Hojo Hibiki (北条響 )? is one of the four main Cures in Suite Pretty Cure♪ and she is also the group leader. She is a second-year student at Private Aria Academy and is in the same class as Kanade and later Ellen.
Hibiki's alter ego is Cure Melody (キュアメロディ )?. Her catchphrase is "I'm betting my pride as a woman on this!" (ここで決めなきゃ女がすたる! )?.
Her Pretty Cure partner is Cure Rhythm.
Bio
Appearance
Hibiki has dark blue eyes and long, waist-length auburn hair with a pair of pigtails held by pink ribbons. Several loose strands stick out and she has thick bangs, with thinner forelocks. Casually, she wears a white long sleeve shirt and black leggings with magenta detail, worn beneath a matching colored dress, featuring a heart design, ruffled sleeves and layered skirt. Her sneakers are white and light pink. In the summer, she switches to a black tank-top beneath a pink crop shirt featuring a dark-pink heart design, a magenta skirt, navy blue leggings and the same sneakers as before. In the movie, she wears a hot-pink top beneath a lilac buttoned cardigan with the top two same-colored and light pink layers worn with black knee-socks and also the same sneakers.
As Cure Melody, her eyes brighten while her hair grows longer and turns light pink, worn in a pair of curled twin-tails held with small braids. She wears a white headband with a magenta rabbit-ear bow and heart, a ribbon choker, and heart earrings with a pale pink heart hanging from the bottom. Her two-piece outfit consists of a pink and white ruffled top with a magenta vest worn over it, the Cure Module positioned above a knotted bow. Her frilly tutu consists of many white layers, followed by those of pink and magenta, with a pale pink ribbon on the corner. She also gains magenta stockings with white detail, magenta shoes with white cuff and a pale pink ribbon adorned by a heart, and frilly wrist pieces with a magenta ribbon.
As Super Cure Melody, her dress changes into a one-piece while her skirt grows to her feet. Her leggings turn purple, and her shoes and the ribbon on her headband white. Her arm protectors extend up to her upper arms and become white and pink, and she gains a pair of small wings on her back. Her hair becomes a lighter shade of pink.
As Crescendo Cure Melody, her hair turns baby pink and is tightly curled, her hair ribbon becomes feathery wings. Her outfit turns pearl pink and white, with feathers lining the shoulder and the various ribbons of her outfit slightly growing in size. The sleeve accessories grow in length with larger ruffled trim, and the ribbon is gone. Her shoes now resemble heels, while her top skirt layers grow out with gold feathery cape-like feathers sticking out from the back to match the wings she obtains.
Personality
Hibiki is a bright, albeit somewhat klutzy girl who carries a strong sense of justice. She's very bold and outgoing, though she has a tendency for hot-bloodedness that often manifests as a dislike of losing. She has a distaste for underhanded tactics, believing hard work and effort must be put into things to get them right. Though usually happy-go-lucky and energetic, when angered or faced with a tough situation, Hibiki has a tendency to become more subdued and serious.
She loves to eat sweets, especially the cakes from Kanade's family shop or those made by Kanade's school group. Although she is outstanding at sports, she loves too many to settle on a single club, preferring to provide aid to any team that needs her help instead. However, she is not very good at her studies or cooking.
With a music teacher father and violinist mother, Hibiki has an uninhibited personality much like her parents. Despite both her parents being musically-inclined, Hibiki initially thought that she had no musical talent at all, but she works hard at perfecting her piano playing. Over the series, her love of music is rekindled and she decides to pursue her original aspirations of becoming a pianist.
She succumbs easily to loneliness, and enemies have successfully used her naive and unpretentious nature against her. However, this single-mindedness has also allowed her great influence in bringing Ellen and Ako over to the Pretty Cure's side. As an only child, she is envious of Kanade, who has a little brother, and enthusiastically welcomes Ako into her circle of friends even before knowing that she is Cure Muse.
