I think people tend to forget that Pretty Cure is intended for children, specifically, little girls. Yes, it appeals to a wider range of viewers, including adults, but, at its heart, it is intended for a very young audience. Sure, the situations where Seiren and Trio the Minor try to destroy Hibiki and Kanade's friendship might seem cheesy, over-the-top, or unnecessary, but that's how we see it from the perspective of an older viewer. When you're trying to make a point about friendship to a young audience, you can't necessarily be subtle about it. Also, could Hibiki and Kanade avoid 99% of their conflicts by
...
simply talking to each other? Yes, but then the show would have a lot less going on, and it would lose a lot of its appeal for its target audience.
The plot of Suite Precure is simple, but, again, it's a show for children. You can't really expect anything incredibly complex in a children's show. Basically, Hibiki and Kanade need to learn to trust each other and get along so they can fulfill their roles as Precure, and so they can collect all of the notes to complete the melody of happiness. Simple and straightforward. They have numerous run-ins with the bad guys (Trio the Minor and Seiren), who try to trick the girls and turn them against each other. In a lot of these situations, I wanted to say, "Come on, just talk about it!" but, while it seemed obvious to me that the solution was to talk about why they were upset, it probably doesn't seem as obvious to the younger viewers. It also wouldn't be as interesting to the target audience if the girls just talked about their problems and moved on.
I can understand why other people seem to have a problem with the whole "sad music vs. good music" theme in the show. Happy music isn't the only music that is good, and sad music can be just as enjoyable as happy music. However, do you really expect kids to get something like that? I'm sure older kids can understand that, but for the target audience, something like "happy vs. sad" is easiest to understand. As the children get older and listen to a wider variety of music, they'll come to that realization on their own, that happy music is not the only kind of music that people can enjoy.
I think the music is great, but I'd certainly expect an excellent soundtrack from a show that uses music as its main focus. There is a variety of background music that fits the scenes well, and the instrumentation is varied. The transformation music is really upbeat and catchy, and the background music for the attacks is great as well. I'll admit that I'm not experienced in critiquing music, but I've really been enjoying the music in Suite.
I really like Hibiki's and Kanade's characters. Hibiki is the tomboyish, sporty type, while Kanade is more studious and enjoys baking. Hibiki is goofy and silly at times, but serious when needed, and Kanade can be quite stubborn and assertive, especially when Hibiki is being particularly dense. The way they interact really reveals a lot about how close they are, even early on when they spend a lot of their time arguing with each other. As the story progresses, they argue less and are able to spend more time together as true friends. I've really enjoyed seeing them interact, from the time when they argued all the time to now, when they're getting along well. There have been many moments that have just made me go, "Awww! :D"
Hummy is dense. There's just no arguing that. I think she can be a bit annoying at times, but I think that has more to do with her ultra mega high-pitched voice than her actual character. I think she was purposely made extra dense in order to contrast with Seiren's calmer, more calculating personality. Hummy and Seiren play off of each other quite well; sometimes it almost feels like I'm watching a comedy routine. The mini-arc about their past together in Major Land, how they became friends, and how Seiren turned against Hummy, was rather well done, in my opinion.
Trio the Minor is basically your group of evil underlings who are actually just a bunch of derps. They're goofy, they sing when it's not really necessary, and their plans always fail. They make me laugh. Mephisto does too, as he's also goofy. I've read complaints from people, saying that they don't like Mephisto because he's not threatening at all, but I think that's the point. Considering what's happened in the past few episodes (29+), I don't think he's the "ultimate evil", so to speak. There's someone, or something, above him, and THAT's what's going to be truly threatening...or, as threatening as something can be in a children's show, anyway. I could be wrong, but that's just what I think.
I'd say my main problem is that I feel like the "mystery" of Cure Muse has gone on for long enough. Who is she? I don't know, just tell us already! I feel like they've already made her true identity very clear, but I'm saying that as an adult who can draw conclusions more quickly than the average child can. The younger viewers are probably still completely puzzled, and eagarly awaiting the moment when Cure Muse's true identity is officially revealed.
I like the bright, vibrant art style in Suite. Everything is colorful and eye-grabbing, even the bad guys. The transformation scenes are pretty, and, for those who are concerned that they're "too long", they do get cut down eventually. The attack scenes are also very impressive, visually. The animation generally feels smooth, and I haven't noticed too many "lol quality" scenes. The ending themes are really cool, too, with their 3D/CG animated dance sequences. I actually watch the ending each time, instead of just skipping past it like I usually do with most other series! It's definitely an interesting and different approach. (I know Suite wasn't the first Precure season to use 3D/CG animated endings, though.)
My overall enjoyment of Suite Precure is very high. Maybe I'm biased because this is the first Precure season I watched, but I love it, flaws and all. It's light-hearted and it makes me laugh. I really look forward to watching each week's episode. Suite may be unpopular with the general Precure fanbase, but I think it's great.
All (20)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Oct 8, 2011
Suite Precure♪
(Anime)
add
I think people tend to forget that Pretty Cure is intended for children, specifically, little girls. Yes, it appeals to a wider range of viewers, including adults, but, at its heart, it is intended for a very young audience. Sure, the situations where Seiren and Trio the Minor try to destroy Hibiki and Kanade's friendship might seem cheesy, over-the-top, or unnecessary, but that's how we see it from the perspective of an older viewer. When you're trying to make a point about friendship to a young audience, you can't necessarily be subtle about it. Also, could Hibiki and Kanade avoid 99% of their conflicts by
...
Jul 22, 2008
I used to fall into the trap of "The 4Kids dub = One Piece", so I figured One Piece was some totally lame series that only appealed to little kids. I actually got into One Piece after visiting a crack community on LiveJournal (capslock_op). I decided to check it out, but I was hesitant. Then, I ended up reading volumes 1-14 in under a month! (I know I'm reviewing the anime, but I read the manga first.)
One Piece has very believable characters. The main crew members all have very real, very believable personalities. The storyline is interesting and easy to follow--hardly anything ever goes unexplained, ... |
