History Anime / HeartcatchPrettyCure

* CrossOver: The openings of Episodes 5-8 showed all the franchise's characters together in a teaser for the second BatFamilyCrossover movie.

Later on, {{Bifauxnen}} StudentCouncilPresident Itsuki Myoudouin joins as [[SixthRanger Third Ranger]] Cure Sunshine to form a PowerTrio. Then there's Yuri Tsukikage, the former Cure Moonlight who has [[BrokenBird yet to recover]] from her [[DespairEventHorizon traumatic defeat]] at the hands of Dark Pretty Cure.

* ThemeTuneCameo: The opening and 2nd ending themes are played by a cassette recorder in Episode 41. It's actually even possible, since Aya Ikeda and Mayu Kudou exist in-universe, too.

The seventh entry in the ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' series, and the first since ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'' to use a pair of Cures as the main characters. It also features the distinctive character designs of Yoshihiko Umakoshi, who previously served as character designer for Izumi Todo's other notable series ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi''.

!! This anime provides examples of:

* DarkerAndEdgier: [[https://medium.com/@lunalovesanime/flowers-of-the-heart-in-full-bloom-5-reasons-you-should-watch-heartcatch-precure-2010-273e80abee36 Granted, the show kept to a mostly optimistic tone]] [[https://myanimelist.net/anime/7645/Heartcatch_Precure (It is Rated G for all ages, after all)]], but after 49 episodes, some of which contains [[spoiler: ParentalAbandonment and its consequences, [[DeadPartner a dead fairy partner]] [[DisappearsIntoLight which then gets]] DeaderThanDead, [[CainAndAbel ultra-violent sibling rivalry]], people forced into comas and made into mentally-unbalanced soldiers for alien forces, and several on-screen character deaths including a main character's long-lost father, which was sort-of betraying her]], it's safe to say that this is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids one of the more dramatic and serious iterations]] of ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' since ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar''. ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' nearly kept the pattern going, but was forced to get LighterAndSofter due to the Sendai tsunami.

* GayParee: The setting of TheMovie. It's the first time a ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' movie, not counting the [[Anime/PrettyCureAllStars two All-Stars movies]], takes place on Earth instead of in some fantastical land.

* LegacyCharacter: Other ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' series had hinted at this, but ''Heartcatch'' is the first to actually show it, with Tsubomi's grandmother being a former Precure. [[spoiler: The very last shot of the series hints that a little girl bearing a striking resemblance to Tsubomi (or at least from what we've seen of her) has become a Cure herself.]]

* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: As with all ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' shows, transforming into a Pretty Cure causes the girl's hair to grow. Special mention goes to Itsuki, who gets some luxurious locks when she transforms into Cure Sunshine.

* TransformationIsAFreeAction: The TransformationSequence is quite long as per ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' standards. And the villains and MonsterOfTheWeek do absolutely nothing to prepare for the fight while it's happening. The barrier protecting the girls justifies them not attacking.

* ThrowTheDogABone: Infuriatingly denied. Even though Yuri has to cope with a machine-gun volley of traumatic revelations and events (her fairy partner [[FinalDeath dies forever]]; [[spoiler: Sabaku is her father; Dark Precure is her genetic little sister and was created by her {{Brainwashed}} father specifically to kill her, [[CainAndAbel only to die at Yuri's hands]]; her father ''leaves Yuri'' to comfort Dark Precure in her dying moments, her father '''is killed in front of her''' by the BigBad]]) and ''still'' manages to save the world, she gets no reward or compensation for the losses she's suffered. It's an incredibly BittersweetEnding for her character, extremely so by the standards of kids' anime.

* MythologyGag: In episode 21, Potpourri tries to get Sayaka to become a Precure by saying there has been a football-playing one before (Natsuki Rin from ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'').

Meanwhile, Tsubomi is having a [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone strange dream]] where she witnesses the last stand of a mysterious woman in white called Cure Moonlight against the sinister [[EvilKnockoff Dark Pretty Cure]]. With the last of her strength, Cure Moonlight implores two fairies- Chypre and Coffret- to [[TakeUpMySword search for her successor]].

It turns out that Tsubomi is a [[TheChosenOne perfect candidate]] to take up the Pretty Cure power as Cure Blossom... perfect in every area except actual competence, giving her the title of [[ThisLoserIsYou The Weakest Pretty Cure Ever]]. However, driven by her desire to change and protect those around her, Tsubomi slowly begins to improve herself.

