Aspiring Writer

[darkershining]

Had a dream last night that Mirai and Liko of Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure had to deal with this evil clone of Mirai that had somehow been created by accident. The clone was threatening to use her magic to harm the passengers of some random airplane if she didn't get what she wanted, so the real Mirai and Liko teamed up with the cast of Ducktales (2017 version) in order to stop her.

Interestingly not the first time I've randomly dreamt up a crossover featuring the 2017 version of Ducktales, since a few years back I had a dream about Fethry Duck having a conversation with Makoto Nijima/Queen from Persona 5 somewhere in Mementos. That's the only part I remember about that particular dream, though.

[darkershining]

One week until Tomodachi Life Living the Dream comes out. Haven't actually decided on whether or not I'll eventually get the game myself, but I'm leaning towards 'probably, yes'.

For now, I'm looking forward to watching people's playthroughs and such on YouTube. I'm particularly curious about all the potential customization options and what custom items can made and such.

As for who I'd put on my island? Well, I had fun making Pretty Cure characters in Miitopia on the Switch, so it'd be kind of fun to do that again, I think. However, 70 Miis isn't enough to make every Precure that currently exists, plus I'd also want to have some of their allies there. So... Kind of hoping a future game update increases the limit, but if not, there are other media I like that I could theme the island around. Alternatively, maybe I could put my OCs there so that they have something to do while they patiently wait for me to finally write a story for them to be in.

I guess I'll think about it.

[darkershining]

Just watched the final episode of You and Idol Pretty Cure.

Picking up where the last episode left off, Darkine suggests Uta surrender. Uta refuses, since her friends are still fighting. Darkine, however, reveals that she has already captured the other four, and sealed them along with everyone else in town into crystal.

As this revelation causes Uta's own darkness to surface, Darkine begins sealing her away as well, commenting that the world will soon finally be silent. Uta asks her to elaborate on what she means, and Darkine figures she might as well tell her before the dark crystals completely engulf her.

Darkine was born in Kurakuland from darkness, and feeds off of said darkness born from human hearts. However, over time, she became annoyed with all the noise from humans struggling to continue to pursue their dreams, their light, even when things weren't going their way. So, she eventually decided to engulf everything in darkness so she could just continue to quietly feed off the darkness without any disturbances.

Uta ponders what to do just before the crystals completely engulf her, and soon finds herself in a nightmare of being all alone in Hanamichi Town, with the other Cures being shown in similar predicaments, at a loss for what to do. Uta continues trying to think of anything she can do, and eventually finds her Kirakilight and recalls the promise she and the others made earlier.

Uta begins to sing, her voice beginning to reach the others as well. Darkine, sensing their light and realizing what is happening, attempts to prevent Uta from breaking herself and the others out, but to no avail. Uta soon manages to free herself, the light from her heart creating a stage for her as she continues to sing out, hoping to reach the rest of the town as well.

For a moment, she can't tell if it's working, but soon light begins to spread across the town. Soon the other four Cures are freed from their crystal prisons, followed by the rest of the town starting to break free. The Cures transform and resume the fight, with Cure Kiss making sure the final fight is streamed to everyone. Everyone in Hanamichi Town begin cheering on the Cures, with Queen Pikarine encouraging the fairies in Kirakiland to do the same.

Everyone's support turns the makeshift stage into an even grander stage for the final battle, with Darkine getting onto the stage with the Cures to demand why they're still fighting as she keeps manipulating her giant shadow to fight them. Cure Idol and the others state it is because of everyone dear to them, everyone who has supported them on this journey.

They attempt their group finisher on Darkine, who resists their attack. She demands to know why they're still fighting, since the darkness will never truly be gone. The Cures acknowledge that she's right, everyone has feelings like that sometimes, but that's okay. Cure Kiss in particular notes that she's learned that it is indeed possible for light and darkness to co-exist. Darkine asks the Cures if they aren't trying destroy her, to which Cure Idol replies that while she doesn't approve of anything Darkine did, she doesn't plan to destroy her for it.

She's decided that light and darkness should stay as they are, and to that end, they extend an offer of friendship to Darkine. With one final push, their feelings finally get through to her, her human form fading as she finally understands light.

Hanamichi Town goes back to normal, aside from the leaves on the Heart Tree falling off, and Kurakuland ceases its attack on Kirakiland, slowly retreating. Darkine is returned to her true form, a fairy similar to Pikarine. The Cures are surprised to see the real Darkine, who stoically admits that she's accepted that the Cures were right, and that darkness and light can indeed co-exist. Happy she's finally seen reason, Cure Idol extends her hand for a handshake, with Darkine accepting. Everyone in Hanamichi Town shout out their thanks to the Cures for everything they've done, with Cure Idol in return thanking them for all their support.

One week after the final battle, the news report about how the Idol Pretty Cure have not been seen since the incident last week, and while they're still unsure about the details, all they know for sure if that the Idol Pretty Cures have saved them all. Pikarine contacts the Cures to let them to know that Kirakiland and Kurakuland have now found a way to properly co-exist with the worlds now connected, and Cuttin and Zakkurin have both returned home safely. We also see that sometime after Darkine's defeat, Chokkirine was reincarnated as a Kirakiland fairy.

Since the Heart Tree is fading, Purirun and Meroron have to return home soon, since the connection between the two worlds will be cut off for a while once the tree fully fades. Purirun is sad about having to leave Uta and the others, but she and Meroron have already made plans to continue acting as Idol Pretty Cures to keep spreading light throughout Kirakiland.

Sometime later, while the Cures are out gathering supplies for a party, a curious Hamori in her detective cosplay follows them. A purple haired girl suddenly arrives to help solve the mystery, quickly figuring out what the girls are up to. When two of the balloons Uta is holding accidentally slip from her hand, the purple-haired girl quickly dashes over and retrieves them before they can float away, returning them to Uta.

Hamori walks over to ask about the party, before noticing that the purple-haired girl has disappeared from sight. While wondering where she went, we see the girl in civilian form noting that another mystery has been resolved.

During their party, Purirun starts feeling sad knowing that the day she and Meroron will return to Kirakiland is fast approaching, but Uta gently pulls her and Meroron in for a hug, the others reminding them that they should treasure the time they have together for now. Tanaka suddenly interrupts, telling Uta she's received a call from Kazuma.

Turns out, he and Kaito are leaving for New York soon, and thanks to Kazuma's call, Uta arrives in time to see Kaito off at the airport. Kaito admits that he didn't tell her because he was worried she'd make him want to stay longer, considering how much he has learned from her. He compliments her on how she and the others managed to save everyone, and how she reminded him of some important things when it comes to being an idol.

He wants to take what he learned from her to reach even greater heights, and so he and Kazuma are headed for New York. Before he leaves, the two promise to someday meet again.

Before Purirun and Meroron go home, the Cures put on one last concert as a group, which segues into the ending credits. Partway through the ending, we see Tanaka taking Purirun and Meroron home to Kirakiland, and their goodbye to the other Cures, who comfort them and promise to always stay friends. Five years later, we see that a new Heart Tree is growing, allowing Purirun and Meroron to go back to visit everyone. They head to a concert venue, where an older Nana and Kokoro are waiting for it to start. The episode ends with the older Uta, having become a regular idol, walking out on stage and thanking the audience for attending.

