“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” – Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

One of the more noticeable fingerprints left by this show on the Pretty Cure franchise is that of its numerous references and shoutouts to previous iterations of the series across history. It makes sense, considering that Dokidoki is marketed as the 10-year anniversary series in Toei’s cash cow production. These references are the best way to paint a history of Pretty Cure without making direct connections between continuities the way an anniversary series like Kamen Rider Decade did with its tokusatsu brethren. Since Pretty Cure All-Stars already exists and serves the mega-crossover function that Decade does, remembering love for previous PreCure is the most ideal approach to take.

This nostalgic style of production isn’t limited to just visual cues like that of Love Force Arrow, but also narrative ones as well, as I’ve outlined right from the start of the series. With every new plot development and new character introduced, a seasoned veteran of the franchise has up to this point trained themselves to dig deep into the precure database in an attempt to find connections between past and present. It’s a wonderful little bonus baked into the series without alienating newcomers too much. While there are aspects borrowed from different eras of the franchise’s history, it can serve as an interesting starting point for heavily curious prospective PreCure fans.

That said, the introduction of Regina in the past few episodes leaves me in a bit of a conundrum with regards to the direction that she will take as the show progresses. This episode provides an opportunity to showcase in her in a light that sets her up really well for a number of potential outcomes, each of which take from PreCure series past. Let’s take a stroll through the history of PreCure and examine the potential outcomes of Regina’s character arc.

The Princess’ Life: Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart

The first possible Regina-related outcome comes friom the sequel to the original Pretty Cure’s second season, Max Heart. In the Futari wa universe, the fairys’ homeworld is ruled by an entity known simply as The Queen, and holds the power to create things (as opposed to the Dusk Zone’s ruler, the Dark King, who holds the power to destroy). Proceeding the events of the end of the first season, both the Queen and Dark King disappear mysteriously, leaving behind several entities that make up their being. The Queen, in particular, breaks up into three components: the Queen’s Life, the Queen’s Will, and the Queen’s Heart.

The Queen’s Life takes the form of the third member of the Pretty Cure Team, Hikari Kujou, who transforms into Shiny Luminous. The Queen’s Will is composed of the 12 heartiels, fairy-like who represent different virtues posessed by the Queen. The Queen’s Heart takes the form of a chierect that houses the heartiels. Likewise, the Dark King leaves behind a being in the same manner as Hikari, a boy named Hikaru. The boy, despite being the essence of the evil king, is childlike, naive, and unaware of his circumstances and identity.

The overarching plot of the series revolves around the Pretty Cure searching for the heartiels and resurrecting the Queen, while at the same time, preventing the Dusk Zone from resurrecting the Dark King. Should a similar premise resurface in Dokidoki, the main players in the grand plot will be both Regina and Ai. Both are currently shrouded in mystery, but both have the same blank slate characterization that was given to Hikari and Hikaru. Regina in particular reminds me a lot of Hikari because she is a character who is steadily learning about the world around her (in this episode, about friendship), and her natural selfish tendencies lead the audience to believe that she is indeed her father’s daughter.

But what if she is actually a component of the life of the Princess or King Selfish? Nothing is said of Ange’s whereabouts since the Selfish’s attack on the Trump Kingdom, and claims of King Selfish’s paternity come from Regina herself. There could be a scenario where both Ai and Regina play an important role in the resurrection of Ange. Consider that Regina’s name comes from a Latin word that means Queen. If Dokidoki takes this route, I would be quite happy with the outcome, as it makes for a fantastic shoutout to Max Heart, and it can be played out in a way similar to Galaxia’s arc in the Sailor Moon series.

No Redemption Without Fall: Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star

Splash Star gets overlooked a lot in the PreCure franchise because it is in a precarious position of being one of the oldest Pretty Cure series in the history of the metaverse, but isn’t noteworthy for being the first in the series like Futari wa and its direct sequel Max Heart. However, this series has plenty to offer, including a fantastic midway arc that centers around the Kiryuu sisters, Kaoru (left) and Michiru (right). Created by the big bad, Akudaikan of the evil group Dark Fall, they were born with the same blank slate as Hikaru and Hikari, and tasked with protecting the Fountain of the Sky, which was captured and taken away from the good guys.

