Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!

Plot

The Earth Defense Club at Binan High School (Yumoto Hakone, En Yufuin, Atsushi Kinugawa, Io Naruko and Ryuu Zaou) who regularly attend a local bathhouse run by Yumoto's brother, are approached by a strange pink wombat-like being from another planet who charges them (rather involuntarily) with the task of saving the world. Using a set of "Loveracelets" he gives them, the group transforms into Battle Lovers (バトラヴァーズ, Batoravuāzu), who use the power of love to combat foes intent on spreading hate and discord. As they battle, they encounter the Earth Conquest Club under the influence of a small green hedgehog-like creature named Zundar; student council members Kinshiro Kusatsu, Ibushi Arima and Akoya Gero become their enemies who are also responsible for creating the monsters the Lovers fight.

Earth Defense Club

Yumoto Hakone (箱根 有基, Hakone Yumoto)

Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto He is a first year student whose family owns a bathhouse named Kurotamayu. He is a carefree boy who adores animals, cute things, and also loves food. He transforms into the Sparkling Prince; Battle Lover Scarlet (スカーレット, Sukāretto). His color is red and his element is light.

En Yufuin (由布院 煙, Yufuin En)

Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara He is a third year student. He is a major sloth and does everything at his own pace. He is usually seen with Atsushi. En is also portrayed as somewhat vain, having reached 18 he becomes concerned that his youthful looks are fading. He transforms into the Flashing Prince; Battle Lover Cerulean (セルリアン, Serurian). His color is blue and his element is water.

Atsushi Kinugawa (鬼怒川 熱史, Kinugawa Atsushi)

Voiced by: Kōtarō Nishiyama He is a third year student and the only one who wears glasses in the club. He comes from a rich family, has good grades and is very serious. Sometimes, he has to keep an eye on En. He is also childhood friends with Kinshiro. He transforms into the Piercing Prince; Battle Lover Epinard (エピナール, Epināru). His color is green and his element is air.

Io Naruko (鳴子 硫黄, Naruko Io)

Voiced by: Yūsuke Shirai He is a second year student. Despite being in high school, he makes money on the stock market. His motto is "Life is all about Money!". He is also best friends with Ryuu. He transforms into the Roaring Prince; Battle Lover Sulfur (サルファー, Sarufā). His color is yellow and his element is earth.

Ryuu Zaou (蔵王 立, Zaō Ryū)

Voiced by: Toshiki Masuda He is a second year student. He is popular with girls (although this is rumored to be false), with date requests being poured in his phone. He is best friends with Io. He transforms into the Thrilling Prince; Battle Lover Vesta (ヴェスタ, Vuesuta). His color is pink and his element is fire.

Wombat (ウォンバット, Uonbatto)

Voiced by: Mugihito A strange pink wombat looking creature that appeared from a distant planet, who tells the boys their mission to protect the earth from bad aliens and to fill it with love. The majority of The Earth Defense Club try to shake him off as an abnormal nuisance, minus Yumoto of course. However, Wombat quickly remedies this issue by controlling En and Atsushi's homeroom teacher, Mr. Tawarayama, simply by making him hold him. Wombat quickly tries to lasso The Earth Defense Club in by chasing them around whilst begging them to "help him learn about Earth". However, because of the corpse-like state of mind control he has Mr. Tawarayama under, the boys quickly run in fear under the impression that Wombat has killed the teacher.

Conquest Club

Kinshiro Kusatsu (草津 錦史郎, Kusatsu Kinshirō)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya He is a third year student and the student council president. He is childhood friends with Atsushi, but their relationship is distant. He dislikes that Atsushi hangs around En and the rest of the club. He transforms into Chevalier Aurite (オーアイト, Ōaito), the gold knight that glimmers brightly. At the end of season 1, he re-establishes his friendship with Atsushi.

Ibushi Arima (有馬 燻, Arima Ibushi)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama He is a third year student and the student council vice-president. He usually stands by Kinshiro, acting as if he was his butler. He transforms into Chevalier Argent (アージェント, Ājento), the silver knight that is fragrant of the wind.

Akoya Gero (下呂 阿古哉, Gero Akoya)

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima He is a second year student. He has an angelic appearance, is a sappy individual and has a slight crush on Kinshiro. He is in the same class as Io and Ryuu, but he doesn't get along with Ryuu very well. He transforms into Chevalier Perlite (ペルライト, Peruraito), the pearl knight that is in full bloom.

