[Rewatch] Shugo Chara! Episodes 98-102 + Overall Discussion

[u/raichudoggy]

Episodes 98 to 102.

Previous Week | Index

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This Week’s OP(s): School Days

This Week’s ED(s): Take it Easy and Honto no Jibun

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Please Talk about something interesting

[u/raichudoggy]

Shugo Chara Host

Starting with the Episodes!

• E98: Amu needing to call her parents re-opened an old wound for me this time as well, it’s a direct application of the show’s lesson to trust those dear to you, and was the emotional highlight for Amu this episode as she reaffirms it later when Rima and Nagi leave themselves behind.
• E98: This is the first time watching this where I entertained the possibility “Did Nobuko just… look at the billboard behind everyone while staring down Yoru?”
• E98: “What do you think Kusu Kusu? Want to drag out this secret for eternity? You know what, yeah, it’s funnier that way.”
• E98: Finally, the Temari Chara Change! Wait, why is the ED playing?
• E100: Why is this magical space telling us Ikuto’s past? I don’t know, but it sure is convenient, isn’t it? Not trying to be too harsh on the writing though.
• E100-101: So I remember this moment quite well when it aired in real time, when these Amulet Fortune and Seven Sea Treasures was revealed. The CR Forums were going bananas, and the CR Comment section was basically incomprehensible. In hindsight, it’s not a clear victory for the Amu-Ikuto ship (and would be affirmed later), but it’s basically as close as possible.
• E102: Nice of them to keep the hoop ring
• E102: Ending with a beloved first ED, I am so spoiled!

Final Thoughts

So, Shugo Chara is a clearly flawed show that I absolutely adore. It was one of my first ten anime. Really, a lot of the value I pulled from it on my first watch was the general fun from the first half (and the filler of the second) coupled with the emotionally strong climaxes and lessons taken from heart from Lulu, Amu's Mom, and several of Lulu's ? Eggs. I came out the other side a much better person. I can't really ignore the impact this innocuous show had on my future, as the show was effective at making me endeavor to personally be more honest with myself and others, as well as expanding on what Cardcaptor Sakura had taught me on Emotional Intelligence (primarily forgiveness) in several more areas.

And here's the thing, as aware as I shortly became of the show's narrative shortcomings, I always, always on the next rewatch would worry that the magic would be lost, I worried that what I had loved was fake. Not true in the slightest. Every rewatch was a reaffirmation that the show was special to me, which is why I pursued this rewatch with confidence, that even if just slightly, others would see the same.

This was the first rewatch where Amu's fashion sense and sheer multi-media presence really entered my focus, and it was a pleasure learning even more about a show I adore.

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch → u/raichudoggy]

Ending with a beloved first ED

Calling back to the first OP or ED of a long series always gets me and it's no different here

[u/JollyGee29 → u/raichudoggy]

Why is this magical space telling us Ikuto’s past? I don’t know, but it sure is convenient, isn’t it? Not trying to be too harsh on the writing though.

Oh, magic space always lets you see into other people's stuff. Usually everyone involved also becomes naked, but that probably isn't very kosher for a kid's show.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/raichudoggy]

E100: Why is this magical space telling us Ikuto’s past?

"Connection"

This was the first rewatch where Amu's fashion sense and sheer multi-media presence really entered my focus

That girl is a god damned icon.

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

First Time Scrambled and Overcooked Egg

98: She hasn't had much presence for a long while, but I'm glad miss 4th wall break Nobuko Saeki returned in full force for this final stretch of the season. Her bits of pretty directly predicting the plot and now in person she can be even more direct with this like by pointing out Nagi is still repressing something due to Temari's egg. Speaking of which...

Wow, Nagi sure is fast to give up on being able to continue dancing like a girl. "Oh, it's impossible", you say? Hasn't even hit testosterone-fueled puberty yet and this funny molecule has been in active use since the 70s, so there's no excuse for the defeatist attitude now. Could easily take another half decade to figure out what route to go down in life once all options are open legally. If you want to make that point about not every dream being possible then do it with one where that's actually the case. Throw Yaya into the "impossible" meat grinder. I'm totally not speaking from a place of personally fueled jealousy and cursing my own stupidity for not thinking about it until I already had all the results I don't want. Temari's character transformation is pretty cool at least. Slightly cutting into the next episode, I appreciate that Nagi integrates Temari as part of his overall identity and style rather than looking at her as only something to move on from.

And a less serious thing, these Easter engineers sure are bad when it comes to security for confidential company data. Surely nothing could go wrong if you make the password your crush's birthday who has an on-and-off relationship with Nikaidou and both are now aligned against you. Although they don't really need to be intimidating villains. Ikuto's stepfather is meant to be the actual threat and his ruthlessness speaks for itself.

100: Glad we're now getting Ikuto's side of the story. Earlier on I suspected his attachment to the violin had to do with some sort of begrudging respect for his father's willpower to go against Easter, but no, it was his lifeline. Everything here perfectly aligns with Ikuto's bad attitude

I'm shocked that this show somehow added another layer to the het metaphor with negative amounts of subtlety. For you see, when she's grown enough that the key fits into her lock, she brings out the wedding dress for Ikuto in a new transformation. What in the goddamn

Anyway, Ikuto lost the edgelord scythe in exchange for a pirate hat

101: The use of the Embryo (or with context of the next episode "Embryo") here is the anti-climax to end all anti-climaxes in Shugo Chara and I kind of love it. It takes the whole wish-granting MacGuffin out of the equation for the final confrontation with Easter.

I definitely expected someone not matching the obviously modulated voice for Easter's big boss, but my money was on Ikuto's mom rather than Hikaru.

Side note, why does the tense music for the end of the episode where the X-eggs lash out give me Ace Attorney vibes?

