KiraKira★Pretty Cure à la Mode / YMMV

Accidental Innuendo: The use of cream in the first episode, with a battle resulting in an explosion of cream, the move that Cure Whip uses to send the villain flying...
Americans Hate Tingle:
- While KiraKira is a Contested Sequel on both sides of the Pacific, the reception is a lot more (if not entirely) forgiving in Japan, where it was commercially successful compared to the previous two seasons and has an active following, as it still gets tons of fanarts to this day, and the announcement of releasing the whole season daily on YouTube in preparation for the upcoming Wonderful Pretty Cure! was met with excitement from Japanese fans and led some to hope that the upcoming season will have a Crossover with KiraKira thanks to its theme of animals. The Western fans, however, are highly mixed over this season, there is one group that liked it, another one that hated it and even considers it to be one of the (if not the) worst Precure seasons, and a third one that is simply unenthusiastic towards it.
- While Cure Parfait and Pekorin are nowhere as popular as Cure Chocolat or Cure Macaron, they’re still fairly well-liked in Japan. But in the West, the former is a very divisive character, with some of her bashers accusing her of being a Mary Sue in a similar vein to Chloe Carmichael, mainly due to the constant Character Shilling she got and how her conflict with her more popular brother was handled ultimately, while the latter is pretty much The Scrappy, especially after the last three episodes.
Angst? What Angst?: Episode 23 ends with Rio getting stabbed by Noir's arrow while trying to save Ciel from the latter's influence, resulting in him falling into a coma for a long time... and then comes the next episode (or even in the same episode right after this scene), and the tension was immediately gone while Ciel returns to her cheerful attitude rather quickly and doesn't seem very affected or scarred by that event, and while she still mentions her absent brother occasionally throughout the show, it doesn't last long and its purpose to the story and her arc is questionable.
Arc Fatigue: Rio's Convenient Coma from the end of episode 23 to episode 39 was generally seen as this. While the reason for it was to heal him after he took a hit by Noir's arrow, a lot of fans felt that the 16-episode gap was needlessly long and even completely unnecessary, not to mention that it ended up preventing Rio from getting more Character Development.
Base-Breaking Character:
- Akira/Cure Chocolat is a popular Cure, particularly in Japan, thanks to her Bifauxnen design, as well as her compassionate personality and relationship with Yukari and her little sister Miku. However, she also suffers from Hype Backlash in some circles, as her detractors see her as a boring non-entity who cannot stand on her own feet as a character. And then there is a third group of people who likes Akira but feels that she was quite underutilized compared to other Cures in this season.
- Ciel/Kirarin/Cure Parfait. Fans like her for her design (both in her fairy and human forms), cheerful personality, and interactions with other Cures and Bibury. Her detractors, meanwhile, see her as a boring, one-note and overpowered character who doesn't add much to the series outside of her sparse interactions with Rio and Bibury, and hogs screentime from not only her brother who's seen as more interesting than her, but other Cures as well, to the point that the Non-Serial Movie primarily centers around her. Likewise, Ciel's Story Arc about her relationship with her twin brother Rio/Pikario/Julio is seen as either the most engaging part of her character or a poorly-written mess that only made her Unintentionally Unsympathetic as a result. And on a minor note, opinions on Cure Parfait's design are a bit split, some find her outfit to be a mess, though some find that part endearing in a way.
- Pekorin. Some find her adorable and enjoy her moments with other characters, particularly Ichika and to a lesser extent Bibury, In contrast, others find her useless, superfluous, ugly, and makes Candy, who has been bashed for almost the same reasons, look useful in comparison. And her becoming Cure Pekorin in episode 47 only added fuel to the fire, while some cheered for her, others accuse her of being a Creator's Pet who didn’t accomplish anything before to deserve becoming a Cure and, unlike Rio and Bibury whom fans wanted either of them to take her place instead, wasn't relevant to the story until this point, and see her transformation as a case of Only the Author Can Save Them Now.
