Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure - Episode 26
My Own Review
IN WHICH LALA HOSTS A SLEEPOVER
We are now more than halfway through Star ☆ Twinkle. The opening animation has also been updated, so we actually get to see more of Yuni/Cure Cosmos in it now. PreCures and we spectators are steadily moving towards their goal of collecting all the Princess Star Colour Pens, and some new information concerning the whereabouts of the next one, the Cancer Pen, sees them blasting into space once more.
Hikaru decides to have a pyjama party
Lala receives a transmission from her (fraternal twin) brother Lolo about the discovery of a princess’s power, so PreCures decide to go to Lala's homeworld and check it out. However, the warp through the Starscape goes awry, so they are left stranded in outer space. Hikaru decides the best thing for them to do is hold a pyjama party.
Just look at their pyjamases! My favourite is doubtless Madoka's, with its frills, chest ribbon, and empire waistline.
Space Wars!! The whole original hexalogy at one go...
Was this when Canakin killed all the younglings?
Elena can’t handle scary films
I guess yellow Cures tend to be yellow-bellied… This episode is pretty much about the others getting to spend time with each other, and deepen their bonds. Hikaru manages to find some common ground with Madoka, thanks to an old film. We also discover that Elena isn’t so good when it comes to scary films.
Madoka, on the other hand, is a scifi and horror buff...
La gallina y la gata de a bordo.
Yuni’s ear twitches when Hikaru calls out to her
Definitely got to take time to focus on Yuni just for a bit, just because. Finds a comfortable place to curl up and fall asleep, much like a cat. So good. A purrfect catnap.
The girls talk about their families
After the film, the topic of conversation turns to family. They also talk about their friendship. Hikaru never imagine she would have a pyjama party with friends before becoming a PreCure, and neither did Lala, Madoka, Elena, or Yuni for various reasons... but that is exactly what has happened in this episode. Clearly meeting has been a very good thing for Hikaru, Lala, Elena, Madoka, and Yuni.
Madoka explained that she is going overseas to western lands after she graduated which is what her father and grandfather did the same at her age. (Also, the Kaguya lineage has hunted monsters for the Imperial Crown since ancient times...) Elena was worried about her half dozen siblings and wonder if her parents could handle them. Lala told them her parents are well-known people on her planet and she felt the pressure of being their favourite child. (Surely, if they are celebs as well, Madoka sees herself reflected in this predicament - the only difference being the existence of a twin in the shade). And Yuni... still having her catnap.
The crew picks up a stowaway – a hermit crab-esque reggae alien named Yanyan. She was a stowaway on another spaceship (heading for the Rototom here in Benicassim?) and was kicked out onto the asteroid until she saw Lala's spaceship and hid there.
Someone needs to be the victim of the week when Kappard attacks, after all. Oh, apparently she is also able to repair the crash-landed wreck after it has been damaged (seriously, how often has Lala proven she was the captain of the Vasa in a past life?), or at least that is what she says.
Kappard uses Yanyan’s imagination to power up his weapon
Kappard actually launches a pre-emptive strike on PreCures, damaging the wrecked starship even more in the process.
Cure Star helps out Cure Milkyway
PreCures are given the opportunity to show of their newly deepened bonds during the battle against Kappard, and they do just that.
Cure Soleil & Cure Selene
This was quite a sweet episode, with the bonds between the five girls growing stronger. For me, Yuni was the highlight of the entire episode, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise.
The other girls all had their own moments to shine as well, though.
Next time, mermaids.
Curses... wrecked again!
Lala's spaceship suffered damages due to both crashlanding and Kappard attacking... and Yanyan suggested to come to her home planet to get it fixed. Using Purunce as propulsion (and to extract all that sand from the mechanisms), they were on their way to Yanyan's homeworlds...- The Ocean Planet!
What I like about this episode? Other than the girls watching a horror film and Elena's priceless expression, I like how the girls express their thoughts as similar to previous seasons, there will be a moment where the girls speak about their dreams and anxiety.
Madoka going overseas could be a future episode plot and probably a conflict might make Madoka to choose her path. Elena loved her family a bit too much which might become an episode since she felt being the eldest, she shoulders the responsibility of taking care of the family not realising that her personal life is also important.
Looking how Lala will react in returning to her home planet already suggested that she doesn't have a close relationship with her family. (We will just have to wait till episode 29 for them to arrive at Planet Samman, her homeworld, to find out why)
MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
Return of Dave: Agent Dave as in Meet Dave is back... and he meets Yuni -- por suerte, Elena omitted the whole "space cat thief" angle since the Miniaturian has connections with the galaxy authorities!
Lala's homeworld:
Lolo Hagoromo: Lala's fraternal twin brother, seconds older... Also, the twins' parents are celebs and put pressure. Like... that's something Madoka can mirror herself in, except for on the sibling front.
