REVIEW: ‘Tropical-Rouge PreCure,’ Episode 15 – “Minori is Laura, Laura is Minori?!”

Last week in the tropi-cool Tropical Club, the legendary Pretty Cure warriors took on a major task: child care! Namely, the girls worked at Shirokuma Preschool and learned how to be preschool teachers. As always, antics ensued when a new Zenzen Yarane-da attacked the school. But the day was saved by the Pretty Cures. This week on Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15, Minori and Laura take the spotlight when an accident with the aqua pot causes them to see the world through one another’s eyes…literally!

Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15, “Minori is Laura, Laura is Minori?!” starts off with the Tropical Quartet preparing to cheer as much as they can for their school’s softball club. While Manatsu is naturally excited, Minori is…much less enthusiastic. So, instead of being out in the limelight, she’s taking a backstage role and making a sign. Initially, things are going well…until she gets a bit too close to the aqua pot and gets sucked in alongside Laura. Thankfully, they wake up in the aftermath back in the clubroom. However…they’re no longer themselves.

Post-OP, Laura—who’s now Minori—and Minori—who’s now Laura—are stumped. Minori can enter the aqua pot now that she’s in Laura’s body, leaving the real Laura without access. However, now that she has legs, Laura’s gonna live it up, starting with joining the other club members by cheering for the team. Of course, Manatsu, Sango, and Asuka are immediately suspicious. They know that Minori prefers to be behind the scenes. In fact, they fully expected her to stay there because it’s her comfort zone. So, this brand new side of “Minori” is…quite suspect. This gets explored further in the middle third of Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15, especially once the girls really figure out what’s happening with the plot of the day.

The bulk of Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15 is spent with Laura enjoying being a human and Minori learning how to control the aqua pot. It’s a Freaky Friday-esque plot that feels fun enough, and it is pretty entertaining. This is largely because of the obvious gap between the playful Laura and the more reserved Minori. And naturally, the moral lesson of this episode centers on appreciating those differences and perspectives.

I’m always a fan of a good body-switching episode, which is exactly what Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15 is. It’s a simple plot, but well executed. Laura and Minori feel like the perfect characters to switch bodies, especially since Minori is such a big fan of mermaids. And while Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15 certainly isn’t focused on the larger plot, it’s also a nice episode and has a lot of good antics. Of course, there’s a battle sequence at the end, and due to the nature of Minori and Laura’s transformation, things get a bit more interesting than usual, for the best.

In the end, Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15 is solidly satisfying, though I personally am looking forward to more growth from the girls. It’s nice to get a peek into their daily lives as students. However, I really like when the show develops their abilities as warriors. I’m also incredibly eager to see where the large plot with the Witch of Delays and the Grand Ocean will go. Now that we’re solidly 15 episodes in, I find myself really wanting to see the plot take a dynamic, dramatic leap into more world-building and larger character development. Heart Quartet Ring—the team attack—is still flashy and cool, but it’s getting a bit old. I’m ready for a new power-up for the girls!

That all said, Tropical-Rouge PreCure Episode 15 is really fun. Don’t miss out on some body-switching antics! They’re very good, very earnest, and best of all, really give Minori and Laura the spotlight as two of the best characters in the series. It’s definitely worth watching, even if it’s kind of an average episode in the end.

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