My Review
HERE COME STOP AND FREEZE
This week, a new academic year begins at both Jaume I University and Noble Academy, heralding, along with the rentrée, the beginning of a new story arc. And I still cover the struggle for the Hope Kingdom on this blog... one episode per week once more, now that I've come back from Sweden!
I DREAM OF KANATA WITH THE LILAC HAIR
The episode opens in a meadow rife with all kinds of wildflowers, across which Haruka as Cure Flora is strolling. Suddenly, she beholds, standing before her yet with his back to her, a young man clad in white, standing up to his knees in a shimmering lake. He turns out to wear a sceptre and epaulets, and to have fine flowing lilac hair, just like Grand Kanata, the estranged crown prince of the Hope Kingdom.
CURE FLORA (curious): Um...
The young man in white turns around...
and he is revealed to be Kanata indeed!
And he smiles widely to Cure Flora, without saying anything.
Her eyes fill with tears of joy and her lips curl upwards in a wide smile of elation.
Shedding tears, she runs towards the estranged royal...
CURE FLORA (running towards Kanata, shedding tears of joy): Kanata!! I wanted to see you so much!! KANATA!!!
PUFF (appearing out of nowhere): Puff! It's time to wake up!
Haruka, startled, is awakened by her pet-maid, who was sitting on her face and tickling her. So her reunion with Kanata was but a dream... but aren't dreams the leitmotif of this series?
PUFF (in Haruka's arms, smiling): Good morning!
HARUKA (recovering from her fright): G-Good morning.
Then, suddenly, she realizes that she overslept and will most surely miss the new academic year's opening ceremony, of which Yui, braiding her hair at the dressing table, has just informed her.
HARUKA (scared stiff): I overslept!!! Yui!! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!!?? (She changes into her uniform and gets ready for the course opening as fast as she can.)
YUI (calmly, petting Puff): You looked so happy that I didn't want to wake you up.
PUFF (to Haruka): Did you have a nice dream?
HARUKA (doing her auburn hair before the dressing-table mirror, blushing and smiling): Yes.
In the end, Haruka is fully dressed and prepared.
HARUKA (curtsying): Have a nice day. (Gokigenyó) (Elated.) I'm so pumped up for my second year!... Let's... go!!!
BAD SEEDS
In the woodland on the outskirts of Yumegahama, a tiny seed similar to a crimson rosebud, with both ends pointy and round in the middle, falls slowly on the ground...
Then, unexpectedly, this seed swallowed up by the ground as if it had been water, leaving even concentric ripples on the ground as it sinks and afterwards.
The ground throbs loudly, "LUB-DUB!!!" like an enormous heart, and it flashes deep purple, the colour of despair energy, for a single instant.
Another seed with the same appearance is absorbed by the marble pavers of a path in the Noble Academy gardens. The ground throbs loudly, "LUB-DUB!!!" like an enormous heart, and it flashes deep purple, the colour of despair energy, for a single instant.
A third seed, similar to the other two, is absorbed by the ground in the middle of a downtown street corner, to the left of a zebra crossing. The ground throbs loudly, "LUB-DUB!!!" like an enormous heart, and it flashes deep purple, the colour of despair energy, for a single instant.
A fourth seed, sharing the same appearance of the previous three, is absorbed by the ground in the middle of a meadow rife with mauve pompom-like clovers. The ground throbs loudly, "LUB-DUB!!!" like an enormous heart, and it flashes deep purple, the colour of despair energy, for a single instant.
A deep purple despair vapour spreads throughout the meadow, tainting all the clover flowers and turning them deep purple.
HARUKA BECOMES LESS THIS-LOSER-IS-YOU (AT LAST!!!)
Haruka turns over her homework, which she had done during the summer, to her teacher with an enthusiastic smile.
HARUKA (enthusiastic): I've had lots of fun and I've studied hard as well!
LANGUAGE TEACHER (calmly): You're more like a proper Noble Academy student now.
Haruka replies with a giggle and a smile.
