Hey there everyone RosePal once again with another retrospective on Star Detective Precure. This time I’ll be covering the character who surprised everyone in the Precure community including myself by breaking boundaries in the franchise we have never seen before. And that character is….
Luluka Moria / Cure Arcana Shadow / Cure Arcana.
Ever since she was first shown on the poster when Star Detective Precure was first revealed, everyone was amazed including myself. Especially when she was announced to be the first anti-hero cure in the franchise as she at first worked with the Phantom Thieves Guild before she officially joined the team as Cure Arcana in recent episodes at the time of writing. Usually when it comes to 6th ranger cures, the most used storyline for this archetype is when female villains become Precure later on in the season. The best examples include Setsuna / Cure Passion in Fresh Precure, Towa / Cure Scarlet in Go Princess Precure and recently Amane / Cure Finale in Delicious Party Precure. That was way back in 2022.
So it’s nice to have another villain turned Cure with Luluka but this time being an anti-hero first before becoming good is a really fresh change of pace as we see her story develop throughout the season. Just like with my Cure Eclair Identity Arc retrospective, which by the way if you haven’t read it yet, I definitely recommend checking that article out, I’ll be covering her episodes as well as giving my thoughts. But this time I won’t be doing this alone. Prior to writing I asked a few of my fantastic friends in the Precure community to give their thoughts on Luluka, her designs both in human and cure forms and her story up to recent episodes. These are NoblestEA, Cure Ice, Tee / OddishHime and Trace / Crown. Their thoughts were fantastic to hear because they were interested in Luluka too and of course watching the series at the same time as me definitely created an amazing opportunity. So their thoughts will be popping up throughout the article. Now with that introduction out of the way, let’s grab an ice cream, go into the labyrinth and see the brilliant journey of Luluka Moria from Phantom Thief Cure Arcana Shadow to Star Detective Cure Arcana.
First let’s talk about our first impressions of Luluka including her reveal on the first promotion art, her character description on the website, her character design both in civilian and her first Cure form as Arcana Shadow. Don’t worry we will cover her Arcana design when we get to her redemption arc later on in the article. Her civilian design is actually pretty cute especially with her dress giving me gothic vibes. With this being a detective season the team had to pull some creative aspects, of course with the top half of the outfit being a shawl to cover her white top and black dress perfectly represents her first arc of being a Phantom Thief. The dullish blonde hair with the black hair ribbon with bangs, strands at the sides and two curls on top really makes her design stand out. Then as Arcana Shadow she is in a black dress with military motifs on the gold collar areas with white glove cuffs, a purple veil with a black butterfly clip at the top along with long black boots, the purple tear jewels hanging off the dress and bright long blonde hair with pink highlights with a star patterned crown to match with the Phantom Thieves. This perfectly leads into the Phantom Thief motif really well.
First promotional images for Luluka and Cure Arcana Shadow
Let’s see what my Precure friends have to say, starting with NoblestEA. She said:
“I thought that she looked super interesting! Seeing the promo of her at the Curetto Detective Agency with the others I thought she might be doing an undercover double agent kind of deal but that didn’t end up being the case, but I was happy with how she was integrated. From the get go her actions were in aid of the cures while her words had her tied to the Phantom Thieves which left a lot of room for mystery and theories!”
Tee also agreed with this by saying:
“Admittedly I first saw Luluka in the leaks before the season was properly revealed- even though it was a low quality image I was so immediately captivated by how cool she looked and how much she stood out! I wasn’t disappointed at all when the official reveal came around, and once they revealed she was a Precure AND a villain I was so excited to meet her!”
Speaking of her design Trace agreed with me on Luluka’s design giving gothic vibes by saying:
“Well, the first official reveal I definitely liked her design the most of the civilian forms. I still do, I love how she has the gothic lolita look for her especially! I also was just like the colour scheme of black & yellow a lot so it was something I kept my eye on for sure. Though my favourite from the beginning has been Eclair.”
We will get to her involvement later.
And to finish this section off Cure Ice made an interesting comment when he read Luluka’s design and reading her description on the website and he said:
“When I first saw Luluka, I expected a Cure Fortune-like character. I fully expected her to change colours but was intrigued by what I saw on the poster.”
That is an interesting thought because as you remember in Happiness Charge Precure, Iona / Cure Fortune was already a Cure prior to the series and of course we followed her arc of rescuing her sister and her resentfulness towards Hime / Cure Princess. But that’s a story for another day. When Luluka’s story evolved it really surprised us, which perfectly leads into her first few episodes.
