Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!

Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!
Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! (魔法つかいプリキュア！ Mahō Tsukai Purikyua!?), officially translated as "Maho Girls Pretty Cure!", is a Japanese magical girl anime series produced by Toei Animation and the thirteenth instalment in Izumi Todo's Pretty Cure franchise. It started airing on February 7, 2016 until January 2017, succeeding ''Go! Princess Pretty Cure'' in its initial timeslot. The characters designs were designed by Miyamoto Emiko while the head writer for this series is Murayama Isao. The series' motifs are witches, gemstones and holding hands while the sub motifs are love, justice, dreams and friendship.

Production
The trademark for this series was filed on October 6, 2015 [1], but was trademarked once again on November 4, 2015 with the official translation of the series on the rainbow of the logo. It was confirmed on November 26 when Toei and Asahi set up the websites.

Synopsis

 * Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! episodes

Asahina Mirai, a soon-to-be student in junior high, witnesses an object fall from the sky one night during spring break. Excitedly exclaiming that it could be a witch, Mirai sets off the next morning with her beloved teddy bear Mofurun to search the park. At the park, Mirai witnesses a girl soaring through the air on a broom. Excited and curious, Mirai barrages the girl with questions. The young witch introduces herself as Riko and explains that she's come to the "No Magic" World to search for certain objects. The two girls notice that they're wearing similar pendants. Meanwhile, Batty, a companion of Dokurokushe the Wizard of Darkness, appears in front of Mirai and Riko! Batty demands that Riko hand over the "Linkle Stone Emerald", which Riko herself had been looking for. To make things worse, Batty uses dark magic to create a monster known as a Yokubaru! Mirai, Riko, and Mofurun join hands. With the magic words "Cure Up RaPaPa!", their pendants shines a magical light over them! The legendary witches "Pretty Cure" are born!

Cures
Asahina Mirai (朝日奈みらい Asahina Mirai?) / Cure Miracle (キュアミラクル Kyua Mirakuru?) Mirai is a thirteen year old girl who is just about to enter her second year in middle school. She's strange, lovely, funny and an energetic girl who is interested in many things. Now that she can transform into a Pretty Cure, Mirai is given the opportunity to attend a "magic school". Her goal is to study the magic she loves and to gain Riko's admiration. Her alter ego is the legendary witch, Cure Miracle whose theme color is pink.

Izayoi Riko (十六夜リコ Izayoi Riko?) / Cure Magical (キュアマジカル Kyua Majikaru?) Riko is a thirteen year old girl who attends a magic school. Although she is great at studying, her magic is very weak so she hopes to become a respectable witch in the future. Living together with Mirai, her life become bright and a little more worrisome. While searching for the jewel "Link Stone Emerald" in the "No Magic" World, she met Mirai. Her alter ego is the legendary witch, Cure Magical whose theme color is purple.

Ha-chan (はーちゃん Hā-chan?) / Hanami Kotoha (花海ことは Hanami Kotoha?) / Cure Felice (キュアフェリーチェKyua Feriche?) Ha-chan is a mysterious baby-like fairy who lives within the Linkle Smartbook. Her alter ego is Cure Felice, whose theme color is green.

Mascots
Mofurun (モフルン Mofurun?) Mofurun is a toy teddy bear Mirai received from her grandmother, Kanoko, when she was a little girl. Being extremely important to her, Mofurun goes everywhere with Mirai. When Mirai and Riko became Pretty Cure, Mofurun gained the miraculous ability to talk! She is able to have a good sense of magic and she ends her phrases with "~mofu".

Dark Magicians
Dokurokushe (ドクロクシー Dokurokushī?) The wizard of darkness who seeks the "Linkle Stone Emerald" to plunge the world into darkness. He is a wizard shrouded in mystery. It is revealed in episode 21 that Dokurokushe is in fact Kushe, someone who used to be a professor at Magic School. He became Dokurokushe when he experimented with too much Dark Magic.