We end with a brief glimpse at our next heroine, as we get the baton pass with Cure Idol introducing the purple Cure who showed up earlier in the episode, Cure Answer, and her fairy companion, Pochitan.

All right, that's a wrap. I liked the ending, and I see one of my early theories about Darkine having some connection to Pikarine just based on their sort of similar names was on to something. While not necessarily related, I guess Darkine is essentially the dark counterpart of Pikarine. And yeah, I figured it would go a similar way to the battles against Noise and Dyspear, where the Cures would realize that the dark emotions embodied by the villain can't truly disappear, and ultimately they just have to reason with the villain and help find them find a healthier way to handle things.

Also nice to see that Chokkirine did get a second chance in the end by being reincarnated as a Kirakiland fairy. Now she, Cuttin and Zakkurin can start over as equals.

Cool that we also got a bit of a time skip ending, as we haven't had one of those in a while. After Hirogaru/Soaring Sky and Wonderful Pretty Cure both changed up the usual formula a bit, You and Idol Pretty Cure did feel like a return to the usual formula, but in a good way, you know? So, Uta became an idol, Nana is her song writer and Kokoro became an influencer. Very cool.

I've started working on my "Thoughts on You and Idol Pretty Cure" post, and yeah, I feel like I've certainly got plenty to talk about. Don't know how long it'll take me to finish the whole thing, it kind of varies how long I spend working on those. Sometimes it just takes a few days, sometimes a week, sometimes longer. I still enjoy doing it, though.

Anyways, not sure if I'll start watching it right away, or if I'll wait until after I've finished that post I just mentioned so I don't get distracted or whatever, but either way, I'm looking forward to seeing what the next installment of the Pretty Cure franchise has to offer with Star Detective Pretty Cure!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 48 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which the final confrontation between the Idol Pretty Cure and Darkine begins.

Picking up where the last episode left off, Cuttin and Zakkurin invite Chokkirine to be part of something new, but Chokkirine informs them that it's not that simple. She explains a bit about Darkine's origin, and that unlike Cuttin and Zakkurin, Chokkirine is a creation of Darkine's.

Darkine's shadow, now much bigger than before, appears near the stadium, and proceeds to reabsorb Chokkirine. Before fading away, Chokkirine thanks the Cures for teaching her about Kirakira. Cuttin and Zakkurin are upset, while Meroron muses that this might've been Chokkirine's fate. However, she also notes that if the Cures were able to get through to Chokkirine, then maybe they can reach an understanding with Darkine as well.

The Cures transform, determined to reach Darkine, while Tanaka, Cuttin and Zakkurin stay behind to prepare the concert venue. However, Darkine has started setting her plan in motion, letting a bunch of Darkranda loose in the city while trapping bystanders in crystal, much like what happened with Kirakiland. Cure Kiss and Cure Zukyoon save some people from a group of Darkranda, and tell the other three to go on ahead while they stay in the town to protect the people. They promise to meet up for the concert when the time is right.

The Cures continue making their way toward Darkine, but the group split up again when Cure Wink and Cure Kyun-Kyun head off to help others, trusting Cure Idol to convince Darkine to come meet them in person. As they continue fighting, Tsumugu watches from a hiding spot as the Cures fight to protect the people of Hanamichi Town, wondering how long they've been doing this. Tsumugu realizes what she must do, and begins recording Cure Wink's fight against some Darkranda.

As footage of the Cures fighting to protect people from Darkranda make it to the news, other people start recording the battle as well, showing how the Cures are trying to save them all and to not lose hope. Mikoto and some other members of the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club try to rally together people to offer their support to the Cures, with Kaito joining in when he notices some of the people are still unsure what to make of everything.

At the concert venue, Cuttin and Zakkurin express concern whether the Cures will be okay going up against Darkine herself, but Tanaka assures them that he has full faith in them, having watched them grow as their manager. The three of them continue preparing the concert venue.

Each of the Cures use their finishing moves to purify Darkranda, the light from the purification being seen across the town and helping reassure the people. Cure Idol finally reaches Darkine's shadow, and tries to invite her to the upcoming concert. Darkine is not interested, trying to eliminate Cure Idol. Cure Idol tries to use her finisher, with the power boost from her Idol Heart Ribbon form, but it fails to work and Uta is knocked out of her transformation.

However, she looks up to see Darkine having shown up in person. Darkine looks bewildered for a moment, before beginning to spread her shadow across the town, announcing that playtime is over...

Ooh, we're almost at the end now. And now everyone knows that the Cures are more than just regular idols, and it's nice to see some of the supporting cast gradually pitching in to rally people together and cheer on the Idol Pretty Cure. I also liked Tanaka's little speech on having watched the Cures' growth throughout the season, and each of the Cures sort of getting a little moment to highlight what each of them have learned over the course of the season. Curious to see how this will end.

I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 47 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which Uta comes up with a plan to try to reach out to Darkine in hopes of learning what she's really after.

Picking up where we last left off, the Cures attempt to contact Queen Pikarine to check in on Kirakiland, but with the Heart Tree in its current darkened state, they can't get through. In Kirakiland, the fairies are nervous, while Pikarine expresses concern about what'll happen to both Kirakiland and Hanamichi Town.

Trying to figure out what to about the situation, Uta asks Cuttin and Zakkurin if they know why Darkine wants to plunge the world into darkness. They admit they don't know, but wonder if Chokkirine might've known. Kokoro notes they haven't seen her in a while, to which Cuttin and Zakkurin reveals they recently visited their old hideout in hopes of meeting with her and asking her to consider quitting, but she wasn't there.

Tanaka is surprised to learn this, considering how much he recalls the two of them venting about how Chokkirine treated them. The two clarify that before they began facing the Cures, there were the occasional moment where Chokkirine would show consideration for the two of them, and they were hoping things could go back to something more like those days if they could reason with her.

Since they don't know where Chokkirine is, Kokoro suggests that they try asking Kazuma if he knows something instead. However, Kazuma admits he doesn't know about Darkine's intentions either. Uta figures their best option might be to just talk to Darkine herself, with Kazuma warning her that she's likely getting stronger with the town in its current state of unease.

Heading back to Café Glitter, the Cures are greeted by Uta's family. Two of the usual customers, Ema and old man Renji show up, noting that being at Café Glitter makes them feel a little more at ease. Uta sings to them to further help lighten things up, and after they talk for a bit, Uta has an idea.

The girls head upstairs, where Uta suggests they put on another concert. Kokoro wonders if this is really the time, but Uta notes that this is exactly the time they should be putting on a concert, in order to help alleviate everyone's fear and anxiety. Plus, she thinks it might be their best to get in contact with Darkine, by inviting her to the concert.

With Uta and Purirun both thinking this could work, they quickly convince the other three to give it a try, and they begin planning out the concert.

