Character Section
The characters I am going to discuss are:
Aino Megumi/Cure Lovely
Himelda Window the Cure of Blue Sky/Cure Princess
Oomori Yuuko/Cure Honey
Hikawa Iona/Cure Fortune
Hikawa Maria/Cure Tender
Sagara Seiji
Blue
Mirage/Cure Mirage
Phantom/PhanPhan
Ribbon and Glasun
Mirage Trios
International Cures
A. Aino Megumi/Cure Lovely
How can I say for this character・ Among all pink cures, I think she is the worst one. Before her appearance, I think that Cure Happy is the worst one・ut now I review again・ure Happy is much much better than Cure Lovely. Miyuki has the knowledge of fairy tales and she knows how to make use of the knowledge in the daily life. She is better than Megumi only this point. For the intelligence, you know most of the pink ones are bad in studies, (The exception are Tsubomi and Mana) so does Megumi. However, one of the charming point for these inferior pink/black students are their attitude to the studies. Nagisa, Saki, Nozomi and Hibiki had worked hard for their low grades. For Miyuki, she did ask for Reika’s help on her studies, but the development doesn’t go well (as ONLY Reika is clever in SmPC). Anyway, their similarity is they feel regret on their low grade. They are not clever, but they still feel sorry for getting such grade. In contrast, Megumi gives me an unpleasant impression that she doesn’t feel any regret in getting the last rank in the class. Another incident which also give me unpleasant impression on Megumi is when Seiji teaches them Karate. (Please read ep 9 review for details.)
I don’t blame Hime in that ep because she is a foreigner and she know nothing about the world, but Megumi, as a Japanese, she should know the meaning of learning martial arts from watching TV (you know some Japanese drama and anime did promote the aesthetics of Karate, Judo, Aikido etc. In Heartcatch, Itsuki also learns Aikido, but she is not for defeating opponents), esp Seiji is learning it. If she understands him well (they are childhood friends), she should understand what he thinks for learning Karate (although his real objective is protecting Megumi, Megumi may think of other reason except defeating opponents). From here, you can see the different attitude between Hime and Megumi. Hime is just ignorant, but Megumi is not ignorant, and from her argument to Seiji, she is standing her own view at that time, and I believe she is unable to understand this at the end of the series (Hime somehow gets it, only that she may not realize). In addition, Megumi’s view of martial arts reflects on her moves in the battle.
In DDPC, I had said that Mana helps people because she wants to be a big sister (of course, I also believe she really like to help people). In Megumi’s case, she likes to help people to prove that she is useful, but this problem is left unsolved. Both Mana and her are over-helping people. Mana’s over-help hinders others・growth of problem-solving. Megumi’s over-help is not that serious because she can’t help anyone. She only makes the things worse, or left into a dilemma. An example is her mother’s illness. In Japanese wiki, there is a term for describing her over-help -Messiah Complex, also known as savior complex. Actually, Mana also has such complex, but her case is not as serious as Megumi as Mana is really capable enough, and Rikka always do the follow up for her (i.e. Others helps her as well, not just she helps people). DDPC members have equal strength, so that none of them feel depressed (relatively low possibility) for their talents. Nevertheless, in HaCha, everyone is more capable than Megumi, and Megumi herself doesn’t qualify the Cure Name Lovely. The example I mentioned just now shows her complex. She helps her friend without understanding. She only knows to argue back Seiji for Hime. She thinks that she can protect/help Hime, but the situation has no change. This is what she is usually unhappy about. (she is unable to change the result) Sometimes she forces herself to help people (like ep 33), this makes her become Unlovely like Phantom said.
Another reason saying that she doesn’t suit the name Lovely is her romance. It cannot blame her. Toei and Blue should be the one to blame. Toei gives her setting that she doesn’t know what is romance, but the problem is she knows she falls in love with Blue by herself (without Yuuko’s hint...). I don’t mind she has love triangle, but the opponent should not be Blue. Red is more appropriate. About her relationship with Red, if she doesn’t push Red away when he hugs her, she still suits the name Lovely. Unfortunately, Toei ruins this qualification completely by the push action.
By looking at her use of Precards and her fighting style in the battle, I find that she relies on Precure power very much. She has physical fight, but she is just slightly better than Hime. Even she did a good job in NS3, you can see she usually solves the problems using Precure attacks (not real punch and kick). I also mentioned that her view of martial arts reflects on her fighting style. Her fighting style, I would frankly say rude. What do I mean by rude? I come up this thought because of watching the current series Princess Precure. Looking back to previous cure, even Black is very boyish, but I can see her elegance and might somehow. Cure Happy somewhat also has her own elegance.(if you ignore Kiai) However, I can’t see this kind of elegance from Lovely. One of the reasons is Mazinger Z like attacks. Another reason is her thought of smashing the enemies most of the time (except Mirage, it is just because she is Blue’s girlfriend)
Do you think this attack is graceful?
