Suite Precure♪

ihateeveryone★ 8

"Suite Precure" doesn't seem to have the best reputation in the Precure franchise. With weak starting episodes, silly conflict between the two main girls, and being the next installment after the highly successful and loved "Heartcatch Precure," expectations were both raised high for it and then shot down when it didn't deliver things similar to it's predecessors. Tag this along with the fact that it borrowed some used plotlines from previous seasons and people conjure up the idea that Suite is worst Precure season. With all of this on the table, is it safe to say that this is really the case? I, for one,can certainly say it's not. Those who are familiar with the Precure franchises know that the plot definitely reused to an extent. Bad guy from another world gets sealed up, servants of said bad guy attempt to revive them by stealing emotions from the real world, and the legendary warriors Precure are called upon to protect these two worlds and eventually defeat the evil entity. Essentially, Suite follows this formula for it's main plot, but that's not the only thing that happens in this story. Suite actually has a very strong arc, which thankfully, is the very first one that occurs in the series. The Siren arc, which is similar to Setsuna's villain redemption arc in Fresh is definitely the highest point in the series in terms of plot. The internal and external conflict with Siren and her own emotions is very intriguing and well-done. This also gives the show a stronger foot to work off of seeing as the beginning can be a turn-off for some people. (which I'll get to in a bit) The music theme in the show is also very well-played, and hell, even relatable. The messages that music has the ability to give people strength and make them stronger is definitely not an exaggeration. All throughout the show, that theme is very prevalent and never wasted, another big plus. Although, a big flaw with the wonderful Siren arc is the fact that the other arcs seem to pale a bit in comparison to Siren's. For example, while the Cure Muse arc is shrouded around mystery, the interactions with Muse along with her development and acceptance with the other girls feels quite a bit rushed and not nearly as well written. The ending also seems to spin a bit around in circles in terms of trying to defeat the big-bad. Though I still see the ending as a very strong way to send off the series. Seeing the girls fight the bad guy and letting out their own past feelings and experiences, talking about and remembering how they were before and how happy they feel now that they've found each other was a very strong and powerful moment. The ending is able to get across its feelings of inner strength and happiness without resorting to melodrama or crying, just by speaking out their true feelings. And boy, does it work well. If plot isn't Suite's biggest strength, than what is? Well, that's an easy answer -- the characters, their interactions, and most notably their development. I believe Suite had some of the best character development and growth in terms of Kanade and Hibiki. The two girls start off on bad terms after a (very silly and avoidable) misunderstanding a few years back. Due to their constant bickering after becoming Precure together, it's very easy to get aggravated and annoyed by all the fighting that goes on. Thankfully though, Suite does a marvelous job of putting in subtle development as these two girls learn and grow with each other. As the episodes go on, you can see it. You can see Hibiki not doubting Kanade as much when she's being tricked by the villains to lose faith in her friend. You can see them beginning to understand each other more and start to help each other becoming better warriors and friends as opposed to bickering all the time. Watching the two girls learn from their past mistakes and becoming even closer than they were before is simply amazing, and something I heavily applaud Suite for. It definitely handles its two main girls well. Though the great characters don't stop there. Siren's redemption is a very intriguing thing to watch. Seeing her own internal conflicts, even after becoming a Precure with the other girls just felt very realistic and was concluded in a beautiful way. While Cure Muse may not have as strong character development as the other girls, she too had a sympathetic and nicely played out arc, even if it was rushed and concluded in a very hasty way. Her own willpower and strength to get back what she lost is an admirable thing, especially for the young girls watching this. Being a music themed season, the show definitely excels in its OST. The OP theme is especially refreshing since it has more of a rock feeling as opposed to the more J-Poppy feelings of the other seasons. The soundtracks played are well-fitting for both the slice of life moments in the show and the intense emotional battles that occur. The ED themes are a bit more generic and not as memorable, though aside from that the soundtrack and overall music in the show is solid. Artstyle and animation wise, to put it bluntly, looks gorgeous. The girls' designs are appealing to people who aren't a fan of the large round eyes that Precure is infamous for, and oh god, those transformation sequences. While not as dynamic as some may prefer, the backgrounds in them and the music that plays during them is simply breathtaking. Suite's transformations are the ones that you really dont' want to skip on, no matter how long they are. Fight scenes are pretty nice to watch too. Not too amazing but not that underwhelming (usually) either. While I wouldn't call Suite the best Precure season, it definitely feels as they did put nearly as much effort in this one as they did in other well-received seasons such as Heartcatch or Fresh. It's hard NOT to come to that conclusion when you see all the time put into the characters and their personalities and development throughout the run of the show. While Suite definitely isn't without its flaws, like the reused plotlines, silly reason for conflict between the two main girls, and weaker arcs that occur after the first, its safe to say that its positives outweigh the negatives that it has. "Suite Precure" is definitely one of the seasons that I would recommend to people who want to get into Precure, and overall is a very heartwarming and nicely written show for both the younger and older audience alike. Don't always listen to what the fanbases have to say. I know if I did, I would've missed out on a lovely and well-put together season, one that I definitely don't regret watching.

CataOrShane★ 6

This review will be spoiler free! For me, Suite Precure was the most promising Precure season up their time. I really liked the chemistry between the two main girls and I liked how the visuals felt more Precure than the previous season. Not only that, but the girls to me felt that they had more personality than most of the previous Precure's. However, the last 12 episodes ruined what was being a very enjoyable show to me. When the final precure's identity was revealed, it broke the dynamic of Suite Precure as a season. The anime created a perfect oportunity to have the climax of the storybut instead decided to backtrack and drag itself for 12 more episodes. Even the final showdown with the "last boss" (using videogame language here) took twice as long of what it should have. I also disliked the way it ended. A few extras I would like to mention is how this was the 1st Precure season where I felt the casting should've been better for some characters and there's plenty of inconsistencies in regular human behaviour when they witness talking cats. Sometimes they freak out, other times they don't care. All things considered, it's a painful 6/10 for me because of the wasted potential.