#PCD089

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 089

Episode: Futari wa Precure Max Heart 39 - “Go All Out Out! The Youth Lacrosse Finals!!” Date watched: 28 October 2018 Original air date: 27 November 2005 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/0Y1Lywz

that’s it, that’s the review

bonus quip: this looks like the setup for a Dokidoki monster

Okay no I can’t just leave it at that, because hot damn is this another really good episode. I’d say the 30s of Max Heart have been a tad better overall than the 30s of FW, though that may be due to them skipping a couple of weeks earlier in the season, putting the 30s of MH a little closer to the endgame while in FW it was largely filler. Anyway, regardless of why, this is a good episode. Let’s break it down.

It’s the lacrosse finals, and once again it’s going to be Verone vs. Otagaku Girls Jr. High. While Verone’s practice involves Nagisa positively reinforcing the team and just encouraging them to have fun, we cut to Otagaku’s practice and they’re being drilled like the military. The captain, Nagasawa, is going over formations rigorously and chastising players for being a few seconds early or a few inches out of position. Essentially she’s hyperfocused on perfection and chasing victory over enjoyment, because she knows Verone is a strong opponent. One day, Nagasawa waits outside of Verone in order to formally introduce herself to Nagisa before they meet on the field. She recognizes that it will be the last game that both of them play as middle schoolers, and tells Nagisa about the perfect team she’s created. She attempts to take her leave after wishing Verone good luck in the match but Nagisa decides, in true Nagisa fashion, to invite her out to Akane’s place to eat takoyaki. While they eat, Shiho, Rina, Hikari, and Honoka all comment on how Nagisa’s easygoing nature tends to surprise people, and clearly Nagasawa is taken aback by this display of friendliness. As they all talk, Nagisa opens up about why she started playing and why she continues, urging the rival captain to do the same. Honoka makes a remark about Nagisa being happiest when she’s playing lacrosse, which Nagisa responds to by saying it’s because she loves lacrosse. Nagasawa seems a little surprised by this response, as if it’s not something she’s really considered before.

At the game, the difference between the two teams is clear before they even start the match. Otagaku is interested in a no-nonsense victory while Verone is all about playing their best and enjoying this final game, whatever the outcome. When the starting whistle blows, Verone gets the ball but Otagaku intercepts a pass and cleverly maneuvers into a quick goal. While Nagisa encourages her team to keep on going and do their best because it’s still early, Nagasawa criticizes her players for being slightly out of position or off on their timing. The next play, Shiho winds up with the ball, blocked on both sides and unable to pass (her specialty). Nagisa encourages her to just go for it so she shoots..... and flounders... but by a stroke of luck the ball bounces around the goal and the goalie accidentally knocks it in. The look on Nagasawa’s face is golden.

As the match continues, Nagisa scores a goal, putting Verone one up on Otagaku, and then the end the half at 3-2 Verone. While the Verone team laugh and revel, Nagasawa wonders how they can be so jovial. Then she flashes back to her conversation with Nagisa as she remembers the remark about loving lacrosse and realizes that she stopped loving it herself along the way. That’s when she has her little revelation (at the top) that she’s focusing too much on winning, and for the first time she gives her team some slack and positive reinforcement. This is clearly not something they’re used to but they take it well. Going into the second half, Otagaku’s playing style has livened up and Honoka, Hikari, Seekun, and Happynen all notice. They score a goal. Nagisa goes to take a shot of her own and then..... well, what always happens in lacrosse episodes? The match is interrupted. This time it’s Circulas who drags them into an alternate dimension. He insists that darkness will devour them and they’ll submit to the Dark King’s will, they fire back that they have free will, their own desires, and that their personal happiness is the most important thing to them. He sics a giant zakenna on them made from the stadium lights, armed with a crosse and able to throw them around. It’s a pretty good fight, they come out on top with Extreme Luminario and then return to the game. It’s tied 4-4 when Nagisa gets back and there’s seconds to spare as she shoots at the goal. The ball ricochets around before making it in as Nagisa falls on her face and time runs out. Verone has won! Nagasawa immediately thanks Nagisa for a fantastic match, in the process reminding her what she loved about lacrosse to begin with, and hopes that they can meet again in high school. Happynen makes a speech about how everybody was pursuing their happiness and he’s seen enough, and returns to the Chairect, bringing the number of sealed Heartiels to 9, and that concludes it.

Oh also the last few episodes, Hikari and Hikaru have both been thinking intently about their encounter in Kyoto. There’s not much to say about that, but it seemed worth bringing up in case it pays off in the next few episodes. It’s implied they might be able to connect thoughts with each other, but this is unclear.

I have two minor criticisms about this episode and then I’ll get into the analysis of what makes it good. First is a plot-ish criticism. I’m flashing back to the first season when the villains would have to lure the girls away from the lacrosse field instead of just transporting them to another place or dimension. I liked that, it allowed the villains to be a little more clever in their approach (even if Regine was the tallest middle school lacrosse player ever) and was a bit more diverse than BOOM you’re in a dark lacrosse field now something like 5 times this series. It doesn’t ruin the show or anything though. The second is an animation criticism, and really it’s not even that, more of an observation. There’s a shot where the three heroines are standing in a circle and espousing their values to Circulas, and the camera is intended to circle around them. Instead what they do is slide a large model of the closest girl across the frame with mid-size models of the other two, and they keep switching who’s in front. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow to support what I’m saying. I realize animating rotation is really hard, even The Lion King had difficulty with that famous shot where the camera circles from behind Simba and Mufasa to infront of them, so I can’t fault a low budget anime for not doing what even a well-funded Disney movie couldn’t, but it stood out because they kept repeating the shot so I’m pointing it out.

Onto the good stuff. Nagasawa is an interesting character. She could almost be Nagisa if her circumstances were different, but she gets caught up in victory over fun. Her methods work, her team is top notch, but as she realizes at the halfway point, a little positive reinforcement goes a long way. Fortunately her team trusted in her enough up to that point. It’d be easy to hate her, but you can’t. She’s another captain who has a method that works and her team respects her leadership. Before the end of the match she remembers to have fun with it, too. I’m glad they took the time to flesh out one of Nagisa’s opponents like this. It is Nagisa’s last senior lacrosse game and that’s a bit sad, but it’s time to move on. I might have more thoughts to share in the morning, we’ll see. For now, I’ll end it here.

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Areinai White Precure Word Ways: 1 “Mou, Nagisa ttara”

Next time: Ryouta gets a sports episode too. I didn’t know he played a sport.