Smile Precure in 10 Words or Less! · 10:38pm Feb 1st, 2021
Yeah, because I'm totally original and definitely not ripping off JelloApocalypse's style in any way, shape, or form, and since I can't stop grieving the end of one of my favourite shows for a good while, I'm going to be talking about Smile Precure's episodes in 10 words or less, then talking about the top five best and top five worst episodes of the bunch. Now, keep in mind that this is all my personal opinion on my FIMFic blog, and if you have different episodes that are your favourites, then more power to you.
But for now, sit back and enjoy these bite-size reviews of an anime series from almost 10 years ago.
In 10 Words Or Less.
#1: Who’s afraid of the big, bad, wolf? Not Miyuki.
#2: Sports! What better way to bond over losing?
#3: I’m with Miyuki. Honourable mention isn’t bad at all.
#4: Family is everything. Cross Nao’s and you’re toast.
#5: Almost got away with a Brothers Grimm retelling, there.
#6: Once Upon A Time, plot happened and here we are.
#7: Not gonna lie, some of those bases looked cool.
#8: If only this episode took place on a Friday.
#9: This is why April Fools is underappreciated.
#10: The dub could’ve just called ‘em savoury pancakes, y’know.
#11: Pretty sure this is how Mario Party DS started.
#12: Joker gives blue balls to his subordinates.
#13: Wow. Not even my luck is that bad. Poor Miyuki...
#14: I went to Osaka once. It was a good day.
#15: Just get her flowers or chocolate, Miyuki. Easy way out.
#16: Reika develops “Why am I subscribed to you again?” Syndrome.
#17: Not gonna lie, the girls could make it as comedians.
#18: Nao screws up, but the girls still love her.
#19: This. Didn’t. Need. To. Get. Removed. From. The. Dub.
#20: I’m Invisible! Invisible! A droplet in the mist...
#21: Joker pulls the rug out from under the team’s feet.
#22: Most of this episode is just spent reflecting.
#23: If Pierrot’s dead, then why is there 25 more episodes?
#24: Pop just up-ends the other Precure Fairy Mascots.
#25: RESTAURAAAAAAANT... WAAAAAAAAAR!
#26: Obligatory Japanese Festival Episode.
#27: Wolfrun just wanted to get out of the heat...
#28: Where’s Luigi when you need him?
#29: Speaking of Mario Party...
#30: Air travel would be FINISHED if this was real.
#31: Just as they get a new clock, so do Precure.
#32: Yes Precure 5’s Despair-Mask Cures all over again.
#33: Pop leaves Smile Precure on the cutting room floor.
#34: Toyoshima represents boys before Friendship Is Magic showed up.
#35: Blazikong T vs Yo-Kaiju comes to mind here.
#36: Brian is basically me, but replace Akane with Yayoi.
#37: Reika competing in a one-party election.
#38: *screams like the purest fanboy that he is*
#39: Honestly, Wolfrun and Akaoni wouldn’t even need costumes here.
#40: Never. Fuck. With. Akane’s. Stuff.
#41: Yayoi decides to self-publish. It goes as you’d expect.
#42: The sub made you believe Majorina killed Nao’s siblings.
#43: Joker brings every Cure to tears by messing with Reika.
#44: Whatever happened to Miyuki’s first friend, anyway?
#45: Better send off than Heartcatch’s villain trio, for sure.
#46: Yes Precure 5 The Movie as a standalone episode.
#47: Precure All Stars DX 3 as a standalone episode.
#48: This series’ ending ripped a chunk of my heart out...
#5 Worst
Okay. Now, don't get me wrong. I've got no ill-will towards Osaka in any shape of the word. In fact, on my holiday to Japan a few years ago, I hit up the trifecta of Japan. Starting in Tokyo, then driving down on a long road-trip to Kyoto, and then off to Osaka where I spent the day in a Universal Studios park. And while that was the only thing that we did in Osaka, at least it was better than whatever the heck went on in Episode 14.
The majority of this episode just seems to stick with a running theme: The Smile Precure are split up and can't find each other. And while there are some interesting things about Osaka to be seen and heard, as well as some generally friendly locals, I can't help but feel that the majority of this episode revolves around one joke; and not even a funny one at that. It's all just the same. The girls are lost, the girls can't find each other, then Akane, Nao, and Reika just want to goddamn eat. At that point, I was just begging for the Akanbe of the Week so that the plot could finally be over as the Cures regroup. And that doesn't really make for a good episode, really. Just a long, drawn-out pain in the back.