Relationships
- Minamino Kanade: Her childhood friend who she was estranged with at the start of the series due to a misunderstanding. After becoming Pretty Cure together, the two properly reconciled and began to repair their broken relationship. Despite bickering and being unable to see eye-to-eye some of the time, the two share a very close bond.
- Hummy: Hummy lives with Hibiki and they often have conversations together, showing a sisterly relationship between them.
- Ouji Masamune: Ouji is Hibiki's friend, as her father is his teacher. Unlike most girls at school, however, she does not have any romantic feelings for him.
- Nishijima Waon: Waon is a fellow athlete and close friend of Hibiki's. The two are very supportive of each other.
- Kurokawa Ellen / Siren: Hibiki considered Siren an enemy when she was still under the control of Minor Land, especially after she tricked Hummy into handing her all the Fairy Tones. SPC20 However, after Siren became a Pretty Cure, Hibiki did her best to help her and make her feel welcome as part of the team, with her kindness playing a part in Siren's retiring as an enemy. After Ellen joins the team as Cure Beat, she and Hibiki become close friends.
- Shirabe Ako: Hibiki and Ako's relationship got off to a rocky start due to how rudely Ako initially treated her and Kanade, with Hibiki referring to Ako as a 'cheeky brat'. However, after learning her true identity as Cure Muse and helping her overcome her pain, Ako opens up to Hibiki and her friends, and the two start getting along better.
Etymology
Hōjō (北条 )?: The term Hōjō can be split up into two. The hō means north, which would fit with the Cures having a cardinal direction in their names, while the jō means lines. It can be roughly translated into Northern Line. However, Hōjō is also a common surname in Japan.
Hibiki (響 )?: The term hibiki means a sound, a ring, or an echo. Used as a verb, it can mean to resound/resonate.
Cure Melody: A melody is a tune that often forms part of a larger piece of music. [1]
History
Early Life
When Hibiki and Kanade were young, they were best friends and played together all the time. They used to go to an old church to listen to music and sing together.SPC01 At some point, Hibiki also played piano a lot which she had a great talent in. However, she spent little time with her parents, who were busy in their own musical work. One day, she and her father were to go to the amusement park, but she was asked by him to play at an unexpected piano recital to take the place of a kid who was absent, which she did without fail. She was excited to go to the park, but her father told her that her music was not real music, discouraging her from playing again. SPC03
Hibiki and Kanade's friendship changed at their school entrance ceremony after they made a promise to go to school together upon meeting beneath the cherry blossom trees. After waiting for Kanade, who never showed up, Hibiki gave up and went to school by herself. Then she saw Kanade hanging out with others and incorrectly assumed that she completely forgot about their promise. In reality, they had misunderstood each other and waited under different trees.SPC02
Becoming A Cure
When Hibiki goes to visit the old church she and Kanade used to play in, she meets Ellen, who transforms back into Siren and attempts to steal the G Clef emblem within Hibiki's heart. Hibiki runs out of the church but is blocked by Trio de Minor. They are interrupted by Hummy, who falls from the sky with the Fairy Tones. Kanade, who comes to church so she can listen to the record she and Hibiki once enjoyed together, walks in and is noticed by Siren. After being forced away from the girls, Siren turns Kanade's record, a symbol of Hibiki and Kanade's childhood friendship, into a Negatone, angering both girls and activating their emblems, which become Cure Modules. Hummy tells them that they are the legendary warriors, Pretty Cure, and that by transforming they can get the record back. Wishing to turn the record back to normal, Hibiki transforms into Cure Melody and Kanade into Cure Rhythm.SPC01
Mending Her Friendship With Kanade
The newly-established Pretty Cure attempt to fight the Negatone, but cannot harmonize and end up de-transforming. Siren, Trio de Minor, and the Negatone leave the battle, mocking the girls. Hummy tells them about the conflict between Major Land and Minor Land, and that in order to use their powers as Pretty Cure, Hibiki and Kanade must be in harmony. To Hibiki's disappointment, Kanade leaves them, saying that she is not suited to be a Pretty Cure, and Hibiki explains the reason why they are no longer friends to Hummy.