During a livestream, they announce the concert, with Cure Idol ending the stream with an invitation for Darkine to come see the concert. However, Darkine has other plans, freeing a powered-up Chokkirine from her crystal prison and sending her to deal with the Cures.

As the Cures gather at the venue where the concert will be held to rehearse, Kaito suddenly shows up. The others head inside so he and Uta can talk alone. The two talk for a bit, with Uta almost confessing that she's Cure Idol, only for Kaito to interrupt and basically confirm that he had figured that out a while ago, telling her not to overwork herself.

Before the Cures can really begin rehearsing for the concert, Chokkirine shows up. Cuttin and Zakkurin are initially happy to see her, but due to the darkness powering her up, Chokkirine isn't interested in what those two have to say. Cure Idol tells Tanaka to get Cuttin and Zakkurin to safety, but as Cure Kiss is about to cast the Heart Garden spell, Cuttin and Zakkurin stop and give each other a knowing look.

The Cures fight against an army of Darkrandas, which thankfully are easy to dispell, but Chokkirine just keeps generating more with the power of darkness. Cure Idol tries to explain that they just want to meet with Darkine and try to talk to her, but Chokkirine tells her she and the others are just getting in Darkine's way.

Cure Idol attempts to reason with Chokkirine, explaining that Cuttin and Zakkurin wanted to talk to her and maybe start over fresh. However, their words won't get through to her. It's not until Cuttin and Zakkurin intercept one of Chokkirine's attacks that the dark aura surrounding her disappears as she looks on in shock, asking the two if they're friends with the Cures now. They explain to Chokkirine that even so, they want to be friends with her and invite her to be part of something better than what they used to be, and that she doesn't have to be alone anymore.

On Cure Zukyoon's urging, the original three Cures put on a performance of Trio Dreams for Cuttin, Zakkurin and Chokkirine. They manage to purify Chokkirine, helping her finally find the sparkle within her and see the potential to do something else with her life. She, Cuttin and Zakkurin think about putting the team back together, but this time doing something good for the world, and making sure to create a healthier work environment.

While the Cures are pleased to see Chokkirine finding a new meaning in life besides working for Darkine, Darkine herself is not pleased, burning the Heart Tree with a bolt of lightning as her shadow appears above Hanamichi Town...

Another good episode! Almost at the final battle now, or final concert, I should say. We got the conclusion to Chokkirine's arc, and I'm curious if she'll indeed have some answers for the Cures about Darkine's motivations. Also, I had a feeling the Heart Tree might get destroyed at some point during one of these final episodes. Maybe they can save it once they've dealt with Darkine, though.

Also, I guess they've basically confirmed that, yeah, Kaito did indeed figure out that Uta is Cure Idol back in episode 37. They were trying to be kind of vague about it in the episodes since, but come on. Speaking of Kaito, I wonder if he'll make another appearance as Cure Connect during the final battle? Maybe not, but it'd be cool if he did.

Oh, and I guess we finally did get a full look at Darkine's design, since we'd mostly seen her as a shadow, while gradually revealing what she really looks like in these past few episodes. She looks cool. Not entirely sure what the thing on her head with the horns is, though. A hood? A helmet?

I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 46 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which the Cures celebrate the start of the new year, but Darkine is preparing to make her next move...

The episode begins with Uta, Purirun and Meroron heading out to watch the first sunrise of the new year. They take a moment to admire the Heart Tree, commenting on how mysterious it is that it always seems to be blooming no matter the season. As they watch the sunrise, they pray that the new year will be a good one.

Later, the Cures gather at Tanaka's place for a New Year's party he, Cuttin and Zakkurin have prepared for them. Before they can eat, they are interrupted by a call from Queen Pikarine, wishing the Cures a Happy New Year, and giving them a brief update on what's going on in Kirakiland. After the call, Tanaka suggests the Cures transform into their Cure forms to make the party extra special.

Turns out, Tanaka secretly arranged for the Cures to appear on a live show covering their New Years party in order to lift the spirits of the people in Hanamichi Town. After the recording crew live, Cure Kyun-Kyun and the others call him out on springing this on them, but understand his reasoning and admit they did have fun with it, before heading back to enjoy the rest of their party.

After the party, Nana and Kokoro ask Uta about the scarf she's wearing, with Meroron and Purirun explaining she got it as a present from Kaito for Christmas. Wanting to know more, the other two girls invite themselves over to Uta's place for a sleepover.

During their sleepover, Uta wonders what they'll all do when Darkine is defeated and Kirakiland is saved. Purirun and Meroron assure her that they'll still come visit, and all of them realize that they all currently wish for things to stay as they are now.

However, while everyone is asleep that night, a dark energy suddenly strikes the Heart Tree. The next morning, Uta is woken up by Tanaka calling to inform them about the tree's state. The Cures arrive to see what's going on, with several people, including the film crew from yesterday also looking into things, feeling unnerved by the sudden change to the tree.

Darkine collects the anxieties of the people nearby through the tree, and creates a Darkranda from the Heart Tree itself. The Cures transform and go to deal with the situation while Tanaka looks after the civilians who collapsed after the darkness from their fears and anxieties were used to create the Darkranda.

The Darkranda uses its roots to trap the Cures, but Cure Kyun-Kyun still has her hands free and is able to free the others with her Kyun-Kyun laser. The Cures eventually manage to defeat and purify the Darkranda, but the Heart Tree is still covered in darkness. The skies begin to darken and the winds blow the darkened petals from the Heart Tree into town. Among the unnerved people wondering what's going on, Kazuma realizes that Darkine is plotting something, with Kaito asking him about who Darkine is.

The episode ends with Darkine boasting that her darkness is now unstoppable as it continues to spread throughout the town...

Another good episode! We're nearing the end now, with the last few battles about to start. I'm really curious to see how the Cures will resolve the situation, if I'll be right about the Cures having to take a similar approach to how the Suite Pretty Cures defeated Noise. I suppose it would be a neat call back to the previous music-themed season if I'm right. The late night conversation between the girls about wanting things to stay as they are also stood out to me for some reason. Guess I'm wondering if there's going to be something more to that, or if I'm just reading too much into things.

I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 45 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which it is nearly Christmas, and Uta and the others decide to do what they can to help restore the Christmas spirit in Hanamichi Town.

The episode begins with Uta singing about how great Christmas will be, except no one in town really seems to be in a festive mood. She comes across one of her classmates, Masuda, who is reading a notice on a bulletin board about how plans to put up Christmas lighting has been cancelled due to recent events. Uta tries to cheer her up, but Masuda just can't get into the mood. Uta decides that she and the others will just have to do what they can to lift everyone's spirits, which will also benefit Kirakiland by charging up the Big Kirakira Ribbon.

The Cures head over to Café Glitter, where Purirun, Meroron and Tanaka are decorating the place for Christmas. Purirun is unfamiliar with the holiday, so the others explain it to her, going over their usual traditions and about Santa Claus, with Purirun expressing that she'd like to meet him. Noticing that Tanaka seems quieter than usual, Uta asks him if something's on his mind. Tanaka goes on a brief rant about couples spending time on Christmas, after which he admits that he had a bad experience during his first Christmas in Hanamichi Town when he discovered that a girl he was interested in already had a boyfriend and only wanted to hire him to give the two of them a ride somewhere.