Luluka’s Beginnings As A Phantom Thief in Star Detective Precure First Arc
Luluka made her debut in episode 3 where she delivered a message to Agesiene from Usonoir to get the Makoto Jewel. Then she witnessed Anna and Mikuru as Cure Answer and Mystique and was impressed. At this point she figured out they were the new detectives on the block. And of course we get her first impressions of enjoying ice cream as it is her favourite snack after all. Then in episode 4 Anna and Mikuru solved a case of a missing bag. Luluka along with her fairy partner Mashutan went with Goemon to steal a bag as the item inside contained a Makoto Jewel. We immediately see she had fantastic skills of observation when seeing the bags that were accidentally swapped as we learn later on she was a detective.
Trace stated that every episode with her and Goemon as some of her favourite episodes. She said: “I also really liked Luluka with her goofy episodes she had with Goemon as well. I adore that he was essentially kinda a father figure for her even if she and Mashutan didn’t exactly care that much for it. It was still great to see.” Then she appeared in episode 6 when the girls made up from the argument and got the Pre-Kit Mirror Loupe whilst also battling Nijee with the two swallow Hanninda. She was ordered to get Nijee back as he didn’t return with the Makoto Jewel but she briefly transformed into Arcana Shadow to protect Pochitan from the attacks. Although it was her leg and a shot of her Tear Arcana Rod, this was a small taster to what we will get later. She also learned that Anna was from 1999.
Then she made minor appearances in episode 7 when Goemon did his first trick maze at the girls’ school and witnessed it from the trees. At the end of episode 8 when the girls and Jett opened up Pretty Holic at the Curetto Detective Agency she disguised herself as a customer to treat herself to some merchandise including a perfume and thought it was cute. Then in episode 10 she witnessed Anna and Mikuru chasing Goemon after he stole a self portrait painting and at the end of the episode she is on the rooftop at the Hosho Art Museum, ready to begin her solo mission. Which perfectly leads in her Precure debut as Arcana Shadow.
Luluka’s Precure Debut as Cure Arcana Shadow in Star Detective Precure Episode 11 – Cure Arcana Shadow Appears
This was the moment everyone was waiting for, Luluka made her Precure debut as Cure Arcana Shadow and everything about it was amazing and was everything we had hoped for. She stole an artefact called the Starlight Princess even though it was a fake copy thanks to the museum director, who actually faced consequences from the public and promised to put out the real artefacts on display. She had an amazing plan laid out and it worked out perfectly. We also got Mashutan’s fortune telling abilities to show where the Makoto Jewel was. Then her transformation. My goodness what a transformation sequence it was. With a theatre like background and an interesting music motif. It wasn’t a villainous tone like the other Phantom Thieves when they bring the Hannindas to life, it was more a joyful and playful tone. I thought this was a first clue to her eventual redemption and eventual transformation into Cure Arcana.
Then her first fight against the Cures was fantastic and playful especially when she poked Mikuru’s face. This gave me the full vibes of Meimi / Saint Tail, another iconic magical girl who was a Phantom Thief, but that’s another story for another day. She also told the girls that lies may not be so bad, which is an interesting development in the truth vs lies conflict. She also gave them the opportunity to purify the Hanninda after Agesiene showed up and told the girls they need to step up if they want to defeat the Phantom Thieves. Even though we find out why she joined the Phantom Thieves later, deep down she wanted the girls to level up. Here’s what my Precure friends have to say about her debut and they unanimously agreed it was amazing.
NoblestEA said:
“I was very happy with her debut! She had a lot more personality than I suspected! Despite having the appearance of a stoic character, she was very playful and confident. I really appreciate the range of emotions she has while still feeling like one person.”
Tee said:
“Her debut was really exciting! It felt like an eternity waiting for her to show up but the wait was so worth it, seeing her transformation sequence for the first time was mind blowing. I think everyone is a little tired of seeing it nowadays because of how hyped she’s become online, but it’s still undeniably a really artistically refined sequence! Her role was really intriguing too, especially once we learned that she wasn’t brainwashed in any way and had joined the thieves of her own volition. The mysteries surrounding her each week really kept me hooked.”
