Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to the drama of Hugtto! Precure, after an episode that was largely preoccupied with Homare resolving her crush on a shape-shifting, time-traveling hamster. That’s just sometimes how it’s gonna be in the land of Precure, and to be perfectly honest, it actually made for a surprisingly poignant adventure. Rodent-related specifics aside, Homare’s feelings offered an endearing portrayal of how even unrequited love can be emotionally enriching, and her journey towards that realization was adorned with all sorts of lovely visual compositions.
With Henri and Homare’s skating performances now behind us, the slate is once again clear as we march towards Hugtto’s endgame. Is it time for George’s plan to be unveiled, or can we still sneak in some seasonal shenanigans with Hana and the gang? I’m sure whatever we’ve got coming will be delightful in its own way, so let’s dispense with the preamble here, and dive into the continuing adventures of our hug-happy heroes!
Episode 44
Ah, this makes sense. Our cold open sees us arriving on a movie set, as the gang stop in to support Saaya for one of her performances. Given Hugtto’s themes center on finding hope for the future and grasping towards a satisfying adulthood, it’s no surprise that our last act includes a professional victory lap for our heroines, as they each reaffirm their dreams by taking concrete steps towards them
Of course, that in turn raises the familiar question of Hana’s own destiny; she is brilliant at cheering for others, but her own dream is still unclear
“The Dawn of the Rose Knight and Princess.” This is also pretty close to a play-within-a-play concept, and those are always fun
And it turns out she’s actually achieving her dream of working alongside her mother! Leave it to Saaya to achieve her professional ambitions before reaching high school
“I wanna be pwincess too!” Hugtan’s really growing up as well. I appreciate the care this show has taken in illustrating her increasing verbalization, to the point where us in the audience can also take pride in her speaking in full sentences
Apparently her mother is actually playing the role of the rose knight, her own daughter’s love interest. Yep, didn’t take any time at all for this to get ridiculous
Oh wow. Luscious fantasy backgrounds in a rich array of colors as Dr. Traum pulls some bullshit, presumably transporting our Precures into the world of the film itself. Thank you Hugtto, you are always so generous to us
“A Journey of Dreams and Decisions! Saaya’s Great Adventure!”
Sure, layer whatever metaphor regarding choosing your life path on top of this you want, Hugtto. I’m just jazzed we’re doing the “cast is transformed into a fantasy adventure party” bit, an episodic indulgence I’ve enjoyed ever since Keitaro’s fever dream in Love Hina
Their adventuring party includes a Hero, a Mage, a, uh, martial artist, a princess, and a black cat? I am questioning the class balance of this party arrangement
Wait, Harry and Hugtan are doing a Lone Wolf and Cub bit, all is forgiven
“According to my crystal ball, this is serious!” Emiru can’t help but lean into the bit even as she tells them they should take this seriously
And Saaya’s mother, ever the professional, refuses to let this set design opportunity go to waste. The show must go on!
Lulu justifies her cat-like behavior by saying that following the story is how they’ll escape, but I’m pretty sure she just wants to do a Hanekawa-style cat bit
Love the gleeful incoherence of this fantasy drama. “Thank you for saving this random baby with your chivalry, knight. I am a princess who just happened to be passing through”
“I also wish to forge a new path.” Of course, most of Saaya’s dialogue can also be interpreted on the level of deciding her future ambitions – she has walked alongside her mother this far, and learned to appreciate her mother’s strength, but is uncertain that it is precisely the sort of strength or passion she herself wants to exhibit
But no time for that, her acting rival is back! It’s Ranze Ichijou!
“You, my fated rival, are a princess, while I am a peasant!? How can this be?” Yeah, costuming went a little outside the box on this one, Ranze
I appreciate how Ranze’s voice actress is intentionally over-enunciating portions of her dialogue, making it clear that she’s not actually as confident of an actress as Saaya
And now she’s just trying to hit Saaya with a stick. Well, director Hana seems to approve, so I guess this is what we’re doing now
“In the end, a princess is just a princess.” A line that speaks to Saaya’s lurking anxieties, implying all she has accomplished is actually a result of her mother’s influence
Both Saaya’s mother and rival declare that her heart was not in her performance
Hana tries to cheer Saaya up by saying she thought it was pretty good, but Saaya gently brushes her concern aside, knowing well that Hana has crap taste in actors
Adore this momentary reaction shot of the girls as Lulu sics a dinosaur on the party. Well, at least one member of this crew is committing to the bit!
