Synopsis: The Happiness Charge Precure team were brought by a girl named Tsumugi who lived in the Doll Kingdom to defeat the Saiark. However after defeating the Saiark, the girls were lured into a trap and learned a dark secret about Tsumugi and the Kingdom...
First the plot. I will said it is nothing original since this plot device has been done to death with an evil force tricking an innocent person to do his bidding and setting a trap for our heroes. Furthermore, the Miracle Light is used as a key to victory for the umpteen time. Seriously, Toei, how many Miracle lights do you have in your store room?
Megumi, Hime, Yuko and Iona played their usual self with the focus on Megumi's friendship with Tsumugi and Hime trying to score with Prince Zeke of the Doll Kingdom. Megumi as usual was bad with her words (which is not her fault entirely) with her words as she is unaware of Tsumugi's dark past. It was until Tsumugi felt regret when she learned what has actually happen to her that Megumi being Megumi come to save her from despair.
Hime was more fun as she is having this hilarious dream to get swept away by a handsome prince on a white horseback and true enough, Prince Zeke won her heart. There were some funny moments between the two of them but eventually Megumi and Tsumugi's plot overshadow theirs. Yuko and Iona didn't really do much but Yuko was actually smart enough to see through Tsumugi's lies when they arrived at the Doll Kingdom but play along with Iona who sense something is amiss too. Seiji and Blue were completely useless and serve as exposition for the girls.
Tsumugi is voiced by the wonderful Horie Yui (I really hope she will get to be a Precure in a future series since her School Rumble cast members-Koshimizu Ami, Nabatame Hitomi, Noto Mamiko are Precures in their own series and we can have a School Rumble reunion) and she was a brand of fresh breath among the cast. Her back story was more of the main villain, Black Fang's evil plan to make her a conduit of despair but overall, she is not a bad person and redeem herself at the end of the series.
I will said that Ono Daisuke and Morikawa Toshiyuki who played Prince Zeke and Black Fang respectively were excellent choices. Hime who has a crush on Zeke fall head over tails on him and he showed his loyalty to Tsumugi when she was captured. Although Zeke reverted to Tsumugi's doll, Hime still carry him to see Tsumugi at the end.
To be honest, I will rather have Black Fang to be one of the generals of the Phantom Empire in the TV series instead of a movie villain. Sure, he is part of the Phantom Empire but at least he is doing more evil things than the three main generals in the series did in the entire series. He even had the manipulative personality from Smile Precure's Joker and the ambition drive from Doki Doki's Bel. That make a good villain and the final battle at the end was way more exciting than the final battle with Red from the TV series.
As spoilt from the trailers, Cure Lovely became Super Cure Lovely with the power of the Miracle Lights and instead of her dealt the finishing blow, all four girls end Black Fang in an awesome display of lights and explosions. If that was one grip I felt was unnecessary is the cameo of Funassyi who is the mascot of Funabashi, Chibi. I know his appearance looked amateur but he really stood like a sore thumb among the better drawn characters and his appearance can really be anyone else.
In the end, the movie was more interesting than the final arc of the TV series. The movie characters are interesting but the four main Precures were just their usual self but I am really getting tired of the Miracle Lights as a plot device for all the Precure movies. Let's hope the Go Princess Precure Movie will do something different when it come out in Autumn.
Final Verdict: For your collection only. Watching is optional.
Note that in the latest Precure All-Stars movie that came out a few weeks ago, they dropped the usage of the Miracle LIghts. It appears the Go! Princess Precure movie may do the same.
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