The next day, Hibiki and Kanade see a little girl, crying under the same cherry blossom tree Hibiki waited for Kanade in the past. Hibiki then explains to both children that the same happened to her and Kanade. Suddenly, the villains and the Negatone reappear, and the girls decide to try once more to fight them. With their hearts now in harmony, they manage to defeat the Negatone, return the record, and acquire a scattered note. After the battle, the two girls are determined to protect Kanon Town and collect the scattered notes in order to protect the happiness in people's hearts.SPC02
After becoming a Pretty Cure, she and Kanade are now best friends again, but Siren causes trouble to make them have a rift and split, because their friendship is the source of their powers of beating them, but if both of them have troubles, then they would lose. Siren's plan initially works on temporarily pitching both girls against each other, but fails in the end when the two work it out and fight together against her. Not only does Hibiki finally reconcile with her best friend, but she also finally loves music again when she finally understands why her father told her that her music is not good; if she only puts joy into it, then the music will not be better. She plays the piano and practices with Kanade as well.
Reaching Siren
In episode 20, Kanade and Hibiki notice that Hummy is acting different but both don't know why. When they meet Souta and Ako again, they say that they saw a black cat and a white kitten together. Now the Pretty Cures know why Hummy was acting different and discover she is being tricked by Siren. They try to tell Hummy the truth, but Hummy doesn't believe them and believes that Siren is still her friend. Later, Hummy gathers the Fairy Tones and goes to see Siren, but Dory and Rery find Hibiki and Kanade, and they manage to find Hummy. Suddenly, the Trio de Major finds Hummy and Siren and the jar that carried the Notes, and they all turn the Jar into a Negatone. Hibiki and Kanade transform into Pretty Cures to beat the Negatone and save Hummy, but the Negatone is filled with so many Notes, they cannot beat its strength. But Siren tricks the notes in the Negatone to turn against each other and the two Cures destroy it with their final attack. All the notes are back in the Fairy Tones, but Siren takes them all and tells Hummy that she only tricked her to give her the notes before flying back to Minor Land in front of the duo and Hummy. Hibiki and Kanade are helpless and in despair, but Hummy believes that Siren is still her friend.
When Mephisto decides to bring the Melody of SadnessSPC21, he transforms the town square into a concert and gives out a pulse of bad music to make the people go away. Hummy is in an alley calling to Aphrodite that she believes in Siren and leaves to practice her singing, so Hibiki and Kanade give chase upon spotting her until Aphrodite stops them. Formally introducing herself to them, she believes that Siren will soon return to normal. While doubtful the two girls realize they don't have much choice and they put their faith into both Siren and Hummy. Without Dory and Rery, they are stuck without anything else to do other than stand their grounds. They grow fearful observing Mephisto torture Hummy but they also see how Hummy refuses to give up, eventually falling into the safe arms of Hibiki after the Fairy Tones break free. It's then they watch as Siren suddenly turns into a Cure to protect Hummy from the villains, and to the girls' shock they attack the Negatone together, causing Mephisto flees with the Score and his minions. The two Cures cheer and hug each other while Hummy is left wondering where Siren is.
