(Where I Watch) Heartcatch Precure!

[Wraithstrike]

I seemed to get some moderate interest from the Viewing Globe about this, so here's my episode by episode review/snark on HeartCatch Precure.


Where I Watch: Heartcatch Precure
Episode 1: I Want to Change! I'll Show you That I Can!

Precredit Sequence:
We open with an epic orchestral score as the wind blows across the battlefield. One Cure in white fights another in black on a rolling green hill. The way these two fight, it looks like they've done it before, many times.

This one:


Declares that this time she'll destroy the other, Cure Moonlight and the World Tree. She's going after Yggdrasil? The Norse gods must be pissed about that.
Cure Moonlight makes her mission clear.


She summons up the power of flowers with her Moon Tact to call down Floral Power Fortissimo. The Dark one calls for the power of Dark Power Fortissimo and they dash through each other samurai style. Both take the hit.

Without Moonlight to guard the World Tree, the Desert Apostles can destroy the world, or so they think. Even though all the flowers have fallen, the tree has not withered.
"It seems you're out of luck. Though I was beaten, other Precures will rise up in my place." Dark Precure isn't very happy about that, and moves to attack Moonlight.
Two faeries watch as Moonlight blocks the Dark Wave with her henshin charm. She sends her faeries to find her replacement. As everything explodes around her...

We find that it was a dream, had by this young lady,Hanasaki Tsubomi.


She and her family are headed to Kibougahana to open a flower shop and live near her grandmother, who is obviously just an old granny, not some superhero. Obviously.

Opening: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfoZRgoaIDk"]Heart Catch Precure OP - YouTube[/ame]

Typically in these reviews, I do a piece by piece commentary of the opening. Not so much here. I will say that it shows what you would expect from a Precure opening. Fight Scenes intercut with the every day life that they have to protect.

One thing I will comment on is the villains. I have a place in my heart for most of the villains from Splash Star, with the exception of Dorodoron, who nobody likes, not even his fellow villains. Each of the villains was memorable for the motivations and the differences in their styles. Each one has there own look, and just by showing me a picture of their faces, I could tell you who each one was, and what they did.
What does this have to do with Heartcatch? The Splash Star villains were unique in their appearances. The brief flash we get of all the villains here gives me more of a Final Fantasy vibe. True, each one may be wearing more clothes than the ladies in FFX-2, but for a group of villains based off the desolation and isolation of a desert, they all look too pretty. I'll probably be proven wrong later, but these villains just seem interchangeable right now.

The last shot of the opening is a poster shot of the two main heroines framed against the curvature of the earth. I have no problem with this, since I know that Precure series eventually do get that epic. Max Heart ended with a battle against darkness incarnate, and Splash Star ended with the girls responsible for Big Bang 3(Big Bang 2 being in the 90's, according to Doctor Who) and restarting the universe from their own memories.
For a Precure series, saving the world is not a distant goal or a euphemism for protecting your city. They actually do it.



Commentary:
I note that the animation style is different from what I'm used to from watching Max Heart and Splash Star. I can only assume that the character designs are simplified so they can put the animation budget into the fights.
So, on with the episode. Tsubomi introduces herself as she runs to her new school. She certainly doesn't seem like the shy, quiet type as she defines herself. But still, she's trying to change that.

She finds a four-leaf clover and says a little prayer for good fortune, drawing the attention of all the other students around.
Does Tsubomi get her "shyness" from the fact that she's wearing glasses? Even when she's trying to change here, she seems stiff, and the soundtrack plays to that with a cranking sound every time she takes a step. When her time comes to write her name on the board, another girl in the class tells the whole class that she wrote it too small.

Yeah, wavy, floppy arms and exaggerated motion. I'm not loving this animation style.
Tsubomi's having one of those moments. When her public image isn't on speaking terms with her internal monologue. She can't even squeak out a proper greeting, and the blue-haired girl calls her out for it.



This is Kurumi Erika. Good grief! You can't even be bothered to draw eyes in every scene? I'm really not liking this animation style.

Of course, the only open seat is right next to Erika, who is the complete opposite of Tsubomi's personality. She's a bit impish, and more than a bit loud. The other girls refer to Erika as a "my pace" girl, which requires bluntness to get through to. Everything Tsubomi does during her first day, Erika intrudes on and Tsubomi remains too shy to say anything about it.

There's also a bit here where Erika refers to their teacher as "tomboyish." IN WHAT UNIVERSE?

I just realized I'm watching The Odd Couple, disguised as a magical girl show. While the prior seasons I've seen had leads who were different people, Heartcatch takes that to unhealthy extremes.

Now Tsubomi's walking through the hall and she hears Erika chewing out another girl who's getting thrown into Cram School, and leaving behind the fashion club. Tsubomi tries to sneak away, but her pink hair is easily spotted and Erika chases her down, begging her to join the Fashion Club.

For the first time Tsubomi asserts herself. "I'M INTERESTED IN FLOWERS! DON'T DECIDE THINGS FOR YOURSELF!" Erika's not taking no for an answer and she stalks Tsubomi after school.

AW HELL NO! They live next door to each other? Hey, Fate or whatever force causes these coincedences, screw you! Even Nagisa and Honoka had a whole city between them! You had to go up the mountain to get from Pan-paka-pan to the observatory where Mai lived. This is just sloppy!

