Star Twinkle Precure (Series 16)

Star Twinkle had the same lead writer as Maho Girls and yeah, I can kinda tell. They both have a unique premise that doesn't quite feel fleshed out enough, the overarching plot and pacing of that plot are rough, and the fight scenes aren't great. Star Twinkle does have stuff to like, but as a whole, it often feels like it takes the bare minimum route for pretty much everything.

Star Twinkle Precure has a potentially interesting plot that really suffers from its pacing issues. Three aliens named Lala, Prunce, and Fuwa in search of 12 Star Color Pens crash land on Earth. Lala meets some kids, they become Cures together, and they race to find all the pens before the evil Notraiders do or risk them dominating the entire universe, all the while traveling the universe and meeting all kinds of species. However, Star Twinkle is painfully slow-paced. The Cures don't actually go to space until Episode 7, Lala doesn't start attending high school and trying to live among humans until Episode 13, the Star Color Pens plot gets resolved after the first half leaving the second half with pretty much nothing in the way of plot, the summer vacation arc is 11 episodes long, and it takes a long time before the show makes explicit what the Notraiders are planning. A slow burn isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when I'm a fourth in and it still feels like the series just started, that's a problem. As for the villains, I don't find too many of them particularly memorable. The only one I really like is Aiwarn, who manages to perfectly toe the line between super goofy and hammy, and also having done some of the worst things any Precure villain has ever done.

Thematically, Star Twinkle Precure is one of the most ambitious seasons in the franchise, trying to tackle multiculturalism, racism, and tolerance. It's a tough feat and while StaTwi's heart is definitely in the right place, the execution is pretty rough. Let's start with the positives. Star Twinkle is definitely the most diverse Precure season to date, with Elena being the first darker-skinned Cure and both Lala and Yuni being aliens, on top of the variety of alien species the Cures encounter. As a matter of fact, the space episodes are easily the best parts of Star Twinkle because you get to see the culture clash between the Cures and the aliens they meet. The series' main message and mission statement is about how open and honest communication can help people overcome their differences, and that there's no reason to be ashamed of who you are. This is probably the thing StaTwi does the most right. Emphasizing the importance of honest communication and being receptive to new things is always an important message and a good way to help kids think more positively about those who are different from them. 

However, Star Twinkle's biggest flaw is its utter refusal to engage with anything that could possibly involve some sort of moral shakiness. Hikaru is meant to have a character arc where she learns to treat Lala as a person and not just "that cool alien", but the show never develops that are. It feels like StaTwi is afraid of portraying its lead character in any sort of negative light. In theory, Yuni's arc is really cool because it tackles having to do something illegal for a valid reason, she's stealing from the people in power who ransacked her own race. Sadly, StaTwi just chalks it up to "stealing bad" and refuses to actually engage with the fact that maybe Yuni's in the right here? Even more offensive is when the show tries to make the claim that Yuni and the person who commited fantastical genocide on her entire race are the same. Speaking of which...

The worst thing that Star Twinkle does is that despite the Notraiders being racist planet raiders, the Cures forgive all of them. For the generals, fine whatever. Tenjo in particular got a good redemption because she gets to bond with Elena over their shared discrimination. Aiwarn is iffier since despite being the one responsible for the mass petrification of Yuni's species, she gets forgiven by the Cures pretty early on despite not doing anything to redeem herself until after being forgiven. But the main big bad Ophiuchus who tried to destroy the entire universe being let off with a slap on the wrist is too damn far. I get what the writers are trying to do with that ending, the show posits that racism comes from a lack of understanding of the other race. And while that's not inherently wrong, the implication that you can just get someone to stop being racist just by talking to them, and that it makes up for the stuff they did, is incredibly naive. Star Twinkle is taking a risk by even trying to tackle racism to begin with, but it refuses to go all the way with that theme and ends up coming across as underdeveloped. Precure may be a kid's show, but other seasons (Heartcatch and Go Princess being the best examples) were able to explore their themes to their fullest no matter how dark it may be. 

But hey, even if the story is flawed, what really tends to elevate a Precure show for me are the characters. Sadly, Star Twinkle's cast is pretty hit or miss, and what really brings it down is that I don't like the pink Cure at all this time. Since the pink Cure is often the main protagonist and gets the bulk of the screentime, how good they are can play a big part in how good the show is. I like Doki Doki and GoPri in spite of their screentime distribution because of how much I like Mana and Haruka, but Hikaru is boring and gets way more focus than she deserves. As I said earlier, her character arc is incredibly weak and under-developed, so we end up with a dull and paper-thin Cure whose sole character trait is just that she likes aliens. Lala, on the other hand, is an awesome character. While it takes her a while to start actively engaging with humans, Lala struggling to live on Earth and her fear of coming across as weird or perhaps be outed as an alien is incredibly compelling. Hikaru doesn't deserve Lala, she's way better of a character.

Elena and Madoka are also potentially really great, with a fun friendship, but they suffer from a lack of screentime compared to Hikaru and Lala. Elena, as I mentioned, is the first Hispanic Cure, and the majority of her episodes are based around her culture, which is really cool. However, as an actual character, she mostly just falls in the Nao/Akira category of being "the family person who's got her life in order". Madoka is probably my favorite Cure since I'm a sucker for characters based on Princess Kaguya, and her issues dealing with high expectations with her father are compelling... but she gets even less focal episodes than Elena does! Yuni also feels kinda wasted, because she is really cool in concept. She's a fun Precure Robin Hood-esque thief with a uniquely radical worldview, but she rarely ever feels like a part of the group, the season rarely explores her moral ambiguity, and the show ends with her forgiving the people who turned her planet to stone. There's no sugarcoating it, Yuni got done incredibly dirty. I'm also really not huge on the fairies. Fuwa and Prunce are very much similar to Chiffon and Tarte respectively, but they feel like a poor man's version of both of them. Fuwa's voice is grating (especially in that episode where he clones himself), but Prince is especially annoying. He takes Tarte's slight neuroticism and amps it up to eleven and his constant commentating, yapping, and panicking gets immensely annoying.

Even the presentation is uneven. I love the art direction here, with soft and colorful pastels, dreamlike environments, and stars all over the place making the season feel like a Kirby game come to life. There's also a retro 80s vibe to a degree, most noticeable in the vaporwave backgrounds in the endings. I adore the overall aesthetic of Star Twinkle, but it's a real shame that the actual animation is some of the worst in the franchise. The characters are constantly off model, movement is often stiff, and the fight scenes are genuinely horrific. The fights in Star Twinkle are just stock footage paced together, you're literally watching the same thing every episode. The action in this season is so bad that I have way better respect for Maho Girls and especially Kira Kira. I don't care that there wasn't any punching anymore, that show at least has dynamic and creative action scenes with some really cool moments of sakuya every once in a while, which not even Star Twinkle could manage! Back to the positives though, at least the music's still pretty good. Once again, I'm not huge on Yuki Hayashi but he does deserve props for reusing his music way less than any of the other Precure composers, and having the Cures sing the transformation music themselves is absolutely genius.

Highlights:

Her Identity Is Exposed!? The Alien in Class 3, Year 2 (episode 40): Out of all the arcs in this season, Lala's was handled the best. I'm glad the show did go ahead with outing Lala as an alien to her classmates, and it was given the right amount of drama it really deserved. Also, screw Fuyuki.

Draw It Into The Universe! My Own Imagination (episode 49): Definitely one of the better finales as of late, though still not perfect. I think everyone got a pretty good sendoff but relegating Cure Grace's intro to a dream sequence is hilarious new levels of forced. At the very least, Nodoka actually got quite a bit of screentime this time around. These baton passes rarely ever did the best job at selling me on the new pink Cure but I'm pretty sold on Cure Grace already.

Dishonorable Mentions: Unlike most Precure shows, Star Twinkle has some episodes that genuinely angered me, so I wanted to highlight them here:

Blue Cat Returns! The Rainbow-Colored Heart (episode 36): This could've been one of the most fun episodes in the show. I love the thief vs cop dynamic, and Mary Ann is a really cute and fun character. However, the message is awful. Hikaru spends the episode pleading to Yuni that "stealing is bad", and Mary Ann's reasoning for her similar philosophy is "how sad do you think people would be if you stole from them". Despite being portrayed as strictly in the right, what Star Twinkle refuses to even touch on is the fact that Yuni is stealing from rich people (who don't even need anyone's defense) who stole from her own planet first. Yuni is in the right here. But yes, stealing is always bad and that's that. I hate Hikaru even more after this episode.

