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Winter Anime 2016 |OT| Celebrating the New Year and PSO2's release in the west!
- Thread starter BGBW
- Start date
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John Blade
Member
Man...what a depressing show to watch for the most part. I guess if you want a happy show, please look away as majority of this show episodic story line have a very sad and depressing ending which will make you want to stop watching for a bit.
I like the spy genre in the show and actually interested in the show after watching the trailer for it. Now I finish the show, I think it does have the action scene feel but feel odd in how it try to tell the story. The issue this show have is it follow the episodic style which mean you have a small story in each episode. This isn't an issue but when I start to analyze, quite a few of the episode feel like they is no purpose to be in the show as it didn't help process the plot. Make you wonder if they don't have enough story to go through. Don't worry the main story is still there and if you follow, you start to notice it if you stick with it.
For the character development, majority of the development is coming down to the main female character, Mylene. Originally, you know here as an agent (009-1) who can kick ass anyone who goes against here. Later on, you start to found out about her past and what have happen to her and how she become a spy. Kinda sad and make it more emotional as in few episode she have to do stuff which go against her feeling of what she is doing. Also, they is a spoiler in her past as someone she know will come back to her later.
As for the animation, it's okay and simple. Background animation is simple design and for the character work, it look different. A weird thing as the show is suppose to be serious but the character look doesn't have the serious look (you notice this a lot in the enemies who try to attack 009-1). Don't think it hurt the show but it kinda weird and stick up a bit as you continue watching.
Still, it's an okay show. I don't know if you can watch it all the way as the story of each episode (later in the show) make you wish to stop watching and go watch something funny as this is how I feel when watching 009-1.
Yeah, same here. I mean, it's Haikuu so it's always a pleasure to watch, but I feel the same.
Cornbread78
Member
OH.. Good to know. Sounds like fun though.
Yeah, it's a littleannoying that she is going to be
kidnapped for like the 50th tine now
MikeHattsu
Member
First Squad
Everybody were Russian, even the nazis.
Everybody were Russian, even the nazis.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
With the Mahou Tsukai Precure ED, looks like Toei has another good CG work under their belts.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: 5
Great episode. It was nice seeing Yakumo get in his element during that performance. I wasn't sure what to make of Miyokichi at first but she isn't troublesome and is interesting to watch.I liked the scene at her place, Yakumo looked really disinterested lol but he opened up to her a bit.
Great episode. It was nice seeing Yakumo get in his element during that performance. I wasn't sure what to make of Miyokichi at first but she isn't troublesome and is interesting to watch.I liked the scene at her place, Yakumo looked really disinterested lol but he opened up to her a bit.
Fanbase nearly indoctrinated for the incoming full cg precure.
that has already happened with the Finishing moves being CG in gopri
You saying all dark elves look alike? Racist.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Koyomimonogatari 05
(They totally reused footage from Nise)
(They totally reused footage from Nise)
Koyomimonogatari 05
(They totally reused footage from Nise)
My exact reaction to the episode.
KanameYuuki
Member
I miss old Gintama, but there is really not going back now, at least Hardboiled-san was back to relieve some stress, it's really hard to see everything get destroyed after you spent 308 episodes with them.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
That's kind of what makes it effective though. Gintama has always joked about the seriousness, played around any kind of overarching story and rolled back any kind of consequence, even with something like the 4 Devas Arc. It's been about to "get real" multiple times then Sorachi is like "lol naw" but now it is actually getting real.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb 3
Excellent storyboard from Mitsuru Sasaki. The first half was basically "the girls sit around a living room table", but unlike similar segments in earlier Hidamari seasons the direction here was dynamic and engaging, much more inventive than just having the camera stare statically at the table. There were some really neat shots, such as the circular pan around the circle of girls. Also some great editing rhythm, such as shots of each of the girls timed to the rhythm of "Itadakimasu".