Erika drags Tsubomi to her house and gets her to try out new hairstyles and clothes. She gets what's likely to be her everyday outfit given to her by Erika, then storms out.

So, Erika's got an older sister Momo...must resist Den-o joke...dammit! Must resist goranger joke...Dammit!

Momo calls out Erika for being too blunt with other people. And this causes Erika to mope and grumble.

"Hating the Animation Style" Count= 3.

I don't care if you're doing it for comedic effect, it's too jarring. I'll keep this counter going, because I expect to be wowed by the fights and the story.
Tsubomi wonders if she overdid it. Maybe a leopard can't change its spots after all. Every time she closes her eyes she dreams about Cure Moonlight. "It's just a dream, so why does it bother me so much?"

Overhead, these two are flying by.


I'm not a fan of their voices, but I survived Porun, Lulun, Muup and Fuup. I can handle any faeries these shows throw at me.
Every so often, I like to get screenshots of the scenery in the show. So here's one.


It's a pretty cool view, but it's still not as awesome as the view from the school's roof in Splash Star.

Oh, I was beginning to wonder if we were actually watching Pretty Cure here. There's the requisite high-speed faerie impact and "The Plushies are Talking" Moment.
I guess these faeries can't keitaize, because they feel the need to hide in Tsubomi's bra. I'm not making that up.
When this woman:


shows up, her first very blunt question is "Did you see any faeries?" Rather than assume that Sasorina here is jealous of Tsubomi's breasts, I'm going to say she's not fooled for a moment. She's letting the faeries have their temporary victory.

She comes across Erika and notes this:


She just ripped the essence out of Erika! And while Tsubomi might not like Erika, nobody deserves that fate.
No, stupid girl! Don't politely ask for the Heart Flower! Go forth and kick her ass!

Sasorina notes a nearby ragdoll and fuses it with Erika's Heart Flower to create this:


As far as summoned monsters go, it's kinda scary, but it has a long way to go compared to my favorite, the Ridley Zakenna.

The Ragdoll Deserterian starts moaning Erika's despair for all to hear, even as it chases Tsubomi into the playground.

The faeries refuse to hand over something called the Heart Perfume. This isn't going to stand and Tsubomi has Cure Moonlight's wishes transferred to her.

"I don't get it, but I'll do it!" And that's Precure Bingo! I just won...a toaster oven. How nice.
Tsubomi's "PRECURE, OPEN MY HEART!" Count: 1

By slapping the seed into the perfume and saying the catchphrase, Tsubomi henshins. She sprays the perfume, changing her outfit to this.


"I will definitely save Erika's Heart Flower! For I am 'A Lone Flower, Blooming From The Earth! Cure Blossom!'"

I'm still more a fan of "'The Moon That Fills the Heavens! Cure Bright!"

Our Next Episode is Titled "I'm the Weakest Precure in History?"

Final Thoughts:

For all my snark, I'm actually enjoying the series. I'll never warm up to the animation style, but the characters definitely have my interest. Combine strong characters with an absolutely frightening method of summoning monsters, and I'll see this one to the end.

So the question is: Once I get through the series, should I also review the two All-Stars DX movie that came out before Suite Precure? I have no experience beyond youtube clips of the fights for the Yes! and Fresh! teams, but will that negatively affect my ability to enjoy the megacrossovers?

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 2: "Don't Tell Me I'm History's Weakest Precure?"

We start with a long pan up Cure Blossom's outfit, and the Ragdoll Desertrian tries to body slam her. Blossom jumps up to low orbit, craters back down to earth and spends the next two minutes just running. The faeries, Chypre and Coffret try to force her to fight, but eventually, the Desertrian grapples her, squeezing until she runs out of air.

At this moment, flower petals start raining from the heavens. The Desertrian is caught up in a pink storm. Did Blossom just get saved by Magipink?

Nope. She was apparently saved by U-Ryoutarou from Den-o. Take a look:


Even Sasorina is taken by Urataros here, who warps Blossom away.

Tsubomi wakes up in the greenhouse, and the faeries identify her grandmother as Cure Flower. Her fairy companion is Coupe, this guy.

That's not a fairy! That's an upside-down Victreebel!

Now, the faeries tell Grandma that Tsubomi is a Precure, and Grandma explains the dream about Cure Moonlight's defeat. Everybody who becomes a Precure has the dreams. Cure Moonlight was guarding the World Heart Tree, where everyone's Heart Flower comes from. If a Heart Flower is weakened, so is the heart tree.
There's an impact outside, and the ragdoll has returned.

The faeries look at the Flower Heart inside the Desertrian. The flowers inside the crystal are turning red, and then they'll wilt. If Tsubomi can't save Erika, her soul will be trapped in the sphere. Grandma hands her the Heart Perfume, and it's henshin time.

Tsubomi's "Precure, Open My Heart" Count: 2

Cure Blossom smacks the Desertrian with an open palm. And... dammit! Screw you and your hammerspace, show! The Desertrian summons a freaking hammer! The stupid ragdoll can teleport!
When the hammer smashes Blossom up into the air, it also wrecks some nearby flowers, so we get this moment:


Blossom rider kicks through the hammer, and starts trading punches with the ragdoll. Her own strength is amplified by her courage.