Uta is determined to find a way to lift everyone's spirits, so everyone gets to work, with Tanaka getting the girls permission to put up Christmas decorations, and also recruiting Cuttin and Zakkurin to help out.

They spend the next few days working on setting their plan into motion, but complications arise when Tanaka can't get everything they need delivered in time. Telling Uta's parents about their concerns, they assure them that even if not all the usual traditions can be fullfilled, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Christmas and still other small ways they can help cheer everyone up. Some of the regular customers offer to help out if they can as well, and Masuda and another of Uta's classmates show up offering their assistance as well, having been inspired watching Uta and the others putting in the effort of decorating the town for Christmas.

The Cures and the others helping out continue doing what they can, with the Cures deciding they should put on a concert as well. Christmas Eve finally arrives, and on the way to the concert venue, Purirun (in human form) spots what she initially thinks it Santa, only to find it's just a guy in a costume selling cakes. Tanaka decides to buy one for later, and the Cures head to the venue.

While getting ready for the concert, Purirun triggers a trap Meroron made, trapping her in a net. Meroron reveals she constructed it with the intent of trying to catch Santa, since Purirun wanted to meet him and she wanted to make sure he stuck around long enough for that to happen.

Back in Hanamichi Town, the guy selling cake is feeling a bit down because he's not getting that many customers at the moment. Darkine takes this oppurtunity to turn him into a Darkranda. Cure Zukyoon senses what is going on, but the concert is about to start. Cuttin and Zakkurin offer to stall for time while the Cures deal with the Darkranda, attempting to put on a comedy routine to entertain the audience, but their act only seems to confuse the crowd.

Meroron brings the fight to the Heart Garden, with Cure Zukyoon expressing her disbelief that they're fighting Santa. Cure Idol reminds her it's not the real one, but even so, the Darkranda manages to guilt trip her, Kyun-Kyun and Wink into not being able to bring themselves to attack it. Cure Kiss tries to snap the others out of it, trying to throw her Santa trap at the monster. The net is too small to properly contain it, but it causes one of the monster's attack to get thrown back in its face, knocking it out. With this, the Cures manage to purify the Darkranda, sending more energy to the Big Kirakira Ribbon.

With the Darkranda defeated, the Cures are able to put on their concert, and spread the Christmas cheer throughout Hanamichi Town. Later in the evening, the Cures each spend time with their families, Tanaka spends Christmas with Cuttin and Zakkurin, Purirun waits by the window hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa, and Kaito decides to stop by Café Glitter to wish Uta a Merry Christmas.

The two talk for a bit, and noticing that Uta is cold because she forgot her coat, Kaito decides to give her his scarf, telling her to consider a Christmas present. Uta thanks him the only way she knows how, by singing to him. The episode ends with Purirun falling asleep while having been waiting for Santa to show up, just as Santa is seen flying past.

Another nice episode. Just a sweet Christmas episode with Uta and the others trying to lift everyone's spirits in time for the holidays. We're nearly at the end now, so sometime soon-ish I'll probably start working on a long post with my thoughts on this series as a whole as I've done with the other entries in the Pretty Cure franchise so far.

I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 44 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which the Cures head to Kirakiland, having finally gained enough Kirarun Ribbons to restore the power of the Big Kirakira Ribbon.

The Cures receive a call from Queen Pikarine, although Meroron is reluctant to speak to her, hiding behind Nana while the Cures talk to her hologram. Pikarine reveals that the Cures have finally collected enough Kirarun Ribbons to restore the Big Kirakira Ribbon, and asks them all to come over to Kirakiland so they can do just that.

The Cures, Tanaka, Cuttin and Zakkurin get into the MOMO and travel to Kirakiland. Upon arriving, the Cures look around at the darkened landscape, before approaching the Big Kirakira Ribbon. Cure Zukyoon is initially a little nervous, recalling how they failed to revive it last time they tried. Cure Kiss reminds her that they know they have enough ribbons this time, and so Cure Zukyoon uses the Kirarun ribbons to restore the Big Kirakira Ribbon.

With the Big Kirakira Ribbon restored, Kirakiland is quickly restored to its former glory and the fairy denizens freed from their crystal prisons. The Cures introduce themselves to the fairies, with Cure Zukyoon reminding them of the legend of the Idol Pretty Cure, before revealing herself to be Purirun to the other fairies. Cuttin and Zakkurin decide to apologize to the other fairies for their past behaviour and for helping Darkine, with the other fairies immediately forgiving them.

Cure Kiss still feels uncomfortable and wanders off on her own, when she comes across a frightened fairy who still thinks the darkness is approaching. Cure Kiss stops to gently comfort the other fairy, before Purirun and some of the other fairies catch up to them and Purirun reveals that Cure Kiss is Meroron. Cure Kiss admits she wasn't really ready to tell them, but the fairies are simply in awe of learning that Meroron is one of the Cures that saved them, with the fairy she was trying to comfort earlier thanking her for what she's done. Meroron seems to feel a little more at ease hearing this.

The Cures go to talk to Pikarine, who thanks them for all they've done and invites them to a party. Meroron apologizes for not listening to the Queen's warnings about using the Heart Kirari Lock, with Purirun stepping in to defend Meroron's actions. However, Pikarine assures the two she understands why they did it, and thanks them both for their efforts in helping save Kirakiland.

Nana then asks about what Chokkirine said during their last encounter, about Kurakuland. Pikarine speculates that it is the counterpart to Kirakiland, created from human emotions such as anxiety and fear, and with recent events back in the human world, Kurakuland has been gaining more power.

Meroron suddenly feels dizzy, sensing the arrival of Darkine. Darkine and Kurakuland appears above Kirakiland, with the giant scissors attempting to cut through the Big Kirakira Ribbon once more. However, Pikarine is able to summon Kirakiland's defense system, the TSUBOMI, causing a large flower bud to form around Kirakiland to block the scissors from destroying the Ribbon. To help keep the other fairies' morale high, Cuttin and Zakkurin provide them with Kirakilights to cheer for the Big Kirakira Ribbon to retain its glow.

Pikarine notes this might be a temporary solution, since if it manages to break through the TSUBOMI and/or destroy the Ribbon once more, darkness will cover the land once again and eventually reach the Cures' world. The Cures wonder how Meroron was able to sense Darkine's arrival, with Meroron figuring it is due to the two of them both being born from darkness. However, Pikarine reveals that there's more to it than that: Meroron may have been born from darkness, but she was in fact born to help save Kirakiland.

With this revelation, Meroron talks to Purirun, admitting how she felt out of place before, but now that she knows her true purpose and realizes she can get along with the other fairies, she thinks she finally understands that she does belong in Kirakiland.

Meanwhile, Darkine observes Earth from Kurakuland, noting how people's growing fear of the Darkranda is fueling her power, and commenting on it to Chokkirine, who is revealed to be imprisoned in a dark crystal. As Uta's classmate Ruka grows anxious while trying to learn more about Darkranda, but not finding much information, Darkine proceeds to trap her inside a Darkranda, with both Purirun and Meroron sensing it.