Upon entering class, Haruka turned around and saw a white vase, tied with a yellow ribbon, full of pink daisies on the classroom windowsill, which immediately drew her attention.
HARUKA: So pretty!
LOCK PURIFIED: KURORO, THE LITTLE FOXY KITTEN
The Cures, after class, head for their Leçons with Madame Shamour in their cottage headquarters.
MME. SHAMOUR: Allons commencer our Leçons de Princesses!
The class is full of flowers, vases, pots, baskets, ribbons... It's an ikebana lesson!
MME. SHAMOUR: Ikebana, flower arrangement, is to make the flowers even prettier.
Soon, all four girls are ready. Haruka, surely inspired by the vase she has seen on the classroom windowsill, has made a little wicker basket full of pink daisies.
MME. SHAMOUR: Pas mal, but pas bien either.
Haruharu takes this criticism on the dark side. Pessimistically.
HARUKA (resigning herself): I guess so. I love flowers, but I'm not good at arranging them.
KIRARA (finishing her beautiful ikebana, tucking a lemon-yellow daisy in): This is all about having the sense for it.
TOWA: Madame Shamour...
MME. SHAMOUR: Quoi?
TOWA (worried, tucking a scarlet rose into her scarlet-themed ikebana): How is he doing?
MME. SHAMOUR (sighing): Il dort still.
The purified Lock, now the adorable fox-like kitten Kuroro, sleeps snugly in a canopy bed with cushions shaped like fish and paws.
He looks so innocent and sleeps so snugly that no one would tell this was once a sociopath, a traitor, a usurper... Still weary from the Éclat d'Espoir and the despair energy draining, he surely needs to recover.
MINAMI: I never imagined Lock to be a Hope Kingdom fairy.
KIRARA (sighing, holding a sprig of mimosa in her left hand): Yeah. What a shock.
MME. SHAMOUR: That's his true form. He was being controlled by the power of despair.
*Flashback: After being completely drained of despair energy, the unconscious humanoid Lock becomes an equally unconscious ginger fairy kitten. An at first shocked Haruka picks Kuroro up and cradles him in her arms.*
MME. SHAMOUR: Thanks to all of you, he was released.
MME. SHAMOUR: I'll take care of him before he wakes up.
The Cures are finally finished with their flower arrangements. Towa's, a scarlet and green masterpiece with red roses and berries, and pink camellias, is my all-time favourite.
TOWA (worried, angst surfacing, clenching the Sun Key in her right wrist): I want to see my brother soon.
HARUKA: You can!
TOWA (surprised): Oh?
HARUKA (happy): I had a dream about Kanata this morning. I have the feeling that we'll see him soon.
TOWA (her eyes widen, she sighs): Yes, I'm sure you're right.
THE IKEBANA GIRL
Then, at the end of the leçon, Haruka, now dressed in her sports outfit, saunters off to weed the Noble Academy gardens. The flower beds have, after all, been nearly neglected all summer long.
However, she is surprised by seeing every single flower bed bereft of weeds and pests. Who could have tended to the gardens in her absence?
HARUKA: Who did all this? (walking further on.) That's...
A nutbrown girl in an apron is pulling up weeds by the roots, drying the sweat from her brows.
NUTBROWN GIRL: Sigh!
HARUKA (loudly, elated): Have a nice day!! (Gokigenyó!!)
The nutbrown girl is startled
The nutbrown girl lets her fists do the talking.
NUTBROWN GIRL (her scream fills the garden): So-Sorry!!!
HARUKA (lightheaded): W-why are you apologizing? You helped me out a lot! Thank you, Hanae.
HANAE (surprised): Huh?
HARUKA: Flowers were the inspiration for your name. How nice!
HANAE (shyly): Thank you. (Pause.) I don't know if it's because of my name that I came to love flowers.
HARUKA (enthusiastic): I love flowers too!! I didn't know there was someone else into flowers in my class! I should have talked to you sooner!
HANAE (nodding and blushing): Yes.
Hanae giggles, and so does her new-found friend.