- When he first appeared, Elysio won over a lot of fans and was seen as a compelling replacement for Julio, thanks to his sinister appearance and cunning attitude toward his victims. But over time, there is a decent number of fans who got sick of him and see him as a shallow villain with nothing to his character outside of causing misery for others, despite having more screentime than Glaive, Diable, and even his master Noir. Speaking of which, his betrayal of Noir and him taking over his former master's place as the Big Bad since episode 46 only broke the fanbase even further. While both sides agree on that the execution leaves a lot to be desired, there are defenders who don't mind the twist and find Elysio's motivation more believable (if lacking any prior buildup) compared to Noir's which was seen as pathetic and disproportionate, while detractors hated it for its out of nowhere nature and how it prevented Noir's conflict with Lumiere from getting any resolution, and didn't like how Elysio was Easily Forgiven and (alongside Glaive) got away with everything he's done at the end, and the fact that he shares his fate with both Big Bad from the following two seasons doesn't help.
Broken Base:
- Perhaps the most divisive aspect about KiraKira is the number of the main Cures being 6 instead of the usual 4 or the occasional 5, as well as its attempt to balance between the main characters and focus on each one as individuals, something the head writer was claiming in one interview for this series to go with. Some like that approach, saying that it gives each Cure a chance to grow as characters by getting an equal amount of focus episodes, and don't mind the team being huge as it adds some variety to them. While others feel that the team was needlessly bloated, since there were members (especially Aoi and Akira) who added basically nothing to the story and/or remained static, and find the series' attempt to "individualize" the characters to be utterly misguided, because not only it harmed the main cast by making them coming off as too segregated from each other and prevented the supporting cast from getting more focus, but also it was done poorly, as each focus episodes were seen as either repetitive or somewhat rushed as a result of balancing out a huge team, not to mention that except for Himari, the series didn't manage to develop the cast well, Ichika in particular.
- The season's constant use of Character Songs during battle scenes and colorful frames every once in a while has its fans who feel that these two give the season its own identity, however, there are some people who find them gaudy, distracting, and random, and see the use of character songs as a blatant marketing gimmick.
- While Rio is generally well-liked as a character, his character arc, on the other hand, was met with mixed reactions. Fans see it as the strongest aspect of the season thanks to its focus on his conflict with his sister Ciel and the development of both characters, while critics see it as rushed, underdeveloped, and unsatisfying, as it ignores several aspects of his character (such as his interpersonal problems and inadequacies, his relationship with other characters, and his Tragic Dream of becoming a Precure) all in favor of his relationship with his sister, which was seen as lackluster due to their minimal interactions onscreen, the melodramatic nature of the relationship, and, despite being introduced first, Rio having less screentime and accomplishments than Ciel, who, according to her detractors, took all the benefits from his arc and never faced any consequences for neglecting her brother who suffered the most from it.
  - Rio's Heroic Sacrifice in Episode 23 was either a heartwrenching and powerful moment that proves his love and forgiveness for his sister which motivates her to get stronger as Cure Parfait, or a pointless, out of place, oversentimental, and excessively mean-spirited moment, as well as a blatant sign of the writer's laziness and lack of planning to develop the character in a satisfying way, and the writer’s claim in an interview that this moment was the reason why Rio didn’t become a Cure doesn’t help, while the excuse of motivating Ciel to become stronger was seen by critics as forced and flimsy, given her prior training and the fact that Rio's absence didn't affect her character that much.
Contested Sequel: KiraKira is an extremely controversial season among the fandom, even moreso than its predecessor. Fans adore it for its aesthetic, designs, soundtrack, and characters, while detractors loathe it for its pacing and tone problems, convoluted and poorly thought-out setting and story, inconsistent and overly convenient writing, lackluster villains, and constant mishandling for its characters, especially Rio and Akira, to name a few. One thing both sides generally agree on is that the lack of hand-to-hand combat was a major minus for this season.
Designated Monkey: Pikario can be seen as this, especially when it comes to his dream of becoming a Precure alongside his sister Kirarin, considering that his attempts turn him to the Dark Side, and when he seems to get out of it, he falls into a coma while Kirarin does get to become Cure Parfait, and when he comes back at the end of episode 39 to save the Cures thanks to Cure Lumiere's power he gained, he only loses it in the very next episode when his newly received rod was broken by Glaive, who tells him that he's not a real Precure, that scene, as well as his wish to become a Precure, was completely ignored afterward as he has been Demoted to Extra since then. Suffice to say, a lot of fans felt that all of what happened was extremely cruel and unwarranted, as well as uncharacteristic for a whimsical and optimistic series like Pretty Cure, and the fact that the next season HuGtto! Pretty Cure and later Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure featured a male Cure only makes Pikario's arc a lot more jarring retroactively.
