[DreamSword]

Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure Episodes 22 & 23

Podcast watch is HERE.

This show's' range and use of tone is pretty great.

And that is showcased fantastically in the one and only two parter across the entire season.

This is the mid season finale, and it hits like a ton of bricks. After a season of relatively happy go lucky adventures, our heroes are faced with an incredibly dire and dramatic situation that takes an extreme emotional toll on our lead.

It's part of why these episodes stand out and work so well. They're immediately set apart from everything that came before, and does alot of things not seen before. A human infected by Underg Energy, a serious threat of death, and a new, somber ending song that doesn't ruin the tone at all.

There's also a wonderful amount of character work done with Sora in this, as everything she held true to in terms of her heroism is put to the ultimate test. Can she truly call herself a hero if she's unable to make the tough decisions? Does being a hero mean that you have to sacrifice those you love? And just far should one go when fighting for what they believe in?

Given that the show is aimed at young girls, the show of course opts for the most optimistic of messages in terms of everything these episodes do, but still, by that same token, it raises some rather deep questions for the target demographic. Such as how much suffering is worth pursuing your dreams, and what do you do when your dreams turn out to not quite be what you were hoping for?

Wonderful character drama combined with everything else that makes the show great makes for a wonderful set of episodes, and I couldn't be happier with them.