Smile PreCure!

Smile PreCure!
is a 2012 Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation and the ninth installment in Izumi Todo's Pretty Cure metaseries, featuring the seventh generation of Cures. The series is written by Shōji Yonemura, best known as the head writer of Glass Fleet and Kamen Rider Kabuto. The character designs were done by Toshie Kawamura, who previously worked on character designs for Yes! PreCure 5. Like Yes! Pretty Cure 5, the team has five members with a color scheme of pink, red, yellow, green, and blue, but unlike it the team's members are classmates in their second year of middle school, and there are no additional team members. The series aired on All-Nippon News Network (ANN)'s TV Asahi network between February 5, 2012 and January 27, 2013, replacing Suite PreCure♪ in its timeslot, and was succeeded by DokiDoki! PreCure. A film was released in Japanese theaters on October 26, 2012, and a novel was released in 2016, serving as an epilogue that takes place 10 years after the events of the anime. An illustration book of Toshie Kawamura's works was released on February 12, 2014. The series' main topics are fairy tales and happiness.
The series was adapted into English by Saban Brands under its SCG Characters unit under the name Glitter Force and was released as a Netflix exclusive outside of Asia and in multiple languages on December 18, 2015. As of May 24, 2017, the Glitter Force trademark and the license are owned by Toei Animation. As of June 14, 2018, Hasbro currently owns the rights to the brand alongside other Saban Brands entertainment assets. It is the second series in the franchise to receive an English-dubbed adaptation, after the original Pretty Cure series.
Plot
The kingdom of , the home of various characters from fairy tales, is attacked by the evil Pierrot (Saban: Emperor Nogo), who intends to give the world an unhappy ending, but is stopped when the queen uses the last of her energy to seal him away. When Pierrot's minions from the Bad End Kingdom (Saban: Shadow Realm) plan to revive him by harnessing Bad End Energy from the people of Earth, the queen sends the fairy Candy to assemble a team of five magical girls. The series follows the formation of the team and their adventures as they fight off their enemies to collect the Cure Decor (Saban: Glitter Charms), which embody the queen's power of happiness and can be used to upgrade their powers and revive the queen.
Characters
Characters are listed by their Japanese names.
Main characters
The titular characters are a team of magical girls whose secret base is the , a pocket dimension where fairy tales and stories are stored. They collect the , which are stored in a jewelry box called the and are needed to revive the queen. The girls place the items in a compact case called a , applying the compact powder to themselves while shouting to transform.
Smile Pretty Cures
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The main protagonist. A 14-year-old girl and a transfer student to , who loves fairy tales. She is energetic and optimistic, but clumsy. Her theme color is pink, and she has the power of light. She introduces herself with .
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A 14-year-old girl who is a student at Nanairogaoka Middle School and a star member of its volleyball team. She is from Osaka and speaks with a Kansai dialect. Her family runs an okonomiyaki restaurant called Okonomiyaki Akane, which she sometimes works at. Although she often jokes around, she is passionate about what she cares about. Her theme color is orange, and she has the power of fire. She introduces herself with .
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A 13-year-old girl who is a student at Nanairogaoka Middle School and a member of its homemaking club. Her father Yuichi passed away when she was young. She enjoys drawing action hero characters and aspires to be a mangaka. Though timid, shy, and prone to crying, Yayoi is loyal, diligent, and headstrong when it comes to those she cares about. Her theme color is yellow, and she has the power of lightning. She introduces herself with .
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A 14-year-old girl who is a student at Nanairogaoka Middle School and the captain of its soccer team. She is straightforward, reliable, and has a strong sense of justice, though gets frustrated when things don't go her way. She is the oldest of six siblings, taking on a motherly role in her family. Her theme color is green, and she has the powers of wind and super speed. She introduces herself with .
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A 14-year-old girl who is a student at Nanairogaoka Middle School. She is the vice president of its student council and a member of its archery club and art club. She is intelligent, elegant, and kind, but becomes angered once her patience reaches its limits. Her theme color is blue, and she has the power of ice. She introduces herself with .
Mascots
A lamb-like fairy with light pink fur and long curly fluffy yellow ears worn with pink bows who is the team's mascot. She is cheerful, energetic, and fashionable, enjoying her ears being styled like hair. The Royale Queen sends her to Earth to recruit the Pretty Cure and recover the stolen Cure Decors, a vital member of the team by providing them with Cure Decors for their power-ups and team attacks and using the Royale Clock to boost their power. In the series finale, it is revealed that Joker knew of her connection to the Miracle Jewel and that her mission was preparing her to succeed Queen as the new ruler of Märchenland. This results in her gaining the ability to transform into the human-like once the Cure Decors are finally gathered, helping her friends in the final battle before assuming her role as Märchenland's sovereign.
