Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure
Visual of the series, featuring the four main cures. Clockwise from bottom left: Cure Summer, Cure Coral, Cure Papaya, Cure Flamingo, Laura, and Kururun.
トロピカル～ジュ！プリキュア (Toropikarūju! Purikyua)
Genre	Magical girl[1]
Created by	Izumi Todo
Anime television series
Directed by	Yutaka Tsuchida
Produced by	Akira Tanaka Aki Murase
Written by	Masahiro Yokotani
Music by	Shiho Terada
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	NA Toei Animation Inc. (Licensing)[2] Crunchyroll (Streaming) [3]
Original network	ABC (ANN)
Original run	February 28, 2021 – present
Episodes	29 (List of episodes)
Manga
Written by	Izumi Todo
Illustrated by	Futago Kamikita
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Demographic	Shōjo
Original run	March 2021 – present
Anime film
Petite Dive! Collaboration Dance Party!
Directed by	Takashi Otsuka
Written by	Ryōnosuke Kingetsu
Music by	Shiho Terada
Studio	Toei Animation
Released	March 20, 2021 (2021-03-20)
Anime and manga portal

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure (Japanese: トロピカル～ジュ！プリキュア, Hepburn: Toropikarūju! Purikyua) is a Japanese magical girl anime series by Toei Animation. It is the eighteenth installment in the Pretty Cure franchise and the third (second exclusively) series released in the Reiwa period. It is directed by Yutaka Tsuchida^[4] and written by Masahiro Yokotani^[4] (Free!, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World). The series began airing on all ANN stations in Japan on February 28, 2021, succeeding Healin' Good Pretty Cure in its initial time slot. The series' main topic is motivation and responsibility,^[5] with tropical and ocean themes alongside cosmetics and dance as the Cures' main motifs.^[5]

Toei Animation Inc. licensed the series outside Japan with Crunchyroll streaming the series in several western territories.

Story[]

Manatsu Natsuumi is a first-year middle school student who moved to Aozora City from Minamino Island (南乃島) to see her mother. Upon her arrival at the mainland, she begins her new life there and her first semester in middle school. But one day, she met with a strange person named Laura, a mermaid who had originated in a mystical place called Grand Ocean, the land of Mermaids. She has been searching for the legendary warriors of the Grand Ocean who can stand up against the Witch of Delays, an entity from the bottom of the ocean that conquered her nation and has sucked all the Motivation Power out of the people in the kingdom. Laura is only searching for the legendary warriors due to the request from the Queen of Mermaids and just for her own selfish desire to be queen one day. But as one of the witch's minions started to attack Aozora City, Manatsu suddenly is blessed with the powers of the sea that allows her to become Cure Summer, one of the legendary warriors foretold in the legends of the Grand Ocean.

Manatsu is later joined by Sango Suzumura (Cure Coral), Minori Ichinose (Cure Papaya), Asuka Takizawa (Cure Flamingo) and Laura (Cure La Mer) to form the Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure Team to fend off against the forces of the Witch of Delays and restore the Grand Ocean to its former splendor.

Characters[]

Pretty Cures[]

Manatsu Natsuumi (夏海まなつ, Natsuumi Manatsu) / Cure Summer (キュアサマー, Kyua Samā)^[6]

Voiced by: Fairouz Ai^[7]

Manatsu is an extremely energetic 1st year middle school student who moved from Minamino Island to Aozora City. She always acts before she thinks, and in any situation Manatsu says "I'll do what's important, right now!" Manatsu's most precious item is the lipstick her mother had given her. Her catchphrase is "Tropica-shine!" (トロピカってる～！, Toropikatteru~!). As the rainbow-colored Cure Summer, she is the balanced fighter of the group. Her charm point is her lips. Her theme color is rainbow.

Sango Suzumura (涼村さんご, Suzumura Sango) / Cure Coral (キュアコーラル, Kyua Kōraru)^[8]

Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori^[7]

Sango is a stylish 1st year middle school student and also Manatsu's classmate. She is very kind, loves cute things and can get along with anyone. Her family owns a beauty parlor named the "Pretty Holic", and she is knowledgeable about makeup and cosmetics. As the purple-colored Cure Coral, she is the tank of the group focusing more on defensive moves. Her charm point is her cheeks. Her theme color is purple.

Minori Ichinose (一之瀬みのり, Ichinose Minori) / Cure Papaya (キュアパパイア, Kyua Papaia)^[9]

Voiced by: Yui Ishikawa^[7]

Minori is an intelligent 2nd year middle school student who loves to read. An honor student with the best grades in the school, she has a poker face, yet struggles to show any emotions. However, she has a strong sense of self esteem. She has loved the fairytale, The Little Mermaid, since she was a child, and knows a lot of stories about mermaids. As the yellow-colored Cure Papaya, she specializes on special attacks. Her charm point is her eyes. Her theme color is yellow.

