Heartcatch Precure – First Episode Review

Episode Summary: Tsubomi and her family move in with Tsubomi's grandmother so her mother and father can open a flower shop in town. Normally shy and reserved, Tsubomi pledges to act differently once she transfers to her new school. Unfortunately, she didn't expect to meet a girl like Erika, an outgoing and boisterous person who instantly clamps on to Tsubomi and doesn't let go. When Erika suddenly finds herself alone after school, left to run the fashion club by herself, she chases Tsubomi all over school to try and get her to join. Of course, Tsubomi is much more interested in flowers than fashion, and Erika's continued advances are beginning to wear thin. The situation is made even worse by the fact that Erika's family owns the clothing shop next door to the flower shop, which means that Tsubomi will probably be seeing plenty of Erika in the future.

After returning home, Tsubomi has a vision that she's had many times before, of a beautiful girl fighting for the sake of a blooming tree. The next time she goes outside, she's approached by two fairies who take refuge in her shirt as a strangely-dressed woman approaches. The woman is on the lookout for the fairies as well, and when she can't find them, she approaches Erika and steals her wilting heart flower (which is in bad shape due to jealousy Erika has towards her older sister). Following prompting by her new fairy friends, Tsubomi summons the power of Pretty Cure, and transforms into Cure Blossom in order to rescue Erika from the clutches of evil.

Thoughts: I feel like sort of a nerd for saying this, but 30 seconds into the episode I suddenly had a thought, and paused the episode to confirm -- yes, the character designs for this series are by Yoshihiko Umakoshi, who was responsible for the fabulous character designs in Casshern: Sins. While that may seem like just another useless bit of geeky trivia (and to some extent it probably is), it is also indicative of one of the major stylistic differences this series has from its predecessors. While previous Precure iterations were heavy on frills and that kind of complicated cuteness so common to mahou shoujo series, Heartcatch is sleeker, with a more simplified visual look and more angular and distinct character designs that, while still being cute, also eschew somewhat the stereotypical moe look that defines so many similar series.

Perhaps the only real visual misstep is the addition of some very obvious CG elements that show up during the transformation sequences and later, as Tsubomi receives a Heart Seed (which occurs in episode 2 -- so sue me, I watched ahead). With the rest of the episode so strongly stylized in a way that it almost appears purposely flat at times, I kind of wonder what purpose these brief bits of CG serve. since it's just as simple to hand-draw these sorts of close ups, and if the purpose was to re-use the shots, well, that can just as easily be done with traditional animation as well.

Unlike earlier seasons, which seemed much more likely to draw in the male otaku crowd (to which anyone who remembers the "Spicy Hot Loligasms" meme from 4-Chan can attest) this version of the story, much like Fresh Precure seems to be targeting a more traditional mahou shoujo viewing demographic. This is seen most obviously in the focus on cute fashions (and consequently the girls' fashion club), but more subtly in the nudity-free henshin sequence and the subject matter of the first big enemy confrontation, which arises from Erika's jealousy of her older sister. While the episode is beautified by all manner of colorful visual enhancement, the nature of the conflict is surprisingly down-to-earth; what younger sister hasn't felt overshadowed by her older sibling at some point?

Also a plus is the mentorship that Tsubomi's grandmother provides (I know, once again this is from the second episode, but I was lacking direction in this review and that was just what I needed). While mahou shoujo is clearly often aimed at pre-teen girls, when I consult my foggy memories of magical girls past I come up with relatively few examples of positive older role--models for the main characters. Either the parents are absent completely or serve as peripheral comic-relief or occasional disciplinarian. Having Tsubomi's grandmother around gives the show a sense of dignity that it may not otherwise have, and provides Tsubomi with a role-model who is neither a silly mascot character (the two fairies fill that role, and they often seem just as lacking in experience as Tsubomi herself), nor some unattainable ideal.

Of course, what is a magical girl show if not a fluffy bag of tropes? In spite of its spirited and stylish nature, Heartcatch also draws heavily from other series in the genre. There are cutesy mascot characters, ridiculous-sounding magical spells, ultra-feminine transformation sequences (Tsubomi transforms into Cure Blossom by using magical perfume), and Tsubomi's immediate goals revolve around collecting magical items, earned by healing those around her. Heck, there's even an attractive and mysterious bishounen character who makes a brief appearance (and who also looks like a younger, more attractive version of Itoshiki-Sensei from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei). These things are all old hat to anyone who's watched their fair share of magical girl series. But in a genre so reliant on tropes and formulas, one can hardly complain about their existence. The art in these series lies not in how they avoid these iconic elements, but in how they embrace and utilize them without feeling like stale rehashes of a genre which seems to be past its prime.

Heartcatch isn't distinctive for being vastly different from its contemporaries, nor is it imbued with a vast sense of depth. I think that what feels different here is simply that, while trope-filled to the gills, this series doesn't seem to suffer from so much baggage in that it doesn't seem likely to attract as many viewers with, shall we say, unsavory intent (at least I would like to hope not; please refrain from enlightening me otherwise). It's simply a sweet story of friendship that remains upbeat and optimistic about the value of human feelings. There's a decent dose of actual action (rather than relying entirely on magical talent, both girls can engage in a physical battle as well) and the character designs are appealingly off the beaten path.

Pros:

• Great character designs that are sleeker and more stylized than normal for a magical girl series.
• Tsubomi's grandmother provides a great source of mentorship.
• It's great to devote some time to this trope-y genre sometimes.

Cons:

• Some of the CG is dopey and unnecessary.
• Doesn't bring a whole lot of new twists to the table.

Recommended? Yes, especially for people with a nostalgia for Sailor Moon, since this show seems to follow in that vein.