Heartcatch Precure is probably the most beloved of the Precure shows, and it didn't take me long to figure out why. Where Fresh took the building blocks of before and mined them for all they're worth, Heartcatch took the Precure mythos and did something entirely new with it. And for the most part, that creativity did wonders for it.
Okay, you know the drill. Tsubomi, a shy introverted florist, and Erika, a brash extroverted fashionista, are both called to become Cures and fight the evil Desert Apostles, who want to turn the world into a desert by stealing the heart flowers of sad people. At face value, it's a pretty standard but solid Precure show plot, but there are quite a few wrinkles that make it interesting. For starters, Erika and especially Tsubomi start off the show not entirely prepared to be a Cure. Where other shows have the Cures immediately figure out how to fight upon their transformation, Tsubomi and Erika initially feel like underdogs compared to the villains, and there's a palpable sense of growth in their fighting skills as the series goes on. Another thing this show does different is that there are characters who are/were cures before Tsubomi and Erika took up the mantle. Tsubomi's grandma was a Cure, and the show starts with a Cure named Cure Moonlight getting defeated by one of the villains. Their backstories are a big part of Heartcatch's lore, and are all super intriguing. Speaking of the villains, while the Desert Apostles are mostly a solid lineup of baddies that toes the line between goofy and genuinely intimidating, there's also the Dark Precure who's hands down the scariest villain in the series to date. Any time she shows up, you know the characters aren't getting out unscathed, and it's fantastic. On a plot level, Heartcatch is great. It brings enough unique ideas to the table to feel fresh, and the final arc is one of the better ones in the series to date.
Like with Yes 5, Heartcatch is pretty much entirely character-driven, with every single Cure having a compelling and developed arc. Tsubomi and Erika have that classic introvert/extrovert dynamic that I love, and they bring out the best in each other in how the former learns to be more outgoing and the latter learns to be a bit more tactful. Eventually, we also meet Itsuki and Yuri (the aforementioned experienced Cure), who I'd argue are even better and two of the best Cures in the series to date. Itsuki's storyline about figuring out her gender expression is super heartwarming, while Yuri struggling with the trauma caused by her loss to the Dark Precure is an especially mature storyline for a Precure show to tackle. As a whole, this is probably my favorite roster of Cures so far, every single one of them is interesting. In addition, the Monsters Of The Week are taken from people's insecurities, so even the episodic fights are used to develop the side characters, tell compelling standalone stories, and even explore some more mature themes at points. This allows the show to really flesh out the town's citizens and the student body, the latter of which get way more focused compared to the schools of Yes 5/Gogo and Fresh. This all sounds fantastic, right? Well... this approach is also kind of a double-edged sword.
As paradoxical as it sounds, while Heartcatch does try to flesh out its main and side cast more than any Precure before it, I felt like I didn't get as attached to them as I did with some of the others either. I think this is because while the characters are developed and interesting on their own merits, their dynamics with each other feel under-explored because so much time is dedicated to those more personal arcs. Tsubomi, Erika, Itsuki, and Yuri are phenomenal characters on their own right, but together, they just don't feel as closely-knit of a friend group that the Yes 5 or Fresh groups did. The citizens in Heartcatch's town have the most compelling individual conflicts out of any Precure side characters, but I don't get that same sense of community that I got from Splash Star or Fresh. This is especially noticeable in a lot of the Monster Of The Week episodes, which dedicate so much time to those side characters that it feels like I rarely get to see much of Tsubomi and Erika outside of the fight scenes. And even when an MotW episode does focus on a major cast member, they shoe-horn in a subplot about some other side character just to give the Cures someone to fight, the worst offender being that episode about Tsubomi making her own dress where half of the screentime goes to some random biker kid. It also doesn't help that most of these side characters show up like once or twice in the entire show, so what's even the point? By the end of the series, I could barely remember any of the side characters, while I still look back on Tarte's bro Kaoru-Chan, Shiho Shiho Shiho, and Masuko Mika (I mean Masukomi-ka) with incredible fondness.
