I started watching Precure in its release order, avoiding the trouble of looking in thousands of threads to see which entry is the best one to start the series with. Thus, Splash Star is my second dive (third, if you count Max Heart separately) in this huge sea that I still have left to explore.
First of all, I’ve read some people pointing out the similarities between the OG Futari wa and Splash Star. At first sight, it may seem impossible not to look at the two Splash Star protagonists and see our old friends Nagisa and Honoka, but as the episodes progressed different dynamics can be seen between them that distinguish this instalment from its predecessor. With that said, I’ll try not to remark on any parallelism between both of them (even though I couldn’t stop doing comparisons between the two shows during my viewing lol).

Story
I think the story is the most remarkable thing about Splash Star and it’s all thanks to two characters. No, not Saki and Mai, but Kaoru and Michiru. These two managed to sustain and raise what at first seemed like the typical story about legendary warriors who need to save the Earth from dark villains.

Spoiler, click to view

As a Lyrical Nanoha and Symphogear fan, among others, I love the concept of rivals that through fighting with the protagonists become friends at the end

, so I got really invested in the bonds both Kaoru and Michiru created with the protagonists and other friends (the relationship between Kaoru and Minori, Saki’s little sister, is very cute), as well as their whole character arc. The pacing is great, all the villains come and go at the right moment, and maybe when it can start to get a little tiresome, Kaoru and Michiru step in and refresh the story.

Spoiler, click to view

Then, the anime reaches its climax and these two disappear, so now you end up wanting for them to come back even more than Saki and Mai do. That’s what I probably liked the most about Splash Star, the fact that the protagonists’ goal isn’t only to stop the bad guys from destroying everything, instead they fight also to see their friends back.

Lastly, I’d like to point out how the anime conveys emotions in different situations very well through drawings, making Saki and Mai characters evolve.

Characters
Saki and Mai, both with their different personalities, balance each other nicely, giving some powerful and emotional moments. Regarding the side characters, I think Splash Star is capable of the best and worst. Ok, maybe not the worst, but there are a bunch of forgettable characters, like their girl friends and overall their families. Aside from Kaoru and Michiru, Kenta and Minori are the other two that I liked the most, bringing the first one a lot of funny moments and the last one extremely cute ones. The spirits or mascots were meh, I didn't particularly like or hate them. The villains were great though. I couldn’t stop laughing everytime Moerumba danced or teased Gooyaan, same with Mizu Shitatare getting mad at Saki for always saying her name wrong, and I liked how Kintoleski always made sure his opponents were fighting full strength.

Art
Not gonna talk much about the art, mainly cause I don’t really know what to say. Being a coastal city, there are some nice sea visuals, plus the giant tree of life that’s inside the town. The characters designs are good, it’s nice to see the protagonists have more than one battle outfit. Also, some fights are very well done, combining action with super powers, but overall I think they all looked pretty much the same.

Sound
The OP and the two EDs were energetic and catchy. The soundtrack was good as well, but, even though I said I wouldn't compare the two anime, I gotta say that there aren’t any cool insert songs like “Shining Star” or “Heart to Heart” in the OG Futari wa. Same as in Max Heart, where they repeat the instrumental version of the OP/EDs quite a lot.

In conclusion, Splash Star is an enjoyable anime that’s worth recommending to anyone that loves mahou shoujo and has liked any other Precure entries. Don't be reluctant to watch this anime only because it may seem the same as the previous Futari wa, since Saki and Mai (and Kaoru and Michiru) will make sure to prove you wrong.