Smile Pretty Cure!

Smile Pretty Cure! (スマイルプリキュア！) is a Japanese anime series and the upcoming ninth Pretty Cure installment by Izumi Todo. Produced by Toei Animation, the series is written by Shōji Yonemura, who is best known as the series writer of both Kamen Rider OOO and Kamen Rider Kabuto. It will begin airing on TV Asahi on February 5, 2012, replacing Suite Pretty Cure♪ in its initial timeslot.

Official Announcement
Smile Pretty Cure! was first announced in Mainichi Shinbun's Mantan Web in November 2011 after Toei officially revealed the new copyright name for the ninth series. Later that month the official logo was revealed by TV Asahi. Also, the official pamphlet included in the December issue of Nakayoshi reveals the character designs of the 5 main Cures alongside their fairy mascot, Candy. The ninth Pretty Cure Series is announced to premiere on 5 February, 2012, thus setting up Suite Pretty Cure♪ to have a grand total of 48 episodes.

Plot
Somewhere in the universe there exists a place called Märchenland, where characters from fairy tales live. Near the corner of Märchenland exists a world called Bad End Kingdom, where the antagonists of all fairy tales gathered. In order to show everyone the "Worst Ending", the people of Bad End Kingdom traveled to Earth to collect Bad Energy. If the villains succeed, all the worlds in the universe will suffer from the "Worst Ending".

In order to prevent the "Worst Ending", the 5 Legendary Warriors, Pretty Cure, need to get the Cure Decor, the power of happiness of Märchenland's Queen. The Cure Decor however, has been stolen and hidden away. Set to the task of finding Pretty Cure, Candy the fairy follows the 5 Beams of Light to Earth, where she meets a flustered Miyuki, a transfer student on her first day of school, and already running late...

Pretty Cure
Hoshizora Miyuki (星空 みゆき)

A fourteen year old girl with an interest in books and fairy tales who transfers to Nanairogaoka Middle School. Like many of the lead Cures before her, Miyuki is cheery and optimistic, but also something of a klutz. Her catchphrase is "Ultra Happy!". She transforms into Cure Happy and uses the power of light.

Hino Akane (日野 あかね)

A girl from Osaka whose parents run an okonomiyaki shop and is a member of the school's volleyball team. Akane may be a jokester, but when she has a goal set, she can be very passionate about achieving it. She transforms into Cure Sunny and uses the power of fire.

Kise Yayoi (黄瀬 やよい)

A girl who is in the Homemaking Club and aspires to be a mangaka. Though timid, shy about her work, and a crybaby, Yayoi is very loyal, diligent, and headstrong when pushed. She transforms into Cure Peace and uses the power of lightning.

Midorikawa Nao (緑川 なお)

A tomboyish girl from a family with many brothers who is a member of the school's soccer team. Nao is straightforward and reliable with a strong sense of justice, though she does get frustrated when things don't go according to plan. She transforms into Cure March who uses the power of wind.

Aoki Reika (青木 れいか)

The student council vice president and a member of the Art Club, often writing poems and tanka. Reika is generally elegant and kind-hearted, but has a frightening temper once her patience reaches her limit. Her father is a painter whilst her mother practices aikido and her elder brother practises judo. She transforms into Cure Beauty and uses the power of water and ice.

Mascots
Candy (キャンディ)

Candy is the mascot of the group. She was sent to Earth to collect the Cure Decor to save Märchenland.

Villains
Pierrot (ピエーロ)- is a sinful emperor of Bad End Kingdom, who invaded Märchenland to steal the Cure Decor and bring about the "Worst Ending".

Items
Smile Pact - the Cures' transformation device.

Cure Décor - Special tokens that can be used either to revive the Queen of Märchenland or bring about the Worst Ending.

Locations
Märchenland - A fairy tale kingdom where all fairytale characters live. The Queen has been sealed before the story begins. Märchen is German for "fairytales".

Nanairogaoka Middle School - The school that the Cures attend. Nanairo means "rainbow" in Japanese.

Bad End Kingdom - The homeplace of the antagonists of the series, whose residents invaded Maerchen Land and traveled to Earth in an attempt to give it the "Worst Ending" by collecting Bad Energy.

Trivia

 * The theme of Smile Pretty Cure! is fairy tales, and there are many details throughout the series that reference this.
 * Smile Pretty Cure! is the second installment to have design similarities with a previous one as seen with Splash Star and Futari wa Pretty Cure and its sequel.
 * Smile Pretty Cure! is the first Pretty Cure season to have more than one athletic Cure. Akane is in the volleyball team, Nao is in the girls' soccer team, and Reika is in the archery team.
 * Smile Pretty Cure! is the second season to have a Cure whose theme color is green (Cure Bright notwithstanding as her main outfit color is more yellow than green).
 * Smile Pretty Cure! has some simlarites with its predecessor, Suite Pretty Cure♪ :
 * Both series have one mascot so far.
 * Both series have a similar villanous king figure, Mephisto form Suite Pretty Cure and Pierrot from Smile Pretty Cure.
 * Smile Pretty Cure! is third series that does not have hair accessories in the shape of hearts, coming after Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and it's sequel. Instead, the series has jeweled crowns as hair accessories.
 * Smile Pretty Cure! is the fourth series where the Cures' costumes include a choker around their necks, with Fresh Pretty Cure!, Heartcatch Pretty Cure!, Suite Pretty Cure! coming before it.