At the very least, those girls finally got their hands on that Takoyaki they'd been craving since they arrived in Osaka. Now, whether or not it's better than the ones in the OG Pretty Cure is up for debate. But there's one thing that I don't think's up for debate. Just how dry and bland this episode was.
#5 Best
A lot of Pretty Cure's filler episodes are all slice-of-life most of the time, and while that's fine, it doesn't really leave much in the imagination department, I find. But when it comes to Smile Precure, it incorporates a more fantasy element into its' slice-of-life, which does open the door to much more potential, which in turns leads to much funnier and memorable episodes.
That being said, I did have a particular soft spot for a certain episode involving a certain industry...
Episode 33 of Smile Precure is just an enjoyable treat from the start to end, purely because of how spontaneous and off-the-cuff it is. To give you a general gist, the five girls find themselves in a movie studio, admiring the work that's being put on there, when all of a sudden, the director of one of these movies sees how lively they are and casts them into a role, even though they're just a bunch of girls off of the street who likely have no acting experience and will probably end up making or breaking his work.
The way that I feel this episode works on the fun department is for just how the director of the movie just runs with everything going on. From the Cures' antics before and after the cameras are rolling to the scenes that he has them shoot with the roles that they play, and even when Akaoni and Pop end up showing up because Akaoni was drawn to some random guy in an oni suit, and Pop because he just wanted to know what it was like to be in a movie. This entire episode is just mayhem, it knows its' mayhem, and it goes with it. And much like how the director liked what he saw, I couldn't help but chuckle for most of the episode; especially when Pop basically left the five Precure girls on the cutting room floor to not only conceal their identities but to score some fame for himself at the same time. With so much energy and liveliness at every turn, it's hard to predict how the episode will go on a first watch. Check it out for yourself, if you have the time.
#4 Worst
If there's one thing that I feel's grown tired in the past few years, it's the whole boys-hating-girl-stuff debacle. Look, I get it. It was fun and innocent to compare the two sexes a few decades ago, but this is pretty poor taste if you ask me; especially in the long run. Sadly, that's just what we get in Episode 34 of Smile Precure. An old wound that I didn't want re-opened:
In this episode of Smile Precure, the school is having a school-wide festival and wants every class to contribute. For Miyuki's class, she gets the bright idea to put on a fashion show themed around and inspired by fairytales. Miyuki and the Cures do a pretty good job of getting everyone else into the spirit and idea of the show, except for one. One Toyoshima; a lone boy with a guitar who'd much rather strum away on that than participate in anything girly like that.
Throughout the episode, the Cures take notice of Toyoshima's reluctant, isolative behaviour and apprehension towards the idea of the fashion show that they've spent time, energy, and resources into making its' very best. And as you can see, everyone else in the class is already in love with the idea except for him, which not only makes Toyoshima look incredibly stubborn but selfish as well. There's a fine line between wanting to do your own thing and just collaborating with the rest of your class. In my classes, I sometimes didn't like the sound of things, but did you hear me wanting out of it like Toyoshima? No. I learnt to suck it up and get on with it. I didn't have to like it, but that's just fine.
In the end, and after one Akanbe attack opens his eyes, Toyoshima ends up caving in just like that, which I don't think really works given how headstrong that he was after all of that. The class even offer him a spot in the band performing the music for said line-up and he takes that on pretty straight-forwardly once Miyuki and the others pull his head out of his arse. But I found that that ending was just more of a copout than a proper resolution. You can feel free to skip this one, I think.
#4 Best
Remember when I said that a lot of the time, Pretty Cure episodes are all slice-of-life? Well, this one's a far contrast to the norm in many ways. For the first time, and not counting trips to the worlds where the fairy mascots came from, the Cures from Smile end up going around the world. And all in the span of one episode...
In Episode 30 of Smile Precure, one that the dub rather fittingly and cleverly-titled "Around the World in 80 Books", the gang of five end up using the Bookgates' magic to their full advantage, by taking a trip around the world, stopping at one place after another without a single spot of jet lag. Which far trumps having to travel by plane everywhere all the time. The majority of this episode is spent travelling from one spot to another, from the Palace of Versailles in France, to the Mongolian Steppes, to the Great Wall of China, and even to the USA. This episode doesn't drag on or build you up either. It just throws you straight into the Cures' trip around the world, stopping at a lot of spots on the way and because of that, there's a lot of ground that they cover, even if for a brief interlude.