Shine! Yuni's Twinkle Imagination (episode 38): Aiwarn turned Yuni's planet to stone and ransacked it. By PG standards, this is basically genocide. That seems like it would make Aiwarn borderline irredeemable, or at the very least, she'd have to make a lot of amends to even come close to it. But nope, despite not having done anything to earn it, Yuni says in this very episode that she's willing to forgive Aiwarn because the Notraiders didn't have a planet of their own. TOEI! Like sure, that's a fine tragic backstory that could've been built upon in an interesting way, but having a tragic backstory alone doesn't redeem someone of something this horrific! Aiwarn needed to earn her redemption and that just didn't happen here. While the show does at least have Aiwarn play a big role in the final battle, this is too early and does Yuni's arc a big disservice.

Supri~se☆ Santa Is An Alien!? (episode 44): Okay, this is a lot sillier but it's still worth mentioning. The santa episode of Maho Girls was great because it was a fun twist on the christmas episode format and felt like a natural fit for that season's magical world. Hugtto did another santa episode and it felt a lot more bizarre since that show was a bit more grounded, Cures aside. Now it's the third time we get an episode where the Cures help out a santa and it's gotten really played out.

Overlapping Thoughts! The Star of Hope Shines Through The Darkness (episode 48): There are good moments in this final battle. Ophiuchus is a cool Sailor Moon-esque villain, the Cures singing their transformation theme was great, the final battle was pretty solid, and Lala's goodbye was pretty effective. However, it screws up just as much. The Cures forgiving Ophiuchus is really stupid despite her still being a preset threat. The Cures giving all their power to revive Fuwa is also really stupid, not just because Ophiuchus is still a threat, but because it undercuts Fuwa's sacrifice... and she still has to leave the Cures anyway so what's the point?! And of course, Yuni was done dirty again. I know Aiwarn ended up making an antidote, but the implication that Yuni's entire arc was to let go of her anger about her entire planet being petrified is aggressively awful. She deserved to be angry about that, she was technically the last of her kind for a while and the season never dug into this! How do you mess up a character this badly?

Like with its spiritual predecessor, Star Twinkle does do quite a bit right. Lala is an absolute treasure, the aesthetic is impeccable, and it has a pretty great message about communication and being yourself. However, its rough pacing, the poorly distributed screentime, the weak animation and action, the regressive handling of Yuni's arc, its unwillingness to challenge its own themes lead to a season that just feels like a waste of potential.

2/5 Stars

Ranking Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Levels

So... I think I like skateboarding games now? I wasn't expecting to like the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, it just didn't seem like my type of game, but I recently played the first entry and I was stunned at how addicting it was. The gameplay was fluid, the licensed soundtrack is super energetic and fun, the Career Mode was super engaging, and most of all, the levels were incredibly memorable. So let's rank them, though keep in mind that I'm still really new to these games so this is all from a novice's perspective.

9. Burnside

Oh god, this level. Burnside probably gave me the most grief out of any of THPS's levels because of just how sparse and small it is. There's barely any grind rails (a real shame considering I'm more of a street skater), the bowls and pipes are super small and easy to bail on, and there's just so little to interact with. It's simultaneously really hard to compete well in and also just really dull, even by the standards of a skate park level. It's neat that Burnside is based on an actual skating location, but I don't think that necessarily translates to fun gameplay in an arcade skateboarding game.

8. Downhill Jam

Downhill Jam is the kind of level you either love or hate. Sadly, I lean more towards the latter. There are some fun combo lines, but getting pretty much any tape here is a pain because almost the entire track is in a slope, so permanently missing a collectible and having to reset isn't just possible but common, and you really only have so many opportunities to rack up points. The collectibles themselves are also utterly brutal to get, between the platforming gauntlet you have to go through to get the tape to that devilish E placement. It's definitely got the spectacle to beat out Burnside, but it makes you play at an insanely high level to even come close to earning it.

7. Skate Park

Skate Park is definitely the most forgettable of the THPS stages. It's not as iconic as Warehouse, as infuriating as Burnside, or as flashy as Roswell, but at the very least, it's still pretty fun. It's got pretty much everything you'd want from a good skate park, from pipes to bowls to grind rails placed in a variety of ways, making for a stage that's fun to either pall around in or compete for a medal in. It's just probably not going to stick with you once you've moved on from it.

6. Streets

Streets is kind of a shame because it has a lot of cool ideas and memorable setpieces. Being based on San Francisco, it tries to cram in large plazas, a shortened Lombard street, a dead end Chinatown, and several interior areas and windows to break down. Getting all the collectibles can be a fun challenge, between hopping across buildings, jumping up staircases, and trying to precisely land on cop cars to break them. The problem with Streets, however, is its crushing size. Everything is spread so far apart that going for any of the collectible-related tapes is a massive time-crunch, and going for the score tapes pretty much demands just staying in one spot. Streets had the potential to be one of the best stages in the game, but it just has too much dead space for its own good. 

5. Warehouse

Even as someone who's never played THPS before, I recognized Warehouse. It's that iconic. This stage just has such a simple but effective layout that serves as the perfect tutorial, letting the player familiarize themselves with the game's controls while still being fun on its own merits. For a first time player, making that jump through the window to get the hidden tape is quite the bombastic moment.

4. School

I remember the awe I felt at discovering just how large School was compared to Warehouse. I had thought the whole game was just going to be small skate parks, but then I'm tossed into this huge park with multiple sections and a gym with both an interior section and a roof, even if your average player will probably keep away from it. It's a vast and open stage with a lot to discover and a lot of opportunities for points, making for loads of viable strategies for racking up a high score. Props to that one table mission that really helped me hone my grinding skills.

3. Roswell

Roswell is hands down the coolest skatepark. It's easily the biggest of the bunch even if it's not quite as dense as Skate Park, it's got a bunch of secret areas, and of course, it's based on Area 51. The sudden shift from grounded locations to confirming aliens is so funny that it makes for a truly memorable final stage, and it helps that the layout itself has a pretty nice flow to it. I just don't really have any issues with it, Roswell is a damn solid map.

2. The Mall

I am well-aware of the issues with The Mall and linear stages like it. Backtracking can be a massive time sink, and there aren't many opportunities for tricking, at least not without loads of obstacles in the way. However, The Mall was probably the make-or-break stage for me, the moment when I realized, "Hey, this game's actually really fun!". It all started with that hidden tape, hanging over those two elevated grind rails, that pretty much demands that the player has mastered rail hopping. It was getting that tape that made me realize how fun street skating was, and the sheer amount of gaps, combo lines, and alternate paths that The Mall has to offer let me really go wild when trying to get the score. Not to mention that a mall is always an awesome setting for a race track, Mario Kart fans can attest to that.

1. Downtown

As far as the original game goes, Downtown is the most visually-striking level for me. The bustling nighttime city setting has always been super appealing, and it also helps that Downtown is jam-packed with memorable settings and stuff to do. There's a really good combo line literally right in front of you when you start the level, and that's not getting into the open plaza, the streets crammed with ramps and cars, that grind-rail tunnel, and of course, the rooftops that you can even hop between with enough speed. Downtown has some pretty tough gaps but by exchange, it nets you an impressive amount of points for nailing them, making for a stage that is both fun and immensely rewarding. While it does still have a few empty spots particularly near the plaza, as a whole, this stage is everything I wanted out of Streets and then some.

Hugtto Precure (Series 15)

Hugtto Precure's reputation precedes it. It's the 15th anniversary series, directed by Junichi freaking Sato, took Twitter by storm with its fight scenes, and even won r/anime's Anime Of The Year. But despite all that, the show made a bad first impression on me. Having gotten spoiled on a few of this season's more divisive plot points (and trust me, we'll get to them) and with Hana and Hugtan not really making the best first impression during Kira Kira's finale, I went into Hugtto with a bit of a closed mind (A testament to the fact that, yes, spoilers can negatively influence one's viewing of something). It wasn't until I got a few episodes in when I realized that I wasn't giving Hugtto a proper chance, and that I was going to start over, hear what it actually has to say, and decide what I feel about it then. Besides, Splash Star made a bad first impression too and it ended up being one of my favorites...

Hugtto Precure is about Hana and the other Cures trying to protect a baby from another timeline named Hugtan from getting his Mirai Crystal stolen by the evil Criasu corporation, or else time will be stopped forever. That's right, this is a time travel story, which is quite novel for a Precure show. In most seasons, the fairies and villains are from another world, but this time, they're from another version of our world which gives them more of a connection from the main characters (and especially Hana). Slowly uncovering all those connections is super intriguing, it's like Precure's version of Dark. Speaking of which, something that really struck me about Hugtto is how dark it gets, especially in the first half. Between the implications of the Bad Future timeline, Hugtan going comatose at one point, Ruru getting shut off, and literally everything about George, Hugtto doesn't pull any punches and I kinda like that. The second half does dial things back a bit, Toei probably felt the writers were going a bit too far, but even then the series has a bit of an edge to it that I haven't seen from Precure in a long time. I'll never say a darker show is automatically better, but it is refreshing, and there were countless moments where I was like "how did the writers even get away with this?", especially regarding Criasu. I even like how this show tackled the evil corportation premise, focusing on the more corrupt sides of Criasu compared to Nightmare's soul-crushing bleakness. The villains in general are great, Hugtto really digs into how much abuse they face in Criasu, and like in the previous series, some start to hang out with the Cures upon being purified. However, I have one big issue with Hugtto's plot, though, and that's Hugtan herself. Hugtan is easily my least favorite of the baby characters so far for her high-pitched "Hugggiiii" squeals and the aggressive focus this show has on babies.

