You and Idol Precure♪ is not what I was hoping for, and it pains me to admit this. It is, as has been mentioned, absolutely possible to merge idols and magical girls – it's really a subgenre in its own right. Likewise, the Pretty Cure franchise has had Cures who work as idols or otherwise been in the entertainment industry on the side, with Go! Princess Precure exploring that intersection in some depth. But You and Idol Precure♪ is struggling to make its two halves merge in what feels like a relevant way. It's like all of the pieces are there, but they've been assembled incorrectly.

The biggest indicator of that is how the girls' lives as both idols and magical girls rarely feel like they intersect. They're idols, doing idol things, and then they're superheroes, fighting monsters and saving people; apart from their names and costumes, there isn't much that seems to indicate that they need to be both to succeed at both. That's disappointing because the story comes very close to making that happen in this set of episodes, and again, there are many strong thematic elements and solid uses of classic magical girl moments.

Chief among those is Cutty and Zakkuri. Both of them entered the show as villains, minions of Darkine and Chokkirine who sought to destroy people's sparkle. As we discover in this set of episodes, their role is directly related to their own kira kira being stolen from them: in reality, they're fairies like Purirun and Tanaka. Their corruption is both a stark reminder of what Darkine can do and a light of hope that all she's tainted can be redeemed, and this is particularly important when we consider Jogi, the new villain. Jogi, viewers may note, looks remarkably like Hibiki, and the young man's comments about having once had someone important he misses feel like foreshadowing that that person was Jogi. Cutty and Zakkuri being freed from Darkine's grasp by the Cures would then be setting up a more major showdown where the girls all have to work together to free Jogi, which would be both a classic of magical girl literature and firmly in the franchise's own wheelhouse – Cure Finale from Delicious Party Precure being one of the most recent examples.

It also works with Meroron's storyline, which is one of the strongest throughlines in You and Idol Precure♪. Canny viewers may have noticed that, unlike all of the other fairies, Meroron's design features black, which bleeds through into their Cure Kiss and Meron looks as well. While it might seem to be nothing more than a nod to Cure Black from Futari wa Precure, it's also an indication of their nature. (The subtitles have consistently been using they/them pronouns for Meroron.) Meroron's very existence is tied to a Kirakiland legend about the coming of darkness, and the incorporation of black into their design speaks to their presence as the tie between light and dark, as well as their personality. Although Meroron is consistently annoying (mostly when they're around Purirun), that's on purpose: Meroron isn't all sweetness and light. They aren't dedicated to helping their fave in the sense that the reformed villains are, and they aren't light and fluffy like Purirun. They aren't even in it for the greater good, like Tanaka. Instead, Meroron is solely motivated by their obsessive, romantic love for Purirun, arguably a much more selfish motive.

In episode thirty, Darkine tries to use that to her advantage. She doesn't simply transform Meroron, which suggests that they have the power to refuse her, but instead tries to get them to join her side. That means that Meroron stands to be more like Jogi and Chokkirine: a leader rather than a minion. It would, given Meroron's refutation of being friends with the rest of the girls and selfish behavior, have been very easy for them to slip into the darkness, doubly so since the Heart Kirari Lock has just trapped them in punishment for their wish. But instead, Meroron refuses. They've realized that it would be better to be friends with Uta, Nana, and Kokoro, and to embrace the light of being Cure Kiss. It's a transformative moment, and the one where they fully become a Precure. Later, in episode thirty-two, this allows them to transform into Meron Tanaka, a human, alongside Purirun (Purin Tanaka), something that I don't believe would have been possible if they'd maintained their adversarial stance towards the rest of the group.

Nana proves to be the Cure most adept at helping people to change the way they act. It's Nana that Meroron first accepts friendship with, and it's likewise Cure Wink who helps Zakkiri to free himself from Darkine. Over the course of the series, she's developed into a nurturing character who makes others feel safe, a distinct and important role in the group, and one that may stem from her upbringing: she wants to be there for people who didn't have someone, like she felt neglected before becoming a Cure. It's another clear and solid character arc in the series, albeit one that doesn't get quite as much attention as Meroron's.

You and Idol Precure♪ has all of the elements to be a strong season. This cour even begins to develop Uta and Hibiki's relationship a bit more, which feels like it may be happening a bit too late for its own good. (To be clear, it doesn't need to be a romantic relationship.) For every episode we get that's about plumbing the characters' interiority, there seem to be two that don't engage with that at all, instead focusing on idol-related matters (signings, concerts, fan clubs) that don't move the plot forward at all, or at least very little. The result is a cour that feels like two separate things crammed into one: an idol anime and a magical girl anime, not one organically about idol magical girls.

It's not too late to change that, and despite my disappointment, I am hopeful that in its final cour, You and Idol Precure♪ can pull it off. But it's going to have to buckle down and solidify its focus. Let's see if they can make it work to close the series on a strong note.