Cure Eclair Derby: Round 3 ~ Kurea
Everybody can go home now.
Not only did Kurea get the MOST clues related to Luluka, her episode also got the best animation out of the four girls' (the style for Rei's is usually reserved for fillers, you can tell by the preview).
But if we must observe the formality of going through the last candidate despite it being so obvious who Eclair is, then we mind as well discuss every single detail about why those of us in Team Kurea have already won (YES I AM GOING TO BE OBNOXIOUS ABOUT IT!! BAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! ๐๐คช )
Starting from the top, the white lilies.
Shiruku really was a red herring after all. Because though white lilies did show up at the end of her episode last week, she never touched upon them in any of her dialogue.
If Shiruku were Eclair, we should see her handling or mentioning these flowers as white lilies (Luluka/Arcana Shadow) and blue butterflies (Eclair) are frequently paired together in the story, representing the partnership between the two senior Cures.
Instead, it is Kurea who is shown fixing them on display and she even explains the flower language behind white lilies (innocence/purity) to Anna and Mikuru at the end of ep 23.
Which is shortly followed by the appearance of another lily that is recognized by it's scent. And that relates back to the tip Kurea gives to the girls about memories which we'll get to in a bit...
Next, the fact that Luluka is a regular customer at Patisserie Chuchu.
It's very obvious that Luluka isn't telling the whole truth when she said "I'm only here because the ice cream tastes good".
Since Eclair has amnesia, it would make sense for Luluka to check in on her old partner every once in a while to make sure she's doing okay. And of course to not arouse any suspicions, she's using ice cream as excuse to disguise the reason she always drops by.
Then there's her reluctance to stay to eat in the cafe but she almost quickly gives up any resistance when Kurea escorts her inside. We even see a close up of the contact (Kurea putting a hand on Luluka's shoulder) which I doubt Luluka would allow anyone to do if she wasn't familiar with that person already.
Also, in Shiruku's ep, we did see Luluka lose a bit of her composure when Shiruku saw through her disguise but again, that was probably Luluka just acting unsettled at being found out.
Here, Luluka's surprise at being offered a table is genuine. And what's more, this all happened before she was ordered to steal the photo from the cafe. Meaning this visit (to see Kurea/Eclair) is a personal one, not related to her job as a phantom thief.
Then there's this moment.
Kurea isn't just serving Luluka cake on the house. The cakes were made by her personally.
I mean, this kind of stuff isn't uncommon in restaurants but what's significant is the interaction between the two. Kurea has known Luluka for a while already that she wants to give Luluka special treatment for how often she visits their cafe.
In other words, she wants to see Luluka smile so she did something for Luluka that she normally doesn't do for other customers (?).
Sounds very much like close partner behavior to me.
(Side note: Masuhtan was given a cushion to sit on as well! SO THOUGHTFUL AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SO CUTE!! ๐ That's A++ service right there! ๐๐)
Then there's Mashutan's comment about whether or not Kurea realized Luluka used to be a detective (I'm watching this raw but pretty sure my translation is correct here cuz that's what it says in the jpn subs too).
Now that is very telling. Not "realize you are a phantom thief" but "realize you used to be a detective"? Even referring to Kurea as "that girl" like they knew each other before?
Yea, because that is the case here, isn't it? If Kurea and Luluka were not previously acquainted, there'd be no reason for Mashutan to point it out. But Mashutan is aware of Kurea's deduction skills and that's why she asked.
Luluka's expression at Mashutan's words says a lot as well. She looks lonely and...disappointed? Almost like she's thinking it'd be great if Kurea could remember she's Eclair cuz then Luluka wouldn't have to pretend to be a little more than a stranger every time she went to see Kurea?
Mhm, she is really not hiding her emotions very well today and that's the best proof we can expect when it comes to finding Eclair.
Next, at the agency, Kurea's glance around the office stops at the photo of the blue butterfly.
Now, Eriza was drawn to this photo as well but again, it was so Ageseine could take it from her. Afterwards, Eriza never made any mention of it to the Cures.
Kurea, however, actually got to discussing with the Cures about their search for a person who lost her memories. That gives her another major point towards her connection with Eclair.
To add to that, Shiruku never had contact with the photo and by the looks of next week's ep which takes place at school, Rei probably won't get to see it either.
Process of elimination leaves only Kurea standing so there ya go.
Next, the link between smell and memories.
This one needs no lengthy explanation as all senses are registered by the brain where a person's knowledge and memories are stored. So if a particular scent is attached to a certain memory, smelling it would trigger a person to remember the past.
But that's not the only point. Like the matter with the butterfly photo, this is the first time the subject of past memories was discussed between the Cures and a civilian.
That gives Kurea another boost ahead of the rest.
Also, Cure Eclair's introduction phrase is "Tokihanate! Uchinaru Shinjitsu no Kaori Meitantei Kyua Ekurฤru!" (Unveiling The Scent Of Truth Within. Star Detective, Cure Eclair!)
The subject of "scent" is not associated with Eriza or Shiruku and it's unlikely it would be connected to Rei either, whose main concern is school.
But it's a big deal for Kurea since it's part of her job as a patissiere.
...do I still need to go on? ๐
Yes. Yes I do cuz THIS is the critical part of this entire arc!
How Eclair's real identity interacts with Luluka because Luluka is the biggest link to Eclair due to their shared past.
Once Kurea receives the calling card from Luluka, she immediately figures out that Luluka isn't joking around. However, she expresses doubt that Luluka is a phantom thief. Not because Luluka can't be a thief but more like she can't believe Luluka is one.
This is something you'd say if you knew someone well enough that your existing impression of them clashes with a new image you wouldn't have associated with that person before.
