Sorry for the short article. Some stuff has come up and to put it plain I’m going to be an episode behind for a while. Here’s a small writeup about episode 8 in the meantime.

The premise of episode 8 is extremely simple. Chiyu, who is her school’s star hi-jump athlete, suddenly has a case of the cantdoits and finds herself unable to perform to her usual standard. The episode is in most respects a brief study of the character. There’s lots of great moments showcasing the trio’s friendship here, too, but Chiyu is the main star. The best bit is when we learn why she took up jumping in the first place. A beachside trip as a child lead to a fascination with the sea and sky and how they can meld together into a seemingly infinite blue. (Which leads to our Shot of The Week for episode 8). This sort of visual poetry isn’t rare in Pretty Cure, but it’s worth appreciating when it happens.

There’s a fight scene in this episode too, of course. It’s quite short, but well-done and enjoyable. It’s perhaps predictable that Chiyu’s jumps end up also letting her finish off the Pathogerm, but predictable isn’t necessarily bad. Despite the abundance of terrific Hinata faces in this episode (and a good Chiyu face too!), that shot up there is the best of the lot.

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