Like with most seasons, the characters are definitely the highlight. Hana didn't make the best first impression on me since she starts the show constantly screaming "Hooray! Hooray!", but thankfully the writers realized that got annoying and dropped it quickly for the much more endearing catchphrase "Mechokku!". Once that's resolved, I realized that Hana is actually super fascinating, taking many of the archetypes you'd come to expect from a pink Cure and exploring them just a bit more. So Hana goes through a lot of grief about wanting to be "mature" despite her genki-ish personality, which is a pretty neat arc. And while Hana is super selfless and helpful, it often comes at a cost whether it's being late for class, being let down by someone she trusted, or having to change schools after getting bullied for defending a classmate. Saaya is the least interesting of the Cures, with a pretty standard actress vs doctor arc, but the writers made up for that by giving her a lot of silly quirks like her love for power tools and her child actress role. Homare, on the other hand, gets a super compelling arc about getting over an ice skating accident. There are some pretty neat side characters too. The fairy, Harry, is basically a blend between Coco and Nuts, and a very welcome comic relief (at least until we learn his surprisingly dark backstory). Henri is pretty great too for how comfortable he is dressing up femininely, definitely deserving of being the first male Cure. Hugtto's message of "girls can be heroes and men can be princesses" is for sure one of the series' biggest successes. Also, there's also Masato who starts off aggressively sexist but ends up not only befriending Henri but possibly ending up in a relationship with him, and I'm not too sure if that's the most unrealistic or realistic direction to take that kind of story. My personal favorite side character, though, is Hana's snarky sister Kotori, who's always a highlight whenever she shows up.

But then there's the midseason Cures, Emiru and Ruru, and holy crap, they are far and away two of the best characters Precure has ever given us.  Emiru is a great foil to Hana, who desperately wants to be a Cure and help people but kinda sucks at it, which leads to a lot of hilarity. Seeing as her design is also pink, she could've totally been a great main character in her own right. Also she plays electric guitar, always a plus. Ruru is the season's redemption Cure, and while I liked Ellen and Towa quite a lot, Ruru was the first one since Setsuna to feel like she brought something new to the table by being an android. Seeing her learn what it means to be human is played for both fantastic comedy and drama at the same time, and the moment Ruru starts showing up regularly, the show skyrockets in terms of quality. But even better than these two characters on their own is them together. Emiru and Ruru form an odd friendship pretty early on and it's an absolutely joy to watch. Their polar opposite personalities play off each other so well, and they share so many incredibly heartwarming and wholesome moments together. Sadly, they don't get to do as much after their dedicated arc, but they're still consistent spotlight stealers until the end. They could easily carry a Futari-style two Cure season on their own (though considering their transformation and the several Futari references, this had to be intentional). Emiru and Ruru's storylines gripped me the hardest out of anything since Setsuna's arc, which is high praise considering I still single that out as the emotional high point of the franchise.

However, now that all the praise is out of the way, let's get into some of Hugtto's iffier bits, because it has several of them. Something I was spoiled on was the fact that this series had several age gap relationships and that's... partially true. A lot of it is because of all the time travel fuckery, like Harry having eyes for Hugtan's future self and George creeping on the Hana from this timeline since he was in some sort of relationship with her in the Bad Future (gross but at least he's the villain). It's definitely weird if you think about it too hard, but having seen shit like Dark, it could always be so much worse. There's also Homare's crush on Harry which seems to get the most flack but thankfully, like in Happiness Charge, it stays a crush. I'm usually fine with this because kids having crushes on adults is a perfect normal thing, as long as said adult doesn't reciprocate it. This season still comes incredibly close to crossing the line so many times and I wish it didn't, but it's mostly stuff I can look past. There is one bit I can't forgive, however, and that's Emiru and Ruru's ending. Ruru has to leave to her own future, which is perfectly understandable, but then a few years later, she gets rebuilt as a kid. So not only was her friendship with Emiru pretty irreparably broken, but it makes that episode where they used their difference in species as a metaphor for homosexuality really awkward in hindsight now that they're like 10 years apart in age (just want to clarify, I'm not saying I'm disappointed a ship wasn't confirmed, I'd never do that. Frankly, I was always a bit unsure about Emiru and Ruru considering their nebulous ages, but the signs, parallels, metaphors, and themes were there and if the writers knew this was where the show was going, I think they shouldn't have even bothered including them). That's just the issue with Hugtto, it's super progressive and ambitious but the execution is often... off.

But that's not even it with the finale, because then there's how Hana turned out, which I was also spoiled on. So an adult Hana gives birth to Hugtan (makes sense) and it's implied that the father is... George, aka the main antagonist of the season. I hate that implication. Even if this is a different George, the thought of Hana ending up with the guy who had been creeping on her all through seventh grade is incredibly problematic. Thankfully, when I actually watched the episode, there's a bunch of evidence towards the contrary, like George not having a wedding ring where Hana does or, of course, him not even being there for her birth. If anything, there's more evidence towards Homare being the father since she's actually at Hana's birth and her left hand is covered for the whole epilogue. But that doesn't really fix things, does it? George is still the primary candidate, and I shouldn't have to hyperanalyze the show only to find out I was being mislead. Toei should've either not hinted towards any father or just picked someone. Instead they were trying to have their cake and eat it too, and it ends up muddling Huggto's ending and Hana's arc as a whole. 

As far as the presentation goes, it's obviously pretty great since this is the 15th anniversary series. It may not have the more unique and cartoony artstyles that shows like Heartcatch, Doki Doki, and Kira Kira had, but Hugtto just looks super clean and polished, and the fight scenes are consistenly strong throughout. Since this is the anniversary series, Toei decided to one up HapCha by having Cures actually show up in some episodes. While I personally prefer the simpler OP cameos since having Cures cross over throws in a whole bunch of confusing implications, I can't say that those crossover episodes weren't a ton of fun and a heartwarming reflection on how far I've gone with this series. Speaking of HapCha, Hugtto brings back the costume/disguise ability that season had, though I think HapCha uses it quite a bit more often and creatively which does make sense since it's not as big a priority this time around. I also need to give special mention to the background music, which is a pretty noticeable step up over that in Kira Kira (not the vocal tracks though, I'm not sure if those could ever be topped). I'm still not super huge on Yuki Hayashi's style, but I think Hugtto's darker tone suits him quite a bit more. However, there is one thing that baffles me, and that's how nearly every episode ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the next episode. Sometimes the cliffhangers can work, but the sheer overuse of the trope can border on comical, with the highlight being an episode ending on the very dramatic note of Santa falling out of the sky.

Highlights:

Odd Duo...? Emiru and Ruru's Day Out (episode 15): The first twelve episodes of Hugtto are fine though nothing special, but as I said earlier, the moment Ruru infiltrates Hana's family and starts to get a lot more focus, Hugtto becomes genuinely fantastic. Tanaka Yuta goes full Matsumoto Rie in one of the most off-the-wall Precure episodes I've seen in a very long time. It's the first Emiru & Ruru episode and it immediately demonstrates how amazing their pairing is, both in terms of comedy and wholesomeness. The whole episode had me cracking up from Emiru's failed attempts to save people, Ruru racing to get the eggs on sale, the Cures freaking out of Hugtan speaking, and that weird dance thing only to suddenly swerve to being incredibly heartfelt as Ruru discovers what music is and proceeds to defend Emiru to her sexist brother Masato. Now give us Erutto Precure, you cowards!

Everyone's Idol!? Master Homare's Troubles (episode 16): This was a surprisingly well-animated episode about two of Homare's classmates arguing about whether or not she's a good influence, with impressively good action to boot, but then that ending happened. Ruru getting immediately shut down for helping the Cures is one of the bleakest moments in the entire franchise.

Noise of Sorrow...Farewell, Ruru (episode 17): This is a strong ending to what is probably the best arc of the whole season. The final fight with Ruru is so emotional and well-executed, I love how you're led to think Papple is hurting Ruru mid-fight but it's just her emotions and guilt seeping out, culminating in the stunning sight of watching an android cry. Oh, and Emiru learns her friends are Cures, so that's nice.

An Odd Pair! The Melody of the Heart (episode 18): Ruru singing with Emiru made me tear up, I love these two so much!

Cure Macherie and Cure Amour! Hooray hooray! The Pretty Cure of Love! (episode 20): FLAME THROWER GUITAR. FLAME THROWER GUITAR. Oh, and Emiru and Ruru both become Cures by breaking the laws of the universe with the power of love or something, very good episode.

