Emissary of Light, Cure… Badge!!!

Of all magical girl shows, Pretty Cure tends to skew towards the glittery, bright, and certainly, the peppy side of the genre. With a colorful cast of over 50 different characters, the franchise has come a long way since its first run in 2004, such as officially including a gender-fluid character among the array of sparkling, evil-fighting gals.

Like most anime franchises, Pretty Cure’s official store has sold an assortment of goods aimed towards die-hard fans, whether its clear file folders, tote bags, and most importantly, the button pin badge. To celebrate the store’s upcoming tenth badge set, the franchise has announced on their Twitter (@pps_as) a completionist collector’s badge set at the grand price of 431,000 yen. (US$1,341.82)

▼ Translation below the Tweet.

For our tenth badge collection “10 Thank You!”, we will start taking pre-orders for the Twinkle Perfect Successive Generation Badge Set and the first ever Twinkle Badge set starting from September 1st to October 18th! Customers who order the Twinkle Perfect Successive Generation Badge Set will also receive a binder for the “10 Thank You!” badge collection. Definitely take a look when the time comes!

Called the Twinkle Perfect Successive Generation Badge Set, this set contains all nine previous badge sets in the Twinkle Button portfolio. The set will include 225 badges total, each past set’s respective binder, and a special binder for the tenth badge set to add to their collection. For the individuals who are more interested in the older badge sets, the Pretty Cure store will also be re-releasing the franchise’s first ever Twinkle Badge set for the comparatively humble price of 16,500 yen. (US$154.86)

Though it has the previous nine sets, Twinkle Perfect Successive Generation Badge Set doesn’t seem to have the pins of the tenth badge set, so fans will need to buy them separately. Priced at 400 yen (US$3.75) a piece, the tenth generation pins have been dubbed the “10 Thank You!” series—an appropriate moniker given the fact that Pretty Cure just celebrated its 15th anniversary. Pins will be available as blind packs, so fans won’t know what pin they get until they open it.

▼ Translation below the Tweet.

From November 3rd, the “10 Thank You!” Twinkle Badge Set will be available for sale! This time’s line-up is a big one ♡ Is your favorite character included in this time’s set? We’re looking forward to the set’s launch! #PreCure #Pretty Cure Store #Healin’ Good Pretty Cure

So in reality, if you’re starting from scratch and want every single badge in the Twinkle Badge collection, not only do you have to dole out money for the completionist set containing all past generations of Pretty Cure badges, but you also have to spend extra cash to get every badge of the new “Thank You!” set. Given the exorbitant price tag, there were a good amount of shocked reactions from Japanese netizens as well as earnest responses from Pretty Cure fans.

“I mean there are plenty of series out there that have goods aimed towards adults but this is just straight up greedy.”
“And this is a franchise for kids?”
“I can smell the tears of girls who used up their money on past sets…”
“Pretty sure the ones who are getting teary eyed here are the mothers of girls who wanted these sets.”
“Take my money!!!”
“Sure thing, here’s 143,000 yen.”
“If I was rich…. oh boy…”

▼ This one Twitter user’s reply hits me on a painful spiritual level.

The Twinkle Perfect Successive Generation Badge Set as well as the first generation Twinkle Badge re-release will be available for sale from September 1 to October 18 on Toei Animation’s online shop. Those who are only interested in the badges of the “Thank You” set can purchase blind packs starting from November 3. And if you’re really into Pretty Cure, don’t forget to also check out the lineup of Olympic goods featuring these teenage magical girls who fight in the name of good.

Source: Twitter/@pps_as via Golden Times
Featured image: Twitter/@pps_as
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