KiraKira ☆ PreCure a la Mode Episode 23: Lost in Darkness

This episode of KiraKira ☆ PreCure a la Mode happens to be one that contains rather important events. I firmly believe PreCure is at its best when that kind of stuff is going down, so let’s see if this 23rd episode of the current series can live up to my expectations.

That’s quite an expression Yukari has here

The girls ask Pikario what Noir plans to do with the kira-kiraru he has been stealing. Pikario tells them that he intends to convert it into darkness. Naturally, Noir’s end goal is to plunge the world into darkness. Why? Because he’s a PreCure villain, I guess.

Kirarin blames herself for how Pikario ended up

Kirarin has fallen into depression, and she finds herself unable to make sweets – for now, at least. Pikario is convinced he can’t make sweets any more, and makes some waffles as a demonstration. Sure enough, they turn ashen as soon as they are done.
Kirarin’s despair doesn’t go unnoticed.

Noir tells Kirarin she can become something greater than PreCure by filling her heart with darkness

Noir turns Kirarin into a servant of darkness, though both Pikario and Ichika try to leap to her aid. Kirarin, Ichika and Pikario end up inside the darkness in Kirarin’s heart.
The other Cures try to follow, but they happen to be seen by Bibury. Bibury stops them, and then begs for Noir to lend him her strength. Noir does exactly that.

Bibury fused with her doll

Meanwhile, inside the darkness of Kirarin’s heart, Ichika and Pikario (in his human form), find Kirarin herself.

Kirarin overcome by darkness

Custard, Gelato, Macaron and Chocolat struggle to fight Bibury. Meanwhile, Cure Whip encourages Pikario to make waffles in order to snap Kirarin out of her depression.

Pikario offers ashen waffles to Kirarin

Kirarin tries one, and finds it delicious. Kira-kiraru flows from the waffles, and they turn into proper waffles. The darkness is also lifted, allowing Kirarin, Whip and Pikario to escape to the outside world and put a halt to Bibury destroying the town.

Kirarin invokes the image of a pegasus

Kirarin uses her kira-kiraru to make sweets, and takes inspiration from Whip when she says she looks like a pegasus. Noir isn’t the type to stand around watching doing nothing, so he fires an arrow at Kirarin.

Pikario protects Kirarin

Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see something like that in KiraKira ☆ PreCure a la Mode. They toned down the physical combat, but apparently that’s not going to stop them from showing a character getting pierced by an arrow. The wound even bleeds kira-kiraru after the arrow disappears…
Pikario tells Kirarin to fulfil her ambition, and she does exactly that.

Kirarin attains her goal of becoming PreCure, and thus Cure Parfait is born

Cure Parfait thanks Pikario for his feelings, and converts the Noir Rod into her own personal Candy Rod. Of course, the introduction of a new Cure means Bibury is now in a lot of trouble. A new Cure also means a new finishing move.

Kirakuru Rainbow – seems fitting for Cure Parfait

Bibury flies off in Team Rocket style. With the enemy out of the way, Parfait and the other Cures gather to hear what Pikario has to say.

As Pikario fades, he apologises for his own weakness

A tearful Parfait listens as Pikario admits his own weakness, and apologises. The Cures can only watch as Pikario fades, his kira-kiraru travelling to Strawberry Mountain.

The episode ends there, and we have a new ending theme. I quite like it, and the Cures singing the line ‘I love pretty girls’ is probably something that amuses me a little more than it really should.

This was probably the best episode of KiraKira ☆ PreCure a la Mode yet, or at least it is in my opinion. The introduction of a new Cure halfway through a season always tends to be a rather spectacular event, and Cure Parfait’s debut was no exception.
Cure Parfait is the highlight of this episode, but Noir attempting to shoot her is certainly worth noting. First of all, he was attempting to stop her transformation into Cure Parfait – not many villains try to pre-empt that kind of thing in magical girl anime.
Secondly, it resulted in the what appears to be the death of Pikario. It probably isn’t as simple as that, but for now, Pikario was pierced by an arrow and he disappeared shortly afterwards.
Noir has earned my respect as an antagonist after this episode.

Toei made it no secret that Kirarin was going to become Cure Parfait – I really wish they would learn to keep these things under wraps. Still, Parfait’s debut was spectacular.
Her design is very reminiscent of Cure Felice.
So the KiraKira team has increased by one, taking them up to six Cures. Surely with that many, there’s nothing that they won’t be able to handle…

Next time, Kirarin transfers into Ichika’s school, and new foes are introduced. We might also finally be getting the more traditional monsters of the week.