Asuka Takizawa (滝沢あすか, Takizawa Asuka) / Cure Flamingo (キュアフラミンゴ, Kyua Furamingo)^[10]

Voiced by: Asami Seto^[7]

Asuka is an athletic 3rd year middle school student with a strong sense of justice. At first glance, she appears to be cool and unapproachable, however, she is actually very reliable and loves to cook and play cute animal games. As the red-colored Cure Flamingo, she specializes on better close combat capabilities than the other members. Her charm point is her hair. Her theme color is red.

Laura (ローラ, Rōra) / Cure La Mer (キュアラメール, Kyua Ramēru)^[11]

Voiced by: Rina Hidaka^[7]

Full name "Laura Apollodoros Hyginus La Mer" (ローラ・アポロドーロス・ ヒュギーヌス・ラメール, Rōra Aporodōrosu Hyugīnusu Ramēru), Laura is a mermaid originating from the Grand Ocean sent to the surface world to search for the Legendary Warriors of the Grand Ocean. She is very self confident, somewhat selfish and is the type of person who will honestly say whatever is on her mind. In her stay in the surface world, she comes to live with Manatsu and the others so she can support them. As the blue-colored Cure La Mer, she transforms into a human, gaining legs in the process. Her charm point is her nails. Her theme color is aqua blue.

Grand Ocean[]

Kururun (くるるん)^[12]

Voiced by: Aimi Tanaka^[7]

A seal-like sea fairy from the Grand Ocean and also the Queen's current pet. Kururun always goes at their own pace, and their cry is "kururun~!" (くるるん��！)

Mermaid Queen (人魚の女王, Ningyo no joō)^[13]

Voiced by: Yuko Sasaki^[13]

The Queen of the Grand Ocean.

Villains[]

Leaders[]

The Witch of Delays (あとまわしの魔女, Ato Mawashi no Majo)^[14]

Voiced by: Rei Igarashi^[14]

The main antagonist of the series.

Generals[]

Minions of the Witch of Delays under Butler's leadership. They can throw orbs at objects to create Yaraneedas/Zenzen Yaraneedas/Zettai Yaraneedas that steal peoples' Motivation Power leaving them unmotivated and lethargic. Each general rides a boat when they attack Aozora City. All members are based on marine species.

Butler (バトラー, Batorā)^[15]

Voiced by: Fuminori Komatsu^[15]

A seahorse-like butler of The Witch of Delays who is very calm and has quite the poker face.

Chongire (チョンギーレ, Chongīre)^[16]

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma^[16]

A hermit crab-like chef of The Witch of Delays who is not fond of having to steal Motivation Power, but will do it since the witch wants him to do so.

Numeri (ヌメリー, Numerī)

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe^[17]

A sea slug-like doctor of The Witch of Delays who has a laid-back personality. She is also quite sarcastic and enjoys relishing in others’ agony.

Elda (エルダ, Eruda)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki^{[18] [19]}

A shrimp-like maid of The Witch of Delays who dislikes fulfilling responsibilities. She is also short-tempered and bratty.

Monsters[]

Yaraneeda (ヤラネーダ, Yaranēda)^[20]

Voiced by: Nozomi Mikajiri

The series' main monsters. They are summoned by the generals by throwing a ball of dark energy at objects to steal Motivation Power from humans. Their name is based on the word "yaranai" (やらない) which means "I don't want to do this". In episode 10, a new type of Yaraneeda called Zenzen Yaraneeda (ゼンゼンヤラネーダ, Zenzen Yaranēda) is summoned by the dark green orb, which was created by the Witch of Delays. In episode 22, a more powerful type of Yaraneeda called Zettai Yaraneeda (ゼッタイヤラネーダ, Zettai Yaranēda) is summoned by the dark yellow orb, also created by the Witch of Delays. In episode 29, a much more powerful type of Yaraneeda called Super Zettai Yaraneeda (超ゼッタイヤラネーダ, Chō Zettai Yaranēda), is summoned by the dark red orb, also created by the Witch of Delays.

Cures' family members[]

Taiyo Natsuumi (夏海大洋, Natsuumi Taiyō)

Voiced by: Akira Harada

Manatsu's father.

Aoi Natsuumi (夏海碧, Natsuumi Aoi)

Voiced by: Ryōko Gi

Manatsu's mother. She works at Aozora aquarium.

Miyuki Suzumura (涼村みゆき, Suzumura Miyuki)

Voiced by: Junko Kitanishi

Sango's mother. She is the owner of the Pretty Holic beauty parlor.

Narumi Ichinose (一之瀬なるみ, Ichinose Narumi)

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi

Minori's mother.

Hareruya Takizawa (滝沢晴瑠也, Takizawa Hareruya)

Voiced by: Masayuki Katō

Asuka's father.

