Splash Star is a tough act to follow, but it's not like people agreed at the time. Overall, that show was considered a bit of a disappointment for its similarities to Precure (which is wrong), so Toei decided to change a lot for their next Precure show. Instead of a core duo, we're getting a full Sailor Moon-esque team of five Cures this time. Will it pan out?
Yes Precure 5 is about a group of five students coming together to become Precures to find the 50+ hidden Pinkies (yes, that's actually what they're called) and protect this thing called the Dream Collet from an evil organization called Nightmare. This series makes a lot of changes from the previous three, like having a group of five Cures and having fairies that can change from human to fairy form, but not all of it works. The increased number of Cures means transformation/spell sequences take forever now, and since the main character now has a larger friend group, I feel like the robust side casts of Futari and Splash Star just aren't quite there. The side characters we do get in Otaka and Masuko Mika are fantastic, there just isn't enough of them. I'm not a huge fan of the fairies being able to become human either, for a bunch of reasons. There's the obvious elephant in the room with the fairy/Precure relationships that may also involve an age gap, but then there's just Coco, where it's really hard to reconcile his fairy and human forms are the same person. I blame the voice actor, he's obviously straining trying to do a fairy voice. There's a bunch of other issues I have with Yes's main plot though, beyond just the changes made. Nightmare being an evil corporate job is a really cool concept and I like seeing the employees try to climb the corporate ladder and make pay, but all the villains having similar-looking bug/human designs means they mostly feel like a step down from Dark Fall. I also don't love the Pinkies since they have a similar issue with the Heartiels in Max Heart, where the characters just find Pinkies randomly rather than for actually accomplishing anything.
So I know this all sounds rough but, trust me, this isn't another Max Heart situation. Because while the plot is nothing special, Yes Precure 5 nails something equally important: The characters. Right from the get-go, Yes 5 established itself as a more character-driven Precure, with each main cast member getting an episode to themselves, to establish their personality, backstory, and character arc. Nozomi is the definition of brain empty (even if her rambling about dreams can feel a bit grating), Rin is a fun grounding force for the group, Urara feels like Hikari if she was done right, Komachi is a sweetheart, and best of all, Karen both has a fantastic character arc and a surprisingly affecting backstory that intertwines incredibly well. The fairies, human weirdness aside, are also solid. I especially like Nuts, as his distrustful personality and legitimate trauma is a breath of fresh air for the fairies. And best of all, the chemistry between the cast is great too. They feel like genuine friends, so even if the plot isn't super impressive, it's fun to just hang out with the cast for thirty minutes. It's a show where the slice of life standalone plots are far and away the best part of the show, and I'm fine with that. It's a testament to why I hate the concept of filler, because sometimes those seemingly innocuous episodes can be the things that make or break your show.
But it's not like the plot is entirely a wash either, there is quite a bit I do like. While I found most of the villains to be pretty meh, Bunbun is an easy highlight among them. Unlike most major villains, Bunbee gets familiar with the Cures right from the first few episodes, so you can see them develop more of a full-on rivalry than you'd get with a shadowy antagonist who only reveals itself at pivotal episodes. I also really like the added focus on secret identities here. There isn't the threat of the fairies having to leave the moment they're found out, so normal civilians can spot the Cures fighting, Nozomi can walk up to another student and tell them about what's going on, and we now have the aforementioned reporter Masuko Mika trying to get a scoop on the Cures. This means Yes 5 doesn't have to conveniently knock out side characters in the general vicinity all the time, and the Cures can feel more like superheroes whose actions have a noticeable impact on the town they're protecting. I also didn't hate the romantic subplots here. Logistically, they're weird as hell, but it's well-written and Nozomi/Coco and Komachi/Nuts have genuine chemistry with each other. Not saying CocoNuts wouldn't have been even better, but honestly if the fairies were just explicitly high school students, I wouldn't even care.