Trace said:
“Her debut was cool. I was just excited to finally see her because they already teased us prior leading up to her debut when she saved Pochitan on the beach from Nijiee’s attack. I also liked how it kinda set up Mashutan’s ability to tell the future when she foretold Luluka that episode about Agesiene interrupting them too.”
And finally Cure Ice said the debut was enjoyable and was also unexpected. He said,
“I genuinely didn’t expect it to happen so fast. I thought Luluka would transform in the early 20s. She had final boss/member energy. Regardless, I loved the transformation and was excited to see more of her.” He also stated that this was one of his favourite Luluka episodes so far. “The museum episode had her running laps around the cures and it was really impressive.”
Luluka’s Mysterious Puzzle Into Her Past As A Star Detective Begins
Then we get to the Arcana Shadow Arc. In this we start to get the clues to her past at the Curetto Detective Agency, more of her reasoning into why lies might not be as bad as people think and why she joined the Phantom Thieves in the first place. The latter we will get to. In episode 12 she infiltrated a music shop disguised as a shop clerk using the Pre-Kit Lip Gloss. She along with Anna and Mikuru started to talk to a girl named Masami and she reveals that her wish bracelet was to help her gain the courage to speak to a boy she likes. I love how Luluka gets to talk with the girls here, it really gives how they will interact when she joins the team later on. Although the guy Masami liked already had a girlfriend and was about to throw the bracelet away, Luluka explains that it was a lie but she shouldn’t throw it away. She explains a broken bracelet can hold treasured memories and feelings. I also love how Luluka’s voice is different here. Not only is it louder than it is but also emotional, I think this represents her hidden passion. We also get the reveal that the Curetto Detective Agency was hers in the past and told Anna how to open the windows, which we see a blue butterfly flying out at the end of the episode.
Then in episode 13 during the first big fight against Usonoir she protected the girls from an attack by Usonoir as it wasn’t depicted in the Tome of Mirages and warned the girls not to get in the way. Then as I mentioned in the Cure Eclair Identity Arc her past at the Curetto Detective Agency was revealed bit by bit including when she was defeated by Usonoir at the water tower when he tried to steal the Stone Of Truth, she joined that group on her own terms and told the girls that sleuthing may not be enough and even reprimanded Mashutan when she revealed a bit too much. Speaking of Cure Eclair.
Luluka’s Involvement in the Cure Eclair Identity Arc And Kurea Revealed To Be Cure Eclair
Although I already explained this arc in full detail in my previous article let me give a quick recap. It was revealed in the Tome of Mirages that a prophecy about Cure Eclair was about to come true. “The blue butterfly will fly to four flowers and will choose where to rest.” It was also revealed by Ageseine that the blue butterfly in the photograph was indeed Cure Eclair. Luluka was shocked that Cure Eclair was returning as she thought she disappeared so she took the opportunity to investigate. Also we had the prophecy of the Great King Of Terror coming down and covering the world in lies. Boy what a journey to the reveal of this twist in terms of Luluka and a certain someone. In episode 21 Luluka was after the Makoto Jewel that was in Eliza’s manager’s phone charm that represented her book character Detective Ellie. Eliza’s involvement in Kotaru’s case in which Luluka helped find his cat and seeing him smile gave her the spark to join the agency, as well as getting more research for her Detective Ellie series. Luluka told the girls that Eclair disappeared from shattering the Stone of Truth and they didn’t need to search for her. But we as the audience know that she wants to find Cure Eclair as from this point forward, we start to add up on why Luluka joined the Phantom Thieves in the first place.
Then in episode 22 Luluka met Shiruku for the first time when she and Goemon tried to steal her earring that helped her win her first audition when she became an idol. She disguised herself as Anna but was immediately caught out by Shiruku. She went on to explain that the play was important as well as making new memories after Luluka asked her if having memories is important. And of course Shiruku answered “Don’t make assumptions!” which caught Luluka off guard. Then in the fight scene through the creative visual of the back and forth of Shiruku’s play, the girls start asking Luluka where Cure Eclair is. She reveals that when Eclair shattered the Stone Of Truth she had lost her memories and the girls should give up on looking for her and saw a flashback of Luluka in the garden at the detective agency with lilies around her looking sad. She tells the girls that memories have no meaning if the memories are lost. But the girls along with Shiruku explain that memories do have meaning as new memories can be made and they all made a promise to each other. Shiruku is doing her idol career making others smile and for Anna and Mikuru they kept their promise to protect her.