Diagnosed by the Audience: Given her painfully shy nature and unusual interests in sweets, it is very easy to see Himari as being on the Autism Spectrum.
Evil Is Cool: While the Servants of Noir as a whole are this to some degree, the special mention goes to Julio and Elysio, the former for his snarky attitude and entertaining fights with the Cures, and some fans even prefer him over his post-Heel–Face Turn character who suffered from Badass Decay and minimal screentime, while the latter for his manipulative and cunning demeanor and nightmarish appearance which make him a threatening villain, and both having attractive designs is just a cherry on top.
Fan Nickname:
- "Cure Rainbow Dash" fits a little too well for Cure Parfait/Ciel to be a coincidence…
- "Cure Waffle" for Julio's post-Heel–Face Turn transformation in episode 39, not just by fans, but also some of the season's staff, including the series directors and Ichika's voice actress.
Franchise Original Sin:
- While the KiraKira team being made of 6 members has been a controversial choice among the fans, It's not the first series to have such a team, Yes! Pretty Cure 5 also had 6 members with a few supporting characters to boot, but the key difference is that the Sixth Ranger was introduced in the sequel series GoGo, while the other five members and the supporting cast already got their share of focus and character development in the original series, so the case was well-accepted. KiraKira's case, on the other hand, was seen as problematic in comparison, with the common criticisms against it being how the series introduces each member rather quickly and doesn't give each one enough time for their development, if at all, all while leaving the supporting cast Out of Focus most of the time, and what makes things more complicated is the writers' decision to focus on each team member as an individual, something many fans felt had done more harm than good to both the characters and the pacing of the series.
- Likewise, KiraKira isn't the first series where a major character disappeared from the narrative for a long amount of time, with the Kiryuu sisters, Regina and, to an extent, Prince Kanata being the most prominent examples of this, and while the absence of these characters was controversial to some degree, especially regarding its necessity and effect on the characters' own arc, many fans felt that at least their respective series made up for their disappearance and they retained their importance after they returned. Rio's case in this series, on the contrary, was widely loathed by the fandom, who felt that not only his 16-episode Convenient Coma was undeserved and excessively long, but also the series didn't make up for his absence, as his only major appearances after his comeback were episodes 40 and, to a lesser extent, 41, and then he gets demoted to a background character while tons of aspects of his character that were introduced earlier, except for his relationship with his sister, went nowhere afterward, thus rendering him as a wasted and underdeveloped character to many fans.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
- Akira's younger sister's name is Miku. Her teammate Yukari is most known for providing the voice for Hatsune Miku. And that's not even getting into the official crossover with Vocaloid for Miku's 10th anniversary, where both girls wear her clothes in their motif colors.
- There is a minor character in this season named Emiru, which is this when you realize that the next installment we have a Cure whose civilian name is Emiru.
- Also, Yukari's name and theme being cats, as well as having implied Les Yay with Akira, become this with Ruru whose seiyuu is Yukarin. Not to mention Ruru's buns resemble cat ears and even turned into a catgirl in one episode.
  - Even funnier, in Fate/Grand Order we have Himiko, who is voiced by Yukari Tamura, who when using one of the skills says Kira Kira
- This Precure season wouldn't be the only one to use an animal theme
- Wonderful Pretty Cure! also has a literal dog and cat as the lead and one of the secondary Cures, and is another season with little to no violence against monsters.
Ho Yay: Enough for its own page.
Hype Backlash: Yukari/Akira is not only the most popular ship in this season but also among the most popular Yuri ships in the franchise as a whole. But just like Akira, the ship has also its share of critics, who see it as a shameless knockoff of Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune, and find it to be bland, or at least underdeveloped, and distracting.
Memetic Loser: Noir pretty much lost all credibility as a terrifying villain once his backstory revealed he's a manchild throwing a tantrum because one woman refused to bake sweets for only him. Some fans jokingly believe that it was why the last few episodes ended up getting Hijacked by Elysio.
Memetic Mutation: See this page for examples.
Moral Event Horizon:
- If it wasn't his manipulating of Julio and Bibury, Noir crossed it with his attempt on Ciel's life but hits Julio instead. Keep in mind that although deaths have occurred in the world of Pretty Cure and Julio gets better later, this is so far the closest the franchise had for a Hero Killer (not to mention the boy is a minor).
