Cure Up! Rapapa! Since Kokoda Koji has already done his review on this week episode, I won't talk much about it but rather my thoughts on it plus the Go Princess Precure Movie!
Overall, I felt this episode is what Kokoda explained in his review, the pacing was all over the place and I don't feel the girls are really learning magic. Maybe Mr Issac is really absent minded in his teachings. The girls meeting Loretta voiced by the wonderful Kawasumi Ayako (Saber of Fate Stay Night) was kinda of wasted since her presence is just teaching the girls of all things, making an oyster open it's mouth. You can said it is some kinda of training in teaching patience and one must learn to communicate the oyster with your heart but it also showed how lazy the writers are.
Next was Mirai and Rico (and third wheel Jun) meeting the three young mermaids, Ceci, Nancy and Dorothy. The three mermaids were excited to know more of the outside world since they spent their whole lives under the sea (Pun intended) from Mirai and Rico.
When they learned of the legendary oyster that grant the mermaids the ability to fly out of the water, it reminded me of another anime that did something similar-Macross Zero. It had a similar folk story of how the fish people took the wings of the flying people which enable them to fly. (Pretty dark stuff if you have seen it)
Again, the writers decided to abuse the clique of Mirai and Rico unable to transform without Mofurun and the girls had to spend a few minutes hiding before Morfurun ran out to meet them. The Sapphire Form that the girls transformed is all right equipped with long scarfs. Looking at their battle, it is clear that Sapphire is the speed type which also grant them flight. But the battle is pretty mediocre until their final attack-Sapphire Smartish (What kinda of name is that?) blow up the Yokubal into oblivion although I still like Diamond Big Bang Attack (Which is what I am calling it!)
Guys and Gals, I know we are only into the 7th episode of this new season and it is still too early to tell how the story will progress in the next five or sixth episode but seeing the feedback of viewers, I can tell that Maho Tsukai has really a lot to buckle up after Go Princess's Success. I know that this season is a call back to the original Futari and Splash Star but those seasons has a lot of flaws that didn't go anywhere since Toei was still experimenting the franchise back then. But now Toei is really going the easy route and expecting the same result as Go Princess.
The reason why Go Princess worked is because the characters are real people with real problems. The threat level is high as it is a race against time to find the missing Dress up keys and save the Hope Kingdom. Here in Maho Tsukai, we spent an episode boiling a kettle, chasing paper butterflies and talking to oysters! Toei might want viewers to know more of the Magic Kingdom but no thanks, I rather hang out with Haruka and company at their school any day. There is a lot of flaws I wanted to say about Maho Tsukai but you can tell that I am not enthusiasm about it despite having star power like Horie Yui, Nazuka Kaori and Kawasumi Ayako appearing. (Please bring them back for more episodes!) Hopefully Toei can do something right to make me continue doing the reviews otherwise it is going to be a drag every week.
Anyway the girls are talking to flying Peagasus in the next episode..(Yeah with less enthusiasm) Until then, see you next week for the review. (If you like this style of review, please tell me in the comments!)
Go Princess Precure Movie Review and Thoughts: For the first time, we have three different stories and animation style for this 85 minutes movie. The first is probably my favourite (and the shortest) of Cure Flora meeting some mischievous ghosts and playing a game of Simon Says. The CG animation is so beautiful which I thought there are action figures that come to life. If they do sell such figures and the rest of the Precure family, I will buy it in a heartbeat.
Next is the main story of the girls were tricked (again!) to the Pumpkin Kingdom and the main villain, Warp who is a crazed collection obsession planned to make the girls his collection. Haruka later learn that the Princess of the Kingdom, Princess Pumplulu (voiced by the sweet Hanazawa Kana) is held captive up in the sky and the King and Queen were brainwashed by Warp. There is also some creepy scenes of the natives (who are all pumpkins) being turned into pudding once they are deemed useless. Didn't the girls think for a second they are eating pumpkins people in the puddings?!
As expected, thanks to the power of the Miracle light (merchandising), the girls got the Halloween Key to become the Pumpkin Princess Form and Warp was defeated pretty quickly. Pumplulu didn't have much screen time with the girls since she spend almost 90 percent of the film held captive and the girls were entering a beauty contest in the kingdom.
Finally the last segment using the same animation style in their new ending, after the battle with Warp, Pumplulu gave the girls a doll of Princess Refi as remembrance but something happened and the girls were transported to the Night Kingdom where Refi is a real person and needed the girls' help to save her kingdom from an evil talking pumpkin being named Night Pumpkin.
The story was pretty straight forward with the usual never give up speech and the girls and Refi defeated Night Pumpkin which ended the girls performing their ending song for the people of Night Kingdom and Refi and her parents reunited. (Refi's mother is voiced by Sakamoto Maaya who voiced Asuka in the Go Princess series) Although why the girls were transported to Refi's world is a question that Toei will never answer since the movie ended with Refi's doll being replaced with the Miracle Light.
Overall, it is a bold attempt for Toei to try something different for this movie and it is quite all right since I really enjoyed the first segment. The main story was mediocre since it has been done to death by every other Precure movies before it. The last segment was good except some scenes where Toei probably didn't have time to touch up the girls expressions resulting in some big red rosy cheeks on them.
However, looking at the latest All Stars movies, look like it is going to be a musical again since the main villain (Horse dude) and the movie female lead had a number together like something out of an old Disney Princess movie. Horse dude looked kinda of weak since Puff, Aroma and Mofurun drove him off with the power of the Miracle light in one scene.
Well, this is a long review. Until then, see you next week for the Maho Tsukai episode!