Over their heads soars the rumpled crow from last episode... ruffling a few feathers more...
After weeding, Hanae and Haruka chat a little more in the bathroom!
HANAE: The summer flowers will wilt soon. What should we plant next?
HARUKA: Autumn is all about cosmos flowers! And cinerarias, which resist the cold well.
HANAE (smiling): We should grow some tall snapdragons in the back. It'll have a three-dimensional look.
HARUKA (elated): A 3-D look? You're like a professional! Are you thinking of becoming a florist in the future?
HANAE (turning around): Eh? (Shyly.) I never even thought about that.
HARUKA: Do you have any dreams for the future?
HANAE (shyly): Not really... Even though I got into Noble Academy, there isn't really anything I'm good at.
HARUKA (determined): That has nothing to do with it!! (Giving Hanae a bright yellow daisy) Dreams are precious things that anyone can have!
Hanae gasps, astonished.
HANAE (shyly, reaching out for the flower): Precious things, treasures? (She takes the daisy from Haruka's hand. Then, more confidently.) You're right.
A scream echoes through the common bathroom: Hanae has hit her head on the wall!
HANAE: AAAhhh!!!
HARUKA: This is... (Seeing Hanae's vase of yellow daisies, she remembers the similar vase on the classroom windowsill.) Don't tell me those flowers in the classroom... (Surprised.) That was you, Hanae?
HANAE (shyly): Yes.
HARUKA (elated, giving Hanae a high five): I knew it!!! (Powerfully shaking hands with Hanae.) Your ikebana is amazing!!
Then (les yay moment coming up), Haruka clasps Hanae in her arms and presses the brunette to her chest.
HANAE (shyly): I'm not that great...
HARUKA (determined): Oh yeah! How about becoming a flower coordinator?
HANAE (shyly): Flower coordinator?
HARUKA: Arranging flowers in offices and in shops... For weddings as well.
Hanae is surprised by all the possibilities: her eyes sparkle.
HANAE (astonished): Wow!
HARUKA: Right? It fits you perfectly! (Determined.) I'll cheer you on!
HANAE (chuckles, smiling): This is so mysterious. Haruka, with your support, I feel like I really can become one.
HARUKA: Really? Hehehe! Um, I'm learning flower arranging right now. But it's not going well. (Determined.) Can you give me some advice?
HANAE: Sure. If I can help you out in any way...
HARUKA (excited): Of course! I'll grab the flowers, so wait for me!
And thus, Haruka takes her leave of a smiling Hanae.
HANAE (nodding): Okay!
A flock of crows flows through the evening air.
In the meantime, at the tea-table with Minami, Kirara, Towa, and Mme. Shamour, Puff is sniffing the air when she suddenly utters a whimper of pain.
AROMA: Puff, what's wrong?
PUFF (having a painful headache): I have this bad feeling!
*Puff's sixth sense is tingling!*
LIKE IN THAT HITCHCOCK FILM
Out in the garden, Haruka spots a whole flock of crows flying down en masse. Like in that Hitchcock film.
When the crow leader swoops down on Haruka, Towa performs a diving save just in time.
TOWA: Watch out!
The other two Cures and the pet-servants soon arrive as well.
LEADER CROW (with Kraftwerk-like voice): Found you. (Pause.) Cure Flora.
Other crows cover their leader, and, when they leave, he has assumed a rather familiar humanoid form... much to the Precures' astonishment....
MINAMI (astonished): No way...
KIRARA (astonished): Impossible!
AROMA (astonished): This can't be real!
CLOSE (coldly): I'm back from the depths of hell. (Pause.) Princess Precures.
CLOSE: I'm here to defeat you!
AROMA: I thought you were defeated by the Precures!
CLOSE (sociopathic): Cure Flora... Let me smother your dreams with despair!
The Precures subsequently transform.
CLOSE (sarcastic): Long time since I saw that figure.
CURE MERMAID: Precure Frozen Ripple!
Close is encased in a block of ice, yet he manages to make sliced ice out of it.
The cold never bothered Close anyway.
