Star☆Twinkle Precure

Oh gosh, i'm crying. This is definitely one of my favourite precure series. First of all, i loved every character. Hikaru is crazy, funny, sweet, a nerd with the love for sci-fy, horror movies and above all space and constellations. She wants to meet other people, know other people, explore, imagine, she wants to investigate her own imagination. She's a one of a kind. Lala/ Cure Milky is one of the best precure in the entire franchise. She's an alien from the planet Samaan, and as soon as she open herself to other people and to her new life on earth, she decides to learn everything aboutterrestrial culture, language and traditions. She's shy, sweet, introverted, with a very big heart, ready to protect other people, but also very insecure, with low self esteem and always looking for others approval. Madoka/Cure Selene is faithful to duty and to her father, but she's also doubting the power her father use on her. She wants to break free from her father obligations and in the end she decides to choose her own path and to free herself from her father control. She's melancholic, but also very strong. Elena / Cure Soleil always masked her hesitation with a huge smile. She loves to see people smile and she put much effort into making people happy and smile, but she cares too much about other people's happiness and too less about herself. In the end we have Cure Cosmo / Yuni. She lost her family and her planet due to one of the enemy's huge mistake and crime. At the beginning she's a thief, has many identities, and very stubborn and detached, but in the end she decided to change herself, to move on from the past, and in the journey to save her planet she become friends with the other girls and finally save her own planet. The story is very simple but strong, cohesive and enjoyable. I loved the creativity, the colours, the chara design, the music, the transformations, the Star Color Pendant and much more. I also loved the enemies and their background. If you are looking for a great and funny adventure, Star Twinkle is the series for you.

The Precure franchise has been one that I have been struggling to get into for quite some time. My main issue always stemmed from its repetitive nature and monster of the week format that kept causing me to lose interest in each entry. But now having finished Star Twinkle, I finally understand that the series can be far more meaningful than this. Compared to the other Precure entries, this one has an outer space theme which immediately intrigued me. I generally enjoy stuff with space travel and themes about constellations and this show uses this concept well. The bulk of the show features our main characterstraveling from planet to planet gathering star color pens. What impressed me the most about this was that despite there being 12 pens total, the process of obtaining them did not feel tiresome. This has always been something that bothered me about the franchise. After a point, it always felt repetitive and samey but this show managed to avoid this issue. Every planet they go to has its own unique quirk that keeps things interesting. They all felt distinct from one another with their own set of unique aliens. Along the way, our characters grow and learn new things about these worlds and learn to appreciate them which plays into the shows themes. Like most Precure, the characters in this show are all likable and we get to see them face their struggles and overcome them in meaningful ways. Lala adds an interesting dynamic to the story as she is an alien and has to learn to adjust to life on earth. It was interesting to see how a hypothetical alien viewed us from their eyes. Overcoming self doubt and learning to understand other species are prevalent throughout the show. There is ample time spent on the girls' development and we also get to understand the villains in the story with time to sympathize. These emotional tempos are felt especially so in the second half as our characters are set to find their own hidden powers. Another positive aspect was the plot device usage of the fluffy creature who in this case is named Fuwa. They never felt like an annoyance in the story nor did they feel like an overwhelming burden that took away valuable screentime from the other characters. Aside from the outer space theme, what really sold me on this series are its visuals. Yes all Precure shows look great in their own right but this one has a vibrant lighting and coloring to it that made it absolutely stunning to look at. The transforming sequences are gorgeous which showcased the new-age aesthetic of modern day Precure. The song they sung during these made them all the more upbeat and enticing which added to the excitement during these moments. The character designs are all markedly well designed and stand out. The aliens and princesses all looked interesting too. Overall a stunning show to look at from start to finish. The sound and music also stood out to me and were utilized well playing into the mysterious yet adventurous tone of the show. Overall this may have been the most enjoyable Precure I've seen. The usage of the outer space theme was executed well and the plot stayed fresh without feeling overly repetitive. While this may not be everyone’s favorite Precure, it managed to do many things right that set itself apart. The combination of stunning visuals and endearing cast sold me on this series as something more than worth the time to watch.

When deciding how good a series like Star Twinkle is you've got to think: are you comparing it to other Precure series, or are you comparing it to anime as a whole? I won't sugar coat it, compared to some other Precure series Star Twinkle isn't as good. But in the end it's still Precure. It's fun, it has cute girls, it has action, it's really easygoing and heartwarming and will make you laugh and cry. On the spectrum of the entire medium, Star Twinkle is great. Hikaru is really cute and it was a lot of fun going on a fifty episode ride with herand the other girls. Seeing different planets was really adventurous and fun. Back on earth you get the typical episodes of people resolving their social issues which can be very relatable at times. There were some really awesome villains, Kappard in particular is one of my favorite Precure villains hands down. The man is just so darned handsome, and he uses a freakin lightsaber it's awesome. Most of the finishers were kind of lame in my opinion but the henshin sequences were top notch. Lala is a really cute character that is complemented well by slapstick humor. Lots of random funny episodes, was hilarious watching Madoka's dad get gaslit by a bunch of children. There are a lot of things to like about Star Twinkle, and it's not as if it's the worst Precure series by any means. I'll say that it might not be the best Precure series to start with. You've got things like Heartcatch and Smile to that end. But if you've already watched some Precure and are looking for more, you could do worse than watch Star Twinkle. You'll definitely enjoy it a lot if you like Hikaru or Lala.