After realizing Siren, now in the form of Ellen, has opened her heart and broken out of Mephisto's grasp, the girls, along with Hummy attempt to get through to her. At first, their advice doesn't seem to work, with Ellen unable to come to terms over hurting so many in the past. When Hibiki and Kanade convince her that she should work on fixing things, Ellen agrees and decides to turn over a new leaf, officially joining Pretty Cure.SPC23
The Final Battle With Noise
As time passes, Hibiki and her friends are approached by a chick which is later named Pi-chan. However, it turns out that Pi-chan is Noise in disguise. Fortunately, Hibiki sees through Noise's disguise and saves Shirabe Otokichi just in time from Noise who tried to kill him. SPC37Unfortunately, with the Melody of Sadness being completed, Melody and her team are unable to prevent Noise from fully evolving and turning all of Major Land to stone.SPC44
After learning of Noise's true goal, Melody realizes that Noise is actually a being overwhelmed by sadness, and decides to save him. After a fierce battle, Melody and her team finally purify him with Suite Session Ensemble Crescendo. Before Noise disappears, Melody and her friends catch him and tell him that their goal is to protect his smile, as they watch his smiling self fade away. In the end, Hibiki and her friends meet Pii-chan again, and she promises to be with him forever as his friend.SPC48
Overcoming Sadness
A year after the final battle, Hibiki, now a third-year middle school student, is preparing to study music in Germany. She starts to feel lonely because Kanade is busy with preparing for the patissier school entry exams, while Ellen and Ako are pursuing their own dreams. With her growing loneliness, she falls victim to the monster Vanish, who possesses her body and causes her family and friends, including Ellen and Ako, to fall into deep sadness, and absorbed into their body mass of the dark cloud hovering above the sky of Kanon Town. She also doesn't realize that she has caused Ouji Masamune to be erased under Vanish's influence, and more people, including her family and friends, are absorbed into Vanish due to her strong sadness.
Soon, Hibiki finally realizes that her fear of losing Kanade and her two other friends have caused herself to be possessed by Vanish. Although Vanish, who escapes from her body, tries to kill her, Pii-chan comes to her rescue and revives her, as well as helping her regain the ability to transform into Cure Melody again. With her three friends' friendship and hope combined, Melody is able to finally extinguish Vanish from their existence with the special attack "Pretty Cure Passionate Harmony", and learns to regain her hope for the future before she goes to Germany.
Cure Melody
爪弾くは荒ぶる調べ、キュアメロディ!
Tsumabiku wa araburu shirabe, Kyua Merodī!
Cure Melody (キュアメロディ )? is the Pretty Cure alter ego of Hibiki. She transforms using her Cure Module, along with Fairy Tone Dory. She cannot transform without her Pretty Cure partner, Kanade.
Cure Melody and Cure Rhythm can perform an attack together called Passionato Harmony, though with the Miracle Belltier, she can perform Music Rondo, an individual purification attack. With Cure Muse's help, Cure Melody is now able to use a powered up version known as Miracle Heart Arpeggio. Also, after Rhythm and herself settle their differences with each other, they are able to perform the group attack Music Rondo Super Quartet. This attack can be used when both Belltiers are in Crossrod mode.
Super Cure Melody
Super Cure Melody[2] is Cure Melody's upgraded form in Pretty Cure All Stars DX 3: Mirai ni Todoke! Sekai wo Tsunagu☆Niji-Iro no Hana. This form is achieved using the remaining powers of the Prism Flower and the Miracle Lights. Despite the upgrade, she can still perform Music Rondo.
Crescendo Cure Melody
爪弾くはこころのしらべ,クレッシェンドキュアメロディ!
Tsumabiku wa kokoro no shirabe, Kuresshendo Kyua Merodī!
Crescendo Cure Melody is the upgraded form that Cure Melody attains, first in the movie Suite Pretty Cure♪ : Torimodose! Kokoro ga Tsunagu Kiseki no Melody!, and then in episode 47. The Crescendo Tone is required for this transformation upgrade; in the TV series, as the Crescendo Tone was sealed up by Noise, the eight Fairy Tones Dory to Dodory combined to become the Crescendo Tone to allow the Cures to transform. In this form, the Cures can perform Suite Session Ensemble Crescendo Finale.
Attacks
- Passionato Harmony (パッショナートハーモニー )? is the first attack that she first performed with Rhythm in episode 2. She can also use it with Beat and Muse.
- Music Rondo (ミュージックロンド )? is her first solo attack that requires the Miracle Belltier and the orange Fairy Tone Miry. She first used it in episode 6.
