#though sango did have a bit with manatsu too

[xbuster]

People were so desperate to create a ship in DeliPaPre that they tried to make something out of Yui and Kokone despite the two having almost no chemistry.

[muthaz-rapapa]

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea. 

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure.  Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral!  Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei 

Care to explain yourselves, punks?! 

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 34 of Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure, in which Manatsu and the others think about their futures, while Elda runs away from home after an arguement with the Butler.

The episode begins with Elda using building blocks to make a castle, only for the Butler to enter the room, causing it to fall over. Elda and the Butler get into an arguement, with Butler insisting Elda needs to grow up a bit, while Elda refuses to do such a thing. The Butler then threatens to force Elda to move out if she doesn’t bring back Motivation Power during her next mission, to which Elda decides she’ll just run away on her own.

At school, Ms. Sakuragawa is filming some students talking about what they want to be when they grow up for an upcoming event, but when it’s Manatsu’s turn, she can’t decide on what she wants to be. The Tropical Club meet up at their clubroom, with Manatsu having trouble deciding on which job she might want to pursue. She notes that the others at least have some idea of what they might wanna be, suggesting Asuka might want to be a tennis player. Asuka is annoyed that Laura told the others about her backstory, with Laura not seeing anything wrong with it since Asuka didn’t actually do anything wrong as far as she is concerned. Minori states she imagines she might work at a bookstore or a library, while Sango wants to do something involving cosmetics, and of course, Laura wants to become Queen. Unbeknownst to them, Elda is listening in on their conversation, musing that she doesn’t see why they would be so eager to grow up as she thinks being a kid is way more fun.

As they’re walking home, Sango admits that she can kind of see why Manatsu is having such a hard time making up her mind. Sango admits that even though she said she imagined she’d be helping out at her mother’s shop, there might be other careers she’d want to try too. Manatsu brings up her own parents and their careers, and that gives her the idea to ask her parents for advice. She invites the other girls over, and they’re surprised to see that Manatsu’s father is visiting, with Manatsu explaining he’s there for something related to work.

Manatsu asks her parents about what their dreams were when they were younger, and Manatsu’s father recalls that his first dream was to be a fire engine. The others ask if he means firefighter, but he tells them, no, he really did want to be a fire engine when he was a kid. Manatsu’s mother recalls that her first childhood dream was to be a ballerina and she even did ballet. However, after realizing she wasn’t improving, she decided to quit and began to consider being a vet. From there, as she grew up, she continued to find different careers she considered. Manatsu’s father admits it was the same for him, once he got older and began considering actual careers. Manatsu feels reassured that it’s okay for her to not know what she wants to be right now, and she can figure it out later.

As the others head home, Asuka stops to look at a display in a sports’ store related to tennis. When she gets home, Sango asks her mother what she wanted to be when she was younger. Minori sits at her desk, looking thoughtfully at her notebook from her time in the literary club. Manatsu and Laura discuss their plans for the future, with Laura asking if Manatsu finally thought of something, and Manatsu admits that she sort of did, but she’ll wait until tomorrow to share it with her. In the meantime, Laura talks about how she wants to become a legendary Queen.

Meanwhile, at the Witch’s Mansion, Chongire learns from Numeri that Elda ran away from home after an arguement with the Butler. Chongire comments that she’ll probably come back when she gets hungry. However, we see that Elda has managed to get into a grocery store after hours, and is helping herself to some of the snacks, until a security guard nearly catches her. She manages to get away, and has some fun exploring Aozora City at night. As she lays down at the beach, she wonders if Numeri and Chongire would appreciate it if she brought back some snacks for them. As she lays there deep in thought, starting to feel a little homesick, she is approached by Kururun, who offers her a cookie to cheer her up. Elda however, insists she doesn’t need it and flies off, insisting she’s fine and not lonely at all.

The next day, the event in the city is going on, and the TV screens display the interviews of children being asked about their plans for the future. Manatsu still hasn’t told the other Cures about her own plans, telling them they’ll find out when her interview is shown. Elda observes the event, annoyed that these kids are all having such fun talking about their dreams. Chongire shows up, handing her a Yaraneda orb to create a Super Zettai Yaraneda so that she can gather some Motivation Power and return home. Elda gladly accepts, and uses a nearby toy made from a matchbox to create a mecha-Yaraneda for her to drain the Motivation Power from the kids attending the event.

