CHiP Talks Anime: Pretty Cure

Pretty Cure (Futari wa Pretty Cure, lit. We Are Pretty Cure) is the first installment in the PreCure franchise and came out in 2004. The series follows Cure Black and Cure White as they defend the world from evil. The motifs are yin & yang and rainbows.

The series has 49 episodes, and was adapted into a manga with 2 volumes.

STUDIO: 

Toei Animation

PLOT (spoiler free): 

This series follows two main characters: Nagisa Misumi aka Cure Black, and Honoka Yukishiro aka Cure White. Two ordinary middle schoolers in a nameless city (presumably Tokyo), they come across two small fairies called Mepple and Mipple, who come from a world named the Garden of Light. The GoL has been invaded by Dark Zone (the creativity of these names knows no bounds -_-) and Mepple and Mipple hav been sent to the Garden of Rainbows aka Earth to look for the legendary warriors Pretty Cure, two girls who may wield the power of light in order to protect the world. Nagisa and Honoka agree to help them (although initially Nagisa is more hesitant) and they quickly bond with each other and the fairies. Halfway through the series they are joined by another fairy, Pollun, who is the Prince of the Garden of Light - I have no idea how considering the Queen looks like a normal human woman - who is able to grant them a powerup to defeat the new villains.

The season was followed by Pretty Cure Max Heart, a direct sequel.

MAIN CHARACTERS: 

Nagisa Misumi/Cure Black: arguably the "main" character between the two, she is sporty and not very good at school. She is also brash and loud, but tends to have a defeatist attitude. Her alter ego, Cure Black, has the power of light and her theme color is black (though she is usually grouped with the pink characters, since that is her secondary color). She needs to be with Cure White in order to be able to transform/use her attack. Her fairy partner is Mepple.

Honoka Yukishiro/Cure White: the other Pretty Cure, she is feminine, book smart and loves science, a very refreshing combo of traits. She is the more soft-spoken and optimistic of the group. Her alter ego, Cure White, has the power of light and her theme color is, well...white (though her secondary is blue). She needs to be with Cure Black in order to be able to transform/use her attack. Her fairy partner is Mipple.

Mepple: Cure Black's fairy partner, he is a small yellow fairy from the Garden of Light. He has the ability to turn into the Card Commune, a phone-like object Nagisa needs to transform. He is often at odds with Nagisa, but they quickly form a strong friendship. His official title is the Hero of Hope, and he is in love with/dating Mipple.

Mipple: Cure White's fairy partner, she is a small pink fairy from the Garden of Light. She has the ability to turn into the Card Commune, a phone-like object Honoka needs to transform. She is soft-spoken and quiet, and immediately gets along with Honoka, acting as a mentor for her. Her official title is the Princess of Hope, and she is in love with/dating Mepple.

Pollun: joining the team mid-way through, he is a small white child fairy from the Garden of Light. He has the ability to turn into the Pretty Commune, an object that can grant a power-up to the Cures when in need. He is not paired with anyone, but is usually taken care of by Mepple and Mipple, much to their chagrin due to his bratty childish personality. His official title is the Prince of Light.

ITEMS:

TRANSFORMATION

Card Commune: a flip-phone-like item, they are what allows the Cures to transform. They also act as a "shell" for the fairies when on Earth. Nagisa's is pink and Honoka's is blue.

Pretty Cure Cards: cards needed to transform by swiping them in the slot of the Card Commune. They are also needed to take care of the fairies when in Commune form.

WEAPON

Rainbow Bracelets: arm braces granted by Pollun that allow the Cures to perform their strongest attacks. Cure Black's has a pink heart embedded on it, while Cure White's has a blue heart.

ASSIST

Pretty Commune: a laptop-like item, it acts as a "shell" for Pollun, as well as allowing for communication with the Garden of Light.

MACGUFFIN

Prism Hopish: a heart-shaped container for the seven Prism Stones that were stolen from the Garden of Light by the Dark King.

ATTACKS:

Marble Screw: the base finisher for Cure Black and Cure White, a double helix made of black and white lightning. They need to hold hands to perform it.

Rainbow Therapy: the base purifier for Cure Black and Cure White, a sphere made of black and white light that turns into rainbow. It's usually used on living creatures possessed by Zakennas. They need to hold hands to perform it.

Rainbow Storm: the powered-up finisher for Cure Black and Cure White, a double helix made of black and white lightning that turns into a rainbow beam. They need the Rainbow Bracelets to perform it.

MY THOUGHTS:

This was the very first season of PreCure I watched, and it has a very special place in my heart due to nostalgia, despite not being in my top 5 by now (,,>﹏<,,). 

Barring a few episodes of Sailor Moon I watched with my mom (shoutout mom, you probably will never see this but ily ♡) this was the first magical girl anime I ever watched, and I found it all by myself!

Which, fun story, it's actually because of a dress-up Flash game, and I thought that the dresses and hairdos were too specific to just be made-up, and I fell down the Wikipedia rabbit hole. I love this franchise.

I personally find that the following series, Splash☆Star, does the concept of two "polar opposite" girls having to team up and needing each other to save the world a lot better, but I'm biased.

The premise of them physically being unable to transform/attack is very interesting, and I honestly can't think of any other IP with a similar concept. It's the main thing that allowed it to stand out in the early 200s magical girl anime market. It's a shame that the franchise abandoned this setup almost for good after PCS☆S, only bringing it back a couple of times. What I wouldn't give for a new straight-forward Futari wa style season...sigh...