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Deep Dive, Deep Dive: Futari wa Pretty Cure

Futari wa Pretty Cure Episode 3: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

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Episode three of Futari wa Precure was written by Yumi Kageyama.  Although this was the first episode of Precure that she worked on, she has many writing credits to her name, including several episodes of Marmalade Boy and Ojamajo Doremi, just to name a few.  This episode was directed and storyboarded by Takao Iwai in his Precure debut – he has since directed episodes for several Precure seasons and as of this time of writing is, in fact, still directing for the currently airing season, Tropical Rouge! Precure.  Prior to this, he also directed many episodes of Ojamajo Doremi, Ashita no Nadja, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Marmalade Boy, among others.  The result is a more than serviceable little episode complete with a lot of fun bits and memorable moments.  It may not be one of the most standout episodes of the series, but there aren’t really many points to dock from it, either. And, as I’ll talk about shortly, that may be a strength.

Let’s take a deeper look!

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Deep Dive, Deep Dive: Futari wa Pretty Cure

Futari wa Pretty Cure Episode Two: Citizen Honoka

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The second episode of Futari wa Precure aired on February 8, 2004. The script was written by Ryo Kawasaki, who also wrote the previous episode, and it was directed by Yasuo Yamayoshi, who has extensive directoral credits on a variety of other series including, but not limited to, Kinnikuman, Mazinger Z, Marmalade Boy, and Ojamajo Doremi. Having a different director than the prior episode probably explains why I found it to have its own distinct style compared to its immediate predecessor – and one really worth looking at. Let’s dive right in!

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Deep Dive, Deep Dive: Futari wa Pretty Cure

First Look at the Legends: Futari wa Pretty Cure Episode 1

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The first episode of Futari wa Pretty Cure was directed by Naoyuki Itou. He was no stranger to prior Toei shoujo titles, directing episodes for both Ojamajo Doremi and Ashita no Nadja. By contrast, the script was written by Ryo Kawasaki, who was also in charge of series composition and appears to have very few credits outside of Pretty Cure.

How did they do?

Let’s take a look.

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Deep Dive, Deep Dive: Futari wa Pretty Cure

DANZEN! A Look at the Opening and Theme Song of Futari wa Pretty Cure

Your best! My best!
生きてるんだから　失敗なんてメじゃない!

Your best! My best!
Because we’re alive, failure’s not really a big deal after all!

DANZEN! Futari wa Pretty Cure – That’s Right! The Two of Us Are Pretty Cure – is the theme song to (predictably enough) Futari wa Pretty Cure and in many ways has become emblematic of the franchise as a whole. It was heavily present throughout the recent Precure 15th anniversary celebrations, both in television commercials and in the show proper. A remixed version played during the credits of the 2018 film HUGtto! Pretty Cure♡Futari wa Pretty Cure: All Stars Memories. A single of the Max Heart version of the song charted at #60 on the Oricon Singles Chart. It has appeared as a playable song in the game Donkey Konga, and has been parodied or referenced in countless other anime.

For example, episode six of Kyoto Animation’s Lucky Star:

The visuals of the opening are arguably just as iconic, featuring the first appearance of a Cure leaping out of smoke and debris – which would become the Precure series’ very own Akira bike scene.

Who is behind these moments? Who defined Precure from the start?

Let’s take a closer look, starting with the music.

Continue reading DANZEN! A Look at the Opening and Theme Song of Futari wa Pretty Cure →