So if you know anything about me whatsoever you probably know that I like Precure. A lot. …A LOT.
Because of this, people ask me a lot of questions about it when they find out. Probably the three most common ones I get are “Where do I watch Precure,” “What Precure do I start with,” and “Should I watch Precure”.
Well, the answer to the first one is “most of it isn’t officially streaming anywhere in the West so type it into your preferred search engine” and the second one is a valid question which I’ll probably post about at some point but for now we’re going to focus on the third.
Should you watch Precure?
Let’s take a look, because a lot of people come into this series for the wrong reasons and then aren’t impressed with it, so it will save us all a lot of hassle if you know what you’re getting into first.
Q: “I want action. Will Precure give me cute girls kicking ass?”
A: Yes, mostly.
Every Precure series is a little bit different so some of them are more action-packed than others but as a whole the franchise sort of distinguishes itself from most other magical girl shows by being very action-oriented. There are lots of punches and kicks and wild aerial maneuvers. Think Dragon Ball Z except with, like, 14 year old schoolgirls. If that sounds like your thing, then welcome aboard.
Q: “I want something like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura et al. Is Precure for me?”
A: Probably, with a caveat.
With the ever so obligatory disclaimer that every season is different, Precure is a bit different in tone than many other “similar” magical girl shows. There are a variety of reasons for this but the big one is that while a lot of these other shows are aimed at older kids and teenagers, Precure’s target audience is five year olds. I really cannot stress this enough because I see too many people looking for something super intense and mature and then are turned off by what is essentially the anime equivalent of My Little Pony.
That’s far from a bad thing, but you need to be aware of it going in. Episodes and storylines are peppy and optimistic and while there’s a lot of action you’re not going to get, say, the dramatic death scenes that Sailor Moon is fond of. Remember: five year olds.
Q: “I want something like Madoka Magica, is Precure for me?”
A: Probably not, but..
…if you liked Madoka for kickass girls in cute outfits (and shipping potential between said cute girls in cute outfits) then yeah welcome aboard. If you liked Madoka because it was dark and dramatic and because Kyubey was nightmare fuel then no you probably aren’t gonna get that here.
Q: “I tried to watch Precure but it was basically just a huge toy commercial, should I keep watching?”
A: If the merchandising isn’t your thing you probably won’t like Precure.
Like, I’m just gonna say it straight out. Toei wants five year old kids to buy their toys. It’s a cash cow franchise and toy sales are fueling it. If you’re like me, you don’t give a damn because it’s all just so adorable and because let’s face it, most of what I watched as a kid was also just extended toy commercials. But if you don’t like it, well… it’s kind of one of the tentpoles of Precure, so you may want to look elsewhere.
Q: “I want to ship cute girls, should I watch Precure?”
A: Yes.
This series
Is yuri bait
And sometimes it’s even canon
If you want to ship cute girls then welcome to Precure Hell, enjoy your stay.
Q: “I want to watch something dubbed so I don’t have to stare at subtitles the whole time, does Precure have that?”
A: Sometimes.
The very first season of Precure, Futari wa Precure, received an official English dub which is relatively faithful to the source material. Two other series, Smile Precure and Doki Doki! Precure, are available dubbed on Netflix as Glitter Force. These versions are somewhat truncated from the original so you won’t be getting the complete experience but they are an option if not having dubs is a dealbreaker.
Q: “I’m looking for something really fun and cute and wholesome, should I watch Precure?”
A: ABSOLUTELY.
Everything about Precure is a delight. The characters are wonderful, the storylines are about girls overcoming adversity with the power of love and friendship, the songs are catchy, and there are even redemption arcs showing that anyone can be a magical girl regardless of their background. Look, unless a.) one of the above points really turned you off, or b.) you hate things that are fun and cute, this is something you need in your life.
Really.
