Akimoto Komachi

Akimoto Komachi (秋元 こまち) is kind and shy, and likes to read books and write. However, if she is angered enough, she will snap and release her temper. Along with her best friend, Minazuki Karen, Komachi is also a popular senior at her school. She is a volunteer at the school library, along with Karen, and often spends her time there writing stories. Her parents own a traditional Japanese sweet-shop, which has the same name as her, Komachi. Her alter ego is the Cure of Tranquility, Cure Mint (キュアミント).

Childhood
When Komachi was younger, her older sister Madoka used to make shira dango for her. She wrote Madoka a thank you letter after seeing how happy she was after reading it. Komachi chose to be an author when she grows up. A long time later, she was in class with Karen when she said that the class project is canceled. Komachi told her not to give up and rethink things. She then helps Karen to find another factory. It may have taken a long time but they did find one and they made some brochures. After they were done they became best friends and Komachi kept a brochure as a token of when they became best friends.

Yes! Pretty Cure 5
Suspicious of Nozomi, Rin, and Urara, Komachi and Karen agreed to question the threesome. Meanwhile, she starts to worry when gossip starts to spread about the school library. When confronting them, Nozomi brings up Pretty Cure but neither girl believed them and take off, although Komachi was interested in the "story they made up".

After Nozomi encourages her dream of becoming a novelist, Komachi requests to learn more about Pretty Cure. Komachi finds herself growing closer to believing her, when Arachnea opens up the manhole and the girls fall down into the sewers. After Nozomi transforms into Cure Dream, Komachi is surprised as she witnesses this, along with Rin and Urara after they change into Pretty Cure after escaping. Arachnea angers Komachi when she criticizes how worthless a dream is, and after watching Dream suffer for trying to defend her, the green butterfly appears and allows her to turn into Cure Mint.

Throughout the season, Komachi works on her novel and has a budding romance with Natts. She seeks his approval with her work and improves as the time passes.

Appearance
Komachi has turquoise eyes and dark emerald hair worn back in a low ponytail with her tented bangs framing her face. She sometimes accents her hair with a pale pink headband and bow. In Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!: Okashi no Kuni no Happy Birthday!, her attire consists of a soft, dark green blouse with white ruffled skirt, collar, and cuff. The sleeves end several inches above her wrist with an emerald ribbon to match the one around her waist and shoes. She also wears white tights.

In GoGo! Komachi's casual attire consists of an emerald and mint ruffled blouse with a strip of dark green going down the center, worn with pale mint pants that have mint ruffles lining the bottom, and dark emerald shoes with a small bow attached to it. In her hair she wears a soft, dark pink headband to match the material sewn to the top of her shirt.

In Yes! Pretty Cure 5: Kagami no Kuni no Miracle Daibouken!, she wore a blue and pale gold themed jacket with fluffy material inside of the hood, and buttons and lining of grey, over a emerald and pale yellow skirt. Her headband is pale pink to match her socks, worn with brown loafers. Her puffy princess dress is dark green with white ruffle trim, green bows, and her normal headband but with a bigger pink bow. Her shoes are green heels.

As Cure Mint, Komachi's hair turns bright emerald and grows in size, reminiscent of a fluffy sphere with two long curled strands hanging from it and reaching her wrists. On her head is a large mint and dark green butterfly with a red gem to match the one sewn to her dress. She gains melon-colored butterfly earrings. In ''Yes! 5'', her dress is pale yellow with the sleeves worn beneath the shoulders, held with pale yellow straps and a lime trim to match the bow on the back of her dress. Sticking out from the bottom are white ruffles to match the ruffles of her sleeves. Comes with emerald miniature boots with a tiny white butterfly and matching emerald shorts. Her pale yellow sleeves have a lime trim and melon butterfly, along with her Pinky Catch on the left wrist.

In GoGo!, Mint keeps the butterfly hair ornament but in the center, instead of a gem is a lavender flower. She wears a pale mint ruffled dress beneath a pale green vest with green trim. Her butterfly from the first outfit remains, but with the CureMo string hanging from it to the right hip. The dress has a popped collar and a green cuff. Her shorts remain the same, as do her boots, but they gain a stylized cuff. Her sleeves turn into gloves and gain a mint stripe down the center.