Our Song Of Love! Let It Reach! Twin Love Guitar! (episode 22): Hugtto has a weird midseason arc since Ruru became good in Episode 17, and Ruru and Emiru became Cures in Episode 20, so the last two episodes before the OP change are a crossover with Cure Black & Cure White. I'm not entirely sure how necessary it was, but the parallels between them and Emiru/Ruru is nice, and the "Arienai! Mechokku!" bit made it all worth it. But what I was not expecting at all was Papple's subplot which implies George started cheating on her with Gelos?! Holy shit, Hugtto! Sadly this is it for the Emiru and Ruru arcs, but it was fun while it lasted.

Hooray Hooray! The Big Gathering of the Legendary Pretty Cure!!/To The Future! Pretty Cure All For You! (episodes 36/37): This was just a glorified All-Stars movie, not that it wasn't enjoyable. The first episode of the two had a lot of fun character interactions, especially once the casts split up to look for the other scattered Cures, the highlights being Ruru dancing with Love, Hana and Nozomi headbutting each other, and the Kira Kira chefs cooking for Bunbee. But of course, the real highlight was that amazing crossover fight in Episode 37, not only great on an action standpoint, but also boasting plenty of fun details like Miyuki faceplanting, Cure Honey applauding Ichikia's cakes, and the mid-season Cure band. Of course, Tanaka Yuta directed this one.

One Yell For Another! This Is My Cheer (episode 42): CURE INFINI. ENOUGH SAID.

The Final Battle! Take Back Everyone's Tomorrow! (episodes 47): The final arc was very hit-or-miss. I hate George, Hana shouldn't have forgiven him, and the finale is shaky to say the least, but I liked that scene where everyone became a Cure, and all the other villains got a pretty great sendoff in this episode. Papple, Dr Traum, Charaleet, Gelos, and Daigon are all able to help out in the fight, and Bicine and Listol finally turn back into their fairy forms and reunite with Harry. Bicine in particular is one of the coolest, most interesting, and tragic villains in the franchise, and I'm glad he got a happy ending.

So, was Hugtto as bad as I feared? No, not at all. It's flawed and very clumsy at times, but it's also ambitious, experimental, thoughtful, and full of heart. It's not one of my favorite seasons, but at the very least, I respect the hell out of it. While I'm not huge on the baby theming, the abundance of age gap relationships, or the iffy ending, Hugtto still manages to hold together thanks to a uniquely dark tone, a unique cast, a very polished presentation, and Emiru and Ruru's storyline being one of the best things Precure has ever done.

3/5 Stars

Touhou (?) Music Reviews: The Seihou Games

While I finished with the main Touhou series, there are still two more ZUN soundtracks I have neglected to cover, and those are the Seihou scores. If you're not familar with Seihou music, boy are you in for a treat. They sound like a unique medium between the PC-98 and EoSD style, and boast some incredibly complex and varied melodies that rival some of the best ZUN has ever made. 

Seihou Shuusou Gyoku

Clockworks
Pretty good title theme. It's super tense and ominous if a bit repetitive, and does a good job at establishing Seihou's unique vibes right off the bat.
4/5 Stars

False Strawberry
False Strawberry feels right out of a PC-98 game, with a simple but incredibly catchy melody, brisk pace befitting a first stage theme, and a lovely and calming pre-chorus section.
4/5 Stars

Primrose Silver
Once again, this sounds like the first boss theme of a PC-98 game, simple and short but relentlessly intense and fast-paced. I love that opening riff coupled with the chime that plays every time the riff loops, it's such a bop.
4/5 Stars

Illusory Imperial Capital
This track has grown on me a lot, it's really the best encapsulation of that distinct Seihou sound. There's a very wistful feel to this track, and the key change in the pre-chorus is just perfection.
5/5 Stars

Disastrous Gemini
The main melody in Disastrous Gemini is super catchy, energetic, and elegant, but the track itself is a bit short with slightly off-beat percussion.
3/5 Stars

Illusion Of Flowers, Air Of Scarlet Dream
Similarly to Maple Wise in ZUN's previous soundtrack, Illusion Of Flowers hints at the game's final boss theme a bit, though not with nearly the same impact. However, the chorus is fantastic, super powerful and intense.
4/5 Stars

Firmament Army
While Gates' next theme would blow this one completely out of the water, Firmament Army is still a bouncy and fun enough boss theme with a great riff and a solid main theme.
3/5 Stars

Illusionary Sputnik Night
And now Seihou's soundtrack becomes genuinely fantastic. Illusionary Sputnik Night is so great that it's one of the few Seihou tracks ZUN remixed for an album. It's energetic, catchy, complex, and just a ton of fun to listen to. The central riff is energetic and memorable, the piano solo in the verse is absolutely beautiful, and the chorus is triumphant as hell.
5/5 Stars

Circus Reverie
Yet another classic Seihou track, Circus Reverie also got a remix, though this more energetic original version is still great on its own merits. Circus Reverie is kind of experimental, jumping between tempos and tones while still remaining consistently catchy and elegant the entire way through. The light-hearted accordion melody in the verse definitely gives off the vibe of a circus.
5/5 Stars

Illusionary Girl From Canaveral
This was ZUN's attempt at making a western-sounding theme. Not entirely sure it worked, but it's a stellar track regardless. The catchy verse manages to be both breezy and slightly melancholic at the same time, but the highlight is easily that stunning chorus.
5/5 Stars

Magical Girl Crusade
Yet another one of the more iconic Seihou tracks, a super unique and oddly upbeat organ piece filled to brim with fun key changes. There isn't too much I can say about this one, it's just a joyous and energetic track.
5/5 Stars

Antique Terror
Seihou as a series leans more into sci-fi than magic like Touhou does, so for its final act, ZUN tried to experiment a bit with some more mechanical sounding tracks. Antique Terror isn't super memorable especially by this game's standards, but its rhythmic beat fits the robotic setting perfectly.
3/5 Stars

Dream Machine - Innocent Power
Seihou has a whopping three final boss themes, though Dream Machine is by far the least interesting of the three. It's definitely pretty ominous but the other two just hit harder.
3/5 Stars

Illusory Science - Doll's Phantom
Illusory Science on the other hand, holy shit. This is one of the heaviest tracks ZUN has ever made and I absolutely love it, from the intense and addicting techno riff to the dramatic organ chorus. This is easily my favorite track in Seihou 1, and that's not even getting into its album remix.
5/5 Stars

Girl's Divinity - Pandora's Box
The final final boss theme is pretty spectacular too, less atmospheric than the first two, but way more climactic and grandiose. Seihou uses a lot of organs, but it's never as chill-inducing as in that godly opening bit. And yet the song keeps getting better, with a powerful and dramatic verse, a triumphant chorus, and a somber ending. Genuinely one of the better final boss themes ZUN has made.
5/5 Stars 

Silk Road Alice
If you're not aware, Reimu and Marisa were extra bosses in Seihou 1, so its extra themes are essentially a Touhou crossover. Theme Of Eastern Story showed up a few times in the intros to Lotus Land Story and Mystic Square, but this was the first time it got expanded into a full-on theme and it is glorious. It just encapsulates what Touhou is all about so quickly and efficiently, from the ways in which the Theme Of Eastern Story is used, to the more traditional-sounding instruments, to that heavenly chorus. This. Is. Touhou.
5/5 Stars

The Witches' Ball
Marisa's theme is the stronger of the two, once again. Befitting the title, this theme leans hard on the witchy side of Marisa with a balletic and spooky main melody and heavy use of harpsichords. It's a real banger of a track that deserves more recognition.
5/5 Stars

Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly - Ancients
While this is not my favorite rendition of this track, Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly has always been one of the better Reimu themes in my opinion. The main riff is super exciting and intense, and the chorus is absolutely iconic. But for me, the highlight of this version of the theme is that more somber and calm bit near the end.
5/5 Stars

Herselves
This is a great credits theme, starting off which the Illusionary Girl From Canaveral riff only to burst into a triumphant, dramatic, and just plain badass main theme. The whole track feels like all of the previous tracks brought together into one, though the second half isn't quite as exciting.
4/5 Stars

Titled Maid
This theme goes surprisingly hard for a Name Registration theme. That beat is really catchy!
4/5 Stars

Seihou 2: Kioh Gyoku: This soundtrack has both MIDI and WAV versions. I'm sticking with WAV since that's what all the Touhou soundtracks would use.