I really liked Sasaki's ED for Hidamari x SP as well. He seems like one of the more talented storyboarders at Shaft, able to execute "Shaft style" in a really strong way. I wonder what he's up to now though. He doesn't seem to have showed up anywhere since storyboarding episode 16 of Monogatari Second Season and doing key animation on Madoka Rebellion in 2013.
Excellent storyboard from Mitsuru Sasaki. The first half was basically "the girls sit around a living room table", but unlike similar segments in earlier Hidamari seasons the direction here was dynamic and engaging, much more inventive than just having the camera stare statically at the table. There were some really neat shots, such as the circular pan around the circle of girls. Also some great editing rhythm, such as shots of each of the girls timed to the rhythm of "Itadakimasu".
I really liked Sasaki's ED for Hidamari x SP as well. He seems like one of the more talented storyboarders at Shaft, able to execute "Shaft style" in a really strong way. I wonder what he's up to now though. He doesn't seem to have showed up anywhere since storyboarding episode 16 of Monogatari Second Season and doing key animation on Madoka Rebellion in 2013.
Only the females with long hair but what does that make me?
Dedication Through Light
Member
I hope you are watching it on a very large screen (ever motion enhancement setting enabled), it is quite an awesome experience.
peaceiscloser
Member
The future of anime is here !!
the CG precures have been really great for a while
Dedication Through Light
Member
Really? Pure unadulturated sincere volleyball match this episode gets Haikyuu dinged? I cant even.
Anime gives screentime to second years who hadnt had much before, anime is panned. Anime focuses on the main 1st years while leaving out the 2nd years, anime would be panned. People cant be happy.
KenjiGlove
Banned
peaceiscloser
Member
I just realized I lost my bookmark of the List. You know, that list. Can someone PM it to me
KanameYuuki
Member
I know, it is a love/hate relationship, to be honest I'm still waiting for them to say
"oh lol no worries Shigeshige didn't die for realises"
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Yes. He is on standby. Duh.
peaceiscloser
Member
LOL the list reminds me that a new WIXOSS movie is coming out. Or has it already?
Soon, I think.
Hellwarden
Member
Isn't it just a recap movie?
Theonik
Member
Diagnosis.
Cornbread78
Member
Now curiosity is killing me, I must find these..
Only the females with long hair but what does that make me?
Fetishist.
Sequel iirc
Dedication Through Light
Member
I wish the song was a bit better, I love the singer when she does her usual thing, gate op 2 sounds a bit less mesmerizing and catchy (Strike the blood op, high school of the dead OP, gate op 1).
SliceSabre
Banned
Luck & Logic 05
That was an incredibly depressing backstory. Like I legit felt sorry for this girl.
That was an incredibly depressing backstory. Like I legit felt sorry for this girl.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Rin got painted!
Hmm learn something new everyday.
Theonik
Member
So that's what I've been hearing about on Twitter. Pretty dumb move by them, pics of their shows going up on Twitter can only help them in the long run. Guess I better make sure not to post any screenshots from Funi shows.
Hope they don't notice the Seraph screencaps I already put up
hosannainexcelsis
Member
The really dumb thing is that these DMCA takedown notices have been happening even for shows that are not licensed by Funimation or completely unlicensed outside Japan.
Basileus777
Member
What a bizarre and utterly useless way to target fansubbers.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Ive not lost mine or my Luck & Logic ones.
ThreePiMatt
Member
Have you guys seen this?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manostudios/the-glassworker-an-animated-film-directed-by-usman
It looks like an interesting attempt to create a hand drawn anime in Pakistan.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manostudios/the-glassworker-an-animated-film-directed-by-usman
It looks like an interesting attempt to create a hand drawn anime in Pakistan.
