Wonderful PreCure!

is a Japanese magical girl anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the twenty-first installment in the ''Pretty Cure'' franchise and its first entry with a title written in hiragana. It is directed by Masanori Sato and written by Yoshimi Narita, with character designs by Yoko Uchida and costume designs by NaSka. It began airing on all ANN stations in Japan on February 4, 2024, succeeding ''Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure'''s timeslot. The series' main theme is bonds and its main motifs are pets and animals.

Story

After the magical world of Niko Garden is attacked, its animal inhabitants are corrupted and turned into eggs. On Earth, in Animal Town, where humans and animals live together, middle school student Iroha Inukai is walking her pet dog Komugi when one of the eggs hatches into a monster called a Garugaru and begins rampaging. Komugi's desire to protect Iroha allows her to become human and transform into a Pretty Cure. She purifies the Garugaru and turns it back to its original form: a Niko Animal named Mey Mey. He tells her and Iroha about what happened to the Niko Garden and that they must purify the Garugaru to return them to normal. Together with Iroha and other Pretty Cures, Komugi works to save the Garugaru and protect everyone from them.

Characters

Pretty Cures

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:Iroha's pet Papillon, who lives in Animal Town and was abandoned before she took her in. Komugi is energetic, athletic, and curious, loves going for walks, and is a glutton. After gaining a human form, she is able to talk to Iroha and loves to imitate her catchphrase, . When a Garugaru attacks her and Iroha, Komugi's protective instinct for her owner and the power of the Mirror Stone allow her to become human and transform into Cure Wonderful using the Wonderful Pact. She is the first mascot to be a protagonist in the series. Her theme color is pink.

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:An honest and athletic second-year middle school student, who lives in Animal Town and is Komugi's owner. Her daily routine is taking Komugi for morning walks. She has many friends who she loves to help, and is well liked by animals. Her catchphrase is . Iroha transforms into Cure Friendy using the Wonderful Pact and the power of the Mirror Stone. Her theme color is purple.

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Supporting characters

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:Iroha's classmate, who is kind and good at studying. He is researching the history of Animal Town in hopes of learning more about the Mirror Stone. After learning that Komugi and Iroha are Pretty Cure, he uses his extensive knowledge of animals to support them.

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:Satoru's pet holland lop rabbit, who usually plays with Komugi.

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:A girl who has recently moved to Animal Town, where her parents own a branch of ''Pretty Holic''. She is shy and timid and often needs her pet cat, Yuki, to motivate her.

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:Mayu's pet cat who, like her owner, has recently moved to Animal Town. She supports her when she is shy.

Niko Garden

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:A sheep-like Niko Animal who once resided in the Niko Garden and worked as a butler. He was turned into a Garugaru following the attack on the Niko Garden, but Cure Wonderful purifies and saves him. Afterwards, he decides to support the Cures to find the remaining Niko Animals in the human world.

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The leader of the Niko Garden. Mey Mey used to work for them as a butler.

Villains

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:The main monsters of the series. They are born from corrupted Niko Animals that are trapped in eggs, which eventually hatch to wreak havoc.

Cures' family members

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:Iroha's mother.

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:Iroha's father.

Development

The series' trademark was first confirmed by Toei in November 2023, and the official website launched on November 30, 2023. The series was fully revealed on January 7, 2024, along with Toei announcing merchandise related to the series.

The theme of animals was confirmed by ABC producer Kanako Tada, who explained that "Nowadays, it has become common to bring various animals into our homes, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds. For me, dogs are important companions. Irreplaceable animals that shower us with great love... Although they may not speak the same language, there is probably an indescribable bond between animals and their owners." He said the theme is also connected to the bond between humans and its pets as an animal becoming a Pretty Cure for the first time, stating "In this Pretty Cure series, the main character, the dog Komugi, changes into a human form, She speaks with its owner Iroha in human language. We will then communicate our feelings to each other and deepen our bond. However, in the real world, animals and humans cannot communicate with each other. Komugi's lines spoken in this work are beyond the realm of imagination. "This is what the dog is probably thinking." You may worry that this is just the human ego. However, precisely because we cannot communicate with each other, we need to think deeply about the feelings of animals. The important thing is to make an effort to get to know the other person. I believe that after that, "compassion" is born, wishing for the other person's happiness. The most important thing is to understand each other without imposing your feelings on others."

Maki Takahashi of Toei Animation said that the theme of bonds is important, as is the relationships between the main characters: "The theme of this work is the bond with animals. Think about someone important to you and act accordingly. The relationship of "family" and "best friends" is the same for both humans and animals. This idea is reflected in our catchphrase: to dream, never giving up, standing up on your own feet, sharing with your friends, believe in your friends, act for someone and thinking about someone. The power of the feelings depicted and connected in the history of Pretty Cure. Even if we look different, even if we don't speak the same language, if we have a caring heart, it will definitely reach our hearts. We will carefully depict such a "Pretty Cure" appearance through the bond with animals."

The lead characters' voice actors released statements discussing their roles. Maria Naganawa stated that "I never thought that I would become a Pretty Cure, so I felt like I couldn't believe it. Immediately after that, I burst into tears with so many emotions: happiness, desire to do my best, and gratitude." Atsumi Tanezaki, who previously voiced Puca in ''Pretty Cure All Stars F'' stated that "When it was decided that I would be appearing in the movie ''Pretty Cure All Stars F'', I was very happy and honored to be able to work on Pretty Cure, but I never expected that I would be given this opportunity in the TV series as well. I watched many Pretty Cure characters in the movies, and felt the bond that everyone has created over the past year in each series, from the characters to the cast members. When I was recording for the movie, I couldn't see it with my eyes, but I could definitely feel it, and I was so jealous that I was so happy, and I thought, oh, I can do that too..."

Media

Anime

''Wonderful PreCure!'' premiered on February 4, 2024 on Japan's ANN stations, replacing ''Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure'' in its timeslot. The opening theme is by Chihaya Yoshitake and the ending theme is by Moeha Nochimoto and Ami Ishii. Erika Fukasawa composes the series's music.

Toei Animation Inc. licensed the anime outside Japan with Crunchyroll streaming the series in limited territories in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, CIS, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Episodes

Merchandise

Bandai Namco Holdings, under the Bandai branding, handles merchandising for the series, which includes toys and related goods. The fourth incarnation of the ''Pretty Holic'' cosmetic goods was released upon its debut.

See also

* ''Super Hero Time'' and ''Nichi Asa Kids Time'' - The timeslot blocks by ANN in Japan, which the series is part of.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
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{{Toei Animation

2024 anime television series debuts
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation original programming
Crunchyroll anime
Magical girl anime and manga
Pretty Cure
Toei Animation television
TV Asahi original programming