THE OLD GUARD AND THE NEW

With Akira Kenjo about to leave for University and a new season (Hugtto) waiting in the wings for next month, it is my proud duty to introduce you to Akira's successor, the first blond bifauxnen in Pretty Cure history!

Once she was a renowned figure skater, until a career-ending injury left her dreams in tatters. However, once given a second chance...

Homare Kagayaki (literally, Honour Sparkle) - The Second Chance

Cure Étoile - The Star of Strength

(same attribute as Akira/Chocolat, and also a French Cure name... purely coincidental?
I wonder if she will be wearing a skirt, or -what I would prefer- breeches; breeches and a queue, giving her a bifauxnen look also as a Precure -just like Akira/Chocolat- would be scrumptious!... The hairstyle looks already like a low ponytail -a queue-, but not much of either hairstyle or attire can be discerned from this close-up of Étoile)


Homare is a mature girl who excels at everything. However, she appears to have self-esteem issues, quitting figure skating after failing to complete a jump.
She also loves cute things and ice cream.

A stylish and mature classmate. She’s good at everything. She also used to be a figure skater. However, she stopped skating when she failed to do a jumping trick. She looking down on the sport since that event, but after the magical war breaks out, she can finally overcome her weakness. She transforms into the PreCure of strength, Cure Étoile.

There's also a proper lady on the team; a young film actress whose mum has also been before the camera. But like many other media stars, she just wants to be a normal overachieving student...

Saaya Yakushiji - The Primadonna

Cure Ange - The Angel of Wit

Class representative. She’s gentle as an angel towards anyone. Her mother is a famous actress, Saaya herself has been an underage film star; however she doesn’t know what she really wants to do in the future. When she desires to help in the battle and become a braver/stronger person, she transforms into an intelligent PreCure, Cure Ange. (She also has a love for spicy foods; who would think of that?)

Anyone else shipping them already?

Hug-chan:

A mysterious baby girl that falls from the sky along with her guardian, a hamster yousei named Harry.
She’s being chased by the Dark Tomorrow company. The world is overflowing with the power to create tomorrow called Tomorrow Powerer. Hug-chan seems sensitive to it, and becomes weak if the power is decreased.

Harry Harryham:

A yousei hamster with a Kansai dialect. He falls together with Hug-chan from the sky. His role is to guide the PreCures, but it seems he often fails to make them motivated. When he transforms into a human, he becomes a very good looking and stylish guy!

The premise of HUGtto Pretty Cure:

This is a Future Crystal.

Not only does it power the Prehearts (the Hugtto Cures' transformation devices); in fact, this is the McGuffin that fuels the whole series (like kirakiraru before it).

- The new enemies are called “Organization Criers” (are they the mooks/monsters of the week of the Dark Tomorrow Company... or are there, like in YGO Zexal, two different, antagonistic villainous factions? I would also prefer, as you know, monsters or weapons made out of corrupted muggle people!) and the key antagonistic elements are the “Kirai Crystal” (literally, the Hatred Crystal)

However, there’s a nice turn of events when Hug-chan and Harry, a hamster guardian, fall from the sky.

Suddenly, the Dark Tomorrow Company appears and want to steal Hug-chan’s Future Crystal; they summon a scary monster to claim said crystal by force...

With the strong desire to protect Hug-chan, a new Future Crystal appears every now and then and transforms the girls who wish to protect Hug-chan into Pretty Cures!

A Future Crystal is a crystalized form from Future Powerer, the magical power that can create a shining future and is overflowing in this world.

If it’s stolen, everyone’s future will disappear, also Hug-chan’s future.

The story of those who should protect important things is about to begin!

Preheart: 

the transformation trinket. It's a smartphone (heartphone), that serves as a communicator in the usual smartphone mode; and as transformation trinket in heart-shaped mode.

Our two bifauxnen Precures of Strength coming face to face, 

Akira/Chocolat bestowing the honour upon Homare/Étoile. 

Changing of the guard in advance for next month...


PS. A close-up of Étoile has at least slightly disappointed me. Turns out that her transformed form has, instead of a queue and breeches as I expected, a high ponytail and a puffy skirt:

Another thing that disappointed me is the values they defend... due to a mistranslation of "chikara" as "strength", so let me clarify this:

Homare's/Étoile's virtue is power, "chikara," (力) as in potential, being able to do something.

Akira's/Chocolat's virtue is strength, "tsuyosa," (強さ) inner strength or strength of character.

So it turns out that maybe princely young man aura, boyish short hair, and a French alter ego name are the only things that these two have in common... (SIGH!!)