Otona Precure ’23 Episode 2

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Holy moly, Cure Dream is out for blood! The Shadows are CRAZZZYYYY! They can’t be seen or touched by technology, but they can be seen with a Human eye. Only those who have Precure powers can touch and destroy them. So of course I was ecstatic to see Nozomi transform. But the sequences certainly took me on a roller-coaster of emotions because I actually yelled out: OH MY GOD YAY SHE’S TRANSFORM–WAIT WHAT, SHE’S YOUNG AGAIN!? OH COME ON!

However: Upon closer inspection, it appears apart from the unchanged Precure design (which honestly, is a bit of a shame, because I really wanted to see a revamp for them grown up), Nozomi may have not actually reverted to her younger self to transform, but may have reconnected with that innocence and determination that made her into a Precure in the first place. By doing so, she was finally able to become a Precure once more, but this time as her grown-up self. It’s a bit hard to tell at first, but given that she retains the same height as her adult self seems to be the sole indication that she thankfully didn’t actually turn younger again– or at least I’m hoping I saw that right. Anyhow, I still wished we had gotten a revamped outfit to reflect their growth. I get they want to hit the nostalgia, especially with Shooting Star finisher, but mannnnnnn…. it is still a bit of bummer.

But hey, Nozomi popping off in the fight was absolutely glorious to watch. Like DAMN, she was out for BLOOD. Did you see those red eyes?! That was so sick! The whole fight scene was an absolute true treat to watch. It probably would’ve been better if they hadn’t used the lacklustre CGI for the Shadow monsters though, but ehhh, I can live with it. Not the worst, but certainly far from the best. Also side note, I actually thought we witnessed the guy who fell get a head injury and had a pool of blood under him, and so of course I was like HOLY SHIT PRECURE WHAT– except while I was doing the screenshots I realized, it was only his shadow AHAHAHAHAHAHA RIP ME! Please tell me I wasn’t the only one who thought this at first.

As for the Time Flowers: I gotta say they are an interesting bunch. They are said to be shrouded in mystery, and I find it rather curious they have such a gloomy appearance. I had expected it to blossom into color after it bloomed,  so that leaves me wonder if we’ll eventually see them gain color because all of the girls are feeling rather dispirited right now with their dreams. It’s just such a dark contrast to the garden that is strikes me as an oddity with a potential purpose for its distinct appearance. Or perhaps it might be related to the environmental crisis that they once more brought to attention this episode.

Thanks to the introduction of the Time Flowers, we actually got to see Syrup and Natts (no more Nuts with official subs) in the Cure Rose Garden. This makes me wonder if we’re actually going to see them return to the Human World to investigate the bloom as they will surely find out that the girls have become precures once more. We did see a hint of Nozomi wistfully thinking about Coco when Kurumi brought him up, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll have an eventual reunion. But honestly, I’m way more invested in the idea of Komachi and Natts having a reunion, perhaps that’ll help spur her some inspiration and maybe even finish that story she never wrote that would have resulted confessing her feelings. God I loved these two so much. I just really adored their interactions, so wholesome! Of course I’m not holding my breath for them to give them an resolution in this, but man it’d be a really nice full circle if it did— provided Komachi still harbours any lingering feelings for Natts still ahahaha, but I digress!

I really do like that they are going to be paying a lot of attention to the girls struggling with their dreams. They’ve all had some form of success, but they are also all respectively facing challenges that causes them to doubt themselves and their abilities to pursue their dreams. We saw this last week with Nozomi and Rin, and this week they gave us a glimpse into what kind of problems the others girls are facing. Starting with, Urara, she’s doing spectacularly in the industry, but she is struggling at the moment because she’s unable to satisfy the famous director, and is getting brutally chewed out for it. Karen feels powerless in situations where she cannot help her patients, be it a condition she cannot treat, or consequences that might have happened due to having to get treatment (such as one of her patients depressed because he lost his job due to having to get surgery). Then we saw how Kurumi is baffled with the absurd rules where despite having finished all of her tasks and prepared the stuff needed for the morning on time, she is being told that she cannot go home until the president of the company does first (a longstanding problem we hear of in the Japanese Work Culture). It’s good to see them shine light on that, not. only to highlight the problem, but it does validate to the audience members who are subjected to it with: Yeah, it is BS. You did your job, why must you do unpaid overtime? And frankly I think Kurumi’s without a doubt the best character to convey those frustrations. And finally, there’s Komachi, and boy she is really struggling a lot. Honestly I’m most excited for her episode because as an aspiring novelist, I’ve always related to her struggle and frustration, and seeing her still having that roadblock and feeling too ashamed and embarrassed to admit it to others is such mood. It really eats you up inside, especially when those around you ask you about it. It’s the absolute worst feeling.

Next week, it’s going to be Karens’ turn to transform! A bit surprising because there was actually quite a bit of focus on Komachi this week, so maybe she’ll actually be last at this rate. Anyhow, I’m very excited for the next one— though just watch it be the Komachi episode the week I leave for my trip. PAIN.

PS: Seeing the girls get drunk was really funny! Rin and Kurumi were chaos and Urara being the one to hold her liquor! I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS, HAHAHA!