A N-ICE REFRESHING SPOT FOR THE AQUARIUS PEN

Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure - Episode 24

My Own Review

A N-ICE REFRESHING SPOT FOR THE AQUARIUS PEN

Madoka and company escape the summer heat as they touch down on a planet covered entirely with permafrost in episode twenty-four of Star ☆ Twinkle.

Madoka is concerned about her grand piano practice

In this episode, our PreCures travel to the Icesnow Planet where they discover that the Aquarius Princess Star Colour Pen is in the possession of a sentient snowman named Olaf... I mean Yukio. He will only hand it over if they can make a girl named Irma laugh. As that happens, Madoka, ever since on Earth before the quest, worries about her grand piano practice.

Madoka may have won first prize, but she doesn’t feel satisfied with her victory

There are two plots running through this episode, with the first one being Madoka and her piano practice. She’s quite good at what she does, though she is not satisfied with her performance. Madoka doesn’t quite know what it is she’s missing, but the events of this episode help her to realise.

Yukio

The main story of Star ☆ Twinkle is also advanced with this episode, with the Aquarius Princess Star Colour Pen being the next one that PreCures set their sights on. It is, ut supra, in the possession of a snowman called Yukio.

Irma

Besides Yukio, our PreCures also meet his unrequited love interest Irma. She is the stoic type; so much so that Yukio has never seen her smile. That gives PreCures their objective for this episode: make Iruma smile.

Madoka and Elena snowboarding

There is a lot of fun that can be had with ice floes and snow, as PreCures show Yukio. Well, most of our PreCures, anyway. Yuni is less enthusiastic about it; she even considers the possibility of not being able to make Irma smile. Things do generally work out for PreCures in the end, but I can appreciate Yuni considering the possibilities.

Yuni sings

Whilst this may be an episode that is more focused on Madoka, Yuni does get some attention as well. In particular, we discover just what it is that inspires her to sing. We get a nice impromptu concert scene, with Madoka and Yuni performing together a duet on a stage of ice. Said concert is also the event that allows Madoka to realise just what she was missing when playing the piano.

Irma transformed

Can’t have an episode without an antagonist showing up, and this time it is Tenjou. She has Irma transform into the monster of the week, which of course means that PreCures have to step up and do their thing.

Aquarius Selene Arrow

The battle unfolds in pretty typical PrettyCure style, with Cure Selene adding a new power to her arsenal. After the battle and a visit to the Star Palace, the episode wraps things up.
Only two more Princess Star Colour Pens (Pisces and Cancer) to go.

This episode was pretty good. We got some nice stuff from Madoka, and Yuni too. That is about all I really have to say, though.

Next episode looks like it could be quite a good one, as the focus is on Yuni.

Episode 24: Basically Madoka was troubled with how despite winning piano competitions, the audience as a whole seems bored compared to her competitor’s performances. Basically Madoka forgot to have fun with it, and they all needed to help a snowman make the girl he likes laugh and smile. That’s it that’s the episode.

https://angryanimebitches.com/2019/07/star-twinkle-precure-episode-24-25/

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION!!
A n ice planet for the pen of my sign right now in Thermidor... WOOOOOW!! Not to mention AT LAAAAAST!! Pretty refreshing at this whistle-wetting time of year, right?

Yukio and Irma - the Czarevna Nesmeyana of Planet Icesnow: So, in fairytales there is the convention of the crown princess who never laughed or even smiled (generally an only child with at least one deceased parent, plus all the pressure). The one who will make her lips curl, if male and single, will be her husband (it's always either a male single peasant with a quirky trick up his sleeve, or an eccentric old crone/deviant woman --though the latter is more common in mythology, think Baubo/Iambe or Uzume!--). Since Slavic folklorists like Propp were the ones who first identified the motif across cultures, we got to know this archetype as Czarevna Nesmeyana (Cyrillic Царевна Несмеяна - ie Czarsdaughter Neversmiles).


A Czarevna Nesmeyana character in a Grimm story, illustrated by Victorian Brits.
Notice the joke book behind her back.

 
The boyish Czarevna Nesmeyana in The Princess who had Never Laughed, from the Faerie Tale Theatre live action series.


This storybook illustration from Russia shows a Czarevna Nesmeyana wearied by many obnoxious suitors.

The Aquarius Pen (aaaaaaah...):
Fuwa - Cupbearerwa:


Power-Up: Let it go, let it go... Cryokinetic arrow attack by firing ice arrows.


Princess:





Ralf Hart's monologue -- one lonely prodigy singing to others:

"And what about me? I have my creativity, I have my paintings, which are sought after by galleries all over the world, I have realised my dream, my village thinks of me as a beloved son, my ex-wives never ask me for alimony or anything like that, I have good health, reasonable looks, everything a man could want ... Do you know what loneliness is?
But you don't know what loneliness is like when you have the chance to be with other people all the time, when you get invitations every night to parties, cocktail parties, opening nights at the theatre ... When women are always ringing you up, women who love your work, who say how much they would like to have supper with you - they're beautiful, intelligent, educated women. But something pushes you away and says: 'Don't go. You won't enjoy yourself. You'll spend the whole night trying to impress them and squander your energies proving to yourself how you can charm the whole world. So I stay at home, go into my studio and try to find the light, and I can only see that light when I'm working."

Ralf Hart, world-renowned artist in his twenties, from a wealthy background in hinterland Francophone Switzerland (and my favourite Paulo Coelho character).

It's not hard to think of why Ralf Hart is my favourite Coelho character. Young, healthy, wealthy, renowned, artistic, intelligent... and still feeling empty, yearning for something more somewhere over the rainbow. Just like me. We are kindred spirits. Ralf is 29 going on 30, I am 23 going on 24. Both of us are only children from sheltered bourgeois backgrounds, with toys and books for friends (Ralf had his trains, I had my dolls and plushies), who have finally made it to have a social life thanks to their creative talent. Yes, Ralf Hart (like to put more examples: Cassio, Portia, the princess in Story the Fourth of The Snow Queen, Brienne of Tarth, Ada Goth, Luna Lovegood, Chamsous-Sabah, Oscar de Jarjayes, Jacinto [in Doña Perfecta]...) is a favourite of mine because I see myself reflected in that character. The words Ralf Hart says about his emotions and his past always bring me to tears. This passage in particular, if translated into French and put into verse, would make a great chanson.


The duet - Each season we have covered has its own master and commander.