Prétear: The New Legend of Snow White

At first, I thought Pretear would be some dumb rip off of Sailor Moon using elements instead of planets but man was I wrong. This show was much deeper than I thought it would be and even made me cry at the end! One thing I liked about this anime was that all of the characters developed into likeable people and it also wasnt predictable-- because predictable shows are just plain boring. I couldnt stop watching it and finished the series in one night! So I give this one two thumbs up, although I wish I could have watched it over time other than allat once so I dont reccomend my method haha. Well hoped this helped even though it was written kinda bad :]

"Solitude is everyone's greatest fear." When most people look at the mahou shoujo genre nowadays, there are probably two things that immediately pop into their heads. The first is a traditional, happy-go-lucky mahou shoujo series with young girls fighting evil with the power of love and friendship, a la Sailor Moon or Pretty Cure. The second is Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the dark and gritty reconstruction of the genre that became the darling of the anime fandom almost overnight. However, Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Pretear, or simply known as Pretear, seems to straddle those two preconceptions. While the series starts out as light-hearted as a traditional magical girlseries, the latter half exposes many of the darker elements that made Madoka Magica so popular, even though Pretear was created nearly a decade before. And while I'm not here to compare Pretear to every other mahou shoujo anime out there, I do find it important to place the show in the context of something in a genre that is meant for younger girls. With that said, let's begin the review. Story: 8 Pretear definitely had a slow start, and the first quarter or so is extremely episodic with a monster-of-the-week formula. The tone was very light with numerous comedic moments that you would expect to see in a typical shoujo series. However, around the half way mark, Pretear begins to unveil some of the darker undertones and by the last few episodes, it becomes quite emotional and dramatic. There is a sense of despair in those final episodes, as characters are put through many difficult situations. Although I wouldn't necessarily call the story philosophical in any way, the depth is there if you look for it. Throughout the latter half of the series, themes like unrequited love, abandonment, and loneliness play a huge role in how the story pans out. And while this type of drama may not appeal to everyone, I certainly found the story to be quite gripping and emotionally charged where it needed to be. Pretear also borrowed some ideas from famous fairy tales, so it was also interesting to see those elements come into play at various points in the series. For those who have read the manga and enjoyed it, keep in mind that the anime story line is quite different from the midpoint onward. However, I personally felt that the anime version was much more enjoyable with the changes added, since it contributed to the drama and overall feel of the series. Although the manga explored similar themes, the anime changed the plot in a way that made much more sense, in my opinion. Art: 6 When watching Pretear, I tried my best not to gripe about the art and animation too much, given that the show was produced in 2001. Still, I can't say the animation was top-notch, and even the character designs weren't all that great. Himeno in particular had this problem of looking too thin and lanky from afar, and the faces of all the characters were often distorted slightly during some scenes. But since Himeno transforms into a different form with each guy, the costume changes were very pretty to watch. Overall, don't expect too much from the art and animation. It wasn't terrible to the point of making my eyes bleed, but it definitely wasn't outstanding. Sound: 6 Unfortunately, the sound department for Pretear was also not top-notch, but this probably had less to do with the production year and more with the type of budget usually given to a title like this. There wasn't much music throughout most of the show, and even during the emotional scenes in the finale, they just reused the opening theme over and over again. Although the opening theme wasn't bad, it eventually became annoying because they played it often more than once in several episodes. At other points during the show, the music was either not noticeable or wholly nonexistent. As for voice acting, the roles were played out quite well but none of them stood out. A few were even slightly grating, such as Mayune and Yayoi, but this might have been due to the characters themselves being rather irritating at times. Overall, the sound was just mediocre. Not horrible, but not great either. Character: 9 This is definitely where Pretear shined. Although the characters each follow archetypes, each of them develop enough that towards the end of the series they become quite likable. Save for a few, even the comedic relief characters end up being important towards the end. The main lead, Himeno, is your typical ditzy shoujo protagonist. What makes her unique at first is her physical strength due to years of martial arts training, but this aspect of her character is not brought up as often as you would think. Himeno is quite admirable as she attempts to understand and help others while blocking out her own vulnerabilities, and this makes for much of the drama in the series. The seven "Leafe Knights" are her comrades and protectors, and while two of them, Hayate and Sasame are fleshed out more than the others, all of them become endearing to the viewer by the end of the series. The antagonist, whom I won't name because of spoilers, is actually a very tragic figure and easy to sympathize with. Although I wished her character back story was elaborated upon a little more, I still felt like her plight was understandable. And then, there's Himeno's family. One thing that really separates Pretear from the hoard of mahou shoujo anime is that a lot of attention is given to the main female lead's family. If you've ever watched Sailor Moon or even Madoka Magica (to a lesser extent) you'll find that the family is introduced, then effectively disappears for the climax of the series. But Pretear is not just about romance and magic; the theme of love in the family sense is also explored quite well. Throughout the series, Himeno's family serves as a source of happiness as well as conflict, and this was very interesting to watch. Although I do wish more insight was given on her relationship with them after the final battle, the growth of that relationship through the rest of the series was still quite good. Enjoyment: 8 Overall, I have to say I was quite impressed with Pretear. Since I read the manga before watching this version, I was a little nervous as to how it would be adapted. I expected a normal magical girl series, but what I got was something that was actually a few shades darker than the source material. Of course this is no Madoka Magica, but it's definitely not Sailor Moon either. If you're a fan of mahou shoujo series, then Pretear is definitely a show you should watch if you haven't already. If you don't necessarily like traditional mahou shoujo but you would like a fantasy romance with a few darker psychological twists (but not enough to make it truly grim and gritty like Madoka Magica) then Pretear may be something you would like to check out. All in all, while Pretear wasn't perfect, I did enjoy it a lot. The first few episodes dragged a bit, but once I bit into the meat of the story it really captured me. The finale especially was quite enjoyable with all of the emotional drama. Overall: 8 I've pretty much said everything that needs to be said, and this is already a really long review so I'll just leave it at that. Watch this series if it looks like something you'll enjoy, and keep in mind that it isn't actually all it seems to be at first glance.

