UNE ÉTOILE QUI BRILLE ENCORE

Hugtto Pretty Cure
Episode 5 - My Own Review

UNE ÉTOILE QUI BRILLE ENCORE

 

Charalit more or less kidnaps Homare and forces her into a situation where she has to jump.
With her past still haunting her, that despair makes for a lot of negative energy – or thornypowewer.





 



 

 

The thought of flying, and being cheered on, scares Homare. However, she no longer intends to let that hold her back; she refuses to run from herself any more. With that conviction, she is able to achieve what she couldn’t in the previous episode: she becomes a PreCure.

This week Homare finally became Cure Étoile, but not without being challenged by the enemy, using her seeds of doubt to create a monster in attempt to rob the girls of their Future Crystals. In the beginning, Charaleet did succeed because he did manage to create a monster out of Homare’s despair, but in the end, but Hugtan ended up actually playing a big role, her cries were able to reach Homare and encourage her to face her fear, and take that leap of faith to fly once more. I must say, Cure Étoile’s attack sequence is lit. I absolutely love the effects, and it reminds me a lot of the classic magical girls transformation sequences.

Something happened on the day she died,

her spirit rose a metre and stepped aside...

Somebody else took her place and bravely cried:

I'M A HEARTSTAR...

I'M A HEARTSTAR...

How many times does an angel fall?

How many people die instead of talking tall?

She trod on sacred ground, she cried out loud into the crowd:

I'M A HEARTSTAR...

I'M A HEARTSTAR...

Unfortunately for Charalit, that was the last chance he was being given. He retreats, though whether he has returned to the office or gone off somewhere else remains to be seen.
The enemies finally showed their faces, and I must say their designs are quite fun. With Charalit failing to make any grounds, he is in big trouble now, so it’s time for a new villain to step up to the plate. Surprisingly it’s not Lulu who is up next, but sexpot baroness Papple instead. I wonder what kind of character she will be, and the sorts of fights we will in the upcoming episodes. I imagine the pace of the series is going to enter it’s insanely slow phase where not much happens during this period of time since Homare has officially joined the team. It’s still early on, but hopefully it won’t be too stagnant because that’s when it becomes challenging for me to covert these type of shows.

 It is nice to see Homare finally “soften up” (so to speak) to the girls and the three of them can finally begin their friendship.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
OH LA VACHE CURE ÉTOILE CURE ÉTOILE!!!
That haircut of Homare's post-recovery instantly sparked up memories of Fa Mulan and Eugénie Danglars:


Et du même tiroir dont elle avait fait sortir la mante qu'elle venait de donner à Mlle d'Armilly, et dont celle-ci avait déjà couvert ses épaules, elle tira un costume d'homme complet, depuis les bottines jusqu'à la redingote, avec une provision de linge où il n'y avait rien de superflu, mais où se trouvait le nécessaire.
Alors, avec une promptitude qui indiquait que ce n'était pas sans doute la première fois qu'en se jouant elle avait revêtu les habits d'un autre sexe, Eugénie chaussa ses bottines, passa un pantalon, chiffonna sa cravate, boutonna jusqu'à son cou un gilet montant, et endossa une redingote qui dessinait sa taille fine et cambrée.
« Oh ! c'est très bien ! en vérité, c'est très bien, dit Louise en la regardant avec admiration ; mais ces beaux cheveux noirs, ces nattes magnifiques qui faisaient soupirer d'envie toutes les femmes, tiendront-ils sous un chapeau d'homme comme celui que j'aperçois là ?
- Tu vas voir », dit Eugénie.
Et saisissant avec sa main gauche la tresse épaisse sur laquelle ses longs doigts ne se refermaient qu'à peine, elle saisit de sa main droite une paire de longs ciseaux, et bientôt l'acier cria au milieu de la riche et splendide chevelure, qui tomba tout entière aux pieds de la jeune fille, renversée en arrière pour l'isoler de sa redingote.
Puis, la natte supérieure abattue, Eugénie passa à celles de ses tempes, qu'elle abattit successivement, sans laisser échapper le moindre regret : au contraire, ses yeux brillèrent, plus pétillants et plus joyeux encore que de coutume, sous ses sourcils noirs comme l'ébène.
« Oh ! les magnifiques cheveux ! dit Louise, avec regret.
- Eh ! ne suis-je pas cent fois mieux ainsi ? s'écria Eugénie en lissant les boucles éparses de sa coiffure devenue toute masculine, et ne me trouves-tu donc pas plus belle ainsi ?
- Oh ! tu es belle, belle toujours ! s'écria Louise.