Sasorina binds Blossom with her stinger hair. Yeah, Stinger hair. But Blossom taps into the infinite well of courage to break free. She then grabs Sasorina by the hair and swings off into the distance.

"Now's the time to rescue your friend's Heart Flower! Call for the Blossom Tact!"


Blossom does this, and after eighty seconds, calls down the power of the Pink Forte Wave.

Flashy Finishing Move Count: 1


She just fired a flower-shaped artillery shell at the Desertrian! Once hit, the Desertrian is levitated by the spinning of the Blossom Tact. And then, explosion! Sasorina retreats, and the crystal containing the Heart Flower descends to earth.
By touching the crystal to the glass sphere containing Erica's body, they're able to restore her to health.

Erika knows, at least somewhat, that there was a Cure who guarded her. Erika apologizes for being too forward with Tsubomi, and Tsubomi agrees to join the Fashion Club.
Now every time a Desertrian is defeated, a heart seed is born from a...mooning dance. The seed will be placed in the Heart Pot, which is significantly smaller than the Fairy Carafe.

Chypre, the one with the pink collar, joins Tsubomi as her partner. Grandma takes Tsubomi home, who thinks that she's been changed by becoming a Precure. There's a pretty obvious effect here. She's not wearing glasses anymore.
She still stumbles a bit for comedic effect at the end.

The next episode is "The 2nd Precure is Raring to Go."

Thoughts on this episode:
The animation continues to grate on me, with floating question marks, hammerspace dolls and Sasorina not knowing whether she wants to look sexy or silly.

However, I have to give it props. When Tsubomi becomes Blossom the first time, it's because she's pushed into it. She has no clue how to fight, and her response, though overdone, would probably be the response any rational person would to suddenly having the power to fight a possessed toys.
Another point of kudos here is there's no "everybody's asleep/drained/looking away" stuff. There's a monster in the town, and people react accordingly. With abject terror.

The attack takes a long time to build up to. It was about eighty seconds to get to the Pink forte Wave, compared to 30 seconds for the Marble Screw and 45 for the Spiral Star Splash. Was it really necessary to fill that much time? Also, Blossom has some insanely high heels with that outfit. The force of the Forte Wave should drive her back twice as far as the Marble Screw sent Black and White, because she has no traction.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 3: The Second Precure is Raring To Go!

In a dream, surrounded by white roses and moonlight, Cure Blossom is being squeezed by her mystery rescuer. She pushes out, flinging Chypre and Coffret against the wall. At least it's her flinging you and not her cat. (Splash Star Reference:4)

She heads out to her balcony where Erika informs her she should probably get ready for school. I guess even if you're not the genki girl, if you're the lead, you're still going to be part of Club Usagi.

Erika notices that Tsubomi's not wearing her glasses, which Tsubomi half-bluffs away by saying if she's going to change her personality, she should start with her looks. And they go share lunch on the roof.


Umm, hold that thought.
*goes back to check on pictures of schools he attended*
One story. One Story. Two Stories. Three stories max, but only with a view of the campus itself. The last one had a belltower and an refurbished castle, but not much of a view, except of the highway.
*returns, somewhat frustrated*
I know it can't all be this way, but the schools in Precure have epic views. If I had a school with a view like that, I'd go every day, not just during the week. I'd probably not get a lot of work done, but god, that view is awesome.

Erika admits that she's been having dreams about Cure Moonlight's defeat. Which is why the faeries pop out of the bag and declare Erika as the second precure. She has the dreams, she has a recollection of Cure Blossom fighting for her sake, which means she's got the ability to take up the Precure mantle.
There's a sudden rush of similiarly suited student council members, heralding the arrival of this person.


They're trying to say this person is a boy? I highly doubt it. It's a girl, passing herself off as a boy, for reasons I'm not sure of yet. She asks Erika politely for the Fashion club roster, so they can make the school budget. She's off, with her army of kiss-ups.

As for the request to become a Precure, Erika says "Thanks, but this really isn't the time." Could that be a sensible answer? She drags Tsubomi away, and the faeries go to consult with Cure Flower.

Meanwhile, in Halloweentown, The Man in the Iron Mask is berating Sasorina from Queen Beryl's Throne. Check the Screenshots if you don't believe me.



She's making the standard excuses that I've heard so many times before. God, his voice is so familiar... Taiten Kusunoki? I am familiar with absolutely zero of his works, but that's probably because I feel Bleach and Naruto are a waste of time. *puts up a shield to ward off rotten fruit* But his voice is still so familiar.
So, anyway, this guy is Sabaaku, and he warns Sasorina to not allow Cure Blossom to collect more heart seeds.

Oh god, we're going there, aren't we? The big ostentatious sign, the headbands... It's Kenta's comedy club all over again(Splash Star Reference:5)

The first years aren't interested. Not even the redhead who's obviously going to be important to the plot. She's Sayaka and she wants to join the soccer club, but it's a boy's only thing. Nice bit of chauvanism there, jerk.

