Precure All Stars: Singing with Everyone♪ The Miraculous Magic! is the 20th film overall in the franchise and it’s the first to feature the Mahoutsukai Precure (without Kotoha, as it is chronologically set during the early stages of the series); on this occasion, they will have a leading role. As happened in the past with other teams, they will be the newbies of the situation, so they’ll clearly be the weakest, but they’ll manage to make their mark.

Here’s a brief summary of the plot: the movie opens with the two aiming to improve themselves as Precure. They immediately meet the Princess Precure, and Liko very carelessly shows her magic (something I would’ve expected more from Mirai than from her). After defeating a copy of Dyspear, Trauma separates the girls, taking them to another world. Thanks to the help of Echo, the Happiness Charge, the Doki Doki and other leaders, Mirai and Liko manage to hold on, but all the other Precure are captured. Through dialogue, they still reach the heart of the one presented as the other antagonist, Sorciere. The final battle against Trauma then takes place, and he will be defeated thanks to everyone’s contribution. Peace returns and the Precure reunite to watch the hanami together.

Honestly, I consider it one of the best All Stars films I’ve seen. It manages to blend a somewhat serious main plot with various gags in a much more organic way than the Precure films from that period, also offering good fight scenes. Similarly to Haru to Carnival, it features musical elements, but this time the songs are not the main highlight of the film, though they are original and useful for expressing the characters’ emotions in a way that’s engaging for kids (the song sung by the two antagonists was a bit unnecessary, but I get that it has a certain appeal for the target audience). Also, I could never be unhappy hearing the voices of Rie Takahashi and Yui Horie. My favorite song was Exhausted Warriors, which perfectly represents the feelings of Mirai toward Liko and vice versa, as well as their sense of inadequacy in that situation; by pure chance, I had heard it for the first time literally two days before watching the movie from a Precure playlist. As I said, I laughed a lot at certain gags, like the chase of Mofurun & Co. in disguise, the Cures in prison singing (with Marine insulting them), the four leaders striking their poses and saying the names of their different teams, everyone being shocked that the Mahoutsukai can use magic, and more.

I really liked Mirai and Liko right from the start, determined to improve themselves. In the whole first part, due to their weakness, they were overwhelmed by the many enemies that kept showing up, and only the intervention of the other Precure saved them from worse trouble. It was very sweet that Mirai also developed a nice relationship with Lulun, after accidentally scaring her with a greeting. Seeing the attitude of the others, they will understand that, to be real Precure, they must never give up in the face of difficulty and will regain the will to fight. By singing together, the two sense each other’s presence, reuniting in a very sweet hug. I’ve already recounted the rest, but I really appreciated their empathy and their ability to connect with Sorciere through song, and also the fact that they’re very cool on their own.

Regarding characters from other series, I liked that the moment when these events happen is contextualized for the Princess Precure. The entrance of the Doki Doki and the Happiness Charge was rather impactful, and that’s where we saw some of the best choreography in the film. I liked seeing Melody, Happy, Blossom, and Peach working together, especially during their combined attack, which wouldn’t have been as unified without Miracle. An honorable mention goes to Cure Echo, whom I didn’t expect to see again in such a relevant role: she’ll be the one Liko will interact with the most. During the ending, she’ll even have her own 3D model and a special place in the choreography. As I mentioned, I liked the role of Mofurun, Aroma, and Pafu; they escaped from Trauma in a rather funny way, which made it easier for me to accept the use of the Miracle Light. Final enemies from previous series also returned as memories, so they were stripped of (what little) personality they had (my apologies to the bosses from Yes! 5, Go! Princess, Suite, Fresh, and Heartcatch novel for the undeserved dissing).

As for the battles, as mentioned, the best moments for me come thanks to the Doki Doki, although the rest of the film also maintains a good level. The finale has some CGI sequences due to the large number of characters involved, but I can overlook that. What I appreciated about the final ending was how everyone was included and how cute the girls’ models were.

The last element I have left to analyze is the original characters. I’ll start with the true antagonist, Trauma. Depending on the situation, he can be involved in comedic moments, but, fortunately, he can also be cruel and a real threat to the Precure. He is extremely manipulative, to the point of exploiting Sorciere’s emotional fragility to convince her to capture the Precure and take one of their tears, hiding from her the fact that his real plan was to recover his full powers. Particularly striking are the way he convinced the girl and his desire to put himself on her same level, since she agreed with harming the Precure. Lastly, it’s Sorciere’s turn. Her goal of resurrecting her teacher is a sign of the madness and damage that lack of communication can cause. It’s clear that the teacher loved her student, but encouraging such obsession was madness. Their story remains quite beautiful and mature. I liked that there were also visions of her as a child, meant to represent the love they had for each other. She has a nice design, and it was moving to see her understand the true meaning of the lullaby thanks to the interaction with Mirai and Liko. The fact that in the initial flashbacks the teacher’s face was obscured and then she remembered it was a nice touch. It’s also interesting that, just as Sorciere was raised by someone after being alone, she will decide to do the same with someone else.