Then things got more interesting in episode 23 with Kurea. Throughout the episode Luluka is revealed to be a regular customer at Patisserie ShuShu and we now know where she gets her ice cream most of the time. First she gets Luluka to try the favourite cakes of our main duo. This was a nice bit of foreshadowing to Luluka eventually joining the team. Then later on when she encountered Luluka again she immediately called Luluka out when she figured out she was a Phantom Thief. Luluka asked her why she would think that Kurea didn’t know her name. Kurea replied that ice cream is what makes her happy which caught the latter off guard. Also I noticed the hand movement Kurea makes when she tells Luluka she will not give the photograph, which demonstrated her fantastic observation skills as earlier on she picked up on Luluka staring at the photograph of her manager during his time in Paris as it contained the latest Makoto Jewel waiting for the time to strike. Luluka admired Kurea’s deduction. Then in the fight scene she recognised Luluka as Cure Arcana Shadow. Luluka asks why she is there. Kurea answered with this response, “Because I had followed my truth.” Luluka instantly flinched on that answer, definitely the most emotional we have seen of her. Kurea then asks her that same question and she answers in a playful way, “I followed my truth.” Kurea tells her that she is always welcome to come for ice cream as Luluka retreats. We know where this was going.
Then in the epic reveal of Kurea being Cure Eclair, Luluka explains to the girls that Usonoir was going to use Eclair’s Makoto Jewel to cover the world in lies and immediately jump into action with them, although later on this was all part of her plan. This was the first clue to why she joined the Phantom Thieves; Usonoir stole it. Then we get confirmation in a flashback Kurea was indeed the partner of Luluka at the Curetto Detective Agency and her arrival made Luluka who is angry that she has returned and turned herself away. After her epic debut Kurea tried to reach out to Luluka as just Arcana but Luluka replied that the friend and Star Detective she knew is gone and she goes by Arcana Shadow and leaves along with Mashutan. Then it’s revealed that she was after Eclair’s Makoto Jewel so she can destroy it and they must defeat her or they will have no future. She thinks she’s doing this to protect Kurea. Remember when I said she would be going into her full villain phase, well everything about that is turned on its head.
Kurea and Luluka’s Backstory in Star Detective Precure Episode 29 – The Detectives Past
This episode starts with the new Phantom Thief, Decchi Agein, using Goemon’s maze technique to bring Anna, Mikuru, Kurea, Pochitan & Shushutan to view her memories when she was with Luluka first at the London Detective Agency. We also meet Mafuru the director of the London Detective Agency and from Mikuru’s peculiar reaction she could be the Star Detective that helped her as well as her grandmother. Future plotline for Mikuru. Mafuru is surprised when the fairies approach the girls & we get the story of the big Makoto Jewel (Stone Of Truth). It was created with the beliefs of fairies from humans and the true job of a Star Detective is to bring smiles to humans and fairies and also bring their beliefs again. Mafuru asked Kurea & Luluka to become Star Detectives & go through the detective test which Mikuru wanted to do in the very first episode before becoming Precure with Anna. They, along with Kurea, witnessed Luluka pass the test as she pointed out the little girl as the culprit who accidentally broke a vase. Kurea held back as she was showing concern for the girl bringing out her kindness. To cheer Kurea up Mafuru showed her & Luluka a cool looking item called the Star Kiraring Brooch saying only true Star Detective Precure can unlock it. We all know that is a future power up item once Luluka joins the team.
Then they arrived at the Makoto Mirai Curetto Detective Agency. Kurea and Luluka discovered that the Land of Truth was where the Phantom Thieves were attacking. Luluka gave Kurea her Top Of Lily Fragrance. Luluka told Kurea to believe in her sparkle and her weakness of holding back can be greatest strength. Luluka tried to go after the Phantom Thieves herself while Kurea was waiting with Shushutan & Mashutan. We believe this was her time as Cure Arcana and this is where the flashback ends. As we saw throughout the episode Luluka was watching because of Decchi as it’s revealed in this arc that he was the one who gave her the Arcana Shadow powers and after trying to confront him in this episode, she was in a really tight spot. I swear this guy has ulterior motives in mind for these two in fact the whole Star Detective Precure team, true final boss perhaps? Then everything fell into place afterwards.