Prior to their “turn” as antagonists (earlier iterations of Pretty Cure relied on a sequential villain progression rather than a rogues gallery seen in Fresh/Heartcatch/Smile), they infiltrated the Land of Greenery (essentially Earth), and scouted out the PreCure to find their weakness, only to befriend them altogether. When the Kiryuu’s cover is dropped and Cures Bloom and Egret try to persuade them to leave Dark fall, the sisters refuse and attack directly. However, their perception of allegiance is changed forever due to their developed friendship with Saki/Bloom and Mai/Egret, and they ultimate sacrifice themselves to save the PreCure from Dark Fall in one particular event.

The sacrifice serves as an emotional turning point in the series, as it makes the main girls examine their situation and re-evaluate their goals as PreCure. In the context of Dokidoki, there is plot design space that allows for Regina to undergo the same shift in allegiance as the story progresses. What is lacking in this department, however, is that there isn’t the same tension of secrecy in allegiance that you see with the Kiryuu sisters and Eas in Fresh (more on that in a bit). That said, Regina is already questioning her own personality tendencies as well as what she represents as the symbollic (and supposed) daughter of King Selfish.

Under the possibility that she is actually linked to Ange in some way, that only adds to the inevitability of her characterization crossroads when she is forced to make a choice between siding with the girls and with the Selfish. We already see tension between her and both sides; the Selfish trio are afraid of her because she is King Selfish’s daughter, and Makopi cannot forgive her due to her allegiance and what the Selfish did to the Trump Kingdom. Regina is ultimately in a no-win situation, and a fall situation where she decides to sacrifice herself for either side would generate a ton of sympathy and emotional resonance simply based on that tension between sides.

Ace in the Hole: Fresh Pretty Cure (and Suite PreCure)

The most prominent theory in fandom, simply due to wild rumors of a fifth cure, Cure Ace, involves Regina making a straightforward heel-face turn and joining the Dokidoki girls. PreCure defections are represented in the text solely by two examples, Setsuna/Eas/Cure Passion in Fresh, as well as Ellen/Seiren/Cure Beat in Suite. One of the more interesting tendencies I’ve seen in fandom so far (particularly in the limited amount of time I’ve spent looking through reactions on tumblr), is that Regina taking this particular route does not fit well at all with the rest of the show, at least from a comparitive standpoint. Regina’s arc so far isn’t “living up” to the redemption story that Setsuna undergoes.

It’s a natural reaction, this negative reception of Regina so far, particularly by fans of Fresh. From a series-wide standpoint, I feel that Ellen doesn’t get enough mention in this particular discussion. Her defection was a thing, and it was an important story element in Suite, as flawed and uneven as it was when it aired. Dokidoki, with all of the balls that it is currently juggling, may very well fail to keep it up, and become a more spectacular of a “failure” as Suite was, but one shouldn’t discount it from the history of the franchise altogether. Was Ellen’s defection badly received because Setsuna did it first/better? Perhaps, but as far as Dokidoki’s fingerprint is concerned, a defection fo Regina isn’t entirely out of the question.

The main point here is that if she does defect, it would be the emotional narrative behind that defection that takes center stage in the storytelling department. What the images in this show represent is a lot more nuanced and subtle than most viewers catch on initially. It took me a second viewing of the episode to really pick up on the visual composition of the show so far, and the series is doing a fantastic job chronicling Regina from a visual standpoint, from her Dark Cure comparative color scheme to camera framing and composition and beyond. At the end of the day, regardless of how well she would fit in with the rest of the group (not well at all, unless she takes a secondary power role like Candy at the end of Smile PreCure, which is my perceived best-case scenario with this outcome), she will become the third defect in the history of the franchise, and she will be studied greatly in relation others that came before her.

Dokidoki is treading an interesting line as far as Regina’s involvement is concerned, and while Cure Ace is the predominant item of discussion in fandom, I feel it necessary to point out the other ways in which Regina’s story could be addressed. Given the tendency of this series to shout out to shows past and present, I wouldn’t dismiss entirely the other shows that exist in the franchise, particularly Max Heart and Splash Star, two very underappreciated shows in the history of Pretty Cure. One does not necessarily have to like those shows in their lonesome in order to further appreciate the franchise as a whole. Even if Doki fails to intrigue me by its story, it has already succeeded in making me appreciate the rest of the metaverse. It is that very appreciation that has been intended by design for a show celebrating 10 years of doing the same thing over again, yet in different and amazing ways.