But back to the positives, one of the best things about Heartcatch is easily the animation. From start to finish, Heartcatch Precure is an absolute treat to the eyes, going for a clean, poppy, and incredibly cartoonish style. I praised Fresh for its cartoony visuals, but Heartcatch takes that artstyle and cranks it up to eleven. There is no such thing as "on-model" here, expressions are larger than life, kicks and punches stretch out to heighten the impact, and sometimes, the artstyle just entirely changes for comedic effect. It was kind of a shock to see this anime was made in 2010 because that clean, chibi artwork really feels like a product from the early 2000s (maybe because the character designer Umakoshi made Ojamajo Doremi, an actual early 2000s magical girl show). Either way, I'm a fan, and I love how the cheery visuals belie the anime's more mature themes. The action scenes are top-notch too, and even the transformation sequences are so fluid I can't help but not skip them. The soundtrack is very similar to that of Fresh, not quite as consistently great, but it has some fantastic songs and one of the best OPs in the series to date.
Highlights:
The Greatest Danger! Dark Cure Has Appeared (episode 10): Ever since seeing the Yes 5 movie, I wanted another Evil Cure, and this show's Dark Pretty Cure definitely lived up to my lofty expectations. Her one-winged design goes incredibly hard and she's utterly terrifying, as she basically defeats the rookie Cures just by looking at them. We also get to see the seeds of Cure Moonlight's arc get planted here, as well as one of my favorite fight scenes of the anime where Erika beats hordes of bad guys through the power of cartoonish running.
A Tearful Mother's Day! Protect The Family's Smile (episode 14): This show really has a thing with missing parents, huh? There's Yuri's dad, both of Tsubomi's parents for a bit, and now there's Nanami and Rumi. I don't think there's much I can say about this episode that hasn't already been said, it's one of the more iconic for a reason. It's a heartbreaking story about dealing with a parent's death told exceptionally well, and is easily one of the most emotionally intense episodes of Precure ever made. I don't think I've ever seen this many tears in any episode, to be perfectly honest.
Unbelievable! The Student Council President Is In Cute Clothes (episode 15): I was not expecting to love Itsuki as much as I did, but she turned out to be an absolute treasure, literally just gap moe incarnate. Even if she isn't technically trans, just seeing a character fully explore her gender identity is a joy to watch (complete with psuedo coming out scene). And this was a shockingly dense episode too, packing in Itsuki joining the fashion club and making her first dress, the entire backstory of her and her family, and a subplot about Itsuki worrying about losing the dojo if she drops her guard.
Fairy Adventure! The Pretty Cure Scouting Strategy (episode 21): I wasn't super big on the fairies so far (aside from Coupe, he's perfect), so color me surprised when I ended up really liking Potpourri. Despite being a baby fairy, the antics they get into are genuinely entertaining, they have actual agency, and they can even actually get involved in action scenes. Case in point, Fairy Adventure focuses on Potpourri running around the school trying to find the third Cure only to accidentally scare everyone. It brings back a large chunk of the side cast, and even its Monster Of The Week feels played more for laughs rather than being based on some super personal conflict. It's definitely one of the best comedic episodes in Heartcatch.
Cure Sunshine Is Born! (episode 23): All I wanted was to see was Itsuki gush over herself after becoming a Cure for the first time and I was not disappointed. Seriously, though, even if it lacked the emotional punch of Setsuna, this was a stellar mid-season Cure transformation. Great action, great build-up, and seeing Itsuki so happy to be a Cure just makes me happy.
Cure Moonlight Is Finally Reborn/Amazingly Powerful Cure Moonlight (episode 33/34): Cure Moonlight's long-awaited transformation definitely lived up to the hype. It did a great job at tackling Yuri's grief, the backstory of Cologne's death was surprisingly dark, and once she does transform, Episode 34 is basically just non-stop action. Quite possibly the rawest episode of Precure we've had since the Splash Star finale.