!!This anime provides examples of:
* ActorAllusion: We see Tsubomi wears a shirt with a numeral 7 on it in the first episode and at other times throughout the series; later we see Erika wearing a similar one. It's either because this is the seventh Precure series or because the first name of Tsubomi's voice actor is Nana, which means seven in Japanese. Nana Mizuki is the most famous actor in the show's credits.
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Dark Precure. She spends most of the series as a stoic character who seems to exist only to dog Yuri and provide a strong opponent for the Cures. Then episode 47 reveals that she just wants to cement her place as Sabaaku's ''real'' daughter, having been [[ReplacementGoldfish made to replace Yuri]]. ''Then'' episode 48 gives us her death scene proper, where Sabaaku comforts his now-badly injured "other daughter" and refers to her as Yuri's sister. The vulnerability coming from the heretofore borderline-emotionless Dark as she is embraced by Sabaaku and [[DisappearsIntoLight fades away]] makes it even more saddening.]]

* AnatomyOfTheSoul: Heart Flowers

* BabiesEverAfter: A weird variation where the main characters themselves aren't the parents. [[spoiler:After the final battle, we skip ahead at least a few months and learn that Tsubomi's little sister Futaba has been born.]]

* BeamSpam: Kumojacky's choice gambit while using his Dark Bracelet.

* {{Bifauxnen}}: [[StudentCouncilPresident Itsuki Myoudoin]] had quite a few viewers -- and Tsubomi -- convinced that she was a very cute boy...until Episode Seven. Commence in-universe UnsettlingGenderReveal for both Tsubomi and Cobraja.
* BigStormEpisode: Episode 22 has Tsubomi and Erika fight Kumojacky and a Desertarian in the middle of a typhoon. The end of the episode has [[spoiler:Itsuki discovering and taking in Potpourri, mistaking him for a cute doll.]]

* BloodKnight: Kumojacky. [[spoiler: Deconstructed in episode 46.]]

* BreatherEpisode: The first half of episode 47. Between the defeat of Kumojacky and Cobraja and the battle versus Dark Pretty Cure and Prof. Sabaku, we see how hilarious Sunacky can be.

* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Yuri Tsukikage and Dark Pretty Cure.]] It ended relatively well, [[spoiler: with Mr. Tsukikage acknowledging that both of them are his daughters and that Dark Pretty Cure is indeed Yuri's little sister]]. [[AlasPoorVillain But not before Cure Moonlight dealt lethal damage to Dark Pretty Cure…]]
* CallBack: In Episode 48, [[spoiler:Salamander and Olivier from TheMovie appear in Sabaaku's StartOfDarkness flashback]].

* CareBearStare: Any attack with "forte" in it, if Cure Marine and Sasorina's reactions to getting hit by them are any indication

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Tsubomi just [[spoiler:got an UnsettlingGenderReveal about Itsuki being a girl]]! So, how shall Erika comfort her? "Thank goodness the Fashion Club can continue!"

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler:''Coupe-sama!'']]

** [[spoiler:Cures vs. Dune, round 2 reverses it. The girls come at him so hard, he can barely get an attack in edgewise. [[OneWingedAngel And then he grows big enough to literally punch the Earth]].]]

** The novels makes things actually ''even darker'', rounding up the villains further: [[spoiler:Kumojacky, Cobraja and Sasorina's backstories were revealed as of why they become Desert Apostles: Kumojacky was kicked out of his dojo due to a violent outburst, Cobraja was expelled from fashion business due to his arrogance and narcissism, Sasorina... had an accident in her career as a child caretaker that killed a child under her care. But that didn't match up with Dune's. Let's see, turns out his father was a super {{Abusive Parent|s}} and wanted him dead, killed his mother and his nanny that tried protecting him while he escaped, all while he planned to TakeOverTheWorld, causing Dune to strike a DealWithTheDevil and gain power through his sheer hatred to his father and decided that if his father wanted to take over Earth, he'll destroy it to spite on his father.]] Any wonder that these materials are left out in the actual show?

* DespairEventHorizon: Episode 45. [[spoiler:Thankfully, there were a few survivors.]]
** {{Defied Trope}} in episode 49. When you're not the [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Dai-Gurren-dan]], the proper reaction to seeing a giant EldritchAbomination from outer space pummeling your planet with impunity is to tremble in despair. However, [[PluckyGirl Erika]] instead decides that the Cures must fight it, [[RefugeInAudacity what with being "14-year old beautiful superheroines"]]. [[note]]She's then corrected that Yuri is a 17 years old Cure[[/note]]

* DisappearsIntoLight: [[spoiler:Cologne]] in episode 34, [[spoiler:Dark Pretty Cure]] in episode 48.