Aozora Middle School[]

Saki Sakuragawa (桜川咲, Sakuragawa Saki)

Voiced by: Sora Tokui^[21]

Manatsu and Sango’s headroom teacher.

Yuriko Shiratori (白鳥百合子, Shiratori Yuriko)

Voiced by: Ayaka Fukuhara^[22]

The school's student council president.

Kiriko Shiraishi (白石きりこ, Shiraishi Kiriko), Naomi Komachi (小町なおみ, Komachi Naomi), Yumi Kuwano (桑野ゆみ, Kuwano Yumi)

Voiced by: Serika Hiromatsu (Kiriko), Sara Matsumoto (Naomi) and Fumiko Uchimura (Yumi)

Manatsu and Sango's classmates.

Masami Kakuta (角田正美, Kakuta Masami)

Voiced by: Yuka Ōtsubo

The school's disciplinary committee head who does not believe mermaids exist.

Izumi Komori (小森いずみ, Komori Izumī), Yukie Hayashida (林田ゆきえ, Hayashida Yukie)

Voiced by: Riho Sugiyama (Izumi) and Satomi Kobashi (Yukie)

The only members of the broadcasting club.

Eiko Mizushima (水島泳子, Mizushima Eiko)

Voiced by: Lynn

The director of the swimming club.

Shiori Nakagawa (仲川詩織, Nakagawa Shiori)

Voiced by: Satomi Amano

A student who’s looking to create an Astronomy Club.

Others[]

Legendary Pretty Cure (伝説のプリキュア, Densetsu no Purikyua)

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara^[23]

Movie Characters[]

Sharon (シャロン)^[24]

Voiced by: Marika Matsumoto^[24]

The Princess of the Snow Kingdom Chantia

Huang (ホワン, Howan)^[25]

The Spirits of the Snow Kingdom Chantia

Development[]

On November 27, 2020, Toei trademarked the name for the new series that will be released for the 2021 season. On December 1, 2020, the series title was officially unveiled on Toei's official website.^[26][27][28] Toei later revealed the character designs for the main characters as well as both the series' director and writer on December 26, 2020. The series overall motif was a first in the franchise, and the first time its setting was tied to the main character of the series.^[5]

Producer Aki Murase spoke on the series' main theme: "What is the most important thing right now?" is a mysterious question that you can't answer well when you grow up. Maybe it's because I learned about tomorrow and learned the technique of postponing it... But how was it when you were a kid? I think that children always have the "invincible motivation power" that no one can take away from the "most important thing" in front of them. Manatsu, the main character of this work, also has "invincible motivation" to decide "the most important thing now" and take action. I want you to find more "the most important things now" through Manatsu, who has a similar feeling as those children, and to support that! I hope that Pretty Cure will lead to children's "I want to try it!", so I incorporated two longing motifs: the sea and cosmetics."^[5]

Media[]

Anime[]

Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure began airing on all ANN stations in Japan on February 28, 2021, succeeding Healin' Good Pretty Cure in its initial time slot. Toei Animation Inc. licensed the series outside Japan with Crunchyroll streaming the series in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Latin America on the same date as the Japanese premiere of the series. A week before the series premiere, Cure Summer appeared in the last episode of Healin’ Good Pretty Cure as a cameo and did a baton pass with Cure Grace at the end of the episode.

Films[]

A short film, titled Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure the Movie: Petit Dive! Collaboration Dance Party! (映画 トロピカル～ジュ！プリキュア プチ とびこめ！コラボ♥ダンスパーティ！, Eiga Toropikarūju! Purikyua Puchi Tobikome! Korabo▽Dansu Pāti!), was released on March 20, 2021, along with Healin' Good Pretty Cure the Movie: GoGo! Big Transformation! The Town of Dreams.^[29] On October 23, 2021, the film Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure the Movie: The Snow Princess and the Miraculous Ring! (映画 トロピカル～ジュ！プリキュア 雪のプリンセスと奇跡の指輪！, Eiga Toropikarūju! Purikyua Yuki no Purinsesu to Kiseki no Yubiwa!) will be released with the cast of HeartCatch PreCure! making an appearance.^[30]

Manga[]

The manga spinoff of the series will be written and illustrated by author duo Futago Kamikita, which will begin serialization in Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine Nakayoshi in March 2021.^[31][32]

Music[]

Shiho Terada (Garo) returns to compose the music from Healin' Good Pretty Cure.^[4]

Openings[]

Endings[]

Albums[]

Merchandise[]

Like the previous series, Bandai had released several role playing toys based on the main characters' transformation items prior to the series's airing in Japan. Alongside other merchandise, a line of cosmetics and makeup for kids named "Pretty Holic" was released on February 27, 2021.^[38]

References[]