Candy's older brother, a lion-like fairy/pixie with light orange fur and an orange mane who takes pride in his masculinity and hates being called "cute". However, he becomes flustered when Yayoi calls him "fierce and cool". He and Candy were tasked with searching for the five chosen ones to become Pretty Cure. He reunites with Candy once she assembles the group, explaining their mission and giving them the Decor Décor. He usually remains in Märchenland, but usually visits the group during important matters. He is capable of using ninjutsu arts, including transformation into various forms to assist the Pretty Cure in battle.
The Queen of Märchenland and the origin of the fairies/pixies, who regard her as their mother. When Pierrot attacked Märchenland, the Cure Decors were stolen and she sacrificed herself to seal away Pierrot. She sends Candy to search for the Pretty Cure to recover the Cure Decors and restore her power. Though the Pretty Cure gather the Cure Decors, the Royal Queen uses her power to grant them their Princess forms during their battle against Pierrot, with the girls gathering more Cure Decors to make another attempt at reviving her. However, in the series' finale she reveals that her restoration was a ruse when she protects Candy from Joker, revealing her to be her successor as queen and giving her the Miracle Jewel.
Bad End Kingdom
The , are the main antagonists, who strive to revive Emperor Pierrot by collecting Bad End Energy from people. They do this by smearing the pages of a magic book with the contents of a black paint tube, which is a manifestation of Pierrot's will. This creates a spatial field called a Dark Zone, which amplifies negativity and places those unprotected into a deep despair while their Bad End Energy is extracted and collected into the book. This process advances a clock-like meter called the "Wheel of Doom" which counts down Pierrot's resurrection. Joker and the Akanbe are based on clowns, while the three generals are based on villains from fairy tales. The three generals are later revealed to be Märchenland fairies that Joker recruiting by exploiting their resentment over their reputation as villains alienating them from others. They are eventually purified back to their original fairy forms by Miyuki and return to Märchenland after Pierrot’s defeat.
The main antagonist of the series, who aims to wipe out hope until only despair remains. Prior to the series' events, Pierrot attacked Märchenland and stole the Cure Decors from the Royale Queen, who used the last of her strength to seal him away. For the first half of the series, the minions of the Bad End Kingdom collect Bad End Energy from humans to revive Pierrot. Through seemingly defeated once the Pretty Cure gain their Princess forms, Pierrot survived, with a fragment forming into an egg that gradually increases as it is infused with Bad End Energy. Once restored, he absorbs Joker and creates an army of shadowy monsters. He evolves into a new form and almost destroys the world until is he permanently killed by the Pretty Cure.
The secondary antagonist of the series, who is based on a harlequin and acts as an intermediary to the Three Commanders who observes their progress. He is playful yet sadistic, and has the power to create Akanbe Noses from his headdress. He also seeks the Miracle Jewel with the intention of destroying it and anything that gives others hope. Following the Three Commanders' final defeat, Joker creates the Bad End Pretty Cure to distract the girls during Pierrot's revival while attempting to kill Candy after she transforms into what he assumes is the Miracle Jewel. Once Pierrot's resurrection is complete, Joker reveals himself to be a fragment of his master's being and dissolves into black paint while allowing himself to be absorbed by Pierrot. Joker returns as the main antagonist of the epilogue novel, having survived Pierrot's destruction as an immortal embodiment of despair. He uses Miyuki's book to feed on the adult Pretty Cures' negative energy to regain a physical form as , but is defeated.
An anthropomorphic gray wolf with violet eyes and white hair who wears a blue leather outfit that resembles that of a biker. He is bitter and rude and looks down upon peoples' hopes and dreams, expressing disgust towards the Pretty Cures' ideals. He is based on the Big Bad Wolf in fairy tales such as the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. He is eventually purified back to his original form .
A red-skinned troll with an afro and horns who carries a large club. He is based on the oni in fairy tales such as Momotaro. He is not as intelligent as to the other villains and prefers to use brute force when fighting his opponents. He is eventually purified back to his original form .