** MakingASplash: Cure Marine
** ThePowerOfTheSun: Cure Sunshine
** {{Lunacy}}: Cure Moonlight
** CastingAShadow: Dark Pretty Cure
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:Infinity Silhouette.]]

* EyepatchOfPower[=/=]SupernaturalGoldEyes: Dark Pretty Cure's right eye. Most of the time she fights with it closed, but her power increases dramatically whenever she opens it. [[spoiler: As of Ep. 42, both of her eyes are gold, yet her brief appearance there seems to suggest that both tropes still apply.]]

** Dark Pretty Cure has both the one winged fallen angel appearance as well as heterochromia, [[spoiler:until Ep. 42, anyway.]]

** [[spoiler:Heartcatch Orchestra, which the four main cures can perform together in Super Silhouette mode. It summons a giant ethereal Cure to deliver an earth-shattering MegatonPunch.]]

* FloralThemeNaming: Tsubomi means "flower bud", and Erika is probably named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erica the flower erica]]. Additionally, Itsuki's name means "flowering tree", foreshadowing the fact that she eventually became [[SixthRanger Cure Sunshine]], and Yuri (Cure Moonlight)'s name means "lily".

* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler:Even Heartcatch Mirage isn't enough to stop Dune. He turns into [[OneWingedAngel an enormous giant man in outer space]] and then starts pummeling the Earth with his bare hands.]]

* GoOutWithASmile: A Pretty Cure's FinishingMove causes those who get hit by it to enter a state of complete bliss; if the target is a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Desertrian]] or [[spoiler:one of the Desert Apostles]], this is accompanied by fading away and returning to human form.

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: Both Kumojacky and Cobraja]] in episode 46.

* GratuitousItalian: In the names of the Cures' [[FinishingMove Finishing Moves]]: ''forte'' and ''fortissimo''

** [[spoiler:Cologne flew in front of an attack from Professor Sabaku to save Cure Moonlight, costing him his life.]]
** [[spoiler:Sabaku himself protects Yuri and Tsubomi from one of Dune's attacks in episode 48, killing him in the process.]]

* HypocriticalHumor: Tsubomi lectures Mayuka in episode 44 about lying to gain popularity and then immediately lies that she's just friends with the Pretty Cure. Mayuka sees right through her
* IAmYourOpponent: [[HotBlooded Kumojacky]] loves this trope. Every Desert Messenger and Precure at least likes it.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Alas, poor Mr. Tsukikage and Dark Pretty Cure…]]

* LegacyCharacter: Other ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' series had hinted at this, but ''Heartcatch'' is the first to actually show it, with Tsubomi's grandmother being a former Precure. [[spoiler:The very last shot of the series hints that a little girl bearing a striking resemblance to Tsubomi (or at least from what we've seen of her) has become a Cure herself.]]
* LetsGetDangerous: Tsubomi's "I've had enough!" Also, Kumojacky and Cobraja begin taking their battles with the Pretty Cures much, ''much'' more seriously after [[spoiler:Sasorina is purified, seeking to avenge her death]].
* LoveAtFirstSight: According to Episode 9, Tsubomi's parents met that way.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: Pretty Cure Gold Forte Burst

* MegatonPunch: [[spoiler:Infinity Silhouette's attack.]]

* NoblewomansLaugh: The drama club in episode 16 is doing a play where an extra is playing TheOjou and tries this laugh but gets yelled at that its not ''grand enough''.

* OminousFloatingCastle: Wakuseijo/The Planet Castle.

* PajamaCladHero: Episode 7 had Tsubomi race to help Erika rescue Itsuki while still in her [=PJs=]. She doesn't realize this until Itsuki questions why she's in school in her [=PJs=].

* ThePowerOfFriendship: Cure Marine preaches about it to Kumojacky in episode 46, who thinks that being strong is everything.

* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Well, Kumojacky punches Cure Marine across the space platform and ''through'' several stone pillars in episode 46. That's some ''Manga/SaintSeiya''-level battle there.

* RapidFireFisticuffs ''and then'' PummelDuel: Cure Marine versus Kumojacky in episode 46.
* RazorWind: Kumojacky's standard attacks, which Cure Marine counters with [[MoreDakka Marine Shooter]].

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In episode 46, Cure Marine delivers one to Kumojacky while Cure Sunshine delivers one to Cobraja.
%%* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Mr. Tsukikage.]]

** Kaoruko Hanasaki, AKA Cure Flower, who has fought and defeated Dune in the past. [[spoiler: Kumojacky and Cobraja never knew what hit 'em when they temporarily forced her out of retirement in episode 44.]]