The Cures hurry back to Hanamichi Town, and Cure Kiss quickly moves the battle to the Heart Garden. Cure Kiss, enraged by the way Darkine uses people's fears, manages to weaken the Darkranda, allowing the Cures to purify it, with the purified energy flowing into the Heart Tree rather than turning into a Kirarun Ribbon. As Ruka regains consciousness, Cure Kiss asks her how she's doing and stays with her with for a bit, comforting her and assuring that the Idol Pretty Cures will be there for her. Once Ruka is feeling better and leaves after thanking Cure Kiss for cheering her up, the other Cures approach, with Cure Zukyoon complimenting Cure Kiss on how she handled the situation.

Cure Kiss tells Cure Zukyoon how she initially became a Cure alongside her because that's what Zukyoon wanted, and she wanted to support her. However, now she also wishes to keep going because that's what Cure Kiss herself wants, and she wants to fight for her own future with Purirun and the other Kirakiland fairies. Cure Zukyoon happily embraces her, telling her she feels the same way.

Not too long after, the Cures receive a call from the Queen, informing them that the glow of the Big Kirakira Ribbon got a little brighter. Since the purified the Darkranda, the energy from the purification went directly into the Big Kirakira Ribbon via the Heart Tree that connects the two worlds. Hearing this, Meroron has an idea. She tells the other Cures that they should work to lift the spirits of people on Earth to give more energy to the Big Kirakira Ribbon, with the other Cures agreeing that this might be the best course of action for the time being.

Another great episode! Meroron truly has come far as a character, and now that she understands her true purpose, she is more determined than ever to help everyone. I'm also glad she's finally able to feel more at ease in Kirakiland.

We also get some insight into Kurakuland, which has a pretty cool design, and we get our first glimpses of what Darkine really looks like, since all we've really seen up until now was her shadow. Also, we now know where Chokkirine got imprisoned. Considering what we now know of how Kurakuland was created, I'm wondering how exactly the Cures will resolve this. Maybe it'll be another Noise/Dyspear situation?

Well, I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

Hey guys! Anyone up for some more Tetro Danganronpa x Infinity Train AU thoughts? (previous posts for this particular AU: 1, 2)

All right, since I have more information to work with now, let's revisit Ikeda's possible journey on the train. I also won't hesitate to take some more creative liberties in my AUs and such where necessary from now on, so I came up with the following idea for the events leading to him getting on the train:

In this timeline, let's say Ikeda's been removed from his dad's custody, and well, he's got people trying to help him work through his issues, but while some progress has been made, there's still a lot to work through, you know? It's probably hard for him to open up to people, it's hard to understand what others are thinking... So he might be feeling out of place, maybe wishing he could go somewhere else, just to get away from it all for a bit... and cue the train.

After waking up on the train, learning the rules and all that, as he starts to explore the train car he woke up in, it doesn't take long before Ikeda starts to consider that maybe he was better off staying where had been staying back in the regular world, since this place is even more confusing. I'm kind of thinking maybe the train car he starts out in has sort of an abstract art-vibe to it? Luckily, he soon encounters a denizen who can tell he's new to the train and is willing to help him out. Ikeda's not sure what to make of the strange creature, but lets it stick around because it knows more about how the train car they're in works.

He's also not sure why it decides to continue accompanying him into the next car, but he doesn't complain. He kind of just lets the denizen do most of the thinking for how to solve the puzzles for him, however, Ikeda's number isn't going down much as a result, if at all. He's not giving it that much thought, though. Of course, eventually his denizen partner might ask him about his lack of taking initiative, questioning whether he doesn't want to leave the train. Ikeda claims that "of course" he wants to leave the train, but maybe he's not really sure what he wants.

Then they come across a train car that requires a few more steps than just a puzzle or whatever, more of a test of character, likely. After the first few attempts fail, Ikeda (possibly losing his patience from other factors, like, having had it pointed out to him that his number hasn't changed much and all that) decides to try to cheat to obtain the key, or whatever. It doesn't work, and soon he finds himself in another predicament. His denizen partner can't get him out on their own, so they go off to find help. Ikeda might initially think his denizen partner just finally to decided to ditch him, but while he's trying to figure out how to escape, he's surprised when the denizen partner eventually does come back, having found another passenger who just entered that train car. Not entirely sure which passenger it'd be, but part of me is considering Sasaki, since this AU does provide me some excellent oppurtunities to put characters who have never interacted into situations together and just explore what happens.

With the help of his denizen partner, the other passenger and the other passenger's denizen partner, they manage to get Ikeda out safely and solve the puzzle. After this incident, Ikeda might start opening up a bit more to his denizen partner, and trying to understand them better. Plus, if he and the other passenger decide to team up for a while, he might make a friend he can stay in contact with when they get off the train.

Okay, let's move onto someone else. I've been having some thoughts about Ogura, so I'll talk about her next. Upon waking up on the train and watching the instruction video, I see Ogura's reaction basically being glancing down at her number for a moment, before looking up at the monitor that displayed the video and being like "Very well. I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!"

Haven't really worked out any specific details of her quest, but there's certainly a lot of potential here. Whether she encounters other passengers and tries to see if there's anything she can do to assist them in getting their numbers down, or if she tries using her hacking skills to get a better understanding of how the train works. I could also imagine a scenario featuring a bit of both, with her meeting another passenger, only to get separated from them later on and trying to hack into the train's systems to see if the other passenger is still on the train.

How about a PINK character next? Well, sort of? You see, I had some ideas while taking a walk a few weeks back, I was toying with some ideas for Harada getting picked up by the train, but as of right now, most of my thoughts on that one aren't really about Harada's quest on the train, but rather a sub-plot happening outside the train. So, let me tell you about that.

So, just before the train picked him up, I imagine Harada was, maybe talking on the phone with Yukino about whatever led up to the train deciding to pick him up. He mentions seeing the train, and then the call abruptly ends as Harada investigates the train and gets pulled in? Yukino might end up helping looking after Sawa and a few of Keizou's other animals while doing a little investigation of her own, eventually discovering some urban legends about the train online, and after digging a bit deeper, potentially finding a website of some sorts where former passengers discuss their journeys and such.

So, she figures out what's going on. Of course, Yukino's still concerned about him. How long will it take him to get that number down to zero? Will he even survive the trip long enough to get it to zero, considering some of the online discussions implied some of the train cars might be dangerous? I imagine after a while, part of her might start hoping the train will come to pick her up as well, so that she can go look for him...

Who knows, maybe she will end up on the train and one of the other characters will encounter her as she goes on her rescue mission. Considering my ideas for Ogura, maybe the two could meet up and Ogura would help track him down? Anyways, I feel like I should probably try to figure out some details regarding Harada's adventure on the train itself, and not just this sub-plot, though.

