CHiP Talks Anime: Pretty Cure Max Heart

Pretty Cure Max Heart (Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart, lit. We Are Pretty Cure Max Heart) is a direct sequel to Pretty Cure and the second season of the PreCure franchise, and came out in 2005. The series follows the same team as before, now joined by a new ally named Shiny Luminous. The motifs are rainbows and hearts.

The series has 47 episodes and two movies, and was adapted into a manga with 3 volumes.

STUDIO: 

Toei Animation

PLOT (spoiler free): 

The Dark King, the main villain of the previous season, has been brought back to life, which caused the Queen of Light to be split into three: her Life, her Heart and her Aspirations (knows as Heartiels). As soon as the Cures' powers are re-awakened to fight this new evil, they are joined by Hikari Kujo, a girl who also wields the powers of light to transform into a hero known as Shiny Luminous, who is partnered with Pollun. Their mission is to find all twelve Heartiels so that the Queen may come back to life. Later they are joined by the fairy Lulun the Princess of the Garden of Light, Pollun's younger sister, who similarly as him can grant a powerup to Shiny Luminous.

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.

Hikari Kujo/Shiny Luminous: the new member of the team, a quiet girl who lost her memories. The Queen of Light guided her to the Pretty Cure, which allowed her to unlock her powers. Her alter ego, Shiny Luminous, has the power of light and her theme color is yellow (even if her costume is mostly pink). Her fairy partner is Pollun.

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 Heartful 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 Heartful 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: Shiny Luminous' fairy partner, he is a small white child fairy from the Garden of Light. He has the ability to turn into the Touch Commune, a compact-like object Hikari needs to transform. His official title is the Prince of Light.

Lulun: joining the team mid-way through, she is a small pink child fairy from the Garden of Light. She has the ability to turn into the Miracle Commune, an object that can grant a power-up to Shiny Luminous when in need. She is not paired with anyone, but is usually taken care of by her older brother Pollun. Her official title is the Princess of Light.

MOVIES:

Pretty Cure Max Heart: the Movie (Eiga Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart, lit. We Are Pretty Cure Max Heart: the Movie)

The girls are invited to a place known as the Garden of Hope, so that they may guard the magical jewels belonging to the Queen during the ceremony. A witch from the Dark Zone plans to steal them.

Pretty Cure Max Heart: Friends of the Snowy Sky (Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart 2: Yukizora no Tomodachi, lit. We Are Pretty Cure Max Heart 2: Friends of the Snow-Laden Sky)

During a winter retreat, Hikari comes across a phoenix chick from the Garden of Clouds, and she and the Cures must protect her from Frozen and Freezen, twins from the Dark Zone who want to kill the phoenix to cover the world in ice.

ITEMS:

TRANSFORMATION

Heartful Commune: a flip-phone-like item, they are the upgraded version of the Card Communes and allow 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 Hearts: heart-shaped cards needed to transform by swiping them in the slot of the Heartful Commune. They are also needed to take care of the fairies when in Commune form.

Touch Commune: a compact-like item, it allows Hikari to transform into Shiny Luminous. It is Pollun's new form after the Pretty Commune, and also acts as a "shell" for him when on Earth.

WEAPON

Sparkle Bracelets: an upgrade of the Rainbow Bracelets, they're arm braces that allow the Cures to perform their strongest attacks. Cure Black's has a pink ribbon, while Cure White's has a blue one.

Heartiel Baton: a heart-shaped staff wielded by Shiny Luminous, it allows her to perform her attacks as well as empowering the Cures.

Shiniel Baton: a variant of the Heartiel Baton seen only in the second movie, it performs the same functions.

ASSIST

Heartiel Brooch: a heart-shaped brooch granted to Shiny Luminous by Lulun, it creates a shield of light around the wearer.

Miracle Commune: a palette-like item, it acts as a "shell" for Lulun.

MACGUFFIN

Queen Chairect: the Queen's Heart, this small throne is used to host the Heartiels found..

ATTACKS:

Marble Screw Max: the base finisher for Cure Black and Cure White. They need to hold hands to perform it. It's an upgraded version of Marble Screw.

Marble Screw Max Spark: the powered-up finisher for Cure Black and Cure White. They need the Sparkle Bracelets to perform it.

Heartiel Action: the purifier for Shiny Luminous, a beam of light that slows down/freezes the enemies while simultaneously empowering the Cures.

Extreme Luminario: the group finisher, it's a combination of the Marble Screw lightning and rainbows and the Shiny Luminous's light beams.

Extreme Luminario Max: the upgraded version of Extreme Luminario, seen in the finale.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is, quite frankly, one of my least favourite seasons of PreCure. Almost every episode is a carbon copy of episodes from the first season, literally beat by beat. You could watch the first five and the last four episodes and not miss a thing.

There's a pretty good (if kinda obvious) twist involving Hikari, but it's only addressed in the last TWO EPISODES. Let me repeat. The last TWO EPISODES OUT OF FOURTYSEVEN. The only season I dislike more is Yes! 5 GoGo!...but we'll get to that when we get to that.

I'll never understand why the fandom seems to worship this season...sigh...