HeartCatch PreCure!

Story

In each person resides a Heart Flower, which is connected to the great Heart Tree that watches over everyone. Protecting this tree are the HeartCatch Pretty Cures, who defend it against the Desert Apostles, who plan to wilt everything and turn the world into a desert. However, when the current Pretty Cure, Cure Moonlight, is defeated in battle and the Heart Tree loses its flowers, she sends two fairies, Chypre and Coffret, to the surface to seek out her replacement. They find Tsubomi Hanasaki, a shy flower-loving girl who recently moved to Kibougahana with her family who is given the power to become Cure Blossom. Alongside her new friend, Erika Kurumi, who becomes Cure Marine, they fight against the Desert Apostles, who transform the wilting Heart Flowers inside people into monsters known as Desertians. By defeating these monsters, they gain Heart Seeds, which allow the Heart Tree to become healthier again.

Characters

HeartCatch Pretty Cures

Tsubomi Hanasaki (花咲 つぼみ, Hanasaki Tsubomi) / Cure Blossom (キュアブロッサム, Kyua Burossamu)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki

The main protagonist. Tsubomi is a shy and introverted 14-year-old girl and a second-year student at Myōdōu Academy. She loves to plant flowers and initially plans to join the Gardener's Club, but Erika convinces her to join the Fashion Club instead. Her family's house is also a flower shop called the "Hanasaki Flower Shop", and her grandmother Kaoruko runs a botanical garden. She sees her change of schools as a chance to change herself, and after meeting Erika she starts to change. In the first fight, when Erika is targeted and turned into a Desertian, her desire to save Erika convinces the fairies she has the potential to become a Pretty Cure. As Cure Blossom, her dark red hair becomes light pink. Her powers are related to flowers and she can use auxiliary attacks such as Blossom Flower Storm and Blossom Double Impact in addition to her finishing attack. Her catchphrase is "I've had enough!" or "I've now cut off my cord of patience!" (私、堪忍袋の緒が切れました!, Watashi, kan-nin-bukuro no o ga kiremashita!). Unlike most Pretty Cure protagonists, she has a shy personality, is not greedy with food, and enjoys studying.

She introduces herself as "The flower spreading throughout the land, Cure Blossom!" (大地に咲く一輪の花、キュアブロッサム!, Daichi ni saku ichirin no hana, Kyua Burossamu!) Her theme color is pink and her flower symbol is the cherry blossom.

Erika Kurumi (来海 えりか, Kurumi Erika) / Cure Marine (キュアマリン, Kyua Marin)

Voiced by: Fumie Mizusawa

Erika is a 13-year-old girl and a second-year student at Myōdō Academy who is Tsubomi's classmate, neighbor, and friend. Her father is a cameraman and her mother is the owner of a fashion shop called "Fairy Drop". In addition, she loves fashion and designing her own clothing, and is the president of the academy's Fashion Club. She is jealous of her older sister Momoka, who is a model despite still being in high school. She is an energetic girl who bluntly says what she is thinking, although she also begins to change after meeting Tsubomi and convincing her to join the Fashion Club after its old members left. After she is informed of the qualifications of being a Pretty Cure, she agrees to help Tsubomi. As Cure Marine, her dark blue hair becomes light blue. She has powers related to the ocean and can use auxiliary attacks such as Marine Shoot and Marine Dynamite in addition to her finishing attack. Her catchphrase is "Even me, with a heart wider than the ocean, has reached her limits!" (海より広いあたしの心も、ここらが我慢の限界よ!, Umi yori hiroi atashi no kokoro mo, kokora ga gaman no genkai yo!).

Fairies

Unlike other fairies in the franchise, the fairies in this series are born from the Heart Tree and can separately find their own partner to become a Pretty Cure. They are also different from previous mascots in that they all end their sentences with "desu".

Chypre (シプレ, Shipure)

Voiced by: Taeko Kawata

One of the fairies who protects the Heart Tree. To save it from danger, she has come to look for the Pretty Cure, the legendary warriors chosen by the Heart Tree. She gives Tsubomi a Pretty Cure Seed and Heart Perfume, allowing her to transform into Cure Blossom. She often disguises herself as a stuffed animal. She has the power to give birth to Heart Seeds, which are said to cause a miracle if collected. Chypre tends to be calmer than her fellow mascot, Coffret. She often behaves as if she is Tsubomi's big sister. She is named after the floral perfume family chypre.

Coffret (コフレ, Kofure)

Voiced by: Motoko Kumai

One of the fairies that protect the Heart Tree, and gives Erika a Pretty Cure Seed and Heart Perfume, allowing her to transform into Cure Marine. He also tends to disguise himself as a stuffed animal and can give birth to Heart Seeds. He is rather bold and nice to others, and is like a little brother to Erika. He is named after a French term for a jewelry box or casket.

