REVIEW: Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 7 – “Here It Comes! Sea Fairy Kururun!”

Last time on Tropical-Rouge PreCure, the legendary Pretty Cure warriors start to figure out just what their new school club is going to be. And after a hunt for a penguin statue, they’re struck with inspiration and form the Tropical Club. Not only is the club for fun, it’s essentially their HQ for all things Pretty Cure. Now, in Tropical-Roue PreCure Episode 7, the members of the Tropical Club will be meeting a brand new character -rather a fairy- from the Grand Ocean!

Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 7, “Here It Comes! Sea Fairy Kururun!,” starts in medias res with the legendary Pretty Cure warriors running. And y’all, it’s a great cold open that really gets at the heart of each character. You see, Asuka is very, very serious about training to make sure that all the girls in the Tropical Club are up to snuff when it comes to keeping active.

However, Sango and Minori aren’t athletes. Really, Manatsu isn’t either: she’s fully powered by her eagerness. However, none of that is enough to stop Asuka from pushing the girls to finish their exercises. Thankfully, the girls get to eventually take a break by the seaside, which leads to them spotting the titular Kururun, thus jumpstarting the plot for this episode.

Who, exactly, is Kururun? Well, Kururun is the Mermaid Queen’s pet, and a sea fairy that looks a bit like a seal, even though they’re definitely not. Just like a Pokemon, Kururun can only say its name, though best mergirl Laura somehow seems to know what the sea fairy is saying.

Things quickly progress as they have for the past few episodes. The girls encounter the monster of the week and are tasked with getting rid of it. However, just like in episode 5 and episode 6, the girls are fighting as one combined unit, complete with a transformation sequence that’s still so delightful.

Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 7 might be the first episode where I remarked to myself, “Ah, this is definitely for kids, huh?” Kururun feels like a character that I’d see loads of merch for. I can easily see Kururun as a plush, on clothing, on stationery for young girls, and as all manner of toy-esque jewelry. I can also kind of see myself not liking Kururun as well.

That’s not a bad thing though. The Pretty Cure franchise is, first and foremost, for young girls. I’m out of its demographic. And while I love this new iteration, I also think it’s important to step back as a reviewer and recognize that I’m a bit of a guest in this space. I think that’s something I have to remind myself of as I enjoy the franchise: I’m not its target. As I said, that’s okay. 

That all being said, I ultimately found Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 7 is very fun. There’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek jokes this episode, which definitely have wide appeal. And really, the series is still quite enjoyable for adult views. I just think that at times, it’s definitely here to remind you that PreCure is aimed at providing a variety of female characters for young girls, not for adults. 

In the end, that message is great and is just as powerful as the first few episodes and their message on make-up and how to feel good. Plus, Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 7 still packs a lot of fun into the fight scenes I think that’s a big reason why I find Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure so darn enjoyable every single week.

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure is now streaming on Crunchyroll.