Final Thoughts on Go Princess Precure
What to say about this one? Well I wasn't looking forward much to this for two reasons. One, Happiness Charge had a terrible ending, washing away most of my goodwill for the franchise. Like, it was a stronger show than DokiDoki, but that ending dropped the ball so hard I thought the franchise was doomed to pink worship. Thankfully that fear ended up being unfounded this time for the most part. Second, nothing seemed interesting about Go Princess at first glance. We had the genki pink, ojou blue, quirky yellow, okay fairies and villains, a not very evil violin lady, and no real hook. Not a very solid first impression. But not horrible either.
So, Haruka. Who is she? A young girl (younger than the usual Precure lead I believe) who doesn't have any strong talents, but is full of energy and has a dream she's determined to see through. Sounds generic, but most of the leads sound generic on paper. What else does she have? Well, she likes princesses. A lot. And she wants to become a princess. And she's deluded enough to think she can become a princess. And that's about it. There wasn't really anything to make her stand out in a good way from the previous 3 leads, and her main unique trait was really silly. Nothing particularly good about her. She was a generic pink lead that did her job. She did it fine, but there wasn't anything to be enthused about. But, something happened.
Or rather, nothing really happened. She didn't meet anyone that brought out new hidden depths from her (her best relationship came from someone she met in the first episode). She never did something so amazing that I needed to reevaluate how cool she was. She never had a revelation that her dream was silly and not exactly feasible. The opposite happened in fact. Instead she did something very simple. She slowly but surely became a better version of herself. In the beginning she was stepping into a new world where she knew no one, wasn't proud of her dream, had no confidence in herself, and believed hopes and dreams were the greatest things ever. Over the show, she matured. Not in the sense that she changed who she was or found the world too harsh for what she wanted. Rather, she looked at herself and her flaws, and strove to improve as much as possible on all fronts. She worked hard on her schoolwork and her princess lessons. She befriended many people and helped them through their troubles and was helped in return. Rather than abandoning her childhood wish in favor of something not silly, she found the confidence to be proud of what she wanted and became even more true to her dream. And most poignantly, she never lost sight of dreams being a good thing to fight for, but instead accepted all aspects of them, both the joy of accomplishing your goal and the despair of failure. It was rather straightforward, but it worked surprisingly well. Instead of subverting expectations, she ran with them and made use of them as best she could.
Minami was another character who looked painfully generic on paper. A rich ojou, the pride of the school, smart and popular, yet secretly not all she's hyped up to be and finds comfort in a more down to earth friend. She hit all the tropes of a standard blue Cure and didn't bother to deviate from them. She didn't even have any particular quirks like Karen or Reika had to stand out. She was generic. She had typical blue type strengths and weaknesses, and she even had the same water/ice powers that have been plaguing a lot of them. Her most notable traits were being a touch harsh to make Haruka grow on her own (wasn't dwelled on much sadly) and liking dolphins and marine life in general. Nothing much to care about really. Until it was. At first she had a fairly unexciting goal of helping take over the family business, but soon she realized where her true passions lay. Marine life, which was built up all season. She had some trouble adjusting when she realized she had a different dream from what she proclaimed originally, but she came to accept her own desires as not a bad thing. It was actually a pretty good arc for her. Didn't make her not boring, but props for having something interesting towards the end.
Kirara was always going to be the star. She was certainly my favorite starting in the first episode, where she had barely two lines. It was the attitude and body language. From just looking at her she seemed like the type to dismiss others and care more about advancing her own goals and desires. And that's indeed who she was. She wasn't mean to anyone, unless you think giving everyone nicknames is rude. They were just not as important as making sure her own modeling career went off without a hitch. At least at first. She always had a conscience, which is why she stuck around for the Precure business she initially wanted no part of. And she hated half-assing anything. So when she decided to become a Precure and look out for Haruka, she did everything she could to not mess that up. She was very protective of Haruka, worrying about her almost too much at times. She projected a carefree exterior that made her look like she didn't care what trouble other people got themselves in, but when push came to shove she made sure everyone was safe enough to carry out their own dreams.