Even at the end, their fight against the monster of the week for is with a giant piranha deep in the Amazon River, which just made for an interesting change of pace. Most of the Pretty Cure fights beforehand have all been fought on land, so for one to be battled in the sea was a unique idea. It even gave us some more fuel for one of our fires, in the form of the Smile team being turned into mermaids since fighting underwater with human limbs and appendages is... not really the easiest of tasks.
At the end of the day, this is one around-the-world trip that I'm sure is gonna leave a lasting impression, both for the Cures, and for you. Give it a watch some time and see just how many spots around the world you can see in the span of 22 minutes.
#3 Worst
Oh, Reika. I'm sure that we've all been there before. Why have we done this, why did we make these decisions if not for our own accord? But there's really not a lot of need to do all of that; especially since it's really all you had going for you before this episode. Sometimes, you've just gotta hang the consequences, instead of shirk yourself away from them.
Episode 16 of Smile Precure, Reika decides in her head that she doesn't really know why she was put into these positions. Vice-president of the student-council, archery club ace, being Cure Beauty, all of the little things aside. But one thing that she does know, she's putting all of them out of her life until she figures out exactly what she does want out of life. Not a bad idea on paper, but in execution, I can't help but feel it's a little bit lop-sided, out of the blue, and just out of character for her.
We know Reika Aoki of Smile Precure as being a girl who is always headstrong in the convictions that she makes. It's been made clear multiple times that she is who she is because of the decisions that she's made. While it did have something that it was trying to achieve, just having Reika say that she outright wants to stop doing everything around her because she's got no clue what she wants out of it is just a little bit haphazard. Sure, sure, she's having a crisis of faith. That's fine. But I still think it's a little bit unnecessary to drop everything that you're doing to do some self-reflection. If anything, Reika should have kept those at arm's length; trying to see why she got into them in the first place and see where she can go with each individual path.
She does get some tutoring on other aspects of life from the other Cure girls, though. Miyuki, Akane, Yayoi, and Nao teach her all about different aspects of life outside of studying and devotion to her craft. And while it is still a nice touch, it doesn't offset the fact that she's outright dumping all of her duties until she gets her answer. And that kind of feeling doesn't gel well with me; especially for someone like Reika. If anything, a better idea for this episode would have been Reika debating whether or not to leave these things while also grappling with the Cures' lessons. That would've set a much better tone for the episode. But still, I am just a simple man that doesn't know how to do writing for a big TV show that Japan loves.
My case in point, Reika's been shown to be much more of a fighter when it comes to her faiths. To see her dumping them like this seems a little bit wrong for me. Like, it's a complete 180 of her character, in some ways.
#3 Best
THIS EPISODE DIDN'T DESERVE TO GET REMOVED FROM THE DUB, NETFLIX. IT IS SERVICEABLE ENOUGH. Y U DO DIS?
In case the image didn't sell you on her already, Yayoi Kise/Cure Peace is one of the most precious things on this beautiful planet that we call earth. She reminds me in many ways of Fluttershy in places, but unlike MLP where it's played out for the effect of her name, Yayoi is shown to come more and more out of her shell as time goes on. But in this particular episode, we discover a completely different side of Yayoi. A side of wanting to know more; of wanting to discover her past.
In Episode 19 of Smile Precure, each and every student in Yayoi's class is tasked with discovering what their name means and the connotations behind their names. For Miyuki, Akane, Reika, and Nao, they get their answers pretty swiftly. But for Yayoi, it's an entirely different story because it was her dad who named her Yayoi, and she can't remember anything about her dad after the age of 5-ish, since she was very little when her father suddenly passed away.
Throughout the episode, we get to see Yayoi slowly get some news about her father and some more knowledge about the memories she can't recall. It's a slow feeding, instead of a massive infodump. And because of it, Yayoi and the rest of us can take it all in smoothly and peacefully, to the point where we not only feel sorry for Yayoi over losing her father, but also proud of her for trudging through those memories that she can't recall that could've been potentially harmful to her. Knowing what kind of person Yayoi is and how she's known to get upset rather easily, it would have been rather simple to make Yayoi cry or despair in this episode over losing her father, but no. She's incredibly brave to walk this path of her own in the way that she does.