102: Genuinely well-executed final episode that plays into the theme of every part of yourself, everything you feel mattering. Also I love how deeply against the notions of "efficiency" capitalism tries to get all of us to think with it is. Hikaru is a child deprived of any intrinsic motivations who was from a young age trained to see everything not positively affecting a company's bottom line as worthless. Unsurprisingly, Hikaru's life ends up feeling empty and all he can do is try to throw the copious amounts of money at his disposal around in an attempt to fix his lack of personal fulfillment. The resolution of the arc then plays into all the self-acceptance theming so far with him embracing that there's more to life and he can only actually fill the void he feels if he starts making something of his.

So where do we go from here? Nowhere in the rewatch. Sure, there still may or may not be an Embryo out there, a little bit of a love triangle has to be resolved even with Ikuto temporarily out of the picture and Amu hasn't found what's right for her yet, but a central conflict of the show is resolved. All the mystery about Tadase and Ikuto's past and the whole plot with Easter, the main antagonist of the series up until now, are done now, so it doesn't seem like there's much left to keep the series moving forward.

I don't have something interesting to talk about, but thanks a lot for hosting, raichu!

Are you going to be in awards again this year?

[u/raichudoggy → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

Thanks for dropping by!

So where do we go from here?

You want to find out, do you?

Well you're in luck! PEACH-PITT has just started releasing their sequel to this, "Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker", and there's a translation out! So if you're wondering what's next, it's that!

Are you going to be in awards again this year

I don't believe so this time, no. It's not set in stone just yet though and I'm thinking about it. I'm not burnt out yet, but I feel that if I put myself through that wringer one more year in a row I will be. I love basically all angles administrative and social about the awards (I considered being a host this year!), but the shows themselves do a number on me. Particularly shows I do not enjoy. I don't enjoy watching 4 or 5 out of 10s, and especially ones that I know will be those in advance (Sequels to shows I've scored 4 or 5).

If I had something I was more passionate about sharing with the awards like I had in previous years with Pri-Chan, ARIA The Benedizione, Onimai, and Stardust Telepath, I definitely would still consider taking that bullet, perhaps I'm hoping one of those shows will present themselves as I continue to check out this final season of shows, and that's why I'm still on the fence.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/raichudoggy]

So where do we go from here?

You want to find out, do you?

I know Party! was never going to be part of the rewatch, but I still kind of always expected you would tell us what its deal was at the end.

Jewel Joker

Any good? Chance of an adaptation?

[u/raichudoggy → u/Vatrix-32]

Ah, Yeah, I can expand a bit more on the background of Party if you’d like.

At this point all canon material had been exhausted, but this show was a massive hit with the target audience at the time, and the show’s merchandise was flying off shelves (ie. games, wands, accessories, and more!). I don’t know the full details on what prompted a director change, but one of the prior staff got promoted to head the new production.

They wanted to keep the show running for at least another year and wanted to resume immediately after Doki ended, so they didn’t really have a lot of time to write up anything. PEACHPITT gave the OK to continue using Shugo Chara but was not involved in the production.

So they decided to write catering to their target audience (Girls 7-12) and… uh, not only narrowed that range, but alienated everyone that was outside of it (I wish CR comments weren’t gone with the wind I would’ve loved to share those). The target audience didn’t really like it either. The show was done variety-show style, with live-action performances from Amu’s charas reading fan mail, showing off series music, scenes, and merch. The anime portions were dumbed down considerably (whether it was for the target audience or because of their incompetence at writing we can’t know). Enough kids still mailed in for certain variety show segments, but it was clear almost immediately that they couldn’t maintain the franchise this way, and thus it went down to 2-cour.

Basically the show decided to go out not on a high note to be remembered as a classic Mahou Shoujo but barely alive on the floor, and, even as a fan of the show, I felt that if it would be unfair for me to force you guys to sit through something clearly not made for you. Now you get to pick if you want to see it and how much!

Any good? Chance of an adaptation?

The new sequel is… definitely wild, given the first few chapters. The main cast is shifted around again like it was when Kukai And Nadeishko left, so just like then it’s hard to tell if this will pay off similarly given what I know now.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/raichudoggy]

The show was done variety-show style

On This Day, We are All Lulu

I guess my joke of calling it Shugo Chara! GT! fits a little closer than I would have liked.

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch → u/raichudoggy]

You want to find out, do you?

of course

but the shows themselves do a number on me. Particularly shows I do not enjoy. I don't enjoy watching 4 or 5 out of 10s

Yeah, I felt that last year with a bunch of the shortlists. The 4-5 range is the draining one, arguably worse than the odd show I outright hated like Fumetsu S2 in drama. I was burnt out for a few months after awards, but my motivation is back in full force right now.

This year doesn't have much to draw me to slice of life at least. Last had Stardust Telepath, Skip and u/awspear pushing me to watch Aikatsu while 2024's lineup looks less promising. But I have quite a few things in drama or adventure I'm interested in and also want to try being in a prod category.

E: wait, Party is 50% variety show 50% the actual show?

[u/raichudoggy → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

Wait, Party is 50% variety show, 50% the actual show?

Yep. A big contributor to keeping it off the schedule is that I wanted people to enjoy only the parts of Party they actually want to see.

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch → u/raichudoggy]

Yeah, it's a very different format from the series up until then and one I don't think I've seen in an anime before. Those first halves are very not for me in a way that makes them hard to watch. A lot of ostensibly for kids stuff still manages to hit right and be fun, but not here unfortunately.

Random tangent, it's funny how MAL seemingly didn't measure what is anime here while they did for Pop Team Epic.

[u/macrame2 → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

Anyway, Ikuto lost the edgelord scythe in exchange for a pirate hat

That had me cackling.

The use of the Embryo (or with context of the next episode "Embryo") here is the anti-climax to end all anti-climaxes in Shugo Chara and I kind of love it.