If you live in the Toronto area, or are planning to visit the area next weekend, I will be participating in a number of panels at Anime North, one of Canada’s largest fan-run anime conventions. More specifically, I will be talking about PreCure in most of them! Here is rundown of everything PreCure-related that will be taking place from May 24-26.

Presentation: Pretty Cure, an Introduction
Date: Friday, May 24
Time: 7pm-8pm
Room: Halton (Doubletree)

For the uninitiated, curious, or veteran alike, this Pretty Cure presentation is an overview of the 10-year history of the wonderful Magical Girl franchise, presented by yours truly. Unlike panels, this is a presentation, and as such, there will (hopefully) be a tidied up supplementary powerpoint presentation. Don’t miss it!

Screening: Pretty Cure All-Stars New Stage: Mirai no Tomodachi
Date: Saturday, May 25
Time: 10am-12pm
Room: New York Video 4 (Doubletree)

This is a screening of 2012′s entry into the franchise’s mega-crossover movie series, Pretty Cure All-Stars. New Stage features PreCure appearances from every single franchise from Futari wa Pretty Cure to Smile PreCure, the most recent series when the movie first premiered. It even features a movie-exclusive Cure, Cure Echo.

Presentation: Magical Girls and Yuri
Date: Saturday, May 25
Time: 4pm-5pm
Room: Niagara (Sheraton)

This is a presentation with powerpoint goodness featuring the Yuri fandom in magical girl anime. I will be a participating panelist at this event, providing insight into the yuri fandom of Pretty Cure in particular. This panel is held at the Sheraton, which is a separate hotel from the rest of the convention.

Screening: Dokidoki! PreCure
Date: Sunday, May 26
Time: 12pm-1pm
Room: Paris Video 5 (Doubletree)

This is a screening for Dokidoki, which takes place at the doubletree. I’ve spoken about Dokidoki plenty in this blog so far, but seeing it on a large projector screen is always great. Last year, the organizers of Anime North slotted 2 hours to screen Smile PreCure!, and they continue on to this year with Dokidoki!

Stock footage is the name of the game when it comes to PreCure. I really wouldn’t give a crap about what happens in a particular episode if I knew beforehand that there would be a new attack sequence, like there was in episode 13 with the introduction of the Love Heart Arrow, or in Smile’s case last year, Rainbow Healing. Both shows’ respective episodes marked the debut of their respective new attacks, and as far as stock sequence production is concerned, they were both really interesting in their own ways, despite the fact that the episodes that they were featured in were noticeably weaker than others in the same season up to that point.

It’s the anticipation of these new attacks that really take the focus away from an episode for me, which is what made Makoto’s spotlight episode in Dokidoki 15 really interesting. There was no prior notice that the PreCure’s combination attack would happen to any sort of degree, which allows the focus to be drawn to Makoto’s turn to find the next of the five crystals (the previous two were found by Alice and Rikka, respectively; Mana’s upcoming episode suggests that the spotlight episode cycle will continue in this tradition much like the spotlight cycles from Smile). While the visual quality of the episode seems a bit off (i.e., oddly high number of easier-to-draw closeup shots, a few slightly off-model drawings of Makoto herself, plenty of stills, etc.), the occurrence of the combination attack comes out of nowhere, revealing where most of the production resources were allotted.

Other than the odd lighting of the sequence itself, Lovely Force Arrow is a fantastic visual sequence, whose composition is highly reminiscent of Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!’s combination attack, Rainbow Rose Explosion. Much like the Lovely Heart Arrow from the franchise’s current iteration, Yes 5′s Cure Fleurets share the same shape, but are used in unison in the same manner as Lovely Force Arrow. Each fleuret (french for foil, a type of sword) is a different colour, but is summoned and wielded by each of the Yes 5 PreCure (excluding Milky Rose) in order, much like the sequence leading up to the Rainbow Burst attack in Smile PreCure. Each Cure strikes a neat pose with their weapon as they flourish with their signature lines.

Here’s Cure Aqua’s poses, for example:

“Tornado Fleuret!”

“The Light of Intelligence!”

Ahh! This pose is amazing! Let’s step aside for a few moments and talk about how amazing this sequence of shots is, at least from a compositional standpoint. The first shot where Aqua shouts Tornado Fleuret is a fantastic use of the character’s body and weapon to create shapes on-screen. Aqua, who holds the sword with a forehand grip, points the sword downward while extending it towards the right part of the screen. Meanwhile, her body leans backward while facing in the same direction as her arm, her right shoulder visible on screen.