Kioh Gyoku - Fairy Dance
I like this title theme. While a fairly simple loop, it's a pretty catchy one. Maybe it's the synth instruments used or the brisk percussion, either way it's super hypnotic-sounding.
4/5 Stars

Velvet Maiden Battle - Velvet Battle
What a wonderful track. Vivit's theme feels like ZUN's first maid rock, with a pretty head-banging riff and some stellar percussion work. The piano solos are lovely, the chorus is phenomenal, and the WAV version even throws in the UFO saxophones?! This early?
5/5 Stars

Castle Explorer - In The Sky
This is so much better than the last Gates theme! It's so bouncy and fun, with a catchy central piano riff, adorable background instruments, booming percussion, plenty of slower moments scattered throughout, and a fantastic chorus.
5/5 Stars

Orphic Castle - Psuedoclassic
Coming off the heels of the last two themes, Psuedoclassic is quite a bit more melancholic, once again using a lot of harpsichord. The main melody in the verse is probably the most memorable part of the track, but it's that catchy harpsichord solo in the pre-chorus that steals the show.
4/5 Stars

New Illusion - New Fantasy
Speaking of melancholic, I love how simultaneously somber and energetic New Illusion is. The percussion is exciting and fast-paced, but the melody is pretty much all slow-paced and elegant piano trills. The sparse chorus manages to be so powerful despite its simplicity. And the track even ends a pretty wild piano solo.
5/5 Stars 

Holy Knight Of Orleans
Probably the weakest of the character themes, but by no means bad. The melody isn't super memorable, but the stellar piano solo and ZUNpet finale more than make up for it. Wait, is this the first song with ZUNpets in it? That's pretty cool.
3/5 Stars

My Maid, Sweet Maid
My Maid, Sweet Maid goes for more of a slow-paced lullaby vibe, and it's pretty great. The main melody gives off Lullaby Of Demonic Hell vibes, but the real highlight is the chorus that seems to borrow from Illusory Science. Also, this is the first appearance of the flute from LoLK.
4/5 Stars

Lonely Mound Of Cherry Blossoms
Time for another Touhou crossover! This time Yuuka was made playable, and got a pretty fantastic theme all to herself. Lovely Mound Of Cherry Blossoms is just plain beautiful on so many levels, from the lush piano/guitar intro to the lovely main melody to the usage of traditional instruments once again to that powerful chorus to that absolutely godly piano solo. Once again, this track was remixed for an album and yeah, good choice.
5/5 Stars

Warrior Maiden - Heart Of Valkyrie
I don't know what that repeating sound in the intro is but it sounds so pleasing, and mechanical enough to fit a mad scientist quite well. Warrior Maiden is a great intense track that does a good job at raising the stakes for the penultimate boss, even if it isn't quite at the level of Sailor Of Time or Higan Retour.
4/5 Stars

Enigmatic Doll
ZUN ends his time composing for the Seihou series with not just the best Seihou track, but one of the best tracks he's ever composed. Enigmatic Doll is probably the most beloved Seihou theme which makes sense because it's freaking amazing. It has everything you'd want from a ZUN track, between a stunningly beautiful opening piano riff, an elegant and melancholic main melody, an energetic and triumphant chorus, and a fun-as-hell piano solo. There's just something so majestic and awe-inspiring about Enigmatic Doll.
5/5 Stars

Ranking The Windows Touhou Games (6-18)

It's been a while since I made that post about my first experiences with the Touhou games, and since then, I've been playing a lot more of them. I got around to checking out all the Windows entries up to and including Unconnected Marketeers, including many of the spinoffs, and my opinions on the series has changed quite a bit the more I played them. So, I wanted to make an updating ranking of the Windows Touhou games, from least favorite to favorite: 

18. Violet Detector

Violet Detector is actually really close to being one of the best spinoff games because structurally, it strikes a nice balance between the photo games and ISC. You have to defeat each opponent, but you need to snap at least one photo to clear the stage. It's also a bit more generous with progression, at least in the early game, so new players won't feel stuck on the first or second day. However, the big issue with Violet Detector is that it lacks the thought and polish that Impossible Spell Card and the other photo games have. Once again, you're given an arsenal of items to use but that doesn't mean anything when a large chunk of the spells you're put up against are very obviously taken from previous games rather than be tailored towards the use of these items like in ISC. And the spells that are tailored around a mechanic are based around Violet Detector's new teleport mechanic, which controls horribly. Not only is it a fixed distance, but you activate it by tapping Shift twice. You know, Shift, the focus button. I could see the potential in Violet Detector, if it had the same care and attention that Impossible Spell Card got, I could see myself liking it even more. But as it is now, it's a spinoff that is pretty obviously rushed.

17. Undefined Fantastic Object

Undefined Fantastic Object is the hardest game in the series and not in a good way, which is a real shame because it makes some real strides over the last two games. The bomb mechanics are back to normal and bosses give you a life piece regardless if you captured the spell card, but none of that really matters when the game is smothered by one of Touhou's worst gimmicks: the UFOs. During stages, UFOs of three different colors fly across the screen, and if you collect three UFOs of the same color, you can get life pieces, bombs, or... another UFO? However, you can only hold up to three UFOs, so you need to be on your game grabbing the right color at the right time while also dodging the usual bullet patterns. It's hard and it starves you for resources unless you've perfectly memorized the UFO layouts, which is bad because Undefined Fantastic Object's boss fights are brutal. Obsessed with lasers and employing gimmicks that often flood the screen with bullets, UFO's bosses feel a bit too bonkers for their own good, preferring pure spectacle and scope over the puzzle-y mind games of SA's tougher fights. And between the frustrating UFO mechanics, brutal boss fights, and lack of resources, you get a Touhou entry that is just not fun to play past the third stage.

16. Great Fairy Wars

Great Fairy Wars is simultaneously really easy and really hard at the same time. It uses this freezing mechanic where you can freeze bullets in front of you, which is at times borderline necessary since some of the enemies and bosses will send walls of bullets your way. However, the freeze also has a charge to it not unlike the photos, so you basically need to chain bullets perfectly for the entire stage lest you get yourself trapped. It's a mechanic that I'm sure could be really fun if you come to grips with it, but it's just not really my thing. And that's a shame too because I love how it's an spinoff of the Touhou Sangetsusei manga. Getting to fight the Three Fairies Of Light, seeing Luna's triangle mouth in full color, it's pretty cool stuff and it's a shame I wasn't that huge on their game.

15. Shoot The Bullet

Shoot The Bullet is the first of ZUN's spinoff games and while it's not the worst, it lacks the quality of life features of Double Spoiler or the accessibility of Impossible Spell Card. This game is brutally hard, between having to spend large chunks of time dodging the same patterns, needing to find a safe spot to snap a photo, and dealing with the fact that you are controlling one of the fastest characters in the series. Needless to say, I couldn't get too far in this one. It's definitely not a bad game, it's pretty polished, the music is great, and there are some pretty unique patterns, but it's just too hardcore for me.

14. Embodiment Of Scarlet Devil

While I have warmed up on Embodiment Of Scarlet Devil as a game, there's no denying that it probably hasn't held up the best. The lack of a hitbox makes things harder than it should be, the bullet patterns can feel a bit all over the place at times, the Easy Mode implementation is ridiculous, and the visuals can look a bit... crusty would be a kind way to put it. However, it's still a pretty fun bullet hell if you can look past all that. You can kinda feel ZUN improve over the course of the game because pretty much every boss is better than the last. Rumia is the low point as far as the bosses go, Cirno and Meiling are already noticeable improvements, and once Stage 4 and the Patchouli fight kick in, the game becomes pretty uniformly fantastic until the end. EoSD also does a lot right on a presentation level, with a charming story, an incredibly memorable cast of characters, and an iconic soundtrack. I genuinely think that if we got a remake of this game that would fix some of EoSD's weird quirks, it would stand out as one of the best games in the franchise. As it is now, however, it's a good game that's held back by some early installment weirdness. 

13. Double Spoiler

Double Spoiler is definitely an improvement on Shoot The Bullet in a lot of ways. It controls better, the difficulty curve is slightly less sharp, the music is better, the bullet patterns are more interesting, you can shoot vertically, there are two characters, and bosses can change their patterns mid-stage so the game doesn't feel quite as repetitive. However, Double Spoiler is still a brutally difficult game even with all these improvements and changes, and thus is one I haven't been able to make much progress in.

12. Phantasmagoria Of Flower View

I wasn't sure if I'd like Phantasmagoria because of how different it is. Rather than being a standard level-by-level shmup, it's more like a fighting game crossed with a bullet hell. You have to shoot down fairies and projectiles and launch attacks at your opponent, who of course does the same to you. It's definitely not a perfect game, having a charge shot means you can't just hold down the Z button to shoot, the AI is inconsistent, and the projectiles can get pretty random, but I had a really fun time with this one. It's chaotic as hell, and it manages to merge stage and boss gameplay in a surprisingly natural way. And the final two opponents, Komachi and Shikieiki, are genuinely really great bosses, especially Shikieiki whose "police fairies" were a very cute touch. There's a bunch of multiplayer modes that I can imagine being pretty entertaining, the soundtrack is great, the cast of characters you can play as is fantastic, Flower View is just a really fun entry in the series if you can adjust to its unique style of gameplay. Screw Lily White though.

