Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today is a bittersweet moment indeed, as we at last reach the conclusion of the emphatically charming Hugtto! Pretty Cure. After having brought so much joy to both her familiar town and us in the audience, Hana and her friends will be charging towards the camera and greeting us for the very last time, before racing off towards their shining futures. Popple, Dr. Traum, Hugman, and all the rest \u2013 it feels like we\u2019ve come to know this community intimately, which only makes it that much harder to say goodbye.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, to lament the necessity of moving forward would be to disregard all the lessons Hugtto has worked to instill in both its characters and its viewers. The future need not be a source of fear or anxiety; it is forever an opportunity, an open canvas, a chance for transformation and renewal. Just as Saaya and Homare grappled with their shifting ambitions, just as Popple and Gelos picked themselves up and charted a new path forward, so must we bid farewell to this persistent source of comfort and cheer, this show that has been a companion to me for years now. Hugtto was wonderful, but its spirit assures me that there are still many wonders ahead. Now let\u2019s finish strong!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 49<\/b><\/p>\n And here Hana is, spinning her arms and greeting the screen like nothing\u2019s changed. I suppose it hasn\u2019t; time\u2019s passage is inevitable, but we can still hold onto the people and the traditions that make us happy. In fact, it\u2019s time\u2019s passage that <\/span>makes<\/span><\/i> those traditions so important, as a reminder of what we still hold dear even as the years pass by<\/span><\/p>\n We then cut to a reprise of the show\u2019s first scene, as Hana considers her hair before a mirror before heading off to school. The first time, this scene was subdued and desperate, a lonely bid to discard a personality that had left her isolated. Now she seems full of confidence, and Harry calls her to breakfast from downstairs, reminding her of all that\u2019s changed since then. All things shall pass eventually, but that includes the bad times, too<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEmbrace Your Shining Future!\u201d A title that\u2019s explicitly a call to the audience as well<\/span><\/p>\n Hana\u2019s sister is now willing to admit Hana is cool, even if she still gorges on food like a baby<\/span><\/p>\n We check back in with their various episodic school friends, and I am reminded that they go to school in a friggin\u2019 castle. Though I suppose that central, crenelation-topped tower building is actually a pretty common school structure in anime, if not in Japan itself \u2013 I believe Tokyo University centers around a similar building, and there are endless matching examples in anime, from Dear Brother to Star Driver to Utena<\/span><\/p>\n Henri admires Emiru\u2019s brother Masato as he shakes off the cobwebs and tests out his piano abilities. Inspired by his sister, he is also returning to expressing himself through music<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNice. Life\u2019s all about new challenges anyway, isn\u2019t it?\u201d A line that carries particular significance for Henri, who is now beginning a wholly new post-skating chapter in his life<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wonder\u2026 if I\u2019ll always remember the way the sky looked today?\u201d \u201cNo matter where you go, it\u2019s all one sky.\u201d Things will change, but we will always be ourselves, always looking up at the same sky<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Traum\u2019s \u201cback-to-the-future\u201d machine is a big green train with a smiling frog head. Bless this man<\/span><\/p>\n One last celebration of Saaya\u2019s love of power tools, with the whole gang joining in this time. This show knows what\u2019s important<\/span><\/p>\n Then Homare and Harry enjoy a movie date with the group. Glad to see they\u2019re successfully keeping it casual<\/span><\/p>\n We even get a check-in on the terrier and his cat girlfriend. Life goes on for everyone<\/span><\/p>\n The girls stumble across a magic pen just as a man suffused with Toge-power stumbles into Traum\u2019s train engine, accidentally commissioning it into a giant Oshimaeda. I was sorta wondering how we would possibly fit a battle sequence into this episode, considering the future has already been saved<\/span><\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s nice of them. As much as I enjoy writing about Precure, I\u2019m also embarrassed to admit I\u2019ve grown accustomed to my episodic \u201cBank Footage Breaks\u201d when everybody starts throwing out the transformations. It sorta feels like a weird kinship with the production team, that we both get to take a rest mid-episode and let the bank footage handle things for a while<\/span><\/p>\n And of course, with this being the last episode, we are immediately treated to some energetically animated signature attacks<\/span><\/p>\n Ah, I see. During the battle, the camera pans over a girl