The lines formed by Aqua’s body, arm, and sword, create a striking triangle in the middle of the shot, which is accented beautifully by the flow of her hair. PreCure hair is absurdly shapely, and it is brought to light in the shot, as it curves out from her head, downwards, and not only does it curve back towards her butt, but parts of it extends  past it and forwards from the front of the body, like the shot indicates. It’s a really beautiful shape, hued in the awesome blue that is the mark of the Intelligent, beautiful cures in the franchise.

The second pose is less striking, but the transition to it from the first pose is achieved by a crafty combination of character and camera movement. Aqua rotates clockwise so that by the time the camera zooms in towards her face and upper body, her left shoulder points towards the screen. The end result isn’t as visually prominent, but the movement is beautiful, albeit taking place only within a small 1-2 second timeframe.

This sequence of pose and camera/body motion is recreated (though not in exact composition) in Dokidoki with Cure Heart’s summoning of her Lovely Heart Arrow, which falls into her hand as seen in the shot above, after which she flips around into a more traditional bow-wielding stance after a neat camera transition. She doesn’t have the catchphrases that the girls from Yes 5 have, but the difference here is that this particular sequence is utilized for individual attacks, a feature not present with individual Fleurets in Yes 5. That said, when the four bows come together for the big finisher, The shots just scream, Yes!

As a really quick note about the final pair of shots, the way the single unified projectile (in Yes 5, the rose, in Doki, the heart) hits the monster of the week is slightly different from the two shows. Force Heart Arrow penetrates through the monster completely through an overkill of sorts, whereas Rainbow Rose Explosion snakes around the monster and devours it into the flower. Depending on your taste, you might favour one over the other, but personally, I love the latter more, as well as the idea that a giant rose gobbles a monster up and dissolves it completely. It adds a ferocity to the attack, as well as the signature badassery that the PreCure franchise is often known for.

That doesn’t really take anything away from Force Heart Arrow, though. It has its amazing features as well, particularly the synchronised wink as seen in the feature image at the start of this post. The way the sequence breaks away into a few split-screen shots gives a really heavy tokusatsu feel to the entire attack, which conceptually seems more fitting from a show like Yes 5 that actually has a sentai-like team of superheroines. Regardless, the striking similarities between the two finishing moves are remarkable, and it is a hallmark of how well Dokidoki remembers love for the rest of the PreCure franchise as a whole. It’s been like that since the first episode, and in bits and pieces, it’s reinforcing that quality through individual moments like these. I just can’t wait to see what other shoutouts are in store for the remainder of this really cool series.

Over the wide sea
Towards its many distant isles
My ship sets sail.
Will the fishing boats thronged here
Proclaim my journey to the world?

Dreams are a precious thing that we hold onto, a thing that keeps us going during our most troubling tumults. It provides us with the drive and focus to succeed, and is born from a promise made with those we love, and from those who love us in return. Dreams born in childhood are partly precocious due to the romance of determining importance in a future that kids naively envision. For Rikka Hishikawa, there’s an image in her mind of a future that most people share at her age and even older. It’s a wonderful, romantic thing that brings out our emotions and keeps us in check, especially for Rikka herself. Luckily for her, she has two amazing parents who are the first loves of her life. Karuta, as she eventually discovers at the end of this week’s episode, is but another.

The poetry of Hyakunin Isshu is utilized in anime to establish romantic undertones to the stories therein. Most notably, Chihayafuru takes on the poems themselves in the form of a competitive sports shojou story, with plenty of moments in which the poems are described and analyzed in particular detail relating to the thoughts and feelings of unforgettable characters such as Chihaya and Kana. Their appreciation for individual poems add a layer of meaning to their actions and their dreams. Dokidoki doesn’t take this approach in the episode, but there certainly is no meaning lost in some of the poems that they interact with. Let’s take a look at some of them.

When I take the path
To Tago’s coast, I see
Perfect whiteness laid
On Mount Fuji’s lofty peak
By the drift of falling snow.

Interestingly enough, poem #4 above was used in one of the training sequences in the episode, as indicated by the screenshot that it accompanies. I’m not exactly sure whether or not this inclusion was merely coincidental, but the poem itself is a wonderful choice to include in this moment. It beautifully depicts a scene of Mount Fuji that the poet observes on his journey, responding to the imagery with humbling awe.

