Score: A-

We are definitely heading into some interesting territory after this episode! They seem to be simultaneously working on a Cutty redemption story and exploring Purirun’s arc. The solution to both might be very much connected which will work out nicely. I am curious to see when this gets resolved. It could be in the next episode, but this might stretch into another one past that. Regardless of all that though, this was a good episode that handled both sides of the story well.

Not a good retirement policy!

It has been clear for a while now that Cutty was reaching his limit. He literally just handed the key over to Idol when she asked for it. Guy was at the point where he couldn’t even convince himself that this was something he could keep doing. So there he was in the bar just blissfully watching their finisher. There was no sense of antagonism, just pure fandom. Now I wouldn’t necessarily say he was watching the group though since Idol really is his favourite. No shock either that he tried to get out of work by lying about being sick. Too bad his coworker actually was sick so…he got sent off! Poor guy is so far gone that he was creating hilariously cute images of Cure Idol being upset about him doing bad things.

So obviously he was done at that point! Well he first had to be further broken upon seeing the girls working hard at practice. Like any fan he could really appreciate the behind the scenes hard work. After that even Cutty couldn’t lie to himself. He knew that fighting these girls was simply beyond him and that he also had kira kira within himself. Too bad for him their true boss wasn’t going to let him simply retire! Darkrine is kind of scary since she can just appear from out of nowhere like that. It was a kind of dark moment with her dragging the kira kira out of him and cutting it herself. I’m not sure if he ended up so powerful because he was an antagonist himself or because he was created by Darkrine’s powers directly. Either way…he was a beast!

He was a lot to handle

The Precure just couldn’t handle Cutty at all! They put up a good fight, but his raw power was just overwhelming. Wink’s barrier was obliterated and she took a brutal hit. I admittedly think that Kyun Kyun went out too easily. I mean all that happened was that Idol collided with her. Not as if she landed all that harder than Idol did. But I get it, the fight wanted to hurry up to the 1v1 between Idol and Cutty. I just kind of wish that Kyun Kyun took a hit that more reasonably would have taken her down. But hey, maybe Idol hit her in the chin and that gave her a mild concussion.

Point being that the girls were in a bad spot. They were trying to gut out a win, but nothing was working. I don’t blame them for trying to just go for the finisher since they were getting demolished in a straight up fight. It is obvious to say that a finisher might not work if you can’t even weaken the enemy through head to head combat. But it was all they had and they were pissed off after Purirun took a harsh hit. But I am glad that it wasn’t as simple as using the finisher and ending the fight. The girls did land their strike…but Cutty endured. Not because he has any will to fight against these girls, but Darkrine’s powers are clearly a cut above.

Only Cutty’s Idol can save him!

This sets up a great redemption coming up for Cutty. Idol is the girl he’s the biggest fan of and she’s more than aware that he’s in a bad state. He doesn’t want to fight and it’s only because of that intense will that things ended without a winner. Cutty himself stopped the huge beam attack that could very well have finished off the Precure. But also we got to see Idol make her desperate effort to call out to Cutty. He’s going to be saved and I look forward to seeing where things go for him when that happens. Will he just become a side character who is a huge Cure Idol fan? I’m curious though if he might just straight up join the team. I’m sure he’d love to be part of the support staff for the Idol Precure.

Purirun just wants to truly belong

All of this was happening while Purirun’s arc was building up. We’d already seen a few times how she’s felt left out. There’s been that gap where she’s such a huge fan of the Precure, but she’s not truly one herself. They’ve also tried to include Purirun whenever possible. We saw them make that little outfit for her and throughout the training arc of this episode they made sure to make her feel like part of the team. Uta’s words of considering her a member of the Idol Precure meant so much to her for that reason. But…she’s not one yet. Purirun has the will to fight, but not the ability. And that cruel reality hurt more than the hit she took. She can’t stand her inability to actively do something and so…leaves at the end of the episode.

This has to all be leading to Purirun (and I presume Meroron) becoming the mid-season Precure. The pieces are obviously all in place. There’s a mystical lock and key (obvious merchandise) with a legend about granting any wish, Purirun is frustrated over not being a true member, the enemies are getting stronger (their finisher failed), etc. Everything is there for Purirun to awaken as a Precure and add to their firepower. Not to mention…Purirun’s VA is Yoshino Nanjou (Symphogear’s Shirabe). If you have a vocal talent like that in the cast it only makes sense for her to become a Precure and actually flex it!

They will need more!

I really enjoyed this one. The fight honestly felt pretty brutal. Cutty in that form was overwhelming and the girls just couldn’t handle him. They didn’t even really force him to retreat so much as his willpower forced himself to retreat. If the girls can’t up their game they won’t be able to stop Cutty or save him. They certainly won’t even have time to worry about that Hanamichi Town Fest at this rate! Purirun’s choice at the end of this episode was a surprise. But it’s a choice that should force the story to keep moving forward.