Kirara was constantly entertaining, snarking the best whenever someone else did something stupid. Unlike the others, her body language was very dynamic depending on the situation, making her the most entertaining to watch when nothing else was going on. She had a rival of sorts who was very funny and didn't appear nearly enough. What is it with yellow Cures and cool, underused rivals? She was self-confident in herself and maintained that she could and would do everything. That worked out for the most part until she had to choose between her career or helping a friend. In the past she might've ensured her own future, but by then she had grown enough to know that helping others in mortal danger took priority over her own ambitions. That was the one time her seemingly unshakable demeanor wavered, as she basically gave up on her dream to save the world. But she had always looked out for others to make sure they were happy with themselves, and they returned the favor by forcing her to admit she cared too much to give up. And so she did the unthinkable, she actually accepted the foreign trip to live abroad. Well it happened after the show ended so it didn't matter much, but it was nice to see someone who didn't pussy out because of friends. Kirara was consistently the best part of Go Princess, and that never changed.
Twilight was a boring villain. No real charisma when doing evil, her and backstory was just that she was kidnapped and brainwashed when she was a child. Very boring, and her redemption was just forced upon her instead of being earned. The she became Towa, an entirely different character. In a sense she was Haruka's ideal, a genuine princess. Mostly of the shy, sheltered type considering what she went through. Amusingly most people kind of went along with it. Not Kirara though, who seemed to determined to make sure Towa didn't get lost in her own world. As roommates the two of them had a rough start, but they pulled through and became strong buddies. Minami was more a guiding force to help Towa face her past. Haruka was... her savior? Kind of? I don't think the two of them ever quite decided who they were to each other besides friends. Haruka was probably the biggest factor in saving her, but they never got a solid relationship defining moment I thought. The episodes with both of them tended to focus on Towa attempting to redeem herself. Indeed, that was her main thing, making up for past sins and wanting to restore her own kingdom. She was pretty good in her own episodes, but she tended to be such a non-factor when others had the focus that she was kind of disappointing by the end. Not bad, but she needed to be the focus in order to shine. Oh well. At least she was decent when given the chance.
Yui was arguably the biggest surprise of the season. At first she was just Haruka's ordinary roommate with nothing extraordinary about her. And that's who she was, a genuinely normal person who had no business being involved with monsters three times her size, but she got herself involved anyway because Haruka was involved, and she didn't want to be useless. She was very nice for a more grounded perspective on dreams and the whole Precure thing. She wasn't particularly ambitious and didn't have destiny on her side, but she kept Haruka on the right path and made herself useful even though she couldn't fight. While Haruka sort of looked up to everyone else, Yui was Haruka's main buddy, and the two were great when just chilling together. By then end she had been attacked so many times she could break the cage on her and free everyone else before setting in motion getting the Cures their final form. Yui was the MVP of the season.
Other characters followed mostly the same trajectory as the main characters. Aroma was a snarky/grumpy fairy who had a hard time dealing with other people's weaknesses. And his own. He was decent overall, if nothing special. Pafu was cute, but annoying in how often she tripped over herself. But she befriended that one girl and didn't cause any problems, so she was alright. Shamour was the amusing teacher with the Frech accent, mentoring them both with princess duties and in general life. She was alright too, especially when she showed she could duel. Kuroro was just there, but he never really got in the way either. Kanata was bleh. Utterly boring and generic at first with nothing interesting about him. The he got amnesia and became the above + annoying with a lousy subplot to deal with. Not to mention causing Haruka some much unneeded headache. Once he got better he actually became less annoying though. I didn't mind him as a big brother and assistant hero.