In the end, Yayoi remembers that she was named that way because her mother's name means "a thousand springs", so to honour that name, her father named her Yayoi Kise in honour of one of those springs. Honestly, this was an episode of discovery for Yayoi and I'm very happy to see that her journey bore fruit, instead of eventually succumbing to the fact that she couldn't remember so just decided to leave it up in the air. And to this day, I still will not understand as to why Netflix's Glitter Force refused to include this episode. If it were any of the other lost episodes which were excessively Japanese, it's understandable. But this? This is fine. If anything, it would've worked either in dubs or in subs. Oh well. Just another jewel for the subs version.
#2 Worst
Honestly, there's a lot of things that could spell disaster for an episode. Lack of innovation, predictable plot, or a situation that just seems so easy to solve, yet they resort to the long and drawn-out methods that just get under my skin. And in this case, Episode 37 of Smile Precure ticks all of those boxes for me.
In Episode 37 of Smile Precure, the school is hosting its' election for the new student council president. And Reika's deciding that she's not participating. Well, that's all nice. All fair and good to her. After all, heavy is the head that wears the crown. If she can see that as much as I can, then more power to her. That is, until their school is gatecrashed by Wolfrun, Akaoni, and Majorina; all cleverly disguised by not so-cleverly hidden emblems that allow them to take on a human appearance.
Now, why are they here, you ask? Well, the three commanders of the Bad End Kingdom discovered about student council elections and were drawn to how much authority they were believed that the council president had. So, the three of them decide to toss their hats into the ring and win over the students with dreams. If Wolfrun gets the spot of the student council president, he's outlawing homework. If Akaoni gets that spot as the council president, he's allowing video games and manga in class. And if Majorina gets that spot, she's giving all of the students all the sweets and snacks they could ever want. Sure enough, it ensnares the hearts of the students, leaving Reika frazzled with shock.
Seeing that the obviously Bad End Kingdom commanders are trying to hijack her school and turn it into a place of anarchy and discord, Reika is forced to throw her hat into the ring in an attempt to stop them. But it's clear from how those three are winning over the student body that Reika's hopelessly outmatched, which then prompts the other Cures to try and make her more resolute in her beliefs. And while she is being honest with herself, she's not really winning anyone over, which further frustrates her and the other girls. For more than a few moments, this seems like a petty plot for a basic Equestria Girls special. Not to mention, entirely predictable.
Nothing about this episode really surprised me or pushed the boat out. And it's solved as easily as you'd expect. Akaoni and Majorina get rumbled, which prompts the Akanbe attack of the episode. Only Wolfrun manages to keep his cover among the other non-Cure students when all's said and done, and Reika manages to deliver an inspiring, heart-warming speech that far surpasses any dreams of his going through. And, as you would expect, Reika wins over Wolfrun and all's good in the hood once again.
For a Pretty Cure episode, even some of the more basic slice-of-life episodes, this one was just dull as dishwater and not really one that speaks well for Reika or for the series as a whole. Reika didn't necessarily win her role of the Student Council President. She was just given it after it turned out the other three candidates were literal scumbags from a nightmare, hell dimension intent on giving the world its' Bad End. Predictable, unimaginative and just a copout, this is one episode that you can glaze over, unless you really, really, REALLY wanna see Reika go from Vice-president to President of the student council. In which case, I say go for it.
#2 Best
THIS. GOT. SCREWED. UP. VERY FAST.
In Episode 43 of Smile Precure, Reika is finally given her dreams. She's given the opportunity to study abroad in England for a year. She's happy to be receiving the honour, as she'll be representing the whole of Japan and she entered a few years ago. At last, her dreams have finally born fruit and she'll finally be able to pursue her intellectual pursuits. But... that does come at a cost. She leaves next week and won't be able to be with the Cures for a whole year.
And, when Joker hears of the news, he leaps into action. Now, if there's one thing that's well-known about Joker, is that he's a heartless bastard who's so deliciously evil and loves his job. While Reika is alone, practising her archery, Joker pulls her into one of his little pocket worlds and plays with her mind, celebrating and praising her leaving Japan for a year to study abroad. Instead of trying to get it into her head that she needs to stay with the Cures in order to stop the Bad End that he and the other Bad End Commanders wish to bring, Joker instead tries to turn Reika's dream into a harrowing nightmare, by talking up about what a great honour it is and playing with her vulnerabilities.