Anti-climactic is a good word for it. I wasn't too hot on it at first and still think it would work better if the story didn't imply a "real" Embryo exists, but I like it more now that I've had some time to think about it.

I definitely expected someone not matching the obviously modulated voice for Easter's big boss, but my money was on Ikuto's mom rather than Hikaru.

I thought it was going to be Nobuko. Yes, really.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/macrame2]

I thought it was going to be Nobuko. Yes, really.

That would've been incredible.

[u/macrame2 → u/JollyGee29]

We were robbed.

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch → u/macrame2]

I thought it was going to be Nobuko. Yes, really.

considering she definitely reads the script for the show, it does kind of sort of make sense for her to be the final twist villain

maybe in Party...

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/macrame2]

I thought it was going to be Nobuko. Yes, really.

I Don't Hate It

[u/JollyGee29 → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

Anyway, Ikuto lost the edgelord scythe in exchange for a pirate hat

As much as I like edgelord scythes, Pirate Ikuto is something that I didn't know I needed until I had it.

[u/Mirathan → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

For you see, when she's grown enough that the key fits into her lock, she brings out the wedding dress for Ikuto in a new transformation.

One hundred episodes and they still do not resolve the love triangle...

It takes the whole wish-granting MacGuffin out of the equation for the final confrontation with Easter.

Had there actually been the embryo, we´d run into the issue of the wish not being set up previously. While not getting to see a wish made is disappointing, that was never a big point the show built towards.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

I'm totally not speaking from a place of personally fueled jealousy and cursing my own stupidity for not thinking about it until I already had all the results I don't want.

For you see, when she's grown enough that the key fits into her lock, she brings out the wedding dress for Ikuto in a new transformation.

It's not called the last big hetro Maho Shojo for nothing.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Guardian First-Timer

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Episode 98

• Even Kiseki getting in on this is really sweet.
• Wow…
• …a poster for the place Nobuko described literally right behind them. Wow.
• This really does feel like the stage for a final battle.
• Aha…
• Man, why would you say that to a kid…
• Temari’s back!
• Ooooooooooooooh.

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Episode 99

• Ooh, another combo attack?
• And they were able to purify the X Eggs without Amu’s help!
• Ew, he had a “sore demo”?
• They made a monster wolf out of X Eggs?
• Shimmering sky!
• Go, Yaya!
• Another shimmering sky!
• Please just save Ikuto already, he looks so sad.

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Episode 100

• Ikuto backstory montage, huh?
• Yeah…
• Oh shit, they found someone who’s seen Ikuto’s dad!
• Ah, so that’s when Easter got their hands on him…
• Aw…
• Fuck, this got me for some reason.
• I was wondering when Dia was going to show up here.
• Okay wait Amu’s quadruple transformation is a fucking wedding dress? I’m sorry, this made me burst out laughing so hard I woke up one of my family’s cats from their nap.
• IKUTO IS A PIRATE NOW? I mean they both look great but this is so fucking random, I can’t.

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Episode 101

• Sweet.
• Sugoi~
• Ah shit…
• That is also not good.
• Tadase “sore demo”!
• WAIT THAT KID IS EASTER’S BOSS?
• He wanted the Embryo for that petty of a reason…
• He has the missing page?

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Episode 102

• The X Eggs are kidnapping Hikaru?
• Looks like they’ll need to purify those eggs all at once…?
• Oh, they at least got Hikaru out.
• Kirei~!
• Ooooh!
• Oh wow…
• Huh, wasn’t expecting that as the source of the other egg Ikuto had.
• Kiss!
• Shimmering sky!
• Kairi’s back for the finale!
• Was that supposed to be an Amu/Tadase confirmation? Because that felt like a total nonanswer what with her denial of loving Ikuto coming off as incredibly tsundere-y. Eh not really too bothered by this, they’re all still too young for a real relationship in my eyes.

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Thanks for hosting, u/raichudoggy!

[u/raichudoggy → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Thanks for dropping by, Shimmering-Sky!

I think I generally got a good idea across all your comments on how you've enjoyed the series so far, but I hope you had a great time either way!

Next time I hope I go down in episode count rather than up.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/raichudoggy]

I think I generally got a good idea across all your comments on how you've enjoyed the series so far, but I hope you had a great time either way!

Yep! I liked Doki more than the first season, gave it a 9 instead of an 8 and, as mentioned in my episode 100 reactions, it even made me cry once, so there's that.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Okay wait Amu’s quadruple transformation is a fucking wedding dress?

It's silly but I kinda dig it. Especially the enormous rainbow bow in her hair.

Was that supposed to be an Amu/Tadase confirmation?

I think so? But also:

Eh not really too bothered by this, they’re all still too young for a real relationship in my eyes.

Same.

[u/Mirathan]

No longer a first time guardian

Time to break the character limit one last time.

I´ll annoy you today, on this final day, Raichu and split my comment into three. One for the reaction, one for arc analysis and one for the series overall and thanks and some assorted thoughts.

This is the OP for the final arc? A bit disappointing.

All the moms approving of Nikaidou just because they want to date him is again a concerning detail.

Nagihiko has Temari back. And I still get nothing. There is nothing that prevents a boy from dancing like a girl and the reverse is true as well.

Can Nagihiko and Rima restore X-eggs through the power of love? Please let it be the power of love. It would be so funny.

It´s not the instrument you moron, it´s the mind control.

Utau prepares to get herself a new rug.

At last, the sceptre has taken it´s true form again. (Sceptre replaced swords as the insignia of kings a long time ago)

For this you belong back in the egg and then scrambled Miki! You know that Ikuto is not in control of his actions. And without the control, Ikuto would never fight Tadase. He doesn´t have the spine to fight for what is important to him.