Then Daigan shows up only to be crushed beneath the dinosaur’s heel. What is this episode
“When one dream is complete, another begins. I want to keep on seeing new worlds. Something like that, anyhow.” Homare’s reflections on achieving her skating ambitions gesture towards a challenge she and Saaya are both facing: the fact that achieving your childhood dreams is generally just another signpost along the road, rather than the actual culmination of your life’s journey. We achieve some dreams, abandon others, and find new sources of inspiration and purpose with each new day; it is laudable to have a goal and to work hard in pursuit of it, but we must not forget that a life’s journey is larger than any one dream, lest we find ourselves utterly without direction upon achieving it
Saaya’s doctor friend offers another mirror of her experience, reflecting that she once was like Saaya in wanting to follow in her mother’s footsteps. And though she chose a different path, she still has some lingering regrets – there’s no “correct decision” that will not incur some regret, that’s just how life is
“But when that time comes, I say we need to be honest with ourselves and keep following our hearts.”
It is a difficult thing to demonstrate the difference between a good and bad acting performance in limited animation, but the production is doing its best here, adding in more motions with Saaya’s arms, giving her a stronger expression of conviction, and amplifying the drama of the moment with a suitably anthemic backing track
Saaya now also possesses the strength to announce she will quit acting after this project. I quite like this as a direction to take; all of this talk of finding your dream would ring hollow if it were as easy as picking an interest and happily pursuing it for the rest of your life. Finding a path through life will almost necessarily involve missteps and progress made down ultimately fruitless roads, and Hugtto’s messages land far more strongly for acknowledging that
Saaya states her true passion is medicine, which frankly does seem to fit her far better. And though Ranze is sad to lose her rival, she still respects this earnest decision
“I’ll work hard so that, someday, I can face you again and proudly say, ‘I’m the person I always wanted to be.’” All that any of us can hope for
But then that bitter sonofabitch Listol harnesses her mother’s lingering regrets to make an Oshimaeda! We’re tired of your crap, Listol!
The Oshimaeda takes Hugtan as a substitute for Saaya, a not-quite-even-a-metaphor for her unstated desire to keep Saaya as her beloved dependent daughter forever. A beat that reflects how these Oshimaedas feed on negative emotions, but that those negative emotions aren’t necessarily the “truth” of our feelings. As the doctor said, we still feel regrets even when we choose the best possible paths – regret and nostalgia are inevitable, but they do not have to define us
And so Saaya journeys into the Oshimaeda, to confront her mother directly
“Now my beloved daughter is becoming her own woman. So why can’t I cheer her on?” As ever, one of Hugtto’s great strengths is its acknowledgment of the frailty of adults, how maturity is more of a practice than a threshold. Guiding children towards adulthood demands acknowledging the limitations of adulthood as well, as Hugtto and Doremi well know
And after their reconciliation, they return just in time for Santa Claus to fall out of the sky. Sure, why not?
And Done
Now that was a top shelf episode! Frankly, it was such a generously stuffed escapade it couldn’t even fully wring out all its ideas, as I’d happily have taken an entire episode of nonsense fantasy adventures starring kung fu Homare and black cat Lulu and the rest of them. But I can’t exactly complain about the second half’s compelling portrait of career anxieties as explored from both the young and parental perspective. Both Saaya’s decision to reject her mother’s dream and her mother’s conflicted response demonstrated Hugtto at its most thoughtful and compassionate, offering consolation to all who struggle with finding a fulfilling path through life, as well as those who place their own hopes in the dreams of the people they love. Saaya episodes are generally great, and this was no exception; Hugtto remains strong as it marches towards its own grand finale.
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