Zundar (ズンダー, Zundaa)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto Zundar is a green hedgehog-looking creature that came from a distant planet to conquer Earth. He ends his sentences with "dar".

Monsters

People who were turned into monsters by the Caerula Adamas. The names foreshadow what kind of monster they become.

Kazutake Chiku (知久和武, Chiku Kazutake)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida An average, ordinary third-year high school student who doesn't stand out. He is turned into a chikuwabu monster.

Wario Hashida (橋田割男, Hashida Wario)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi A high school student who is obsessed with order and rules. He is turned into a chopsticks monster.

Moteo Kurotori (黒鳥持手男, Kurotori Moteo)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa The narcissist Binan High School Ballet Club adviser obsessed with winning the school's pretty boy contest. He is turned into a black swan monster.

Oyaji Igarao (五十顔親治, Igarao Oyaji)

Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi A "guy with the face of a 50-year old" high school student. He was turned into a bishōnen monster who turned everyone into children.

Enkaku Sōsa (宗佐円覚, Sōsa Enkaku)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi A high-school student whose life is controlled by his father. He turns into a squid-like remote control monster.

Ichiban Itsumo (逸茂一番, Itsumo Ichiban)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura A third-year high-school student whose grades are "always No. 1". When his grade drops to No.2 behind Io, his jealousy attracted Caerula Adamas and he was turned into a screw tank monster.

Shō Komi (古見翔, Komi Shō)

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka A second-year high-school student who transferred to Binan High School at the end of his first year. After getting sick with flu, he stopped coming to school and became a shut-in. He is turned into a hikikomori monster that turned best friends on each other.

Uriya Makuwa (真桑ウリヤ, Makuwa Uriya)

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa An excessively self-conscious high-school student who is turned into a melon monster.

Rui Megawa (芽川類, Megawa Rui)

Voiced by: Tsubasa Yonaga Yumoto's classmate and manager of the baseball club who enjoys the attention he gets from his "meganedanshi" look. When Yumoto's cold turned him into a meganedanshi as well, Rui's jealousy got him turned into a baseball bat dog like monster with glasses.

Others

Gōra Hakone (箱根強羅, Hakone Gōra)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita He is Yumoto's older brother, who helps run the bathhouse. He is almost always seen chopping wood for the baths. In the final episode of season 1, he is revealed to be the original Battle Lover.

Kou Kinosaki (城崎コウ, Kinosaki Kō)

Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo He is the President of the Binan High Press Society. He is often seen persistently observing the Defense Club.

Tazawa (田沢益也, Tazawa Masuya)

Voiced by: Yūichi Iguchi He is the photographer for the Binan High Press Society. He's normally expressionless, but becomes very passionate when he's taking pictures.

Hireashi (ヒレアシ, Hireashi)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Ōtake A mysterious talking goldfish that involved with the Binan High Press Society. In the final episode, it is revealed that the entire time he had been broadcasting a reality show about the Battle Lovers and Caerula Adamas across the universe.

Mr. Tawarayama (俵山先生, Tawarayama-sensei)

Voiced by: Mugihito En and Atsushi's instructor; supposedly killed in an incident by tripping over Wombat and falling down a flight of stairs, Wombat quickly explains that he isn't technically dead. However, he has to remain in close proximity in order to keep the teacher from suffering the effects of decomposition and uses him as a cover to appear inconspicuous. Tawarayama briefly recovers in "Love, Training Camp and Toothbrushes" but is accidentally injured again, rendering him comatose once more. As none of them witnessed his recovery, they do not know if he is an animate corpse or he will simply wake up soon.

VEPPer

Akihiko Beppu (別府月彦, Beppu Akihiko)

Voiced by: Keisuke Koumoto He is a second year student, and twins with Haruhiko. He transforms into The twins shining in the heavens, Melty Luna. For unknown reasons, he and his brother despise Yumoto and are enamored by his older brother, Gora.

Haruhiko Beppu (別府日彦, Beppu Haruhiko)

Voiced by: Yoshiki Murakami He is a second year student, and twins with Akihiko. He transforms into The twins shining in the heavens, Salty Sol. For unknown reasons, he and his brother despise Yumoto and are enamored by his older brother, Gora.

Dadacha (ダダチャ, Dadacha)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

Monsters

People who were turned into monsters by the Vepper. The names foreshadow what kind of monster they become.

Tomaru Tokiwa (常盤都丸, Tokiwa Tomaru)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida He is turned into an hourglass monster.