Sayaka goes under a bridge and practices her juggling and passing. She remembers how gender didn't matter when she was younger. She kicks the ball away, and Sasorina catches it. Yeah, she's being stalked for her Heart Flower.


Really? That's the best Desertian you can do? The faeries grab Sayaka's soul orb and bring it back to Erika and Tsubomi.

Tsubomi's "Precure, Open My Heart" count: 3
All this happens in front of Erika, who finds the whole outfit awesome. Blossom runs out to fight Desertrian, who's threatening the soccer team.
Blossom gives an awesome speech, and gets to fighting. This motivates Erika to join the fight as well. The Heart Perfume resonates with Erika's heart even as the Desertrian wails on Blossom.

"Stop there!" Erika shouts down to Sasorina.

"Just who are you?" Good to see the villains haven't lost their taste for straight lines.

"I'm Kurumi Erika! The Second Precure!"
Erika's "Precure, Open My Heart" Count: 1
And: Change!


"A lone flower swaying in the sea breeze! Cure Marine!" Erika remembers seeing Blossom transform in her dream and she put some thought into the name inbetween Tsubomi asking her to join and the battle.

She jumps into battle and tells Blossom to rest while she dares the Desertrian to "come get some." Suddenly, I like Erika a lot more.
Marine notes that when the Soccer Desertrian does the tornado spin, the head is wide open, which means...RIDER KICK! When Marine staggers the Desertrian, she pulls out a new trick. It's a Bubble Beam, called Marine Shoot. This knocks over the Desertrian, and now its time to reclaim the Heart Flower.

Flashy finishing move count: 3
Her Blue Forte Wave is much more frenetic than Blossoms Pink Forte Wave, so I can't get a good screencap of it.

Sasorina is about to challenge Marine, when Blossom steps up to help out. Two against one doesn't jibe with a villain's sensibilities, so Sasorina bails.

Marine restores Sayaka's Heart Flower to her body, and they feed her the line about collapsing. People who experience the Kaijuufication vaguely remember the event. Sayaka declares her new goal will be to start a Girl's Soccer Club. She's going to follow their example and recruit wildly.

Erika fixed up the doll from the first two episodes, and they run into a little girl who lost it. After returning the doll, the girls have become closer friends, and Erika suggests a crepe restaurant... maybe they'll run into the Kakurangers.
Our Next Episode is: The Precure Combo is Already Dissolved?

Really? Do we have to have this episode every time?

Thoughts on this episode:
How much longer can they keep up the "You just passed out" line, especially when there's so many other people who witness the monster attack?

Marine dove headlong into the fight, and came out looking badass. Did she also come up with the Marine Shoot in the interim?

I've already been spoiled on who the Class president is. I know who she becomes. No need to bring it up.

I've only seen two of them, but the Desertrians are only threatening by size. They lack the intimidation that comes from Uzainaa.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 4: The Precure Combo is Already Dissolved?

So we start off this episode with a Desertrian attack.


I have no idea what the heck it's based off. Blossom and Marine are already rushing to the battle while some new villain watches.

Attempt at Simultaneous Kick: Fail. Blossom trips in the street.

Attempt at Pink Forte Wave: Fail. Blossom has her Tact knocked out of her hand.

While Blossom tries to rescue a boy trapped in rubble, Marine moves in to lay hands on the Desertrian. MARINE IMPACT! Where does she come up with these moves?

Flashy Finishing Move Count: 4
Blue Forte Wave to end the monster. and the Blossom Tact was collected by the new villain:


Odd, he doesn't look like a spider. He gives back the Tact, because there would be no challenge in defeating such a weak precure. He goes back to the dark area, and declares that even if there are two precure, he bears the strength of a hundred. His foe is the world itself.

(And once again, though the voice sounds familiar, I've not seen any other works featuring Eiji Takemoto.)

In science class and afterward, Erika's showing how awesome she is at everything, while Tsubomi drags behind.

No, don't give into your despair! That's what the antispirals want!

Tsubomi goes to Erika's house to plan some recruiting and get some new outfits. Stop with the moping, Tsubomi!

Erika takes her out for a run, to a tennis court. where a Doubles team is breaking apart. Mao and Ayumi are trying to decide whether they need to find new partners...
Let's just skip this, ok? It's going to be a lot of Erika doing great things and Tsubomi becoming more and more depressed.
Of course, Momo is there to tell Erika that not everyone is like her.

Tsubomi goes to slam her face into Coupe's belly. She whines about being weak, clumsy, and a sad excuse for a precure. but Grandma is telling her that the true power of a precure comes from the heart not the body. "If it's you, you can do it."

Kumojacky stole Mao's Heart Flower and used it to create this.

Now I know why I'm not a fan of the Desertrians... Their faces look too much like Castle Crashers.

So the faeries get Blossom into the fight. And we get
"Precure Open My Heart: Tsubomi 4
Precure Open My Heart: Erika 2

It's actually a pretty stylish double transformation, and the things that the Desertrian say mirror the despair in Blossom's heart.
Both cure hold up the rollers while airing their issues with each other, and they throw the Desertrian down.

"It has to be you, Blossom!"

"A man must pass alone through the storms of life. All this talk about partnerships and working together is nonsense." Kumojacky got no time for stirring character growth.

