Personality.
I was surprised at the animation style used for HeartCatch. The characters appear more cartoonish than the precure series before and after them. Eyes accentuate each member. But, for the extremely different style, I would say that important changes were made with the coming of Cures Sunshine and Moonlight. As if their entry into the plot demands a stricter presentation. So much so, that I would have Cure Sunshine as one of the 'Five Most Stunning' Pretty Cures in the franchise. For the record, my picks would be 1. Cure Beauty; 2) Cure Ange; 3) Cure Sunshine; 4) Cure Melody; 5) Massive tie involving 45-50 other precures (and please, don't ask me for the 'Ugliest Precure." Such things aren't possible!). I could offer you the rationale for these selections, but we need to get back to the important matters of Precuria.
So much for intriguing animation technique. Let's get back to the issue of personality.
Tsubomi (Cure Blossom) is painfully shy to the point of introversion. We meet her as a bookish bespectacled girl just moved to a new town with all the feelings of inferiority which meshes with being the new girl in school. Devoted to her family and their love for flowers, Tsubomi enjoys the company of her grandmother who also has Prety Cure roots.
Erika (Cure Marine) is the converse of Tsubomi. Extroverted to the point of being pushy, Erika needs the gentle touch of Tsubomi to become more giving to her growing cadre of friends. Her gift is fashion, and she envies her older sister because of her popularity as a renowned fashion model. Erika wishes to be a model, too, but her talent is in fashion design. Ironically, her older sister envies Erika because of her ability to gather friends; the life of a model draws fickle admirers, but few friends.
Itsuka (Cure Sunshine) admires her older brother, but his sickly frame has disabled him to advance in his grandfather's dojo. So, Itsuka assumes the aura of masculinity to thrive in the arena of martial arts. But, she is a girl at heart and loves cute things as dresses and plush toys. Still, she must maintain this act of being strong and male. Tsubomi falls in love with the boy-like Itsuka and is disappointed when Erika tells her that Itsuka is a girl.
Yuri (Cure Moonlight) is the first Pretty Cure we meet and the last one to become part of HeartCatch Pretty Cure. She failed to defeat the forces of desertification years ago and has lost the ability to become a cure. She has the knowledge of the legendary warrior and offers Blossom and Marine sage advice in facing the foe. All this while enduring the depression which comes from the knowledge of failure. But, it is Blossom and Marine which motivates Yuri to strive to become the strongest precure ever. This in light of the fact that Tsubomi suffers the stigma of being the weakest precure ever.
It will take nearly the full forty-nine episodes for these girls to come together and weld into a well-disciplined fighting unit. Cure Sunshine enters in at episode 23 and Moonlight about ten episodes later. But the glue to the team is Tsubomi's grandmother who had been Cure Flower two generations prior. She leads the four girls into battles with self to prove their merit as Pretty Cure; Tsubomi has a particularly difficult time in facing her alter-ego, for this means the resentment of her introversion. She must accept that personality change does not mean the hatred of self but the acceptance of the change anyone is capable.
The villains are multi-faceted. A trio of generals who are resolved to destroy the Pretty Cure. A created cure called the Dark Precure who was responsible for the defeat of Cure Moonlight. A treacherous professor who has conspired to destroy Cure Moonlight. Then the ultimate foe, the world-destroying Dune who cannot be beaten by hatred, but is a poor mark for the reception of love.
The plotline was strong as we watch each girl develop into a stronger personality capable of the rigors of being a Precure. The whole series created a range of personability where Cure Marine could become the clown princess of Precuria, whose antics and facial rages would not have parallel until the coming of Cure Princess in Happiness Charge Precure. Where Cure Blossom could be the symbol of gentility which overcomes all obstacles. Where Cure Sunshine could find her proper role as a girl without sacrificing the power and strength of the martial arts she truly loves. Where Cure Moonlight can recapture the courage needed to face all challenges ... and win.
Where personalities, like flowers, bloom.
