Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-43281069-20190806112332/@comment-26345967-20200121195005

Star Twinkle is an average to mediocre season at best when bias or preference isn't accounted for but it will inevitably make some people alot more disappointed and underwhelmed than expected due to its theme and some of the other things they brought to the table such as a Cure from a different ethnic group, making expectations absurdly high. Unfortunately, it barely utilizes its resources and can be inconsistent at times.

The Cures in this season are half n half with the human characters easily being its weak point. Hikaru has got to be the blandest Pink Cure to date. She has no personality beyond being excited and her love for space. She also haven't proven her worth as a leader as the show has to constantly tell us she it, instead of showing it.The staff are clearly just juggling with her, not knowing what arc to give her. Elena and Madoka are mere background characters who are pretty much forgotten after Yuni joined until the last few episodes. Throughout the series, Elena have never been portrayed as a character with a problem and yet she's just given a conflict about being a Stepford Smiler out of nowhere and in the last minute. Madoka suffers similar issues but not as much since her arc, while weakly executed, is the best among her human friends. Plus, she at least gets a decent solo fight to compromise. The staff barely dove into these characters and going by their Star Twinkle episodes, they just end up being Dollar Tree versions Nao, Reika, and Miyuki. Lala and Yuni are MVPs of this season by far, actually receiving development and real motivations in being Cures.

Speaking of aliens, the villains are pretty decently fleshed-out, Kappard specifically. He has a deep and grim background that gives him a valid reason to be against the thought of interacting with different species. I can easily see him being the Dark Horse on the villain side. Other villains aren't as fleshed-out, especially Garuouga, but they aren't completely flat. Aiwarn and Tenjo's past are interesting, it can be debated that the villains are abit more interesting than the heroes in this season. Darknest/Ophiuchus a surprise villain anyone with a minor knowledge of the 13 zodiacs can easily seem coming. She does her job well as a villain but sweet Royale Queen have mercy, why would the let her go despite the fact she destroyed the entire universe without a second thought and doesn't intend to change her mind?

The supporting cast are mixed. On one hand, you have Ryoutarou, who despite his limited appearances, is still a nice supporting character and Sakurako is just plain hilarious with an episode that gave the character a surprising amount of depth. Definitely a strong contender in being a fan favorite side cast. Prunce is one of the better fairies we have gotten, brimming with personality. Others, however, not so much. All the parents are just there with Madoka's father, ironically, is hardly involved despite being government agent investigating aliens and having a daughter who is a Cure. And then we have the standby tools that is Fuwa and the Star Princesses.Fuwa.....has no personality or development to speak of. She's just a baby with incredible powers for the upteenth time. And Star Princesses? Let's just say Blue isn't the only deity who sucks at his job.

Outside the final battle, Cure Cosmo's debut episode, and ep 41, the fights are mediocre. It relies too heavily on stock animation and still frames while lacking intensity and impact. The individual attacks are pretty much the worst in the entire franchise. The base ones are good enough on their own but the so called "upgrades" are just rehashes or recolors of the same move.

Overall, it's not bad but it isn't great either. It's just nothing special thanks to not being utilized to its full potential, which letdown many viewers, especially when the movie actually did. I suppose it's our fault for expecting too much from it but it's a season themed after SPACE and IMAGINATION, which the use of the latter is so forced and misused, it has to be the most poorly implemented concept in the franchise. The best enjoyment one can get from this season is its movie and again, with no bias and preference, it's one of the better and more enjoyable movies of this franchise.