Personality
Komachi is gentle and feminine. She dreams of romance and fantastical things while working to become a novelist one day. She is very kind towards others and retains a calm and peaceful nature in most situations. She is also wise and polite.

Despite this, Komachi is known to have a frightening temper. It is hard to set her off, and she remains tranquil during these times - normally furthering the scare factor behind it.

Komach is also known to be very delicate. She is unable to handle criticism very well at first and can shut-down entirely if even given a little. She seeks approval from others and enjoys showing her work to others. She has a tendency to reflect her feelings or situations within her novels.

Komachi can also become quite creepy when telling ghost stories, as seen in episode 27 and the movie.

Relationships
Minazuki Karen - Komachi's best friend is Karen, and she was also her only friend until she got to know Yumehara Nozomi, though it is unknown how they met each other. After becoming a part of Pretty Cure, she gets friends with everyone, but is still formal and uses the suffix "-san" (resembling the English "Mr." and "Ms.") to everyone except Karen.

Kasugano Urara - After a certain episode in the series, Komachi gets in better terms with Urara, who both have a dream in opera performance.

Natts - Komachi has a crush on Natts' human form since YPC526 and easily blushes when she is around him. Though he often seems like he is catching the clues, he does not openly show any affection towards her. However, everything he does for her, like commenting her work, making her happy, or other things, she usually ends up in tears. In the end, she admits her love for him in her second novel, where she also has problems at the end because she does not know how to split the main characters, reflecting on Komachi's own fear of saying goodbye to Natts.

Cure Mint
"The green earth of tranquility, Cure Mint!" 安らぎの緑の大地、キュアミント！ Yasuragi no midori no daichi, Kyua Minto!

Cure Mint (キュアミント), also known as the Cure of Tranquility, has a costume design resembling that of Cure Aqua, her counterpart. Cure Mint is noticeable braver than Komachi. She gains more strength and never hesitates about using it to help others. She, like Cure Dream, has a tendency to give out a speech about courage in the middle of the battle if she has a larger role in the episode, which often provokes the villains and tell her to shut up. Unlike most of the others in Pretty Cure, she focuses on protecting, using her attacks and agility to calls forth the forces of earth and hinder the enemies from hurting others unnecessary. Alone, Cure Mint can perform the attack Mint Protection. When her powers get upgraded with the Mint Leaf, she uses Mint Shield. After getting to know Milk better, all the five girls can combine their powers and the Symphony Set to do the attack Five Explosion.

In the next season, Cure Mint's outfit changes, becoming more similar to the rest of the group. Her hair style is kept, though with a small rose on the butterfly. She is able to use the attack Emerald Saucer, which can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes. With the other five girls and their Cure Fleurets, she can perform Rainbow Rose Explosion and, with Milky Rose at the end of the season, Floral Explosion.

Super Cure Mint
Super Cure Mint (スーパーキュアミント) is the upgrade Cure Mint receives in Yes! Pretty Cure 5: Kagami no Kuni no Miracle Daibouken!. Thanks to the Miracle Lights. Her powers are now increased. She can now fly with her butterfly wings. Her sleeves are now frillier. Her dress has an extra row of frills and her arm warmers are now longer. Her boots are now wider.

Cure Rainbow Mint
Cure Rainbow Mint (キュアレインボー キュアミント) is an upgrade Cure Mint gains in Pretty Cure All Stars DX 2: Kibou no Hikari - Rainbow Jewel o Mamore!. Together with the others' upgrades, the group of seventeen girls form the group Cure Rainbow. This upgraded outfit resembles that of Shining Dream from Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!: Okashi no Kuni no Happy Birthday!, except with the color green instead of pink and a pair of small golden wings instead of grand white ones.

Transformations
Pretty Cure Metamorphose - Komachi's official transformation phrase to transform into Cure Mint in ''Yes! Pretty Crue 5 and Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!''.

In ''Yes! Pretty Cure 5'', Komachi's Pink Catch opens and she shouts, "Pretty Cure..." She makes a circular motion with her arm and shouts, "...metamorphose!" Her body is then covered by a green glow. Her top and brooch appear first, followed by her arm warmers, skirt and boots. Her hair lengthens and gets styled, her Pinky Catch closes and Cure Mint recites her introductory speech.

