Huepow actually did care much more about protecting the world than Lolo did. He did enough to do something very, very risky. And even if he was manipulative (again, he believed he was contributing to the lesser of two evils: should he risk the destruction of the universe just to save the feelings of someone who, at the time, was a complete stranger?), it's pretty easy to see that he was able to develop strong feelings for Klonoa over the course of their adventure together, due to the way he tries to "cheat the system" and save Klonoa from being taken away from Phantomile.
Lolo, on the other hand, cared much more about her own personal growth than she did about saving the world. And to say that she did grow is kind of.... Ehh... She mentions it so much over the course of the game but at the same time she just acts as a tool for Klonoa. And even if Huepow was a "tool" as well, he never tried to deny it by constantly remarking how he wishes to grow as a person and then never truly act on it. Huepow was a passive character in his story and he knew it. As someone who's been in Lolo's position (ie, constantly bullied when they were young, which left a serious, serious dent in self worth) I understand it takes time to grow and develop, and I'm glad that in DCT she was able to step up to the plate and represent herself as a person and not just an extension of Klonoa. However, even Popka mentions in Mira Mira that she has a lot more growing to do as a person than she (and a lot of the fan base) was giving herself credit for.
I don't think she was as well written as she could have been, she neither replicates the mysterious aura Huepow was given during and after the Cress visions in DTP nor was she able to really be more than a character with only a couple of facets at best (again, I do feel like seeing her progress through the other games, NXC, and Noctis Sol was a great reward as a fan of the series, and the end of the game proved refreshing as she did recognize that she still had a LOT of growing to do, but this criticism is for what happens the majority of the game) which is a little disheartening seeing as Leorina, while her arc was a bit rushed (well, as was everyone's. This game is short. As a game that's perfectly fine as long as the gameplay mechanics are satisfying and don't overstay their welcome in a game, but as a story it's something all developers struggle with. This criticism honestly isn't too personal as it's something that could be applied in multiple titles.) she still manages to be more developed, and doesn't try (not in a literal sense but through her actions) to claim that she's accomplished something she's not. I see a lot of people out on the internet who tend to favor the villains of a story over the heroes, but as a writer, this shouldn't be the goal, especially when you're trying to fight FOR your friends, instead we are left with a character who is cute to look at (this isn't a bad thing????) but ultimately doesn't develop as well as she could have.
And yeah it was a bit off to reveal Huepow late in the game, but I don't think it takes away from intrigue about his character as he is literally NEVER explained early on in the game. He just appears and it raises a bit of question. Or maybe I'm just too paranoid of a person that I questioned it in the first place. I felt like DTP could have done with more foreshadowing if they were going to throw in so much "mystery and suspicion" towards the end.
Ultimately I don't hate Lolo at all, but I think that specifically in Lunatea's Veil, she wasn't written to her true potential as a character. It's honestly one of the reasons Lunatea's Veil didn't trigger much emotional reaction in me at all, especially not compared to the extremities that everyone else claimed to feel. She didn't contribute as much to the story as she really could have, and because of this I feel that Huepow did a better job at not only being Klonoa's companion but being his own character, where as Lolo just played off of Klonoa too much.