** Why do the Desert Apostles run with their tails between their legs whenever they're in danger of being purified? [[spoiler:It's because they're made from Heart Flowers themselves, making them functionally humanoid Desertians and subject to the same conditions.]]
** Episode 47 also counts, with regards to [[spoiler:Professor Sabaku's [[LukeIAmYourFather identity]].]]

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Episodes 37 and 38 [[spoiler:pit the Pretty Cure against the Mirage Pretty Cure. Each Mirage represents the past faults that originally defined their respective Cure, and accepting those faults instead of trying to deny or change them was the only way to defeat them and get stronger.]]

** The red/magenta heart seeds are essentially Magical Girl [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Trans-Am]].
** Floral Power Fortissimo is basically a very girly [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Giga Drill Breaker]] - projectiles are thrown to hold the enemy in place, complete with a colorful background (just like the galaxy background), then the girls charge at the enemy as the finishing blow, piercing through its "heart". Then, it floats for a second, while the girls strike a pose, at which point it explodes in a mushroom cloud.
** Kumojacky looks a lot like Anime/CaptainHarlock.

* SignatureHeadgear: Tsubomi has her yellow flower-shaped scrunchies, and [[spoiler:her little sister has a bow that looks like Chypre's]].
* SixthRanger: Cure Sunshine, whose appearance, powers, and identity -- Itsuki -- were revealed through leaked merchandising scans. Cure Moonlight became a ''Fourth'' Ranger in Episode 33. [[spoiler:And then Cure Flower appears as the ''Zeroth'' Ranger in episode 44.]]

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Coffret is pretty easy to figure out, but Chypre had to be vindicated by a trading card after dozens of spellings. Cobraja/Cobrager/Kobraj and Kumojaki/Kumojacky continue to be debated by fans.

* StoryBreakerPower: Infinity Silhouette. [[spoiler:A planet sized Precure, who's so powerful the main big bad, who also had grown to the size of the planet, can't even hit her. His punches literally bounce off her like they are nothing, and she literally defeats him with one punch. It's never seen again, not even in the All stars crossover movies that air after the series Infinity Silouette appears in ended, probably because of this trope.]]
* SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: Dune. "My hatred will never disappear!" is his response after [[spoiler:he is only barely scratched with Heartcatch Mirage. And then he turns gigantic and starts pummeling the Earth.]] If he wore black, he would probably outdo [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Kuja]].

* TalkToTheFist: Cure Marine to Kumojacky in episode 46. Also doubles as ShutUpHannibal.

* ThresholdGuardians: [[spoiler: Kaoruko and that hot guy…er, Coupe-sama acted as proctors for the Pretty Cures' test to receive the Heartcatch Mirage.]]
* ThrowTheDogABone: Infuriatingly denied. Even though Yuri has to cope with a machine-gun volley of traumatic revelations and events (her fairy partner [[FinalDeath dies forever]]; [[spoiler:Saabaku is her father; Dark Precure is her genetic little sister and was created by her {{Brainwashed}} father specifically to kill her, [[CainAndAbel only to die at Yuri's hands]]; her father ''leaves Yuri'' to comfort Dark Precure in her dying moments, her father '''is killed in front of her''' by the BigBad]]) and ''still'' manages to save the world, she gets no reward or compensation for the losses she's suffered. It's an incredibly BittersweetEnding for her character, extremely so by the standards of kids' anime.

* TraumaCongaLine: Yuri. Before the series even begins, she [[spoiler:loses her beloved fairy partner after he pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save her life]] and suffers a [[HeroicBSOD crippling]] loss to Dark Pretty Cure. Then comes the final arc, where she is hit by a machine-gun volley of traumatic revelations and events: [[spoiler:Sabaku is her DisappearedDad; Dark Pretty Cure is her genetic younger sister created by her {{Brainwashed}} father ''specifically'' to kill Yuri; Dark Pretty Cure (her younger sister) ''dies'' at Yuri's hands; her father ''leaves Yuri'' to comfort the EvilKnockoff in her dying moments; and her father '''is murdered in front of Yuri''' by the BigBad]]. And she still manages to hold it together enough to SaveTheWorld with nothing more than [[LadyOfWar grit]] and ThePowerOfFriendship. You would think that the series would [[ThrowTheDogABone give Yuri come kind of compensation or reward]] for all the losses she's suffered, but [[BittersweetEnding no]].
* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:Not only do the Desert Generals, whose recoveries ''are'' explained, manage to recover, returning to being normal humans after being purified, but Erika implies that even the Sunackies survived… somehow. [[KilledOffForReal Mr. Tsukikage and Dark Pretty Cure however, aren't so fortunate…]]]]

** Kumojaki speaks with a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosa-ben Tosa-dialect]], which results in his use of "-jaki" and "-ze yo" to punctuate his statements.