An elderly witch who is based on the witches in fairy tales such as Snow White. She devises various inventions to use against the girls, which her fellow commanders thoughtlessly throw them into the human world. She can also temporary transform into a youthful and beautiful version of herself to fight opponents directly, and has the power to create clones of herself. She is eventually purified back to her original form .
Clown-like monsters created when an Akanbe Nose is combined with an object such as a volleyball or a tree. The standard red-nosed Akanbes are created with noses fashioned from a Cure Decor and drop it upon being purified. Joker later creates other types, such as like the blue-nosed Akanbes, his personal yellow-nosed Akanbe, and others.
Constructs of Bad End Energy which Pierrot used in his attack on Märchenland. After his resurrection on Earth, the Despair Giants are summoned to cover the planet in darkness before being absorbed by Pierrot.
Pierrot's personal army of monsters, which are created from black ink and can regenerate at a fast rate. He sends them tp overwhelm the Pretty Cure before they acquire their Royale Mode forms and are able to easily defeat them.
Clones of the Pretty Cures, which Joker creates using the last Cure Decor and the Three Commanders' expunged darkness to keep the Pretty Cures from preventing Pierot's resurrection. They are dark reflections of the Cures who seek to prove their superiority to the originals. Each Bad End Cure separates her original from the others to engage in one-on-one death matches, only to be destroyed.
Supporting characters
Family members
Miyuki's mother.
Miyuki’s father.
Miyuki's grandmother. who lives alone in the countryside. Her unfaltering optimism makes her incapable of falling into despair.
Akane's father. He runs an okonomiyaki shop called Okonomiyaki Akane, which he named after his daughter because it opened after her birth.
Akane's mother. She doesn't help with her husband's business because she is unable to cook.
Akane's younger brother, who is a freshman at Nanairogaoka Public Middle School and a member of its basketball club.
Yayoi's mother, who works as a fashion stage manager for Fairy Drop.
Yayoi's late father, who gave her her name.
Nao's mother.
Nao's father.
Nao's five younger siblings. Haru and Hina are girls, while the rest are boys.
Reika's mother, who is an aikido expert.
Reika's older brother, who is a judo protégé.
Reika's grandfather, who is a Japanese calligraphy expert.
Other characters
The homeroom teacher of class 2-2.
A foreign exchange student from the United Kingdom, who Akane has a crush on.
A middle school teacher.
Fujiwara
An owarai comedy duo who guest star as themselves in episode 17.
A policeman who often meets Majorina as she loses her inventions, but she usually runs off without saying goodbye.
Minor characters
The president of Nanairogaoka Public Middle School's student council, who is very popular among female students for his handsome looks.
The clerk of Nanairogaoka Public Middle School's student council.
Movie characters
Characters who appear in the film Smile PreCure! The Movie: Big Mismatch in a Picture Book!
A purple-haired girl who lives within a picture book that played a role in shaping Miyuki's outlook as a child. However, her story was incomplete since some of its pages were missing, and she holds a grudge against Miyuki for not finishing her story like she promised.
The main antagonist of the film, a purple bird-like dragon and the villain of Nico's story. He corrupted Nico to act on her grudge toward Miyuki, but after Nico discards her hatred toward her, he personally attacks the Pretty Cure before being purified by Ultra Cure Happy.
The hero of the story Momotarō.
The hero of the fairy tale Issun-bōshi.
One of the protagonists of the story Journey to the West.
The protagonist of the folktale Cinderella.
A demon who is an antagonist in Momotarō.
A demon who is an antagonist in Issun-bōshi.
Media
Anime
The 48-episode Smile PreCure! anime aired on TV Asahi and other Japanese stations between February 5, 2012 and January 27, 2013, replacing Suite PreCure♪ in its previous timeslot. The opening theme is by Aya Ikeda. The ending theme used in episodes 1-24 is by Hitomi Yoshida, and the ending theme for episodes 25-48 is also by Yoshida. All three songs are composed by Hideaki Takatori. A Blu-ray Box Set by Marvelous AQL and TC Entertainment was released on October 26, 2012, in the same fashion as Suite PreCure. Standard DVD releases were also issued.
