THE OTHER GENERAL IN HAPPINESS CHARGE

The eighth episode of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure is here, and the name of the Empire's third general (the military man) is revealed (In addition, we also had a taste of Wild West and French Pretty Cure teams [the Bomber Gals and Cure Merci, respectively]. C'était si inespéré!!).
You know "Loulou" is actually named Hosshiiwa (from "wish"), but did you know "Gerhard" is actually named... Oresky (a pun on "ore suki", "I love myself", and Russian surnames)?

He sure knows how to make an entrance.

The excedeeingly self-confident General Oresky is proud of his rank and his duty, loyal to his queen, outspoken, conscious of his worth and his good looks, and merciless towards the Precure enemy (a true Aries, IMHO). So far, he has only met his Waterloo in the guise of the mysterious and reserved Cure Fortune, and it looks like he is determined to seek revenge.

For those who are curious, here are the Texan and French Cures:

Blonde cowgirl, Pippi-like sheriff and albino First Nations...

Cure Merci, in Rococo-inspired attire.

Cure Merci's weapon of choice is this paintbrush.

"LOULOU", THY NAME IS HOSHIIWA

The name of the female general in Happiness Charge Precure (the lolita in pink with the parasol), hitherto known by my fan nickname "Loulou" (much like "Katla"/Valdis), has been finally revealed in this week's episode. So, from this day on, we will refer to her as Hoshiiwa:

"Let them eat cake", she says,
just like Marie Antoinette...

From left to right: Namakerda, Hoshiiwa, Queen Mirage, "Gerhard" (provisory fan nickname),
 and the Mirror Mirror (yes, the Queen consults it like in the fairytale).

All five came out of this accidentally opened casket (Who did it? Let's follow the series to find out),
in a rather Pandora-like manner.

Introduced with the speaking sobriquet "the wealthy lady who yearns for all", taking delight in muggles' despair (in her own words, it's "the sweet that tastes the best")... She can turn despair into sweets, that she relishes while listening to her victims' cries of despair: "This is when I, the wealthy lady Hoshiiwa, feel the most happy!" In other words, this wench is Schadenfreude personified! As such, she is more than just a looker (violet eyes and whitish curls... and her Lolita dress!)...

Thus, it should not be tolerated to mess up her teatime... In spite of not being aggressive at all, she's one drama queen!
Some more Hoshiiwa pics (because she's so so!):

Slightly scared

Evil laugh

Confident

HAPPINESS CHARGE PRECURE

So far, the tenth season of Pretty Cure has me as wired as Dokidoki last year, for a few weighing reasons:

•  Mirrors and queens: there are a good queen (called Snow White/Himelda!), a wicked queen/usurper (regent or invader?) (with a paid harem of male floozies!) and magic mirrors by the dozen, used by both heroes and villains alike.

• 

  Queen Mirage of the Illusory Empire on her throne.  Never before had I seen a villainess with a paid harem in a fictional work not of my creation. Personally, I love the paid harem trope, but it bothers me that most harems in fiction have one alpha male and all-female floozies. Why not an LGBT paid harem, or one with an alpha female and male floozies? (I have explored both possibilities. Wallenstein's state table, the court of Gustavus III and that of Catherine the Great in The Ringstetten Saga!)... The "floozies" here could be dressed in a more provocative way, to fit the sugary and cute-looking throne room.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  Himelda with her guardian and her pet. A cute and absent-minded royal everygirl, innocent to contrast with Mirage.

  
  

• 

  A close-up of Mirage with her tear-shaped beauty mark. Am I not the only one to imagine a star-crossed relationship with Blue (Hime's guardian)?

  
  

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  Looking between her hands, at both Blue (to the right!) and a magic mirror (to the left!). Is she, like Regina, good at heart (but corrupted to believe she must be "the fairest of them all)? Blue seems to act like the "huntsman" or "good chancellor" in this fairy tale, by taking the princess to Earth to keep her safe...

• Monsters of the Victims: Did the Toei folks hear my prayer? Though the generals strap the victims to coffin-shaped magic mirrors, rendering them unconscious before turning them into "saiakus" (or "terribads", in English). I will miss the jikochus'/selfcenters' creation by perverting an impulsive wish (general whispers in left ear: "I WILL MAKE YOUR WISH COME TRUE!", snaps fingers, victim's black heart bursts out of chest). 

• 

  The victim of the first episode, strapped by Namakerda to a dim coffin-shaped mirror. If the villains (like in Dokidoki) show no scruples when it comes to hurt a child, that gives an idea of their ruthlessness.

•  Great generals: Fortunately, the rather lame creation process of human-based monsters is compensated by the character design of the Illusory Empire generals themselves. So far, we have seen Namakelder/Namakerda, who looks like a green-haired Victorian gent (with an overcoat, top hat, and cane)... aside from a Nazi-like military man (with a badass expression on his face), a parasolled lolita, and an aloof young redhead:

• 

  Namakelder (also spelled Namakerda), "Gerhard", and "Loulou"
  (I give the other two generals fan nicknames until get to I know their
   real names. Remember that I called Valdis "Katla"?) Ah, and pardon
  me if "Loulou" has her face obscured by kanji!

   

  

  The cool redhead, who may betray Queen Mirage (or not?). "Erik?" "Konrad"? "Ramsay"? Finding a fan nickname for him is tricky! I can't pick only one of these three... Perhaps just "Red", since he looks like an aloof Blue...