Transformation Into Shadow Eclipse, Reconciliation And Breaking Free From The Shadows
At the climax of episode 30, the Hanninda that Decchi created was just a small distraction after Kurea defeated it. He transported the Cures to the Land of Truth when Kurea became Eclair for the first time. Luluka transformed & fought against Kurea. She revealed why she wants to defeat Kurea, she is indeed the King of Terror. Anna, Mikuru, Jett & the fairies were shocked as they didn’t want to believe it.Decchi gives Luluka a really dark upgrade to become Eclipse Shadow. This is a cool design even with a death scythe. I felt sorry for Luluka at this moment because you can feel her pain of protecting Kurea but also wanting to bring her down at the same time. Then in the following episode things became more clear for us to cheer on Luluka breaking free from everything that’s happened. It’s revealed the Phantom Thieves were fairies known as The Forgotten Race. Decchi thinks Kurea might be one of them focusing on the star in her right eye every time she uses Sparkle Time. Mashutan revealed that Luluka’s reason to destroy Kurea’s Makoto Jewel was with her own kindness. Anna & Mikuru disagree that isn’t what true kindness is and they & Kurea rejoin the fight and reach out to Luluka.
They all shared their stances on the situation. Mikuru states using Tome of Mirages as circumstantial evidence and not relying on the whole truth is not what a true detective does. Anna says they will fight against lies and will take the first step forward with all of them together calling back to the first episode and Kurea wants to continue being a Star Detective with Luluka. Despite Mashutan’s protests Luluka asked Decchi to give her more power and it was horrifying to watch her being more consumed by the shadows. Let’s put a pin on that. We also see flashbacks of Luluka taking everything down from the Curetto Detective Agency to protect Kurea and wanting to get her Makoto Jewel back.
Then we get the most powerful scene in this arc, Luluka’s redemption and reconciliation with Kurea. We heard Luluka’s character song throughout this scene called Liquid°Ice and it was a gorgeous song to listen to. The lyrics perfectly encapsulates her journey up to this point. From being sad about Kurea losing her memories, to the reason she became a Phantom Thief, becoming free from the shadows and changing her destiny in other words changing the future will change her because of that. Kurea gets through to Luluka as she arrives in her mindscape, faces her in a light emanating from the pendant Mashutan gave her and asks Luluka the most important question: what is her true answer? As flashbacks of their time together flash before our eyes, Luluka gives her real answer through cathartic tears. She wants to be with everyone, she wants to be with Kurea, to be by her side and take that first step with her. And with that they broke free from the shadows. Anna & Mikuru understood what the prophecy truly meant. The world covered in lies was not the whole world but it was Luluka’s world being covered in shadows and Kurea was indeed the Great King, maybe not the King of Terror but the King guiding Luluka to the light. How poetic and creative this writing aspect is? As one of my all time favourite Red Rangers Wes Collins in Power Rangers Time Force once said “We can change our destiny”. These past episodes are what my Precure friends said were their favourite episodes involving Luluka. Let’s see what they had to say.
Starting with NoblestEA.
“My favorite Luluka episode would probably be her episodes interacting with Kurea on screen. Seeing her be so attached yet keeping a distance really tugged on my heartstrings and her VA knocked the performance out of the park!”
Then Tee said,
“I’ve really loved her from the start but I think the Eclipse Shadow episodes were what really defined her character for me. Getting confirmation and understanding of her true feelings and motivations after months of theorising was not only so satisfying but also so humanising for her as a character. I know everyone keeps making the Madoka Magica comparisons and it can feel a little derivative but I think that is truly the best way to summarise her relationship with Kurea and her own narrative.”
Trace then said,
“Luluka I already liked from the start. She pretty much was the person who I paid attention to the most until Eclair debuted with Kurea of course. But I think the one that had me place Luluka as my tied 2nd favourite cure of all time currently was episodes 29, 30 & 31 combined especially when episode 29 dropped that line from Decchi of how Kurea was someone special to her. And then episode 31 with the moments she had when Kurea broke her out of the lies her world had been enveloped by.”
Cure Ice enjoyed these moments too however he thought the pacing could have done a bit better, he said,
“I thought the reconciliation was a little rushed. I understand what they were going for but it needed more time.”
I can understand this point a bit too but in my eyes I enjoyed it for what we got. And now the redemption arc begins.