From the same drawer she took a man’s complete costume, from the boots to the coat, and a provision of linen, where there was nothing superfluous, but every requisite. Then, with a promptitude which indicated that this was not the first time she had amused herself by adopting the garb of the opposite sex, Eugénie drew on the boots and pantaloons, tied her cravat, buttoned her waistcoat up to the throat, and put on a coat which admirably fitted her beautiful figure. “Oh, that is very good—indeed, it is very good!” said Louise, looking at her with admiration; “but that beautiful black hair, those magnificent braids, which made all the ladies sigh with envy,—will they go under a man’s hat like the one I see down there?”

“You shall see,” said Eugénie. And with her left hand seizing the thick mass, which her long fingers could scarcely grasp, she took in her right hand a pair of long scissors, and soon the steel met through the rich and splendid hair, which fell in a cluster at her feet as she leaned back to keep it from her coat. Then she grasped the front hair, which she also cut off, without expressing the least regret; on the contrary, her eyes sparkled with greater pleasure than usual under her ebony eyebrows. “Oh, the magnificent hair!” said Louise, with regret.

“And am I not a hundred times better thus?” cried Eugénie, smoothing the scattered curls of her hair, which had now quite a masculine appearance; “and do you not think me handsomer so?”

“Oh, you are beautiful—always beautiful!” cried Louise.

Not to mention Maria in Axel and Maria by Tegnér:

Så sagt, så gjort. Beslut och handling
är ett hos kvinnan. Sin förvandling
hon skyndar. Under krigarns hatt
hon gömmer sina lockars natt.
Den rika barmen snörs i kyller,
med krut och bly hon ränseln fyller,
och över skullran, mjäll och fin,
hängs dödens synrör, en karbin;
och runt kring läpparna hon drar
en skuggning som skall skägg betyda:
det var som om du ville pryda
med sorgeflor ett rosenpar.

So said, so done. Thought and fulfilment
Are one in woman. Her habil'ment

Is quickly changed. A warrior's casque

Her raven tresses' night doth mask.

Her bosom rich in buff she laces,

In sidepouch lead and powder places,

And o'er her fair, soft shoulder's slope

A carbine hangs, Death's telescope.

And next she traces all around

Her lips a shade that beard supposes:

T'was e'en as if to deck two roses,

The pair in mourning-crape thou'dst bound.

I also started wearing boyish short hair, though short like Homare's, for more practical reasons: because it takes shorter to wash and to dry.
...
That crucifixion stance that Charalit pins Homare to the wall in (arms spreadeagled and legs joined together), as well as the Star Future Crystal surging from her chest as she is "crucified", also deserves a mention. In particular, that crystal coexisting with so much thornypowewer within her reminds me of the "blood and water" gushing out of the side-wound used to mercy kill Jesus in the Gospel of John. In a similar fashion, Homare "dies" and "resurrects" as Étoile --and don't stars shine in the night sky as guiding lights and beacons of hope?--. I'm not talking Christian symbolism, but universal symbolism: Osiris, Adonis, Kai in the Snow Queen, Orpheus, Valentine de Villefort, Yukari Kotozume and Akira Kenjo themselves... all of them undergo near-death experiences and awaken as different people, their old selves having died during the ordeal.

Something happened on the day she died,
her spirit rose a metre and stepped aside...
Somebody else took her place and bravely cried:
I'M A HEARTSTAR...
I'M A HEARTSTAR...
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people die instead of talking tall?
She trod on sacred ground, she cried out loud into the crowd:
I'M A HEARTSTAR...
I'M A HEARTSTAR...

Thus concludes the mini-arc that is the introduction of Cure Étoile. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a yellow star-themed Cure who didn’t join initially because of something. Go! Princess PreCure had Kirara Amanogawa, who would go on to become Cure Twinkle. Kirara’s and Homare’s reasons for not initially becoming PreCures are different, but there are certainly similarities between them.

 She's able to successfully create her Future Crystal but when attempting to jump for it for the first time, she triggers a painful memory and misses the jump, causing it to disappear. She is able to successfully claim it in episode 5.
Shows textbook signs of PTSD such as jumping causing her to remember her failed figure skating jump, her sadness, distancing herself others and from figure skating, and a loss of interest in other activities (not going to school that often).
Is troubled at the start of the series due to having failed a figure skating jump at one point, badly injuring her leg and destroying her dreams.
In her backstory, she cut her hair short after her Career-Ending Injury, she has it back as Cure Étoile.
Everytime she attempts to jump, it will remind her of the incident involving failing a figure skating jump and injuring her leg, causing her to quit figure skating.
No time before did we have such a Precure with PTSD. That certainly makes Homare far more interesting than any other Cure of this season. Une ÉTOILE FILANTE QUI BRILLE ENCORE...
...
On the Good Ship Charalu, things are definitely

NEXT EPISODE (6):

 

 PAPPLE: I'm sexy and I know it... and that's the reason why I should enter stage left and take center stage next week... That uncouth loser Charalit doesn't know what he's missing...

