This episode left me feeling dissatisfied. It wasn't a bad episode exactly but...it was too predictable, I guess? "Rushed" wasn't a bad choice of word either, although I think the bigger problem was there wasn't a lot of material to work with.
Except for Blossom, their issues have already been dealt with. Sure, it's possible that even after making peace with those issues they might still affect a person, but from a storytelling perspective they wrapped up those plots. It would have been more interesting if their shadow selves had personified a negative trait they haven't had a huge problem with until now - like Erika's comments that she got scolded for at the beginning of the episode. Rather than the same old issues, show that swinging too far in the other direction can be just as dangerous.
And also except for Blossom, the other problems were a lot easier to attack. If your goal is to change, when have you changed enough? It's not something that's easily quantifiable. Not wearing glasses anymore is a change. Participating in a fashion show in clothes you made is a change. It'll be interesting to see how she eventually overcomes the ordeal next episode because there's a part of me that identifies with Tsubomi's struggles to be assertive when she's outside her comfort zone.
(As an aside, I've been waiting all season if Tsubomi would be targeted by the villains, since she's the only one whose heart flower we haven't seen wilted, but I'm guessing that won't happen. Unless they incorporate it into the final arc, maybe by Dune attacking her directly, I think we're too close to the end to focus on something that only affects Tsubomi's emotional state. Plus, this test seems to be addressing the same issues.)
The title was a little misleading. The shadow selves actually looked more like their civilian selves than another Precure. Even more, Sunshine's looked more like Itsuki's brother (what with the long hair) than Itsuki. But design wise, I think I liked them because of that decision. It reinforced the message that this was a battle of heart/soul rather than superpowers.
So where's Cure Flower's statue?
I think we saw the leg of Cure Flower's statue in that first episode featuring the statue courtyard. Maybe not. They were pretty vague about it.
Sorry about the size of it I am not used to posting yet.
