Delicious Party Precure

Episode 27

If Gentlu was Amane corrupted and Spiritoru was built by Narcistoru, does that mean that he and Secretoru also have backstories that aren't just “born evil?” It's definitely starting to look that way this week. We've known for a while that Secretoru didn't have much fondness for Narcistoru, but what didn't necessarily come through was why, and that ties into why the Bundoru Gang is after the Recipepi in the first place. It was very easy to assume that the answer was “because they're evil,” but now it's looking like there may be more to it after all – when Secretoru realizes that Spiritoru has no concept of food being something important that can be associated with memories, she makes the connection that he's been programmed that way by Narcistoru. And that means that Narcistoru didn't have that information to give to his creation in the first place.

Certainly unhealthy relationships with food aren't uncommon, and while we usually associate that phrase with eating disorders, there could be other reasons why someone wouldn't have good memories of eating. But that Secretoru does seems to suggest that the Bundoru Gang isn't kidnapping the Recipepi because they hate food; they're doing it because they want to keep all the goodness for themselves – it's even right there in Cure Yum-Yum's transformation catchphrase. They're selfish, not blanket evil, and somehow Narcistoru didn't get that message. This makes it seem possible that he'll get a reformation rather than be destroyed in the coming episodes (although after what he did to Amane, I'm not sure he deserves it), because the Cures are more likely to invite him to join the party and learn the error of his ways than anything else. And the fact that he has that special delicioustone could still hint at a past with the CooKingdom and an alternate identity before he became Narcistoru.

This is all nicely set up by the lesson portion of the episode, wherein ※Kome ※Kome learns that she can embrace her differences. I'm actually very impressed with how lightly this was handled, because this is the sort of Very Special Episode stuff that can be applied with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. As ※Kome ※Kome has been growing up, she's becoming more aware of the world around her, and this week she makes her first real friends, Ran's younger sister Rin and brother Run. But ※Kome ※Kome is now at an age where she's aware of things that make her different from her peers, and her ears and tail are starting to make her nervous. She knows that no one else has them, and when Rin compliments them, she thinks that the other girl is pointing out how she's not like everyone else. She immediately begins trying to get rid of them, asking Ran to invent a way to remove them and practicing her transformation in a bid to just look more human. It's hard to watch because it's so familiar; around middle school a lot of us begin to notice our differences and want to change them, and ※Kome ※Kome's reaction feels like a fantasy version of the middle-grade novel Karma Khullar's Mustache by Kristi Wientge. No one's teasing ※Kome ※Kome yet, but she's anticipating it.

One of the best parts of the show as a whole comes out of this, though. Instead of putting aside her candy bubble dreams to destroy what makes ※Kome ※Kome different, Ran makes false ears and a tail to help show her that she should celebrate what makes her stand out. Ran knows that Rin and Run like ※Kome ※Kome no matter what she looks like, and her way of getting through to her is both kind and thoughtful. And when ※Kome ※Kome sees Rin excitedly putting the accessories on, she grows up a little more – because growing up isn't just getting bigger, it's learning that you can just be yourself, no matter what.

Of course, there's an ulterior storytelling motive here – ※Kome ※Kome looks set to become a fifth Cure, or at least to take a more active role in the fighting than helping Yui transform. We'll find out more next week. I, for one, am looking forward to it.

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Delicious Party♡Precure is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.