Rikka is only just discovering the beauty of the game of Karuta, which she stumbles upon in her lifelong journey to become a doctor. Where does it fit in her life? Does she have what it takes to balance both? Can’t she simply chase two dreams at once? She can, and she’ll learn in life that the road taken is hers alone, and the journey itself is as meaningful as its destination. It’s a journey taken by peers before her, and it’s a journey that I am glad to witness.

It is for your sake
That I walk the fields in spring,
Gathering green herbs,
While my garment’s hanging sleeves
Are speckled with falling snow.

Parents are wonderful people, and in the world of PreCure, mothers are perhaps the most important people in the lives of these magical warriors. With all the burning strength that these girls muster, they still find further strength from their moms, those who are essentially living out the future that which the girls dream. Each mother is different, and each bring about different inspiring characteristics that allow these girls to pursue their own futures. For Rikka, her mother, Hishikawa Ryoko, is her first rolemodel. She works tirelessly at a hospital, making a difference in society and being the sole authoritative presence in the house while Rikka’s father is away pursuing his own dreams.

Rikka realizes the hard work and sacrifice required to achieve the same career success as her mother, and tries to model herself based on her perception of the perfection that her mother exudes. The value she places on her mother’s achievements in life, including both her career and family achievements, essentially puts Ryoko on a pedestal for hero worship. Rikka, at her age, doesn’t see the forest for the trees, however. Ryoko’s life is more than just that one accomplishment. She is a complete individual who had to overcome her own trials and tribulations, and found her own passions. Rikka likely won’t find her own globetrotting photographer, but she certainly has karuta, precure, Mana, and many other things that make up her identity.

Finding success is not necessarily about just studying hard. As studious as Rikka is, she is more than just a tryhard bookworm. It is ultimately up to her mother to help her realize that.

Through an unsleeping night
Longingly I pass the hours,
While the day’s dawn lags.
And now the bedroom shutters
Are keeping light and life from me..

The road to personal and life fulfillment, no matter how early one begins that journey, is bound to bring these unsleeping nights. Time passes by all too slowly, whether that be due to restless thoughts of one’s own doubts, or simply stresses brought about by life circumstances (in Rikka’s case, the decision to become a PreCure). The choices that people like Rikka make get in the way of the goals that they seek. Selfless or selfish, the choices are made with a particular motivation in mind, and come with their own costs. The stress brought upon Rikka (and by extension, every other girl in the franchise) as a result of the PreCure lifestyle is only rarely examined in detail, but always persists.

Whether the dream is to win a dancing competition or to become a doctor, the life of a PreCure gets in the way of what these girls want to do. They have to find the perfect balance, and while the benefits of a PreCure life are apparent from an emotional development standpoint, girls sometimes just want to be girls and not magical girls. It’s the decision that they bear, and they won’t see the results of their sacrifices until the ultimate war is over. There is always a King Selfish, Moebius, Pierrot, or Dune that stands in the way. It’s up to these girls to toughen out those nights and overcome these challenges.

If I should live long,
Then perhaps the present days
May be dear to me,
Just as past time filled with grief
Comes quietly back in thought.

Not all that is good remain as such. Emotions are a volatile, dynamic thing that slingshots people back and forth across different outlooks and attitudes towards life and with their peers. Whether it be a bad guy that turns good, or a good guy gone bad, they are always a result of emotions, brought upon by events that happened in the past. They are always there, and are subject to overanalysis and hasty judgments. Dokidoki does a fantastic job at portraying characters who reflect on their past actions, allowing them to valuate themselves in the present. Not only are the PreCure are subject to self-examination, but the victims as well, whose hearts become corrupted as a result of the tiniest itch that would otherwise not need itching.

But when a PreCure is subject to that sort of reflection, it often brings about realization of themselves, which provide the emotional turnaround necessary to summon just enough intangible power to overcome the monster of the week and its associated issues that it brings. Rikka’s heart is perhaps the most volatile of the bunch based on the show’s developments so far. I still believe that there is still opportunity for her emotions to be preyed upon by the bad guys, but should it happen, there is still hope for her yet. For every doubt and worry, she has hopes and dreams, and a support network of friends and family that only want the best for her.