Potpourri (ポプリ, Popuri)

Voiced by: Kokoro Kikuchi

First appearing in episode 20, Potpourri is a baby fairy born from the Heart Tree, who is colored orange-white rather than cyan-white like Chypre and Coffret. Potpourri carries an orange Heart Seed in their bag, which acts as the key to the Pretty Cure Palace, and has the ability to create barriers to protect others. Potpourri can be rash and bratty at times, but has a strong desire to protect the Pretty Cure. In Episode 22, Potpourri becomes Itsuki's partner and allows her to transform into Cure Sunshine. Potpourri is named after potpourri, a mixture of dried plants used to provide fragrance. Being younger than both Chypre and Coffret, Potpourri tends to end their sentences with 'de-chu' instead of 'desu'.

Kibougahana residents

Kaoruko Hanasaki (花咲 薫子, Hanasaki Kaoruko) / Cure Flower (キュアフラワー, Kyua Furawā)

Voiced by: Chika Sakamoto

Tsubomi's grandmother and Yoichi's widowed mother, who is a famous botanist and owner of the Flower Shop. Kaoruko is considered to be wise and kind, and cares deeply for her granddaughter, who she helped to take care of when she was younger. She loves flowers, which inspired Tsubomi's love for them. When she was younger, she became the youngest champion in the history of the national judo contest and met Sora during her time living in Kamakura. In her youth, she became Cure Flower in her youth after she met Coupe while studying the Tree of Hearts, and was the previous senior of Cure Moonlight. She once defeated Dune using the Heartcatch Mirage, but at the cost of her own Pretty Cure Seed being destroyed in the aftermath. In Episode 44, her Christmas wish is to become Cure Flower again for one day to help Tsubomi and the others, which she succeeds in. Like Tsubomi, her attacks are related to flowers, but she lacks the power to conjure up stronger attacks. As Cure Flower, her theme color is pink and her flower symbol is the Lotus Flower.

She introduces herself as "The flower shining in holy light, Cure Flower!" (聖なる光に輝く一輪の花、キュアフラワー!, Seinaru Hikari kagayaku ichirin no hana, Kyua Furawā!)

Mizuki Hanasaki (花咲 みずき, Hanasaki Mizuki)

Voiced by: Yoko Kato

Tsubomi's mother, a florist at the Hanasaki Flower Shop. She was once an officer of a famous florist chain supplier called "Red Florian". After the events of the series, she gives birth to a second daughter, Futaba Hanasaki (ふたば, Hanasaki Futaba).

Yoichi Hanasaki (花咲 陽一, Hanasaki Youichi)

Voiced by: Nobuaki Kanemitsu

Tsubomi's father and Kaoruko's only son, who is a florist at Hanasaki Flower Shop and a part-time professor.

Desert Apostles

The Desert Apostles (砂漠の使徒, Sabaku no Shito) are the main antagonists of the series. They serve and take orders from Dune, and aim to take over the world and turn it into a giant desert, a process which they aim to speed up by taking peoples' wilted Heart Flowers. They are also responsible for the withering of the Great Tree of Hearts.

Dune (デューン, Dyūn)

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa

Dune is the leader of the Desert Apostles and the main antagonist, who aims to destroy the Tree of Hearts and has fought against previous generations of Pretty Cure. His backstory is revealed in the novel. His father, the previous Desert King, killed his birth mother, then met and married another woman, who became Dune's stepmother. Dune's father wanted to kill him, and his nanny sacrificed herself to allow him to escape. Two years later, a then 9-year-old Dune made a contract with a devil to obtain power in exchange for killing his father. After doing so, he inherited his father's status as the Desert King. 50 years before the series' events, he was defeated by Cure Flower, who used the Heartcatch Mirage to seal him away. He is first shown as a shadow on a video screen, talking to Sabark about Potpourri's recent birth, and in flashbacks. Dune arrives on Earth after regaining his strength and sends a Desert Seed down to Earth, which turns into a Desert Devil. He is eventually defeated by the Pretty Cure after they achieve the Infinity Silhouette form and died peacefully while liberating him from his long hatred.

Hideaki Tsukikage (月影 英明, Tsukikage Hideaki) / Professor Sabark (サバーク博士, Sabāku-hakase)

Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki

Dune's right-hand man who is later revealed to be Yuri's long-lost father, Hideaki Tsukikage. He was a brilliant scientist and researcher who went missing while investigating the Tree of Hearts and was brainwashed into becoming Professor Sabark after Baron Salamander gave him a mask. He is usually seen sitting on a chair on a high level in the Desert Apostles' base, with the Dark Precure by his side. He wishes to finish off the newest generation of Pretty Cure and take down the Tree of Hearts. In episode 48, his mask shatters and he is freed from the Desert Apostles' control. He then confronts Dune and is ultimately killed saving Cure Blossom and Moonlight. The ashes from his remains are later buried in Yuri's hometown in Yamanashi Prefecture, and Yuri chooses to keep the circumstances of his death a secret from her mother.