He breaks his icy prison and strikes Cure Mermaid down at one fell swoop, sending her falling to the ground and screaming in agony.
CURE TWINKLE (attacking Close from above): Precure Meteor Humming!
Close dispels all of the meteors with a force field.
Then, he gives Cure Twinkle such a powerful kick that he sends her flying across the garden, screaming in agony.
But a scarlet Precure, to him unknown, is hovering above Close...
Cure Scarlet, swooping down and firing a massive fireball, with a plan to strike Close in the back by surprise, is stopped when she strikes his quickly deployed force shield.
CLOSE (ironic): So you're Cure Scarlet?
No reply, but her teeth clenched in disappointment.
CLOSE (ironic): So you're Cure Scarlet? I thought your flames would be much hotter than this. Not hot enough!
(He sends a purple electric surge up Cure Scarlet's wrist. She screams in pain. 
Then, Close sends his greatest electric surge from the skies and basically fries the princess of scarlet flames.
CURE FLORA: Scarlet!
CLOSE (turning around, facing the Cures, still ironic): What? Is it over already? Do I even need to be here?
AND NOW... STOP (THE MARCH HARE) & FREEZE (THE DORMOUSE)!
Two twirling despair seeds with green cores, one with a silver husk, the other with a golden husk, appear before Close, then plunge into the ground. The seeds, landing at the foot of the steps, are absorbed by the pavement, which flashes deep purple and throbs like a huge heart: "LUB-DUB!"
(*shudders!!*)
A deep purple mist rises from the ground.
CLOSE: Come out.
Before the twin towers of the Noble Academy front entrance, two equally symmetric vine-stalks (similar to Jack's magic beanstalk) quickly grow. There are crimson buds at the ends of both stalks.
CLOSE: Stop.
(One of the buds opens, to reveal a girl in black, white, and green, with golden cuffs and a silver hare-ears helmet.)
Close: Freeze.
(The other bud opens, to reveal a girl in black, white, and green, with silver cuffs and a golden rodent-ears helmet.)
STOP & FREEZE (unison): Des...pair! (Or did they say "des...porg!"?)
The flowers and stalks then desintegrate into green light.
STOP: Desporgs born from intense dreams are nice.
FREEZE: But a recently cultivated dream is nice as well.
CLOSE: Go.
STOP & FREEZE (unison): Yes!
Stop and Freeze teleport away.
In the bathroom, Hanae is thinking about her future.
HANAE: Flower coordinator, huh? (She smiles and giggles.)
The two new Dysdarks teleport each to a side of Hanae.
STOP: Stop!
FREEZE: Freeze!
HANAE (startled, turning her head to both sides): What?
STOP: Show me...
FREEZE:...your dream.
They plunge into her dream through the keyhole on her heart.
HANAE'S DREAM:
"I want to create the best flower arrangements!"
STOP & FREEZE (unison): We'll stop and freeze that dream inside a prison of despair.
STOP: Stop...
FREEZE: Freeze...
STOP & FREEZE (unison, holding both hands):...your dream! (They let go of one hand each, releasing twin desporg padlocks.)
And thus, Hanae becomes their first known victim.
STOP & FREEZE (unison): The dream has been stopped and frozen.
A great battle ensues, at first harsh for the Cures since Desporg!Hanae is constantly summoning flower projectiles and firing volley upon volley at her opponents.
CLOSE (coldly, protecting a trapped Hanae): Flowers in bloom are doomed to wilt. That's all.
CURE FLORA (determined): Even so... The flowers will bloom again!
Encouraged by these words, all four Cures rapidly and powerfully curbstomp the desporg.
*Puff and Aroma transform into servant mode once more!*
With the Princess Palace, the Cures transform into Mode Elegant Premium once more.
Desporg!Hanae is purified with Éclat d'Espoir.
STOP: We couldn't Stop the dream.
FREEZE: We couldn't, but...
STOP & FREEZE (unison, snapping their fingers and pointing at the Cures): They despaired.
