 "This show is so cute it makes me sick!" | 2005-09-05 |
| - Reviewed By sharingan18 |
This show is one of the cuter shows I've seen. It's not terribly deep, but it is really entertaining to watch. I've always thought of it as Sailormoon in reverse :) You've got a bunch of good looking guys and one cute girl saving the world from an unknown evil.
I'm sure the only reason you are reading this review is to find out whether or not you should take a chance and buy it. I think that if you've enjoyed shows like Sailormoon, Fruits Basket, Escaflowne, Trigun, and Fushigi Yuugi then you would absolutely love this one as well. |
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| "Himeno strikes back, but uh oh...so does Fenrir" | 2005-07-20 |
| - Reviewed By djhamlow |
The third disc of Pretear consists of Episodes 8-10. For much of episode 8, the heroine, Himeno Awayuki, is totally depressed. She is unable to prêt anymore with the Leafe Knights because deep inside, she doesn't want to fight, blames herself for being useless, and goes AWOL, causing great worry among her parents and the Knights.
For the first time, though, it looks as if Himeno and her stepsister, the introverted Mawata, are getting along. However, something Mawata says forecasts the direction she is heading towards. "It would be great if you could live alone by yourself. ... If you are alone, you can't hurt anyone, nor will you get hurt." Two sides of the coin, being alone, and being free, are demonstrated here. Himeno, on the other hand, sees so much going on with Mawata, being pretty, having a great figure, and having good grades, but comments that she never sees her smile.
Being a Pretear also involves the will and determination to protect people, so when Fenrir shows up with the nearly dead Leafe Knights to taunt Himeno, she finds that will and preting with Hayate, whose rancor against her has dissipated, scores a victory against Fenrir's towering mushroom-like demon larva. In fact an evolving part in this series is pushing Hayate as a love interest to Himeno. Although both clumsily fumble without any verbal commitment, at least here they're on good terms.
Back to Mawata, whose introversion, good grades, and lack of smiles I can relate to. Her late father was the only one who understood how she felt, and after his death, she felt alone, and still does. She has never felt so emotionally weak before. That makes her ripe prey for the Princess of Despair, who wants to use her as a puppet of darkness, but something still holds her back. What's striking is how the animators drew Mawata's dead eyes as Fenrir tries to remove her soul-very effective picture of someone who's lost all hope.
There is a bit of silliness in Episode 9, where the sight of a bug darkening the ceiling is mistaken by the Awayukis (save Himeno) as a ghost, which is an excuse for them to put on silly costumes to go ghost-hunting. And since when is a bunny costume relevant to ghost-hunting? But that's mixed with the realization that somehow, the Awayuki mansion is the center for the appearance of demon larvae, for which the Leafe Knights search the mansion extensively.
Not much happens with Mayune, the older and mean stepsister, but there is a scene when en route to brush Himeno's teeth with some spicy toothpaste while she's sleeping, she is drawn slithering along the floor like a snake, more than a hint of how sneaky she is. She settles for brushing the bald head of the hapless chauffeur/butler Tanaka instead, giving her demented loony laugh in the process. Despite chafing at Mayune's practical jokes, Himeno does show some compassion. She decides to leave the mansion, seeing that the situation has become too dangerous and she doesn't want her family to get entangled. As a gesture of farewell, she spots an obvious trap by Mayune, and just to cheer her stepsister, deliberately falls into it just to make Mayune happy.
However, the Leafe Knights are dealt a blow when one of their number, who has silently loved Fenrir when she was Takako the Pretear, defects to join her. And the end of Episode 10 has Fenrir and her new lackey finishing out victorious in this round, leading to the concluding three episodes in the 4th DVD.
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| "Everything spirals out of control" | 2005-05-09 |
| - Reviewed By badger@infinet.com |
Magical Girls, handsome Magical Knights, an evil Queen . . . haven't we seen this all before? You have, but Pretear takes all the tired elements and re-envisions them freshly - and in serious manner.
The villanous Fenryl's plots continue. Emotions are strained. Who can be trusted, and what is the truth?
Himeno has become the Pretear, a defender of Earth's Life. She wields the powers of the Leafe Knights, a band of mystical defenders of the planet. But each Knight risks his life when he fights with her, and there's more to the past than there seems. As Earth's fate hangs by a thread, the blackness in people's heart may be the greatest threat of all . . .
Warning: This series pretty much is a rewrite of the manga. Though they have the same characters and ideas (mostly), this series interprets much of it differently. That being said, both are qutie good. |
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| "Shocking, Suspenseful and Wonderful!" | 2004-08-16 |
| - Reviewed By lilandra44 |
Here is the third volume in the beautiful and superbly executed Pretear series. As someone who owns the entire Pretear series, I can honestly tell you that the hype surrounding it is all true. Pretear is a strong character-driven story with adorable humour and real heart that not only makes sense, but is captivating and exciting as well. In this series, the English voice acting is very good, but the Japanese dub is brilliant! If you are looking for non-stop action (mecha or martial arts) then you need to look elsewhere. Pretear combines elements from the fairy tale "Snow White" with a wonderful, innovative story idea. Combine that with the exquisite animation, beautiful character and costume designs, and interviews with the english voice actors (spread out over all 4 volumes) and you have a classic work of anime.
