Score: B

I have to say it was nice to see Mashiro start to figure things out for herself. It also allowed them to further continue the character arc of Ellee. Normally I wouldn’t expect much of an arc from a small child. But in this case they are putting in the work to both keep Ellee consistent between the episodes and letting her grow. In that sense I’m curious to see what kind of character Ellee will be by the end of this series. A question that’s becoming more important to ask since we are surprisingly closing in on the halfway point here! The year and the show really has flown by.

I really like this girl

In terms of being consistent I might as well spend some time praising Sora! I do honestly enjoy how extremely likeable she is always. Even in an episode like this her personality shines. She did push Mashiro towards getting into the children’s book competition. But she also apologized for pushing her when it seemed as if Mashiro was having a hard time with it. That element is what makes her Sora of course. So, I’m glad she remains consistent in that respect. But I also like that she doesn’t just push Mashiro and step back to watch things unfold. If she feels like she made things harder on Mashiro…she’ll say something about it. And sometimes her pushing works out better than expected. That can be seen in how Mashiro is starting to find direction for herself.

Princesses don’t have to share!

Ellee’s arc is kind of fun to see unfold. There is an actual risk that she’ll grow into a selfish Princess and cause her kingdom nothing but headaches. People can obviously be selfish and not going to be shocked at a child being selfish. But Ellee isn’t exactly a normal kid. She’s going to grow up to rule a country. If she can’t play with others in a sandbox…what is she going to do when given control over armies!? This isn’t anything new either. We kind of saw that with the shoe story earlier. Despite the girls trying to express why they needed to give the shoes to that lady…Ellee didn’t care! The shopping scene was hilarious because she wasn’t just rejecting goofy choices…but absolutely everything. Nothing was to her standards!

So, I’m completely in agreement with an episode trying to start her character arc into being less selfish! It was fun seeing them try different ways to get through to her. Sora took a more aggressive stance in reproaching Ellee for it. Mashiro tried to gently push her and make it sound like it would be way more fun to share and play with others. Neither worked because…Ellee is selfish. So, I appreciate the way they used Mashiro’s story to drive the development of those around her. It is a nice solution to make use of Ellee’s love of stories to teach her lessons. Who knows if it will work, but I do think that is a good way to try and teach something. Ellee wouldn’t take direct instruction, but disguising learning as fun is perfectly acceptable.

Writing can be a challenge

It is nice for Mashiro that she is finding a direction for herself. She’s always had a good heart and plenty of drive when motivated. But she’s needed something to really direct her energies. I like the idea of her gunning to grow enough to tell stories that can make a difference in other people’s lives. Her kind heart can touch so many people that way. The power of the written word isn’t to be underestimated. And I also appreciate that Mashiro wasn’t all smiles about not winning the competition. We’ve already seen that she does have a competitive streak to her and it’s clear how seriously she worked on this. Of course, she’s a bit frustrated at having lost. But I’m sure she is also taking positives out of this. This competition provided her with something she could really dedicate herself to if she chooses to do so.

This opponent had no respect for finishing moves

There’s not much to say about the battle of the week. It was mostly there because they kind of need the cast to fight monsters every week. Plus, they might as well keep gathering magic stuff to save Ellee’s parents. The best part of the fight was the concept of the monster. The design and combat weren’t anything too special. But it was an amusing fight having him lock down the cast with his red light. I like that it was a universal effect and even the Ranborg wasn’t able to move. The only benefit it got was knowing the timing of when it would unstop time. That was decent for buying time, but there wasn’t much of a chance this thing could win the fight. Having the main girls clear it thanks to Butterfly’s tool (merchandise) worked out just fine here.

A cute story this week

No complaints on giving Mashiro an episode to continue her character arc. The bond between her and Sora remains a highlight in the show and this episode still touched on that. I’m curious to see when the breaking point will come with the current enemy general. I guess the story won’t get there until the mirror pad is much closer to being maxed out. For now, they can just casually give focus episodes to each of the main cast. The summer season is almost over and I’m getting excited to see the shows that will be starting up while Precure continues to steadily continue onward.