Although I have such negative comment on her, she has her own good point. She really can cheer people up, even she fails to help people practically. Hime and Blue are the beneficiaries. Moreover, she is brave all the time. That is why she can back up Hime in the beginning.
Overall, she is a pitiful character, having such complex and Toei never solves it for her…but still I don’t really like her as pink leader.
B. Himelda Window the Cure of Blue Sky/Cure Princess
She is a typical pampered princess character, but among all cures, she is the only one has a complete development in all areas. We still don’t know how she becomes Precure from the series. Actually, It is very simple to know how Hime becomes Precure. Firstly, Blue is in Blue Sky Kingdom when Hime opens the Axia. Secondly, Hime is assigned to guard the Axia. (i.e. Hime is Blue’s witch[Miko]) Thirdly, please remember how Megumi becomes Precure. Therefore, the steps will be: Blue gives Hime Love Crystal>Hime opens the Axia>Hime’s Love Crystal responds> Hime becomes Precure. After I fill in the process of being Cure Princess, I would like to share how complete this character development. She has encountered her home loss, her country collapse, blame from others (only Iona), romance (a crush to Seiji), having civilian/school daily life and making friends. Although her main storyline is not well-written, her development is described in details. She is usually noisy (more noisy than Erika) and childish,
and she has a special screaming scene, but her development gives me a good impression.
For her fighting style, she is not good at aiming the target (you can see her machine gun can’t hit the target sometimes), but I can see she is improving when the series goes on. Her Form change, comparing with Lovely’s, hers is more graceful.
The attack is either freeze or stun. Since she is the real main heroine of this series (but she can’t overwhelm the state of pink leader), she can have the control of Happiness Big Bang.
C. Oomori Yuuko/Cure Honey
Yuuko is my motivation of watching this series to the end. She is definitely the best cure in the whole series and among all members (including the international ones). All special features are on Cure Honey. Let’s talk about Yuuko first. She is like some cures, running a food shop (hers is a bento shop). Usually, cures with family business (running a shop) add charming points because they often help their family to do the business/house work. Examples are Saki, Rin, Komachi, Inori, Tsubomi, Erika, Kanade, Akane, Mana etc. (there are exception such as Nozomi, Miki and Haruka), provided that the cures are capable enough to help. We can see her capability from her home business. She can cook, serve and deliver. For her character, she is mature, kind and generous. She is the most generous cure among HaCha, from how she takes care of Phantom. (It is also why PhanPhan goes with Yuuko at the end without hesitation) Owing to Cure Honey, she also knows how to compose a song and sing, only that her songs are all about food and rice.
As she is almost perfect, we can’t see as much obstacles as Hime. Her role in this series is like a big sister (this description is different from Mana). She can be a caretaker like Karen (I won’t say Milk because she is not good enough), and she can be a consultant like Coco. In addition, in HaCha group, she is the only cure who can get along with everyone. Megumi and she are childhood friends, Hime and she have the same interest (eating), and Iona respects her when she knows how Honey saves International cures (At least she won’t yell at Yuuko like Hime and Megumi).
About her fighting style, we should not just watch her concert. She is the first singing Precure in Precure history. She has made Hoshiwa and Oresuki to be her fans in her debut (in ep 9 and ep 11 respectively). She seems never sing a song for Namakelda…
But she can dance and make Namakelda silly XD
Her song is also effective to Phantom (just La~ though).
Her song makes people calm and regain energy (for Precure and normal people only) in general. As her song has the function of healing, she can be pretty cure as the warrior name. Her healing power is not just from her song, her Maracas mode also can cast healing power. She is not just a healing cure, she can also defend and attack, even her final attack is like meteor crashing! She is actually all-range Pretty Cure. I can say that she is the strongest cure among HaCha group. It can be shown from the final battle. Honey deals with Phantom at the entrance and later she also defeats Hoshiwa. She is like another Cure Beauty, but she barely fight against the enemies physically.
D. Hikawa Iona/Cure Fortune
I had read Animage Special book of HaCha, there is an article for the comparison among all purple cures. I think there is nothing for Fortune to compare with other purple cures. I don’t mean to insult her, but it is true that she is a hollow character because her story is invalid. (Although I had analyzed her story in story section)
There are few points make her story invalid.
