkle Ep 9 and Madoka felt the pressure of being the Perfect Daughter and a Precure!

Foreshadowing? (Look at the shape of the lake)

Star ☆ Twinkle‘s ninth episode is one that focuses on Madoka. She strives to be perfect in all things, but she does have a lot to deal with.

Madoka stares off into the distance

After PreCures’ little adventure into space last time, Lala’s crew safely touches down on Earth. Hikaru is surprised to learn that Madoka has never tried Star Doughnuts, much less ever been to the shopping district.
Madoka wants to be perfect in all things, whether that’s her studies or archery, or even being a PreCure. She has to keep that last one a secret from her father, though. Perhaps she is feeling pressure from that, as she struggles to maintain her perfect self during school.

Madoka’s archery is off, as well

Madoka practices her archery when she can, and finds that her arrow doesn’t hit the centre of the target. Her father says that is not good enough. He also mentions multiple recent sightings of UFOs, and tells Madoka she will be transported by car in the family limo to ensure her safety.

We also get to see Madoka being distracted and stressed since she has to keep her Precure identity from her father who is still tracking down Lala, Prunce, and Fuwa (in true Javert fashion). Her hectic schedule after school which she messes up during classes and her Chair meeting as student body president.

Fuyuki may not be as harsh as Tywin or Gérard de Villefort, but he's still a heck of an education papa. Trust me, because I have one myself!

I actually like how Madoka could feel the pressure of living up to her parents' and peers' ideals that it could result in a nervous breakdown. I wonder how her fellow Ojousama Cures like Minami, Alice, and Karen (and Yukari) actually balance their school life and Precure life together?

Hikaru grabs Madoka to take her to the high street - as the chauffeur looks on.

After school, Madoka always goes straight home. Hikaru decides to get involved, and grabs Madoka before she can get into the limo waiting for her. Hikaru takes Madoka to the local high street, where they find Lala waiting for them.

Wow, the Doll could eat!? (Elena's siblings were amazed by it!)


Let's hope the kids don't blurt it out!

Sakurako Himenojo observes Madoka

I should probably also mention that Sakurako Himenojo has been keeping a close eye on Madoka as well. She mistakenly believes that Hikaru is trying to curry favour with Madoka in order to become the next student council president; the very same position that Sakurako wants for herself.

Ayewan and Bakenyan spot their next target

As Madoka enjoys what the shotengai has to offer with Hikaru and Lala, the three of them end up bumping into Elena. Elena has somewhere in mind for them to go, so she takes them there. Meanwhile, Ayewan and Bakenyan watch over the shops, and spot their next target.

Anyway, after learning that Madoka has never visited the local shotengai (high street or shopping district), Hikaru and Lala decided to take her there and have a fun time together. Madoka actually feel relieved being with them and even Elena later commented that Hikaru may behave childishly at times but she could sense people's emotions and anxiety like how she took Lala to clear her mind after messing up the spaceship's repairs



. Elena also wants Madoka to speak out her mind especially when she felt troubled as they are all her friends/comrades (nakama).

Elena tells Madoka that she can rely on her friends

Elena takes the other girls, and her own younger siblings, to a picturesque lake that she enjoys visiting. Hikaru, Lala, Fuwa, and Purunce eat their doughnuts, whilst Madoka and Elena talk about looking out for everyone. Elena tells Madoka that she can rely on everyone else too; they are friends, after all.

So the girls taking Madoka out to town was a good break for her and clear her mind especially later in the fight with Sakurako's knottrigger.

Sakurako as a knottrigger

Madoka’s Star Colour Pendant gives off a reaction, and it isn’t long before the girls are confronted with a knottrigger. Elena sends her siblings home, and then all four confront the enemy. Naturally, that means transformation time.

Cure Selene takes aim

During the fight, Cure Star distracts the knottrigger, which allows Cure Selene to line up a shot and shoot the Dark Pen right out of Ayewan’s hand. Cure Soleil catches the Dark Pen, and throws it over to Cure Selene. Once in Selene’s possession, the Dark Pen reveals itself to be the Capricorn Star Colour Pen.

This looked really Satanic for a moment but also Bad Ass!