"It's not nonsense. The Desire to live together is a precious part of what makes us who we are. You're just using her feelings to make that monster rampage. I won't stand for it!"

"Now's the time to use your combination attack!"

Flashy Finishing Move Count:5


This is Floral Power Fortissimo, where the two girls become a heart-shaped meteor that punches through the Desertrian's torso.

As the two tennis players make up, we get another common thing that I glossed over in previous episodes. A brief explanation of Floral Heraldry. Since every person's Heart Flower is different, there are different flowers to represent them and Mao's is a Bluestar, representing trust.

WHY DO THE HEART SEEDS COME FROM THE FAERIES' BUTTS?

Our Next Episode is :Rejected Ramen! Heal the Father and Son Bond!

Thoughts on this episode:

Good grief. EVERY TIME. EVERY FREAKING TIME! We saw this in Futari Wa, We saw it in Max Heart, and We saw it in Splash Star. There's always an episode where their bond might be broken early on. At least with Futari Wa, the reason the combo temporarily fell apart was because of a fight between the leads.

Here, the manufactured crisis is even worse, because Tsubomi lets her own insecurities overtake her, and this causes a breakdown in communication, which almost leads to the dissolution of the team.

The only upside to this episode is that it brings Kumojacky into the field, and I actually like how he wants to fight the Precures at their strongest. Reminds me of Kintolesky, who is my favorite villain by far. Opening the episode with a Desertrian attack is also a refreshing change of pace.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 5: Rejected Ramen: Heal the Father-Son Bond.

Erika's favorite ramen restaurant is opening a branch in Kibougahara, and the son of the owner is none too thrilled about that. He storms off in a huff.

Huh, the opening features most of the key scenes from DX2. Maybe I will hit the DX All-stars movies after I finish the series.

The son is playing baseball, and has earned his position as a starting player. Back when he was a first-year was when the first ramen restaurant opened. Miura here was advertising openly for the restaurant, but now he's cold.

Tsubomi comes home to see her parents preparing the congratulations bundle for the ramen restaurant.
Pointless Toyetic Moment. All Cure Faeries need to eat. So they need a special device drawn from the fur of Coupe's belly to feed them.

Of course, Erika ties this back into the Miura Ramen.

How did Coupe reach Tsubomi's head without moving? For a big guy, he's got a great reach.

Grandma Hanasaki brings out some Thyme tea to help boost Tsubomi's courage.

Tsubomi tries to talk to Miura the younger, but injures herself running up the stairs. He gives her a bandage, and finally Tsubomi comes out with it. "Why can't you support your father? Do you not want him to run the ramen restaurant?"

"That's not it at all!" He turns away, looking at a father and son playing catch. Akira and his father played catch at the canal from Futari Wa. His father came to all his games, but...

Down at the Dark Zone, Kumojacky mentions that he was trying to get a measure if the precures and gets confronted by this guy: Cobraja.


COBRAS AREN'T BLUE!
So, Sasorina's trying to be sexy, Kumojacky walked in off a Super Robot set, and Cobraja is totally camp.

Voice Actor Check: Hirofumi Nojima. Nope, still don't know him.

Cobraja and his little minions are looking for the perfect backdrop to film his dramatic entrance, and he picks the ramen restaurant and Akira as the stage.


Still not scary. Erika and Tsubomi see the Ramen Desertrian, and now:
Precure Open My Heart: Tsubomi 5
Erika:3

Cobraja gives each of the cures signed glossy, because he's just like that.
Getting down to the fight, the Cures lead the ramen monster into the park, and we get an awesome scene of Marine skating down the long noodles, and the ramen monster using his noodles as catapults.

Blossom intercepts a blast meant for the Ramen Store, and they see that while Akira is fighting with his own emotions. Part of him wants to wreck the ramen store, and the other part doesn't want to wreck his dad's dream. While he deals with this conflict, Cobraja appears to mock him for his weakness.

Blossom is better than Marine at dealing out epic catchphrases. But that doesn't matter as it's time for Floral Power Fortissimo.
Flashy Finishing Move Count:6

The father and son play catch and make up.

Floral Heraldry moment: Salvia means Familial Love.

Heart Seed Get.

Our Next Episode is "Scoop! The Precures' identities are revealed?"

Thoughts on this episode:
I take back what I said about the generic nature of the villains. Each one seems to have their own personality.
I love Cobraja's personality. Make it flashy, make it lovely, make Cobraja look good.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 6: Scoop! Precure's Identities are revealed?

Our class president is busy throwing down all comers in the dojo, when this girl shows up to get some photographs.


Tada Kanae is her name, and photography is her game. And she's likely to be today's Desertrian target.


She's got some photos from all the various clubs, and most of the shots are of embarrassing moments. And her big scoop that's coming up is that she'll get pictures of the Precures.

No! Bad things won't happen if the secret gets out. It hurts more to keep the secret.

Kanae is trying to interview other people about the Precures. Everyone she talks to says they only remember seeing them in a dream. Maybe she should talk to the boy's soccer club as a whole.

She goes to the botanical gardens, and almost spots Chypre and Coffret. But she gets distracted by the appearance of U-Ryoutarou.

