Hugtto! Precure Episode 12

I know everyone was raving about last week’s episode, but I have to say, hands down this is my favourite episode to date. It was such a good episode. There was just something so special about the way Harry not only opened up about his and Hugtan’s background, but the way he cares for her. What really pulled my heart-strings the most the way looks when Harry reminiscences his world. There was a time when he was truly happy, and I am pretty sure when we get the flashbacks (I expect them to happen at some point), it’s probably going to destroy us all. And I know this because already, I have so much feelings about this. My emotions! It feels like my heart is about to burst! I always liked Harry, but today I thought he looked the most beautiful we have ever seen him, and fell even more in love with him. Watching him interact with Hugtan was so incredibly precious, you can’t top this kind of feeling. You just want to wrap your arms around them and protect them from the cruel world that is out to get them.

But it really makes me wonder more about his connection with Hugtan in particular. How are the two connected? He denies being the father, especially having shown he lacked experience in caring for babies and learned a lot of tricks thanks to Hana’s mom, so is he a relative, a friend, or *something more? (Only if Hugtan has recessed into this form as a side-effect of time-travel.) There was also the part how Hugtan calling Hana “mama” last week was quickly covered up with her calling just about everyone and everything that. So it’s a clever tactic to keep us guessing whether or not she is in fact related to any of the girls in any sort of way.

As it turns out, the world Harry and Hugtan are from is actually from the girls’ distant future. This is why he didn’t want to share much because he was afraid if he changed the past too much, there would be consequences in the future. He says the future they are from is quite some time away, which is why he was comfortable with opening up to them. And it was truly such a tragic thing to hear how the Criasu Corporation destroyed their world, forcing Harry to look for a way to protect Hugtan and travel back into time, barely escaping with their lives. He didn’t expect to have traveled so far into the past though, which is quite interesting given the current “form” of the said evil corporation. Hana and Saaya probably had the best questions in regards to how Harry take take form as a hamster (or mouse as Hana calls him), and whether or not this means Humanity is evolving or regression (bless Saaya’s extreme curiosity)… Funny enough, we didn’t get an answer for that.

Initially Harry believed the bigger the team, the better, thinking they would have a higher rate beating the enemy. But the girls’ inner strength showed him one strength isn’t about numbers, but character, individuality, differences, when those strengths combined, an unbelievable power is born, producing a beautiful melody. And having met the girls, he has a lot more hope they will be able to open the way to a bright new future, and he thanks them for it. One of the things cherishes the most, were the peaceful memories of the world he loves so much. (Wow I just realized this is going to mess us all up at the end of the series, since Harry and Hugtan are bound to return to the future. Crap, I can already see myself bawling about it. I am not emotionally prepared for this.)

And now this is where things get real interesting, because Harry knew about the Melody Sword, but never expected it to have changed forms. It sounds to me, the story which the mysterious book the ‘handsome-no-name’ carries seems to be an oracle that shares the tale of the future, and that very story will change based on the course of actions the girls take, starting with the Melody Rod itself.

I am especially thrilled to see after last week’s episode, the villains are not twiddling their thumbs anymore, we are finally starting to see them be more proactive. Pupple shows yet again she is not someone to underestimated, especially when she’s pissed off. She packed the girls a bit of a punch today, but was unable to successfully take them down, especially with their new power upgrade.

Lulu on the other-hand, is the one who really kicked things up the notch. She is no longer sitting int he office, she took it upon herself to investigate further, and positioned herself by attacking Hana’s mother, and placing a spell of a sort on her to enable her to be a guest living in their household for a bit. It was quite a stark turn, which was quite fitting to say the least considering the girls were previously watching horror movies, but now the real horror has just begun. Lulu will not only be living in Hana’s house to constantly observe her, but she will also be transferring to their school. She is in for a surprise with the way Hana is certainly going to welcome her with open arms, but will that be enough to start thinking about switching sides? It’s a bit early for that, so I suspect if anything, Lulu may only be living at Hana’s place for one episode. It will be very intersting if she stays any longer than that though. Nothing is scarier than having the enemy live in your own house, especially since it’s a place where Hana feels the most comfortable to be vulnerable, in front of her mother no less. Lulu can mess her up big time by having her mother turn her back on her, which would be pretty damn dark for a precure series.

Last week we didn’t get to see the girls’ individual powers from the Melody Rod but I am thrilled to see the absence of the CGI special attack sequence again. I don’t mind the simplicity of the attacks, especially since they are still beautiful, especially Hana’s, “flower shoot” is super adorable! I am also incredibly relieved that Charaleet was not turned into a tree, it was just part of the visuals. (Actually apparently he is still part of Criasu Corporation since he has yet to be terminated, which is a surprising to say the least.)

Of all the episode so far, I would say this is the one that really sets the tone of the series, something that has been noticeably lacking in the last eleven episodes. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, or had any idea of how serious was this series going to be. This episode did a fantastic job of of weaving together the plot development with the girls having fun. The sleepover party was a blast to watch, even a bit nostalgic, and also thoroughly entertaining. Hana just invaded Harry’s place (without his permission) to host the party, Saaya was the only one who could handle the horror movies, and Homare needs to take all the pictures to create the beautiful memories of Hugtan’s preciousness. (Also is it just me, or does it look like Homare might be falling for Harry? Girl, I saw that look in your eyes!) 

Although last week’s episode was good, this was definitely the one that reinvigorates my hope in the series, and truth to be told, this series needed it. Now that it looks like the story is finally starting to pick up, I am a lot more excited to see how it will unfold!