- Miracle Heart Arpeggio (ミラクルハートアルペジオ )? is her second solo attack that requires the Miracle Belltier and the Fairy Tones Miry and Dory. She first used it in episode 12.
- Music Rondo Super Quartet (ミュージックロンド・スーパーカルテット )? is the second attack that she first used with Rhythm in episode 16. To perform it, Melody's Miracle Belltier and Rhythm's Fantastic Belltier have to be in Cross Rod mode.
- Suite Session Ensemble (スイート セッション アンサンブル )? is a group attack that she performed with her teammates Rhythm and Beat. To perform it, they need the Healing Chest and the trust of the Crescendo Tone.
- Suite Session Ensemble Crescendo (スイート セッション アンサンブル クレッシェンド )? is the upgraded version of Suite Session Ensemble where Muse is also needed.
- Cure Melody can also use the group attacks Harmony Shot and Suite Harmony Kick.
Songs
As one of the main characters, Hibiki's voice actor, Ami Koshimizu, has participated in several image songs for the character she voices. Many of them include duets with Fumiko Orikasa, who voices Minamino Kanade, Toyoguchi Megumi, who voices Siren/Kurokawa Ellen, and Ōkubo Rumi, who voices Shirabe Ako.
Group songs
- Keep On Hoping (Along with Fumiko Orikasa)
- The Promised Melody (Along with Fumiko Orikasa, and Toyoguchi Megumi)
- ONE~Hearts As One~ (Along with Fumiko Orikasa, Ōkubo Rumi, and Toyoguchi Megumi)
- Door of Dreams (Along with Fumiko Orikasa, Ōkubo Rumi, and Toyoguchi Megumi)
- Pretty Cure・Memory (NewStage3 Version) (Along with Honna Yoko, Kimoto Orie, Sanpei Yuko, Oki Kanae, Nana Mizuki, Fukuen Misato, Nabatame Hitomi, and Nakajima Megumi)
Trivia
- For the Pretty Cure All Stars DX 3 Movie Character Polls held by Toei Animation, Cure Melody appeared in the following rankings:
- 3rd in "Favorite Pretty Cure"
- 3rd in "The Pretty Cure you want to team up with most"
- 3rd in "The Pretty Cure you want to be most"
- 3rd in "The Pretty Cure you want to bake with most"
- In the Pretty Cure All Stars Suite Flower Card Collection, Hibiki is represented by the carnation, which symbolizes sensitivity and devotion in the Language of Flowers.
- Hibiki likes primroses.
- Hibiki can somewhat speak English and understand a tiny bit of German, but not very much.
- Hibiki appeared as Cure Melody to give the 10th anniversary congratulatory message at the beginning of episode 15 in Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!.
- Hibiki shares her voice actress with Koshino Natsuko, a supporting character in Futari wa Pretty Cure and its sequel.
- On the February 2012 issue of Megami magazine, Hibiki and Kanade ranked as 2nd in best pairs of anime characters.[3]
Gallery
- Main Page: Hojo Hibiki/Image Gallery
References
- ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/melody
- ↑ Pretty Cure All Stars DX 3 Blu-ray・DVD Special Movie "Picture Collection"
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Miluda/status/1695588721532588457?s=20
V • ESuite Pretty Cure♪ characters | ||
---|---|---|
Cures | Hojo Hibiki/Cure Melody • Minamino Kanade/Cure Rhythm • Siren/Kurokawa Ellen/Cure Beat • Shirabe Ako/Cure Muse | |
Mascots | Hummy • Siren • Fairy Tones | |
Villains | Noise • Mephisto • Siren/Kurokawa Ellen • Bassdrum • Baritone • Falsetto • Negatone | |
Others | Aphrodite • Shirabe Otokichi • Higashiyama Seika • Minamino Souta • Minamino Sousuke • Minamino Misora • Hojo Dan • Hojo Maria • Nishijima Waon • Ouji Masamune • Arisa • Rena | |
Movie only | Suzu • Sharp • Flat • Natural • Howling | |
Novel only | Vanish |