Precure Super Stars! is the 24th film of the franchise and the first to involve the HUGtto Precure. Alongside them, the Kira Kira and Mahoutsukai Precure also return.

The plot is simple: a monster suddenly appears and absorbs the various Precure, leaving only the leaders free (for some stupid reason). It will be revealed that the true identity of the enemy is a boy Hana met as a child, to whom she didn’t keep a promise. In the end, they reconcile after a battle against the flame of darkness that had manipulated him.

The Kira Kira Precure don’t play an important role—their presence is more a form of fanservice. Even Ichika only tags along with the other two leaders without really advancing the plot or being decisive in any way. In battle, they don’t even prove that effective. I did like the moments where Yukari acts as a detective, as they bring back her intelligence, or the ones where she relaxes. It’s peculiar that they decided to make Akira’s accidental flirting a running gag. Another interesting element is that the baton pass is considered canon, which is why Hana already knows the girls from Kira Pati, even though she doesn’t know they’re also Precure. However, it’s strange that they’re still working together, since it had been established that they wouldn’t anymore. Also, apparently their town and Hana’s are just a long hill apart.

As for the Mahoutsukai, they have a fundamental role in the story. In fact, thanks to Mirai, they manage to escape the Magic Kingdom and find the portal that leads to the world where Clover is. She is the only one able to oppose the antagonist and enable movement thanks to her broom. A funny gag is that she can’t fly at high speed because the three of them are too heavy. The look of understanding between Mirai and Liko when the latter is captured is wonderful—it shows the strength of their bond and how much they trust each other. Kotoha is adorable in how she interacts with others, and thanks to her naivety and love for ichigo melonpan, she ends up freeing everyone from captivity. It’s lovely that she’s called “Haa-chan-senpai” and that she’s happy about it. Also very cute is the parallel between caring for Hugtan and what Mirai and Liko did for Haa-chan.

The absolute protagonist is, effectively, Hana, which I appreciate since she’s one of my favorite Precure. I’m glad that here, unlike in the baton pass, she says her catchphrase (“meshock”) and that we see the typical silly expressions from HUGtto. Basically, the inner conflict she faces in this film didn’t wow me—especially compared to the main series—since I don’t even think she’s at fault. Still, I got chills when she said she wanted to apologize because “this is the Nono Hana I want to be,” and I appreciated the scenes where she cries in front of Clover’s suffering—they’re emotional. In particular, their farewell is brilliantly directed.

Saaya and Homare play secondary roles, though there are some funny interactions with the Kira Kira Precure. Hugtan proves to be brave, while Harry is a good comic relief. Regarding the fights, there were some pretty good cuts, but overall, they weren’t that exciting. I liked the promise the Precure made to each other before winning.

As for the original characters, Clover isn’t bad—his situation is likeable, even though it’s not very clear to me. With help from the lyrics of the ending song, I think I understood that he’s alone in a world for some reason and is afraid to explore others. That’s why the flame of darkness is created, reflecting and feeding his insecurities. I have no idea why (I think?) he dies in the end—maybe because he and the flame are connected? It’s also unclear to me how Hana figured out that Usobakka was the same boy she met years ago. Plus, in that form, he looks too much like a typical monster of the week, and I don’t understand how petrifying the world equates to filling it with lies. It’s a movie I appreciated more for the Precure than for everything else.