Elena gallina, Elena gallina... o al menos asustadiza :O
On the other hand, who would have said the upper-class Cure is once more an ardent horror buff (looking at you, Saaya!)? and we get to hear her squeeeee at last!!
The Kaguya family history -- who ever said they were IMPERIAL MONSTER HUNTERS?? That's even higher stakes when it comes to expectations issues (it would be like having a military dynasty who have been officers since the early modern period or even medieval knights!).
Por otro lado, los padres de Elena se ausentan para hacer su agosto y la ascienden a mamá, siendo la hermana mayor de siete. Ella no está segura de si ha de apañárselas.
Soluna moments in this episode...
After receiving the message from her twin brother Lolo that they had found the princess power pen of Cancer, Lala (who didn’t really want to bring them along) and the girls are off on a trip to Planet Samaan, the Hagoromo siblings' homeworld! But to my surprise, the trip did not go as planned. Due to the lack of sleep, Fuwa’s warp failed and is presently out of commission, Hikaru suggested they host a pyjamas party.
And goodness, it was so cute and wholesome to watch! I really liked that we actually got an episode where everyone just sat down and talked a bit about themselves. It was great because this not only helps us (the audience) learn more their characters, but it also gave them the opportunity to deepened their bonds. It was also fun just to see the girls interact with each other in a way they hadn’t before either. Hikaru had brought a video tape (I can’t believe they actually used a VCR, and somehow managed to hook it up!!!!) of a scary B-movie, and sure enough we got to see how each of them are about it. Hikaru was the hype-builder, Lala was bored (because it was low-budget to her), Elena can’t handle scary movies at all regardless of its quality, Madoka thought it was amazing and would get upset whenever Hikaru would blurted out spoilers, and Yuni… well she slept through the whole thing, took a catnap... hahahaha!
But of all the conversations that were held, the one that stuck out to me the most was Hikaru’s. It made me opened my eyes to appreciating her character even more than I had before.
Hikaru is a heroine who was content doing her own thing instead of hanging out with other people her age. While it’s nothing new, I think it is fairly uncommon, especially in these type of magical girl warriors series when the main protagonist is either already has a friend (companion, ie nakama) or two, or harbours the strong desire to find friends (ie companions-nakama). Hikaru is that type of character who is right in between the two. She has been fine either way, and it’s a characteristic that I admire about her. It also goes to show that it’s not impossible to have fun on your own, especially when you are doing something you are passionate about or engrossed in. They also reminded us, how while that’s fine and all, having a group of friends who you can share that with makes it all the more sweeter.
But this circle will not last forever. The daunting reminder their inevitable separation was brought up today by Madoka, who shared she is due to study abroad in the near future. Interestingly, nobody seemed to pay too much mind to what that meant for them as a group, but I can understand why. In their heads, that day is probably still far off, when in reality… time flies by when they are having fun, and before they know it, they will all have to part ways to either return to their home planets or follow their own path, where Hikaru will find herself mostly alone once again (with the exception of Elena who will remain in Mihoshi, at the Floristería Sonrisa, but always puts family obligations first). So it will be interesting to see whether or not Hikaru can still keep up that independence streak when everyone has to go their separate ways. It can be hard to go back to the activities you used to do on your own after getting a taste of what it’s like sharing the experience with others. But I suppose what makes Hikaru different from other heroines is how this isn’t exactly new to her. She has already gone down a similar road once before by encouraging her father to pursue his dreams, so I imagine as much as she will have that sense of loss, she will also cherish the memories and adventure they shared together.
Overall, I would say this episode is probably among some of my favourites from this series so far. Just having simple conversations and getting to know each other really goes a long way, especially when friendship plays such an important role in the story. It looks like we won’t be arriving to Samaan just yet with the girls taking a detour to bring their unsuspected reggae crab stowaway Yanyan back home in exchange of their wrecked starship getting fixed! But it looks like we will be seeing the return of Ayewan! I wonder what she has been up to?
PS: When it comes to watching scary movies, which ones of the girls are you? I would say I’m probably a combination of Yuni and Elena! I’m too scared to watch it so I’d hide behind a pillow or would just go to sleep instead, hahaha!!
On the Pen front: We still got Cancer and Pisces left!!
IN NEXT EPISODE (27):
Elena sirena -- and Yuni the catfish
A cyclopette who thinks she's Javert... no, better Ahab!
And a watery merworld to explore and cherish...
We did get a new opening with Yuni/Cure Cosmos joining the rest ---- and looks like Ayewan has gone emo and seeing in the next episode, she is back with a vengeance to defeat a certain catgirl! Until then, see you in the next post!
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.