At the very least, I feel he might initially be a bit disoriented upon waking up on the train, with One-One's instruction video not really doing that much to calm his nerves. But getting along with denizens on the train shouldn't be an issue, considering he's a nice guy and all. He might need some help with the more challenging train cars, though, whether from a denizen or another passenger.

Hmm, I feel like figuring out potential personalities for the denizen partners of the students is easier than deciding on what the denizen should actually be, considering there might be literally endless possibilities here. Aside from Wada's being some kind of video game-esque tutorial fairy, I feel like the other one I finally made up my mind on is making Matthias' denizen partner a unicorn. Not sure if the unicorn can talk or not (leaning more towards no), but I think it'd work well either way. Also kind of toying with the idea of making Denden's denizen partner a talking polar bear (and by extension, the car she initially wakes up in being snow/winter-themed in some way), but I haven't fully made up my mind yet.

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 43 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which Uta finds herself catching the attention of a president of a talent agency who thinks she has potential as an idol.

The episode begins with the Cures watching news footage from Kaito's recent concert, specifically about the Idol Cures being caught on tape fighting a Darkranda, with people speculating about whether said footage is real and whether the Idol Pretty Cures are more than simply an idol group.

The Cures are concerned about what their secret getting out might mean, since the public might get worried if they know what's really going on. Uta sings a song to cheer everyone up, but this catches the attention of a customer downstairs, who promptly decides to offer Uta a chance to become an idol.

The next day at school, Uta is still trying to figure out what to do about that, since she's already an idol as Cure Idol, and now she's being offered a chance to be an idol as Uta Sakura. Kokoro notes that the talent scout guy seems familiar, but can't quite remember where she's seen him before. After thinking it over for a bit, and her friends assuring her they'll support her no matter what she wants, Uta figures it might be a chance to bring smiles to even more people and she decides she wants to give it a try.

However, when she informs the president of the talent agency, he stops her when she begins singing her gratitude, insisting that if she's going to go pro, she needs to rest her voice whenever she can. Uta soon finds herself having difficulty holding back her songs, leaving her second-guessing her decision when she can't properly alleviate the worries of Mikoto and her other friends regarding the Darkranda, with Purirun and Meroron having to step in to handle it.

Uta heads to the beach to think about thinks, where she meets with Kaito, and the two talk for a bit. As Uta talks about her concerns, Kaito admits he was in a similar place before he met Uta, wondering if he still wanted to be an idol. This is what led him back to Hanamichi Town, where he met Uta and found the resolve to keep reaching out to Kazuma.

In the villain lair, Chokkirine muses that she didn't even realize that Jogi was a human, but she has bigger concerns: She's down to her last Darkranda crystal. Darkine suddenly appears from her shadow, warning her that this is indeed her last chance and if she fails, she'll be imprisoned in darkness forever.

Meanwhile, the other Cures are concerned for Uta and go to talk to her. In town, the talent agency president comes across an advertisement for his old music work, and admits to himself that he just wants to protect Uta from ending up how he did. However, while he's thinking about this, Chokkirine spots him and sensing his worries, traps him inside a Darkranda.

Purirun senses the Darkranda's appearance, and the Cures quickly hurry over to deal with the humidifier-themed Darkranda. The Cures transform and Cure Kiss uses the Heart Garden spell. The Darkranda covers the area in a thick steam, preventing the Cures from seeing much until Cure Zukyoon has the idea to disperse the steam with her Zukyoon Bazooka attack. Chokkirine warns them that Darkine sees everything from Kurakuland, catching the attention of Cure Zukyoon.

The Cures fight off the Darkranda and are about to purify it, when Chokkirine reveals the Darkranda has one more trick up its sleeve: It quickly launches out X-es that cover the Cures' mouths so they can't sing. However Cure Idol manages to break through hers, singing about how she loves singing and wants to make others happy. With her Heart Idol Ribbon power-up, she purifies the Darkranda, and Chokkirine flees.

Returning to the villain lair, Chokkirine is terrified when Darkine shows up. Chokkirine begs for one more chance, but Darkine refuses and drags her away as she had warned her before.

Back in Hanamichi Town, Uta decides to turn down the talent scout president's offer, and he explains how he was once a singer as well, but had to retire early after he accidentally damaged his throat from practicing too hard and was trying to avoid Uta ending up in the same way. However, he understands her decision, and that she should indeed sing whenever she wants if that's what makes her happy.

As the Cures are headed back, Kokoro finally pieces together where she remembered the talent agency president from, recognizing him as rock singer 'Shouting Shuichi'. As the Cures continue their walk, Kaito notices them and muses that Uta has made a lot of people smile with her singing, watching as she happily sings and dances on the way home.

Another good episode! I wonder if we've seen the last of Chokkirine, or if the Cures will find and save her somehow. Also, now we know that Darkine resides within somewhere called Kurakuland, so I guess that's something we'll elaborate on more in upcoming episodes. Also, still leaving it ambiguous whether Kaito knows Uta and Cure Idol are the same person, I see.

I'll be looking forward to the next episode!

[darkershining]

I wasn't planning on saying anything about the current Tetro drama, but now that we're at this point:

First of all, I feel like my main takeaway from a lot of this is that Von seems more immature than I thought, huh. Well, from what I remember from when I was in my early twenties, I was probably still dealing with some stuff carried over from my teen years and thus didn't always handle certain situations gracefully. This is not me defending her, by the way, just... trying to kind of make sense of things, I guess?

Anyways, I suppose it's not really my place to speculate on such matters, so I guess I'll just say that I hope Von uses this time wisely, maybe seek some help, work on improving herself as a person, etc.

Maybe a more mature, wiser version of her will finish the story someday, but if not, then I'll just headcanon that the Tetro series ends with Monomoko successfully ending the second killing game and returning the remaining students home, well, most of them. Matthias ends up temporarily staying with Ninomiya until his situation can be sorted out and he can go home, while Ikeda... hmm, I don't know if Tei actually has the time and resources to look after him? Well, whatever. Monomoko will figure something out.

They eventually get into contact with the PINK survivors, and let them know what Monomoko has done. And because Monomoko one way or another will ensure that the scientists can't anything to the students anymore, the survivors are finally able to let the authorities know what happened, allowing the school and lab to eventually be found, the bodies (or whatever is left in a few cases) of the dead students retrieved and returned home for proper burials, giving the families some closure and all that.

Some of the survivors are still a little dissatisfied they never managed to solve the mystery of why they got taken in the first place, while the rest don't really care and are content to just keep trying to move on with their lives, even if the path ahead won't be easy, for any of them. But at least they'll have each other.

So... What do I intend to do now? I mean, nothing that different, really. I might abandon those ghost AU fics I still haven't posted, but part of me still wants to try writing fanfiction about these characters in some sort of AU setting? Tetro did kind of help me break out of a writing slump, so I might as well, right?

At the very least, I might do a few more AU posts, since I've still got some thoughts about these characters in those settings that I thought were neat and thought you guys might like too. I have toyed with the ideas of writing fanfic of either the Pretty Cure or Infinity Train AUs I've talked about, although I don't think I have a solid enough outline for an entire story for either one.