And you know what? It works. Joker manages to screw around with Reika's mind to the point where she no longer has faith in her dream; the dream that she's worked so hard to get and has to make a tough choice over. And Joker knows that Reika won't just give in easily. This is what she's wanted for a while now, so why not push and push until she finally snaps. Joker keeps on prodding and poking at Reika, trying to get her to lean more towards going to England to study instead of staying with her friends. With those words alone, Joker is able to disarm Cure Beauty there and then. He didn't even need to attack her once to get her to cave in.
In the end, when the other Cures come in and see the state of Reika, the lot of them try to support her, but in the end, all of them break down into tears. Not a single one of the Cures could bear to see Reika leaving; so from behind a caged wall, they all pour their hearts out and beg Reika to stay, which in turn causes Reika to end up freaking out at the same time, which therefore makes the choice between her dream and her friends even harder of a pill to swallow. And, let me be real, seeing all of those tears coming out of the five Cures just cemented how dark of an episode this was. The way that Joker screwed with Reika's head, psyched up her dream and made her break her psyche and composure over everything, it was all something that elevated this episode above and beyond a normal Cure episode.
Reika finally makes her decision after such a teary-eyed moment and finally decides to stay with the other Smile Precure girls rather than chase her dreams of studying in England. With newfound confidence, resolve, and strength, she manages to overpower Joker with her newly-learned Precure Beauty Blizzard Arrow, which allows the other girls to come to her rescue and waylay Joker, forcing him to retreat and let his Akanbe take the brunt of the Cures' Royal Rainbow Burst. Joker's plan in tatters and the Cures happy that Reika can stay, the episode ends on a happy, uplifting note about Reika's new future and the road she wants to take; no matter how twisted, unplanned, or long it might seem.
Honestly, of the five Proving Episodes as I call them, this was undoubtedly one of if not the strongest of them all. Seeing Reika's dreams and desires be warped into something that could have caused her the most distress if she had gone through with it, to Reika bawling her eyes out and bearing her soul to the others, to her finally laying the smackdown on Joker and finding a new dream to shoot for made this episode one of the best when it came to the final quarter of the series. This went out with a bang and I'm happy for it. And now, Reika, you're free to hunt whatever dream you see fit. Just... make sure to keep your friends close, alright?
#1 Worst
It was hard for me to find the worst episode out of Smile Precure, because a lot of the time, even some of the lacklustre episodes have something that makes them enjoyable in one way or the other. Even in some of the worst episodes that I've spoken about, there is something to be salvaged from it. There's always something of worth when it comes to episodes like these. But from this particular episode, there's really just nothing for me to talk about, and that's just a shame. Because really, that's the worst thing a Precure episode can be; nothing of anything to talk about.
Sadly, though, that's just what we got with Episode 15 of Smile Precure. An episode that I just can't find anything to talk about or even make any kind of fair judgement on. But sadly, here we are. A Mother's Day episode making the number one spot for being the worst.
In this episode of Smile Precure, it's Mother's Day and the other girls in the group have their presents for their mothers ready to go. Everyone except Miyuki, that is. Ah, that classic old story of "Oh, shit. Mother's Day is coming up and I've realised I've bought literally nothing." Honestly, I wish that I had a lot to say about this episode, but there's nothing more to it. Miyuki's panicking because she's not gotten her Mother's Day present sorted and now she's on a time crunch to make sure that her mother gets the best kind of Mother's Day gift that there is. It's about as bland as that Super Monsters episode from Season 3 about Valentine's day. In that blog, I said that I had nothing more to say about it other than it was Valentine's Day. But at least there, there was something of innovation and creativity. Here, there's nothing of the sort.
At first, Miyuki tries to do her best to help out with the household. Y'know, making your mother some coffee, washing up the clothes and your bed, the usual kind of affair. But as is the case, Miyuki's hopeless with these kinds of things and ends up making simple mistake after simple mistake, all the while her mother's just standing there and being kind and considerate. Thinking that Miyuki's fucked up even more royally, she tries to go out and get some help from the other Cures on what to get for her mother, since it's clear that household work isn't gonna suffice as a Mother's Day gift. Honestly, this is the kind of conflict that's common in everyday life. And I watch animated shows to take myself out of everyday life; not be reminded of it. Not to mention, it's just one day. It's just one day out of your life that you can easily forget about once all's said and done.
