Pretty Cure

Pretty Cure is a Japanese magical girl anime franchise in the "magic warrior" subgenre. It currently consists of three distinct continuities.

At Sonic Eats Rings, Pretty Cure is associated inseparably with Andrusi, an unrepentant fan of the franchise. He is known for being particularly a fan of the original series's Honoka, although (in a mostly ignored shift) his favorite character is currently the more recently introduced Karen. Other SERfers interested in Pretty Cure are Ila, Donnyku, and dozens of closet fans.

There is almost (but not quite) always something Pretty Cure-related in Andrusi's avatar and/or sig. Other than that, the most common forms in which Pretty Cure makes appearances are screenshots taken out of context (often with a caption added to help imply something to be going on that's different from what was actually happening), random images posted seemingly without warning (note that trying to invoke this intentionally often backfires), and use of two distinct emoticon sets created by Andrusi and Donnyku.

The Shows

• Futari wa Pretty Cure (2004), the one that started it all. The story of two female Japanese middle school students, goofy lacrosse player Misumi Nagisa (Cure Black) and sweet scientist Yukishiro Honoka (Cure White), who gain the ability to transform into a pair of powerful warriors known as Pretty Cure--but only when they hold hands--so that they can fight evil extradimensional beings intent on destroying all of existence.
  • Its sequel, Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart (2005), adds a third girl, Kujou Hikari, who has a different origin and different abilities.
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star (2006) initially seemed like a retread of the first series, featuring excitable softball player Hyuga Saki (Cure Bloom) and quiet artist Mishou Mai (Cure Egret) becoming a Pretty Cure somewhat more focused on magical abilities rather than the physical punching and kicking of the original. In time, however, the series took a different turn with the introduction of the Kiriyu sisters, Michiru (eventually Cure Bright) and Kaoru (eventually Cure Windy), who acted initially as evil counterparts to Pretty Cure before changing sides and joining them, bringing the total to four.
• Yes! Pretty Cure 5 (2007) scared the crap out of the Pretty Cure fandom by dropping the angle that the girls had to transform in pairs, the five girls now having the ability to fight alone, but in time managed to win over most of the fandom. Hyperactive but aimless girl Yumehara Nozomi (Cure Dream) finds her true calling: she recruits sarcastic athlete Natsuki Rin (Cure Rouge), lonely child actress Kasugano Urara (Cure Lemonade), shy writer Akimoto Komachi (Cure Mint), and emotionally repressed student council president Minazuki Karen (Cure Aqua) to become Pretty Cure, fighting against an extradimensional evil corporation (really!) that destroyed the magical Kingdom of Palmier.
  • Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Go Go! (2008), adds a sixth girl, Kurumi (Milky Rose), who makes a big show of being all mysterious-protector-y and we totally haven't all already figured out she's a human form for Nozomi's archnemesis mascot character Milk.

Pretty Cure is currently the second longest magical girl series ever, having surpassed its fellow magic warrior series Sailor Moon on March 16, 2008. It is expected to become the longest ever on approximately June 15, 2008. Of course, these only apply if the franchise is counted as a whole--the Yes! Pretty Cure 5 universe alone will have a mere 70 episodes at that point.

It is occasionally joked by fans that the linearly increasing number of magical girls in each series (see bolded words in the descriptions) implies the existence of a 2001 magical girl series starring negative one girl (the "antimatter Pretty Cure") and foreshadows the eventual creation of series with ridiculously large casts (for instance, a magical girl series with fifty main characters in 2052).

According to Andrusi

• Nagisa can't believe this. Her confusion makes Honoka happy.
• Nozomi's one true love is a magical glowing butterfly. It's decided!
• Komachi should never do a Google Image Search on her name.
• Honoka knows everything, Mai is adorable, and Karen is God.

According to other people

• Karen looks like Honoka.
• Let's talk about something else.

Also