CLOSE: The flowers will keep on blooming. Just like despair. Despair begets despair.
And it grows even bigger.
CURE SCARLET: What is going on here?
Close does not reply, but retreats back to the occupied Hope Kingdom with his two new lieutenants.
CURE FLORA (cradling the unconscious Hanae): I will ensure your dream blossoms.
CURE TWINKLE: I didn't think Close would revive.
CURE MERMAID (worried): "Despair begets despair?" What is going on?
THE DYSDARKS' NEW AGENDA
Meanwhile in the Hope Kingdom...
SHUT (depressed): Our castle disappeared. All that's left is sadness. (Speaking into his rose like a microphone, melodramatically) Oh, what should I do now??
CLOSE (from behind Shut): Shut away all of the dreams, like you used to.
SHUT (scared stiff, with another of his priceless expressions): C-C-C-C-C-Close!!?? How come!!??
CLOSE (calmly): I was revived.
SHUT (surprised, as Close shows him the Gauge): Revived!? (Pause.) That's...
CLOSE (smugly, looking into the full Gauge): That guy was a boring traitor, after all... But it's all good. His own despair filled this up.
SHUT (exceedingly surprised, priceless expression once more): Don't tell me!... Lock!?
CLOSE (advancing towards Shut): Despair will not disappear. (Pause.) It lacks sound and breath. It approaches all who dream. And then, all of a sudden... (Pause. Then, in an ominous tone.) ...it appears.
Thorny vines rise rapidly behind and around the Dysdarks.
SHUT (surprised and frightened): The... the Forest of Despair!!??
Close then soars high over the Forest and, against the crescent moon, the full Gauge shines like a bright magenta star in his cupped left hand.
CLOSE (calmly): Please accept this.
A bright burst of blood-red despair energy surges from the Gauge, losing itself within the vines below, which then glow blood-red and shoot up to the dark sky, concealing Close from view.
Shut stands agape in awe, and he is soon swallowed up by the thorny vines, which shoot up en masse, piercing the skies, and becoming an eerie fortress with slender towers.
CLOSE (smiling): Welcome home... Your Ladyship, Lady Dyspear.
With his two lieutenants, he bends the knee to his liege, Shut doing the same at a convenient distance.
DYSPEAR: Close... (Pause.) Good job.
CLOSE: I have planted the seeds of despair, as you ordered. Now they will take root and grow slowly, little by little. Within their world.
DYSPEAR: You three will follow Close's orders.
Stop and Freeze don't care, but Shut... Shut is obviously aghast upon discovering that Close has been promoted ahead of him.
SHUT (shocked, once more a priceless expression): Huh!? Me, too!?
DYSPEAR: (Evil laugh, that echoes throughout the throne room.)
Notice how Close stands, well, Close to Her Ladyship, flanked by his lieutenants, with Shut distanced and detached many steps behind.
Knowing Shut, we are sure that he will do something to get more attention...
KANATA??? ARE YOU STILL THERE???
In the light of the full moon, standing up to his wrists in a shimmering body of water (and this is most surely the Pacific off the coast of Yumegahama), a young man can be seen.
A closer look reveals that he may be Kanata, with that thick lilac hair and those broad shoulders, but without the trappings of royalty, dressed in a modest shirt and waistcoat.
So is this lad Prince Grand Kanata?
We'll have to wait until upcoming episodes.
MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
A new academic year and a new story arc begin, and thus, we get to reunite with those whom we thought disappeared forever, and also to get to see two or three new faces (aside from purified Lock, we have learned to know Stop, Freeze, and victim of the week Hanae.) And thus, here is the overview of all the old friends and the new that we have seen:
Haruka having dreams of Kanata, and claiming how she senses they will be meeting again soon is ominous to me- ESPECIALLY with how we see Kanata’s figure by the water, shrouded in darkness. the only thing that is screaming in my head right now is, “Haruka, you are going to meet Kanata again, but not the Kanata you remember!” I mean, it can’t be that easy, right? On top of that, it looks like he is in their world now, so it definitely shouldn’t be long now. I would give it about maybe two to four more episodes before he actually appears.