11. Mountain Of Faith

The second Windows generation is my personal favorite era of Touhou, at least on an aesthetic level. The music was at its best, the casts were iconic, the fanbase was at its peak, everything about the fighting games leave me so nostalgic... but it did make some odd choices gameplay-wise. Being the first game made in the ZUN's second Windows engine, Mountain Of Faith establishes a lot of the stuff I love and don't love about the generation. Let's start with the positives, though. Compared to its predecessors, the controls in MoF are smoother, the backgrounds are prettier, items are easier to collect, and you can use the Point Of Collection line whenever you want. Layout-wise, it's pretty damn solid, with some memorable bullet arrangements like Sanae's stars and waves and the waterfall forms in Stage 4. On top of that, MoF also has one of my favorite casts, one of my favorite stories, and a beautifully lush autumn atmosphere. With a short length and reasonable difficulty (though still tougher than 7 and 8), it's a very comfy entry to go back to.

 However, MoF also introduced some of this generation's more divisive features, like infinite continues that reset you at the beginning of the stage and bombs being tied to power. The pros and cons kinda depend on the time. The infinite continues help if I want to push my way to the end but aren't great if I just want to do a quick run, and while the bombs aren't that bad in this game due to the buffer and their ability to collect items, they work noticeably better in the stages than in the boss fights. On top of that, the lack of grazing, poorly-balanced Kanako fight on easy mode, and the existence of MarisaB (which, granted, I absolutely love) give off a slight unpolished feeling. Mountain Of Faith is a nostalgic game and I love everything about its presentation, but gameplay-wise, it has enough little issues to prevent it from being one of my absolute favorites.

10. Hidden Star In Four Seasons

While I've made it clear that I think ZUN's recent soundtracks have declined a bit, his recent games are some of the best the series has ever been. Super polished, perfect difficulty, and boasting some of the finest mechanics of them all. Hidden Star In Four Seasons gives each of its characters unique weapons based on the four seasons, and with four characters, that adds up to a whopping 16 combinations, absolutely wild in terms of customization. This seasons mechanic even gets used to great effect in the final boss fight with Okina, who has her own attacks based on the four seasons and even steals your own season for her final spell, essentially winning and becoming the extra stage boss. Okina's final fight is phenomenal, so good in fact that it kinda makes you forget that the rest of the game is pretty basic. While there are some pretty great bosses earlier on (Aunn, Mai/Satono), HSiFS remains pretty easy and doesn't really pick up in difficulty or complexity until Stage 5. Hidden Star In Four Seasons is a good game with loads of customization and an amazing finale, but it's not one that really sticks with you.

9. Legacy Of Lunatic Kingdom

Legacy Of Lunatic Kingdom takes the series in a new direction, ditching the arcade style progression for Touhou's equivalent to Super Meat Boy. LoLK is the hardest game in the series, but its new Pointdevice Mode checkpoints you throughout the stage and for every spell card so lives aren't really a thing. This allows ZUN to go absolutely nuts with the bullet patterns and I love it, with Clownpiece in particular being one of my favorite fights in the series for just how bonkers it gets. LoLK's atmosphere and tone is also particularly great, with an extremely dark story, one of the most personal character conflicts thanks to Reisen's subplot, and an incredibly intense soundtrack. The highs Legacy Of Lunatic Kingdom reaches are soaring, but it does fall off pretty hard near the end sadly. I've made it clear that I am not a fan of Junko. She's an underwhelming final boss story-wise, and easily my least favorite boss in the series due to her bland micrododge-heavy pattern. Thankfully, Hecatia does pick up some of the slack... if it weren't for fucking Junko coming in to get involved at points. My other gripe is that there's still an arcade-y mode in Legacy Mode for a game that's obviously not designed for it, but I mean, it's not like I have to play it. Still, I love most of LoLK and it's a testament to how good most of the game is that I can look past one of the franchise's lowest points.

8. Double-Dealing Character

In terms of its story and cast, Double-Dealing Character hands down my favorite. I adore every single character here, from the Grassroots Youkai Network, to the musical instruments, to the fascinating Seija and Sukuna. The story takes a slightly darker turn without feeling un-Touhou, and we even get a great followup in a certain spinoff that I put farther up the list. I'd also argue DDC has some of the best moment-to-moment gameplay in the series, with a lovably busted weapon lineup and an incredibly clever mechanic where you can gain Bomb and Heart pieces by using the Point Of Collection line. It turns gaining resources into an entirely skill-based task, and is so engaging yet simple that I'm stunned no other game does this. As far as the rest of the game goes, though, DDC is fun but definitely a bit uneven at points. This is easily the most gimmicky entry in the series and while I do like a lot of its more experimental design choices (Sekibanki's heads, the Tsukumo fights, Seija), there are definitely a few spell cards that I find a bit annoying (You Grow Bigger, Kagerou's Pounces). Still, even with a few rough spots, Double-Dealing Character is a criminally underrated entry in the series that deserves more praise for all the stuff it does right.

7. Ten Desires

Look, I know Ten Desires has its issues. Resources are hard to come by as compensation for the slower-than-usual bullets, spirits staying where they are forces you to go to the top of the screen or near a boss, Trance Mode activates upon death rather than on command, and everything about Yoshika sucks. But despite all that, there's just something about Ten Desires that really works for me. For starters, while the bullet patterns are pretty slow and easy, they're consistently creative and memorable, especially in the boss fights. As a matter of fact, Yoshika aside, Ten Desires has one of my favorite boss lineups. While 12 and 14's gimmicks can be a bit much at times, 13's gimmicks are consistently really fun and inventive, from Kyouko's sound walls to Seiga using Yoshika as a shield to Futo's boat. Stage 4 onward in general is probably one of the best second halves in the series, with a fantastic final boss fight with Miko ending things on a high note. On top of that, Ten Desires also brings back the Spell Practice mode, and its weapon lineup is especially inventive, with the highlight being Youmu's unique sword-based weapon. But what really elevates Ten Desires for me is the ethereal presentation. From the eerie green/blue color palette, to the hauntingly beautiful backgrounds, to the trance-heavy soundtrack, Ten Desires's entire aesthetic is an absolute vibe. Ten Desires may be a bit easy and flawed, but it's one of the Touhou games I just have the most fun with. It's just so comfy.

6. Wily Beast And Wicked Creature

He did it! ZUN fixed the UFOs! Wily Beast And Wicked Creature introduces the Animal Spirits mechanic which is similar to the UFOs but fixed pretty much every issue I had with them. There's now a buffer of two extra slots so there's a bit more leniency in the spirits you grab, the spirits boost your power or defense rather than give you resources, and not getting matching spirits will still give you a defensive barrier (hey, they fixed Trance Mode too!). It's the perfect example of how much better rewarding someone for playing well is than punishing someone for playing badly. And on top of that, the less gimmicky and slightly simpler bullet patterns mesh far better with the animal spirits. But this mechanic doesn't trivialize the game either, WBaWC is still a tough cookie and enemies have higher HP stats to counterbalance the absolute power trip that is using the animal spirits. As a whole, WBaWC is just a balls-to-the-walls Touhou game in all the right ways, with a gritty aesthetic, bombastic weapons and spirit-related special attacks, and a final boss so spectacular and blood-pumping it had me fist-pumping the air by the end. Easily one of the most pure fun entries in the series.

5. Perfect Cherry Blossom

Perfect Cherry Blossom was the first Touhou game I ever played, and man, what a first impression. While Embodiment Of Scarlet Devil was fun but unpolished, Perfect Cherry Blossom pretty much perfects the formula and offers the purest bullet hell experience in the entire series. The supernatural border gimmick only ever adds to the gameplay, giving more leniency to newcomers and a higher score opportunity to veterans. The difficulty curve is on-point, and the bullet patterns are as thoughtful as they are beautiful, punishing rash decision-making while still being entirely fair. The visuals and atmosphere, marking the border between winter and spring, are absolutely stunning too, aided by one of the most ethereal soundtracks in the series. But most of all, what makes Perfect Cherry Blossom stand out is how many memorable moments it had. The sheer shock I had at watching Chen spin around at the speed of sound, Alice taking out her dolls during the boss fight, that lengthy fourth stage that often had me pinned to the wall, Youmu's time stop and her last stand, Yukari's Boundary Of Life And Death, and of course, Yuyuko's final spell that I accidentally walked away from during my first playthrough because I forgot it existed. I've beaten and even 1cc'd harder Touhou games, but nothing felt more satisfying than getting my revenge on Yuyuko. Perfect Cherry Blossom is a phenomenal entry in the series, and the game I will always recommend to new players first.

