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Dated 22 March 2022: Waiting on Delicious Party♡Precure

Cure Precious
I feel like the mascot should at least have a helmet.

There have been five episodes of Delicious Party♡Precure so far, but it's been two weeks since the last episode, and current projections estimate it will be at least another two more before episode six airs. (Toei is reportedly delaying the broadcast as it assesses the extent of a cybersecurity breach.) As a result, the third Cure of the initial trio has been left waiting in the wings. Her character hasn't even really been properly introduced yet. She's only appeared in minor scenes, typically involving her meals being ruined.

Ran
Miss Not Appearing In This Show.

Although there is no rigid formula, Pretty Cure has commonly introduced its main cast fairly quickly. The lead Cure will get her powers in the first episode, another girl will become a Pretty Cure in the second episode, and so forth. In the case of Delicious Party♡Precure (based on the titles of the upcoming episodes), it doesn't appear the third girl (Ran) will get her powers until episode seven, maybe in the middle of April if all goes well. It's not a huge delay for a series that runs for a full year, but it's still nearly two months later than the norm.

Gentle
Nice hat.

On the plus side, the character design for Pretty Cure's first-round adversary this season (voiced by Kayano Ai), is a GAME-BREAKING HOME RUN. Just look at that outfit! So good. I do think that her name, Gentle (ジュントルー), is sort of silly, even though I was totally okay with past names such as Bunbee, for example. I keep hearing that Gentle is supposed to be somewhat of a pacifist (and she did make a statement sort of against violence in an early episode), but I'm not seeing this reflected in the battles from the first five episodes. Maybe what she really means is she won't straight-up punch Cure Yum-Yum in the mouth, assuming Cure Yum-Yum ever joins this show.

Dated 5 July 2022: Delicious Party♡Precure is only okay

Kokone, Yui, and Ran
Eat more carbs.

Through 17 episodes, Delicious Party♡Precure is fine, thanks to a well-understood formula that such a long-running franchise can reliable draw upon, but there's not much else going for it. It's starting to look like Delicious Party is going to end up closer to the HappinessCharge side of the scale than its predecessor, Tropical-Rouge! Precure, for example.

Amane and Rosemary
Take this job and shove it.

Still, 17 episodes isn't particularly far for a weekly series that runs all year, so perhaps the show will turn things around. There are a few aspects that reduce my optimism in this regard, though. Significantly, it turns out the adversary who eventually switches sides to become a Cure herself has been under some sort of mind control the whole time, so she never really did anything wrong. How they fucked this up, I have no idea.

Gentle
Gentle's outfit is so good.

Enemies becoming friends has been a Pretty Cure staple from the beginning. But the cliché continues to work because viewers still care about character growth and redemption arcs. Taking this agency out of Amane's actions reduces her motivation for joining the Cures to one mostly predicated on undeserved guilt. It's not her fault she was stealing recipes. She wasn't even any good at it!

Black Pepper and Cure Precious
I don't know if it's better or worse that Black Pepper's battle costume looks silly.

I'm also not a huge fan of the male characters in Delicious Party♡Precure. This is an area where the franchise has not excelled. I'm sure there are viewers who enjoy Rosemary and Takumi and find their contributions to be important and satisfying, but I sure don't. It's not uncommon for Pretty Cure to include prominent male protagonists in various guises, but nothing about these two make me think they are necessary or valuable so far.

Dated 6 December 2022: I stopped caring about Delicious Party♡Precure

Secretoru
I'm dismayed I know so little about Secretoru even after 38 episodes.

Typically, when I lose interest in a series, I'll still say that it's fine and it's just that the show doesn't align with what I want to watch at the moment. Well, Delicious Party♡Precure is not fine. I don't really want to say that it's "bad," but I've watched a lot of children's anime, and this installment of Pretty Cure is uninspired, even for (especially for?) a kids' show. There's just not really a reason to watch it, I'm afraid.

Rosemary
Adults in Pretty Cure should be adversaries or appear only sparingly.

Delicious Party♡Precure doesn't do anything really objectionable, but perhaps that's its problem. The no-stakes way it handled Amane's Cure Finale arc is indicative of the show's broader problems. It doesn't really provide any reason for me to think anything that happens matters at all, and there's an unavoidable sense of arbitrariness and randomness to the storylines that make me wonder if writers are just punting any time there's a potential conflict and treating any obvious questions as unimportant nitpicks. I, at least, feel this contributes to my sense nothing matters, even within the narrow confines of a Pretty Cure series.

Black Pepper
At least two things wrong with the series are visible in this screenshot.

I suppose I'm compelled to make at least one food-based reference, so I guess I'll say Delicious Party♡Precure is neither a hearty meal nor a junk food snack. It's mostly just sort of bland and thin without any genuine substance or taste. There are still enough episodes remaining for the series to potentially pull off a strong finish, but it's looking almost certain now it will displace HappinessCharge Precure! as my least favorite installment of the franchise.

Dated 7 February 2023: Hirogaru Sky! Precure is New Jack Pretty Cure

Sora and Elle
Keep your feet and knees together. Aside from that, you're on your own.

The first episode of each new Pretty Cure iteration tends to be good. Even by that metric, the first episode of Hirogaru Sky! Precure is very promising. It also confirms the franchise is exploring uncharted territory in its 20th year. First of all, its lead character is not a Japanese girl. For another thing, Sora's battle costume corresponding with her mahou shoujo form has a blue theme. Promotional materials for the series have also confirmed Hirogaru Sky! Precure will include a male Cure (a 12-year-old boy) and an "adult" Cure (she's 18), although there have technically been older Cures—and numerous Cures only a year younger—in the past.

Sora, Elle, and Mashiro
Don't let her land on your head, Mashiro.

Taxonomy disputes as to who is entitled to be an According to Hoyle Pretty Cure are not new. Viewers who have followed Pretty Cure from the beginning will recall Shiny Luminous, Kaoru, Michiru, and Milky Rose were effectively Cures in all but name, but lacked the official moniker presumably because they were not Japanese girls. Cure Passion broke this barrier at the midpoint of Fresh Pretty Cure! in 2009. Questions as to when there would be a male Cure have dogged the franchise for years. After all, a robot, two space aliens, and a mermaid were all allowed to become Cures. They weren't even human!

Sora
Unfortunately, Sky does actually smile a lot during her transformation.

As far as the whole pink Cure thing goes, I feel as if that was only established starting from the fourth year of Pretty Cure. However, it became important enough for some fans that they will retroactively insist Shiny Luminous is a "Yellow" (because of her hair and predominantly defensive role) despite being the only member of the Max Heart trio with an unquestionably pink-themed battle costume. Assuming Cure Prism does not usurp the lead role from Cure Sky, this would be rejection of a convention that has become regarded as traditional.

Sora
"I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

It's too early yet for me to claim Hirogaru Sky! Precure will be good, but I am optimistic about its chances. At a minimum the determination and bravery Sora displayed during the first episode points the series in the right direction. My enduring convictions about Pretty Cure as a franchise are predicated on the themes established during its nascent beginnings. Namely, that the series should concentrate on youths embracing Hope and Courage. Consequently, I was baffled that Delicious Party♡Precure devoted so many of its episodes (including the show's climactic arc!) to the exchange of grievances between various adult male characters. Let's not do that again.