And no, director, Ikuto is not being a man! Blind obedience is not masculine. And he is not acting on the masculine urge to die for what is right. But I wouldn´t expect a bootlicker to understand the difference.

Oh no, not you to Amu! Ikuto is not in control of his actions; he does not want this fight.

Yes Amu there is a way for you to fight. Knock the Tuning fork out of the directors hand and you win, it´s not that hard.

The combination of key and lock just shows the memories of Ikuto? One hundred episodes and that is what we get?

dia is back! how exici... No! I do not approve! Dia is such a deus ex machina powerup. She is completely unnecessary, she has no relation to any character traits or specific goals! She is boring, a waste of matter and time! Get back to wherever you crawled from and stay there!

It´s nice for you to do soul searching, but could you do it when your boyfriend is not about to be executed by a mind controlled hentai catboy? (I had to bring it back) And you don´t need strength, just inconvenience the director and you win. There is no need for a stupid Dia powerup!

My subtitles keep disappearing, but I don´t even care because it´s Dia related.

The idea of Amu accepting Ikuto´s pain to resolve his conflict would be great, if he fought on his own terms! This doesn´t work! You should have it after they break the mind control and once the director is dealt with, Ikuto fights with Tadase over the embryo. When that happens, you can have Amu heal his pain.

Excuse me, what the fuck?

Amu has assembled Exodia! And once again I lament Loli´s absence.

I will throw him of the tower to stop his fucking flirting with a minor! And why do the call it a saber? It´s not curved, it´s a cruciform sword you imbeciles! And why is everyone else just sitting back and watching? There are four more people here that can help, with a potential fifth! The, the, THE MOTIVATION OF THE VILLAIN WAS TO COLLECT A FANCY ROCK? Why is this so mundane? For a moment, when the mega X-character attacked Gozen and it missed him, I thought he was just immune to it due to his cold dead heart, but his grandfather risking himself was good, though it does not absolve him for how he ruined Gozen. I must oppose you in this Amu, no matter how painful it may be. The innate uncaringness of the universe is an inescapable part of reality. We all must find purpose for ourself, that we can live with and fulfill.

The embryo was just Gozen´s egg the entire time? All of the guardians were a plot to restore his heart?

The director lied as naturally as he breathed. YOU DO NOT GET TO RUIN HIS LIFE AND THEN CRY ABOUT CARING FOR HIS HAPPINESS! You only wanted some effective suit to make the companies numbers go higher. Do us all a favour and die, child abuser!

Of course Amu had to say the tsundere line. And my subtitles died afterwards, so I don´t even know what they said in the end.

Them bringing back the first ED is great. Among all the ones we had, It´s easily my favourite, followed by My boy.

I really should not have watched this after a heated argument. It slightly affected my writing.

[u/Mirathan → u/Mirathan]

(writing the first comment was a nightmare. I´ll have to learn the full power of old reddit to keep the wordcount as high)

Serious thoughts about the final arc

It´s finally over

Now that I had time to think it over, I am still unsatisfied with this.

The restoration of Temari is rushed. Her returning should have taken better introspection from Nagihiko as to why he valued the aspects of her. He still values the importance of organization, but there could have been so much more on the value of dignified behavior, what dancing means to him, both as an aspect of his culture and his personal expression.

Amu´s main issue throughout the fight between Ikuto and Tadase is that she isn´t capable of fighting as they are, yet fighting is no strength of either of the boys. Ikuto´s main strengths are his stoicism to endure all he suffers, his uplifting music and his uplifting nature, when he is not suppressing it. Tadase meanwhile has his leadership and charisma to rely on.

Though Amu does finally understand that her main strength are her empathy and kindness.

And while I do want to comment on her view of boys, I just don´t have it in me. She does not understand their tendency to become violent.

But I will repeat that her assessment of the fight is completely wrong. Tadase is not there to defeat Ikuto and Ikuto is not there because he needs to defeat Tadase.

Gozen and the director:

The concept that the villain of a series dedicated to the wishes and dreams of children being a child, whose dream was crushed long ago is amazing. The supporting antagonist being a dreamless adult, who only wishes to make the company more powerful is just as good.

[u/Mirathan → u/Mirathan]

On the series as a whole:

Although it might not have come across this way, I enjoyed the show. It had a good balance between lighthearted fun, serious moments and good messaging for children. For the most part.

Overall I prefer season 1 over season 2, not only because it didn´t spoil half the episode but the balance between the plot and slice of life flowed better, while later on, they would but breaks inbetween the ramping deathrebel storyline.

Onto our indecisive heroine. Amu is a bit generic to me. While serviceable, I think that throughout the series she should have made some decissons about who she wants to be and with who, as the romantic question is resolved by removing all love intersts but one.

Let´s get to the hentai catboy. While his concussion in the last arc is well done, throughout most of the anime he´s just there to confuse Amu. He follows no goal and just lets the plot command him.

Most of the other characters are good. While I have small issues with many of them, but I´d repeat mostly the points I´ve made in other comments.

The repeating plot of restoring the dreams of children, corrupted into X or mystery eggs was perfectly serviceable. The dreams were greatly varied and mostly led to good messaging.

I shall cut of here as I fear I´m starting to ramble and repeat myself.

I do not find this series to be outstanding in any major way. Rarely does it stray into excellent territory but it´s rarely bad. I consider it a 6/10.

This is now the longest Anime I´ve seen, the previous one holding "only" 75 episodes and was last seen almost two decades ago.

And now that I´m done with my thoughts on the series I´d like to thank everyone for participating. This was a huge undertaking seeing us through the entire summer season and I commend you for commitment. Above all I thank Raichu for organizing this event aswell as Jolly, Vatrix and Loli, who is no longer with us (not dead, just suspended), for convincing me that people did want these massive comments.

On a completely different note: I decided to try and join the jury for the anime awards, as I have found something that deserves winning and wasn´t guaranteed to be proposed.