The Cures see what is happening, and transform. They begin fighting the Yaraneda. Cure Summer blocks Elda from draining more kids, and asks her why she’s doing this. Elda expresses her frustration, and Cure Summer tries to assure her that growing up has its advantages too and that she’d still be able to do the things she enjoys. Manatsu’s interview shows, revealing that Manatsu has decided that she’ll just do whatever is important to her then. Elda is distracted by this, allowing Cure Summer to knock her boat loose from the mecha, stopping her from controlling it and allowing Cure La Mer to take back the stolen Motivation Power, before the five of them purify it.

As Elda heads back to the mansion, she is reluctant to go inside due to the Butler’s threat from earlier. Numeri approaches her, and gives Elda a bottle of Motivation Power she collected in secret, so that she won’t have to return empty-handed and get scolded by the Butler.

Manatsu and the others watch the interviews, talking about their plans for the future, and make a promise to stay friends even after they grow up.

Another really good episode! Considering Manatsu’s character, it makes sense that she’d be the one of the Cures having the most trouble deciding on her plans for the future. I really liked the scenes of each Cure wondering about what they want to do. The sub-plot with Elda, and Chongire and Numeri looking out for her was also really sweet. I really do love the family dynamic between them.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!

[smiling-is-victory]

Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure Ep2 Liveblog

Manatsu wants to enjoy her everyday school life, while Laura wants to focus on finding the rest of the Precure so that she can become queen. So, what’s more important? Enjoying your normal everyday life, or fighting as Precure? The answer is both rather complicated and surprisingly simple!

so Manatsu is really excited to see what school life is like, but Laura’s more focussed on finding the rest of the Precure. since the episode title is like “what’s most important?!” i’m assuming they’re probably going to get into an argument about what their priorities should be

it’s a brand new school year! i guess i had assumed Manatsu would have been a mid-year transfer student — like a reversal of how a lot of mid-season cures are transfer students. i really like this, though. it means Manatsu will be on equal footing with her classmates — she doesn’t stand out as the new kid, just another classmate.

WHOA she remembered Sango just after seeing her once??

aww Sango’s flattered that Manatsu remembered her!

she slipped up and called Sango by her first name straight away. but, at least Sango is fine with that, so I guess these two are just good friends right off the bat.

so it’s only been a day since the events of the last episode

and so Manatsu fulfills her lifelong dream of going to a trendy shop & café

ah, but she left Laura waiting. yeah school life VS duties of precure are definitely going to be a big deal in this episode.

wow, Manatsu really has started to consider Sango a really good friend in such a short amount of time! i wonder how many friends her age she had back home...?

she obviously did this just to get Manatsu’s attention + annoy her a little, but like. how is a bathtub more exciting than a magic pot. there’s nothing in the bathtub.

so to make it up to her, Manatsu has brought Laura to a currently-unoccupied pool at the aquarium

they were chatting about general things & how Manatsu’s day was, but now Larua has managed to make this all about her again... making everything, even the battles she’s putting Manatsu through, about her goals to become queen. she’s so selfish...

GHDJHGH geez! this is giving me Futari Wa vibes... Manatsu really wants to live her everyday schoolgirl life, but being granted the powers of the legendary warriors is kinda throwing an unavoidable wrench in those plans.

ahhhh and now there’s this silent moment of her looking down at her ring with an indiscernible look on her face while she thinks about what exactly being Precure means for her

but maybe Manatsu talking about school still made an impact on Laura, since she wants to come to school now?

HER NEW CRITERIA FOR FINDING PRECURE IS LOOKING FOR PRETTY GIRLS!!!!! ICON

oh noooooo Manatsu fell asleep in class b/c she stayed up too late...

AGH and now she has to miss club orientation because she accidentally dropped Laura!! she has to sacrifice what she really wanted do to tend to her duties as a Precure...

and now their disagreement is reaching its limit. which is more important? the duties of precure, or school life?

based on her face, Manatsu seems aware of the severity of the situation... but would rather focus on her own precious life

and then of course as soon as Manatsu and Laura split up the enemy appears

she’s made her decision! she’ll balance school life and being Precure!

oh wow, another great fight this week, too!

I like how Laura still gets to help out by returning everyone’s motivation power even though she doesn’t fight

Now that Manatsu and Laura understand each other a little better, next week the next Pretty Cure will debut! That means we’ll get to know Sango a little bit better!

[darkershining]

Just watched episode 40 of Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure, in which Minori revisits her old story to see if she can fix its flaws.