Volume 3 of the Pretear series is the turning point of the series. I cannot go into much about the plot without blowing it wide open so I will just skim the surface. Himeno has regained the ability to Prete thanks to the help of handsome Hayate. But the trouble is not over yet, as the Princess of Disaster steps up her Leafe draining attacks in Japan. The pressure mounts as demon larvae seems to pop up everywhere, and the true identity of the Princess of Disaster is revealed. To top things off, there is a shocking betrayal among the Leafe Knights that leaves the team crippled at a crucial time.
Volume three of Pretear continues in the excellence of its two predessors, and delivers nail-bitting suspense and surprises. It is the most exciting volume of the series with the exception of the final one, volume four. After watching volume three, you will be wringing your hands in anticipation of what happens next. The Pretear series is what anime should be, and will raise the bar for future magical-girl anime.
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| "I'm on the edge of my seat..." | 2004-08-10 |
| - Reviewed By hodgemo2 |
Pretear just keeps surprising me. When I first heard of Pretear, it was likened to a Cinderella story. After the first DVD, it seemed to me to be just a standard (but much better than average) magical girl story...true love, or friendship, or teamwork, or whatever, always prevails. And while the second DVD delved deeper into the story then I imagined it would, the 3rd DVD just completely shocked me!
And that is one of the greatest things about this series. Although only 4 DVDs (13 episodes) long, it goes very far into the storyline. Not once do I feel like things are being glossed over to keep the story within it's time limit. Not once do I feel like I am being bogged down by the deeper meanings, either. Pretear is a nice mix of plot, action, dialogue, desire...it really has got it all!
I'm not going to go over the plot at all, since I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. But believe me, things really start to come to a head in this penultimate volume! And even better, I really adore these characters. I believe them, I sympathize with them, I cheer for them...it really makes the story go a lot more smoothly when you can identify with the characters.
While I'm not too thrilled that after the 1st DVD, each DVD only has 3 episodes, and while I am also saddened by the fact that both the 2nd and the 3rd DVDs end at tremendous cliffhanger moments...Pretear is a very good buy. In addition to the standard extras seen on DVDs (clean opening/closing sequences, japanese TV commercials, anime previews), there are also "behind the anime" interviews with the voice actors. For me, it's very cool to put a face to the voice, as well as find out the great scope of projects that all of the VAs have worked on before.
My only complaints for this series are silly ones. Although I feel like the story will be completely resolved by the end of the series, I don't feel like my desire for Pretear will be completely fulfilled. I'm hoping they bring out a second season, or spin off, or prequel, or something. The other downsides are marginal as well. They haven't yet released the soundtrack, and the music is AWESOME! (though you can get the import versions on ebay.com...and maybe even amazon.com auctions) And the mangas, while being produced, are slow to come out.
But other than that, I can't find a thing wrong with this show. I would put it on the TOP of any recommendation list. |
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| "Just keeps getting better" | 2004-05-20 |
| - Reviewed By tweedldum65 |
| By far this is the best disk yet in the pretear series. The show was great befor but now it just keeps getting better. The action has increased in this one especially in the last episode of this disk. Their are a few plot twist which are also very good and pretty much unexpected. The plot keeps getting better also. the animation is just as good as in the other disks and the dubbing is great. If you loved the las two disks you'll love this one. If you haven't seen this show yet buy it its just to good. |
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| "The best volume yet!" | 2004-02-18 |
| - Reviewed By starduck37 |
| This series just keeps getting better. The supporting cast really step it up in these episodes, in particular Himeno's family, and two shocking twists occur in these episodes which I won't spoil. In all, this volume had me laughing at the humor, feeling all warm-hearted at the love story, and left me really excited for Volume 4, which comes out at the end of March! Oh why must I be left waiting! Seriously, if you got the first two volumes, you need to check out this one as I think it's the best on yet, and if you're STILL not sure if you should get this series, please trust me and take a chance on it. It's really the best I've seen in a long time. |
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 "Pretear Vol. 3" | |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| No longer the Pretear, Himeno Awayuki is powerless to stop Takako, the Princess of Disaster, from nearly killing the knight Sasame. Distraught, Himeno finds comfort with her stepsister Mawata and solace in the arms of the knight Hayate. But when Takako threatens to kill all the Leafe Knights, Himeno rediscovers the will and the way to be Pretear! Takako then sends demons to terrorize the Awayuki home. Both Himeno's family and the Leafe Knights try to exterminate these pests. But the search parties only get confused and lost. The search does turn up a secret, one that will cause Sasame to declare himself Takako's servant! But Takako rejects Sasame. The only person she wants is the future Puppet of Darkness-Mawata! Himeno and the Knights retreat to Leafenia, which they think is safe. Then Sasame and Takako invade the realm. Takako will take Sasame as a servant, provided he prove his love-by killing Hayate! |
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