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| 2. Hybrid
Upon first viewing Prétear, I thought
that this show might turn out like Fushigi Yugi and Sailor Moon,
due it containing similar elements such as 7 knights who are assigned to protect
the heroine, and the heroine has the ability to transform into Prétear,
after merging with one of the seven knights. While watching this series, it had
some symbolism in it, that reminded me to the Utena TV series. Comedy is
used well in this TV series, and reminded me of the super deformed comedy moments
in Fushigi Yugi and the Utena TV series. As the show progress, there
are a lot of cliffhanger endings on make you want to watch the next episode, which
I haven't experienced for some time, which made the experience more enjoyable.
Also the show features some very good twists in it, that reminded me of why I
keep on watching anime. The music in the series is quite good, as I found the
opening and closing themes to be quite addictive. In all, I found Prétear
to be one of the better anime series that I have seen in a while, and one that
I highly recommend to fans of Fantasy. |
| 1. Iodine
 
In the same vein as Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor
Moon, this fairly simple story about a girl playing the magical heroine against
a background of family crisis is a well-intentioned diversion. The characters
all play out their roles to their natural conclusions, and the plot goes as far
as it should. By the time the final battle is over, after thirteen episodes, the
material has just about run out too. Little is really drawn from the original
Snow White legend. The dwarfs are replaced with seven bishounen Knights, ranging
from the cute toddler Shin to talk, dark, and angst-ridden Hayate. Heroine Himeno
is the cheerful, go-getter type, and the inevitable romantic elements are thankfully
mild. A more interesting twist is Himeno's new family situation, where her father's
remarriage has left her with a new mother and sisters to deal with, who all naturally
get caught up in the plot. Sporting vibrant, fanciful
designs and tactful animation, Prétear plays on all the usual
little girl dress-up fantasies while providing a strong heroine to watch too.
With engaging characters and writing that more or less delivers, it's a cheerfully
unpretentious magical girl's show that energetically pulls off its fluffy premise.
The short length is nice, ensuring a fairly quick pace and downplaying the usual
formulaic filler. The one potentially questionable element is the traditional
transformation scene, where Himeno borrows the powers of each of her Knights by
merging with them. Still, considering what other shoujo anime have gotten away
with, this is tame by comparison. |
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