CHiP Talks Anime: PreCure

PreCure (or alternatively Pretty Cure, more on that later) is a magical girl meta franchise by Toei Animation that has been running since 2004. If you don't know what a meta franchise is, it means that every new season, with only two exceptions, is it's own self contained story with a new plot and new characters, much like similar shows like Super Sentai/Power Rangers, Kamen Rider or games like Final Fantasy.

Aside from the main yearly seasons, there are also two spin-off shows -which I may or may not cover- that serve as distant sequels to Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! and Witchy Pretty Cure! respectively, as well as a long series of crossover movies (the All Stars series).

STUDIO: 

Toei Animation

OVERVIEW: 

First things first, the name. Within the series, both "PreCure" and "Pretty Cure" are used completely interchangeably; in the international season logos, Pretty Cure is used, but has been substituted with PreCure since the 2023 season, while the Japanese logos have always used it. Since "Pretty Cure" is also the international title for the first season "Futari wa Pretty Cure", I personally only use "PreCure" to refer to the franchise as a whole, and "Pretty Cure" for the individual seasons, but that's just me.

Each season, aside from having different characters and different plots, also has different themes and motifs, both plot-wise and aesthetically.

There is no specific order to watch the seasons in (aside from the sequel seasons), however I recommend watching them in chronological release order, so you can see how the franchise evolved and how each change was implemented and how well they worked.

SEASONS: 

I will cover each season individually, and this list will be updated as more seasons are released.

(note: I will only list the Cures that are shown in the beginning/initial marketing to avoid spoilers. In most cases there is a Cure that joins halfway through the season)

2004 - Pretty Cure (Futari wa Pretty Cure - lit. We Are Pretty Cure)

        2005 - Pretty Cure Max Heart (Futari wa Pretty Cure - lit. We Are Pretty Cure Max Heart), direct sequel to Pretty Cure

The series follows Cure Black and Cure White (and Shiny Luminous in PCMH) as they defend the world from evil. The motifs are yin & yang, rainbows and in the sequel, hearts.

2006 - Pretty Cure Splash☆Star (Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash☆Star - lit. We Are Pretty Cure Splash☆Star)

The series follows Cure Bloom and Cure Egret as they defend the Fountains of Life from being dried up. While visually similar to Black and White, I PROMISE you, they are very different, don't dismiss it as a cheap copy. The motifs are based on a Japanese proverb about the beauty of nature "flower, bird, moon, wind", which reflect in the names of the characters.

2007 - Yes! Pretty Cure 5

        2008 - Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!, direct sequel to Yes! Pretty Cure 5

        2023 - Power of Hope - Pretty Cure Full Bloom (Kibou no Chikara - Otona Pretty Cure '23 lit. Power of Hope - Adult Pretty Cure '23) - spinoff sequel series

Breaking away from the duo formula, this series follows Cure Dream, Cure Rouge, Cure Lemonade, Cure Mint and Cure Aqua (joined by Milky Rose in the GoGo!) defending the hopes and dreams of Earth from an evil organization. The motifs are hopes and dreams and butterflies in the first season, and roses in the second season.

2009 - Fresh Pretty Cure!

This series follows Cure Peach, Cure Berry and Cure Pine defending earth from an invading force that wishes to colonize/assimilate earth and plunge it into despair. The motifs are fruits, as well as dancing and happiness.

2010 - Heartcatch Pretty Cure!

The series is about Cure Blossom and Cure Marine (a duo, but they can act independantly of each other) fighting against an evil force that seeks to turn the Earth into a desert. The motifs are nature as a whole, but specifically flowers and flower language.

2011 - Suite Pretty Cure♪

The series follows Cure Melody and Cure Rhythm (a duo once again) protecting the world from an evil king who wants to replace all music with the Melody of Despair. Obviously enough, the motifs are centered around music.

2012 - Smile Pretty Cure!

Made to be more light-hearted following the 2011 earthquake, this series follows the team of Cure Happy, Cure Sunny, Cure Peace, Cure March and Cure Beauty preventing fairy tales from having a bad ending. The motifs are fables, happiness and smiles :)

2013 - DokiDoki! Pretty Cure (lit. Heartthrob! Pretty Cure)

Following Cure Heart, Cure Diamond, Cure Rosetta and Cure Sword as they prevent the Selfish King from taking over the world, this series' motifs are card suits, selfishness vs. selflessness, and surpringly enough when it comes to the villains, the Seven Deadly Sins.