4. Impossible Spell Card

Out of all the photo spinoffs, Impossible Spell Card is far and away the best in pretty much every aspect. The main premise is that Seija is wanted after the events of DDC and is pitted against spell cards that are seemingly impossible, so she's forced to cheat by using a variety of items she had stolen, from Aya's camera, to Yukari's umbrella, to Reimu's orb. Figuring out which item is most effective for each spell essentially turns ISC into a puzzle bullet hell of sorts. There's so much replay value here, since the game keeps track of how many items you've beaten a spell card with, you can level up the items to be even more effective, there's the first achievement system in the series, and a skilled player can even beat all of ISC without even using the items to begin with. This feels like the perfect iteration of the photo concept, between integrating shooting, shortening the stage lengths over Aya's games, the puzzle elements forcing you to think through each spell card a bit more thoroughly, and how the impossible spell card gimmick means ZUN couldn't just settle for reusing spell cards, he had to build them around ISC's gameplay.

But the amazing gameplay isn't even the tip of the iceberg here but Impossible Spell Card's presentation is stellar. The UI is slick, the soundtrack is gritty and fun, and the story is hands down my favorite in the entire franchise, and a big reason why Seija is my favorite Touhou character. It's both a fun John Wick-esque wanted story and a surprisingly personal exploration of how Seija's amanojaku nature affects those around her, culminating in one of the most emotionally confusing endings I've ever seen, a perfect fit for the Seija game. I'm not huge on most of the photo spinoffs, but Impossible Spell Card is so well-crafted that it stands up with the best the series has to offer.

3. Imperishable Night

Imperishable Night is simultaneously one of the most accessible games in the series, and one of the least accessible games in the series. On one hand, this is a very easy Touhou game, one of the few that I've been able to actually 1cc. On the other hand, it has a lot of systems at play that can leave a newcomer confused. That's why I was a bit split on it initially, but once I tried to learn the game and realized just how much it offers, I've grown a lot more fond of Imperishable Night. 

Imperishable Night's time points system involves you trying to get close to enemies and bullets to give yourself more time to get to the final boss, with skilled play netting you way more "continues" than you would in any other entry in the series. Despite this, IN in particular does a lot to incentivize the player to not use continues, most notably by locking its second final boss behind it. Due to its easy difficulty, I'd say Imperishable Night is the perfect game for practicing 1cc runs, only aided by the existence of the incredibly fun Spell Practice mode. Of course, this game also has the awesome team system where you get to play as four teams of two characters at once, and when you add in the multiple paths, Imperishable Night might just have the most content of any Touhou game. And that's not even getting into the game itself which is also fantastic. While not super challenging, Imperishable Night has a lot of incredibly fun and memorable boss fights and setpieces, like Mystia's darkness, the Reimu/Marisa fight and chase, Reisen's lunatic eyes, and Eirin's inventive positioning-focused bullets. There's never a dull moment, no stage or boss drags too long, this is a perfectly paced Touhou game. And the night-time atmosphere is phenomenal too, with one of the best soundtracks in the series and some really striking music/stage-syncs. Imperishable Night has so much going on and it's so easy to revisit and play a round of. While I did have my gripes with it at first, it's slowly risen up to be one of my personal favorite entries in the series.

2. Unconnected Marketeers

I was not expecting Unconnected Marketeers to be one of my favorite Touhou games, but damn, this is amazing. Unconnected Marketeers nails pretty much everything in terms of gameplay. The bullet patterns are memorable, pretty, and fun to dodge. The difficulty is perfect, tough but fair. It's so well-calibrated that it's the only entry in the series where I feel like I went into some sort of flow state while I was playing it, pulling off dodges and manuevers that I didn't even think I was capable of. I even managed to 1cc this one somehow? And the bosses, holy shit the bosses. Every single boss in UM is spectacular, with memorable and varied attack patterns that are a blast to figure out. Misumaru's ying-yang orb spam is the highlight, but Megumu's lasers are a close second, and the final boss Chimata's penchant for homing attacks puts Junko to shame (while also being way more fun, of course). The level and boss design of Unconnected Marketeers is masterful, and I haven't even gotten into the main mechanic yet.

Unconnected Marketeers takes a page from roguelikes by introducing a Card mechanic, where you can purchase a variety of cards in a shop in between between stages. These cards can buff your stats in a variety of ways, but you can also buy an extra life or bomb if you're more focused on surviving. Money for the shop replaces the blue point items, which I'm pretty content with since they're usually not too useful if you don't go for score, and you get a unique selection of cards each time you play. This gives UM an insane amount of customization and replay value since each playthrough is different and the game keeps track of all the cards you've bought. It should be obvious by now that I love Touhou games that give you a lot of customization, so I adore the cards. It's a blast to experiment with different cards to see what builds work for me, and seeing all of the easter eggs and references to past games on the cards themselves just make me happy. Is it broken? Sure, there are totally some builds that will let you destroy the game completely, but that's all part of the fun. With top-notch stage and boss design, perfect difficulty, an incredible new mechanic with a huge amount of customization and replay value, a lovely rainbow-themed aesthetic, and one of the best stories and casts we've gotten in years, Unconnected Marketeers is the complete package, and a new high point for the Touhou series.

1. Subterranean Animism

Subterranean Animism is a brutal game. It has made me scream, swear, and rage quit, but it is also undeniably the finest game ZUN has ever made, and one of the greatest bullet hells of all time. More than anything, it all comes down to how brilliant and inventive the bullet patterns are, with spell cards and enemy layouts so maze-like and complex that they feel more like puzzles to solve than simple bullets to dodge (now do you get why ISC is one of my favorites?). There's the boulders in Stage 1, Yuugi hanging around in Stage 3, the ghosts that encourage you not to shoot in Stage 5, and that's just in the stages! The boss lineup is absolutely stellar, easily the strongest in the series, from Parsee's tracking bullets, to Yuugi's shields, to Satori's lasers and nostalgic spell cards, to Orin's respawning ghosts, to Utsuho's giant suns (probably my favorite final boss despite also being one of the hardest), to Sanae and Koishi's grids. It all makes for an endlessly engaging experience. But even outside of the bullet patterns, SA does so much else right. It brings back the partner mechanic from Imperishable Night, the weapon lineup is one of the most unique and off-the-wall in the series, the life system strikes a good balance between fair but not cheesable, and grazing is used as the basis for the scoring system. Sure, SA does bring back some of MoF's features like the bomb and continue systems, but the rest of the game is so impeccably crafted that I'm willing to look past it. And on top of all that, the presentation is stellar, from the myriad of unique and haunting biomes that keep the subterranean setting feeling fresh, to the top-notch character lineup, to hands down the series' best soundtrack. Subterranean Animism is ZUN's magnum opus on pretty much every level, slick, brutal, ambitious, inventive, and always a ton of fun.

Kira Kira Precure A La Mode (Series 14)

Kira Kira Precure was fighting a losing battle from the very start. A light-hearted slice of life six-Precure series about sweets and replacing the series' token hand-to-hand fight scenes with projectile-based combat? It's like it was destined to have as bad a reputation as it does. However, this is yet another season of Precure that I think has been done way too dirty. Kira Kira is a genuinely fantastic season that's more than meets the eye, and continues to expand and improve on the formula Yes 5 and Smile established.

Kira Kira Precure is about a group of sweet enthusiasts banding together to start a patisserie to create this essence called Kirakiraru, all the while turning into Cures to stop a band of thieves from stealing that essence. That's actually kinda it for the plot actually. Instead of Kira Kira having much of a big overarching narrative, the plot feels more like a premise that makes way for a variety of different kinds of episodes, ranging from comedic to dramatic to flat-out weird. Personally, I'm fine with this. For a light-on-plot Precure show, I'd argue it's preferable to the excuse plots that seasons like Max Heart and Smile had. I've seen many confused on what Kirakiraru is but I thought it was pretty obvious, it's the love one puts into their cooking. It's why Ichika in particular can generate so much of it despite her food not being the best. One of the more interesting things about Kira Kira is how it tackles its villains. Early on in the series, we get a lot of comedic one-off kirakiraru thieves with neat designs and little personality, a neat way to ease the Cures into action. Eventually, we get the actual villains who are mostly pretty great, particularly Julio, Bibury, and Elisio. Noir's main motive is kinda lame and Diable is just bad, but otherwise, it's a solid lineup. But the coolest thing is that two of the villains (Rio and Bibury) reform remarkably early on in the season and actually join the patisserie! It's everything I wanted but didn't get from Regina. I do think Pikario probably could've been a good Cure given the build-up but I'm glad he and Bibury were at the very least able to help fight which is more than I could say about the actual last-minute Cure we got.