Come what may, she’ll always have Karuta and the poems that hold special meaning in her own heart.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

The real value behind a supporting role is often overlooked, simply because not much is expected of them. Upon first glance of a particular unit of individuals striving towards a particular goal, whether it is to beat up on Selfish or otherwise, the eyes are almost always on the leader and their partner in crime. This 1-2 combination takes up the glory, and the relationship between the two determines a great deal the ceiling of what the unit can do together. Egos are checked at the door, and the hierarchy needs to be in place in order for people to carry out what is needed to succeed. Every Michael Jordan needs a Scottie Pippen. Every Heart needs a Diamond.

But when the focus is squarely on the first two important members of the group, the third gets overlooked because of the lessened demand on that character to make things work on the team. They serve singular purposes and provide utility to fill in the blanks that cover for the weaknesses that remain from the main pair. As minor as it sounds, it’s that shoring up of weaknesses that allow for the full potential of the team to come out. A supporting character makes the rest of the group so much better than it is without drawing attention to that character, simply because they don’t need that attention. A divine entity once said, “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.”

That’s what makes Alice Yotsuba a remarkable character by herself (as opposed to the relationship dynamics that I’ve discussed at length between characters on this show). She hardly gets any screen time, which is a huge benefit for her character, because she is only asked to do what is needed within the team context, despite everything that she has available to offer to her team. With her martial arts upbringing and limitless wealth and resources, she is literally Bruce Wayne, but as a PreCure she is called to be a Batman in a team with Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern in it. The entire context changes. It doesn’t take away from what she is from an individual standpoint. This week’s episode highlights that, and is a firm reminder for those who weren’t sure whether Alice was doing anything up until this point.

Alice is always there, though she’s hardly ever seen. She attends a different school from Mana and the others, and she always shows up only to provide sagely advice or to provide a comforting presence to those who are weary. She is observant, and she knows everything that is going on with the others as well as within herself, which is why she was able to withstand the bullying tactics that Reina tried to employ throughout the Rose Lady contest. It’s very scary how much Alice has changed over the course of the series so far, on account of just being there with the team. Any character that plays within the necessary role of a team and grows into their own as a result is the perfect fit, and although she might be missing the “glue guy” attributes that a Nao Midorikawa has with Smile PreCure, she simply makes everyone better. But unlike Nao, who has always been that same person throughout the entire series, Alice is showing signs of change, right behind our very backs.

To bring back the Batman comparison, it feels a lot like something out a Justice League comic. In issues 43-46, the famous Tower of Babel arc (adapted into an animated film named JLA: Doom), the Dark Knight’s paranoia and mistrust is brought out into the fold, in which his unlimited resources and contingency plan against the rest of his teammates (should they ever go rogue) are used against the League, resulting in his expulsion from the group once upon the arc’s resolution. Playing off a previous theory I had regarding Rikka/Cure Diamond, I envision a similar probability of mistrust in Alice, despite the fact that her friendship with the other PreCure have resulted in her control of emotions. Control over emotions is one of the defining characteristics of the iconic Bat, and it is what leads to explorations of his character regarding his allegiance to the rest of the team.

I forsee the same approach with Alice in a situation where Diamond’s waivering heart is exploited by the Selfish. In order to deal with the immense pain of losing her closest friend (which Alice has, up until this point, recognizes as the source of her changing self), she has to control her emotions even further; her heart cannot be exploited at this point because she has closed it off entirely. This is the journey of reflection that Alice has to take while she tries to collaborate with the other Cures with regards to getting Rikka back.

It’s because of drastic possibilities like these, which Alice has probably already run through her head numerous times since joining the PreCure, that she must take on the support role in order to protect her friends. The fundamental difference between her and Bruce Wayne is that she recognizes early on that she does not want to be alone, nor does she want to work alone. She has the capability to be the lead PreCure in her own series, but she certainly doesn’t mind settling for a lesser role and executing it to perfection. She is highly aware of her usefulness towards the group, which allows her to do what she does without any particular dissent from opposing viewpoints. In the world of PreCure, their hearts are one, and that makes her a very formidable opponent.

At the end of the day, Alice, as Cure Rosetta, is an overqualified support hero who doesn’t mind accepting the way things are, and is simply content to see her friends happy, because they are the true heroes of the story in the hearts of the audience as well as her own. She won’t be the face of the team that saved the world, but she will tell her grandkids with pride that she worked with the very best, and made them even better. Maybe we don’t get to see much of what Alice does, but I’m quite sure that things are rosy on her end.