STORY: 6.5
Oh, how it tried. It's perhaps best seen by splitting the series in two.
The first half starts out ambitious, before loosing steam. The protagonists motivations seem not entirely logical, the enemies aren't that interesting or even scary, and frankly, not much really happens. Sure, you get to know all the cures, fairies, and their families a little more in depth than the same span of other seasons, but that's about the best of it.
But oh, the second half! Everything is deeper, louder, stronger, angrier, and even depressing (in a good way.) There's a much better villain - or, well, villains. There's genuine threats. There's character arcs that are not only relevant to the overall arc, but are also genuinely devastating to the characters, and are entirely unique to this series. The end is as joyous as it is heartbreaking. Needless to say, it's by far the better half, and unfortunately can't be understood without the first.
CHARACTER: 8
This is where Precure shine, and KiraPre is no exception. There's wonderful and relatable individual arcs, fantastically realistic friendships - especially conscidering there's a large age gap between the late-teens Macaron and Chocolat and the other tween cures - but with good character and relationship development, it just all fits.
Whip's motivation - her love for her mother and baking - make her unique. She's clumsy like Happy, but quicker to stand up, and continues to improve and become stronger throughout the series. She struggles often, but persists, and this makes her a wonderful protagonist to watch.
Gelato breaks many stereotypes for both Blue cures and the 'tomboy'. Custard manages to be the epitome of shy yellow cures, while also standing up for herself (and staying an introvert at the end, which is wonderful yet sadly rare.) Macaron is fairly typical of purples, but also brings an unusual element of mental health problems to the table. Chocolat will remind many of Sunshine, but in a much more elegant and confident way. They're a fantastic cast with far more depths than are generally found in children's anime.
Parfait is an initially painful addition, and takes over the story almost entirely for her own for a short while, but overall she's an interesting addition and quite unique as far as Precures go.
ART: 7
KiraPre is a VERY mixed bag on the art front.
Their costumes are fantastic and unique. The movement is impressive. The backgrounds are adorable. The food looks actually delicious. The art style, while not as extreme as Heartcatch, is equally unique and quirky.
Unfortunately, they removed the physical battles iconic of Precure, in favour of 'whipped cream'... weapons? It's hard to describe, but it's pretty average to look at, and they end up using more stock footage than most Precure seasons, which is unfortunate.
The transformation sequences are also very mixed, with some looking gorgeous and others being shorter, awkward looking, and generally underwhelming. The group 'power up' scenes in particular suffered quite badly, becoming much flatter looking.
SOUND: 9
As far as music goes, KiraPre hit the nail on the head.
Shubidubi Sweets Time will go down as the catchiest, most sing-along song in Pretty Cure ED history. It's an absolute gem.
The OP, other ED, and transformation soundtracks are just as fitting, sparkly, and upfliting as they ought to be. They're unique to KiraPre, always well scored, and just plain enjoyable.