Miyuki gets pointers from Akane, Yayoi, Nao, and Reika on what to get for her mother and in the end, she tries her hand at making a necklace for her mother with one of those necklace-making machines. It's not exactly the best looking, so she decides to back it up with a greetings card. But before she can get the chance, she's ambushed by Wolfrun and another Akanbe. One fight scene later and Miyuki's on her way. See, the thing with fights in Pretty Cure, either they are tied into the situation at hand or make you think about everything that's gone on in that day. But here, Wolfrun just shows up, takes Miyuki by surprise, sees her work and tries to break it apart, only for the other Cures to fight him off, and everything's hunky-dory when the Cures just use their powers to destroy the Akanbe. Nothing's really doing anything in this episode for this episode, and that's just the worst part for me.
And at last, in the end, Miyuki does deliver her mother the necklace and the greetings card for Mother's Day. And as is expected, her mother is touched by the gesture, and Miyuki learns that it's not what you get your mother, but it's the thought that counts. Honestly, this episode was so by-the-numbers generic and uninteresting that I was tempted to just click onto the next episode more than a few times the episode. That's what the worst a Pretty Cure episode can be. Boring, unimaginative, simple, by-the-numbers, and just forgettable. And I have no doubts in my mind that this particular episode won't be staying in my head for a long time...
#1 Best
Now, there was a particular episode of Smile Precure that I found myself drawn towards before even seeing it. An episode that captured one of my favourite interests and tropes in all of animation and movies. An episode that quite possibly redefined how I see the trope and how I've perceived the idea of it. One episode that I will always remember and often come back to, not only for how much it changed how I see it, but how much enjoyment I got out of the episode as a whole.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."
–George Bernard Shaw.
In Smile Precure Episode 38, Majorina has been working on a new potion that causes anyone who drinks it or gets soaked by it to transform into a little kid again. As she's frantically looking around for it, the potion's been tossed out into the human world by a young Wolfrun and Akaoni, who both stumbled upon the concoction and tossed it out, like the majority of Majorina's inventions. In reality, that very same potion winds up tumbling down onto the five Smile Precure girls and turns all five of them into little kids; while subsequently making Candy into a baby.
So yeah, if that wasn't clear enough, this is an episode about age-regression; my favourite trope in all of animation. I've always been fascinated by the idea of rekindling your lost youth; the memories you had when you were a tiny little kid but couldn't remember a thing about it. There have been many interesting takes on the idea over the years and many shows have tackled the formula. And when it comes to age-regression, there's two major types to gravitate towards. Physical regression, which shrinks your body down while keeping your mind intact. The second is mental regression, where your mind is given a mental age adjustment but your body is kept the same as it always is. More often than not, general age regression seems to blend the two together. A forced mind adjustment accompanied by a bodily readjustment.
I gotta say, the way that Episode 38 handled Age Regression made it my personal favourite filler episode of the series, if not the whole franchise. It all felt so natural and believable from the get-go and didn't let up once. Instead of having their minds be forcibly adjusted to their new bodies, the Cures instead sank naturally into the role of children as time went on. Instead of having to rely on one of the two types of age-regression, the writers went for both types but did it in a way that didn't feel like the mental adjustment was forced. Instead, it was developed over the course of the episode.
To start with, the Cures all got their urges to play around and have fun when Reika brought up her urge to play first. I just love the fact that out of everyone in the group, that it was Reika who started this off. The very same Reika who's always the bookworm of the group, the serious and level-headed one of the team. Not to mention, the recently-appointed student council president from the previous episode. To see her get everyone into the habit of playing was not only interesting but a very nice way to get the ball rolling.
Then we come to Nao. Since she was the (former) big sister for that episode, it only made sense that she was the one who could have lead the Cures in that state the way that she could've. The whole "little big sister" trope really worked out well and fit, given Nao's character and it showed how, even when she was afflicted by the very same potion, that she still had to have some sense of control despite giving in to the urges as well.
Then there's Akane. I thought that Akane enjoying her time because of the memories she had at kindergarten was also a nice touch. It seemed like she might have been the one who would've been the most discontent with this kind of thing since she's got that fiery attitude of hers. But to see her use her memories as a valid reason to cut loose and have fun over her personal status and pride was a nice way of accepting the consequences. It just showed that no matter what comes her way, Akane's always gonna have a reason to smile.
Then, there's Miyuki and Yayoi. Two already adorable Cures made even more adorable with their antics in this episode. Practically everything that Miyuki and Yayoi did in this episode was just sweet as honey and a joy to watch. From Miyuki finding those acorns first, to Yayoi's Paperockscissors trick, down to Miyuki then having to lead the other Cures as they were out of sync with each other on the catchphrase, every single moment with them on the screen was just a treat for the eyes and ears and just shows how much pure fun could be had with not only them but with the whole team of five...