In ''Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!'', Komachi's CureMo opens and she presses the buttons while saying, "Pretty Cure metamorphose!" The CureMo screen glows and green light surrounds her body. A green tunnel appears with light showing at the end. Komachi appears with her body covered in green light and leaves surround her. Her Cure Mint outfit appears shortly afterwards and she flies down. She opens her eyes and Cure Mint recites her introductory speech.

Attacks
Mint Protection - Cure Mint crosses her arms with her item in front of her, raises her arms and produces a green dome to protect anyone inside of it.

Mint Shield - Green light from Cure Mint's butterfly bow shines, whereas the light follows her right arm. When it has reached her fingertips, the Mint Leaf appears. Cure Mint crosses her arms with her item in front of her. She raises her arms, the leaves on her item glow, and produces a much stronger dome capable of expanding and crushing the enemy.

Emerald Saucer - Cure Mint makes fists with both hands and crosses them in front of her chest, causing the butterfly-shaped emblem to glow in her signature color. Green fragments of light gather around her before she raises her hand, collecting all the light above her palm, making the light shape itself like a sharp circle. When the circle hits, a green butterfly appears, purifying the Hoshina.

Etymology
Akimoto (秋元): A common Japanese family name. Aki (秋) translates to "autumn", most likely referring to Cure Mint's plant-based powers and the common association of autumn and the leaves of plants turning color. Moto (元) translates to "source".

Komachi (こまち): Within the Yes! Pretty Cure 5 universe, Komachi was named after her family's shop, at her sister's suggestion. When written in kanji as 小町 (こまち), the name or word means "belle" or "town beauty". Komachi's name is not written in kanji, but it is worth noting that the name of the shop that she gets her name from is written as such.

Her name means, "autumn source town beauty." or "autumn source belle."

Cure Mint: Plants in the mint family are known for their calming properties therefore establishing a link between Komachi being the Cure of tranquility and her name.

Songs
Komachi's voice actor Nagano Ai, has participated in several image songs for the character she voices. Many of them include duets with Sanpei Yuko, who voices Yumehara Nozomi, Takeuchi Junko, who voices Natsuki Rin, Ise Mariya, who voices Kasugano Urara, Maeda Ai, who voices Minazuki Karen, and later, Sendai Eri, who voices Milk/Mimino Kurumi.
 * Green･Note
 * Trust

Duets

 * Metamorphose ~Young Girls LOVE&DREAM~ (Along with Sanpei Yuko, Takeuchi Junko, Ise Mariya, and Maeda Ai)
 * 1.2. Shoot! ~Five Explosion~ (Along with Sanpei Yuko, Takeuchi Junko, Ise Mariya, and Maeda Ai)
 * A Child's Time (Along with Maeda Ai)
 * And Then, The World Keeps Expanding (Along with Maeda Ai)
 * Tomorrow, A Flower Blooms. Smiles, Bloom. (Along with Sanpei Yuko, Takeuchi Junko, Ise Mariya, Maeda Ai, and also Sendai Eri)
 * Shine 5 Hearts (Along with Sanpei Yuko, Takeuchi Junko, Ise Mariya, and Maeda Ai)

Trivia

 * Komachi's birthday falls on March 10th. Therefore, Komachi's zodiac is Pisces.
 * Cure Mint is the first Cure to have green as a theme color, followed by Cure March and Cure Felice.
 * In the Pretty Cure All Stars Suite Flower Card Collection, Komachi is represented by the calla, which symbolizes a tidy and graceful personality in the Language of Flowers.
 * For the Pretty Cure All Stars DX3 Movie Character Polls held by Toei Animation, Cure Mint appeared in the following rankings:
 * 2nd in "The Pretty Cure you want to bake with most"
 * Komachi's name is used as the shop's name, because, according to Komachi's sister Madoka, her cheeks were as puffed up as dumplings when she was little.
 * Komachi appeared as Cure Mint to give the 10th anniversary congratulatory message at the beginning of episode 13 in Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!
 * Komachi shares the same voice actress with her sister and Takenouchi Yoshimi, a supporting character from Futari wa Pretty Cure and Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart.

Gallery

 * Main Page: Akimoto Komachi/Image Gallery