Doki Doki! Pretty Cure

Doki Doki! Pretty Cure (ドキドキ！ プリキュア), loosely translated as "Heartthrob Pretty Cure", is a Japanese Magical Girl Anime series, the tenth and the current installment in Izumi Todo's Pretty Cure series. Produced by Toei Animation, the series commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Pretty Cure Series and premiered on February 3, 2013.

Confirmation and Development
Doki Doki! Pretty Cure was first revealed on October 25, 2012 after Toei filed the trademark at the Japan Patent Office for a variety of goods on October 2. and the official logo was revealed in the January issue of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine. The series will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Pretty Cure Series in 2013, replacing Smile Pretty Cure! on its initial timeslot.

The key visual first revealing the Cure's look was a poster officially released by Asahi TV on 8 Dec 2012. The poster officially confirmed the presence of 5 mascots, one of them named Charles (4 companions that can become mobile phone transformation devices, plus a baby mascot), the lead character's name as Aida Mana, the enemy's name Jikochuu, and a key location in the story Clover Tower.

Story
From the Asahi TV poster:

Aida Mana is a girl who is always eager to do things for the sake of others.

One day, when she was visiting the Clover Tower during her school's orientation program, an enemy named Jikochuu appeared suddenly, and tried to manipulate her inner heart! To fight this enemy, she borrowed power from a fairy named Sharuru and a magical device called the Cure Lavies to transform into Pretty Cure!

To protect the peace of the world, other legendary Pretty Cure soon joined her in battle! A mysterious baby also appears, making each day a "Heartthrob" experience! The 4 Cures, always holding "love" in their hearts, are battling for the world's fate!

From Toei Animation Website:

Just when Mana Aida, second-year student at Ōkai 1st Middle School, was about to reach the observatory at the top of the Clover Tower in her town, a monster appears. Mana, who jumps into action without thinking, is met by Sharuru, a fairy from the Trump Kingdom. With her help, she transforms into Cure Heart! Together with her childhood friends Rikka and Arisu (along with the mysterious Cure Sword from the Trump Kingdom), Mana protects Earth from the invading Jikochū monsters.

Cures
Aida Mana (相田 マナ) / Cure Heart (キュアハート)-The bright and energetic student council president of Oogai First Public Middle School in her second year. She's a person who believes actions speak louder than words, and will often jump in to help others without even thinking about it. Both elders and youngsters around her believe in her leadership capabilities.

Hishikawa Rikka (菱川 六花) / Cure Diamond (キュアダイヤモンド)-The student council secretary in Oogai First Public Middle School. She's Mana's childhood friend. She was always protected by her back then, which makes Rikka always believe in Mana, but Rikka always protected Mana when she was a trouble maker. She is also one of the ten best students in national mock exams.

Yotsuba Alice (四葉 ありす) / Cure Rosetta (キュアロゼッタ)-A student in Nanatsu Hashi Academy for girls, which only rich people can afford because she's the heir to the Yotsuba Zaibatsu. She's childhood friends with Mana and Rikka. She's a kind person, sweet, talented and gentle, but often flaunts wealth involuntarily.

Kenzaki Makoto (剣崎 真琴) / Cure Sword (キュアソード)-The royal guard of Trump Kingdom in parallel worlds. She came to Japan to find the princess after her nation was invaded and became a super idol and extremely popular fashionista. Cool and always has a strong sense of responsibility, but harbored remorse for feeling that she didn't protect the princess, and doesn't get along well with her new allies.

Mascots
Sharuru (シャルル)-Heart's rabbit-like fairy partner. The most passionate of all the four mascots, she has a passionate heart and always works hard. She ends her sentences with "~sharu!".

Raquel (ラケル)-Diamond's dog-like fairy partner. He is very reliable to the other fairies, much like his partner. He ends his sentences with "~quel!".

Lance (ランス)-Rosetta's bear-like fairy partner. He is the youngest out of the four mascots, and a little spoiled. He ends his sentences with "~de lance!".

Dabyi (ダヴィ)-Sword's cat-like fairy partner. She is very independent, but she often worries about her partner. She ends her sentences with "~dabyi!".

Ai- Ai-chan is the baby mascot, that makes every day a "Doki Doki' experience. She will appear in first part of the series

Trump Kingdom
Marie Ange (マリー・アンジュ)-The princess of Trump Kingdom, who's being protected by Cure Sword before the beginning of the story. She is transported to the Human World and has gone missing, much to Cure Sword's dismay.

Villains
Selfish Trio (ジコチュートリオ)
 * Ira (イーラ)is a young boy who has light blue hair and batwings behind his ears.
 * Pell (ペール) is a middle-aged man who wears sunglasses and batwings behind his ears.
 * Marmo (マーモ) is a beautiful woman who wears pink tube hat and batwings behind her ears.