Luluka Joins The Star Detective Precure Officially As Cure Arcana in Star Detective Precure Episode 31 – Star Detective Cure Arcana
After reuniting with everyone, Decchi is angry that his plan was falling apart and created a shadow monster out of the powers he tried to infect Luluka with. With the girls’ encouragement and seeing her original transformation trinket in her hand, Luluka joined the fight. Her transformation sequence was more gorgeous than her Arcana Shadow transformation with the theatre background becoming lighter, the music more joyous and she used her new Shine Arcana Rod. I loved the fact that they reused some of the animation from Arcana Shadow’s transformation sequence with a few new tidbits, including creating a rainbow to kick things off. Her design is super gorgeous with the dress being white, the butterfly clip and the veil becoming more angelic/bridal like, the tear drop jewels become pink instead of purple and finally the beautiful heart shaped tiara on her head with wings. Her first fight was epic too, no matter how hard Decchi tried, she brought the monster down hard. In an unexpected twist, we get a new group attack with the help of Pochitan, Shushutan and Mashutan, Precure Star Detective. It was a simple but gorgeous attack and the Thieves retreated, Decchi leaving for a time to ask the “madame” questions as well as getting serious and Lukuka wanting to have ice cream with her friends.
This is what my friends said about Luluka being Cure Arcana as well as everything leading up to this. NoblestEA said:
“10/10! Watching her fight for Kurea but in all the wrong ways then melt the second Kurea pushes through is going down as one of my top ten Precure moments! The tears and the love all were a perfect performance!”
Tee then said,
“Luluka finally joining the cures felt like such a huge payoff to weeks of well crafted storytelling and was really emotionally poignant, I stayed up late to watch the episode live and wasn’t disappointed at all! So much raw emotion was conveyed through both the animation and acting and you can really feel how much the staff put into her character. I was so teary eyed at so many points! I think her relationship with Kurea is so beautifully written and so sweet. They have such a natural feeling of love.”
Trace agreed by saying,
“As far as for my reaction when Kurea saved her and she became Cure Arcana? I was just sobbing in happiness for her and nothing much else. It was just pure happiness for her and Kurea.”
Then Cure Ice said,
“I appreciate her role in the team though. I think the recent episodes do a good job wrapping it up.”
Now the Arcana Shadow Arc is complete, let’s see her integration into the team and making up for her past mistakes as Arcana Shadow as well as being a Phantom Thief.
Luluka’s First Cases As A Star Detective In Star Detective Precure Episode 32 – I’m Back Curetto Detective Agency & Episode 33 – A Path To A Star Detective Begins With A Single Step
Luluka immediately finds herself in her first case at Patisserie ShuShu as she had been going there for a while as according to Mashutan she has nowhere to go since she is not in the Phantom Thieves anymore. Kurea received a phone call from the girl Luluka saw through a window that she dropped something at the Patisserie but hung up before she could say what it was. Anna and Mikuru arrived soon after with Pochitan and immediately jumped into action. We see the real Harue the teen from episode 2 along with a CEO & a vintage clothing shop attendant. Anna & Mikuru asked them if they dropped something but confirmed they didn’t. Kurea told the girls that the girl who was here had dropped something which was a birthday present from her boyfriend but couldn’t find out what it was. Luluka took charge of the case by stating they are taking the case one step at a time. Kurea also said that the girl was having ice cream & Luluka said she saw her sitting at the table where the CEO was. Anna & Mikuru saw Harue & remember how Nijee was disguised as her back in episode 2. They were about to question but Luluka had a plan as she didn’t want their ice cream interrupted, that’s her policy according to Kurea. Anna & Mikuru immediately trust them then a group of children come by to pet the CEO’s dog.
Luluka used the Pre-Kit Gloss to handle this obstacle by luring the kids away. Everyone was impressed and noticed she was making the children smile while she was doing it. Then the girls go back to investigating and notice the ring the CEO was wearing as Anna & Mikuru first thought to be the present from the boyfriend. Then Luluka, immediately noticed the three suspects’ actions when the sun came out. Luluka not only figured out that it was the vintage clothing shop guy but it was Nijee. He wasn’t wearing the sunglasses correctly, which was the present that the girl was missing. She also noticed that Narue, the CEO & Ageseine were wearing their sunglasses correctly and Nijee would break them.
Cure Ice brought up this idea when I asked him about where Luluka’s journey will take her next after joining the team, he said: “I think she’ll keep using her knowledge of the Phantoms to help the team. I’m not sure what else they can cover, so I hope a new mystery arises.” And he was right. Ageseine was impressed that Luluka picked up that detail. Nijee revealed himself & told the Cures he was stealing the Makoto Jewel in the sunglasses and also explained about the new prophecy in the Tome of Mirages about writing a new history when 1999 ends.