She's basically asking "How? I've seen you so many times, talked with you so many times. I can't picture you as someone who'd steal from others (since in my mind, I've always seen you as good)."
We then get a close up of Luluka narrowing her eyes, as if just talking about this is painful for her.
She says to Kurea almost bitterly, "What do you know? You don't even know my name. How can you judge whether I'm a good person or not?"
To which Kurea replies, "Then please tell me your name."
And Luluka's silent refusal to give it speaks volumes.
She's not telling Kurea for so many reasons. Because she doesn't want Kurea to remember and go back to being Eclair now that she's got a peaceful life going on? Because she wants Kurea to remember on her own without needing to tell her, which would prove to Luluka that their friendship and their bond couldn't be erased so easily?
Luluka says nothing. But in that nothing, that is everything she wants. Everything she wishes to be true (having her partner back) but isn't.
Well, Kurea is still in the dark but there's one thing she is confident about.
She knows ice cream makes Luluka happy and she's simply glad to have that information. She might not know Luluka in depth or remember their time together but...seeing what brings a smile to Luluka's face is important to her, nevertheless.
You don't really make that kind of observation of someone if you didn't really care about them to a certain extent now, do you?
Anyways, Kurea declares (in a calm yet firm heroine-ish way) that she won't let the phantom thieves take the photo and that really aligns with what an experienced Cure would say to their enemies. Even when they have no powers, they don't back down. And that's what Kurea is doing. She's not afraid of Luluka's threat.
Then when it came time for the heist to occur, Luluka is amused by how Kurea figured out her intention to get Kurea to call the Cures to the cafe.
There were plenty of opportunities for Luluka to snatch the photo but she specifically said she'd steal it at 6 PM, giving Kurea enough time to contact the Agency before Luluka arrived (and in doing so, learn Luluka's name through Mikuru).
This time, Luluka doesn't look sad. She seems pleased even.
Despite not having her Precure powers and having been inactive for so long, Kurea hasn't lost her ability to deduct. For that, Luluka's glad. Her face is saying "That's my partner! I knew nothing could get past her."
Next, the battle. The baaaaaattttttllllllleeee!
Out of all the four Eclair candidates, Kurea is the only one who has actually been allowed by the plot to bypass the protective field and witness a Precure fight.
Eriza was shut out of the one in her ep, Shiruku wasn't even present for hers and Rei was also left out in a previous episode.
But Kurea stands at the edge of it and Arcana Shadow notices her.
Why is it that Kurea can access the battlefield but the other girls couldn't?
Because she was a Cure before. Because she was Eclair.
Upon seeing her so close, Arcana Shadow leaves the fight to Goemon so she can keep Kurea from getting any closer (out of concern for her safety).
Finally, the way Luluka was so startled by Kurea saying her name.
Her eyes are shimmering with emotion, like she can't believe Kurea managed to remember who she is?
But though Luluka reacts, she doesn't let herself completely believe in it just yet. Just because Kurea knows her name doesn't mean she can recall her time as Eclair.
And she's right about that cuz Kurea doesn't mention anything about the past. So Luluka questions her. Why is Kurea running headfirst towards danger? Why does she think she can find the photo if she gave chase?
Luluka even points her wand Kurea, trying to intimidate her to back off.
But Kurea stands her ground and answers "Because I'm following the hunch in my heart. I believe in what the glimmer (kirameki) inside me tells me is the truth!"
It seems the word "glimmer" is another term that strikes a chord within Luluka. Maybe that's the lingo she shared with Eclair when they were working together? Their own private language?
Whichever the case, once Kurea said it, Luluka couldn't do anything. She just stood there between Kurea and the battle, waiting for the fight to end.
Once it was over, Luluka leaves but not before Kurea stops her with the question of why she's in the Phantom Thieves.
Luluka's expression here is very interesting. The word to describe it is not "indecipherable" but it's not easy to discern what she's feeling in this moment either.
She's not really smiling or smirking. It's somewhere in between.
And her reply to Kurea "I'm just following the glimmer inside me (just like you). Would that answer suffice?" is something really...oh I dunno. But there's this vibe to it that makes it seem like Luluka knows Kurea would understand what she meant.
That's a thing that only partners are capable of, y'know.
Luluka then says "farewell" (sayonara), possibly attempting to cut off any future contact with Kurea from now on.
However, Kurea invites her to come back to the cafe soon and tells Luluka that she'll be waiting for her. She even calls Luluka's name for good measure. Like she wants Luluka to know "hey, I know a little more about you now so don't just stop there. I want to see you again."
nnnnnnnnnnnn, can we just skip next week and do Eclair's debut already?! I want to see what their past was like! ๐ซ
Anyways, wrapping it up now.
Why Mikuru didn't mention this before, I have no clue but when she moved into her room (formerly Eclair's room), it had the same scent as the lilies that just bloomed in their garden.
But wait, there's more. I came across this interesting comment on youtube regarding the location of where Eclair shattered the Makoto Jewel:
It's based off a real place, apparently.
And since it's a place where these very fragrant butterfly bushes grow, I'm thinking Eclair's (re)debut will happen there as well.
So it's just a matter of who will be heading towards the lake in ep 25.
Since scent is a huge factor in revealing Eclair's identity, all arrows point to Kurea because she's the only candidate who brought that up into relevance.
Last but not least, we finally know why Luluka is working for the Phantom Thieves.
Usonoir has Eclair's Makoto Jewel and she's trying to get it back (doing so might get Eclair to remember).
So she was playing double agent all along!
Oh, whatever. She's doing this for Eclair and that's as good a reason as any. The best, in fact!
Very friendship! Very Precure! Whatever! Just make sure Luluka is happy in the end! ๐ญ