Jikochuu (ジコチュー) are monsters summoned by the villains of the series to battle the Pretty Cure.

Selfish King

Items

 * Cure Lovies (キュアラビーズ) - the Transformation and Attack Item of the Pretty Cures
 * Lovely Commune (ラブリーコミ­ューン) - thre Transformation and Attack Device of Pretty Cures

Locations

 * Trump Kingdom (トランプ王国) - An alternate world ruled by Queen Marie-Ange.
 * Oogai First Middle School (大貝第一中学) - Mana and Rikka's school.
 * Nanatsu Hashi Academy (七ツ橋学園) - Alice's school.
 * Clover Tower (クローバータワー) - Where Mana first met Sharuru.

Trivia

 * Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the second series with a card suits theme, following Fresh Pretty Cure!.
 * However, Fresh Pretty Cure! mainly stress on the motif of Four-leaf Clovers, while card suits is more like a subtheme to this series.
 * The Club is also missing in Fresh Pretty Cure!, instead, there are two Pretty Cures who represent the Heart, Cure Peach and Cure Passion. Cure Passion only once shows the Club pattern in the DS game opening.
 * Cure Rosetta and Cure Sword take their names from the old symbols used by playing cards, Rosetta being Italian for Rose, until they were replaced by the Club and Spade respectfully, that are still in use for tarot card readings.


 * Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the third series that leads the fairy mascots to transform into Communes. The first was Futari wa Pretty Cure as the Card Communes, Pretty Commune, Touch Commune, and the Miracle Commune. The second was Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star as the Mix Communes and the Splash Commune, and one of the many to use device-like phones.
 * It is also the third series to have a baby mascot (Ai) after Fresh Pretty Cure! (Chiffon) and Heartcatch Pretty Cure! (Potpourri).
 * The Selfish Trio members' names are based on three of the seven demons that represent the Seven Deadly Sins: Ira from Ira (Latin word for "anger", representing wrath), Pell from Belphegor (demon of sloth) and Marmo from Mammon (demon of avarice).
 * This is the first and only season where the individual Pretty Cure attacks do not begin with "Pretty Cure".
 * This is the first season since Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star where the Cures do not have outfits that resemble each other.
 * This is the second season to have monsters who are created from humans' hearts, following Heartcatch Pretty Cure.
 * This is the fourth (fifth, if you count Yes! Pretty Cure 5: GoGo! with the word "go" - Japanese for "five") season to have a Japanese title after Futari wa Pretty Cure, Futari wa Pretty Cure: Max Heart and Futari wa Pretty Cure: Splash Star.
 * And the second to have a purely Japanese title after Futari wa Pretty Cure.
 * Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the fourth season where the lead Cure does not defeat any monster in the first episode, following Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!, Heartcatch Pretty Cure! and Suite Pretty Cure♪. However, Cure Sword actually defeats the first monster in Episode 1.
 * Also, Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the first series overall to feature two "monsters of the week" and two summoning major villains in the first episode, instead of just one, respectively. Additionally, there are three more monsters in the prolog, showing five monsters in total.
 * Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the 5th season so far where all the Cures are all the same age (14). Others being Futari wa Pretty Cure, Futari wa Pretty Cure: Splash Star, Fresh Pretty Cure, and Smile Pretty Cure.
 * Usually, A Cure's transformation device appears on the side on their dress in the front, but Doki Doki! has their transfromation device on the back of their clothes, being the first season to do so.
 * Doki Doki! Pretty Cure is the first season where all the Cures' hair are in ponytails and pigtails.
 * This is the first season that their hair color and style change at the beginning of the transformation
 * Doki! Doki! Pretty Cure is the first season in which the all the Pretty Cures (transformed only)  have curls at the end of their hair.
 * The character layout of Doki doki! Pretty Cure is very similar to that of Aikatsu1:
 * Aida Mana/ Hoshimia Ichigo: two main characters whose theme color is pink, have very similar personalities, adore idols, always end up helping others and there simbol is the heart.
 * Hishikawa Rikka/ Kiriya Aoi: both the intelectual type, who's theme colour is blue and there symbol is the diamond. They are the least similar of the four.
 * Kenzaki Makoto/ Shibuki Ran: Are both the idols (or in Aikatsu the most famous) of the group, have a no nonsense personality, started off having no friends, have purple as their theme colour and ther symbol is the club.
 * Yotsuba Alice/ Arisugawa Otome:  They have similar appearances, use Yellow Clubs as their main motif and Arisugawa is written as  有栖川, which is one of the kanji writings of Alice/Arisu.  Ironically, Kurosawa Tomoyo, Otome's voice actress, is doing the opening theme for Doki Doki. They are the most similar.

Merchandise
Please refer to main page Doki Doki! Pretty Cure Merchandise.