The girls actually have some teamwork battling the knottrigger and Cure Selene used the newly recovered Capricorn Princess Star Pen to create the Power up Selene Arrow (With the head of a Capricorn in the middle of her bow!?) and saved Sakurako.

The Capricorn Star Colour Pen powers up the Selene Arrow

Using the power of the Capricorn Pen, Cure Selene is able to defeat the knottrigger. 

Ayewan and Bakenyan make a hasty retreat after that.

PS. In seriousness, so what happens once there are no more Star Pens to make new knottriggers? One more question, how did Ayewan managed to find two pens in the span of two episodes? 

Capricorn Fuwa

Princess of Capricorn

After the battle, the light of the Capricorn zodiac constellation is restored, and the Princess of Capricorn returns to the Star Palace. That just leaves eight more.

Let’s all take a little time to appreciate Lala’s antennae here

This episode ends with all the girls telling Madoka to refer to them on a first name basis, as she had been referring them by surname before – besides Lala, who has yet to reveal (or be given) a surname (we know it will be Hagoromo).

Purunce, are you crying because of the girls or the donut?

Overall, with the revival of the Capricorn Princess, that left with eight more princesses! I like how Madoka is probably the most related now since it is a real life problem among young people of working up the perfect image of being looked up to and the pressure that come with it. I also like how Elena's line to Madoka of not bottling up your emotions and telling someone your problem is a good advice to anyone who needs help. What are confidants for?


ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!

This episode could be the very start of something important between Elena and Madoka. Though saying that, Madoka also got some meaningful interactions with Hikaru in this episode as well. Lala seemed to get left out a little compared to those two, but it’s not like there won’t be plenty more opportunities for Lala and Madoka to interact with each other.

This was an enjoyable episode. Whilst Madoka may strive for perfection, she makes mistakes just like anybody else. More importantly, she is growing closer to the other girls. I look forward to seeing how their relationships develop.

Next time, a new planet for PreCures to explore.

This weeks’ spotlight was on Madoka, and I must say I am quite pleased with how they went about it. We were able to learn a lot about how she struggles to cope with her father’s pressure of always being perfect, and the suffocating lifestyle of a flurry of lessons right after school (archery, flower arrangement, tutor, tea ceremony, and piano! AND THE STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT!). Interestingly, Madoka never considered her lifestyle to be a busy one until she met the other girls and became a precure. Finding time  for herself, spending with her friends or hanging out just about anywhere outside of her own home can be difficult due to her amount of responsibilities she must complete. The girls were shocked when they learned she has never been to the High Street (shotengai) of Mihoshi before, nor has she tried the locals' famous delicacy, Star Doughnuts!

And we saw her perfect composure starting to crumble as she grows frustrated with her father’s criticism and feeling like she isn’t able to properly contribute to the group. We see her nodding off, being out of the sorts, wearing mix-matched socks, in daze, and while both Hikaru and Elena had both noticed something as amiss, it was mostly Elena who made the initiative to step in and steal Madoka away to help her get a change of pace. And while they conveniently ended the episode before Madoka returned home, this is one of the times I agree with their decision to step in. Madoka desperately needed that change of pace, something to get the mind off the pressure of maintaining absolute perfection for the household. Being able to take a step back and have a breather for an exchange will certain help her regain her focus and efficiency that has gone astray.

Another thing I liked was how for once, we have Student Council President character who we witness struggle with the weight and amount of responsibilities on their shoulders. While Madoka has proven she is fully capable, it’s nice to see them shed the light on their vulnerabilities, as many of these type of characters are often portrayed to be flawless in just about everything they do. It does a lot to flesh them out and makes them more relatable.

Of all the episode so far, I would say this is my favourite one to date. I always thought Madoka was an endearing girl and had hoped to learn more about her, and I’m pleased with how well they delivered! I also appreciated seeing the girls forming a better strategy by understanding what kind of roles suit them best for combat. I also liked that instead of grabbing the pen out of the enemy’s hand, we actually got to see Madoka snipe it, which I liked better than the whole snatch approach. Needless to say, I hope the enemy would stops holding the damn thing and figure out a more secure way to keep it in their possession!

