Sara Talks Anime

This episode was going great. I was getting the same kind of vibes as a certain phantom thief from a certain other series about detectives that I watch on Saturdays with how things were going down, even down to how the security measures were set up. I had the belief that I’d find absolutely nothing wrong with this episode and proclaim it to be my favorite episode of the entire series. And then a specific character appeared.

Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. I should probably back up and explain why I feel this way.

We begin with an owner of a collection of items getting a calling card from the Phantom Thieves’ Guild stating that they’d be there at a specific time to steal a specific item. This person goes public with the notice, thus bringing attention to the collection. Anna and Mikuru also see this and decide they want to go in and help guard the item that’s being targeted!

While the owner doesn’t really seem to want them there at first, she does decide to come out and offer to let them guard the item…but only if they sell their pouch (Pochitan). While they refuse, they’re not automatically kicked out. Hell, the setup for the security of the item is literally what I expect someone expecting Kaito Kid (from Magic Kaito, though more popularly known for his appearances in Detective Conan) to set up: 24/7 monitoring via both people and technology, strong as hell storage area, and facial recognition to prevent the storage area from being opened by anyone who’s unauthorized!

…though these aren’t perfect systems, as even the cleverest of phantom thieves can figure out how to bypass all of that. If you’ve seen enough heists with this style of phantom thief, then you know fully well what tricks can be used to bypass these.

Anna also manages to have a small conversation with Arcana Shadow (yeah, I’m calling her by her Cure name even when she’s a civilian, I just don’t have the heart to write her civilian name at the moment)prior to the time of the heist. Who knows if anything will come of it.

Anyway, Arcana Shadow uses the tried-and-true method of “disguise as a role that would make sense to be at the scene” to infiltrate the area once the museum is closed, and her fairy serves as the technical assistant to make the blackout happen.

I enjoyed how Arcana Shadow managed to trick the host of the collection into doing exactly what’s needed to make the treasure she’s after get unlocked, although I’m going to leave it as a surprise so that there’s even just one major point in this episode that I don’t spoil!

But Anna, Mikuru, and Arcana Shadow face off on the roof after all three of them transform into their Pretty Cure forms. They fight, with Cure Arcana Shadow having the upper hand as it seems she’s more strategic with her moves.

Things are going well…and then Ageseine comes into the scene. In case you’re new here, I don’t like Ageseine.

Ageseine makes the item into a Hanninda, with Cure Arcana Shadow kicking it down and being like “don’t get in my way”, giving Anna and Mikuru an opening to use their combo attack and get the Makoto Jewel. There’s also some stuff after the fight, but that’s really where the part of the episode that I feel including in this writeup ends.

While this is still a good episode, Ageseine really brings down the entire episode for me. Begging and praying that we get literally any other member of the Phantom Thieves’ Guild as our main villain next episode, as I really don’t want to do the “fuck Ageseine” talk all over again.

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