 "One of the best animes I've seen" | 2006-05-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3P5TF7Q5P7IZN |
| I've totally fallen head over heels for Pretear. It's a great blend of several different fairy tales. There are elements of Cinderella (new step-mother and two evil step-sisters), and Snow White(evil queen bent on destruction and seven knights instead of dwarves). All in all, it's a brilliant work. I watched the entire series in one sitting with some friends, and then set out to buy the series for myself. If you like empowered women and fairy tales, be sure to check this out. |
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 "Somewhat Similar, Somewhat Not-" | 2005-10-19 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
If you have ever read the manga of Pretear, you'll see that there are actually a few major changes between the anime and the manga. For instance, the character, Kei, looks terribly different. His hair became longer, and it seems his skin also got darker. All of the knights outfits changed in some ways. Sasame's hair is actually rather flatter (by that, I mean that it doesn't stick out so much), and so did Goh's.
The storyline had also sort of changed. You'll know what I mean if you both read the manga and watch the anime (all of it, that is). I liked the manga better than the anime, because the storyline got changed in the anime, and there are only 13 episodes (there are only 4 volumes in the manga, 18 chapters).
* The opening theme is -White Destiny- for those who want to know* |
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| "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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| "Hail the Princess of Light" | 2005-07-12 |
| - Reviewed By djhamlow |
"Leafe-it is the source of life. Leafe-it's a power all living things have."
I have to thank Melissa H. for turning me onto Pretear. This fantasy/action/romance anime has some elements I find endearing, and is the second anime series I saw from start to finish. Himeno Awayuki is an energetic and sometimes ditzy high school student whose father, a widowed romance novelist and sculptor, has recently married the wealthy widow Natsue Hojo. As a result, she finds herself living on a wealthy estate and near a city where the nearby businesses are all renamed after her father's surname. However, Mayune, the long pink-haired stepsister, is a meanie with an obnoxious and loud laugh, who specializes in ridiculous practical jokes against Himeno, most of which backfire on her (e.g. a gigantic tube of mayonnaise). The introverted and soft-spoken stepsister Mawata, on the other hand, is somewhat withdrawn and indifferent to Himeno. This is different from the original manga, where Mawata was actually as bad as Mayune. In the anime, she is someone to be pitied, not hated.
Meanwhile, the seven Leafe Knights of the world of Leafenia, are out to stop Fenrir, the Princess of Disaster from conquering the Earth with her demon larva. When mature, they are huge slug-like monsters with tentacles and demonic reptilian eyes, absorbing the Leafe from all living things to feed Fenrir. Trees and flowers blacken and wilt when touched by a larva. The Knights' powers are limited, so in order to combat this menace, they need a chosen woman to "prêt" with, a Pretear, the Princess of Light. A Knight and the Pretear merge together, where the Pretear defeats the demon larva with weapons created from leafe, energy from living essence. Well, Himeno is the chosen one, and she is overwhelmed at being needed by the Knights, as she is still trying to find her place in a new family, home, and school, where she is shunned. Each Knight has a special power, be it ice, fire, wind, sound, etc. The child Knights, Mannen, Shin, and Hajime, take to her and even call her "naychan" or big sister. The dashing and quiet Sasame is an isle of reason and kindness, helping her in her training or being someone with a sympathetic ear. He's empathic, hosting a radio program, and replying to postcards, among them being from Mawata. However, the brooding Hayate arrogantly dismisses her, saying that she doesn't have what it takes, saying that they don't a Pretear, which isn't the case. Himeno's not that crazy about him either, and a state of mutual contempt exists between them. That starts to thaw by the end of Episode 4, though Hayate gives her a funny nickname based on her hairdo-"tulip head," which she isn't too chuffed about.
When Himeno prets with a Knight, there is a transformation scene complete with fanfare, where she is surrounded by coloured bubbles, reemerging with a colourful costume. Kind of a throwback to Sailor Moon, but minus the "moonlight crystal power makeup" schtick.
Once, I noticed the full title, "Pretear-The New Legend of Snow White" and it made a lot more sense. Think about it-Himeno's stepmother is mean, with two stepsisters. Then the Leafe Knights number seven. Aha! But there is an environmental message as well, on protecting the Earth from things that threaten to drain the life and life force from living things. Plus, the Knights also detect the presence of the larvae through their jobs, ever alert to a high level of depression in conversation.