LA LLUVIA Y LAS PLANTAS

LA LLUVIA Y LAS PLANTAS

Caía la lluvia. Zarandeaba el viento las ramas de los árboles. La niña, cansada de su encierro, habló a la lluvia desde la ventana de su habitación:
—Lluvia, mala amiga, ¿por qué caes? Me tienes presa en casa. ¡Cesa ya de una vez! ¡Quiero ir a jugar!
La voz cantarina de la lluvia replicó:
—Las plantas, amiguita, tienen sed. Si agua no les doy, ni flores ni frutos darán después.

(Anónimo - Febrero, día 9; 365 cuentos de Susaeta)

Critical evaluation of Verdi's Othello

Critical evaluation of the opera

In Otello, the flow between the set pieces is much smoother than in any of Verdi's earlier works. Whereas in his earlier masterpieces he had made significant strides away from the aria-recitative structure, here Verdi did away with it entirely. Verdi's librettist, Arrigo Boito, was extremely faithful to Shakespeare's original play, though act 1 of the drama was omitted and the other scenes were condensed in length. The roles of Otello (Othello) and Iago are among the most fully developed in all of opera, as much so as in Shakespeare's original drama—especially the character of Otello himself. (Iago is much more a standard villain in the opera than in the play). Verdi's orchestral writing in Otello is more highly developed than in any of Verdi's previous masterpieces. Though the orchestra plays a significant role in his earlier works, never before had Verdi, or Italian opera in general, been so daring and complex in orchestration. Throughout the score instances of dissonance appear, and Otello's entrance is marked by a cluster chord made of C–C♯–D. It has been argued that Otello was influenced by Richard Wagner's work, whereas others believe it was pitted directly against it.

Musical analysis

Act 1

The storm which dominates the opening chorus is portrayed vividly by the orchestra. Rapidly changing sixteenth notes played by the lower strings and woodwinds create an image of a turbulent sea while rising and descending scales in the upper woodwinds represent the unpredictable patterns of the wind in the tempest. Frequent interjections from the brass and percussion portray the bolts of lightning and thunder which accompany the storm. Otello's first entrance is marked by brass instruments for a sense of grandeur. Verdi adds to the anxiety by having the organ hold its three lowest notes in a cluster (C–C♯–D) through the entire scene. At the end, the woodwinds gradually calm down to portray the fading of the storm, and finally the release of the low organ discord completes the feeling of relief. When the chorus sings of their joy, the high woodwinds now portray the sparkling, cheerful flames.

In the drinking song that follows, Verdi makes use of the bassoons and other low instruments in order to represent the internal effects of alcohol upon Cassio. However, this is gradually eclipsed by the merry themes which follow in the orchestra and chorus ("Chi all'esca ha morso"). The merriment of the celebrations suddenly become frantic, as Cassio challenges Montano to a duel. The full orchestra builds up to a climax as they fight whilst Iago orders Roderigo to go and alert the entire town until the ordeal is interrupted by a loud statement made by the entering Otello.

Accented notes in the orchestra, particularly in the strings, reflect the annoyance of Otello at having his sleep disturbed. Notes played piano and pizzicato by the strings accompany Iago's account of the events, giving his account a feeling of false remorse and unhappiness. Upon Otello's orders, the disturbed islanders return to their homes, accompanied by legato notes in the upper strings and woodwinds depicting the calm that has once more been reestablished.

The great love duet which ends the act commences with a statement from Otello accompanied by cellos playing pianissimo. Desdemona's reply to him is accompanied by the violins and violas, providing a contrast to the statements made by Otello previously. When the duet proper starts ("Quando narravi"), sixteenth notes played by the harp and quarter notes played by the horns and bassoons give the music a sense of motion as Desdemona describes the narrations that Otello had given her about his life. As Otello commences to speak about how he narrated the battles in which he fought, thirty-second notes in the strings in addition to the inclusion of the lower brass instruments reflect the violent topics of Otello's previous narration. However, upon Desdemona's next vocal entrance several bars later, this immense energy is translated to an overall sense of the passion of the two lover's love for each other through the use of some of the more expressive wind instruments such as the English Horn. The duet continues to build up in passion until its climax, the appearance of the "kiss" theme which reappears twice more in the Opera near the end. After this, the music begins to tone down until the act ends with a trill in two of the first violins and a plucked chord on the harp.