"You Can't Escape Your Past...!"
Fanart of Kuroro with Lock for a shadow.
While the episode was absolutely fantastic, graced by Close’s epic return, followed by Stop and Freeze’s debut- there was one thing that threw me off and I can’t say I am too happy about it. Right off the bat of the episode, we suddenly learn that Lock was in fact a fairy who was consumed and controlled by despair. Okay so, here’s the thing. Maybe i would have reacted differently had they actually shown us this LAST WEEK. It irritates me how they decided to just throw it in within the first thirty seconds of this episode. While I am very familiar with the fact it is not by any means unusual for some of the villains to return to a “Fairy Form” after their defeat, for Lock’s case, I find it kind of lame and super unoriginal…. unless there’s a strong backstory which supports a purpose: such as the theory going around how, perhaps Dyspear was previously the fourth Precure, and is the Princess Precures’ darkest secret. See, I can see some potential logic and understanding if Lock who we now know has been a Fairy from the Hope Kingdom to begin with, had served Dyspear in the past before he became evil. I would understand that because it would creates a situation where those who were unsuspecting can now start connecting potential dots. On the other hand, if this theory is not going to be anywhere close to the truth… then boy, they better have a solid explanation because I don’t like it when villains suddenly turn into fairies without serving an actual purpose for the story.
Then there's this redoubtable speech he gives:
CLOSE (advancing towards Shut): Despair will not disappear. (Pause.) It lacks sound and breath. It approaches all who dream. And then, all of a sudden... (Pause. Then, in an ominous tone.) ...it appears.
Sounds like Petyr Baelish's "chaos is a ladder" speech, doesn't it?
Two characters who, for all intents and purposes, act as one character, always appear together and are never introduced individually. Even if there are frequent disagreements between the members of such a unit, they will act as one entity as soon as the Plot moves on.
The twindividuals are near-identical or very similar in at least one but usually several aspects (appearance, character traits, way of talking, job etc.). Sometimes, the twindividuals' members differ in some conspicuous way, but are still uniform in all other ways. Finishing Each Other's Sentences is not uncommon among twindividuals (and, in fact, Stop and Freeze do it all the time).
A twindividual is just a homogeneous crowd. As a rule of thumb, twindividuals are based on the principle of kindred spirits.
Typically, the twindividual is a background character or part of an Ensemble Cast (Stop and Freeze are members of the Standard Evil Organization Squad du jour, which makes them part of an Ensemble Cast).
Id est, twindividuals or a twindividual: two characters who form a unit and are nearly always together and nearly similar, except for a pair of details which serve to tell them apart and establish whose name goes with which character. Their synchronized movements and coordinated clothes surely reinforce the idea of being a twindividual.
Many of us were concerned about him (Close) being under control of the new duo additions due to his different markings, and eyes glowing in the preview last week. However it turned out to be the just the opposite: It is Close who has all the authority, with Dyspear’s help he had created Stop and Freeze.
They say ‘Desporg‘, so even I am uncertain about what they are- but let’s just go with the most obvious implication: a higher and more intelligent form of desporg. Dyspear has now assigned Close to be their new leading general, telling the three (Shut included) how they will be working under Close’s command. On the extra note, this is super awkward because Shut is the only one who has survived in one piece from the very beginning, yet it’s Close who previously failed, is getting the promotion. Poor Shut, will he ever gain recognition from anybody?
Since they are born from flowers that grew from seeds like Thumbelina, I guess that would make them some sort of dryads/wood nymphs/plant people, eh? But their eerie voices sound more like a techno singer's, reminding me of Kraftwerk. And they appear, from these voices and their facelessness, to be less human and more emotionless than the other Dysdarks... Still, we barely know these twindividuals...
The first person to get her dream Stopped & Frozen was this ikebana girl, Hanae (name means "flower gift.") It looked already from the start that she would become the target.
