The Pretty Cure manga by Kamikita Futago (上北ふたご Kamikita Futago?) (literally translated and hereby also referred to as the Kamikita Twins) are manga adaptions of the various Pretty Cure seasons.
The Kamikita Twins are twin sisters, manga creators and character designers that were first commissioned in 2004 to create two manga adaptions for Futari wa Pretty Cure. Since then, they've made manga for every single season and some of the movies.
Serialization and Publishing of Pretty Cure manga
The chapters are serialized in Nakayoshi[1], a monthly, long running shoujo demographic manga magazine.
However, some are also published directly as tankobon (individual comic books) by Kodansha, or in mooks (sturdy magazines that stay on bookshelves for a longer time). In the mooks, promotional material for Pretty Cure merchandise and the series, along with small gifts was usually included. Many volumes include extra chapters made specifically for the published books.
Initially, the publishing of the Nakayoshi chapters was sparse. But with the tenth anniversary of Futari wa Pretty Cure and the 60th anniversary of Nakayoshi in 2014, all content, including the out-of-print directly published volumes in 2004-2006, have been brought out as tankobon under the Pretty Cure Collection label. In 2015, with Go! Princess Pretty Cure, two volumes with large extra chapters has become the norm, and since Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!, the tankobon are also brought out in limited editions, with a booklet attached. The booklet can contain another comic or colored illustrations.
Near the end of 2016, the Kamikita Twins also made a twitter account, and have been since excitedly sharing and promoting their work.
Work Process
As Pretty Cure was an anime first, the Kamikita Twins stay in contact with the producers and some series staff, but also get feedback from the Nakayoshi editorial department. For each series, the main characters, a compilation of setting design, and some finalised scenarios of the episodes and the general turn of the story are shared with the Kamikita Twins even before the series starts airing. Sometimes, anime storyboards are shown as examples as well. That way, they can start making a draft for the first chapter and think about the course of the manga.
A Nakayoshi chapter is usually only up to ten pages long or less, so if the events of the anime are followed in the story, they are often slightly changed and condensed to fit. The Twins stated that the writing process for a Nakayoshi chapter takes about ten days, while drawing takes five days. They both draw and write, meaning there isn't a specific task assigned to either of them.
For each series, the anime style changes, so for the manga, the Twins tried to reflect that by changing the style between different serializations: While Yes! Pretty Cure 5 is drawn in shoujo style with delicate and detailed hair and eyes, the Heartcatch Cures look cartoonier in style and proportions.
List of Pretty Cure manga
Futari wa Pretty Cure
- Main Article: Futari wa Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized in Nakayoshi from the April[2]2004 issue to the February 2005 issue (for eleven chapters), as a slice of life series.
In 2005, another manga following the anime events was published. All Nakayoshi chapters and the 2005 manga were reprinted in 2014 under the Pretty Cure Collection label.
Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart
- Main Article: Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized in Nakayoshi from the March 2005 issue to the August 2005 issue, and from the October 2005 issue to the February 2006 issue (skipping September).
Two tankobon of the two movies were directly published in 2005. The Nakayoshi chapters were published in 2014 under the Pretty Cure Collection label. The movie tankobon were reprinted in 2015 under the same label.
Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star
It ran from Nakayoshi's March 2006 issue to the November 2006 issue, and from the January 2007 to the February 2007 issue (skipping December). Three chapters were published in Nakayoshi Lovely.
Some Nakayoshi chapters were published in a tankobon in 2006. A tankobon of the movie was also brought out in 2006. All chapters and the movie were reprinted in 2015 in three Pretty Cure Collection volumes.
Yes! Pretty Cure 5
- Main Article: Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Manga (Kamikita Futago)
Twelve chapters were serialized in Nakayoshi from the March 2007 issue to the February 2008 issue. Four chapters were also featured in Nakayoshi Lovely.
All chapters were published in 2015 in a single tankobon under the Pretty Cure Collection label.
Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!
- Main Article: Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was running from Nakayoshi's March 2008 issue to the February 2009 issue. Three chapters were published in the sister magazine Nakayoshi Lovely.
All chapters were published in 2015 in a single tankobon under the Pretty Cure Collection label.
Fresh Pretty Cure!