Next week, the girls are off to another planet, and it looks like the enemy will be getting a buff up of their own. I’m not sure if this will be their first cadre fight and cour finale, but as long as they stick to the usual pattern it is bound to happen between Ep 10 and 12! Hopefully this time their visit to the planet and their fight (thanks to the buff-up) will be a lot more interesting than their last trip!

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
The Capricorn Star Colour Pen: countdown, classification of signs...
Power-Up: Capribow... hornbow... Anyway it's a longbow that comes with improved marksmanship:

Fuwa Form (Hornwa)

The Capricorn Star Princess



Degrees of Separation: Artemis, Zeus, Amalthea (Capricorn) - and Apollo gunning down some cyclops (for Ayewan) - So we just had to do the degrees-of-separation reading, right?

Ace or Queer? (The Artemis Conundrum - different readings)
Artemis wore a simple knee-length chiton—a sort of T-shirt dress tied with a cord at the waist. She had shoulder-length raven-black hair and strikingly beautiful silver-gray eyes. I use the word strikingly because you got the feeling those eyes could strike you dead if Artemis got angry. 
She was less than a day old, but she already looked like she was in primary school. Even for a nine- or ten-year-old, she would have been tall. She could’ve totally dominated the fourth-grade basketball team. As she approached the throne, she gave Zeus a brilliant smile that melted his heart. 
“Daddy!” She threw herself into his arms. “I love you, I love you! You’re the best daddy ever!” Maybe she didn’t like guys that much, but she knew exactly how to wrap her father around her little pinky finger. Zeus chuckled. 
“Well, shock me silly. You are the cutest little goddess I’ve ever seen. Tell Daddy Zeus what you want for your birthday present, honeycakes, and it’s yours.” Artemis batted her eyelashes. “Anything?” “Anything! I promise on the River Styx!” 
Boom. Magic words. You’d think the gods would’ve been smarter about not making rash promises on the River Styx, but Zeus never seemed to learn. Now he would have to give Artemis whatever she wanted. 
Some girls might’ve asked for a pony or a new phone or a shopping spree with their friends at the mall. Some might’ve asked for front-row tickets to the hottest boy band concert, or a date with somebody really awesome—. (What—It could happen.) 
Artemis didn’t care about any of that. She knew exactly what she wanted. Maybe it was because her mum, Leto, had been on the move so much while she tried to give birth, wandering from island to island. Maybe it was because the Python had almost devoured Leto before the twins could be born. Whatever the case, Artemis had a restless spirit. She wanted to roam the world and hunt dangerous creatures, and she definitely never wanted to get pregnant. She’d seen how much trouble that had brought her mum. Artemis was happy assisting with deliveries, but she never wanted to go through that herself. 
“Let me be a maiden forever, Father,” Artemis said, twirling her finger in Zeus’s beard. “I never want to get married. I want a bow and arrows—Wait. You know what? Forget that. If you gave me the bow and arrows, they might not be the best quality. I’ll go see the Cyclops and get them to custom-make my weapons. But you can grant me a bunch of followers: ocean nymphs, river nymphs, wood nymphs—what the heck, how about mortal girls, too? Any girls who want to join me can become my followers, as long as they remain maidens like me. They should probably make the decision when they’re about nine years old, before they get interested in boys, because after that, they’ll be all distracted and of no use to me. I think we can start with about eighty followers, okay? We’ll see how it goes. They can hunt with me, clean my kills, take care of my hunting dogs. Oh, that reminds me! I want hunting dogs.” 
She took a deep breath. “I also want the right to hunt any dangerous animals anywhere in the world. I want all mountains to be sacred to me, because that’s where I’ll spend most of my time, out in the wilderness. I’ll only visit towns when the women need my help with childbirth, or when the little kids need a protector.” She smiled up at Zeus with her big silvery eyes. “And…yeah, I think that’s it.” Zeus blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then he burst out laughing. “You’re my daughter, all right! You think big!” He kissed Artemis’s forehead and set her on her feet. “You know, when I have children like you, it’s totally worth dealing with Hera’s wrath. I’ll give you everything you asked for, my sweet. I have a feeling you’re going to be very popular!”


The Soluna moments in this episode:



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