ceo of waffleverse

i can't believe i haven't done this before on my blog before. anyways this came about because i was looking at some very very old posts and i came across one where i mentioned that chocolat's design was "ranked #5 out of 6 on my list of kirakira cure designs" and "that i should put together an actual ranking post someday." well, nearly three years later, i'm finally doing it. so without further ado, let's begin!

#1: cure custard

custard's #1 because she manages to pull off the combined animal & sweet theme really, really well. her theme being a squirrel also gives her this cozy woodland creature vibe that i think goes good with a sweets motif. compared to some of the others, her dress design is also pretty simple (no patterns/crazy colors/stripes) and i think that works in her favor since it means the outfit isn't too busy. my favorite parts are her purin skirt and her shoes & socks combo. they're so cute!

#2: cure macaron

cure macaron is another favorite of mine, shoutout to that macaron-esque skirt it's iconic. like himari, she's another good example of the animal & sweets themes complimenting each other instead of clashing, though i still think himari pulls it off better. my one nitpick is that i'm not super sold on some of the shades of purple that they used, but that's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things

#3: cure whip

whip is in the middle because while i like her design, it doesn't stick out to me the way custard's and macaron's do. i do really appreciate, however, the fact that her design has a bit more of a patissier vibe to it thanks to her vest with the double buttons, the bow, and the puffy sleeves. also i'm a huge fan of her boots

#4: cure parfait

a lot of ciel's outfits make my eye twitch because i like their individual components but not how they look when put together (and that annoys me a lot). unfortunately, her cure form is not an exception, which is why it's at #4. to start with the good: i really like her dress! it's gorgeous and i love that it's designed to resemble a parfait glass. the rainbow ruffle is so pretty. i also have a soft spot for her ponytail. there's something about it that reminds me of 1960s hairstyles and i like it

now, the bad: her boots. oh my dear god her boots. they are the dealbreaker for me i hate them so much. i know what they were going for (horse hooves) and it works when she's viewed from the front. however her fighting style is supposed to be graceful, nimble, and flight-based. and those boots end up looking like they weigh her down, which clashes with that fighting style. if she was a normal horse i would tolerate it a lot more, though i'm not a fan of platforms in general so i still probably wouldn't be their biggest fan. i like their color scheme, though.

other things i'm not sold on include her gloves (i wish they were longer because the elbow length leaves a lot of awkward empty space between her shoulders and her gloves), her hair color (i like that shade of pink but i don't think it works well with the color scheme of her dress, i've seen edits that give her blonde or green hair and i think they work better), and the size of her parfait on her head (it hides one of her ears and makes her look like she's only got one ear!)

overall, i think that her design is a bit too busy for my tastes. she's got so many different pieces that fight for your attention (her three animal parts, her giant platforms, her rainbow ruffle, and the flared-out portion of her hair at her waist) that there's no single focal point that centers the design. which annoys me because, as i said, i like some of the pieces individually.

#5: cure chocolat

the only reason her design isn't #6 is because i am a sucker for top hats and i like her red and brown color scheme. i wish more precures had brown as a sub color it's very underrated

anyways. where do i even start. to start, her design is just way too busy for my tastes. similar to parfait, there's way too many different parts fighting for my attention all at once. why is there random yellow trim on her tie that looks vaguely like fire. the stripes on her sleeves are kind of distracting. normally i'm a huge fan of capes but this one is unfortunately overpowered by the giant tail. this design is unfortunately an example of the animal & sweets themes clashing with one another instead of looking cohesive

and speaking of her animal parts, i don't think they communicate the idea of a dog effectively. when i first saw her design all those years ago i genuinely thought she was supposed to be a fox and got really confused when i saw people talking about "the cat and dog cures from kirakira". i was like ??? yeah there's a cat cure but what dog cure??? i think it would've worked better if they'd given her floppier ears and a smaller, skinner tail (having a smaller tail might also solve the cape problem).

i also wish they'd given her pants or shorts instead of a skirt. i just simply do not like how it looks with her bodice and also they're cowards for not letting her have pants in her cure form

#6: cure gelato

gelato is last because i'm just not really a fan. i do think her lion's mane hairstyle and her ice cream skirt are pretty cool, but i also don't like how dainty the skirt looks compared to the rest of the outfit. it clashes a lot and i think that's what really drags this design down. also not a big fan of the yellow on her sleeves and gloves, and i'm saying this as someone whose favorite color is yellow. i simply Do Not like that shade of yellow and that shade of blue together it's giving IKEA

bonus round: cure waffle