The new Dysdark fortress: with slender spires and such art nouveau-style structure, their new headquarters, which could as well appear in Westeros (if I should have a say, in Dorne) far more impressive than the occupied Hope Kingdom palace, their former lair.
So far, the seeds entering the ground, with that absorption and the throbbing that came afterwards, made me turn pale and shiver, reminding me of a traumatic anime sequence from my childhood: in the Kaorinite arc of Sailor Moon S, when daemon eggs (in Japanese, Spanish, and Catalan: they're called "daemon pods" in English) were absorbed by inanimate objects, they sank into the object and it then throbbed like a heart and flashed crimson for a mere pair of seconds (*shudders!!!*), which still gives me the willies.
Guess I like organic horror. It makes me feel scared, but also excited. I'm also thinking of the Forbidden Fruit in Noah (the 2014 film), where the fruit that made Eve sin was scarlet and pear-shaped and fist-sized, and palpitated and throbbed "lub-dub!!" (*shudders*) like a heart, but a heart at the end of a branch! (Ever since I saw Noah, the words "forbidden fruit", in any language, conjure up that image to me...!!)
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| The Forbidden Heart/Fruit. |
Then there were the parasitic Seeds of Darkness (Dark Spores in the English and Swedish dubs) in Digimon Adventure 02 (*shudders*) They were like the Mirror of Reason shards, basically. One such Seed turned my favourite character, the aloof Ace Ken Ichijóji, into the Kaiser, the villain of the first arc. Then, in the next arc, after Ken had performed a heel-face turn through the power of love, other children and teens were infected with Seeds of Darkness. These seeds bury themselves into the nape of the host's neck (most surely to reach the victim's central nervous system). Symptoms ensue, quickly beginning like those of Mirror-of-Reason syndrome: detachment, emotional coldness, disdain for others, and mind-control Empty Eyes (without any twinkles or highlights), as well as the host's physical and mental performance skyrocketing (becoming an academic athlete, but at a price).
As the condition progresses, the seed will gradually grow into a plant with a scarlet pompom-like inflorescence from the nape of the host's neck, until this process finally kills the host (luckily, Ken was freed even before his Dark Flower began to sprout). Scary, eh?
The highlight of Close’s return is without a doubt his unwavering loyalty towards Dyspear despite the fact she had disposed of him in the past. It was almost kind of… for the lack of a better word, ‘romantic’ to see him return to the Hope Kingdom with a full gauge fulfilled by Lock’s despair, and then proceeded to create the Forest of Despair, which then grew further into a thorn palace. The Hope Kingdom is no more, and Dyspear returns in full health to reign her throne.
The only thing I am a bit uncertain about is, whether or not she was the one to revive Shut, or whether or not he had simply returned to this crow form and wandered around, spying on Lock, waiting for the opportunity to exploit him. Regardless, Dyspear had given him new orders to proceed with their counter plan of planting seeds of despair within the girls’ world. This is a freaking fantastic idea because regardless if they lose, they already have a secret plan which will likely peak before any of the Precures or Fairies knows what is happening.
Lady Dyspear
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Close
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Stop & Freeze, Shut
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desporgs
Shut is, thus, on a lower rung than before, since Close has been promoted to Hand of the Queen ahead of him, much to Shut's chagrin. Yeah, at least Shut is as die-hard as Rasputin and did wisely in keeping out of Lock's path by fleeing the royal palace when Lock usurped the throne. A clever bloke like you, Shut, deserves a little more power, right? He feels as rejected as Iago when Cassio was made a lieutenant or Stannis when Renly was given Storm's End. So now he's obviously brooding, and even more unfortunate with his rival promoted ahead of him. Expect Shut to go the extra mile, like Iago and Stannis had done, in upcoming episodes!
The Dysdarks of Wonderland: with these new additions, the Dysdark cadre looks even more like an Unbirthday Party. Dyspear is the Queen of Hearts, Close is the raven compared to a writing desk, Shut is the Mad Hatter, Stop is the March Hare, Freeze is the Dormouse, Lock was the Jabberwock, but now, as Kuroro, he is the Cheshire Cat (does he count, having performed a heel-face turn?).