Pretear also sports a host of well-known voice performers. Mikage the kindly maid is voiced by Yui Horie, best known as Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket and Naru in Love Hina, while Yuji Ueda, who is Kaoru, acted opposite Horie in Love Hina as leading man Keitaro. Satsuki Yukino (Mayune) was also in Love Hina as Mutsumi, but also in Ai Yori Aoshi as the energetic Tina Foster. Himeno's voice actress, Sayuri Yoshida, also sings the catchy ending theme song, "Lucky Star," but it pales compared to the energetic techno opening theme, "White Destiny," sung by the one and only Yoko Ishida. And Takahiro Sakurai (Sasame) is also Kamiyama in Cromartie High School. Finally, Kikuko Inoue (Natsue) voiced the landlady Hibiya-san in Chobits.
A great start for the 14 episode series.
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| "It doesn't get any better than this" | 2005-05-09 |
| - Reviewed By badger@infinet.com |
Magical Girls, handsome Magical Knights, an evil Queen . . . haven't we seen this all before?
That's the magic of Pretear - you've seen all of it before. However, you've never seen it quite like this. Pretear deconstructs and reconstructs the magical girl/harem-of-guys anime concepts into a tight, serious, and emotional plot.
Himeno should be happy - her father's remarried a rich window. But money really can't buy happiness, even though it also brings two distant sisters and a mother. A ghost in her own world, Himeno wonders if she even matters.
However, she does. A strange evil threatents to draw the life from the world, and she's one of the rare people who can stop it - a Pretear. She has the ability to enhance the powers of the Leafe Knights, a mystic order that guards earth's life energy from predators. But everything comes with a catch - each warrior becomes a part of her as they fight, and when she's hurt, they pay the price . . .
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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| "A favorite!" | 2004-06-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1Y63A0LMPJVEN |
| I love Pretear! I saw it subtitled and I have to say that ADV did an excellent dubbing job, giving Himeno even more personality that is very relatable. I love magical girl shows and this one is a little different, but it's a great story and I reccommend it to anyone who loves Sailor Moon or Kamikaze KAitou Jeanne. |
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| "Magical girls!" | 2004-05-30 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| If you like cardcaptor sakura or sailor moon your going to like pretear. Its about a rich girl named Himeno who transforms into pretear on her way home from school. The voice for Himeno is also the voice for Ran kotobuki in super gals. |
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| "magical girl but not" | 2004-05-18 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| Pretear is a magical girl show yes but then its not it has al the regualar transformations and everything but its not your typical magical girl show. This show fits into many genres one of which is comedy the show is so funny especiall Mayune. This show is a must own for every anime fan. The animation is good the dubbing is great and the story is great their is almost nothing wron with this series. Anyone that likes anime should order this right now. Beleive me you will not be dissapointed. Every minute you spend watching this show is worth it. So put aside the fact its a magical girl show and watch it. |
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| "Lives up to the reviews and expectations!" | 2004-04-22 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| This is a DVD that I stumbled upon randomly and, after reading the reveiws, decided it was worth a shot. And was it ever! For lack of a better comparison, it kind of reminds me of a (loose) cross between X and Sailor Moon. The magical girl aspects are definitely there, but the whole idea of the Pretear, and of preting (spelling?) in general, is very unique. It was slightly reminiscent of X the movie and TV series because of the 7 knights and the fact that each battle is blocked from harming the outside world. However, it is fairly fast paced, and doesn't seem to fall victim to the standard enemy-of-the-day routine that is always lurking around anime such as these. (or at least, it hasn't in the first DVD!) All in all, I think that Pretear is a nice combination of many things. The fight scenes, and the practice fights, are very nicely done. Himeno's pretear outfits are beautiful, and the animation in general is far above average. The music is very nice, and the opening theme is very catchy. There is enough humor to keep things light hearted, but enough story-line to keep things from getting stale. And the english dubbing is very well done. I would recommend this to any one who is a fan of shoujo anime, or anyone who is willing to watch anime that doesn't take itself too seriously. I can't wait to get the next volumes! |
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| "Whoa!!" | 2003-12-16 |
| - Reviewed By starduck37 |
| I first heard of this anime while browsing over the ADV website, and it caught my eye. I read some of the reviews here, and while everyone loves this anime, I have to admit I was a little put off by all the comparisons to modern Disney-esque fair tales. I was a bit hesitant, but I bought volume one with the collectors box, and I'm really glad I took the chance on this one. If anyone else is interested but is also hesitant becuase of comparisons, honestly don't worry about it. I never would have even made the connection to Snow White OR Cinderella if I hadn't read those reviews first. From what I've seen by the first disc alone, this is just a great magical girl anime! The animation is great, and this show seems to have everything! The 4 episodes on volume 1 have me really hyped for the other three volumes already. Schoolgirls, magic spells, evil forces trying to take over the world, love, and even lots of laughter are all to be found on this one disc which is the start of what looks to be a VERY good, if short (Only 4 volumes.), anime series. |
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