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Delicious Party Precure
Episode 45

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 45 of
Delicious Party♡Precure ?
Community score: 4.7

delicious-ep-45

No ending is perfect, but this one comes close. Delicious Party Pretty Cure wraps with this episode, and it does its level best to gather all of the threads up and tie them off, including the (almost) baton pass for the upcoming season. But for me, the most important piece of this finale is the fact that it isn't “final” at all: as we leave the girls, they're preparing to go to the CooKingdom to visit their friends there, which implies that although their fight is over, their story isn't. The late, great Terry Pratchett said that the best stories lead you to believe that life still goes on in their worlds even though the plot is over, and that's what this ending does – Godatz has been defeated and they don't need to transform and fight anymore, but they still have each other and the friends they made. Those won't be going away any time soon.

The fact that the story built in regular travel between Oishi-na Town and the CooKingdom is one of my favorite elements of this episode. With the CooKing's apology to Cinnamon, the idea that everyone can come and go between the worlds is assured and encouraged, and that takes the sting out of the girls having to say goodbye to Mari and the fairies. Even more than that, it helps to solidify one of the overarching messages of the series: that even though people may not be physically present in your life, it doesn't mean that they're gone. Yone, Yui's grandmother, is the ultimate embodiment of this; she may have died five years before the start of the story, but not only is she narrating (and thus clearly watching over those she left behind), she's also kept alive in Yui's memories and the things she left: her words, and the lucky cats. Yui may not hear the narration, but she does keep Yone alive every time she quotes her and abides by her tenets. Without Yone there would be no Yui, both in the biological sense and in that her influence helped to make Yui into someone who could become Cure Precious.

We see this mirrored with Fennel and Ginger. When Fennel falls during the final battle, all of his defenses are stripped away, and he's shown as a sobbing child. Like Yui, Fennel has lost someone important to him, but he believed (erroneously) that he'd lost him long before Ginger died. Fennel's sense of inferiority and abandonment comes from a perceived loss, the stubborn belief that Fennel preferred Cinnamon and saw Fennel as less than. When Ginger died, he lost the chance to express those feelings, and they festered within him until he became Godatz. His hurt and sorrow don't excuse what he did. But they do make him human, and that's something that Cure Precious can work with.

With the battles over and food restored to the land, it's time for life to move on. Takumi may not have gotten through to Yui yet about his feelings, but it does look like he may be getting there. Kokone isn't alone anymore, and her parents seem to be taking a more active role in her life. Amane trusts herself and her happiness, and Ran is making progress with her online presence. Secretoru and Narcistoru are on their way to overcoming their issues, and Secretoru even has a goal now. We have to hope that Fennel will, with time, join their ranks. Even Mem Mem and Pam Pam are making progress, learning to adopt (adorable) human forms. Life goes on, and that's all because the Cures did their job: they saved the world and changed people's hearts. That's what being a magical girl is all about.

It's been an honor to write these episode reviews for a series in a genre that's near and dear to my heart. Magical girls got me through some tough times, and Delicious Party Pretty Cure has done a beautiful job of showing that the true power of transforming heroines isn't in attacking, but in understanding. Let's all look forward to Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure and seeing where the genre takes us next.

Rating:

Delicious Party♡Precure is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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