Warning: The following contains spoilers for Wonderful Precure! episodes #1 and #2!!
A new magical girl series called Wonderful Precure! that just succeeded two other anime from the Precure franchise in their reserved Crunchyroll time slot gives a random twist to the genre – but it’s heartwarming, especially for those who are dog owners. While every Precure installment differs from the rest in some way, Wonderful Precure! stands out in particular not just because of its overly cute focus, but just based on its unique, effective delivery where it slowly builds up to its amazing and surprisingly very nuanced theme.
For those who just dove right into this next Pretty Cure series without knowing of the wonderfulness that would follow, there was no clear indication until the very end of the premiere that it wouldn’t be Iroha Inukai who would transform into a magical girl as everyone expected, though she eventually does in episode 2.
Iroha’s destiny was even hinted at more directly when she faced off against her future enemies – corrupted animals known as Garugaru – before she became the eponymous Pretty Cure. But she doesn’t transform. Her pet dog, Komugi, transforms into a human and then a magical girl. While the first half of the anime put an unprecedented amount of focus on Komugi, many viewers were led to believe it was for cute appeal.
Wonderful Precure! Gets Unexpectedly Deep in Emotionally Moving Scene
Produced by Toei Animation
This naturally explores a particular development that every dog owner would find incredible – to not only communicate with but interact with their beloved pet as a human. Komuga can also still speak when she transforms back into her normal dog form, so Iroha can actually experience this in the “traditional” sense. How Komugi acts as a human and perceives others, especially Iroha, might be on the nose, but it’s the way in which Iroha later views Komugi when she also becomes a Pretty Cure in episode 2 that the series reaches the dynamic of their already unique relationship that truly stands out.
In what is a heartwarming use of foreshadowing, Iroha initially expresses regret that she will never be able to keep up with Komugi in her dog form when she plays with other pets. This depressing realization is compounded by what the anime implies in that scene, which is that she most definitely can’t keep up with Komugi as a Pretty Cure, since she had yet to become one herself at that time.
This whole perspective then culminates perfectly in a transformed Iroha running alongside a charging Komugi in her magical girl form. The anime, luckily, doesn’t explicitly make this connection but instead allows the scene to speak for itself. Even though Komugi is currently a magical girl, the image of Iroha still being able to keep up with her dog when she had earlier expressed frustration at not being able to do so is truly magical, regardless of the form Komugi is in.
Could Wonderful Precure! Transform Cats into Magical Girls?
Although nothing has officially happened on Crunchyroll to suggest this will occur, fans can hope that another girl who just moved to Iroha’s town will experience something similar with her beloved pet cat. That way, Wonderful Precure! is a magical girl series for dog and cat owners.
Wonderful Precure! is simulcasting on Crunchyroll.
Watch on Crunchyroll