- Elysio crosses it in Episode 46 and 47 when he captures Noir and Lumiere and uses their powers to turn the whole place into his own police state and burn every sweet as garbage.
One-Scene Wonder: Cure Yell's appearance in the final episode where she was actually kicking the Post-Final Boss greatly hyped up the fans for the upcoming series.
Preemptive Shipping: Yukari/Akira is a pretty popular pairing even before the show aired, thanks to some merchandise featuring them together in some fashion. Their interactions and Ship Tease in the show itself only reinforced this popularity.
Replacement Scrappy: While Cure Pekorin is already divisive on her own, she is near-universally considered to be vastly inferior to Rio’s appearance in episodes 39 and 40, as her transformation was seen by most fans as out of nowhere and unwarranted given her lack of development compared to the latter, who had an arc that more-or-less explores his wish of becoming a Precure alongside his sister, and the fact that Pekorin kept her power at the end while Rio ended up losing his right in the same event he gained it only made it worse.^note
Retroactive Recognition: Nanako Mori, the voice of Akira Kenjou, would later go on to voice Taki in Soulcalibur VI.
Shipping: Although Pretty Cure is far more well known for its abundance of lesbian subtext, Ichika/Rio is relatively popular as far as hetero ships in the fandom go, and the teases from their voice actresses^namely... don't hurt. Unsurprisingly, the lack of interaction between the two in later episodes was met with disappointment from many fans, especially since the majority of Rio-related fanworks have him interacting with Ichika (when it's not his sister Ciel), and him having any romantic feelings for her, mutual or otherwise, is a common Fanon.
Slow-Paced Beginning: The first 11 episodes were quite light-hearted and borderline Slice of Life. Then comes episode 12, where the first real villain appears and the larger plot starts unraveling.
So Okay, It's Average: This is the final overall reception of this season among the more forgiving side of the fanbase, who agree that it could have been a lot better, but feel that it also could have been a lot worse.
Suspiciously Similar Song: The second ending theme, "Shoobie-Doobie Sweets Time", bears a striking resemblance to, of all things, "Bills" by Lunchmoney Lewis.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The overall lack of hand-to-hand combat in the fight scenes has not been well received by the fanbase since violent action is what Pretty Cure is famous for.^note
They Copied It, So It Sucks!: With the characters being human-animal hybrid Magical Girl Warriors with food-themed codenames in their Cure forms, it's not surprising that some fans have accused it of plagiarizing another famous shoujo franchise that uses those motifs.
Ugly Cute:
- All of the Kirakiraru Thieves have decidedly bestial and feral appearances, but it just seems to reinforce their cuteness. Gummy, for example, looks almost dragonlike.
- Pekorin can also be seen as this for those who don't find her outright adorable or ugly.
Unexpected Character:
- For better or worse, the appearance of the team from Maho Girls Pretty Cure! in this season's standalone movie, which is the first time that Pretty Cures from different seasons have teamed up in a movie outside of the Pretty Cure All Stars crossovers. That said, some fans feel that the team's involvement was unnecessary and only made the KiraKira team look weaker in comparison
- Cure Yell and Hugtan appearing in this season's finale just like Ichika appeared in the last season's was also quite a surprise.
Vanilla Protagonist: Ichika gets a lot of flak for being this from many fans, who consider her development and involvement in the story lacking despite her position as the leader of the team, especially in comparison to other Cures and some other characters who are more colorful and relevant than her.
Viewer Gender Confusion: Julio initially. He's always been in the opening since the first episode but many assumed he was a Dark Magical Girl. Considering past seasons, it's not hard to see why many assumed this. Then come Episodes 10 and 11 and we find out he's a boy.
Wangst:
- Some see Ciel as this in episode 23. While her massive guilt over leaving Pikario behind in Paris was perfectly understandable, the problem is that she falls into despair because of it after he got purified and is alive and well (sure, he can't make waffles as before, but still), and then she accepts Noir's offer very easily despite that, and it doesn't help that it all leads to Pikario's 16-episode coma, which Ciel ironically had the exact opposite reaction to.
- Noir's entire backstory immediately turns him into this for a lot of fans. What was his excuse behind all the atrocities he committed? Just because Lumiere turned him down in the far past, and that's of course without mentioning the way he confessed to her (by telling her to make sweets for him alone).

YMMV / KiraKira★Pretty Cure à la Mode

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