8 February 2013: Dokidoki! Precure didn't make my heart pound, but it's all right
Works in theory.
Preliminary expectations for Dokidoki! Precure appeared to fall into one of two camps: The first group—viewers who had no strong feelings about Smile Precure! one way or the other—appeared to be mostly ambivalent about Dokidoki! Precure based on what little information was available before it aired. The second group—people who were huge fans of Smile Precure!—seemed determined to hate Dokidoki! Precure on general principle, and found only negative things to say about the promotional materials and pre-broadcast information.
A boy and his purse.
The latter attitude didn't surprise me at all, since the same thing happened to Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star after Max Heart ended. Indeed, I was guilty of this churlish prejudice as well, unfairly reviling Splash Star for being what I assumed would be a blatant ripoff of the originals, only with inferior character designs. (Turns out Splash Star is really good in its own right, and is in some ways the best series of the franchise.)
Drink water; drive on.
Based on its first episode, Dokidoki! Precure appears to be off to a good start. I am pleased the main heroine (Aida Mana) is a solidly competent girl in apparently all aspects of her life. She's basically the opposite of Nozomi from Yes! Pretty Cure 5. I've heard some fans accuse the Dokidoki! characters of being "Mary Sues," but this seems a silly position to take in light of the fact that most Pretty Cure heroines are extremely competent and capable in at least one aspect of their civilian lives (the hapless Nozomi, Tsubomi, Miyuki, and Ayumi contingent notwithstanding). I'm all for a year of Cures that kick ass and take names.
This dude was all hands.
One thing I don't quite figure is all this jazz about Cure Spade, I mean, Cure Sword being the "last" Pretty Cure. That's going to make for some awkward explanations during the next All Stars movie when an entire battery of fully armed and operational Cures fall in behind Cure Black and Cure White. Except All Stars movies are not canon, so I guess they'll handwave it away. Nice to see Cure Sword soloing those critters in the intro. She didn't do too hot, but I guess she did better than Cure Moonlight in the Heartcatch Precure! intro. Goes to show Cures shouldn't work alone.