The episode begins with the Tropical Club discussing their plans for the Club Graduation event, and try to decide on what they’ll do. With Laura stating she’s fine with anything as long as she’s the star, Manatsu suggests they put on a stage play of The Little Mermaid. While the idea is well-received, Laura asks that they pick a different story. Manatsu then suggests A Mermaid’s Tale, the story Minori wrote back when she was in the Literature Club.

Minori disagrees, stating the story is too flawed as it is. Laura then states that if Minori knows what those flaws are, then she should be able to fix them and make the story more interesting. While Minori still seems unsure, she states that she’ll at least consider it.

As the other four girls are walking together, Laura states that Minori probably wants to give it a try, seeing as she did ask them for time to think it over rather than reject the idea outright. Asuka and Sango still have concerns, though, knowing how much her club senior’s criticism of the story affected her back then. At her house, Minori picks up her old story, realizing Laura is right and that she should be able to fix the flaws that were pointed out to her. However, even knowing what needs to be fixed, Minori still struggles to figure out how to go about it.

At Manatsu’s place, Manatsu notes how Minori’s old story ended on a cliffhanger and they never found out what powers the Legendary Papaya granted. Suddenly, Manatsu has an idea. The next day, they drop by Minori’s place, and Manatsu invites her to go on a quest to look for the Legendary Papaya, much to Minori’s confusion. The other girls explain to her that they figured taking a break and going for a walk with them might help give Minori some fresh ideas, and she agrees to go along with it. Manatsu brings them to a fruit store, where they observe some yellow and green papayas for sale. Asking if the girls are doing research on papayas, the shopkeeper has a suggestion for them.

Meanwhile, Elda is playing with a prawn, when the Butler approaches her. He reminds her that if she truly wishes to stay a kid forever, she needs to put in the effort to gather Motivation Power. Elda agrees to head out, bringing the prawn with her.

Following the shopkeeper’s suggestion, the girls visit a papaya plantation. Exploring the place, Manatsu brings asking Minori questions about the Legendary Papaya, like how it looks and if it tastes different from a regular papaya. Minori admits that she has never actually tasted papaya before, to the surprise of the other girls, who had assumed she liked it since she put such an emphasis on it in her story. Embarrassed, Minori tries to run away, only to trip on a rock. The others go to check up on her, and Minori states that this must be what she is lacking to make her story convincing despite all her research on the subject. Laura tells her there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, as she hasn’t tasted papaya before either, and suggests they try some together. Sensing that Minori is still feeling down, Laura asks a question about how the papayas are grown. As she answers the question, Minori starts to get up, and Sango wipes the dirt off her face and returns her glasses. Minori thanks the others, and Asuka comments on how many fruits grow together on the tree. Minori explains more about how they grow, and how the meaning of the papaya tree’s flower is “companion”.

The boss at the plantation approaches the girls, inviting them to sample some dishes made from the papaya harvested there, before heading back to work. Minori tries some, taking her time to describe the flavor and texture of the fruit, noting its a bit different in some aspects from what she expected. She states that she loves it, and tells the other girls to try some too. As they enjoy some of the papaya dishes, Minori observes the workers are the plantation, wondering if its the conditions in which the papaya are grown that make it so delicious, or the love and effort the workers put into making sure they grow well. As she thinks it over, she figures that that’s probably one reason, but maybe it’s also because she is sharing this experience with her friends.

Of course, Elda shows up, and turns the prawn she brought with her into a Chou Zettai Yaraneda, and has it absorb the motivation of the workers. The Cures quickly rush over and transform. The Yaraneda turns out to be very fast, giving the Cures a difficult time. However, Cure Papaya notes that much like the papayas thrive in sunlight, she herself has been able to grow thanks to the support of her friends. She tells the others to attack the Yaraneda from all sides at once, having figured out its weakness. Once surrounded, the Yaraneda attempts to escape upwards, giving Cure Papaya the oppurtunity to blind it with her eye beams, before using her Heart Rouge Rod attack to weaken it enough for Cure La Mer to take back the stolen Motivation Power. The Cures then purify it.

With everything back to normal, Minori tells the other girls that she has experienced a lot together with them, and for this reason, she has decided that she’ll write a new story based on the adventures they’ve had together. The other girls show their support of her decision, looking forward to reading her new story.

Another really great episode! It’s nice to see Minori finding the inspiration she needed to get back into writing and create a whole new story. I can also understand her concern about lack of certain experiences affecting her writing skills. Sometimes I wonder about how much experience a writer needs to be able to write certain things, whether research can be enough to make up for this and so on.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!