HeartCatch PreCure! (ハートキャッチプリキュア!), or HeartCatch Pretty Cure!, is a Japanese anime series and the seventh installment in the Pretty Cure metaseries by Izumi Todo, featuring the fifth generation of Cures. The series is produced by Toei Animation, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine, and written by Takashi Yamada. Character designs were done by Yoshihiko Umakoshi. The series premiered on February 7, 2010 on TV Asahi's ANN network, succeeding Fresh Pretty Cure!, and ended on January 30, 2011, where it was succeeded by Suite PreCure. The series has three topics: the language of flowers, which is an important element in the plot; the second is fashion, as Tsubomi joins the fashion club; and the third is music, as some of the Cures' attacks are named after musical terms and the series has several music-themed episodes. Overall, the Cures' main motifs are related to flowers, nature, and music, which are prominent in the names of characters and items, as well as the main storyline.

Story

In each person resides a Heart Flower, which is connected to the great Heart Tree that watches over everyone. Protecting this tree are the HeartCatch Pretty Cures, who defend it against the Desert Apostles, who plan to wilt everything and turn the world into a desert. However, when the current Pretty Cure, Cure Moonlight, is defeated in battle and the Heart Tree loses its flowers, she sends two fairies, Chypre and Coffret, to the surface to seek out her replacement. They find Tsubomi Hanasaki, a shy flower-loving girl who recently moved to Kibougahana with her family who is given the power to become Cure Blossom. Alongside her new friend, Erika Kurumi, who becomes Cure Marine, they fight against the Desert Apostles, who transform the wilting Heart Flowers inside people into monsters known as Desertians. By defeating these monsters, they gain Heart Seeds, which allow the Heart Tree to become healthier again.

Characters

HeartCatch Pretty Cures

Fairies

Unlike other fairies in the franchise, the fairies in this series are born from the Heart Tree and can separately find their own partner to become a Pretty Cure. They are also different from previous mascots in that they all end their sentences with "desu".

Kibougahana residents

Desert Apostles

The Desert Apostles (砂漠の使徒) are the main antagonists of the series. They serve and take orders from Dune, and aim to take over the world and turn it into a giant desert, a process which they aim to speed up by taking peoples' wilted Heart Flowers. They are also responsible for the withering of the Great Tree of Hearts.

Film-only characters

Media

Anime

The anime, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine and produced by Toei Animation, aired in Japan on ABC and other ANN stations between February 7, 2010 and January 30, 2011. The series uses three pieces of theme music, one opening and two ending themes. The opening theme is "Alright! HeartCatch PreCure!" (Alright!ハートキャッチプリキュア!) by Aya Ikeda. The ending theme for episodes 1–24 is "HeartCatch☆Paradise!" (ハートキャッチ☆パラダイス!) by Mayu Kudou, whilst the ending theme for episodes 25–49 is "Tomorrow Song Ashita no Uta" (Tomorrow Song ～あしたのうた～) by Kudou.

Print

A manga adaptation by Futago Kamikita began serialization in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine From March 2010 until February 2011. A novel adaptation, which expands the series was then released on September 16, 2015 under Kodansha's Character Bunko label. It is written by Takashi Yamada and illustrated by Yoshihiko Umakoshi.

Films

A film based on the HeartCatch PreCure series titled HeartCatch PreCure The Movie: Fashion Show in the Flower Capital... Really?! (ハートキャッチプリキュア!花の都でファッションショー・・・ですか!?) was released in Japan on October 30, 2010. It follows the Pretty Cures as they go to France and encounter a mysterious boy named Olivier, who is being manipulated by the mysterious villain, Baron Salamander. The French-language version released by Imagine in France on January 26, 2011 under the title 'HeartCatch Pretty Cure! Le film: Mission défilé à Paris' (HeartCatch Pretty Cure! The Movie: The Paris Show Mission). The film has been nominated for a Kidscreen Award for Best One-off, Special or TV Movie for Kids. The heroines also appear in all Pretty Cure All Stars films, starting with Pretty Cure All Stars DX2: Light of Hope☆Protect the Rainbow Jewel! (プリキュアオールスターズDX2 希望の光☆レインボージュエルを守れ！) The DX2 film was released on March 20, 2010.

Video games

There are currently three video games based on the series produced by Bandai. An educational game, Fashionable Transformation★HeartCatch PreCure! (おしゃれにへんしん★ハートキャッチプリキュア！), was released for the Sega Beena on July 22, 2010. HeartCatch PreCure! Fashion Collection (ハートキャッチプリキュア！おしゃれコレクション) is a minigame collection for the Nintendo DS and was released on August 5, 2010. Another DS title, Let's Play with Voices! HeartCatch PreCure! (こえであそぼう! ハートキャッチプリキュア!), released on November 11, 2010, allows players to record their own voices over scenes from the anime.

Reception

The series' success received a cult following by fans and praises of the series' overall presentation and story. The series' character designer, Yoshihiko Umakoshi was also awarded as best Character Designer in the 2010 Tokyo Anime Awards and the 2011 Tokyo International Anime Fair. It was also one of the selected anime series of the year in the December 2010 issue of British magazine Impact.