At first, this show seems like every other Shojo anime you might've seen. And, you're pretty much right. This show is horrible. Story: 3/10 This plot is very generic and boring. I cannot believe that I sat at watched this. A girl named Himeno Awayuki moves into her new home, and stumbles into a guy named Hayate. Then she discovers she has powers, yada yada yada. There's obviously romance involved, duh, it's a shojo anime. The rest of the plot writes itself, pretty much. I haven't read the manga (I never plan to) so I have no clue how much has been changed. Art: 6/10 Theart was probably one of the only half-way decent things about this show. It's not mediocre, but not amazing. So it's actually pretty standard. Though, it has some horrible art at times. That's one thing I can say about the art. The major battle scenes were animated the best, I think. But they usually are, arent they? Sound: 5/10 The only songs I can really remember are the opening and ending songs, which weren't that great. So I can't really grade this aspect. Character: 4/10 Besides the main heroine, I could stand all the characters. Though, like the plot, the characters were somewhat typical. There weren't many stand-out characters as most anime have, but if I had to choose one, it'd be Kei. He was the really gay one. He had a fucking doll of himself and used a picture of himself as his wallpaper. Come on! Enjoyment: 3/10 This show didn't make me feel they way I usualy feel at the end of a series, satisfied. Though I hated the show, something seemed weird about the ending and I have no clue what. Anyway, the characters defenetly had something to do with the lack of enjoyment. Overall: 3/10 I've stated that many times. ;)

First few episodes may have you wavering between dropping but if you stay with this its well worth it. Its a beautiful plot and works on the theme of magic and nature. The main characters father has remarried and this give the family settings a cinderella feel as the new home is huge. Our main character meets up wth a collection of people and our story begins. The anime is similar to princess tutu and sailor moon but more elemental. Its worth continuing with and has some very suprising shockers in the plot, I enjoyed this anime and wish it had been longer so theplot could perhaps develope more.