When she meets up with Grandma Hanasaki, she sees Coupe as nothing but a stuffed animal and Grandma diverts her away.

Kanae goes to Erika's father, who is a professional photographer. Mister Kurumi basically shoots down Kanae, telling her that the embarrassing photos she calls scoops lack love. " A photograph should be a mirror into the heart of the subject. The best pictures make both the viewer and the subject happy." He shows one picture she took of a soccer star getting smacked in the face. "This boy's love for soccer should be caught in its purest form."
Kanae wanders off and gets her Heart Flower ripped out by Sasorina.


This Desertrian actually has a bit of a fear factor to it, because if it takes your picture, you freeze in place. It's not a new idea, though. You get the same thing from the Media Magician in Dairanger.

Precure Open My Heart Count: Tsubomi:6, Erika 4

The Precures send the soccer team away and get to fighting. It's not long before Blossom gets knocked down. Marine rushes to intercept and gets Freeze-framed.


The faeries have a solution for this. "Use a Red Heart Seed and call upon the blessed perfume of red light. A spray to make my mood...SPEED UP!"

Before the Desertrian can smash her, Blossom steps into Accel Form. The coolness of watching her pull off Tenkasei Higi Ryuusei Senko( as seen here: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzu9Wovb6MY"]Dairanger Red Ryuuranger - YouTube[/ame])) is canceled by the uncoolness of her special attack: Blossom Butt Punch. Yeah she does a high-speed butt strike.
Immediately after, the speed effect wears down and the Desertrian is back on its feet.

Flashy Finishing Move Count: 7

PINK FORTE WAVE!
They return the flower of the heart to Kanae, in this case a Blackberry for "Caring for Others"

Kanae gives Tsubomi some pictures of the class president, and snaps a picture of Erika taking the photos from her.

Our Next Episode is : My Beloved Student Council President! I can't conceal my maiden's heart!
Boy, is Tsubomi in for a rude awakening.

Thoughts on this episode:
This one actually played out rather well. They set up believable characters and events. By tying it back into previous episode's continuity, and showing a use for this season's collectibles, they add an extra layer to the show.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Just a note: Aside from a few spoilers, and some youtube clips, I'm coming into this series fresh. This really is my first time watching Heartcatch.

Episode 7: My Beloved Student Council President! I Can't Conceal My Maiden's Heart.

Let's just get down to it. Tsubomi is smitten with the Student Council President, and it causes her trouble in class. Not too much trouble, as even through her daydreaming, she's able to translate the English lesson for the day.

The Student Council President arrives for the club roster. Because the deadline is passed, if Erika doesn't get it in by the end of the day, the fashion club will be disbanded.
Erika bribes three girls in class with discounts at Fairy Drop. When Erika brings her roster at the end of the day, they wind up walking into a room full of Gendo Glare. Seems the president went home, which is Erika's next step. Face-to-face negotiations.

While Itsuki works on Martial Arts, Tsubomi falls hard for her. When they convince Itsuki to keep the Fashion Club, it's revealed that Itsuki's a girl. Not a big surprise to me, but it utterly crushes Tsubomi. Tsubomi stays home the next day to get over the loss of her first love.

Itsuki's brother is possibly terminally ill, and she has to take on the role of male heir to keep their martial arts school alive.

And today, we have Cobraja investigating Itsuki, who received a bunch of presents from the schoolgirls, including a stuffed bunny. When Itsuki takes a moment to enjoy how cute it is, that's when Cobraja makes his move.

Out comes the Peony of Itsuki's heart, and it joins with a school statue of who I'm assuming is Itsuki's grandfather.


Precure, Open My Heart Count: Tsubomi 6, Erika 5

Looks like petrification is a theme here, as the Statue Desertrian paralyzes several students, and even the teachers.
Of course, Cobraja is stunned to realize that the "perfect boy" he found is actually a girl. She just wants to do things normal girls do, and in the midst of the fight, she flips out and kicks Cobraja into orbit. Not like he didn't deserve it.

Blossom has arrived on scene to help purify Itsuki.

Flashy Finishing Move Count: 8

When they bring back Itsuki, Tsubomi offers membership in the fashion club to help her relax. Itsuki says she'll consider it, then wonders why Tsubomi showed up to school in her nightgown.

Itsuki fixes the bunny doll, and decides to not hide it.

Floral Heraldry: A Peony represents "Nobility, Style and Modesty of a Monarch." But Tsubomi is still in her pajamas, and rushes home to change.

Our Next Episode is about Erika's sister Momo. The title is "The Charismatic model Sighs, But Why?" Probably for the same reason the school idol cried in Futari Wa.

Thoughts on this episode:
I saw this coming. In this case, I'm glad they got this particular bit out of the way. There was no way they could keep up Itsuki's dual identity for long.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 8: The Charismatic Model Sighs, But Why?
Morning at the Kurumi house. Erika wakes up to find a flurry of activity spinning around her sister. Because Momoka is a model, she's getting ready for a photoshoot, and Erika is summarily ignored. At least until she gets up in Momoka's face about not having to go to school and being pampered.
Of course, Momoka throws it back at her. "if you like it so much, why don't you try it?"
This is a common occurrence in the Kurumi household.

