Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!

Episode 10

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! tries something different this week, and it works for the most part. The show's still sticking to its monster-of-the-day formula, but we spend more time with the student–turned-monster before his transformation, so he's less of an outright joke and more a parody of different anime tropes. He's the boy so cute his male classmates adore him. He's a proud "glasses character" who claims to be more than a match for any of his bespectacled female counterparts. He's also kind and popular, so it's only when his position is threatened that he turns to the dark side.

Of course, Yumoto is the one who threatens to take his position away, as he comes down with a cold, dons a pair of glasses. and becomes a mellower version of his sunny self. Strangely, the episode leaves the origin of these glasses unclear. Did the enemy leave them at Yumoto's house intentionally, knowing they'd make him unable to face the idea of transforming? What was the significance of his cold and mentioning how he never gets sick, other than to demonstrate Yumoto's bond with his caring brother? Neither of these questions is answered explicitly in the episode, as the show seems more concerned with exploring familiar storylines than coming up with valid reasons for them.

There's the storyline involving one of the magical girls/boys losing her/his power, which is especially devastating to the group when it's their de facto leader. There's also the story in which one or more of the fighters falls ill, and Yumoto is the center of both this week. It's executed well, and Yumoto's sickness provides a chance to see Io and Ryuu not even mention money and girls for once. However, it's missing those few key plot elements to tie everything together. Since it's a parody and jokes abound, the end result is forgivable but not unnoticeable.

With only a couple of episodes left, the show features a few revelations that are sure to play an integral role in the finale. I knew that fish was hiding something. (That's a strange sentence to write.) However, the preview reveals even more. The fish thing we may have seen coming, but the connection between the Conquest Club and the Press Society via their animal mentors scores one surprise for the show.

Still, both the Conquest Club and Press Society made too short an appearance in episode 10. It's time to start leading up to the final battle. While it's not a serious magical boy show—and I hope the ultimate showdown never takes itself seriously— the series has taken enough detours along the way. Why tease the viewers with ideas like Atsushi being childhood friends with the Conquest Club's Kinshiro if it so rarely proves to be important? Why imply that the Press Club has sinister machinations if they only pop their heads up for half a minute per episode? Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! can pull off an ending that's both humorous and entertaining as a magical boy show in its own right, but it needs to do a better job of setting the stage for a climax that brings it all together.

Rating: B+

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.