The girls after making successful dodges with their eyes closed as the Hanninda was blinding them with light they wonder what they should do. Luluka suggested she would follow its movements with its sound; that was a fantastic analysis of the situation. After the day was saved, Luluka gave the girl her sunglasses back & she was really happy and thanked everyone for finding them. Then Anna & Mikuru found their moment to ask Luluka for a favour, they asked her to come back with them to the Curetto Detective Agency. Luluka was hesitant, she was regretful of joining the Phantom Thieves and was guilty to go back. But the girls reassured her that even when she’s regretting her actions she can still be an amazing Star Detective. This was a fresh change of pace as showing Luluka’s guilt of being a Phantom Thief in a subtle way rather than focusing the entire episode on it. It also represents this as Anna and Mikuru give her a present, her own ice cream spoon and have an ice cream party which she happily accepts.
Then in the following episode Luluka had some unfinished business with Goemon as he didn’t want her to leave. He challenged Luluka to his trick maze and wanted her to see if she is ready to be independent. The other Phantom Thieves were also watching after discovering his discarded sheets of paper. After some comedic bits with cameos from Purirun and Komugi from You & Idol Precure and Wonderful Precure respectively, at the time of writing the Star Detective Precure movie is out with their teams being featured, Goemon made the other doors disappear, using three doors with one of them being the way out. Goemon mimicked Anna & Mikuru’s transformation sequence to give three hints, understandably, everyone was confused by it. Kurea & Luluka quickly solved the answer, with door 3 being the way out.
They explained that 3, 6 and 9 were not necessarily the answers but hint numbers 1, 2 and 3. Kurea opens the number 3 door and the girls get out with ease. Kurea said it was a simple riddle as Luluka said sometimes thinking too hard can make things more confusing which Mikuru took note. Goemon decided to give Luluka her diploma for graduating as his apprentice. He did enjoy the moments they had together & his feelings created a Makoto Jewel which the other Phantom Thieves didn’t see coming. After the fight he also gave Luluka the Tear Arcana Rod. Goemon said that her past that she will not forget and will build her future as her new self as Cure Arcana. The girls are happy that Luluka has now taken the first step as a Star Detective. As the old saying goes, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Luluka shows her smile with her friends by her side.
NoblestEA, Tee and Trace all gave their tidbits on where Luluka’s journey will take from here especially with this episode in mind. NoblestEA said,
“As of right now it feels they are attempting to nicely tuck both her and Kurea into the group in a way that has good synergy rather than imbalance of skills. This is quite a difficult thing to do! And Precure often takes this challenge on for its midseason cures. So far Anna and Mikuru are still given room to make observations while Luluka (and Kurea) are able to work out the second half of the mysteries. I assume it won’t always be this one for the remainder of the show but I like the idea of each girl playing a beginning, middle, and end role to each of the last 2 mysteries. Everyone gets a role. As for her development, I think it’ll just be her learning how to be a team and not an individual. I don’t expect her to have much more major plotlines for the last 20~ episodes, but who knows!”
Tee then said:
“Now that she’s settling into the team I think we’ll see a little more of her fun and soft side, she’s clearly learning to open up in her own way to the others and they’re starting to figure out all her quirks. I’m really interested to see how she’ll take on Goemon’s message that she can’t change or erase her past so she must carry it with her. We know she’ll be switching into arcana shadow in the movie for some reason, so I wonder if there’ll be a lesson for her to learn through this. I also wonder if there’s certain things she can only do in that form? I can’t wait to see more of the true Luluka and watch her bond with the other characters!”
And finally Trace said,
“As for where she goes next? I think she’s warming up to the others a lot already. I love that the story also had Goemon give back the Tear Arcana Rod necklace as a way to help teach about the lesson that you simply cannot pretend the past never existed, but that you can make a new path of your own for her. I am also a little selfish & want to see more of her & Kurea’s relationship as well. But I am sure she’ll be able to see that more as well as Anna & Mikuru will soon start getting their own focus.”