Tsubomi picked up a magazine featuring Momoka, and Erika rather pointedly identifies her as family. She's not happy about it. Tsubomi remembers the words spoken by the Doll Desertrian when Erika Heart Flower was stolen. She is however able to get Erika to focus on Fashion Club business.

Momoka finishes her photoshoot and heads in to school, where she finds no joy in her popularity. She eats alone, and her only friend at school is Yuri, seen here. I wonder if she might be important.


Momoka shows up at the crepe restaurant, and as a result, the fashion club prevails on Erika to let them sit on one of Momoka's photo shoots. Momoka's going to allow it if she gets to look at Erika's sketchbook. It actually looks like Momoka likes Erika's designs, but of course Erika sees the worst.
SPIN THE WHEEL OF VILLAINS! Our villain today is Kumojacky!


Momoka gets the security guard to let in the Fashion Club, while Kumojacky watches from above. Kumojacky's jackets is right below Captain Marvelous' jacket on my list of awesome coats.

Seeing Erika's friends laughing hits Momoka hard, and her heart flower wilts.


Kumojacky makes a flashy entrance and rips out Momoka's heart flower in front of everyone. Erika rushes to pick up the body orb, while Kumojacky summons this...


Made from Momoka's makeup kit. It rates about .5 out of 10 for the fright scale.
Precure, Open My Heart Count: Tsubomi 7, Erika 6

"No one understands how I feel!" The desertrian speaks. Marine gets pummeled through a building, and Blossom hits back with the Blossom Shower. It's better than the butt bump.

"It's true, I attained my dream of becoming a model. I wear pretty clothes and have lots of fans. But I've lost so much. A normal life with normal friends. Erika's my sister, but I can't help being jealous of her. I don't want to be treated differently! I just want to be able to have fun with my friends! Is that too much to ask?"

Ok, Lipstick Missiles. Nice touch.

And Marine gets her catchphrase! "My heart may be bigger than the sea, but it's taken all it can stand! Say your prayers, Kumojacky!"

BLOSSOM FLOWER STORM! drives the missiles away so Marine can perform Blue Forte Wave
Flashy Finishing Move Count: 9

Momoka's Heart Flower is restored: A Dahlia, meaning Elegance.

Momoka and Erika walk home and Momoka mentions that since her dream of becoming a model came true, she can now focus on making friends.

The next Episode is: My Father's been Scouted! Will He Quit Being A Florist?
The cynical side of me says: Nope. He won't. But only because I've seen this plotline run before. And it looks like it might be a Cobraja episode.

Thoughts on this episode:
Kumojacky got shafted when all he could find was makeup for a desertrian.

I find that Sabaaku has more of a casual evil than Akudaikaan or the Dark King. He doesn't punish his generals for failure, and he doesn't care who goes out into the world. It's all moving his plot forward.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 9, My Dad's Been Scouted? Will He Quit Being a Florist?

Tsubomi's father was at one time an esteemed professor, I assume of Horticulture or Agriculture. He has a former student in right now asking him to come join his company.
Another bit of backstory for Tsubomi's family. Her father was studying the botanical gardens, while her mother was searching for just the right flowers for her company, a florist that caters to the stars. They literally bumped into each other. They fell in love at first sight, and got married within a month.

Again, I've seen this plotline before. Her father straight up refused the offer. "Being a florist keeps my blood pumping." That was a quick resolution, which means... yeah, the guy's going to try to prevail on her father.

Cobraja's having a sandbath. and he translates the jibbering of the minions for our benefit. These Snackies trick Cobraja into getting into action. They are really smart.

The meeting between the scout and Tsubomi goes into the botanical gardens and Erika has this reaction:


That's exactly the reaction my family has to me watching JewWario reviews.
Obata is working to create hybrid plants, and needs Tsubomi's aid in making her father agree. But Grandma Hanasaki is there. "Be careful you don't break this girl's heart."

FLASHBACK. A lot of Tsubomi's shyness and pain comes from the fact that before now, her parents were almost never around. They'd leave her in her grandmother's care every day, and she'd see them off with a smile every day, but as the years went on, the smiles became more forced. The parents realized that while they were trying to provide for their family, it was coming apart at the seams. It almost destroyed Tsubomi to watch her family leave every day, and that's why her parents opened the flower shop in Kibougahana, so that they'd never cause that sadness for their daughter ever again.

*pause*
OH MY GOD. That... That's magnificent. They just compressed eight years of Tsubomi's life into a forty second montage. And it was glorious. That is how you do a character backstory.

"The reason he turned down your offer if because he couldn't bear to watch his family fall part again."

Obata leaves dejected, knowing that he can't take Mister Hanasaki away from this. And as he walks through a blood-red sunset, he meets Cobraja.
Here's the heart flower:


and Here's the Desertrian:


Choose your Joke here:
1. Dial D for Desertrian.
2. Somebody call Inui Takumi!
3. See, Chypre and Coffret, even the Desertrians can Keitaize.
4. Is Cobraja just phoning it in?

Erika and Tsubomi walk down the street and get pummeled by a sonic ringing. They find the Phone desertrian and the orb containing Obata's body:

Precure Open My Heart Count: Tsubomi 8, Erika 7

Cobraja gets shot down when cures say they didn't wait for him.