I should probably also bring up the spilled milk in the room. Like with every other Precure series, we get a new fairy halfway through the season, and this series' third fairy, Milk, may just be one of the most hated Precure characters period, and it's not hard to see why. Milk's debut episode echoes the debut of Chibiusa from Sailor Moon in a lot of ways, she suddenly shows up, terrorizes poor Nozomi, fauns over Coco and Nuts, and claims she's better than everyone. However, despite all that, I don't hate Milk. It helps that Chibiusa slowly became one of my favorite Sailor Moon characters, so I've learned not to judge solely by first impressions. But also, selfish gremlin Milk was executed way better than selfish gremlin Chibiusa was. Milk's antics are often a bit more grounded than Chibiusa's (rather than pulling out a gun, she accidentally commits fraud, which is way funnier), her traumatic past is revealed really early on rather than withheld until it's too late for you to care, Milk doesn't get away with everything and is usually scolded by Coco and Nuts, and most of all, it never feels like the show is saying "But Milk is Nozomi's daughter so you have to like her!". While a massive nuisance at first, Milk is able to remain fairly enjoyably selfish as she slowly mellows out throughout the course of the season.
As far as presentation goes, though, Yes Precure 5 honestly kinda feels like a step down. Splash Star was such a treat for the eyes, with clean lineart, stunning vistas, and fluid action scenes especially near the end. Yes 5 doesn't quite have that. The character designs can often feel a bit off-model (especially Cure Mint, poor thing), the animations can feel unnatural and janky at points, and all the genuinely impressive bits of action are bogged down by like a dozen transformation sequences back-to-back-to-back. Yes 5 also tries to go for a bit of a painterly style, with its backgrounds being flat and drawn, and each episode ending with a sketched version of the final frame. Neat idea, but it doesn't quite work in practice because it makes the world the characters are inhabiting feel less natural. In Splash Star, the beach town felt like a real place and as if it was a character in and of itself. Yes 5 feels like it takes place in some weird magical girl void by comparison. In addition, the music is a bit weaker, and the opening and ending themes don't really impressive. As a whole, the show still looks mostly fine but it's definitely the least impressive looking Precure show so far.
Highlights:
Big Crisis! The Nightmarish Invitation/The Five Girls' New Power (episodes 23-24): As I mentioned, I really liked the midseason ending arc, a tense two-parter episode where the group gets into a fight, faces their worse nightmares, and Milk actually apologizes (and only three episodes after her debut too, take that Chibiusa). I loved how surprisingly creepy this episode was, from the aforementioned nightmares to those damn masks, but the team manages to come away with a stronger bond than ever.
Big Scoop! Exclusive Coverage On Pretty Cure 5 (episode 33): While this show is a bit weak on side characters, Masuko Mika is an absolute gem. A great agent of chaos who gives off Aya Shameimaru vibes in the best way possible, and yet, her character arc was also impeccably executed. After spending so much of the show as a comic relief, this episode reveals her biased articles led to most of her friends leaving her, which instantly turns her into a more tragic figure. And it only took Mika realizing what she did wrong to finally get to interview Precure, ending her arc on the perfect note.
Protect Milk! White Knight Karen (episode 34): Horseback sword fight, enough said.
Take Back The Dream Collet (episode 47): Despair wins. I absolutely loved how dramatic those last five minutes were. Milk getting the mask put on her may have just been the prettiest shot in an otherwise unimpressive-looking show, and the twist that the entire Pinky hunt has been for nothing was shockingly cruel.
Hope Vs Despair, The Final Showdown (episode 48): This may not have been the final battle, but this episode had the true emotional climaxes to Yes 5. First, there's the Cures telling each other their dreams for the future, capping off almost all of their character arcs in one fell swoop. I love this trend of having the Cures talk about what they want to do after the final battle, but this was easily the best example of it for its impact on the characters. And then Coco and Nuts do the same thing, when they learn all the Nightmare workers were also fairies (a great twist by the way), and give a very passionate apology. Hope wins.
Pretty Cure 5 Of Hopes And Dreams (episode 49): Leave it to Precure to once again save the best fight for the end. The choreography and editing is far tighter in the fight with Desperaia's shadows than in any other Yes5 episode. Otherwise, this is a solid finale, even Desperaia feels a bit too much like Nehellenia from Sailor Moon (though far less villainous), and I really like how realistic the ending is. The Cures don't immediately achieve their dreams, sometimes they even face setbacks, but they have each other and will keep trying until they make it.
Overall, while the overall plot isn't super interesting, the visuals are unpolished, the romance is iffy, and overall it just doesn't reach the heights of Splash Star or even Futari, I had a fun time with Yes Precure 5. It's a strong character-driven Precure with satisfying arcs and cast members you want to see hang out, and stays consistently enjoyable throughout. And the whole hope vs despair thing definitely appeals to the Madoka fan in me.
3/5 Stars
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