Delicious Party Precure

Episode 35

While this was a perfectly lovely episode, it also doesn't feel like it reaches the emotional heights of some other Kokone stories. Maybe that's because those previous Kokone-centric episodes were a bit more fraught; this time we basically know what her choice is going to be. And really, it's hard to blame her for her decision: in the grand scheme of her life, her parents have been absent more often than not, and moving to a new place is anxiety-producing enough without having to wonder if your parents are going to provide an adequate emotional support system. For the other girls, this might not have been an issue to consider, but for Kokone? It's the crux of her entire character arc. If Ran has been learning to become more comfortable with her goofy self and Amane has been coming to terms with the trauma of having been Gentlu, Kokone has been striving to feel like she's loved and supported, and while her parents did eventually come back to figure out their role in her life, it's largely been her Pretty Cure friends who have helped her to find emotional stability.

That's why this episode feels like it doesn't go quite far enough. It certainly comes close, and a major factor in making it work is Mari's advice. When he tells her that she doesn't need to worry about being Cure Spicy and should simply base her decision on what she wants to do, he's offering her a solid base to build her choices on; if she wants to go, that's perfectly okay and she shouldn't let anyone hold her back. Implicit is the reverse: if she wants to stay, that's also okay, because at the end of the day, she's the one who has to live with herself and she needs to follow her heart. It's a kinder way of framing the decision before her, and in some ways it indicates that Mari knows Kokone better than her own parents do.

It really is a lot to put on a thirteen-year-old kid, though. Kokone's parents do make it clear that they want her input, but the pressure of making the decision for the whole family is something that weighs on Kokone. At the end, when it's revealed that only her mother has gone to Isuki Island rather than the whole family, we can see that Kokone is feeling a little guilty, and that's really not fair to her. In fact, I'd say that putting the decision on Kokone entirely isn't fair; even if she wasn't anxious, that's essentially leaving her holding the baggage of the whole family. It's another indication that her parents, despite their best intentions, really screwed up when they left her largely on her own, because even though Kokone does make the choice in the end, one she's largely happy with, we can also see it eating at her, and the burden Amane carries indicates that this may not just get swept under the rug in the larger narrative.

But all of that aside, this episode is also a firm reminder of how far Kokone has come. She's not alone anymore, and that's huge; she's got her three best friends, her two parental figures in Mari and the chauffeur, and she's got a purpose in being Cure Spicy, along with a friendly relationship with lots of people at school. She's making such progress in being happy in her world that it's heartwarming to see even in a simple slideshow of her school life. And she's likely going to need that solid emotional base as things heat up with the main plot. Mari's got good reason to suspect Ginger now thanks to Fennel's information, and Cinnamon is still largely an unresolved element. While this may have a larger impact on Amane (if Ginger was a traitor, she'll be plunged right back into her own guilt) and Black Pepper, it's still going to leave a mark. But Kokone is better positioned to cope with what comes next, and that is the real triumph of this episode.

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Delicious Party♡Precure is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.