Yamoh (ヤモー Yamō?) Dokurokushe's second in command is a humanoid gecko. As only he is able to sense Dokurokushe's will, he's the one who sends out Batty, Sparda, and Gamettsu. He finds out where the Linkle Stones are through divination. In the later half of the series, he receives a design change and starts attacking the Cures as well.

Batty (バッティ Batti?) A humanoid bat underling created by Dokurokushe. He encounters the Pretty Cure when he searches for the Linkle Stone Emerald. Always a polite gentleman, but he will do what it takes to obtain the Linkle Stone Emerald.

Sparda (スパルダ Suparuda?) Another underling created by Dokurokushe. She is a humanoid spider person and a bold and prideful tactician who sets traps to lure the Pretty Cure in order to find the Linkle Stone Emerald.

Gamettsu (ガメッツ Gamettsu?) One of Dokurokushe's created underlings who is a humanoid turtle soldier. Even though he seeks the Linkle Stone Emerald for Dokurokushe, he's more fired up to beat up the Pretty Cure as a dignified soldier.

Never Ending Chaos
Deusmast (デスマスト Desumasuto?) Deusmast is an evil being whose intention is to unleash chaos upon the world. They currently reside in the sun.

Labut (ラブー Rabū?) A mysterious genie who came from a golden lamp in the No Magic World. He is sly and has no memory of why he exists and why he was awakened. He brought Yamoh back to life in episode 22.

Shakince (シャーキンス Shākinsu?) Shakince is a monster who is awakened from a stone statue. He is a follower of Deusmast, the never ending chaos. He executes his missions while speaking like a soldier. He ends his sentences with "~teki".

Benigyo (ベニーギョ Benīgyo?) Benigyo is a monster who is awakened from clay like earthenware. She is a follower of Deusmast, the never ending chaos. She speaks like a gyaru.

Orba (オルーバ Orūba?) Orba is loyal follower of Never Ending Chaos. He speaks politely, but becomes cold and manipulative when carrying out a mission. He appears for the first time in episode 34.

Chikurun (チクルン Chikurun?) Chikurun is a bee fairy accompanying Orba. Chikurun tries to spy on the Pretty Cure to gain information on them and ends up interacting with Mofurun in comedic ways.

Yokubaru (ヨクバール Yokubāru?) The monsters for this season who are made by dark magic. It has another form known as the Donyokubaru (ドンヨクバール Donyokubāru?) which can only be created by the generals of Deusmast.

Minor Characters
Kouchou (校長 Kōchō?) The principal of the Magic School who is also the greatest magician of the Magic World. When he saw Mirai and Riko transform into Pretty Cure, he proposes that Mirai attends "Magic School".

Kyoto (教頭 Kyōtō?) The vice principal of the Magic School who is much stricter than Kouchou.

Magic Crystal (魔法の水晶 Mahō no Suishō?) The crystal ball owned by Kouchou. She can be rather moody but is good at understanding Kouchou.

Francois (フランソワ Furansowa?) The owner of the clothes shop in Magic World. He is a busybody and having trained in fashion in the No Magic World, he is quite the expert in it.

Gustav (グスタフ Gusutafu?) The owner of the broom shop in Magic World. He is known to repair and remodel brooms and even adds a little decoration to them if he sees fit.

Todd (グスタフ Toddo?) The owner of the fruit and vegetable shop in Magic World.

Hook (フック Fukku?) An old man in Magic World who likes to tell stories and old legends.

Isaac-sensei (アイザック先生 Aizakku-sensei?) An elderly teacher in Magic World. He is very warm and friendly and often loses his fake teeth when he speaks.

Jun (ジュン Jun?) One of the students at the Magic School. She is somewhat tomboyish and confident yet she has had poor attendance.

Kay (ケイ Kei?) One of the students at the Magic School. She comes to class late and is often left behind as well, but she has an easygoing personality.

Emily (エミリー Emirī?) One of the students at the Magic School. She is very easily scared and is said by Kyoto to have failed her broom flying test.

Liz (リズ Rizu?) A student teacher at the Magic School and also Riko's sister. Riko aspires to be like her someday.