Like the heroes, the villains did their job. To the show's credit the main trio all had something going for them. Lock was a gamer and proved to have his own ideas and ambitions. Definitely a bigger threat than he appeared at first. Shut was awesome. Not very threatening, but very funny, especially in his obsession with Twilight/Towa and how everyone looked down on him. And unlike Towa and Kuroro, he actually reformed himself out of his own volition and was a big help near the end. It was weird how he and Lock stayed on Earth though. Does Shut still have powers? And were he and Close ever part fairy? That was of weird. Well Shut lived, and that's the important thing. Speaking of Close, I always knew he would pull through. Unlike most first villains he had a sense of genuine menace about him, and his death felt incomplete. Sure enough her became the dragon to Dyspear and was overall the most dangerous and craftiest villain. He even got one final fight with his beloved Flora and managed to be talked into giving up. Not bad. Stop and Freeze were nothing though. Just there for extra muscle. Dyspear herself was nothing special. She was the personification of despair, and that's about it. Kind of an okay threat, but she went out kind of lamely for a big bad. Well, they can't all be winners.
Fights were one of the main highlights of the show. Toei cares enough to give a budget to ensure there's a decent fight every episode, and they were usually more than decent. I'm still not a fan of CG attacks, but they weren't ugly and were less jarring than last season at least. The attacks themselves were fairly decent, and there wasn't too much Flora pandering in them. Everyone getting the super form this time was very welcome. Maybe they'll cut back on the pink wanking from now on. I doubt it, but there's a chance.
Most seasons have a clear stronger first or second half. Here the second half was much stronger. Not because of Towa perse, but because the show really found its footing and executed on its cliches in strong and interesting, if not unique, ways. Plus the writing generally became better overall then, and the finale was strong too. Not the greatest fight, but it was good thematically. I didn't even mind Flora soloing Close, since that was less about showing how awesome she was and more about her coming to her own conclusions about dreams. The epilogue though... not sure how to feel about it. Everyone went their separate ways for their own dreams, and Towa and co. were locked away from Earth without any indication she ever managed to return. I'm not very fond of that kind of ending. More depressing in a way that I don't like. But it did help convey the message that dreams do end up separating people once they're met, so I guess it's appropriate. It still rubs me the wrong way. And we never did see if Haruka got whatever it is she wanted. Though that's something we probably don't want the answer to, and she seemed happy, so that's fine.
So everything seems good about Go Princess. The characters all had screen-time and development. The side cast was decently fleshed out. Fights were top of the line. It didn't chicken out on the themes. A lot of the weak parts look better in hindsight. So is it a contender for one of the best shows in the franchise? Maybe to some people, but to me, not even close.
Two reasons. First, the princess theme and goals were just silly. I know it's Precure and silliness comes with the territory, but they kept pushing princess status as something to really strive for instead of the fantasy thing that it is. It's nice that they stuck to their own messages, but I can't help but feel that it undermined the whole make your dreams come true thing by making the main character's goal something that will only happen in a dream. It did well with that premise, but I don't like the premise in the first place. Second, while the characters were generally well written, I could never muster up passion or care for them. I could see that Haruka went through some nice development and that Minami wasn't just a checklist of tropes, but at the end of the day I never got attached to them the same way I did to the Yes 5, Heartcatch, or even Happiness Charge crew. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because it took too long for them for most of them to come out on their own and shine in their own way, and when they did so I didn't have the satisfaction I get from characters I really like. Not the best reason I know, but I really could not care for the cast that much. The main exception was of course Kirara, who shined from the beginning. Yui and Shut too to a lesser extent.
So that's Go Princess Precure. Not quite the best despite having the writing and animation to stand at the top. If it had just a bit more of its own soul it could've been something really special. Still, it won me over from a bunch of generic drek with nothing happening to an entertaining show with well executed characters and themes with nothing but solid writing. Is it the best in the franchise? No, but I wouldn't mind putting it in the top 5. Toei has shown they can actually write and animate something that's actually good for a year long toy commercial. Now let's see if Mahou Tsukai can do something interesting with that talent.