Well, maybe I should try to actually finish my Pokémon Mystery Dungeon fanfic first. Been working on that for over thirteen years, and I'm still not done, probably because I keep getting stuck on the little things and well, I'm in the final arc of the story, so there's a lot to consider about how I want those final chapters to play out. Still, I will finish it someday, using my own imagination and my own writing skills, even if I keep having moments of doubting those skills. That's probably just the perfectionist in me being unreasonable, though.

I think that sums up my thoughts? Guess I just wanted to get it off my chest and move on. Not that I'm a particularly big presence within the fandom here on tumblr or anything. But I think a lot of you guys seem cool, and I like looking at your various fanfictions, fanart and AUs and stuff. I hope you guys will keep doing your own takes on this. And to those of you who have left positive responses on my Tetro related posts in some way, thanks! I'm flattered that you guys enjoy my weird thoughts and all that stuff.

Well, with that, I wish you all the best going forward.

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 42 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which the Cures attend the final concert of Kaito's tour.

The episode begins with Uta and the others watching one of Kaito's concerts on their phones, with Kaito announcing that for the final concert of his tour, he will be returning to Hanamichi Town. Uta comments on him hoping his song will reach Kazuma, while the other Cures wonder how he'd feel if he knew what Kazuma had been up to as Jogi. Somewhere else, Jogi watches the broadcast among a crowd.

With Kaito headed back to Hanamichi, the other Cures suggest that Uta go to talk to him, although Uta doesn't want to disturb him before his upcoming concert. When Kaito shows up at the café, the other girls decide to leave to give him and Uta some time alone. Kaito decides to join Uta while she takes Kyu-chan on a walk.

The two head to the beach and talk, with Kaito bringing up what happened the last time they met. He doesn't explicitly confirm if he figured out that Uta and Cure Idol are the same person, with Uta thinking the secret might still be safe for now. Kaito offers Uta three tickets for his upcoming concert, suggesting she and her friends attend. Uta asks him about Kazuma, with Kaito stating that he believes Kazuma is likely somewhere in town.

Uta asks Kaito what it is he wants to do, and Kaito continues think about that question as he is walking back later in the evening. He thinks back to when he last saw Kazuma,

On the day of the concert, Darkine contacts Jogi through his shadow, noting she's been sensing his doubts, although Jogi insists he's still going to throw the world into darkness. As the concert begins, a fan who arrived late realizes he can't find his ticket, and worries he won't get in. Jogi uses the oppurtunity to turn the guy into a Darkranda while Kaito is getting ready to sing his next song.

As the Darkranda attacks the venue, the audience flee while the Cures find a spot where they can transform. Tsumugu, the magazine reporter from a previous episode, watches the commotion as the Cures arrive on the scene and disappear from sight as Cure Kiss moves the fight to the Heart Garden. However, she accidentally brings Kaito along since he was right next to the Cures when she activitated the Heart Garden.

The Cures struggle against the Darkranda, while Kaito learns that Jogi is Kazuma. Jogi laments how no matter how many times he tried, he just wasn't making any progress. After one too many times, his bitterness drew the attention of Darkine, leading him to where he is now.

As Kaito tells Jogi he still sees him as a friend even now, Jogi begins to hesitate, giving the Cures an oppurtunity to turn the fight around. However, Jogi believes he's gone too far to turn back now and refuses to back down. The Darkranda manages to knock out Cure Kiss, causing the Heart Garden spell to partially break down, bringing the Cures back to the concert venue. Jogi then proceeds to use the darkness of the concerned fans outside and Tsumugu still observing from the audience seats to power up the Darkranda even more.

The Cures continue to fight the Darkranda, while Kaito with Cure Idol's encouragement begins singing to Jogi, hoping to get through to him. Kaito's determination to bring his friend back eventually causes him to transform into Cure Connect, who uses his newfound power to purify Jogi, freeing Kazuma from his own darkness. With Jogi out of the way, the other Cures purify the Darkranda.

Kazuma apologizes to Kaito for letting his envy get the better of him instead of sincerely supporting his friend. Kaito forgives him, though. After things have calmed down, Kaito asks the other Cures about the power he used to save Kazuma, and what the Precure really are. Cure Zukyoon and Kiss give a brief explanation, before they head off. The fan who got turned into a Darkranda regains consciousness, and is relieved to find the ticket he thought he had misplaced.

The concert continues, with Kazuma watching from the stands above the rest of the audience. After the concert, Kazuma compliments Kaito on his peformance. Kaito still thinks Kazuma can achieve his dream of becoming an idol, but Kazuma admits he's not sure if he still wants to pursue his old dream. The episode ends with Kaito convincing him that the two of them will give it another try together.

Another good episode! I'm glad Kaito got to be the one who brought Kazuma back to his senses in the end, since it only made sense that he be the one to do that. His brief stint as Cure Connect was pretty cool as well. I wonder if that's the last we'll see of him in that form, or if he'll show up again for the final battle.

So, on the villain side, we're now down to just Chokkirine and Darkine herself. Curious to see how things will go.

I'll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!

[darkershining]

My Tetro BLUE Day 16 thoughts - Part Two

[School Records]

Some of them looking into the PINK cast's files.

Ikeda wishing he could mimic voices like Wada. Wonder what kind of mischief he'd get up to with an ability like that.

Huh, a possible connection between Hirose and Hiroaki? Interesting.

[Self-Improvement Course]

Glad to see Ruka trying to reach out to Erina.

Unfortunately, Erina really isn't in the mood for her attempts right now.

Guess you'll have to try again later, Ruka.

[Chart]

Shishikura working up the courage to see Hirose on his own initiative.

"I want to be stronger." Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Ah, I assume that's the surgery that was alluded to in the prologue.

Uh-oh, he's got a fever? And an infection?

Well, nice to see him getting some character development, even if I do suspect that he might not make it to the end of this chapter.

[Penpals]

Oh, hey Matthias.

Aw, poor guy. He sounds so tired.

Glad Ninomiya's checking up on him.

"I forgot to add my email." Aw.

They should cuddle.

[Connect & Rekindle]

Aw, it's not your fault, Denden.

Oh, hey Mion.

Glad they're willing to reconcile with Hirose and Denden.

Heh, Denden can tell that Hirose likes Mion.

And that's all for now. Some nice episodes, glad people are willing to give the Bleeding another chance, although... part of me is wondering if it is really going to be that simple, or if certain tensions will rise once the next motive comes out. Plus, there's still the whole issue of Erina avoiding the group. I hope Ruka and at least some of the others keep trying to reach out to her.

[darkershining]

My Tetro BLUE Day 16 thoughts - Part One

[Officially Discharged]

Tei is back.

Well, Monomoko made an attempt to fix his eyes. She's not sure how it went yet.

Again, considering the side-effects on Tei's eyes were accidental, I figured Monomoko might not know how to fix it, so will be interesting to see how it worked out.

Hirose will probably want to take a look at that later.

[Peregrination]

Sou helping out Ikeda after his encounter with Erina.

Sou trying to get a better understanding of what's going on with Ikeda.

Oh, he's actually getting through.

