To tell the truth, back when Suite Precure began airing on February 2011 it did not cross my mind to watch the episodes, and here I am reviving this dusty thread after six years. So, what did I do?
Beginning since yesterday I'm returning to the Pretty Cure franchise after a hiatus of over 3 years since I last ended Doki Doki, though I'm actually returning to a season that preceded it.
So, here's the catch, to avoid cluttering this thread I'm going to write three episode reviews per post, and I'm not going to marathon this show, but instead following the episodes in a day per day basis to enjoy it at its fullest. Hence, all I'm asking for is not spoiling me, please.
So, let's begin:
Spoiler for "Episode 1. Nya! The Suite PreCure are Born!:
This is the start for Suite Precure, and what I liked the most about the prologue was the build-up leading to the chain of events that triggered the beginning of this story.
The pacing was neither rushed nor dragged allowing the just amount of time at introducing Empress Aphrodite dedicating the Melody of Happiness Concert to all of her people of Major Land, and, then, Hummy debuting to conduct the melody. That's until King Mephisto from Minor Land invites himself to the concert and steals the score in a bid to overwrite the notes to create his Melody of Sorrow. Nevertheless, Empress Aphrodite scatters the notes before Mephisto orders Siren to deal any real damage with the score.
Nonetheless, I'm having second thoughts about Mephisto being a competent character for the Overlord of Darkness role, because at first glance he acts and behaves quite goofy for such position, but I'm jumping too soon with conclusions.
But, honestly, the girls in this season hold so much potential in terms of working out their relationship, since Hibiki and Kanade hold a sort of friction due to an incident that temporarily split them apart causing the two of them to argue and bicker with no end. And, those unresolved feelings couldn't came in a bad timing once the two were able to transform into the Suite Precure.
Now, notes to be taken:
1. This is the first time since Fresh Pretty Cure that the first episode or season opener ends with the Pretty Cure transforming which builds-up nicely the tension element.
2. From what I've seen Hummy isn't involved with the girls transforming but did it themselves due to their hearts in complete sync and harmony.
3. Siren has so much potential as a villainess whether be her natural, cat form or her human form. Just got to love how she bickers and argues with Hummy.
4. From reading the character specs, Hummy is voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi, renowned seiyuu that performed the voice of Tsukino Usagi, protagonist from Sailor Moon. The irony is that in this show she plays a cat-fairy character whereas her Sailor Moon character has a cat, Luna, as her companion.
Spoiler for "Episode 2. Gagaaan! The Precures Might Be Splitting Up Already!:
Episode 2 resumes immediately from where the previous left off. The Cures try to no avail at defeating the Negatone but due to their lack of compatibility they make serious mistakes that sadly costs them the fight and the musical note, taken by Siren and the Trio the Minor.
But, to me it was good that the Cures lost the fight at the start because due to their conflicting enmity, carried over during the transformation, that gave them more gravitas within their personalities.
Eventually, I found out that Kanade and Hibiki broke up their friendship, because both supposedly broke their promise to meet each other for the entrance ceremony, however, later they found out that each one was waiting for the other in different entrances.
This was a relief that alleviated the burden within their hearts and allowed them to properly fought the Negatone as PreCure ending with their decisive victory and retrieving two important items: the musical note and an old record that both girls kept as a memento of their childhood friendship.
Notes to be taken in this episode:
1. I found out that the hearts of the PreCure must be filled with serenity, love, and joy. Otherwise, if conflicting emotions that cause friction begin to bubble-up in their hearts they quickly lose compatibility with each other, and, worst case scenario, they will lose their Pretty Cure transformation.
2. Hummy is an absolute air-head, but still I'm loving her. Her "nyaa" sound doesn't bother as much.
Spoiler for "Episode 3. Jyajaaan! Hibiki Hates Music?:
By the third episode, I figured out a common pattern for the time being. Each one of the girls are going to come face to face with some sort of disillusionment triggered by a bad memory of the past or at the present.
I was so close to figure out why Hibiki felt certain animosity towards her father. At first I thought the memories from her first piano recital were due to her mother not being present at the time. As she truly told Kanade what happened, then I became smart enough at deducing her father scold her at that time due that she played the piano superficially just to please her parent and to not to make people happy with music.
Eventually, I was half correct with my assumption. Her father wanted Hibiki to learn to love music by having fun listening to it.
Unfortunately, not much I can say in favor of this episode's fight seeing that it was bland. The Cure's finisher move for this season doesn't have that decisive impact effect, unlike from other seasons. It's just the Negatone getting bathed in a melody of happiness, then lulled to fall asleep before being purified back into the object which it came from.
Notes to be taken:
1. How come in most magical girl series they have to put that archetypal bishounen character type whom almost all the girls, literally, drool over him? I mean the real world is plagued with those kinds of guys. Just a few years ago I was sick at listening or reading the news of the Justin Bieber mania, and how teenage girls were insanely fawning over that dude.
2. Hibiki's father reminds me of Mako from Kill La Kill due that both either aren't conscious or cannot read the danger around the situation they put themselves into. The man quite literally came to the stage and scolded the Negatone for not playing happy music. I mean suspension of disbelief is a must in all sorts of fantasy stories, but the character exposing himself or herself to unnecessary danger just to teach how things have to be done either is pushing it or being a ludicrous idiot.
3. After having so much experience with the Pretty Cure meta franchise, if the bad guys or Monsters of the Week dare to threaten parents, relatives, or loved ones that's cause enough to cry out "BIG MISTAKE".