Tsukuna Ouso (大宇曽造那)

Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi A high school student who believes beauty is a sin. He is turned into a tofu monster.

Tagaru Katari (語多賀流, Katari Tagaru)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi He is turned into a mike monster.

Alan Salvatore (アラン・サルヴァトーレ)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu He is turned into a chest hair monster.

Shuzo Oka (岡修造, Oka Shuzo)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa He is turned into a volleyball monster.

Kuroshiro Kumano (熊野九呂四郎, Kumano Kuroshiro)

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka He is turned into a panda monster.

Kazuto Hijiriya (聖夜一人, Hijiriya Kazuto)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai He is turned into a reindeer monster.

Shin Nito (仁藤真, Nito Shin)

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae He is turned into a snowman monster.

Entaro Meguriya (巡屋円太郎, Meguriya Entaro)

Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa

Anime

The series, which was directed by Shinji Takamatsu at Diomedéa and written by Michiko Yokote, aired in Japan between January 6, 2015 and March 24, 2015 and was streamed by Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Viewster. The series is licensed in North America by Ponycan USA, who began releasing the series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in August 2015. The opening theme is "Zettai Muteki☆Fallin'LOVE☆" (絶対無敵☆Fallin'LOVE☆, Absolutely Invincible Fallin' Love) by the Earth Defense Club (Kazutomi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Umehara, Kotaro Nishiyama, Yusuke Shirai, and Toshiki Masuda), while the ending theme is "I Miss You no 3 Metre" (I miss you の3メートル, Three Metres of I Miss You) by the Conquest Club (Hiroshi Kamiya, Jun Fukuyama, Takuma Terashima). A second season has been announced.

Manga

A parallel manga entitled Binan Kokou Chikyuu Seifuku-bu Love! (lit. 'Cute High Earth Conquest Club Love!') has finished its monthly serialization in Pony Canyon's web comics magazine, having started on October 16, 2014. The manga focuses more on the lives of the series' antagonists.

Light Novel

A light novel series written by Takahashi Natsuko and illustrated by Hara Yumiko was released in Japan on January 7, 2015 as a paperback novel.

Reception

Reviews for the anime have been generally positive. Amy McNulty from Anime News Network gave the first three episodes of the series an "A" rating writing that: "Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! should make any anime fan laugh, although long-time fans of magical girl shows will get the jokes better by default. As a parody of a genre that can still entertain in its own right, this series walks the line of critiquing and venerating the magical girl genre with finesse. It's comedic, but it's not a gag-a-minute affair. Yes, it has over-the-top situations, but it's just slightly less believable than the typical magical girl show, so it works. We're not laughing at the show, we're laughing with it." When reviewing the ninth episode, to which she gave an A+ rating, McNulty later wrote that it: "demonstrates that the show entertains best when it's both a parody and a magical boy show in its own right. The fact that the boys are able to talk the melon monster down before they heal him with love is another fun twist on the give-speeches-about-justice-to-monster-then-heal-with-love formula. Overall, the viewers spend more time with this monster than any of the previous ones, paving the way for laughs aplenty."

Ian Wolf writing for Anime UK News gave the first two episodes a rating of 9 out of 10 saying: "Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! has so far proven itself to be a highly entertaining show, mainly because of the knowing parody it contains. The series mocks all of the normal magical girl tropes, whether it is the poses, the lines that are spouted, the transformations, or the attacks. The only real difference is the fact that you have male characters instead of female ones." He also stated comparisons to shows such as Ouran High School Host Club, a romantic comedy manga which also parodies romantic manga; and Free! in which he compares the similar fan-bases, namely fujoshi, saying: "Let's be honest, we all knew that as soon as the concept of five attractive boys akin to magical girls was revealed that every fujoshi and fudanshi was preparing to write quite a lot fan fiction."

In a review of the first three episodes Dan Barnett of UK-Anime Network gave the series 7 out of 10 claiming that: "Cute High Earth Defence Club Love is a series that has the potential to be a bit of a breakout hit if it plays its cards right. The series is undeniably hilarious as the characters take everything around them seriously, and sexual innuendo flies around so much that it's impossible to keep a straight face. The pains that Wombat must go through to try and avoid being cuddled by Yumoto are fantastically funny too! What might hold it back though is that three episodes in there's little evidence of a plot other than the bog standard 'bad guys make monster of the week' fare that's typical of the genre. ... It's a tricky line to walk if the series wants to keep as wide an audience as possible, though there are certainly fans around who'll happily pick-up another pretty-boy series to fill the void left by Free."