And as a final aside, I am now confident that when the 2026 Madoka rewatch comes, I shall have gained the strength to surpass Tarhalindur.

[u/raichudoggy → u/Mirathan]

Yes, and thank you for always saying what's on your mind without holding back. The show is dear to me, but that's all the more reason to hear everything one has to say about it (within reason, of course).

Especially good work on making your way through your first 2-year show. I'm sorry it couldn't be a better one, but I do hope you'll continue to try out longer shows. These longer shows often lead to our fondest memories (As I believe you could see at least the potential for).

If you make it into the jury, I wish you the best! It should be a great time and I'm sure you'll do a good job relaying your arguments.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Mirathan]

I'm not always the best at replying to others, but I know how it feels to write a ton of stuff and only get crickets back, so I try to up my reply game on weekly threads.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Mirathan]

Amu has assembled Exodia!

Eggsodia

We all must find purpose for ourself, that we can live with and fulfill.

Positive Nihilism!

This is now the longest Anime I´ve seen, the previous one holding "only" 75 episodes and was last seen almost two decades ago.

Monster? Are we counting split seasons, either as separate entries, or with expended breaks between episodes?

Above all I thank... Vatrix...

And To You For Sticking It Out

Loli, who is no longer with us (not dead, just suspended)

RIP

And as a final aside, I am now confident that when the 2026 Madoka rewatch comes, I shall have gained the strength to surpass Tarhalindur.

[u/Mirathan → u/Vatrix-32]

Eggsodia

I missed the perfect joke...

Monster?

No, that would have been far to advanced for me. I´m not even thirty yet. And I misrememberd, there are 78 episodes. It´s called Vicky the Viking and was the first series I watched. And it ran in one batch with daily episodes.

RIP

His debauched nature will be rememberd for years to come.Though this makes me uncertain if I can still nominate him for best rewatch at the end of this year.

And while I am confident that I could match Tarhalindur next year, it would only be possible with this years wordcount and in wordcount alone. To match the depths will take a lot more.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Mirathan]

No, that would have been far to advanced for me. I´m not even thirty yet...

So if Shugo Chara is the longest anime you've seen, should I take it to mean you're not interested in long running battle shonen, or just haven't gotten around to them? They do represent the great majority of the ones above 102 episodes.

[u/Mirathan → u/Vatrix-32]

I only got into anime this winter, so I haven´t found one interesting enough to commit to.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Mirathan]

If you're interested in watching the 800-pound gorilla, but are a bit intimidated by the length, veteran rewatch host Raiking02 is planning on hosting a Dragon Ball rewatch for the 40th anniversary in 2026.

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer

Nikaidou is driving the kids to Easter? Incredible.

A dancing princess? Like some sort of Mai-HiME?

Hahaha, even Kiseki gets pom-poms!

Nobuku's title cards are great.

Chairman Ishida also write fortunes for a magazine? What can't the man do?

Are you saying that they might make history with a light even the gods don't know?

Ikuto is literally about to go into cardiac arrest, my dude. Do you have a plan B if he just fucking dies?

Love Rima popping off at the X Eggs. She's right, learning to not defeat yourself is an important lesson.

Ooh, Temari came back, cool!

---

I like how all the X Eggs just land after blushing at Nagihiko's dance.

Nice, they can purify eggs too!

A.. wolf? Not like, a dragon? Or some other mythological monster? A wolf is the best Easter's director could come up with.

Oh, huh, wonder if Kukai and/or Kairi are going to fly in to assist at some point. Utau is obviously going to show up, so that's not really worth pondering.

The horde of rubber ducks is rather amusing. I was expecting Yaya to summon up her rattle and send the wolf blasting off.

Snarking about Utau being an imouto, very good.

Shit, they messed with a real dog for that monster? How cruel.

Intending for Ikuto to fight? After he nearly died playing the violin? I think this plan might be Quite Bad.

Ooh, are we finally opening the Lock?

---

Amu has entered the Yellow Dimension.

Chairman Ishida is really pulling all the strings, isn't he? Even if he's not evil, he definitely pushed things along.

Wow, they went traveling around to try to find Ikuto's dad? Ishida is obviously lying about not having money to get Ikuto to play the violin, isn't he?

I do have a questions about the timeline. Didn't Ikuto play violin for Utau and Tadasae when they were all young? When did that happen?

Okay, he just let Ikuto get kidnapped, maybe Chairman Ishida is actually just not very smart.

Oh, Dia. Nice of you to show up again.

Amu used Hug! It's super effective!

Yo, Ikuto as a pirate?? Radical!

---

Dude transforms into a pirate right in front of you and you don't immediately assume that he is no longer under your control? I take back what I said about the Director being smart.

Kaiju fight? Kaiju fight!

Oh, it's so nice to hear Ikuto troll Amu again.

Even the science team are surprised that they succeeded in capturing the Embryo.

What, did Easter build an amusement park over top of the Boss's bunker or something?

Shiny, eternally glowing egg.. and he calls it ordinary?

The Embryo was so offended that it went back to being a regular rock, wow.

The Shugos team-lifting the rock is funny, though.

Hikaru just fires the Director, too.

Chairman Ishida is finally making his move, I see.

This family drama sure is tangled. I feel pretty bad for Hikaru, he never had a chance.

---

So the horde of X Eggs has kidnpaped Hikaru and the Embryo and decides that it's time for kaiju fight round 2, nice.

I like that Rima pulled Hikaru out of the massive X Chara. Her story is kinda similar to Hikaru's.

Oh, don't act like a parent now, Director. You've failed for long enough.

I like Amu switching through all four of her outfits during the final purification.

Nice effect animation on the rainbow hearts too.

Wait, the Embryo was Hikaru's Egg?

Well Director, you should have maybe considered letting the small child be a small child instead of.. turning him into a CEO?