Saban Brands under its SCG Characters unit, have licensed the series outside of Asia under the name Glitter Force, releasing it as a Netflix exclusive. This version consists of 40 episodes, with twenty episodes released on Netflix on December 18, 2015 and the other twenty released on August 26, 2016. The adaptation, which was dubbed into English by Studiopolis, features changes to character names, terminology, and music. Glitter Force also skipped eight episodes and the film from the original Japanese version. The opening theme is "Glitter Force", performed by Blush, who also perform various insert songs. Shirley Pelts wrote that "Netflix is investing heavily in legacy cartoons such as Popples and Glitter Force, which it considers to be important toy and entertainment brands." The show is currently licensed by Hasbro.
The English version was later broadcast on London Live in the United Kingdom in July 2017.
Feature films
The heroines appear in the Pretty Cure All Stars cross-over movie series, first appearing in the fourth entry, Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage: Friends of the Future, which was released in Japanese theatres on March 17, 2012 and on DVD on July 18, 2012.
A film based on the series, titled was released in Japanese theaters on October 27, 2012. It debuted at the number-one spot in the Japanese Box Office and earned a total revenue of ¥193,000,000 (US$2.42 million), and was the highest grossing PreCure movie to date.
Soundtracks
The music in the anime is composed and arranged by Yasuharu Takanashi, who previously composed the other Pretty Cure series Fresh Pretty Cure!, HeartCatch PreCure! and Suite PreCure. The official soundtrack to the series is divided into two editions, "PreCure Sound Parade!!" and "PreCure Sound Rainbow!!". There are also three vocal albums as well: "Spread out! Smile World!!", "Hey, Everyone Smile!!" and the vocal best album along with the movie's official soundtrack. The background music in the Saban dub is composed by Noam Kaniel (Noam) (who worked on X-Men, Code Lyoko, W.I.T.C.H., Power Rangers, Digimon Fusion, & Miraculous Ladybug). The songs from the Saban version were performed by the girl group Blush.
Manga
A manga adaptation by Futago Kamikita began serialization in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine in March 2012 and ended in February 2013.
Merchandise
Merchandise of the anime were also issued during the series's initial run including bags, watches, raincoats, etc. Several toys featuring the Cure's transformation devices and weapons were also released by Bandai during the series' airing. Some of the Cures were also released as part of Bandai's long running S.H. Figuarts line of collectors figures.
Video game
A video game titled was developed by Namco Bandai Games and released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on August 2, 2012. The game sees the Cures take on the roles of various fairy tales such as Snow White, The Tortoise and the Hare, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel.
Reception
The original Japanese version was well-received, placing regularly in Japan's weekly top ten anime shows broadcast.
Brad Stephenson of About.com describes the English adaptation as "a return to when anime was fun and the priority of everyone involved was to make a super accessible series that could be enjoyed by as many people as possible." He liked the variety of animation for the physical attacks, the energetic singing of Blush, and that "young English-speaking children can have the same experience as the Japanese audience did when they first saw it." He also found the Japanese references to not be a deterrent and would encourage kids to look into Japanese culture as with Sailor Moon.
Ella Anders of BSC Kids, who had also reviewed many other recent magical girl adaptations such as LoliRock and Miraculous Ladybug, thought the series was better than she expected, but disliked the amount of localization provided by the Saban dub, writing that the "With the world so interconnected as it is now the removal of cultural aspects was saddening. It would be such a great chance to celebrate and focus on the Japanese culture."
Jacob Robinson of What's On Netflix critically panned the Glitter Force adaptation, prefacing his review by stating that he most certainly does not recommend the English dub, calling the script "overly cheesy, girly and downright criminal cliché". Robinson also stated that Smile Precure would have been much more bearable to watch in Japanese.
The Glitter Force dub was cited as an example in a The Mary Sue article on the subs vs. dubs debate.
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media argued that while the anime "doesn't dazzle," the strong female leads shine through. Ashby also argued that the series comes across "feeling silly and superficial" and said that the show is a "mild assault on the visual and auditory senses" through the "glitter" transformations. She said that the latter is unfortunate as it is a "decent story with strong, appealing female role models."
Notes
References
External links
(Toei Animation)
at Netflix
Anime official website at ABC / Asahi TV
2012 anime films
2012 films
2012 anime television series debuts
2013 Japanese television series endings
2012 manga
Bandai Namco franchises
Magical girl anime and manga
Netflix original anime
Netflix children's programming
Pretty Cure
Television series by Hasbro Studios
Television series by Saban Capital Group
Toei Animation films
Toei Animation television
TV Asahi original programming
Fictional fairies and sprites
Anime and manga based on fairy tales
Television about fairies and sprites
Isekai anime and manga
Mythology in anime and manga