who I believe is the protagonist for the next Precure season. So that\u2019s why they included that pen \u2013 to create a sense of continuity between the seasons, as Hugtto\u2019s stars pass the torch to the next generation<\/span><\/p>\n She introduces herself as Cure Star, in keeping with the next season\u2019s astrology theme. Interesting seeing her distinct design sensibilities contrasted against Hana and the gang \u2013 it seems like they\u2019ve backed away from the \u201chuge transformation hair\u201d of Hugtto and the dessert-themed season<\/span><\/p>\n And thus our last oshimaeda retires from his last unfulfilling job<\/span><\/p>\n Cure Star swiftly retreats, having debuted her appropriate catchphrase of \u201coh my stars\u201d and her apparent interest in kappa-hunting<\/span><\/p>\n We then swerve back to actual Hugtto conclusions, with a brief appearance by the ever-mysterious George leading into Harry packing his suitcase for the trip. George was an odd presence to the last, perpetually gesturing towards painful, \u201cadult\u201d relationships that we only briefly witnessed in the laments of Popple and Gelos. He was forever tonally out of step with the rest of Hugtto, and I actually quite appreciate that \u2013 it\u2019s those strange, inexplicable details in the corners of children\u2019s television that often most ignite the curiosity and imagination of their viewers<\/span><\/p>\n They bring out the luxury soft focus and shading for these goodbyes, as Criasu Corp\u2019s employees make their final preparations to leave<\/span><\/p>\n Emiru\u2019s manager Popple assures her she will be a big star<\/span><\/p>\n Oof, great concept here as Hana stares at the ground, unable to meet the eyes of her departing friends, and thus instead seeing them as shadows that slowly slip out of reach. Parting is sorrowful indeed, but saying goodbye with confidence is a crucial final comfort, an assurance that you left them with a last memory worth treasuring<\/span><\/p>\n A particularly tough moment of Hugtan not understanding why they\u2019re not going together. This episode is ruthless!<\/span><\/p>\n By the time Hana has gained the strength to dry her eyes and smile towards her departing friends, the door has already closed. These moments pass so quickly<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately, there\u2019s still just enough time to say what needs to be said, as they run alongside the departing train. Lovely compositions here, leaning effectively into the magic hour lighting of the setting sun, which of course doubles as a visual reminder of things ending<\/span><\/p>\n Hana sprints to grasp Hugtan\u2019s hand one last time, literally and metaphorically charging towards the future<\/span><\/p>\n Aw jeez, it\u2019s so hard to say goodbye to this crew. This show has been there through all the chaos and sorrow of the last half-decade. I truly love this cast<\/span><\/p>\n The ad break carries us far forward, all the way to the year 2030<\/span><\/p>\n The two best friends from that absurd standout episode are now a comedy duo on television<\/span><\/p>\n Gelos and Charaleet are at this point young kids, each dreaming of their own futures<\/span><\/p>\n And Hana is now a CEO! Dang, her adult design is gorgeous, while still maintaining her kinda feral visual energy<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019s also extremely pregnant, which certainly fits with this show\u2019s general focus on motherhood, as well as Hana\u2019s particular talent for inspiring others to greatness<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Saaya and Homare have both changed up their hair styles, while a glamorous-looking Emiru is now meeting a young but actually growing Lulu for the first time<\/span><\/p>\n Aw jeez, they\u2019re playing their song together. Nope, here come the tears<\/span><\/p>\n As expected, Hana\u2019s baby is basically Hugtan \u2013 though she wisely gives her the more socially approved name \u201cHagumi,\u201d which still gets the hug theming in there<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/b><\/p>\n No, I don\u2019t want to say goodbye! I want the continuing adventures of Hana and her poor employees, of Homare on the world stage, of Emiru and Lulu\u2019s reunion tour! Still, I can never fault a show for leaving me wanting more, and Hugtto was certainly a generous production from its start all the way to its conclusion. I\u2019m grateful to this production team for offering such a warm-hearted introduction to this venerable magical girl franchise, and even more grateful to all of you for steering me through it, and ensuring my work was generously furnished with visits from this delightful family. The world is brighter for every story that teaches us to look forward with hope and compassion; it is stories like these that serve as grand demonstrations of Hana\u2019s own signature talent, her ability to cheer others towards their best possible selves. It\u2019s been a wonderful journey, Hugtto. Let\u2019s all seize that future together!<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December06105855.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n