Luluka Gains Shiruku’s & Chinamis’s Forgiveness In Star Detective Precure Episode 34 – Luluka And The Gold Star Full Moon
Now let’s get to the final episode I will talk about today and that is Luluka asking forgiveness from Shiruku and Chinami, two of the people she had wronged. The episode starts with a fantastic chase scene out of the Precure status quo as the girls chase Ageseine and get a scroll back from her. However the girls have no idea who it belonged to and head to Makoto Mirai Police Station to find the owner. The female officer was surprised to learn that the Phantom Thieves stole it & thanked the girls for coming and promised them to help. Then a familiar friend arrived, it was Shiruku who was being police chief for a day for another documentary. Luluka was obviously nervous when she saw her.
Shiruku asked the girls what they were doing there and the girls asked her for help in locating the owner of the scroll. Kurea suggests that Shiruku use her documentary to reach out to the owner. They also get Chinami, the museum director, to take a look at the scroll for research. Amazing continuity. Chinami was happy to see Anna & Mikuru again and looked at the scroll. She brought a book with her and explained it’s a painting of the Princessless Moon, which is very valuable even with the tear in the middle. Once again Luluka was nervous when she showed up. She shows regret when meeting Chinami, another bit of fantastic continuity to her debut as Arcana Shadow when she stole the fake artefact, Kurea also noticed Luluka’s reactions.
After her documentary interview, Shiruku went to her dressing room. Luluka along with Mashutan followed her. Luluka apologised for stealing her earring. Shiruku knew that she didn’t steal it but Goemon did. She reminded her that as an actress she observed people through their actions. She also knew Luluka was playing the part of a Phantom Thief, knew she wouldn’t take her earring and was not a bad person. Shiruku also said to her not to make assumptions about herself and knows that Luluka has friends who understand her. Shiruku gave us another callback to her debut episode with her ice cream advert. She offered some of the ice cream to Luluka as a gift for their new friendship & accepting Luluka’s apology. Thus a lovely scene to witness. Mashutan was happy and Kurea, who was waiting with Shushutan, happy that her bestie was okay.
Then three suspects arrived claiming to own the painting. Each suspect gave their accounts while Anna & Mikuru took notes and Kurea & Luluka listened. Luluka with another shining example of observation, took notice of the guy’s tan & explained if he did have a beard it wouldn’t have been tanned. The guy admitted not to own the picture as he fell in love with it when he heard the broadcast. With two suspects left with one called Ryan who spoke English, Anna suggested having the Pre-Kit Gummies. Luluka said she and Kurea already know English but decided to take the gummies. Ryan explained he was going to move and his grandfather gave it to him to take as he loved antiques. Uzoe who was a tea ceremony teacher explained the painting was owned by the family and had it in the teahouse where she was a teacher displayed on the wall. Luluka immediately figured out the answer. Uzoe (Ageseine) was the one who stole it. Luluka reminded us that the image of the painting was from the book Chinami brought, the painting itself was torn so she couldn’t put it on the wall. And when they went after it, it was in the box with a tied up ribbon coord and had not been opened since.
After the day is saved involving Luluka’s new gorgeous solo attack, Precure White Lily, Luluka and her friends return the scroll to Ryan, who then asks for a favour. Back at the museum the girls asked Chinami if she could restore the painting and she agreed as she knows an expert who can do the job for them. Luluka apologised to Chinami for stealing the artefact in her debut as Arcana Shadow. Chinami accepted her apology as she explained that after Luluka took the fake version, she learned her lesson and put the real artefact on display, which we thought was a consequence but it actually helped at the same time. Luluka was happy to hear that along with her friends. The episode ended with the girls watching the full moon on the museum roof as Anna called it the Gold Star Full Moon. Luluka was happy that Shiruku and Chinami forgave her for her past actions, knowing her new bonds are created and she can move forward even more. In conclusion Luluka really broke the traditional 6th ranger Precure arc in many ways as I mentioned throughout this article along with my friends. I think with a character like her there may be a possibility for more characters like this in the future, giving us interesting developments as we head towards the final arc of the series which will go back to the focus of our first duo Anna and Mikuru. Which I’m going to talk about in a future article.
I want to give my thanks to you all for reading this fun deep dive into Luluka and let me know your thoughts about her in the comments below. I would also like to give thanks to NoblestEA, Tee, Trace and Cure Ice for their thoughts too, it was super fun to get them to join the fun this time around. I’ll link their socials below and please give them a follow for their content, especially magical girls. Until next time this is RosePal saying, “Curetto Case Closed.”
NoblestEA:
Trace (Crown):
Cure Ice:
