Ranked #1179

Smile Precure!

Smile Precure is the ninth season of the long-running magical girls series Pretty Cure and almost certainly not the last. It's proven to be a winning formula in Japan and has made Toei millions of dollars, so it's unlikely to go away anytime soon. Nevertheless, even after nine seasons, each season of Pretty Cure can bring a new and fresh concept with interesting characters and many laughs, too.

Story: 6
The story is the worst part of the series for me. I didn't give it a six because the storyline is bad - it's just that Toei have stuck to the same formula of 'Ordinary 14 year old girl meets fairy from magical kingdom and finds out she's a Pretty Cure.' This season's theme is Fairy Tales, which is quite an unusual theme for Toei to have picked, but I like it. Miyuki Hoshizora is a transfer student walking to her new school when she meets an adorable sheep-like fairy named Candy from Marchenland. Candy tells Miyuki that she's actually the legendary warrior Cure Happy, whose mission is to protect Marchenland from Bad End Kingdom who want to give the world a Bad End. Gradually Miyuki meets the other Pretty Cures - Cure Sunny, Cure Peace, Cure March, and Cure Beauty. As with any magical girl series, there are plenty of fillers, but the difference is these are entertaining fillers, not ones I'm barely paying attention to as I switch between tabs.

Art: 9
Smile Precure easily has the best art of the entire Pretty Cure series. This is to be expected, of course, considering it's the newest and most recent series. The colours are vibrant and the animation smooth. I also really like the Cure's designs. The uniform is really cue and I adore the hairstyles. The hairstyles, you will notice, are all very unique, particularly Peace and Beauty's. Some people don't find Beauty and March's hairstyles appealing, but I like both of them. Yet again, Toei has managed to create a perfect CGI dance sequence for the ending without burning my eyes. One complaint is that when drawn from a distance, the characters can look a little off-model - hilarious if you look at the off-model drawings closer.

Sound: 8
Whilst the OST for this series is pretty unmemorable, the opening and ending songs are the sort of cheerful, upbeat tunes that make you want to sing along. As for the voice acting - we have Pikachu as Candy. What more can you want? Happily, Misato Fukuen's voice as Miyuki doesn't grate my ears and Hisako Kanemoto, Marina Inoue, and Chinami Nishimura all perform wonderfully as Cures Peace, March, and Beauty respectively. Though I initially disliked newbie seiyuu Asami Tano's voice as Cure Sunny, I must say it's really grown on me and I hope she has many more roles.

Character: 8
Usually most Pretty Cure series start with two Cures, usually fitting the Sporty/Studious archetypes. However, with five cures, that gives Toei a little more leeway to create cures with more personality than just football and schoolwork. Whilst Cure Sunny and Cure March would technically both fit into the sporty archetype, they both have more to their personality - Sunny loves cooking whereas March has to work hard to take care of her large family. Cure Beauty fits into BOTH archetypes - whereas Happy and Peace both have completely unique personalities. Some people may find Miyuki annoying, but I think she's a breath of fresh air - a character who is always optimistic and never gives up. Smile Pretty Cure has put the most focus on its characters so far than any other season, with fillers often dedicated to the Pretty Cures' lives, such as in Episode 9 when Yayoi plays an April Fool's trick on Miyuki that spirals out of control, or Episode 7 where the Cures imagine their ideal secret base. I think these characters are a lot more interesting than those of past seasons and there are even rumours that there are more Cures to come.

Enjoyment: 8
Smile Pretty Cure has been an enjoyable ride so far, managing to get a laugh out of me at least one every episode. It doesn't take itself too seriously and has the usual charm of a Pretty Cure series. As we're only nine episodes in to date, I think the rest of the series will decide my real rating of enjoyment.

Overall: 8
Smile Pretty Cure is your average Pretty Cure season - the same story, art that gets prettier with each season, super-catchy openings, CGI dance endings, and sometimes cliche characters. But at the same time it's also proven to be a particularly fun ride so far. If you don't like magical girl anime, Smile Pretty Cure is not going to change your mind about it. But if you do like magical girl anime, then there's no reason why you shouldn't go ahead and enjoy Pretty Cure's latest offering. read more

Smile Precure is the newest addition to the well-liked Precure animated series. After Suite Precure, who got mixed reactions from many people, it seems that we have a winning horse once again, just like with the successful Heartcatch Precure series.

Quick review: The formula? WIN! The story? GREAT! The art? EYECANDY! The sound? BETTER THAN EVER! The characters? WILL DEVELOP GREATLY! Enjoyment? EXTREMELY HIGH! and Overall this is a show to be remembered.

I look forward to the next year with you Precurebros and Precuregals, because Sundays will be filled with The Colorful; The Magical; And Big Happy Smiles from everyone!

Story: 10
The story this time starts with introducing one of the main characters Miyuki and Candy, the main 'Magical mascot pet' of the series. And guess who Candy is voiced by? by PIKACHU (!) GASH BELL (!!) and Tony Tony Chopper (!!!) The voice is simply one of the most adorable I have ever heard.

Some more main characters have been introduced in the class introduction of Miyuki. One of them is Yayoi who is voiced by.... DRUMS DRRRRRRRRR........ IKA MUSUME (!!!!!!!)

One of the villains is a Wolfy-guy, and he is so badass I fell from my chair when I first saw him.

The story shows great promise to be a colorful-magical-action series, much like Heartcatch Precure. And if you think that Madoka Magica is the best magical series ever created and the deconstruction of the magical girl genre, you'll be proven wrong. Madoka is just a watered-down Steins;Gate rip-off anyway, Smile Precure is a real magical girl series, down to its roots and core, stays true to the genre, and not as depressing like Madoka. Magical girl series should be happy and colorful, not to make some poor soul commit suicide because of clinical depression.

Art and Animation: 10
Beautiful, just beautiful. Character designs remind me of The World God Only Knows and Bakemonogatari. Everything is colorful and peachy eye candy that meets the standards on today's well animated series, with non-existent ' SHAFT QUALITY'. Everything is sharp and pure, fluid, just what I need from a Magical girl series.

Sound: 10
SMILE SMILE SMILE PRECURE!!!!!!! Ah, the opening song is once again a joyful J-pop song that meets the standards of every single Precure opening, and perhaps even better than ever. You'll be dancing from the happiness and joy, I guarantee it.

Some great talented voice actors such as Ootani Ikue, Fukuen Misato, Kanemoto Hisako and Inoue Marina have been summoned to take their part as roles as the main characters.

The soundtrack is also extremely jolly and cheerful.

Character: 10
Not much is still known on the characters, as they have been only quickly and briefly introduced. But I already feel I will get attached to every single one of them, main characters and villains alike.

Enjoyment: 10
Extremely high. I enjoy thrillers and magical girl series alike (but not a mix of them such as Madoka, it simply ain't my thing. Magical girls should be magical, and thrillers should be thrilling, end of story). This year is going to be awesome, and part of the reason is Smile Precure. AH! the enjoyment and excitement I'm going to get from the series. As you say in Japanese, 'DOKI DOKI', 'WAKU WAKU'!

Overall: 10
I recommend Smile Precure to every single magical girl enthusiast. Pick it up, you WILL be surprised, and only for the good things it has to offer. read more