1. Iona cannot be Precure in the first place.
Masuko Miyo shows us that even she gets a love crystal from Blue, she can’t be Precure. It means not everyone gets the crystal can be Precure, but the requirement is having a love crystal. That’s how Megumi become Precure. However, Iona doesn’t even have a love crystal, how can she be Precure? The PreChange Mirror and the cards belongs to Maria. She cannot transform by using her sister’s item if according to the above theory. Even Blue wonders how she can be Precure…
2. Her revenge is invalid
Please see these scenes first (provided by Phantom)
The focus is not how Tender is defeated, it is the height of Iona at that time. The time when she witnessed Tender fighting against Phantom, she is around 10-11 years old. (Please see their height difference from the second picture)
Now please see these scenes (provided by Hime).
How old you think Hime was when she opened Axia? After this incident, she became Precure, so she should be at the age of 14.
The problem is here-how Hime makes Iona hate her when Tender was defeated BEFORE Hime opened the Axia? If Hime opened the Axia at the age of 14, Tender’s incident cannot be happened.
Another proof that Tender was fighting against Saiarks when Iona is not at 14 is this one-Miyo’s flashback. Miyo met Tender when she started working as journalist. Miyo cannot obtain her own program without more than 3-year experience. It means Mirage kingdom and Tender appeared before Hime opened Axia.
3. Hime is Blue Sky Princess, but Iona is just a Japanese citizen.
Even Hime is the culprit, Iona is no way to know this fact because of the diplomacy. As Hime’s mistake is related to international relationship, the national PR usually conceals this matter. Even it is disclosed, the first person who knows this matter should be Blue Sky citizen, not Japanese citizen. How about Iona knows this matter from the villains and Hime admits it? It is possible, but we have to know when Hime starts living in Japan.
Megumi is her first friend in Japan.
Hime starts her school life in ep 4.
From these pictures, we can be certain that Hime just comes to Japan in ep 1. Therefore, it is impossible for Iona to know Blue Sky incident, don’t even say hate Hime.
Her story is not mysterious. It is ridiculous. In ep 22, we don’t understand why Iona only wish for being Precure instead of saving her sister or destroying Mirage kingdom. Don’t be cheated by the sweet talk in that ep. By reading the above points, we know that the truth is Toei wishes her to be an official Precure. Before ep 22, she can’t be Precure in anyway according to the setting provided. Iona can’t even ask Blue to give her Precure power, so Toei makes her be a real Precure by force.
In this case, she is more pathetic than Cure Sword. Cure Sword loses her mission in the series after Cure Ace appeared, but Iona has no mission from the beginning. In other words, she should not exist in the series. As for her character, it is set according to the story. If the story needs her to hate Hime, she has to hate Hime very much. If the story needs to show Hime’s extravagance, Iona has to be thrifty, more than Yuuko and Megumi, who are poorer than her. (as Iona’s family can afford to send Maria oversea, Iona should be richer than Yuuko) She has to be good at study in order to match purple cure feature (Milky Rose, Moonlight, Beat and Sword are talented) Her Karate setting is there for Seiji and her fortune telling is for matching her cure name (but this one is more reasonable than Eas having fortune telling in FPC ep 1). Her love story is just…matching HaCha…(Megumi has love triangle, Hime has false love, Yuuko is paired with Phantom…) In conclusion, she is a plot-oriented and hollow character.
For her fighting style, with her Karate skills, her physical fight is the best among the group. I like her tambourine more than Sunshine’s, and she uses it very well (although her presence is for selling Fortune Tambourine). Her fight is the only thing I impress…
E. Hikawa Maria/Cure Tender
She is the cause of Iona’s story (which should not be happened). Her setting is another Moonlight (her element is moon as well), but my concern is still her skirt.
Why her skirt is different from Fortune? (Fortune is using her Precard for 22 eps) Similarly to Iona, she is also a plot-oriented character. Without Iona, she should be another HaCha member. As her appearance is very short (just 1 ep), we only know her character in ep 39 and from the word of mouth (by Phantom and Miyo). Unlike Iona, her character setting is not plot-oriented. Her reliability and strength impressed Miyo and Phantom. She doesn’t have much influence to HaCha, but she changes Miyo’s life.
Before HaCha formation, she should be Japanese Precure representative. Her plot-oriented is different from Iona that Iona is set according to the plot, while Maria is forced to be villain and chased away by the plot. She should be one of the main characters in the series, but Toei just throw her away after Iona’s story is finished. From ep 46, we can see she has good relationship with International cures besides Honey (actually Honey can also do the same thing as Maria-calling international for help). That’s why she can lead other international cures. (also because of her strength) Since she is stronger than Iona, and Phantom said that she is the strongest one he had met, she may be the second strongest cure in the series. (the strongest should be Cure Mirage) Tender’s fighting…because of her skirt, she uses Precure attack more than physical fights.