REVIEW: ‘Tropical-Rouge PreCure,’ Episode 13 – “School Broadcast Flurry! Hit It, Mermaid’s Song!”

Last time with the legendary Pretty Cure Warriors, viewers got a taste of mermaid fever at Aozora Middle School! It seems in the wake of episode 11’s events; the school was swept up in searching for the rumored mermaid who caused a ruckus at the sand art contest. Viewers already knew this was Laura. Things only got worse. Now, in Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13, the mermaid fever continues with some good ol’ Tropical Club antics!

Episode 13, “School Broadcast Flurry! Hit It, Mermaid’s Song!” starts off with a school broadcast that continues the mermaid fever from episode 11 and last week’s episode 12. Naturally, Manatsu -and Laura in the aqua pot- perk up, especially when the voice over the intercom mentions the mermaids’ melodic voices. And, of course, all of the girls really want to hear Laura sing specifically because of this. However, despite loving music and singing, Laura’s a bit… reluctant. Naturally, this provides the basis for the episode, which is a different call back to Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13’s title.

Post-OP, the girls of the Tropical Club, are meandering the school when they find just who was on the broadcast at the beginning of the episode. It’s Izumi Komori, the girl who was talking about mermaids. Coincidentally, Izumi is Minori’s classmate and is overjoyed that Manatsu heard her lunchtime chat. In fact, said chat was a new experiment to try and get more school listenership. 

Thankfully, Manatsu’s ever-eager and volunteers the Tropical Club as guests on the broadcast. But… there’s just one problem. Manatsu doesn’t know what the club is going to talk about. In fact, she has no clue what topics they’d share other than something super tropi-cool. Of course, this leads all of the girls to brainstorm until they eventually settle on a hodgepodge of ideas, including having Laura guest on the show as well.

Only… that’s kind of risky. Laura already caused a bunch of trouble in episodes 11 and 12. The girls can’t risk her causing even more problems again. But it quickly becomes apparent that if they’re going to find any success with the Tropical Club’s debut broadcast, Laura will probably play a key role.

From the jump, Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 is a decidedly slower episode. It’s a lot less plotty than the previous mini-arc, yet ultimately, it doesn’t suffer for it. Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13, as well as the entire series thus far, has been really good about structuring its time. The show never leans too hard into action, nor too hard into antics. Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 came a bit closer to leaning too hard into antics for my taste, though other viewers might feel otherwise. 

Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 is also an incredibly Laura-centric episode, which is a nice treat. Laura remains one of the more underdeveloped members of the cast. It’d be wonderful to get more episodes like this in the near future, especially if they give viewers a bit more insight into Laura’s ambitions and the Grand Ocean. Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 doesn’t necessarily give major Laura backstory. Still, it does give Laura the spotlight, which is enough to satisfy fans of the fifth, fantastical member of the Tropical Quintet.

For now, I still find myself quite satisfied as a new Pretty Cure Fan. While this episode isn’t the most exciting, nor the most action-packed, but…Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 is cute. And ultimately, Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 13 serves as a solid transitional episode. Sometimes, that’s just what you need: an episode full of gags, foibles, and good-natured fun!

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