Score: A-

Now this was the kind of episode that Ageha needed. It was just a locked in episode that was about her and almost no one else. It was a nice chance to challenge her and explore why she wants to be a nursery schoolteacher. It’s been there this whole time as a goal, but the show has mostly played around it until now. So, this was a nice chance to really understand Ageha and wish her the best along her path. I agree with Tsubasa that she’s doing just fine as she is. No need to try and be perfect or put on a mask. Honesty is her strength, and she should stick with it.

Team was not happy with Skearhead!

One thing I’m noting is that now that Ellee is set up as Cure Majesty…the story suddenly has time to develop the main cast! She wasn’t that much of a focus in the previous episode and honestly Ellee was almost a non-entity in this one too. I don’t dislike her and think her maturing through the show has been a nice part of the whole experience. But it allows a bit more flexibility when they don’t have to consider what Ellee has going on when crafting the story for the main character of the episode. And it seems from the preview that we’ll be continuing that trend with trying to wrap up the character arcs for the main characters.

This face contains much wisdom!

I do like the supportive role that Tsubasa played here. He didn’t overstep his bounds, but he simply gave some effective support. Just due to his sleeping arrangements he’s seen a lot of the hard work that Ageha puts into her career. And he knows better than most how passionate she is about those kids. So, it was nice to just have him pop out and remind her that she doesn’t have to put up a mask. It probably made it harder for Takeru to open up because she was trying too hard to be cheerful. He wasn’t feeling cheerful and honestly neither was she. For a character that wears their heart on their sleeve, it’s best not to change that pattern just because things are difficult.

Takeru was a good kid

The honest approach did work wonders for Ageha. That she did break down a bit and cry helped Takeru realize he wasn’t the only one hurting. Knowing that someone he looks up to feels as bad about it as he does at least keeps him from feeling like he’s all alone there. And that let the kid pick himself up a bit. If he’ll be remembered after he leaves then at least he can also keep remembering with his head held high.

Kind of interesting that Ageha ends up being able to accomplish what her own idol couldn’t. That lady probably was an excellent teacher and good at supporting kids having tough times. But there wasn’t anything she could effectively do for her grandson. It really was on Ageha to pull through and she did. Since Ageha was part of the reason Takeru was going to regret leaving then she was the only one that could help him. And honestly that’s a great moment for Ageha herself. Nothing like the person you admire praising your accomplishments to feel like you really accomplished something.

Ageha’s journey turned out ok

While Ageha’s past has honestly been awkwardly handled at times, it did all come together here. I still wish they’d found a better episode to dive into her being separated from her sisters as a kid. But at least that combined with (the better handled) Mashiro separation showed how Ageha was a kid that dealt with a lot of separation. She constantly lost the chance to be with the people she cares about. And so it was a nursery schoolteacher that was a huge supportive role in her life. Of course, she’d see that kind of job as something unbelievably valuable. For Ageha, it really was that important. And since she managed to clear this difficult trial, I think she can look ahead to her own future with more confidence.

Don’t mess with her students!

The fight was honestly great this week. There was some pressure as at least Sky remembered that Skearhead is a powerhouse and could tilt the scales if he jumped in. She did have to choose to focus on the enemy actually attacking, but at least she kept that in the back of her mind. I like that they did start off with Butterfly and Wing fighting together. They are one of the pairs of this show and they deserve a few moments like this where they have to take on a severe challenge while waiting for backup to arrive. The various characters got to play their parts and I’d say it’s one of the better overall fights for the show. This enemy was weird, but it could put serious pressure on the cast.

Naturally Butterfly had to be the one to deliver the most decisive blow. And I like that she learned from the past. That thing was able to smartly bypass her defense and she baited him by creating the same situation. Good on her for not only dodging some attacks but setting herself up for a serious strike that led directly to the finisher. That’s how these fights really should be.

This was a fun episode

I won’t say that Ageha has always been my favourite in the cast. But this was easily her best episode of the show. It was a good chance to learn about her and appreciate why she wants to be such a great nursery schoolteacher. We are clearly heading into the endgame for this show though. They are starting to finish off as many character arcs as they can. Makes it safe to presume that once they are done it’ll be nothing but the main Ellee story until the finale.