Prétear (volume 1)

Reviewed By:  Carla Land

ADV DVD

Review based on first disk (episodes 1-4)

Rating 15+

What it’s (basically) all about: Leafe is what gives us life. To protect it, there are seven Leafe Knights. Every now and then the Princess of Disaster tries to destroy the world. That’s when the Leafe Knights seek out the girl who will become Prétear and help them save the world from destruction. High school student Himeno is trying to deal with her father’s new wife (who is excessively rich) and her new step-sisters (who are about her age) when she crashes into Hayate, Leafe Knight of Wind. Immediately he realizes that she is the Prétear- she just doesn’t know it yet.

Nitty Gritty: First thing to note is that there is stylized nudity. Lots of it, in fact, in each episode. When Himeno préats with the knights in order to become Prétear, their souls merge and her costume changes. During the transformation sequence you see the knight turn into a little glowing ball of light and float into her body. Of course, she’s not wearing anything in this sequence, but nothing concrete is seen, thanks to strategically placed arms and shadows. The first time this happens Himeno is embarrassed, and she freaks out a little. (If someone were minded that way, they could see a sexual connotation here, even though some of the Leafe Knights that she préats with are only kids.)

Himeno’s step-sister Mayune also has the ridiculous habit of making whichever Knight she runs into stand outside of her shower holding her robe in an effort to make him fall in love with her. She fails miserably every time, but some parents might be alarmed at this sort of thing.

The language isn’t too bad- no F-bomb in this one, but there are quite a few “bitch” and “dumbass” references. The hardest word that makes it in is “sh*t,” and it isn’t used frequently at all. Most of the words make appearances in both the subbed and dubbed versions.

The characterization in this series is really well done. Hayate and Himeno are at odds most of the time, but you can tell they care about each other. Each Leafe Knight has a job in the “real world” (well, each one old enough to)  and you can tell a lot about their personalities by the jobs they held down. (Go is a waiter, Kei a video game programmer, Sasame a radio personality and Hayate takes on odd jobs.) Himeno is a karate kicking, optimistic young girl who tires hard no not let anything get her down, and she’s a good, strong character. One thing that will be obvious to fans of the manga is that Kei, one of the Leafe Knights, has been animated to be a little more feminine than his print counterpart.

As far as violence goes there are a lot of demon larvae that they fight. Nothing is gory at all, and it’s mild fantasy violence. Whichever Knight Himeno has preated with becomes her shield in battle, so occasionally they get hurt.

Now for the extras! On each disk in this series there are Behind the Anime interviews with every member of the cast done by the director, and they are all very interesting. (On volume one it’s Luci Christian and Illich Guardiola.) While younger kids and most teens are going to balk at the idea, your anime fanatics are going to LOVE this feature. There are also production sketches, clean opening/ closing animation, and DVD credits. Previews included are for Sakura Wars TV (ok for all), Najica Blitz Tactics (a LOT of fan service in this one), Eden’s Bowy (ok for teens), Angelic Layer (ok for all), King of Bandit Jing (ok for all), and RahXephon (ok for teens). The disk starts with the Anime Network and Newtype Magazine promos, as well.

A thin pack collection of the series is also available, but these reviews pertain to the volumes sold separately. Special features in the thin pack may differ from those on the individual volumes.

Survey says: Other than the stylized nudity and mild language, the content isn’t going to be too mature for teens, or even younger children. It has a surprising 15+ rating (presumably because of the stylized nudity), and even though it only has mild fantasy violence and language, it’s better off in adult collections or teen collections that are separate from children’s collections.

Personal Ad: I love this anime. It’s one of my favorites, and not just because it has Chris Patton in it (though that is a reason!) It’s just a fantastic anime, and not your average girlie fare. Himeno is a strong female character, unlike so many whiny “Sailor Moon” types, and I find that very appealing. I still can't get over what they did to Kei, though, since he is dramatically different from the manga.