Film-only characters

Olivier (オリヴィエ) / Loup-Garou (ルー・ガルー, Rū・garū)

Voiced by: Ikue Ōtani

Olivier is the adoptive child of Baron Salamander, who can take the form of a werewolf. He appeared in the series in Dune's flashback in episode 48. In the film, he is adopted by Baron Salamander after he unsealed him from his 400-year prison. He and Baron Salamander were the only surviving members of the Desert Apostles after the organization's defeat.

Baron Salamander (サラマンダー男爵, Saramandā Danshaku)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Baron Salamander is a lost member of the Desert Apostles who was originally Dune's right-hand man before Professor Sabark took his place. He appeared in the series in Dune's flashback in episode 48, and was responsible for giving Hideaki the mask that caused him to become Sabark. He is the main antagonist of the film, who was defeated by Cure Ange and sealed inside the abbey on Mont Saint-Michel in France, but was unsealed by Olivier 400 years later.

Cure Ange (キュアアンジェ, Kyua Anje)

A Cure who is mentioned as the first Pretty Cure in the series' chronology. 400 years ago, she defeated Baron Salamander and sealed him in the abbey on Mont Saint-Michel in France. She is said to be connected to the creation of the Pretty Cure Palace and the Heartcatch Mirage.

Media

Anime

The anime, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine and produced by Toei Animation, aired in Japan on ABC and other ANN stations between February 7, 2010, and January 30, 2011. The series uses three pieces of theme music, one opening and two ending themes. The opening theme is "Alright! HeartCatch PreCure!" (Alright!ハートキャッチプリキュア!, Alright! Hātokyatchi Purikyua) by Aya Ikeda. The ending theme for episodes 1–24 is "HeartCatch☆Paradise!" (ハートキャッチ☆パラダイス!) by Mayu Kudou, whilst the ending theme for episodes 25–49 is "Tomorrow Song ~Ashita no Uta~" (Tomorrow Song ～あしたのうた～) by Kudou.

Print

A manga adaptation by Futago Kamikita began serialization in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine From March 2010 until February 2011. A novel adaptation, which expands the series was then released on September 16, 2015, under Kodansha's Character Bunko label. It is written by Takashi Yamada and illustrated by Yoshihiko Umakoshi.

Films

The heroines also appear in all Pretty Cure All Stars films, starting with Pretty Cure All Stars DX2: Light of Hope☆Protect the Rainbow Jewel! (プリキュアオールスターズDX2 希望の光☆レインボージュエルを守れ！, PuriKyua Ōru Sutāzu Dirakkusu Tsū: Kibō no Hikari☆Reinbō Jueru o Mamore!) The DX2 film was released on March 20, 2010.

A film based on the HeartCatch PreCure series titled HeartCatch PreCure The Movie: Fashion Show in the Flower Capital... Really?! (ハートキャッチプリキュア!花の都でファッションショー・・・ですか!?, HātoKyatchi PuriKyua! Hana no Miyako de Fasshon Shō... desu ka!?) was released in Japan on October 30, 2010. It follows the Pretty Cures as they go to France and encounter a mysterious boy named Olivier, who is being manipulated by the mysterious villain, Baron Salamander. The French-language version released by Imagine in France on January 26, 2011, under the title HeartCatch Pretty Cure! Le film: Mission défilé à Paris (HeartCatch Pretty Cure! The Movie: The Paris Show Mission). The film has been nominated for a Kidscreen Award for Best One-off, Special or TV Movie for Kids.

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure the Movie: The Snow Princess and the Miraculous Ring! (映画 トロピカル～ジュ！プリキュア 雪のプリンセスと奇跡の指輪！, Eiga Toropikarūju Purikuya Yuki no Purinsesu to Kiseki no Yubiwa!), was released on October 23, 2021.

Video games

There are currently three video games based on the series produced by Bandai. An educational game, Fashionable Transformation★HeartCatch PreCure! (おしゃれにへんしん★ハートキャッチプリキュア！, Oshare ni Henshin★HātoKyatchi PuriKyua!), was released for the Sega Beena on July 22, 2010. HeartCatch PreCure! Fashion Collection (ハートキャッチプリキュア！おしゃれコレクション, HātoKyatchi PuriKyua! Oshare Korekushon) is a minigame collection for the Nintendo DS and was released on August 5, 2010. Another DS title, Let's Play with Voices! HeartCatch PreCure! (こえであそぼう! ハートキャッチプリキュア!, Koe de Asobō! HātoKyatchi PuriKyua!), released on November 11, 2010, allows players to record their own voices over scenes from the anime.

Reception

The series' success received a cult following by fans and praises of the series' overall presentation and story. The series' character designer, Yoshihiko Umakoshi, was also awarded as best Character Designer in the 2010 Tokyo Anime Awards and the 2011 Tokyo International Anime Fair.

It was also one of the selected anime series of the year in the December 2010 issue of British magazine Impact.