This review does not contain any spoilers. It’s safe to read before watching. It doesn’t require any knowledge of the franchise.
As I watched more and more Precure, I started comparing the series to one another. I want to write down some notes on that.
It's the first Precure series I've finished (but not the first one I've seen - I was halfway through another one when I binged Go! Princess). I want to see all of them and report my opinions. Each one I see will add to my experience, so I'll try to compare them a bit, too.
A short explanation for those not accustomed with the series:
- Sunday morning kids show targeted for young girls,
- the longest consecutively running mahou shoujo franchise ever - over 20 years of non stop anime,
- (almost) every series follows a similar pattern, introducing a new group of magical warriors, fairy mascots, and a lot of magical gadgets.
Go! Princess Precure is the 12th Pretty Cure series, which started airing in 2015. It brought some minor changes to the established formula, but mostly is a fine example of the franchise's current style. As good a place to start as any.
The themes of the story are princesses and dreams. Apparently the success of Disney's Frozen was the reason to make a series focused on that. It's a cute sentiment, especially since Precure’s idea of princesses is very fairytale-like: it's not really as much about royal blood or societal position, as it is about being “strong, kind, and beautiful”. A princess has to know how to behave, how to dance, how to… cook? Well, it doesn't make that much sense, but the protagonist’s goal to become a princess is just more endearing because of that.
The story follows 13 years old Haruno Haruka who just entered a new chapter of her life: started education at a prestigious, fancy boarding school. She’s super determined to make her childhood dream - becoming a princess - a reality. The chance comes quickly, as she stumbles into the first episode of your usual mahou shoujo story: she meets cute mascots, gains magical transformation and powers, and has to fight evil. There are others quickly joining her, and soon a cute team of Precure princesses is saving the world from the powers of darkness.
How is it? Well, the story is far from unique and it relies heavily on tropes. It's not necessarily a bad thing, and the series does handle it with quite a lot of grace… most of the time. Since the story takes place in a boarding school, there are less family moments that happen in other series - it’s mostly interactions between the main girls and other students or school staff. The overall story is simple and cute, just as it should be… but while it's well executed, there are things that could be pulled just a bit better, taken just a bit farther. But that's just me nitpicking. It's a solid story and execution for a quite long running kids series.
As I compare it to other series, I feel like it did manage to have some kind of fairytale vibe. A bit dreamy, a bit light, yet keeping something more serious deep within. It didn't tackle any particularly dark topics, of course, but the harsh reality was there… only to be trampled by the power of dreams. Because apparently if you dream hard enough, you can achieve anything. Sometimes with the help of magic, but still.
As a quite long, episodic series, Go! Princess obviously had to heavily focus on the characters. We get three Cures, and then a fourth one; two fairies, and then two more; a trio of returning villains, and the Big Bad.
The main girls, just like the story, rely on many tropes. The protagonist fits the role of most pink magical girls: she's sweet, optimistic, a bit naive, a tad clumsy. She doesn't get much more character than your typical mahou shoujo team leader, but she's cute and likeable. The other girls, well, they are pretty plain. Minami is a perfect school's council president type of character - calm, collected, well-behaved, and of course she's from a strict rich family and has some kind of parents issues. It's nothing new, but I like how it’s developed and ended, so there's something to look forward to. Kirara is a model who wishes to follow in her famous mother's footsteps, and she tries to balance it with being a magical warrior. She's popular and has a strong personality, and her career oriented story works well enough. The final, fourth girl (who I won't describe more because of the spoiler-y nature) offers an interesting premise, but is heavily underused.
Are they likeable? Of course. They play their roles in the story well, and they have just enough character development to not be boring. I like them, but they won't become my fav Cures. Well, maybe Haruka, she's such a silly sweetie, and her clumsy attempts at ballet remind me of Princess Tutu.
The fairies are pretty good too. I found only one of them annoying, which is a fine score, since the mascots can be insufferable.
The villain trio plays a huge role, and I think they deliver. The main antagonist is okay too, but it's obviously the three silly guys who steal the spotlight. Their designs are fantastic, distinct and memorable, especially Shut and Close. Their personalities are also unique and each of them works nicely in the story.
Precure, as a series, definitely believes in the old truth: you can't fight evil if you ain't cute. The designs are just wonderful. I may not be a fan of the huge ball dresses that show up at times, but the girls' main magical girl outfits are great. I love Haruka’s hair, it matches her traditionally princess-y look. And Saya's whole sea themed look is just incredible. It's such a well put together project, I'm impressed.
Other than the main girls, I think Twilight’s design is simply showstopping. The villain trio looks quirky and memorable, I like them too. These all are some amazing projects. I know it's kind of Precure's staple thing, and it definitely puts the bar high.
The whole princess-y vibe, well, makes as much sense as any other magical girl theme - be it Solar System planets, endangered animals, or sweets and desserts. It's girly and cute, so it's perfect for a show like that. Frozen was a huge hit in Japan, as elsewhere, so I get why it could be fitting. I didn't really care for it much, but everything's cute and fits well. What's more to want?
I’m not a Precure expert (yet). The real experts, the series’s target, are young girls watching the Sunday morning TV, and their opinion… is interesting. Go! Precure didn't actually get much acclaim from its child public. Apparently the intense - at least more intense than in the previous series, I presume - fighting scenes were too scary for a lot of the viewers. It's, well, let's say it's a confirmation that the action scenes were really cool. Some of the fights were actually quite impressive, not only for a kids show, but for an action anime.
The series is held in much higher regard by the older audience, especially in the West. I've seen it being considered one of the better Precure titles out there. Can't really judge it that way, but I get where it comes from. Go! Precure works really well as a traditional mahou shoujo anime. The story is alright, the characters are sweet, the designs are fantastic, and the fights are fun.
There is definitely a lot that could be improved, but… nah, it's okay. I enjoyed it a lot. For a mahou shoujo series that doesn't try to do anything new, it's awesome. Sometimes you just need a princess to save the day by punching a monster. A lot.
Disney’s princesses could never.
Cures: ✿✿✿
designs: ✿✿✿✿✿
mascots: ✿✿
villains: ✿✿✿✿
story: ✿
theme and vibes: ✿✿✿
#Thank you for reading!