At its core, though, Kira Kira Precure is a character-over-plot show, and holy crap is this season's character drama phenomenal. Don't let their cuter-than-usual designs fool you, these Cures are dealing with some truly personal, grounded, and mature issues. Ichika's mom is constantly away at work and she's bottling up her sadness to keep a happy front for her, Himari starts the series shy and friendless because everyone thinks she's weird for her sweets hyperfixation, Aoi is the textbook definition of a rebellious teen who wants to be a rock star against her parents' wishes, Ciel is struggling with guilt from a falling out with her brother, and Yukari is dealing with hardcore perfectionism issues and is struggling to figure out what she's interested in. This series goes into some surprisingly dark places with its characters, which often make for some of the show's best episodes. And as a follow-up to Yes 5 and Smile which both tried to really prioritize character development, Kira Kira manages to surpass both due to its willingness to really delve into the issues its characters are struggling with, especially Yukari. The only exception is Akira who is kinda just Nao again. Don't get me wrong, Nao is great, and Akira is a fun character, but she stands out as the least developed of the Cures by a decent margin. However, with a cast of six Cures that only gets larger as more people join the patisserie, it's a wonder that Kira Kira is able to pull off as many successful arcs as it does, and I'm sure that anyone can find a character they relate to hard.

But even outside of the more dramatic elements, these are just fun characters to hang out with, a necessity for a Precure season as episodic as this one. Between Himari's adorable shyness, Aoi's fun punk attitude, Yukari's trollishness, and Ciel's frequent posing, this is a really enjoyable cast with strong chemistry to the point where simply watching them try to cook is entertaining. The comedy is pretty great too, a bit more slapsticky than the dry humor of Doki Doki or the subversive humor of Smile, but it still had me laughing quite a lot. Kira Kira definitely has that Splash Star vibe where everyone is so genuine in their friendship with each other, and seeing the Cures hang out at the patisserie, support each other through their problems, and generally just goofing around is wholesome and sweet. And of course, I also need to highlight the elephant in the room here: Yukari and Akira. The extreme levels of gay that Precure often exudes is not lost on me, I'm already a pretty avid shipper of LoveSetsu, but Toei already started to kick things up a notch by letting Mirai and Riko kiss in the manga. And in Kira Kira, we just flat-out have Precure's version of Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon, in which Yukari and Akira confess their love for each other halfway through the season and basically spend the rest of it in as explicit of a couple as you can get without them kissing. Either way, it's a big step forward for the franchise and definitely another point in Kira Kira's favor.

As for the presentation, Kira Kira is deceptively clean-looking. It takes the watercolor backgrounds that Yes 5 and Smile had and pushes them into the forefront, going for an incredibly visually-appealing storybook look. There's a lot of fun comedic expressions, perspective shifts, and weird directorial choices that give the impression that the crew had a lot of fun storyboarding this season in particular. When I saw a cooking montage complete with live-action hands in the premiere, I knew this season was going to be something special visually. And then there are the fight scenes which have gotten a lot of flack for not having any hand-to-hand combat. Instead, the Cures mostly dodge their enemies' blows and use ranged attacks instead. But here's the thing, while they're not the brutal hand-to-hand that many other seasons employ, they're still well-animated and can be really fun if you accept how different they are. I'd take these over the choppy and uninteresting Maho Girls fights any day of the week. I also want to give some praise to the vocal tracks this time around, the openings, endings, and character songs that pop up in every episode are easily some of the best we've had since maybe Doki Doki? The second ending especially is a full-on electroswing banger and it goes unnecessarily hard. But then I learned the endings are sung by Cure Sword's voice actress and yeah, that tracks.

Oh yeah, and just because I have to mention it, it is weird how similar the Cures look to the cast of Tokyo Mew Mew this season. 

Highlights:

The Small Genius Is Cure Custard! (episode 2): Himari had easily the best character introduction of the bunch. Her flashback in this episode was the first "holy shit, they went there" moments in Kira Kira, and it would not be the last.

The Decisive Battle! Pretty Cure VS Gummy's Group! (episode 11): A pretty great end to that opening arc, as all the Kirakiraru thieves the Cures had been fighting band together to hijack a sweets festival. The subplot about Ichika's relationship with her father is really well-done (as all Ichika-related family drama is), and Julio makes his debut.

The Dangerous Fast Approach! Yukari and Rio! (episode 16): Everything in Kira Kira is used to facilitate character development, including the villains. So Julio's main story arc as villain comprises of him testing each of the Cures one by one to see why they produce so much kirakiraru. Most of these episodes were great, but Yukari's is a highlight for not only delving into her perfectionism and how she can't find anything she's interested in because she's mastered everything already, but also for having Yukari leverage her own issues to piece together that Julio and Rio are the same person.

The Final Experiment! Cure Whip Can't Transform (episode 17): Ichika has quickly shot up the list of my favorite pink Cures and a big part of that is her family struggles, and while this episode isn't the apex of that arc, it does do a lot of the heavy-lifting. Her confrontation with Julio in this episode is one of the most strikingly memorable scenes in the season, with how the camera tilts and the lighting darkens as Julio shows his true colors.

Fly! Rainbow Pegasus, Cure Parfait! (episode 23): While it got off to a bit of a slow start, Kira Kira's mid-season arc ended on a strong note, with an episode that perfectly balances character drama (the Ciel and Rio drama) and action (the fight with Bibury). Rio teaming up with Ichika and slowly showing that he still cares for Ciel is great stuff, culminating in a dramatic mid-season sacrifice.

Lightning Fast Wedding!? Princess Yukari (episode 25): In most Precure seasons, the third cour would probably be the weakest part, but in Kira Kira, it contains some of the best character episodes in the franchise. First off, the iconic Yukari X Akira episode. This episode truly has everything, from the hilarious first third where the prince keeps cheating, to the series finally tackling the negative consequences of Yukari's trollish nature, to Ciel being the best wingwoman ever, to Yukari finally opening up about her weakness to Akira, to, of course, Akira screaming out to Yukari that she loves her. It's not just a great episode because it's gay, it's a great episode because it encapsulates everything I love about Kira Kira.

Big Trouble! Cure Macaron Is Stained By Darkness! (episode 29): Not too long after that, we get yet another Yukari-focused episode where she finally faces her inner demons. The whole sequence inside the mirror is haunting and shockingly dark, but seeing Yukari embrace her darkness and imperfections before dance-fighting with Akira is incredibly heartwarming.

Holding Back The Tears! The Reason Ichika Smiles (episode 31): Well, Ichika's mom is finally back. Ichika's arc in this episode is brilliant in so many ways. For starters, it's just well-executed, seeing Ichika repeatedly stop herself from crying even if it's physically pain is hard to watch, making her finally breaking down incredibly cathartic. It's a conflict that I find kinda relatable, feeling that you always have to put on a strong face. But what's especially unique is how this episode deconstructs the pink Cure archetype. Ichika is far from the first upbeat genki pink Cure, but she's the only one for which that constant chipperness kinda comes at a cost.

A Small Yet Big Fight! The Cat Yukari vs The Fairy Kirarin (episode 34): There isn't much I can say about this one other than it's very silly and fun, borderline Smile levels of off-the-wall. Yukari becoming a cat and not having any reaction to it will never not be hilarious.

An Odd Match! Himari and Aoi! (episode 35): Kira Kira had a batch of episodes where it would toss the cast into unique pairings (and thank goodness too because they more than make up for Diable being kind of a crap villain), but Aoi and Himari was the most inspired. They're such a cute duo, and Himari struggling to adjust to Aoi's upper class world takes her social anxiety in some interesting directions.

Farewell Yukari! Exciting Sweets Christmas! (episode 45): Precure shows have a habit of breaking up their casts, but I think Kira Kira handled it the best. Rather than leaving it as a plot twist in the finale, Kira Kira has an entire arc where each character progressively finds a new path in life, so that by the time Yukari reveals that she's leaving to study sweets, it really hits you that the show is ending. This is such a bittersweet episode, starting off with an adorable christmas party that brings together the whole cast only for Yukari to drop that bombshell on everyone. The ending where Ichika, Aoi, and Himari break into tears really hits. And while it's slightly dragged down by Noir sucking, the Ichika birthday episode hits similarly melancholic notes in its first half.

Beyond Love! Whip Step Jump! (episode 49): Kira Kira's final arc isn't anything amazing, mostly because it devotes an entire episode to Pekorin becoming a Cure. The final episode, on the other hand, is pretty much perfect. It's a time jump not unlike Maho Girls' finale, but better in every single way. The plot is less contrived, the Cures are actually allowed to age, future Cure Hana's cameo is more natural and she even gets a sick fight in, Ichika's arc about struggling whether or not to close the patisserie is super compelling, and the final epilogue ends the series on the perfect note. However, unlike Maho Girls' finale where Ichika was the best part, I don't think I was entirely sold on Hana and Hugtan yet, which doesn't bode too well for Hugtto...

Overall, if you can look past the fights not being ideal, Kira Kira is a genuinely phenomenal season. Character-driven at its core, Kira Kira boasts a fun and endearing cast with strong chemistry, lovable personalities, and compelling character arcs that tackle some surprisingly mature and personal themes. Add in some of great villains, strong comedy, beautiful visuals, and fun direction and you get a series with so much love put into it you can practically see the kirakiraru overflowing from every frame.

5/5 Stars