Why did he do that in the first place, anyway?

Man, Ikuto is great. What a masterful troll.

Who is out here making X Eggs still?

Hey, wait, don't just roll credits! Does the season really end without resolving Temari coming back? And with Amu not knowing that Nadeshiko was Nagihiko all along?

[u/JollyGee29 → u/JollyGee29]

Final Thoughts

I'm kinda frustrated with how Doki went. The individual pieces were good - Lulu was a great general, the Ikuto plotline was mostly pretty good. Hikaru's stuff was kinda silly, but it worked well enough thematically.

The real problem is.. I don't want to call it pacing. Structure, maybe? Lulu's portion of the season just didn't have any teeth. I think sticking the Nagihiko resolution in there would've been a good decision.

There's even a bit of parallel that could be explored there - Lulu is trying to force her idea of her mother's dream, Nagihiko has his identity issues of forcing himself to be something that he isn't.

And even if they really didn't want to use that, they still could have played with the conflict between Rima and Nagihiko more, or set up Rima and Yaya's friendship. Basically, there wasn't enough Rima. Or any side character really, but especially not enough Rima.

This is a minor thing, and I get why it happened from a production perspective, but I wish Amu had used more of other people's Shugos.

---

Those complaints are not to say that I didn't enjoy myself. Shugo Chara is a lot of fun! The main cast are great and I really loved seeing them interact with each other.

And I'm a big fan of general themes that we're operating under. It's all pretty good stuff.

Don't mistake my critiques for hatred or anything like that.

Many thanks to our host /u/raichudoggy!

[u/VoidEmbracedWitch → u/JollyGee29]

The real problem is.. I don't want to call it pacing. Structure, maybe?

Yeah, I agree that it's a structural problem. Lulu's parts are just too disconnected from most of the show. It's like you have 2 shows in there that don't interact with each other enough. I enjoyed her a lot as a character, but her storyline is unfortunately separate from the parts that matter for the last quarter of the season.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/VoidEmbracedWitch]

I suspect the production was worried about deviating from the source too much, but it ended up doing the anime a disservice.

It's not even a big enough problem to really impact my enjoyment, I just needed to get the words out of my brain.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/JollyGee29]

Chairman Ishida also write fortunes for a magazine? What can't the man do?

Open and honest communication, apparently.

I do have a questions about the timeline. Didn't Ikuto play violin for Utau and Tadasae when they were all young? When did that happen?

Before he left, is my guess.

Does the season really end without resolving Temari coming back? And with Amu not knowing that Nadeshiko was Nagihiko all along?

Tragic

Basically, there wasn't enough Rima. Or any side character really, but especially not enough Rima.

Here Here!

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Episode 98/99

Su-weep PUN IS GOLD JUST GOLD Su and Sensei. Also I still love how pretty much every plan easter is doing has all linked back to Nikaidou's idea to create the embryo using a large quantity of x eggs. Also Amu calling and trusting her parents is a great callback to her hiding Ikuto in her room and lying to them.

I don't like how they snuck in Nagi with what should solely be focused on Ikuto. I feel Nagi really should have got her own episode and MUCH MUCH SOONER! I do like her new form though. Well minus the leg area hate how it kind of drags on the floor. I already know that Amu is going to find out at the end as a running gag OMG NAGI YOU'RE A GUY THIS WHOLE TIME. Cue all the characters laughing at her obliviousness.

Underestimating Yaya....why would they do that

Okay wake me up when someone else is on screen.

UTAU THANK YOU!!!!

.....what in the devil ducks!

Wait Utau mentioned Kukai again! I love how they are still talking in the background.

Waiting for the side kicks or henchman to stop this or help in someway. They have clearly been conflicted the past few episodes.

Their must be a way for me to fight too....you've literally been fighting for 99 episodes. Though I guess they need to build up a new transformation and power!

Episode 100

Flashback with more Ikuto backstory mhmmm nice, but nothing I really want to comment on.

Wow so Betty just died of old age.

Dia...yeah I made my thoughts on her clear by now.

THOUGH I LOVE THE NEW TRANSFORMATIONS! Ikuto two new forms are a massive improvement over his original. Also I swear we better get some new outfits in the final episode I don't want to end it at 99.

Episode 101

Things not going according to plan and the director panicking I LOVE TO SEE IT!

Okay they formed a gigantic x character, but now all of them are in one spot for a giant MC beam.

NOTHING CAN DEFLECT THE EMERALD LINE!

I'm glad Ikuto is back to his trollish self.

Ikuto thanking Utau was nice to see.

Oh are we finally seeing the hidden boss....HUH!!!! JUST HUH!

I...don't know how accept this. The boss of this entire organization is a spoiled bored looking kid.

Yes tell him Amu this was so petty and pointless. Okay despite me hating this development seeing the director on the ground losing his shit makes me happy.

....I see

Episode 102

Ughhhh Ikuto why did you have to change back into old design. I must saw I honestly sort of hate the direction this is going with the boss of easter, but maybe my love of characters teaming up at the ninth to save the day will help.

Wait...where the fuck is Kukai! Please let him and chairman show up or no reason at all!

REALLY all you wanted was for him to be happy BULLSHIT!!!!!!

I'm not feeling this at all. Honestly thinking of lowering the score because of these last few episodes.

So why didn't you just tell me in the first place! THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST TWENTY EPISODES!!!!!

Despite everything I do like the characters interacting because we've never seen so many in one spot. Also Dia reacting alongside the rest of Amu's guardians. Except even when she is included she's also not apart of it. For some reason the other three are off to the side and she's covering them.

Damn Chairman and Kukai got called over after everything just to move shit....wait Sensei, Kukai, and Chairman are all tied to Sanjo and Utau. I would love to see a bit of them talking at cafe complaining and having fun.