* VillainousBreakdown: Cobraja in episode 46, after [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech he realizes]] what kind of despicable (read:unbeautiful) monster he is. But he refuses to stop as he reckons it's too late to go back.

* VillainsOutShopping: In Episode 18, the girls are helping a friend write a manga, so they go to a bookstore for supplies. At one point, Kumojacky's distinctive long red hair and [[Franchise/FinalFantasy White Mage longcoat]] cross the foreground holding some presumably [[TestosteronePoisoning extremely manly]] manga.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The final episode shows everyone a year after the events of the series. The ''Heartcatch'' novel gives a proper one for the main heroines: [[spoiler:Yuri moves back to Kyoto with her mom and attends Kyoto College, Itsuki goes to France to study fashion, Tsubomi takes up English so she can join NASA and Erika… just wants to start a High School Fashion Club.]]

* WreckedWeapon: Cure Marine breaks Kumojacky's sword in episode 46 as part of her HeroicSecondWind. And then the fight devolves into a PummelDuel.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Let's face it, if [[HotBlooded Kumojacky]] were in a GiantMecha series, he'd be the ''good'' guy.

* ElementalHair

** No, Cure Blossom isn't related in any way to [[Manga/WeddingPeach Momoko Hanasaki]], or [[Anime/DemashitaPowerpuffGirlsZ Hyper Blossom]], or [[Anime/PapillonRose Papillon Rose's]] civilian identity for that matter.

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeartcatchPrettyCure_2887.jpg]]

* FairyTaleMotifs: {{The Movie}} with Tsubomi and Olivier, {{Disney/Beauty and The Beast}} style.

* ArtStyleDissonance: Despite the cutesy and kiddy art (and still being appropriate for all ages like previous Precure seasons all the same), the show deals with some pretty heavy topics. Though the fact that kids actually deal with this and the show pretty much tells them that you can't always bury your feelings.

* FanFicMagnet: Tsubomi's little sister Futaba from the finale. Quite a handful of fanfic writers and fanartist have spent some time thinking of what she would be like as a Cure.

* HairDecorations: Tsubomi has her yellow flower-shaped scrunchies, and [[spoiler:her little sister has a bow that looks like Chypre's]].

* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Ban Kenji. The whole school was terrified of and saw his as a "legendary delinquent", but in actuality, he's artistic and gentle and wishes to become a mangaka despite his mother's disapproval.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Kaoruko Hanasaki, Tsubomi's grandmother, not only won a prominent karate tournament when younger, but was also a former Pretty Cure. [[spoiler: Cure Flower makes a triumphant reappearance in episode 44.]]

* ArtStyleDissonance: Despite the cutesy and kiddy art, the show deals with some pretty heavy topics. Though the fact that kids actually deal with this and the show pretty much tells them that you can't always bury your feelings.

* DarkerAndEdgier: After 49 episodes, some of which contains [[spoiler: ParentalAbandonment and its consequences, [[DeadPartner a dead fairy partner]] [[DisappearsIntoLight which then gets]] DeaderThanDead, [[CainAndAbel ultra-violent sibling rivalry]], people forced into comas and made into mentally-unbalanced soldiers for alien forces, and several on-screen character deaths including a main character's long-lost father, which was sort-of betraying her]], it's safe to say that this is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids the darkest iteration]] of ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' since ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar''. ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' nearly kept the pattern going, but was forced to get LighterAndSofter due to the Sendai tsunami.
** However, all those GRIMDARK-ness only made the theme of hope shine brighter.

* GoOutWithASmile: A Pretty Cure's FinishingMove causes those who get hit by it to enter a state of complete bliss; if the target is a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Desertrian]] or [[spoiler:one of the Desert Apostles]], this is accompanied by fading away and returning to human form. Also, [[spoiler:pretty much everyone who dies in this series]] goes through this.

* {{Bifauxnen}}: [[StudentCouncilPresident Itsuki Myoudoin]] had quite a few viewers -- and Tsubomi -- convinced that she was a very cute boy...until Episode Seven. Commence both in-universe UnsettlingGenderReveal.

* EyepatchOfPower[=/=]SupernaturalGoldEyes: Dark Pretty Cure's right eye. Most of the time she fights with it closed, but her power increases dramatically whenever she opens it. [[spoiler: As of Ep. 42, both of her eyes are gold, yet her brief appearance there seems to suggest that all three tropes still apply.]]

The seventh entry in the ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' series, and the first since ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'' to use a pair of Cures as the main characters.