Hugtto! Precure Episode 46

THIS EPISODE. THIS EPISODE MAN, I AM SCREAMING.
Three episodes left, and Hugtto Precure just reeled me right back in!
It was revealed today George’s existence initially started off as this “observer”, who oversees the action of Humanity, and witnessed them drive themselves to their own demise. Supposedly, it’s the people who brought time to a stop, and that’s why George believes the Precures’ struggles of protecting everyone’s hopes and dreams of tomorrow are meaningless. As result, he decided to embark on this quest to “save” everyone from driving themselves into ruins, by stopping time when they are at their happiest. This is his idea of an era of “eternal happiness”, and one of the reason he is doing this, is for the one he loves.
And that woman he loves and is currently fighting for, just may happen to be Hana, in the distant future.

Just take a moment to let that sink in.

When they first dropped the reveal, I was stunned to the point my brain couldn’t process it. My initial reaction was: “WHAT THE !@#&! JUST HAPPENED?! GEORGE AND HANA?!?!?!?!?!!? ARE YOU OH MY FREAKING GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?! SHIT!” and I actually had to rewatch some scenes multiple times to make sure I was seeing things right.
If George really is Hana’s future lover, it would kind of explain why he was always approaching her, how she always seem to have his undivided attention, and it would explain why he looked so upset when she smacked the flowers right out of his hands. I mean, if that isn’t a man with a broken heart, I don’t know what is. Furthermore the two of them sharing a dream together with Hana in a wedding dress of all things, and George reaching out in tears to caress her because he wants to preserve her happiness.—my brain, this is insane. As you can see, I am still struggling to wrap my head around this.
But I have to be honest with you guys, I am kind of at loss of what to think about this. First of all, this is my greatest weakness, I am sucker for these kinds of tropes, so if you’re going to reel me back in, this is the way to do it. Second, this is EXACTLY the kind of drama and excitement this series has been lacking, and I AM LOVING IT! The only thing that could have made this even better, was if they spent a bit more time building this part of the story up. Yes, there were hints everywhere, but I still feel they could have done a bit more to flesh it out. We’ll see how they do with the remaining episodes, and I don’t know about you, but I am already prepared for the waterworks because here’s a depressing possibility: The future Hana is so excited for, is one where she dies young, and that’s why George is fighting so hard to preserve her current happiness.
On the flip-side of my excitement, I can’t help but feel conflicted. I mean, regardless of the fact the two of them may have been or are supposed to be in a relationship in the far off future, seeing George, a grown-up man, approach Hana who is currently a thirteen years old girl seriously creeps me out. I might have been able to stomach it better if Hana were at least 16 or 18 (not that it’s much better), but GAH, it is incredibly difficult to overlook it. I mean, couldn’t they have at least in the dream, made Hana have a glimpse of her grown-up self or something? It would have made it a lot less awkward and become a scene full of feels.
Thankfully, at the very least, although Hana had a small crush on George (until he crushed her hopes and dreams of the future), she is acting out in the manner you would expect: Justifiably creeped out and is actively trying to keep her distance from him because she sees him as an enemy.
And it is a shame there is such a huge age discrepancy at the moment. Obviously it makes sense for this to happen, but still…. There is a huge potential for some serious heartbreaking romance where you have a pair who are supposed to be lovers in the future be split on the ideas of how to deal with what the future holds. But given the circumstances and how significant the characters’ age-gap are, it really does water down the impact this event could have potentially had.
Regardless, I am still very much interested to see what they will make out of this, and how Hana of all people will react when the truth comes out.
Speaking of Hana, I feel like she has been sitting on the back-burner for quite some time now. Finally it’s her moment to shine again, and goodness is she delivering. Hana has matured a lot from where she has begun in the beginning of the series, and one of my favourite parts about her development had to be her ever-growing resolve to fight for the future. And that’s really how Hana makes her scenes so impactful. Now that we know and have a better understanding of the special connection she and George share with each other, I am excited to see how this fight will unfold. This episode was epic, and it despite having mixed opinions about the development, I am very excited for this final battle!
Shit, I think this is the first time I’m really hyped for the next episode in this series. Actually, never thought I would say it, but this episode makes me actually want to rewatch this from the very beginning! Crap, is it next Sunday yet?
Last thing before I wrap this up: I am well aware the PV for Star Twinkle Precure has been released (click on PV if you wish to watch it), and I have received a lot of messages about wanting to know about my thoughts on it. But please understand, I have always preferred going new precure series with as little information as possible, mainly so I don’t go in with pre-existing thoughts or reservations. It makes me happy to know know you guys are excited to hear about my thoughts, but I won’t be discussing the show any further until it premieres, so please be patient with me until then. ; v ; /