What to say about this one? Well I wasn't looking forward much to this for two reasons. One, Happiness Charge had a terrible ending, washing away most of my goodwill for the franchise. Like, it was a stronger show than DokiDoki, but that ending dropped the ball so hard I thought the franchise was doomed to pink worship. Thankfully that fear ended up being unfounded this time for the most part. Second, nothing seemed interesting about Go Princess at first glance. We had the genki pink, ojou blue, quirky yellow, okay fairies and villains, a not very evil violin lady, and no real hook. Not a very solid first impression. But not horrible either.
So, Haruka. Who is she? A young girl (younger than the usual Precure lead I believe) who doesn't have any strong talents, but is full of energy and has a dream she's determined to see through. Sounds generic, but most of the leads sound generic on paper. What else does she have? Well, she likes princesses. A lot. And she wants to become a princess. And she's deluded enough to think she can become a princess. And that's about it. There wasn't really anything to make her stand out in a good way from the previous 3 leads, and her main unique trait was really silly. Nothing particularly good about her. She was a generic pink lead that did her job. She did it fine, but there wasn't anything to be enthused about. But, something happened.
Or rather, nothing really happened. She didn't meet anyone that brought out new hidden depths from her (her best relationship came from someone she met in the first episode). She never did something so amazing that I needed to reevaluate how cool she was. She never had a revelation that her dream was silly and not exactly feasible. The opposite happened in fact. Instead she did something very simple. She slowly but surely became a better version of herself. In the beginning she was stepping into a new world where she knew no one, wasn't proud of her dream, had no confidence in herself, and believed hopes and dreams were the greatest things ever. Over the show, she matured. Not in the sense that she changed who she was or found the world too harsh for what she wanted. Rather, she looked at herself and her flaws, and strove to improve as much as possible on all fronts. She worked hard on her schoolwork and her princess lessons. She befriended many people and helped them through their troubles and was helped in return. Rather than abandoning her childhood wish in favor of something not silly, she found the confidence to be proud of what she wanted and became even more true to her dream. And most poignantly, she never lost sight of dreams being a good thing to fight for, but instead accepted all aspects of them, both the joy of accomplishing your goal and the despair of failure. It was rather straightforward, but it worked surprisingly well. Instead of subverting expectations, she ran with them and made use of them as best she could.
Minami was another character who looked painfully generic on paper. A rich ojou, the pride of the school, smart and popular, yet secretly not all she's hyped up to be and finds comfort in a more down to earth friend. She hit all the tropes of a standard blue Cure and didn't bother to deviate from them. She didn't even have any particular quirks like Karen or Reika had to stand out. She was generic. She had typical blue type strengths and weaknesses, and she even had the same water/ice powers that have been plaguing a lot of them. Her most notable traits were being a touch harsh to make Haruka grow on her own (wasn't dwelled on much sadly) and liking dolphins and marine life in general. Nothing much to care about really. Until it was. At first she had a fairly unexciting goal of helping take over the family business, but soon she realized where her true passions lay. Marine life, which was built up all season. She had some trouble adjusting when she realized she had a different dream from what she proclaimed originally, but she came to accept her own desires as not a bad thing. It was actually a pretty good arc for her. Didn't make her not boring, but props for having something interesting towards the end.
Kirara was always going to be the star. She was certainly my favorite starting in the first episode, where she had barely two lines. It was the attitude and body language. From just looking at her she seemed like the type to dismiss others and care more about advancing her own goals and desires. And that's indeed who she was. She wasn't mean to anyone, unless you think giving everyone nicknames is rude. They were just not as important as making sure her own modeling career went off without a hitch. At least at first. She always had a conscience, which is why she stuck around for the Precure business she initially wanted no part of. And she hated half-assing anything. So when she decided to become a Precure and look out for Haruka, she did everything she could to not mess that up. She was very protective of Haruka, worrying about her almost too much at times. She projected a carefree exterior that made her look like she didn't care what trouble other people got themselves in, but when push came to shove she made sure everyone was safe enough to carry out their own dreams.
