Prétear (volume 4)

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV DVD

Review based on third disk (episodes 11-13)

Rating 15+

What it’s (basically) all about:  Himeno is about to face her greatest challenges head on. Takako, the Princess of Disaster, has turned Himeno’s sister into a puppet of evil, has turned one of her dearest friends against her, and has turned her home into the Great Tree of Fenril. Will Himeno and the Leafe Knights be able to defeat evil, or will love and the Earth be destroyed?

Nitty Gritty: In this final volume of Prétear the emotions run high. By the final episode one of the main characters has died on screen (no gory bloodshed) and the entire city has been demolished. Leafe Knights are struggling to survive and Himeno and Hayate are fighting for their lives. The violence and preat sequences are on par with the rest of the series (see volume one review for more details.)

Mawata, while imprisoned in the Great Tree of Fenril, appears nude (though covered strategically) as she is closed off from everyone in despair, imagining herself sitting on her deceased father’s lap. Though some might find this a little awkward, it’s only a brief scene and is meant to show Mawata’s vulnerability.

Special features include: Behind the Anime interviews with Kathya Coker, Jason Douglas, Lauren Goodnight, Shelly Calone-Black and Mandy Clark; clean opening/ closing animation; production sketches; DVD credits; and previews for Kino’s Journey (okay for teens), Azumanga Daioh (okay for teens), Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (okay for all), Happy Lesson (fan service and some mild language but okay for teens), Angelic Layer (okay for all), and Wedding Peach (okay for all). The disk also opens with previews for Anime Network and Newtype Magazine.

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. I dare you not to get at least teary-eyed during the last episode.