Star Twinkle Precure Episode 11

Following up from last week’s epic episode, the girls continued to run into all sorts of problems! The rocket is damaged, but luckily it can still shrink into “carry-mode” (thank god for that be functioning!) so it wouldn’t be found, Madoka’s father is as intelligent as he depicted to be, and was hot on the girls heels. Poor Ryo had tried to cover for them, but their muddy tracks gave them away. Had it not been for Kaguya’s colleague to draw his attention elsewhere (most likely due to the arrival of the Notraiders), they would have surely been caught!

Upon their return, Hikaru was understandably out of the sorts, consumed by her guilt of letting her friends down and causing problems because of her own selfish desires. So I liked that she sought alone time so she could reflect on her mistakes. I think it was more important for Hikaru’s character to come to understand her mistakes on her own. In fact, I enjoyed seeing this more grounded side of her character. It really helps bring some balance to her energetic character. I also liked her conversation with Ryo, it touched my heart!

The three generals also almost made Hikaru lose faith in herself when they tried to make her believe she didn’t have any imagination at all, (which as we all know, couldn’t be further from the truth). The girls however gave her some words of encouragement, of how her overflowing creativity and ability to imagination all sorts of things has helped them. But what I loved the most about this scene was Hikaru’s tearful response. It showed how much their words meant to her.

Although the girls’ power up wasn’t necessarily as “dramatic” or “flashy” as some have been the past, I liked the simplicity behind it. Their new power came out of the girls’ strengthening their individual resolves: For Hikaru it’s for Earth and the Stars, for Lala it’s being a Precure, Madoka’s was determination, and Elena’s was protecting smiles. And I don’t know about you though, but when they prepared to use the power, I was half expecting them to break into a song! Thank god they didn’t! Southern Cross Shot is spectacular and gorgeous, and I love that it’s used for their power because of the sentimental meaning behind it.

But what I loved the most about this event was a reality-check for not just Hikaru, but all the whole team. For the first time, they got a taste of defeat, and just how powerful the Notraiders can be both individually and when they work together as a unit. They were also given a harrowing reminder of what the Notraiders are known for: Raiding planets. The girls were all horrified to learn the Notraiders have their eyes set on Earth potentially being their next target. Additionally, they have also learned through Butler Bakenyan, whoever holds the power of all twelve pens, will have the power to exceed all things, which makes it all the more important to keep it out of the enemy’s hands.

So it was no surprise to see even though the girls were able to defeat the three generals (thanks to their new power: Twinkle Sticks) and successfully retrieve the Taurus Pen, there was little reason to celebrate. In fact I would say this fight really ended more like a draw, since the girls were not able to retrieve the pen that the generals had claimed on the other planet. Unfortunately, the tension of Madoka’s father confronting the girls (having realized they have always been in the area they were told to investigate) was broken upon the arrival of some film director (who is apparently an alien).

As for the first boss fight, this probably has to be my favourite battle in the recent years. Not only the fight was thrilling to watch (poor Kaguya though! He got hit quite bad!), but I also a huge fan with how they made the generals team up together to take the girls down. Although Kappard and Tengou were initially against the idea, once they used the dark pen to combine their powers, they cooperated with each other without any fuss. It was great to see what they are capable of when they decide to work together, making it a fantastic way to follow up their first fight, especially since their “Master’s Blessing” had expired.

Another detail I enjoyed was what happened after the trio lost. Just as the girls were about to reclaim the pen that had been taken from the other planet, Bakenyan makes himself relevant and successfully retreats with the corrupted pen and the generals in tow. In fact, speaking of Bakenyan, I am quite curious about what he meant by “my power won’t be balanced” when combined with the generals’. I am going to assume this guy is actually incredibly strong, and might be the Master’s eyes and ears so to speak, since as he observed Hikaru awaken the Star Cross power, the Master woke up. I am so intrigued by this development!

Lastly, let’s take a moment to talk about what we learned from the generals this week! They spoke about how ignorant Hikaru is about space, how she (and others) never thought about how they felt, being forced to lurk in the cold and darkest side of the universe, or how (at least) Kappard’s planet have been stolen from him, and so in turn he must steal from others. Now that we know this, it explains so much why Kappard describes Earth to be the ‘coziest’ one of them all, why Hikaru’s love for space sickens him.

Next week, it looks like the girls are going to be given a “breather” of a sorts, but it also looks like they may be facing the enemy while they are buffed up again. Given that they now received their first power up, it only makes sense for the Notraiders to continue adjusting their strategies in order to keep up with the girls, especially if they intend to face them on their own from time to time.