The 20th installment in Precure Series presented and introduced new features, promising a new future for Precure franchise. In an era where the mahou shoujo genre is experiencing a stagnation/decline, the great classic of the genre continues to uphold its strong reputation in the market, actively seeking and exploring new ideas to rejuvenate the series. Each Precure offers a different theme... this time, it invite us now on a journey through a boundless sky, with the aspiration of becoming a hero.

For being such a fan of the franchise (I've consumed at least half of Precure series), after many years I came back to it again, and received such a positive surprise, as Hirogaru Sky partially met my expectations. Honestly, I'm not a fan of all Precures, there are several that I don't like or find it mid, so I was happy and satisfied that this twentieth title responded well.
Firstly, I wanted to share those new features, and a future that may be different from the series, of everything that it had shown so far.

Hirogaru Sky was the first Precure that oficially presented a male Precure character as part of the main character cast.
After already several interests of Precure Series since few years ago in wanting to finally bring men (as many spectators as active characters to the plot), it's finally story happening;

A more dynamic narrative, in which our pretty cures even suffered a defeat (!), cliffhanger episodes that are not part of the final stretch, but rather a character arc, instead of a structured, systematic narrative that Precure is used to having, in be too episodic as a series;

After goddamnit 20 years, we once again have a Pretty Cure main character (protagonist) who does not use the color pink. This is also worth considering for me.

Personally, Hirogaru Sky also had the best debut in the franchise, having an extremely strong and promising beginning.
Moving on to discuss its narrative and central story, the beginning of Hirogaru Sky is truly fantastic, leaving me with high expectations that were sustained for dozens of episodes. The cast is well-assembled, featuring characters with intriguing characteristics - finally it's not an average pink pretty cure protagonist who is what we know (or if you don't, an energetic altruist who wants to help and save everyone). This time, we talk about Sora Harewataaru, different and with unique aspects among the protagonists of this series, with her own personality compared to the others. And Mashiro, Sora's best friend, forming a very nice duo.

On the other hand, although it initially showed an extremely promising and creative world, it is really unfortunate that its building wasn't thoroughly explored. This is a common flaw in the Precure series, which, being primarily targeted towards children, sometimes lacks ambition in its WB. It's frustrating because Hirogaru Sky had the potential to be so much more if the writers had shown greater ambition in expanding upon the universe they introduced. Although the story begins on the sky island, in the first episode we will be already on japanese soil, where 90% of the story takes place. Seriously, just using common sense, we know this is a waste, right?
But I repeat, all the possibilities that existed in the initial episodes were very elusive. I say with confidence that Hirogaru Sky had everything to be the BEST entry in the series, if it really wanted to be.

Sometimes surprises, sometimes not, the Precure series presents its soundtracks. This time, it was really good! In this aspect, yes, Hirogaru is among the tops. Songs that bring a vibrant fairytale clarity, we truly feel like we are in the vast blue sky. Congratulations to the composer, being one of the new promises of this new era. Hirogaru is the most consistent in soundtrack, presenting the most solid compositions. It just isn't capable of being the best, as it doesn't have the most impactful and memorable tracks.

In terms of the cast of characters, I was quite pleased with what I saw, as it's rare for me to enjoy all the Pretty Cures, but this time, they all left a positive impression. They are well-developed characters, and I particularly very liked the MC.
On the contrary, the antagonist cast and villains are where the series falls short. While they possess charisma, they lack depth and fail to convey any sense of seriousness. They feel almost non-existent and serve merely as tools to advance the plot of each episode. There was no investment in these characters and it was clearly not the focus, the final villain only appeared with almost 5 episodes to go before the anime ended. This is a significant drawback of Hirogaru Sky. A strong villain cast is crucial for a compelling plot, as we've seen in series like Hugtto Precure, where the villains are as compelling as, if not more than, some of the Pretty Cures themselves. This enriches the overall cast of characters, a quality that Hirogaru Sky unfortunately lacks due to its poor handling of antagonists.

Someone wasn't in rhythm with the story.
Precure is a series that uses several writers at the same time because it is a 1-year long journey without any pause. It bothered me that some episodes were weird in character development or simply unnecessary. If I add, I felt that some parts where it was overdramatic and for a story with such an adventurous and magical atmosphere as Hirogaru Sky there was not a shred of need (another example is that the ending had very good ideas, but I felt it was rushed and information was thrown out dry. I wish it had been better designed with better constructed scenes). Enhancing consistency in this regard wouldn't only enhance overall pacing but also cultivate a more captivating narrative with fewer minor setbacks.

For all that, it was an interesting and unique entry in the Precure franchise. Hirogaru Sky opens the door to a new promise, a new phase in which we will have more and more news on how Precure is slowly trying to be more creative and invent more ideas.
Receiving both criticism and praise, Hirogaru Sky Precure became one of the most consistent entries in the franchise. It delivers numerous excellent episodes, far outweighing any occasional missteps, making it a highly recommended choice for both newcomers and seasoned veterans fans alike. It's 20 years of Precure, here's to the enduring legacy of the mahou shoujo genre, long Live!

Never falter, Hero Girl!