- Main Article: Fresh Pretty Cure! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
Twelve chapters were serialized in Nakayoshi from the March 2009 to the February 2010 issue.
All chapters and a bonus chapter were published in two mooks in 2009 and 2010. They were reprinted in 2015 as a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon.
Heartcatch Pretty Cure!
- Main Article: Heartcatch Pretty Cure! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized monthly in Nakayoshi from the March 2010 to the February 2011 issue, twelve chapters in total.
The chapters were published in two mooks in 2010 and 2011, and the second one included a bonus chapter. Everything was reprinted in 2015 as a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon.
Suite Pretty Cure♪
- Main Article: Suite Pretty Cure♪ Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It ran from Nakayoshi's March 2011 issue to the February 2012 issue, for another twelve chapters.
The chapters were again published in two mooks in 2011 and 2012 with a bonus chapter included in the latter. The entire series was republished in a tankobon under the Pretty Cure Collection label in 2015.
Smile Pretty Cure!
- Main Article: Smile Pretty Cure! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized in Nakayoshi from the March 2012 to the February 2013 issue, for twelve chapters.
The chapters were again collected in two mooks in 2012 and 2013. Everything was collected in a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2015, which also included a bonus chapter.
Doki Doki! Pretty Cure
- Main Article: Doki Doki! Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It ran in Nakayoshi from its March 2013 to the February 2014 issue, for twelve chapters.
All chapters were collected in a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2014, along with a bonus chapter, making it the first of the Pretty Cure Collection entries to be published, time-wise.
Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!
- Main Article: Happiness Charge Pretty Cure! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized from Nakayoshi's March 2014 issue to its February 2015 issue, for twelve chapters in total.
The chapters were published in a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2015, and a bonus chapter was included.
Go! Princess Pretty Cure
- Main Article: Go! Princess Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
Serialization in Nakayoshi started in the March 2015 issue, continued monthly, and ended in the February 2016 issue, with twelve chapters in total.
All chapters, including two new, long bonus chapters, were published in two Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2015 and 2016.
Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!
- Main Article: Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It was serialized in Nakayoshi from the March 2016 to the February 2017 issue, for twelve chapters.
The chapters were published in two Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2016 and 2017. Both featured long bonus chapters as well and the second tankobon was also released in a limited edition version. The limited edition included a Pretty Cure Dream Story booklet with a crossover chapter.
KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode
- Main Article: KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode Manga (Kamikita Futago)
The manga adaption was serialized from the March 2017 to the February 2018 issue. In the November 2017 issue, two chapters were released, making it thirteen Nakayoshi chapters.
They were published in two Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2017 and 2018, and both tankobon came with bonus chapters. The tankobon got an additional limited edition release with Pretty Cure Dream Story booklets as an extra.
HUGtto! Pretty Cure
- Main Article: HUGtto! Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
It ran from the March 2018 to the February 2019 issue, for twelve chapters.
The chapters were published in two Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2018 and 2019, which came with a bonus chapter for each volume. The tankobon were also released in limited edition versions that came with Pretty Cure Dream Story booklets.
Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure
- Main Article: Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
The Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure manga was serialized in Nakayoshi. It started with the first chapter in its March 2019 issue and ended in the February 2020 issue.
The first batch of chapters was released in a Pretty Cure Collection tankobon in 2019, and the second volume was released March 2020. Both columes came with a bonus chapter and were also released in limited edition versions, which came with a illustration card booklet of Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure postcards that can be torn out of the booklet and used.
Healin' Good♥Pretty Cure
- Main Article: Healin' Good♥Pretty Cure Manga (Kamikita Futago)
The Healin' Good♥Pretty Cure manga is currently serialized in Nakayoshi, with the first chapter in the March 2020 issue.
Notes and citations
- ↑ Nakayoshi has been running over 60 years and its target demographic is girls of age 8–14, thus slightly older compared to Pretty Cure anime's demographic of girls aged 4-9. Well-known works published in Nakayoshi include Cardcaptor Sakura and Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon.
- ↑ While it may be called an "April" issue, the actual release is in early March, and it is only called an "April" issue because it extends into the month April. This is true to all other "issue" references in this article. So a "January" issue often includes the respective Christmas chapter, due to it being brought out in early December.