[Four] Fresh Pretty Cure! and Living Without Regret

“We don’t want them to regret anything because of us.”

-Ayumi Momozono, mother of Love Momozono, Fresh Pretty Cure! episode 45

The ending to Fresh Pretty Cure! is wonderfully weird. I would say that the series goes off the rails, so to speak, but that would be admitting that Fresh Pretty Cure! had strict rails to begin with. Instead, it bends, travelling to places both predictable and eccentric, but somehow, when the dust has settled, everything makes sense in the end. I attribute this to the fact that, in spite of its wackiness, Fresh Pretty Cure! never loses sight of the emotional story it wants to tell, specifically where its four leading ladies are concerned. It’s a series where donuts can save the world, your neighbor can be an international jack-of-all-trades, you can ride a tiger around a sinking cruise ship, and your father puts wigs on pets. Additionally, it knows when to be serious and is genuine in its emotional simplicity. One moment, two characters are having a heartfelt talk, the next they’re fighting a giant octopus, and its all brilliantly entertaining.

Yuyushiki Episode Six and the Kei Okano Variable.

“What the heck? Those three are total weirdos.”

-Kei Okano, Yuyushiki episode six

Yuyushiki reminds me a bit of someone playing a game. They can only have so many members in their party, and they are constantly shuffling however many characters they have to fill the specific slots. Each combination of party members has a different dynamic and effect on how the game is played.