Kirara was constantly entertaining, snarking the best whenever someone else did something stupid. Unlike the others, her body language was very dynamic depending on the situation, making her the most entertaining to watch when nothing else was going on. She had a rival of sorts who was very funny and didn't appear nearly enough. What is it with yellow Cures and cool, underused rivals? She was self-confident in herself and maintained that she could and would do everything. That worked out for the most part until she had to choose between her career or helping a friend. In the past she might've ensured her own future, but by then she had grown enough to know that helping others in mortal danger took priority over her own ambitions. That was the one time her seemingly unshakable demeanor wavered, as she basically gave up on her dream to save the world. But she had always looked out for others to make sure they were happy with themselves, and they returned the favor by forcing her to admit she cared too much to give up. And so she did the unthinkable, she actually accepted the foreign trip to live abroad. Well it happened after the show ended so it didn't matter much, but it was nice to see someone who didn't pussy out because of friends. Kirara was consistently the best part of Go Princess, and that never changed.
Twilight was a boring villain. No real charisma when doing evil, her and backstory was just that she was kidnapped and brainwashed when she was a child. Very boring, and her redemption was just forced upon her instead of being earned. The she became Towa, an entirely different character. In a sense she was Haruka's ideal, a genuine princess. Mostly of the shy, sheltered type considering what she went through. Amusingly most people kind of went along with it. Not Kirara though, who seemed to determined to make sure Towa didn't get lost in her own world. As roommates the two of them had a rough start, but they pulled through and became strong buddies. Minami was more a guiding force to help Towa face her past. Haruka was... her savior? Kind of? I don't think the two of them ever quite decided who they were to each other besides friends. Haruka was probably the biggest factor in saving her, but they never got a solid relationship defining moment I thought. The episodes with both of them tended to focus on Towa attempting to redeem herself. Indeed, that was her main thing, making up for past sins and wanting to restore her own kingdom. She was pretty good in her own episodes, but she tended to be such a non-factor when others had the focus that she was kind of disappointing by the end. Not bad, but she needed to be the focus in order to shine. Oh well. At least she was decent when given the chance.
Yui was arguably the biggest surprise of the season. At first she was just Haruka's ordinary roommate with nothing extraordinary about her. And that's who she was, a genuinely normal person who had no business being involved with monsters three times her size, but she got herself involved anyway because Haruka was involved, and she didn't want to be useless. She was very nice for a more grounded perspective on dreams and the whole Precure thing. She wasn't particularly ambitious and didn't have destiny on her side, but she kept Haruka on the right path and made herself useful even though she couldn't fight. While Haruka sort of looked up to everyone else, Yui was Haruka's main buddy, and the two were great when just chilling together. By then end she had been attacked so many times she could break the cage on her and free everyone else before setting in motion getting the Cures their final form. Yui was the MVP of the season.
Other characters followed mostly the same trajectory as the main characters. Aroma was a snarky/grumpy fairy who had a hard time dealing with other people's weaknesses. And his own. He was decent overall, if nothing special. Pafu was cute, but annoying in how often she tripped over herself. But she befriended that one girl and didn't cause any problems, so she was alright. Shamour was the amusing teacher with the Frech accent, mentoring them both with princess duties and in general life. She was alright too, especially when she showed she could duel. Kuroro was just there, but he never really got in the way either. Kanata was bleh. Utterly boring and generic at first with nothing interesting about him. The he got amnesia and became the above + annoying with a lousy subplot to deal with. Not to mention causing Haruka some much unneeded headache. Once he got better he actually became less annoying though. I didn't mind him as a big brother and assistant hero.