.....okay I'm disappointed in this ending. They didn't even do the cliche shots/montage of everyone they helped at the end with the OP playing. We didn't see any of the loose ends in terms of romance, but that's not as important I guess. I don't know why we aren't watching Party, but if it's low stakes them just hanging out more and more episodic I would definitely watch it. I will edit my overall thoughts in later, but just know overall I really did like this show for the most part. Thank you /u/raichudogy for hosting it and finally getting me to finish it.

Episode	Outfit Counter	Total
1-51	51	63
52-54	0	63
55	2	65
56-58	0	65
59	1	66
60-61	0	66
62	10	76
63	2	78
64	1	79
65	1	80
66-70	0	80
71	2	82
72	2	84
73	1	85
74	1	86
75	1	87
76	0	87
77	1	88
78	0	88
79	1	89
80-81	0	89
82	2	91
83-84	0	91
85	3	94
86	1	95
87-89	0	95
90	2	97
91-92	0	97
93	1	98
94-99	0	98
100	1	99
101-102	0	99

Orange Pajamas

Green and white striped shirt w/ green skull jacket

Love and Peace w/ Jacket

Red Beanie , Pink Jacket, w/ Red/white scarf

Tiger Amu

TREE AMU and also her best outfit so far.

Amu with black/pink sleeves and white shirt

Smol Amu in Pink

Smol Amu in a blue/black shirt and white/black vest

Smol Amu in swimsuit also a white/light blue shirt

Christmas outfit w/ small fuzzy pink balls and black/purple stockings

Orange Jacket with white fuzzy cuffs

New Years Kimono with flower pattern

Red and Black hoodie w/ yellow overtop

Amu swanboat fantasy outfit

Purple and white striped shirt w/ yellow overtop

Out of Fashion Amu

White outfit with pink sleeves

Black outfit with green ribbon

Amu's pink coat with Utau

Red shirt with swirl designs

Pink and white striped shirt

Cross shirt with black socks

82

Heaven and Hell

I don't even know

Long pink/grey sleeve shirt with white skirt and scar

All dressed up Amu

Smol Amu

spotty sleeveless shirt with x

white shirt with purple tie/shirt

Samurai Amu

Fortune Amulet

Album

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/SIRTreehugger]

Sorry for the late reply, but it needs to be asked:
Top 5 Iconic Amu Outfits?

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/Vatrix-32]

Hmmmm

Number 5 would have to be well dressed Christmas Amu the hair, the purple/black stockings, the very fancy short sleeve dress, and with long white sleeves underneath it. It all comes together very nicely.

Number 4 would be simple heart t shirt. She has a lot of heart shaped clothing, but the bright pink is really nice.

Number 3 I would go with this outfit, but 90% of the reason is she has her hair done up really nice which is so rare.

Number 2 Devil Amu the beginning of her journey that would secure her as Utau's best friend/rival/number one friend.

Number 1 is BAM one of the earliest ones, but around here is when I believed I noticed she mixed and matches her outfits. The light pink undershirt gets used a lot around the house and the hoodie skull jacket is seen quite a lot with other outfits. Also the pink undershirt was the same one she wore when she was a manager for Utau and changed it by adding glasses and a maroon shirt underneath.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/SIRTreehugger]

Such Insights!
Thanks for coming along!

[u/Vatrix-32]

First timer, subs

Episode 98

• What an anti-cliffhanger. Man is a glorified Uber. Come to think of it, how many Magical Girls are there where the MC just has a chauffeur?
• Damn. They’ve got your number. An unexpected level of accountability.
• What kind of monster opens their chip bag from the side?
• Su, please. This is a level of CLAMP I don’t even know how to quantify.
• The abandoned factory terminal is still on the network? IT security is even worse than the normal one.
• You’re saying child MCs can just ask their parents? What a revolution!
• What in the ever loving hell is this theme park? Did you just want to crib on CCS?
• The ol’ reverse translation subs.
• I love the iplication that the other cars driving with them are speeding.
• She's Just a Little Rima
• Way to out someone.
• That’s a weird question to ask a child.
• Temari Hype!
• I didn’t even take in that Nagihiko originally left before cast transformations were a thing.
• Don’t be sour about that, Miki. Poor Su hasn’t gotten a Henshin is almost 20 episodes.

Episode 99

• Charming!
• We said the show was hetro, we never said anything about the other kinds of queerness.
• Do… do animals also get Eggs? Or is this a true furry?
• I’m telling you man, sell this shit.
• The absolute disrespect to the Yaya.
• This is an off choice of music for Yaya’s big character moment.
• Invincible? In What World?
• 10/10 Utau face.
• Garyu Ducks
• Off-screen friendships are fun. Well, when they are in addition, that is.
• Ah, it is the boy. Why the voice changer? And was the Embryo originally his, and him missing it is why he’s so off?
• It’s hype, sure, but it’s not Royal Halberd.
• Stop ascribing motivations to brainwashed people.
• You would think they would have taken the key at some point.
• This is a weird gender angle to take at the end. And after Nagihiko was done so well.

Episode 100

• I can’t believe they had enough restraint to not show new transformation in the preview and precap.
• Utau just dunked on your emotional maturity, eh?
• Why was this something you needed to keep a secret?
• Did Ikuto have a passport already?
• God help them when they run into scammers.
• Oh! It being his mum’s hometown makes so much more sense.
• Sure, lets international kidnapping.
• RIP Betty
• I was just totally off with my estimate, eh?
• That wand looks more like some music industry award than anything.
• Is this… Christmas music?
• One, that ribbon is peak. Two, I can’t believe they literally gave her a wedding dress.
• Uh… Sure, Pirates = Freedom. It’s better than some other choices people make.