IN NEXT EPISODE (32):
Minami's cultured and sensitive, dashing and sharply-dressed fiancé, Kimimaro Ijuuin (a descendant of a certain half-German lieutenant?), who loves her but is sadly as friendzoned as Ser Jorah Mormont, has just finished his studies in the UK and drops by at Noble Academy.
However, he realizes that his princess charming has changed more than slightly... And she seems rather ill at ease, and even irritated by his side... But he won't despair in attaining what he desires! And all is fair in love and war: feigning illness, practical jokes... Kimimaro has got a whole deck of cards up his sleeve!
How will their love story end?
Something tells me that his will surely be a great dream to Stop and Freeze...
EPISODE 33 (20 Sep) Teach Us, Shamour🎵 Wish-Granting Happiness Lesson!
NEWTYPE
With Dyspear's powers, Kuroro, a Hope Kingdom fairy, was transformed into Lock, a Dysdark general. Thanks to the girls' efforts, he returned to his true form, however, he becomes disheartened when he remembers how his friends are still suffering under Dyspear's control. The cat fairy, Madame Shamour, who is coaching the girls to become true princesses, devises a plan to cheer him up.
All four of the Cures are given a makeup lesson by Mme. Shamour. During that time, Kuroro the kitten fairy shows up. Though he has been liberated from the parka, it seems that he can't remember his time as Lock and feels down. Seeing Kuroro like he is, Shamour takes him through the streets of Yumegahama. What the others see there when they follow after Shamour and Kuroro is...... (a cat conference)
Ah, more shipping. This episode will decide whether Kuromour will be a caregiver/child relationship or something more. And hopefully give more info on Kuroro's start of darkness and inner turmoil.
EPISODE 34 (27 Sep) Too Big of a Pinch~! Haruka's Princess Contest!
Unknown are the whereabouts of the Hope Kingdom's Prince Kanata. In order to seek his contact in a search, Haruka applies for a Princess Contest to become the model of a chocolate marketing campaign. While Haruka safely passed the preliminary round, hearing that she has to "walk the stage like a model, appearing like a princess" for the second round, she becomes anxious.
Ah, Miss This-Loser-Is-You struck by stage fright. So typically This-Loser-Is-You! All Haruharu needs would be a little liquid courage. Or Towa to have applied for the Princess Contest, since she's the Ace of the series and he's her brother after all.
EPISODE 35 (4th Oct) We Finally Meet Again...! Kanata and the Memories Lost
NEWTYPE
In an unexpected place do Haruka and Kanata reunite. However, he says he lost his memories and is even unable to remember his name. Seizing this opportunity to restore his memories, Haruka takes Kanata to the flower field where they first met.
In an unexpected place do Haruka and Kanata reunite. However, he says he lost his memories and is even unable to remember his name. Seizing this opportunity to restore his memories, Haruka takes Kanata to the flower field where they first met.
ANIMEDIA
Going to town, the girls start their search for Prince Kanata. In their search, the girls encounter the violin workshop's Nishikido. When Haruka shows Nishikido a portrait of Prince Kanata......!?
Going to town, the girls start their search for Prince Kanata. In their search, the girls encounter the violin workshop's Nishikido. When Haruka shows Nishikido a portrait of Prince Kanata......!?
Remember Mr. Nishikido, Twilight's first victim, the septuagenarian luthier who taught Minami the violin? He's back for this episode, and he somehow knows Prince Grand Kanata (WHAT!? Another elderly Noble Academy character allegedly connected with the Hope Kingdom!? This is getting fishy...)
Kanata has amnesia. So typical. Kai in The Snow Queen, Perlino, Marcus in Erstwhile's Singing Springing Lark, Shinobu Ijuuin, Mamoru Chiba... every male love interest separated from his other half in romantic fairy tales is sure to have lost his memories... and to have found himself another lady (or the other lady has rather found him!). Maybe Kanata has also found himself another lady as well (given how much this story borrows from fairytales...).
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