Act 2

The act commences with a series of dark threatening statements from the bassoons and cellos followed by repeats of these in the clarinets and violas. Quickly, a theme forms that appears to reflect the calm that has remained in the castle after the brawl the night before. However, this tone is only superficial; repeated descending chromatic scales in the strings during the brief orchestral prelude create a darker atmosphere associated with the plotting of Iago.

Iago's brief conversation with Cassio is marked by the theme from the act's introduction, making Iago appear strangely affable when he suggests that Cassio consult Desdemona; however, as before, an underlying dark tone remains.

Upon Cassio's exit, this dark tone rapidly becomes predominant as the gestures which opened the act repeat, but this time, will a full string and woodwind section. The famous aria that follows ("Credo in un Dio crudel") is marked by trills in the lowest clarinet register and quick yet powerfully accented notes played by the full orchestra at several intervals that portray the evil of Iago to its fullest extent.

Nevertheless, Iago's evil reverie is interrupted by the appearance of Desdemona and Cassio. The urgency felt by Iago in the situation is reflected in the staccato eight notes in the strings which accompany his witnessing of the situation. However, upon Otello's entry the music suddenly becomes much calmer. Otello's response to Iago's question about the preexisting relationship between Cassio and Desdemona is a typical love melody which would have been standard in an earlier Verdi opera, yet it lacks the passion that would typically accompany it and is cut short by Iago's interjection. Otello's annoyance with Iago for not directly stating his "suspicions" is suddenly reflected by an outburst in the orchestra. This is the second instance in the opera in which Otello's potential anger has been made apparent. As Iago gives the equivalent of the famous Shakespearean line from the play ("È un'idra fosca"), the low strings and woodwinds create a dark tone during this scene.

This darkness, however is interrupted by the appearance of a chorus. The chorus is accompanied by folk instruments such as the mandolin and guitar in order to give the music a more authentic feel. However, the music is slow and intentionally sweet in quality, reflecting the kind innocence of Desdemona.

The quartet that follows the episode begins with a similarly sweet statement by Desdemona, asking for Otello to forgive her if she has done anything. This is overshadowed by the aside brooding of Otello about his perception of her guilt, which is marked by shorter, more separated phrases in the strings. Meanwhile, as Iago and Emilia join into the music with their quarrel, the music darkens until it is strangely sad towards the end, even when the orchestral accompaniment ends. After the end of the quartet proper, the music once again regains its sweet nature, as Desdemona's farewell statements are accompanied by the violins and oboe, however soon after her departure, it rapidly darkens, Otello broods to the incessant notes of the bassoons and lower violin statements. However, this is immediately transferred into an anger towards Iago which is reflected in the accented statements made by the full orchestra. Otello's distress is reflected by his farewell to fame and glory ("Ora e per sempre addio"). Repeated lower chords on the harp along with triplet movement in the lower strings give the portion a dark tone, despite the majestic interludes of the brass and the melody (which would, on its own, be cheerful).

During Iago's untruthful account of Cassio's dream, strings and high woodwind instruments are used in order to create a dream-like atmosphere in the music. Descending chromatic scales both add to this atmosphere and maintain the dark overall tone which has pervaded.

The act ends with an energetic finale in which Iago and Otello swear to have vengeance. The energy of this final duet is provided by the full orchestra, which accompanies it.

Act 3

The brief prelude to the third act uses the theme which had accompanied Iago's warning to Otello about jealousy in the second act. It begin with the lower strings, immediately creating the dark theme that will be present throughout the act, even if in a hidden subsurface manner. The prelude gradually builds up until its climax with the entire orchestra.

Desdemona's appearance in the act is once again accompanied by a sweet melody, however, this is quickly subdued as Otello, in his frustration, calls her a "vil cortigiana" at which point the anger of Otello is once again portrayed by a full orchestra with brass. The music that accompanies Desdemona's reaction to this sudden outburst is sad, yet the woodwinds give it an oddly noble character, which again reaffirms her overall innocence.

After Desdemona's departure, Iago stages an interrogation of Cassio in front of Otello. This interrogation takes the form of a friendly conversation and is accompanied by jocular sixteenth note runs in the woodwinds, reflecting the joy of Cassio about his love interest with the woman Bianca. This happily playful tone is contrasted with the dark asides of the watching Otello. Throughout this scene, the dark tone pervades.

The full scene that follows is grand in the orchestration, with abundant use of brass throughout. However, following Otello's angry outbursts near the end, it quickly becomes dark and sad after Otello strikes Desdemona.