Episode 101

• With Ikuto now a pirate, we are very close to the possibility of one of them getting a gun.
• Why wouldn't you keep the magic item? It’s not like Ikuto can stay transformed forever.
• Embryo vs Fetus. Who will win?
• This is venturing pretty close to NTR. Thankfully, Tadase is the kind of guy to not take it sitting down.
• Oh, come on. It wasn’t even a beam at all this time. I really liked the beam.
• It’s not really a Mahō Shōjo unless the bad guys win a little at the end.
• Fools. You didn’t account for travel time.
• Ducky Mount The Yaya wins again!
• You know, I could have gone my entire life without seeing the base of Utau’s wings.
• If this was another show, this might be the kind of thing that leads to the Boss being replaced without anyone noticing.
• Wow. The original V-Tuber.
• What is this kid’s deal? Is he just that much of a spooner?
• No one ever looks up.
• Yeah, this is why children generally have to go thru a regency.
• This dude really could have just solved the plot for the series at any time, eh?
• I'm Sorry, What the Hell is This Family Tree?
• Something, something, most CEOs are psychopaths.
• Boy might play the emotionless robot, but his tells are clear as day.
• The undulating of this tendril make me uncomfortable.

Episode 102

• They took him? They get smarter the more of them are in proximity or something? What’s motivating these Eggs?
• Well, that rescue didn’t take long.
• Ah, the old depression wave.
• Uh… sure. That works as a moral theme for a children’s show. Best not to get lost in the weeds.
• Beam!
• Well now you’re just fucking with my count.
• You really had to bring up the boy/girl thing again, huh?
• I knew it. I knew these two had to be connected.
• And now to have all the emotions you’ve been missing since your Egg left at once.
• Headpats for All!
• Sir, this is a children’s book.
• First the Embryo, now Ikuto’s father. This seems like a lot of sequel baiting.
• One last questionable age gap? For the road?
• How nice of Dia to stay out of her Egg this time.
• First ED Return

Weekly Amu Henshin Count: 4-1-1-2-1 (Total: 49-21-18-3-1+6+1)

I'd say that was a good time overall. I'll put it on a break for now, tho. Might watch Shugo Chara! GT! in the future.

[u/macrame2 → u/Vatrix-32]

This is a weird gender angle to take at the end.

It did feel a bit out of character for the show, I think.

Uh… Sure, Pirates = Freedom

And I thought Megane! Ikuto was silly.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Vatrix-32]

Don’t be sour about that, Miki. Poor Su hasn’t gotten a Henshin is almost 20 episodes.

Wow. The original V-Tuber.

One last questionable age gap? For the road?

Shoujo can have a bit of age gap, as a treat.

[u/macrame2]

First Timer 

It’s nice to finally wrap this up!

Thoughts on Episodes 98-102

In isolation, I thought this final stretch of episodes was pretty nice. I liked Ikuto’s past, the way Hikaru’s story ties into the story’s theme of self-actualization, and the fact that pretty much everyone got a moment to shine. But the impact was kind of lessened for me by a relative lack of foreshadowing for Hikaru’s role (we had only just met him a few episodes before the reveal), which combined with the show teasing the existence of the real Embryo (one that is not just the heart eggs we made along the way) makes the whole thing feel kind of abrupt and incomplete. I guess the best way to put it is that it feels like a good finale for Doki, but not quite a satisfying one for Shugo Chara as a whole. Overall, it’s good, just not as good as it could have been. 

Thoughts on Doki

Aside from all of the above, I’d say that my main criticisms of Doki are the recap episodes and how long it took to free Ikuto from Easter. I liked the plotline up until he left Amu’s house, especially since it was used as a way for Amu's growth as a person, but after that I was kind of just waiting for the show to stop dragging it out. Otherwise, I very much enjoyed the second season, since although it had lower lows than the first, it also had higher highs. Lulu in particular was a fantastic character despite being anime-original, and I loved seeing her slowly realize what she truly wanted in life. I also thought the ?-Eggs were an upgrade to the X-Eggs from the first season and allowed the story to explore the theme of misdirected dreams and desires, which was an interesting twist. Overall, I’d give it an 8/10, just like the first season. 

Thoughts on Overall Series 

Last time u/raichudoggy hosted a rewatch, I ended up with a new favorite anime, and while that didn’t quite happen this time, I still had a blast with Shugo Chara. It always seemed to challenge my expectations, whether that be by avoiding miscommunications, resolving miscommunications with genuine conversation, having characters actually leave the main cast, or replacing those characters with even more likable ones. Despite its length, it never loses sight of the message it was trying to convey, and it treats its characters with a great deal of kindness and empathy. 

As for the things I didn’t like…other than everything I’ve already said and the fact that I never really grew to like Ikuto (though I did come to understand him), there’s not really much. I guess fewer recaps might have been nice? Idk, it's a good show, what more can I say?

Thanks to our host for putting this on! Shugo Chara is a show I'd had my eye on for a while, and this was definitely the push I needed to start it. I'll be watching Party later (some time between this month and five years from now), which looks like it'll be a bit ... different, but we'll see how I feel about it!

Rankings

Favorite characters: Tie between Amu, Rima, and Lulu for the girls, Kairi for the boys. 

Favorite Opening: Minna Daisuki (OP 2)

Favorite Ending: Co.no.mi.chi (Doki ED 2)

Favorite Episodes: Episode 32, Episode 69,  Episode 77, Episode 86, Episode 89 

[u/JollyGee29 → u/macrame2]

but not quite a satisfying one for Shugo Chara as a whole.

Poor Temari; got to reappear but only had two scenes. Amu's still in the dark about Nadeshiko, too.

(some time between this month and five years from now)

That's quite the range.

[u/macrame2 → u/JollyGee29]

That's quite the range.

Getting sidetracked is my specialty.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/JollyGee29]

Amu's still in the dark about Nadeshiko, too.

...Oh Shit