Lian (リアン Rian?) A famous archaeologist in the Magic World and also Riko and Liz's father.

Items

 * Linkle Stones (リンクルストーン Rinkuru Sutōn?): The jewel-like collectable items for this season that they insert into the transformation item. There are four gold stones that protect the Linkle Stone Emerald within its center and seven silver stones that support the Linkle Stone Emerald. Mirai and Riko's Linkle Stone Dia both count as one stone.
 * Linkle Sticks (リンクルステッキ Rinkuru Sutekki?): The main weapon that Cure Miracle and Cure Magical use when in battle. They are an item that never existed until it was materialized after responding to Cure Miracle and Cure Magical's feelings.
 * Linkle Smartbook (リンクルスマホン Rinkuru Sumahon?): The device that Ha-chan resides within. The Linkle Smartbook became her transformation item to transform into Cure Felice when she became Hanami Kotoha.
 * Flower Echo Wand (フラワーエコーワンド Furawā Ekō Wando?): The main weapon that Cure Felice uses in battle. She can perform the attack, Emerald Reincarnation if she uses this weapon.
 * Rainbow Carriage (レインボーキャリッジ Reinbō Kyarijji?): The white carriage that Mofurun created in episode 29. It serves as the item that the Cures use to perform Extreme Rainbow.
 * Magic Wands (魔法の杖 Mahō no Tsue?): The magic wand that the students of Magic School use to perform spells.
 * Magic Broom (魔法のほうき Mahō no Hōki?): The pink broom that is used by the people of the Magic World as a way of transportation.

Locations

 * Magic School (魔法学校 Mahō Gakkō?): The main school of the series that Riko attends. Mirai later joins the school early on in the series but only for the supplementary classes in the spring break.
 * Magic World (魔法界 Mahō Kai?): The world where the Magic School resides.
 * No Magic World (ナシマホウ界 Nashimahou Kai?): The world where Mirai lives.
 * Magic Shopping Street (魔法商店街 Mahō Shōtengai?): The magical street located in the Magic World.
 * Mermaid Village (人魚の里 Ningyo no Sato?): The village located in the Magic World. It is the village for the mermaids and merman.
 * Tsunagi First Middle School (津成木第一中学校 Tsunagi Daiichi Chūgakkō?): The school that Mirai attends. Riko later transfers to the school in episode 11.

Trivia

 * The Pretty Cure in this season are not known as legendary warriors, but as legendary witches instead.
 * Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! returns to the motif of the main Cures only being able to transform as a duo, after Futari wa Pretty Cure and its sequel Max Heart, Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star and Suite Pretty Cure♪.
 * Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! is the first season where all three Cures of the show have a growth spurt when they transform into their Cure form.
 * However, Mahou Tsukai! is the second season overall where the Cures undergo a growth spurt during transformation after Doki Doki! Pretty Cure with Madoka Aguri to Cure Ace.
 * The Cures do not know the names of the villains, and instead address them with a startled "It's you!" when they appear. In Futari wa Pretty Cure and its sequel season, the Cures didn't call their enemies by their names as well. But those antagonists did not introduce themselves and were shrouded in mystery, while the Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!villains frequently mention their names.
 * Mofurun does not change into a device during the Cures' transformation and stays in her normal form instead. This was unique in merchandising as the mascot plush toy was also the transformation toy. The plush Mofurun toy was hugely popular in Japan and was the second most popular toy in 2016.
 * Mofurun's surprising popularity led to an increase in Mofurun merchandise, with exclusive merchandise such as a Mofurun LINE Sticker set being made. She is also the main mascot of Pretty Cure Connection Puzzlun and even in 2017, Mofurun receives special merchandise unlike other mascots.
 * Mahou Tsukai! does not have a second Vocal Album. It is instead replaced by a Drama and Character Song Album.
 * Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! is the first season where a Cure from a different season makes a cameo appearance, with Usami Ichika from KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode appearing during the last episode.
 * The Cures along with Mofurun make a cameo appearance in the movie KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode: Paritto! Omoide no Mille-feuille!.