After the departure of all of the members of the scene, the turmoil within Otello's mind is reflected by the restlessness of the orchestra, which becomes increasingly violent as he falls into his trance. The dark singing of the triumphant Iago is contrasted with the majestic brass and external choral interjections praising Otello..

Act 4

The act begins with a brief prelude of woodwind instruments, particularly the English horn and oboe, which bring a sad and mourning atmosphere to the act, reflecting the sentiments which manifest themselves in Desdemona. All the while, clarinets playing in the lowest register on repeating chords create a sense of impending doom. The theme upon which this prelude is built is that of the later "Willow Song".

In the brief recitativo between Desdemona and Emilia which begins the act, the despairing tone begun in the introduction continues.

The "Willow Song" ("Mia madre aveva una povera ancella") which follows is marked by an increasing orchestral sound, with woodwinds and strings adding to it, yet what compounds the sadness of the piece is the wail-like cries of "Salce" made by Desdemona followed by similarly despairing, yet softer "echoes" played by the English horn. Near the end of the song, Desdemona's fear, which has been hidden up to this point by a veil of sadness, is made apparent; she mistakes the noise of the wind for that of an intruder. The orchestra immediately builds to a fortissimo, reflecting the genuine worries possessed by Desdemona. The music that gradually lessens with the comforting of Emilia and returns for a final repetition of the theme of the "Willow Song".

Afterwards, Desdemona begins to bid Emilia adieu. This goodbye is initially accompanied by repeated notes on the lower woodwinds and strings such as those in the introduction of the act but in a much more noticeable and dominating manner. This reflects the increasing expectation of Desdemona of her death. Initially, she attempts to keep these feelings to herself, but the orchestra reveals her increasing inner thoughts. These feelings finally reach a point at which they can no longer be contained and Desdemona lets out a loud passionate cry of goodbye to Emilia, one that is reinforced by the full orchestral accompaniment.

Following Emilia's departure, Desdemona prays. Like many of Desdemona's earlier vocal appearances in the opera, these prayers contain a sweet nature, reflecting, for the final time, the innocence of the wrongly accused woman. The melody within the strings that appears later in the prayer scene adds significantly to the poignancy of the situation.

After she goes to bed, a sinister theme appears in the string bass, depicting Otello's entrance. This effectively replaces the sad tone which was present throughout the first portions with the dark one which marked much of the second and third acts. The low theme begins very slowly, but gradually accelerates until there is a sudden outburst with the full orchestra. However, soon afterwards, the music drops down to a soft tremolo in the strings. Above this, a theme that evokes Otello's longing for Desdemona appears in the English horn and bassoons. This theme builds up until it finally gives way to the "kiss" theme from act 1, as Otello embraces the sleeping Desdemona. However this second appearance of the theme is even more passionate than the first one and adds to the poignancy of the tragedy.

Once Desdemona awakens, the music retreats to the theme that accompanied Otello's entrance, but with a more threatening feel this time as brass instruments are added. As Otello demands that Desdemona confess, the music accelerates, reaching a climax at the point where Desdemona is strangled. After this, though the power of the orchestra lessens, it maintains its darkness throughout the scene of Emilia's discovery of the murder and Desdemona's final death.

The scene with that follows is marked by a theme that is somewhat majestic and proud, however, as it is limited to the woodwinds, it seems weak. This reflects the loss of power and honor that have faced Otello.

As Otello laments his actions to the theme of his longing, he decides to commit suicide. Just before he dies, the orchestra plays the "kiss" motif one final time before the opera ends.

HIJO DE FRUCTIDOR

Este es el último blog que sigo:
http://hijodefructidor.blogspot.com.es/

Jesús Lacasa Vidal

Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

Animal político que vive a orillas del Ebro (fui diputado y coordinador general de IU Aragón, algo de lo que estoy orgulloso). De formación jurídica, desviación corregida por la pasión política y la fe en el compromiso. Este dietario propone un viaje por la rosa y la espada.

Bajo el signo de Fructidor

Parafraseando a David Copperfield, comenzaré diciendo que nací un día de Fructidor del año 171 (después de la Revolución, claro está) y ya se vio entonces que el signo de los tiempos era controvertido. El golpe de estado de Fructidor del año V tuvo como virtud desterrar en la Guayana a una buena ración de realistas y rancios conservadores, pero, como efecto secundario nada deseable, acercar el poder a los militares y, en definitiva, a Napoleón.

Así nos movemos casi siempre, entre Scila y Caribdis, con grave peligro para nuestas vidas, pero con toda el ansia de seguir disfrutándolas.

Os invito a acompañarme en vuestros ratos perdidos en esta aventura apasionante, para razonar juntos y colectivamente fortalecernos en la lucha por tiempos mejores y más humanos.