Ask John: What is John’s Opinion of Pretty Cure?

Question:
What were John’s thoughts about Pretty Cure? Do you expect the content to be the same or improved upon for the second series, “Pretty Cure Max Heart”? Why does it remain underrated and overlooked by Western fandom? And do you think this title will ever see an American licensing?

For me, there have been a few magic girl anime titles that have totally turned around my perceptions about this particular subgenre, and Pretty Cure pleasantly rocked my senses. I really love this magic girl show. It contains lots of action sequences, and I felt it possess quite less redundant clichés frequently overused in anime of this subgenre. For example, to name a few, the heroines do not rely on any sort of traditional magical brooches, staffs, and spells to transform and as means of weapons to attack. The same for the opening theme song which I love so much.

My best guess is that it would not come as a surprise to me that maybe 4-KIDS will end up licensing this show in a nearby future for a North American broadcast, after some thoughtful screening and editing, of course.

Answer:
I must admit that during the early episodes of the Pretty Cure TV series I enjoyed the show, but was at times almost ready to disregard it as a typical magical girl show. However, the more of it I watched, the more I came to appreciate it. Actually, it didn’t take very long for me to become a deeply devoted fan. As of now, I’ve watched the entire 49 episode first Futari wa Precure series and the first episode of second series, Pretty Cure Max Heart. Considering how many current anime television series are being translated into English by amateur anime fans, I’m just as surprised as anyone, and probably more surprised than many people, that Pretty Cure remains relatively unknown and significantly under appreciated by English speaking anime fans.

The Pretty Cure anime is the first magical girl show supervised by Daisuke Nishio, the director whose immediately prior projects include the martial arts anime series Air Master and Dragonball. In fact, it’s not difficult to recognize carry-over influences from both Dragonball Z and Air Master in Pretty Cure. Misumi Nagisa and Yukishiro Honoka, alternately known as the super heroines Cure Black and Cure White, frequently rely on physical fighting reminiscent of Maki Aikawa’s style of aerial martial arts in Air Master. The girls, collectively known as the legendary soldiers “Pretty Cure,” do have magical attacks, but unlike typical magical girl shows, Pretty Cure relies far more on physical punches and kicks than magic spells and enchanted objects. Beginning in episode 23 with the introduction of Irukubo as the main antagonist, and increasing in later episodes, the influence of Dragonball Z becomes significant in Pretty Cure as the fighting becomes more physically punishing, and the character design and personalities of the antagonists comes to more closely resemble Dragonball Z, including powering up and visible fighting auras, and a sense of respect and honor between warriors. So oddly, although both Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z have been very popular among American anime fans, Pretty Cure, which is basically a combination of both, has not become a sensation among American fans.

If I may digress with specific references for a moment, there are a number of elements to Pretty Cure that I’ve enjoyed and respect. The show has great characters. Some fans may be put off by the cute talking mascot characters Mippuru and Meppuru and, in the second half of the series, Polun, but they are interesting characters that actually develop and manage to make viewers care about their relationships, and share their fears. Honoka and Nagisa as wonderfully crafted characters because they seem vibrant, believable and three dimensional, and they compliment each other wonderfully. In fact, the Japanese fan community has taken a liking to pairing them in fan created romantic relationships, and the anime itself frequently illustrates their friendship in such a way that it allows for the interpretation that the girls deeply love each other but don’t realize it themselves. The show is very fast paced. In fact, most episodes seem to fly by, in part because, if my memory is correct, every one of the 50 episodes so far includes at least one action scene. While the show does a great job with its action, it also occasionally surprises viewers with very moving emotional episodes, such as episodes 21, 26, 43, and especially the amazing episode 42.

Although Pretty Cure is a show primarily intended for young girls, it seems to make a conscious effort to avoid being condescending or childish. It also admirably remains true to its own story development rather than lapsing into cliché. Coming as something of a surprise, throughout the show Pretty Cure doesn’t always win. More than once during the series Cure Black and Cure White are beaten by their stronger opponents. Also contributing to a sense of maturity in the series, early in the show Pretty Cure actually destroys, or in a sense kills, their opponents. Later in the series, when the girls are significantly outclassed by the strength and power of their antagonists, in a surprising contradiction of magical girl standards, the evil opponents treat Pretty Cure as little more than an annoyance, swatting them away like buzzing flies instead of treating Nagisa and Honoka like formidable opponents, which they aren’t. The series treats its story and its viewers with respect and intelligence by avoiding typical magical girl anime characteristics. The girls don’t power up on a regular basis. They’re not always able to defeat every opponent. And their opponents intelligently prioritize their own goals instead of pointlessly continuing to focus their attention on defeating the heroes.

It may be easily overlooked, but the Pretty Cure anime also exhibits a praiseworthy attention to detail and technical quality. The fighting animation throughout the show is consistently good by the standards of television anime made for little girls. Occasionally, in episodes like number 48, the animation quality of the action scenes is unusually fluid and detailed. Furthermore, astute viewers will notice that the show goes the extra mile to add new frames, when appropriate, to its stock transformation sequence. During the beginning of this sequence used in every episode, when Nagisa and Honoka clasp hands, every episode accurately adjusts the brief close-up shot to account for whatever clothes the girls are wearing at the time. For example, if the girls happen to be wearing long sleeves in an episode, they’ll have long sleeves during the close-up shot in their transformation scene. Since the shot itself is the same in every episode, most magical girl series would just re-use the same animation for every episode instead of customizing it accurately the way Pretty Cure does. Finally, as you’ve mentioned, the show’s catchy opening theme, “Danzen! Futari wa Precure,” is frequently listed in Japanese fan polls of favorite current anime theme songs.

Considering the massive success and popularity of Pretty Cure in Japan (the show has become a blockbuster hit in Japan), I suspect that it’s virtually inevitable that Pretty Cure will eventually be licensed for American release. As much as I’d love to see AN Entertainment work on localizing this show, I think its high profile will likely restrict its potential distributors to equally high profile companies with American broadcast television connections like 4Kids Entertainment or FUNimation, or perhaps Toei will distribute the series itself. I can only guess that the show hasn’t yet achieved a significant degree of fame or interest among American anime fans because too many fans with access to underground, unauthorized anime distribution are either unwilling to try out an ostensibly cute magical girl series, or are too obsessed with Sailor Moon to expand their field of vision with another magical girl series. In summation, I’m a 32 year old male anime fan that has only a novice familiarity with Japanese language, yet I’ve been consistently impressed with and entertained by Pretty Cure. You’d have to say that I love the series to be able to watch 50 episodes of it in untranslated Japanese. On one hand, I’m pleased that the show has remained relatively unknown to most of the American fan community because adoration of Pretty Cure feels like an exclusive club that only a select few Americans are members of. On the other hand, as a result of my respect for the show, I’d like to see it better known and more appreciated by English speaking anime fans because I think the show deserves recognition and respect. Pretty Cure is not a Cowboy Bebop, Berserk, Hellsing nor Paranoia Agent. It’s not a dour or avante garde or intellectual series, but in terms of pure, smart entertainment value, Pretty Cure is a solid, respectable and outstanding anime.