Ask John: What Happened to the American Release of Pretty Cure?

Question:
I’ve noticed a dropoff in articles regarding “original” Pretty Cure. New seasons and versions notwithstanding, the last we heard was the ominous 4kids license acquisition announcement a little over a year ago. Then nothing. Is 4kids just sitting on this license until further notice? If anyone would know, it’d be AN’s resident PreCure fan.

Answer:
When Pretty Cure (“Futari wa Precure”) debuted with little advance fanfare in 2004 it became an almost overnight sensation because it was simultaneously a respectful addition to anime’s long history of magical girl shows, and something completely unique and new. Director Daisuke Nishio, whose previous works had included Dragon Ball Z and Air Master, brought his experience with martial arts anime to the magical girl genre, creating magical girls who relied more on their punches and kicks to defeat enemies than magical spells and items. Furthermore, Pretty Cure had a cast of fun, individual characters with interesting personalities. As the series progressed and got a second series, its inspiration in Dragon Ball Z became increasingly evident as the girls and their enemies became increasingly powerful.

I have it on reliable word from a Japanese fan that the third series, Pretty Cure Splash Star, intentionally re-started the franchise with a younger cast and less physical violence in order to appeal to a younger, female audience. I tried to watch and like Splash Star, but with the departure of Daisuke Nishio as director and the conscious removal of many of the characteristics that made the first two series so appealing, I just couldn’t maintain interest in it. But the Splash Star series was at least successful enough to last through one long series and spawn one theatrical movie. The fourth and current Pretty Cure series, “Yes! Precure 5,” introduces yet another new cast and continuity, and appears to intentionally mimic magical girl heroine team shows like Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach, and Tokyo Mew Mew. At least based on its first episode, Yes! Precure 5 also makes no effort to distinguish itself from stereotypical and mediocre quality magical girl anime. As the integrity of the Pretty Cure franchise has progressively declined with the most recent two series, my personal interest in the franchise has also declined. As Splash Star and Yes! Precure 5 are less original, they offer less to critique and discuss. Since they’re more conventional, they seem to be creating less fan fervor in Japan.

In late February 2006 4Kids Entertainment announced its acquisition of North American distribution rights to the Pretty Cure anime. At the time, 4Kids had been engaged in an admirable but poorly executed effort to market anime to mainstream American girls. 4Kids broadcast a drastically re-written version of Tokyo Mew Mew on American television, but the series was not successful. 4Kids ceased airing the series, and declined to license the second half of the Japanese series. 4Kids then attempted to reach the girls market with an American version of Ojamajo Doremi. That met even less success and was quickly pulled from broadcast. In April 2006, 4Kids announced the launch of a new acquisition and distribution branch that would market to teens and adults, but would not handle any anime. Around that time, 4Kids began to hint that the company wanted to withdraw from distributing anime. That sentiment became clearer in December 2006 when 4Kids announced that it would cease localizing the One Piece anime series.

4Kids has never revealed any concrete release plans for Pretty Cure. At this point in time, I see no reason to expect 4Kids to release the series in America at all. 4Kids acquired Pretty Cure as part of their failed emphasis on shoujo anime, and numerous signs point toward 4Kids stopping all of its anime distribution. I think that Pretty Cure and Pretty Cure Max Heart have the most American commercial potential of any magical girl anime since Sailor Moon, and I’d like to see these two series get the American attention and respect they deserve. But that doesn’t seem to be a likely possibility through 4Kids Entertainment, and I really can’t guess at the odds of the Pretty Cure series eventually landing in the hands of a different, more respectful and supportive distributor.