2014 - Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!

Celebrating the 10th anniversary, this series follows Cure Lovely and Cure Princess (again, independent individuals, dynamic duo) as they fight against an evil kingdom seeking to erase happiness from earth. This series is themed after happiness and the things that bring it, but it also has a very worldwide feel, with the girls having culturally inspired costumes and other teams from around the globe being shown occasionally.

2015 - Go! Princess Pretty Cure

This series is once again themed after fairy tales, but specifically fairy tale PRINCESSES, represented by Cure Flora, Cure Mermaid and Cure Twinkle, as they fight for hope against despair.

2016 - Witchy Pretty Cure! (Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! - lit. Magic User Pretty Cure!, or alternatively Mahou Girls Pretty Cure! - lit. Magic Girls Pretty Cure!)

         2025 - Witchy Pretty Cure!! -MIRAI DAYS- (Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!! -MIRAI DAYS- lit. Magic User Pretty Cure!! -FUTURE DAYS-) spinoff sequel series

A duo again, Cure Miracle and Cure Magical fight against dark magic to defend the world of humans and witches. The motifs are magic and gemstones.

2017 - KiraKira☆Pretty Cure a la Mode (lit. Shining☆Pretty Cure a la Mode, oddly was not translated in the international logo)

The series follows Cure Whip, Cure Custard, Cure Gelato, Cure Macaron and Cure Chocolat as they fight against monsters who try to steal the good energy of sweets. The themes are, obviously enough, sweets, as well as animals, with the girls having animal ears and tails when transformed, respectively rabbit, squirrel, lion, cat and dog.

2018 - HUG! Pretty Cure (HUGtto! Pretty Cure -tto is a suffix indicating an onomatopoeia, so HUGtto is the sound of a hug)

Celebrating the 15th anniversary, this series follows Cure Yell, Cure Ange and Cure Etoile as they are tasked with preventing the future to be erased. The motifs of this season are time, future dreams and aspirations, and oddly, jobs.

2019 - Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure

With a retro 80s feel this series is about Cure Star, Cure Milky, Cure Soleil and Cure Selene as they seek to revive the princesses of the constellations to keep the balance of the universe. The motifs are stars, space, the zodiac and colors/art.

2020 - Healin' Good♡Pretty Cure

With very coincidental timing, this series follows Cure Grace, Cure Fontaine and Cure Sparkle as they work to "heal the earth" from evil magical pathogen. The themes are nature and the environment.

2021 - Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure

This series follows as Cure Summer, Cure Coral, Cure Papaya and Cure Flamingo as they help mermaid princess Laura to fight a witch who is taking away all the motivation from the humans and merfolk. The motifs are the ocean and tropics, as well as make up (yes, like lipstick and eyeliner and stuff).

2022 - Delicious Party♡Pretty Cure

In this series Cure Precious, Cure Spicy and Cure YumYum fight to prevent all of the world's recipes from being stolen and disappear forever. The motif of this series is once again food, but unlike KiraKira, it's specifically savory food.

2023 - Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure (Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure - lit. Expanding Sky! Pretty Cure, also a pun on "hero girl")

This series follows Cure Sky, who is tasked to protect the princess of her kingdom; as soon as she reaches Earth, she also gains the help of Cure Prism. The motifs are the the sky, as well as the related atmospheric phenomenons.

2024 - Wonderful Pretty Cure!

This series has a curious twist, in that one of the main characters is actually a dog who can magically transform into a human, and consequently into Cure Wonderful, to protect her owner, Cure Friendly. Together they save animals that are being possessed by evil energy. The series' motifs are pets and animals in general.

2025 - You and Idol Pretty Cure♪ (Kimi to Idol Pretty Cure♪ lit. You and Idol Pretty Cure♪)

The upcoming season, the motifs seem to be idols, music and singing.

MY THOUGHTS: 

Fair warning, I will not be biased in my reviews, this is my favourite anime EVER. I love every season, every character, every transformation, every attack, every item, I just ♡♡♡♡♡♡. Anyway. If I see one person calling this a Sailor Moon copy I will consfiscate your bones.