Like the heroes, the villains did their job. To the show's credit the main trio all had something going for them. Lock was a gamer and proved to have his own ideas and ambitions. Definitely a bigger threat than he appeared at first. Shut was awesome. Not very threatening, but very funny, especially in his obsession with Twilight/Towa and how everyone looked down on him. And unlike Towa and Kuroro, he actually reformed himself out of his own volition and was a big help near the end. It was weird how he and Lock stayed on Earth though. Does Shut still have powers? And were he and Close ever part fairy? That was of weird. Well Shut lived, and that's the important thing. Speaking of Close, I always knew he would pull through. Unlike most first villains he had a sense of genuine menace about him, and his death felt incomplete. Sure enough her became the dragon to Dyspear and was overall the most dangerous and craftiest villain. He even got one final fight with his beloved Flora and managed to be talked into giving up. Not bad. Stop and Freeze were nothing though. Just there for extra muscle. Dyspear herself was nothing special. She was the personification of despair, and that's about it. Kind of an okay threat, but she went out kind of lamely for a big bad. Well, they can't all be winners.
Fights were one of the main highlights of the show. Toei cares enough to give a budget to ensure there's a decent fight every episode, and they were usually more than decent. I'm still not a fan of CG attacks, but they weren't ugly and were less jarring than last season at least. The attacks themselves were fairly decent, and there wasn't too much Flora pandering in them. Everyone getting the super form this time was very welcome. Maybe they'll cut back on the pink wanking from now on. I doubt it, but there's a chance.
Most seasons have a clear stronger first or second half. Here the second half was much stronger. Not because of Towa perse, but because the show really found its footing and executed on its cliches in strong and interesting, if not unique, ways. Plus the writing generally became better overall then, and the finale was strong too. Not the greatest fight, but it was good thematically. I didn't even mind Flora soloing Close, since that was less about showing how awesome she was and more about her coming to her own conclusions about dreams. The epilogue though... not sure how to feel about it. Everyone went their separate ways for their own dreams, and Towa and co. were locked away from Earth without any indication she ever managed to return. I'm not very fond of that kind of ending. More depressing in a way that I don't like. But it did help convey the message that dreams do end up separating people once they're met, so I guess it's appropriate. It still rubs me the wrong way. And we never did see if Haruka got whatever it is she wanted. Though that's something we probably don't want the answer to, and she seemed happy, so that's fine.
So everything seems good about Go Princess. The characters all had screen-time and development. The side cast was decently fleshed out. Fights were top of the line. It didn't chicken out on the themes. A lot of the weak parts look better in hindsight. So is it a contender for one of the best shows in the franchise? Maybe to some people, but to me, not even close.
Two reasons. First, the princess theme and goals were just silly. I know it's Precure and silliness comes with the territory, but they kept pushing princess status as something to really strive for instead of the fantasy thing that it is. It's nice that they stuck to their own messages, but I can't help but feel that it undermined the whole make your dreams come true thing by making the main character's goal something that will only happen in a dream. It did well with that premise, but I don't like the premise in the first place. Second, while the characters were generally well written, I could never muster up passion or care for them. I could see that Haruka went through some nice development and that Minami wasn't just a checklist of tropes, but at the end of the day I never got attached to them the same way I did to the Yes 5, Heartcatch, or even Happiness Charge crew. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because it took too long for them for most of them to come out on their own and shine in their own way, and when they did so I didn't have the satisfaction I get from characters I really like. Not the best reason I know, but I really could not care for the cast that much. The main exception was of course Kirara, who shined from the beginning. Yui and Shut too to a lesser extent.
So that's Go Princess Precure. Not quite the best despite having the writing and animation to stand at the top. If it had just a bit more of its own soul it could've been something really special. Still, it won me over from a bunch of generic drek with nothing happening to an entertaining show with well executed characters and themes with nothing but solid writing. Is it the best in the franchise? No, but I wouldn't mind putting it in the top 5. Toei has shown they can actually write and animate something that's actually good for a year long toy commercial. Now let's see if Mahou Tsukai can do something interesting with that talent.
This episode was amazing. The animation and Megumi Han performance completely sold it. Most intense standing in an empty room ever
Dedication Through Light
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They could have given them full scales (idol designs )
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