I've talked about the Precure franchise many times. Fresh Precure being the most recent series I reviewed and one of the best. So, this film festival week we're going to look at the film based off of that series. Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!? It came out in 2009 while the series was still airing. Is it a good addition? Let's check it out.
Story:
We open with the girls planning to have three nights worth of pyjama parties. Unbeknownst to them, toys are disappearing around the city while they're playing around. Naturally, when they find out they assume it's Labyrinth only to find out that they have nothing to do with it. That's when Love's old stuffed rabbit, Usapyon, emerges from the closet to tell them that the trouble originates from the kingdom of toys and a being called Toymajin.
The big issue with the film is that the twists are all way too obvious. I understand that the Precure franchise is intended for a young audience but there's a point where things are so obvious that you're actively insulting that audience. And this doesn't quite cross that point but it comes very close.
On the positive side, the film does have a strong sense of fun to it. The antagonist also has a legitimate grievance which does make things more interesting. I also appreciate the overall message of appreciating what you have. I also like the way each of our main protagonists has her own challenge to overcome. It's kind of reminiscent of the X-men story where they get taken to different challenges in Arcade's Murder World.
Characters:
Our main cast are as endearing as ever and all four of them get a chance to showcase the personality aspects that make them such. The two major characters who get added in for the sake of the film are Usapyon & Toymajin. Usapyon is quite a likeable character. Toymajin is more compelling than the antagonists we usually get in Precure films since he actually has a genuine complaint unlike, say, the antagonist of the Gogo film.
Art:
The artwork and animation are really good. It looks very much like the series. The only real issue would be the length of time spent on the stock footage scenes. The film doesn't condense or combine the transformation sequences. So, we get to see all four one after the other with their full lengths.
Sound:
The acting is really good. Oki Kanae, Komatsu Yuka, Nakagawa Akiko & Kitamura Eri are all really strong in their roles. The film adds Sakamoto Chika and Tsuru Hiromi who are both solid in their roles. The film uses the same music as the series proper and it's still fantastic.
Ho-yay:
The girls in this continue to read as a polyamorous lesbian grouping. There's about as much les-yay in the film as there is in a standard episode after Cure Passion joins the roster.
Areas of Improvement:
- Combining the transformation sequences would have allowed for extra time for more important content.
- The film would have benefited from being less obvious with its plot line.
- I would have liked to see more of the girls just interacting with each other.
Final Thoughts:
This film is pretty enjoyable. If you're a fan of Fresh Precure, you'll most likely enjoy it. It's basically a long, stand alone episode. I'm going to give it an 8/10.
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