For a cellphone, this Desertrian is rather nimble. He blasts Marine with a sonic wave, right through a wall.
Obata's wishes and feelings are spouted by the Desertrian: "I want to do reasearch. I want to make the hybrids. But if I tell them that, I'll be fired. I want to do it, but I'm too scared to tell them."

Cobraja calls out Obata for being a coward, which is the cue for the dramatic speeches.

The Cures use their numbers and the Desertrian's agility against it. When one of them jumps at it, the other jumps to where it's going to go.
They hit it with a Double Shoot then call down Floral Power Fortissimo.

Flashy Finishing move Count: 10

At the end of the day, Tsubomi meets a little girl who wants to buy a sunflower, but since they're out of season, she promises that she'll save the biggest and best sunflower for her. And they use this for the object lesson for Obata.

Floral heraldry: White Hyacinth=Serene Love.

The Next Episode is: The Greatest Pinch! Dark Precure Makes Her Entrance!
There'd better be an epic fight.

Thoughts on this episode:
In the first two episodes, we saw what made Erika suffer silently. Last Episode, we saw the suffering of Erika's sister. And here, even though her own Heart Flower is nowhere close to wilting, we can see the pain that Tsubomi goes through. It really only took two episodes to make Erika and Tsubomi into three-dimensional characters, but here, just before the ten-episode mark, they've shown that their families are also people as well.

I actually liked this Desertrian, because I just knew beforehand that the phone would be the basis and there'd be a sonic attack.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 10:The Greatest Pinch! Dark Precure Makes Her Entrance!

Blah Blah Blah, Sabark explains his plan and chews out his generals for their failure. "If it was Cure Moonlight, I could understand why you were losing. but why are you losing to these rookie Precures?"

Dark Precure asks for the chance to defeat the Precures and Sasorina is sent along as her subordinate. When she raises her voice to ask why she has to follow Dark Precure...Dark Precure opens her yellow eye, and the magical force behind it drives Sasorina backwards ten feet. Now that's how you do casually powerful.

Erika's trying to force Tsubomi to go for a walk. After helping her with her homework, they grab the faeries and head out for the stroll.

Long sweeping landscape shots, and a further discussion of the mission. A secret miracle will occur when the Great Heart Tree is restored.

The Blue Heart Seeds are antidepressants? I'll buy it.

The cures meet up with Sayaka, the soccer player. Her Girl's Soccer Club was accepted as a real club.

Dark Precure says it's time to darken the name of the Precures.

Sasorina and a team of Snackies try to take on Sayaka, to comic effect. Sayaka drives through the Snackies without any real resistance, but Dark Precure is in the goal. She stops the ball with psychic energy and identifies herself as a Precure before launching the ball back with enough force to bowl over the entire team.
The ball sails over the school, landing near Tsubomi and Erika at the flower garden.

Next, Dark Precure and Sasorina go to a flower field and utterly wreck it in full view of the people.


That's some epic darkness there. She introduces herself, opens her eye and declares her plan. "You two have no chance of defeating me because you have no goal."
Dark Precure holds down the girls with telekinetic force and takes the faeries. "If you want them back, bring all your heart seeds to the water tower."

Erika and Tsubomi go over their options at the botanical gardens, very loudly. Hey, look, it's Yuri!

Floral Heraldry from Yuri: The Geranium means True Friendship. She doesn't think the girls really count as true friends. They take the heart Pot and rush to the rescue.
Tsubomi and Erika try to fight the Snackies unarmed and it doesn't go well.


U-Ryoutarou returns! he teleports in, grabs the faeries, creates a whirlwind to knock down the snackies and Sasorina, then vanishes.
Drawing comparisons between him and Tuxedo Kamen don't really work, because Tuxedo Kamen actually talks.
Precure Open My Heart Count: Tsubomi 9, Erika 8

And now let's play Bowling for Snackies! I hope the Snackies have good insurance.

They go for a combo move, but it's not a finisher. The Grand Explosion happens, sending Sasorina and the Snackies airborne. And they meet Team Rocket coming the other way.

"Such trifling nonsense. Trusting in each other won't let you beat me. I'll take you out, like I did to Cure Moonlight."

"The wishes that Cure Moonlight entrusted to us will never be forgotten. We'll never accept defeat!"

Flashy Finishing Move Count: 11

The Floral Power Fortissimo drives Dark Precure back a few feet, before her eye opens. The cures get knocked back to basic clothes of light. Dark Precure is about beat them with the Dark Tact, when she sees Yuri standing behind them.
"I see. So that's what happened." Dark Precure takes her leave, and as the cures struggle to help each other up, Yuri walks away, looking at this thing in her palm:


I could say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. I picked up on the visual similarity between Yuri and Moonlight the first time we saw Yuri.

Our next episode is "Achoo! Power up with Kung-fu!"

Thoughts for this episode: I always love it when plot points introduced in a previous episode see some resolution. To see Sayaka has just enough girls to make her soccer club work is excellent.

The plan to soil the name of Precure didn't really work out for me. This is two incidents compared to a past history of nine saves. Dark Precure will have to try harder than that.

475 Snackies were harmed in the making of this episode.