Ikeda actually acknowledging that he's not okay.

"I want to go home." Hmm, that seems familiar...

I know some of you are thinking "Ah, he's dying this chapter", but I'm still thinking he'll be the chapter 5 victim.

At the moment, I also have Tei in the same category as Hirose, as "May die in either this chapter or the fourth chapter, either way, not making it to Chapter 5." In case you were wondering. Along with Yaitabashi possibly being an accidental chapter 4 killer, just to make the fifth chapter trial more difficult for the remaining students. No idea if I'll get any of these right, but those are my current predictions for those characters.

[Mutilation]

Youhei and Mion discussing what they found in Kan's lab.

Ooh, the ambiguity of whether Ninomiya even recognized who that used to be...

[Resurrection]

Hirose still a bit vary around Maekawa.

She wants to know what motivated him to work with Ogura.

After hearing his explanation, she acknowledges that she might've done the same thing if Shishikura was one of them.

Yeah, interesting point about Denden and Shishikura. At the very least, I do feel like most of the other students might be underestimating Denden a little.

Hirose hasn't quite forgiven himself for going along with it, but it seems Maekawa has decided let it go for now. That's good, at least.

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 41 of You and Idol Pretty Cure, in which Kokoro discovers that the candidate running for student council president plans to abolish the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club if she gets elected, prompting Kokoro to take action by running against her.

The episode begins with the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club doing its usual thing, when Uta suddenly rushes in with bad news. Heading outside to see what is going on, Kokoro learns that a girl named Chiyo Kai is running for student council president and plans to shut down the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club.

Kokoro confronts Chiyo on the matter, who explains that she decided to shut down the club due to its lack of results. Kokoro brings Chiyo over to show what the club has been up to, recent projects and so on, but Chiyo still doesn't see how any of these activies benefit the school itself and won't change her mind. Meroron and Purirun try to reassure Kokoro that the election hasn't even happened yet, but one of the other students points out that Chiyo is currently the only candidate, and so might win by default.

While considering their options, Kokoro has an idea and runs off, much to other Cures' confusion. The next day, they find that Kokoro has decided to run against Chiyo for student council president, with Chiyo gladly accepting her challenge. Uta and the others decide to help Kokoro with her campaign.

Over the next few days, Kokoro gradually picks up more support among the students. However, when watching Chiyo do one of her speeches with a list of fifty things she has thought of to improve the school, Kokoro realizes she hasn't put much thought into what she should do as president aside from protecting the club, and decides to stay late to give it some more thought.

While Kokoro is trying to consider what she should do as student council president, it starts raining outside. Chiyo approaches Kokoro to remind her that she should be heading home soon, and the two have a conversation as Kokoro asks Chiyo about her thought process to improve the school. When Kokoro admits she didn't bring an umbrella, Chiyo lends hers to Kokoro, claiming to have a spare one. However, when Kokoro sees Chiyo headed home using her school bag to shield herself from the rain, she realizes Chiyo lied about the spare umbrella. While heading home, Kokoro thinks to herself that Chiyo is actually quite kind, and ponders what to do.

In the villain lair, Chokkirine looks at an old photo of herself with Cutty and Zakkuri, noting how both of them seemed a lot happier since leaving the gang. Jogi approaches her and recalls how he turned Zakkuri into a Zakkurinda, with Chokkirine once again wondering just who the heck Jogi is. Jogi reminds Chokkirine of the consequences if she keeps failing Darkine, and Chokkirine angrily storms off.

As Kokoro and Chiyo are preparing their final speech before the vote, Chiyo looks at Kokoro nervously, noting how much support Kokoro has gained from the other students. Chokkirine tries to reassure herself that Darkine would surely choose her over Jogi if it came down to it, but is clearly not as confident as before. As she looks around at the students as she appears near the school, she takes note of Chiyo.

Kokoro gives her speech, while Chiyo looks on, noting that Kokoro does seem to possess something she lacks. Before Kokoro can finish her speech, Chokkirine interrupts by turning the nervous Chiyo into a Darkranda. As the other students evacuate, the Cures transform, with Cure Kyun-Kyun being particularly annoyed at Chokkirine interrupting her just as she was getting to the most important point of her speech.

With some assistance from the other Cures, Cure Kyun-Kyun manages to take down and purify the Darkranda, with Chokkirine retreating without another word. Once Kokoro is able to continue her speech where she left off, she admits that she realized while thinking about it that Chiyo is the better candidate due to how much thought she put into improving the school and how she cares for her fellow students, comparing her to the other four Idol Pretty Cures. Kokoro steps down from the election, while Chiyo is touched by her words.

After Chiyo is elected for student council president, the other members of the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club are concerned about the future of the club, but Kokoro reassures them they could simply start a new club. However, Chiyo shows up, telling them that won't be necessary, having changed her mind about shutting down the club. Chiyo also admits that her favorite of the Idol Precures is Cure Kyun-Kyun, and the episode ends with Chiyo and her supporters joining in on the fun with the Idol Pretty Cure Research Club.

Another nice episode. I liked the dynamic between Kokoro and Chiyo. Not sure what else to say. I'm really intrigued by how Chokkirine's arc is going, though. Since we're nearing the end of the story, we might be getting a conclusion to that one soon.

Anyways, I'll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!

[darkershining]

Had a dream last night in which I was looking at some gameplay stuff from that upcoming Danganronpa 2x2 game, and for some reason Darumi from The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy - was there.

[darkershining]

My thoughts on the first part of Tetro BLUE chapter 3 part two:

Hisae and Monomoko having another talk.

Hisae empathizing with the families of these students, and basically being like "Hey, whatever you're planning to do to us, I'm cool with it."

Another group meeting regarding the former Bleeding.

Ah, Ikeda's back to normal.

Ninomiya brings up some good points, although not sure about just doing nothing about Erina. At the very least, maybe someone should keep a closer eye on her.

Seems to go well, but I'm not sure if everyone really will take it to heart...

Some of Yaitabashi's lines and Shishikura's reactions on the topic of Ikeda has me suspecting they may be starting to catch on somewhat to something going on with his mental state.

Poor Matthias. He's not really in the mood to talk.

Neither is Erina, understandably.

Ooh, Monomoko standing up for herself.

Although... Maybe you should've waited until Tei was returned to the lab before you give your ultimatum? I mean, we know the story isn't going to end here, so...

Kumada and Ikeda get into another fight, luckily Sou is there to break it up.

Yeah, Sou and Erina are not reconciling anytime soon.

Sou helping Ikeda with his bandages, while taking the firm, but fair approach when talking with him.

All right, that was the first day of Chapter 3. Tei hasn't been returned yet, so guess we'll find out next week how the treatment went. Also, the people wondering how Monomoko had him removed from the building certainly leads to thoughts like, the students asking him where he went and Tei just being like "I... don't know..." in a daze, and some of the students trying to look for a hidden passage in the freezer after Tei tells them the last thing he remembers before he got teleported.

As for Monomoko, something is going to go wrong, and she'll have to find a different approach to ending the game. I'll be curious to see how things play out from here.