4. Cure Rhythm and Cure Melody have yet to fully rekindle their friendship, because in the fight they were still suffering aftereffect sequels from past bickering and arguing.
5. The villains in this season are so shamelessly cynical that they will expose themselves in front of big crowds of people to do their evil schemes. I mean Siren turning from girl to cat and conjuring a Negatone at the concert with dozens of people assembled watching.
Ah, so you decide to try this franchise instead. hehe
You will meet Hibiki, Kanade, and their cat mascot Hummy. ^^
One thing I liked about this season is that the cures hold each other hand to do a special attack. Reminds me of the very first precure series.
The first comments I read a little while after this thread was recently opened were that some fans were displeased with the slow pacing episodes at the start of Suite. They remarked it wasn't until the eighth episode when the plot for this series began to take off.
To me I see potential from the first to the seventh episode for Hibiki and Kanade mending their relationship and each one of them reaching a respective milestone before, finally, improving their friendship in episode 8.
Spoiler for Episode 4. Nom Nom! Kanade's Fighting Spirit Recipe!:
This is one of my favorite episodes because the story was both well written and properly executed.
Siren will attempt at any underhanded methods to split apart Hibiki and Kanade's friendship, however, both girls will find the way to reconcile back.
Siren disguised as a famous, pastry chef to sway Kanade that Hibiki never appreciated her cooking and feelings. At the start of scheme, the ploy seemed to work smoothly since Kanade got sidetracked cooking cakes and sweets to win the competition. Nevertheless, she got furious at Hibiki without realizing first that Hibikis' honest feelings and gluttony were telling the truth that Kanade cooks the best when she wants to make people smile with her sweets.
Fortunately, by working harder and harder Kanade spontaneously got back her innocent desire to bake sweets for everyone's smiles which didn't work nicely for Siren, since her ploy failed and then forced her way to steal the note along with the cake that Kanade poured her feelings.
The downside I got only for this episode was precisely Siren's second attempt forcing herself to sway or trick again Kanade about Hibiki not being appreciative toward her cooking.
The first time it nicely worked out due to both the surprise element and spontaneity, but the second time seemed forced and cheap.
Notes to be taken in this episode:
1. For this season, it is a first for me to witness and understand that a Precure's transformation brooch can get corrupted if the owner holds up too much resentment and spite. In that case came to Kanade falling for Siren's trap.
2. The Suite Precure are still struggling against the Negatone in combat, though I presume because Cure Melody was hungry due for not tasting Kanade's delicious, strawberry cake for some while. Furthermore, her power dropping may also be alluded that Cure Melody, as Hibiki, tasted that sour, dark cake that Kanade baked before.
3. How come in anime or manga when some character puts in a disguise nobody nor even the audience can tell them apart when said character seemingly blows his or her cover but everybody else just overlooks it? I mean even when the Trio The Minor disguised themselves as chefs they seemingly broke their covers when singing in unison, as they frequently do. At some point Kanade had the funny feeling that she had met with the disguised trio before, but she quickly brushed those thoughts aside.
4. The first time that I watched one member of the Trio The Minor speaking for himself independently from his other two comrades without singing in unison choir.
Spoiler for Episode 5. Dotabata! The TV Reporter Challenge!:
This episode became a little weaker in terms of execution in contrast to the previous one, but I did get a lot of fun enjoying Hibiki and Kanade's constant bickering, furthermore, Siren got a little bit of screen time development as the episode shed light on many of her mood quirks.
Perhaps, the only detail that got me soured was Hummy trying to explain to the girls on how by reaching Harmony Power they can be Precure with their hearts in sync as one. The problem I perceived is that Hummy felt like giving a technical explanation on Harmony Power, but since this is a magic-girl show the use of long explanations and technicisms may simply put off the target audience. To avoid beating too much the bush, Hummy simply should had said that the girl ought to spend some quality together in order for their bonds to grow properly, and, thus, making it smooth for both of them to reach Harmony Power.
Aside from that, this episode introduced not only Hibiki's mother but Kanade's parents as well. Sure, they are lovey-dovey couple fond of cakes and sweets so I do hope they don't do anything reckless and absurd like interrupting a fight just to scold the villains and/or monsters for ruining delicious sweets that make people smile or some sort of trope like Hibiki's dad pull out in episode three.
Lastly, Hummy's airhead personality and absentmindedness haven't bothered me, but that's perhaps because Siren's there to act as a foil to the former's character.
Notes to be taken in this episode:
1. I don't recall with too much details about the previous PreCure shows, but Suite made a difference opening this episode with the Cures already in a clash with a Negatone, and this episode by itself featured not one but two different Negatones (Monsters of the Week).
2. A first in a PreCure show that the Cures failed at unleashing their finisher move, but that's likely because Melody and Rhythm did not stop arguing and still lacking harmony in their hearts, hence, it is a mystery how they defeated Negatone A at the beginning of the episode; a first in the franchise as well that a Monster of the Week gets vanquished off-screen.
3. Something tells me that for this season's villains Siren along with the Trio the Minor would be the best with interesting and funny dynamics. Since the Trio got themselves into the trouble at making preparations and a party for Siren's big debut in TV, but her appearance never made in camera.
4. When it comes to Pretty Cure antagonists, for the time being, no one beats Siren. She has the quirks, the mood swings, and that cute selfishness to hog all the attention for herself, and let us not forget the bossy attitude towards the Trio.