(This review may contain spoilers. Please don't read until you've watched the whole season.) Star Twinkle Precure to me is a very controversial place to be in the Precure franchise. I even went through a bit of an identity crisis in what I am seeking when watching shows I love during the season's running. While this season has definitely become my favorite season in the show, claiming that it's the best season would be quite a bold statement. Story: 7/10 Star Twinkle is, unfortunately, an example of a brilliant idea with subpar execution. Although, I very much enjoyed the first half of the season (Recovery of the StarPalace arc). This season had quite a nice dynamic between the Cures and seeing their early friendship is light-hearted. I also loved the space exploration twist of the season as it provided with intriguing and glitterific content. However, once we entered the Twinkle Imagination arc, things started going downhill. The dynamics of the team seemed to have lost its touch, with how the team seemed to have shifted into deeper dynamics with a specific other or just going solo. The main mascot of the series, Fuwa, strangely became less of the typical fairy you'd see in Precure and the show even blatantly addressed her reason for existence as a tool, not an actual fairy, in the finale. Despite the gold quality of the five Cures' Twinkle Imagination episodes, especially Lala's, it wasn't enough to save the awkward mistake of a lack of buildup and lack of consistent quality in the season. But in general, I won't say it's terrible, it's just there's so much they can improve on. Art: 8/10 When I had a first look at the animation for Star Twinkle, I was very intrigued and pleased. When I did watch the series, it didn't really disappoint at all. I love the effort put into so many other worlds the team explores in the series even if they only accounted for just one episode. The design of the Cures grew on me as many other seasons did and most of the art just gives me a pleasant feeling overall, except when the scenes are meant to be emotional. One tiny bone to pick here would be the fight scenes because to be fair they could've been better, and I'm kinda annoyed how the final attack in the finale wasn't a special one like many other seasons, but already revealed in an episode as early as 32. Sound: 10/10 This season had amazing background music and the SFX was on point. Everything was quite smooth, so nothing much to say here. Character: 8/10 Okay. Here's the most controversial part of the season and why everyone hates this season. First, let's talk about Hikaru. Hikaru being the pink cure stereotype, you'd think she would get the most and most profound development, right? Nope! Apparently they yeeted her character out the window and Lala is the actual leader imo! What a shocker, right??? XD The season had quite an unstable distribution of character development. As I said, Hikaru's character is straight up thrown out the window and that's kinda bad when she's supposed to be the leader??? And she's in the role to point out the theme of the season??? XD Next, we have the two third-year students. I personally liked the development of both these Cures respectively but Madoka's felt off and awkwardly flat from time to time. Elena's development was very stable throughout the season and all her episodes were very good. Then the two alien Cures, which were the absolute highlight of the season. Lala is amazing and her Twinkle Imagination episode is the best episode of the season imo. Lala's growth throughout the season was very well done and very heartwarming at times. Yuni's development was quite good too but that suffered from her being a sixth ranger and her rushed backstory. Finally, a short note for the fairies. HOLY CRAP, the wasted potential for Puruns and the horrible execution of Fuwa. Puruns is a helpful sidekick for the Cures and gave them guidance, but not much more than that. Fuwa is an even bigger problem- Her character development was not good and there isn't that feeling where the whole team had an extremely strong bond with her like Hugtto. With that in mind, her revival in the finale felt unnecessary and her sacrifice was not captivating enough in the slightest. Despite the criticisms, though, there are a lot of good moments in this department so there's my score. Enjoyment: 10/10 So, after all that, I still love this season to the max. I really love light-hearted stories and characters that I feel like I can be friends with and trust. This season definitely delivered. Seeing the main cast grow was a very pleasant and relaxing ride overall. And as I mentioned, I love the space exploration part of the story. It brought something truly unique to the franchise and makes this season stand out. Everything was just the right sauce to brighten up my day no matter what, which is what my conclusion to my identity crisis was- I watch shows and cartoons for the sake of enjoyment, and acknowledging that made me fell in love with the charm of this season and the franchise as a whole. Overall: 8.1/10 Star Twinkle is definitely not a season for introducing people to the Precure franchise and for long time fans, also not really the best the series can do. But for me, it was a great journey nonetheless and something I can rewatch to remind myself why I love to watch cartoons despite my coming of age. Of course, don't take my word for it, since I was a bit lenient here.

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