Even when the very same youthened Wolfrun and Akaoni stumble upon the Smile Precure Preschoolers in that state, the five girls are able to break through their icy hearts if just for one day and get them to do something other than wishing for the Bad End of the world. Moreso because the two boys forgot to bring their books to bring forth a Bad End Zone in the first place so really had no other back-up plan. And, over time, you can see that the Smile Precure team does manage to reach through to them. Even with things like tag and the red light, green light game, you can see that Wolfrun and Akaoni have another side to themselves in this form, and that in this state, there's still something in them that's salvageable, instead of them being pure evil for the sake of it. It also serves as secret foreshadowing to a later episode down the line involving the Three Commanders' ultimate fate which I found incredibly clever.
Then, we come to the five girls' tiny Precure forms themselves. As expected, with two of the three Commanders unable to cause a Bad End Zone, that only leaves Majorina to make the move herself. She does so, and the Cures do end up transforming in order to keep her from bringing misery to the world. But the catch here is that the Cures still remain tiny tots even after all's said and done, and their attacks do barely anything or don't work outright because of their new sizes. In the end, just when it seems that all hope's lost and the Cures are at the end of their rope, Majorina brings forth an antidote to fix the two boys, but it ultimately ends up soaking the Cures instead because of infighting, therefore turning them back to normal and allowing them to deal the finishing blow of the episode.
And at the end of it all, after the battle ends and the Cures head home, the five of them reminisce on just how much fun that they had that day, with Nao even seeing a lighter side herself. Since Nao had spent most of the episode trying to act like the big sister to all the Cures, seeing her be reminded that playing around isn't based on your age but how much commitment you wanna put to it was a nice thing for her to learn. And as a way to cement this, she goes home and plays around with her family and siblings, whom she had previously dismissed at the episode's start.
Honestly, if Pretty Cure did this more often but with future teams, I'd be more for it. This kind of stuff is a treat for me, as an avid age-regression lover, and to see how naturally it was handled and just how kawaii it was made me ultra-happy to see. I know that Mahou Tsukai does an episode with this same kind of premise down the line, and then All Stars Memories has this age-regression thing be part of the plot with the movie's villain, but case in point, I need more tiny, kawaii, widdle kid Cures in my life. Especially with how this episode handled it so gracefully, beautifully, and adorably.
If there is one episode of Pretty Cure I can recommend above all others, it would have to be this one. It's one of the most creative, most enjoyable, and most adorable episodes that I've seen of any animated series in a long time. Not only that, but with the cuteness to take at face value and the deeper, underline, juicy bits of information to get philosophical on, this episode wins on all accounts for me. If you have the time to spare, PLEASE check this episode out. Whether you watch it on the dub or whether you go to the original subbed property, I can't recommend this episode enough. Just... go and watch it if you want your heart to be turned to liquid butter and you wanna see what I consider to be one of the best if not THE age-regression episodes of all time.
And that's it. At the end of the day, Pretty Cure series will come and go, but I think that Smile Precure has earned a personal place in my heart for its' enjoyable characters, creative stories and innovative ideas. This is a Cure series that practically reshaped what makes a Precure series good and bad. And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised yourself if you give it a watch and see for yourself. Take the journey that I've taken and just sit back and enjoy the ride.
And having worst episodes in a show like this helps to highlight the good episodes even better, I think. It shows that Pretty Cure isn't exactly perfect and that it can still have flaws in it. And for what it's worth, the good episodes of this show are REALLY good. They're a far cry to the endless droves of slice-of-life stories that you get in the other Precure series. It's very refreshing and it kept me invested in Smile for a good long time. When you can say that filler episodes are fun, you know that the series has done something right.
In the end, whether or not you choose to watch it, there's no doubt in my mind that Smile Precure will be my favourite Pretty Cure series of all time and it'll take something incredibly powerful in order to unseat it from the throne that it sits on. Lighthearted, fun, and very emotional in places, this is one anime series that's stick around in your head for years to come and I can think of nothing better to watch if you want something fun and enjoyable, to wash away the cobwebs of life.
I've been Shadowmane PX-41, and this has been Smile Precure in 10 Words or Less. Have a wonderful evening.
Dude, you should make a smile precure, my little pony crossover. Who else thinks that's a good idea.