Everyone's The Main Character! This Is Our Stage (episode 36): The fashion show scene. That is all.
Erika's In A Pinch! The Marine Tact Is Stolen (episode 39): Look, I know this is basically just a silly comedic one-off, but man, this was a true testament to how little Heartcatch's structure works. There is no Desertrian in this episode, meaning it could actually be about the main cast for once. For the first time in almost 40 episodes, Coffret actually gets development, and it's great. This episode balanced goofy humor and a heartwarming main storyline so well and I really wish there was more like it earlier on in the season.
The Entire Final Arc (episodes 45-49): The moment Dune shows up, Heartcatch starts to fire on all cylinders and never lets up. For all my complaining, this show stuck the goddamn landing, making for the best final arc since Splash Star.
Episode 45: In the course of half an episode, Dune shows up, takes out all the Precures (including Coupe), destroys the Heart Tree, kidnaps Kaoruko, and turns the entire Earth into a goddamn desert, potentially killing everyone who's not connected to the Cures. That scene where the Cures thinks their friends and family are dead was jaw-dropping. Easy contender for bleakest and darkest Precure episode ever made, holy crap.
Episode 46: Itsuki and Erika get their time to shine in a great fight with Kumojacky and Cobraja. It doesn't really pull any surprises, but the action is absolutely stellar here. I spent the whole show going back and forth on my favorite character, but it was here that Cure Marine solidified herself as the best. She's earned that cocky attitude with flying colors.
Episode 47: So much happened here! Cure Moonlight has her final battle with Dark Cure, we learn Sabaku was Yuri's father, and most importantly, Erika and Itsuki call a timeout in the middle of a fight and disguise themselves as Snackies. Seriously though, the Moonlight Vs Dark Cure fight was great and probably would've been the best fight scene in any other season that didn't have Marine Vs Kumojacky or the Dune fight in it.
Episode 48: Oh god, poor Yuri. She really got put through the ringer, huh? First she has to kill her sister in cold blood, then her father is killed in front of her just as they reunite. And on top of that, we have a great fight with Dune and a stellar speech from Tsubomi making for a phenomenal climax to the series. The personal nature of it and how it mostly takes place in a single setting remind me a lot of Sailor Moon S's climax, which is absolutely a compliment.
I've seen complaints that Yuri's fate was needlessly cruel here, but I think it perfectly fits the message of her arc as well as the themes of Precure as a whole. Being a Precure is about protecting people, that's always been an element of this series and doubly so in Heartcatch. It's not about revenge or pacifism, it's about making as many people happy as possible. As for Yuri herself, she's basically been dealing with depression the entire season. And while many shows would have Yuri get better just as everything in her life gets magically resolved, that's not realistic. Sometimes, things still suck, but that's why it's all the more important to keep going and not give into despair. Tsubomi even apologizes in the next episode out of fear of having been too harsh, but it was exactly what Yuri needed to hear.
Episode 49: Once again, the final episode is a bit of a step down from the craziness in the penultimate one, there really wasn't any reason for Dune to drag out the fight. But still, you do get to see the Cures battle a giant human in the middle of space, TTGL style. And unlike in TTGL, the resolution is actually satisfying, especially that shot of Tsubomi's sister following in her family's footsteps. I think this is the longest we've had a final Precure episode devote to the resolution and all that extra time really helped compared to Fresh's more rushed conclusion.
Overall, Heartcatch Precure is a great entry in the series. It has a strong plot with some of the best characters in the franchise, a solid villain lineup, top-notch animation, and a truly outstanding conclusion. However, I think I still prefer Fresh and Splash Star overall. Those shows did a better job at getting me attached to their respective casts and towns, and while Heartcatch told a great story, it just didn't hit me like those did. Which is a shame because I can see a perfect Precure show buried within here, it just needed to straighten out its priorities a bit more.
4/5 Stars
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