Plot-wise, Smile Precure doesn't really have much of any. The Cures have to stop a group of villains from resurrecting the evil Pierrot and giving the world a Bad End (as in the opposite of a happy ending in a fairy tale), all the while looking for Cure Decors. That's really it, though, there aren't any twists, story arcs, or additional developments (outside of a brief two-parter that just kinda rips off the Yes 5 midseason finale). It can feel pretty repetitive especially as the show nears its end, as Smile spends much of its length just buying time until the big mid-season and season finales, the former of which pretty much just resets the status quo entirely once it's over, and the latter of which rushes through everything. As a matter of fact, it feels like the show rushes through anything even the slightest bit plot-important, since the first few episodes also really rushed through introducing the cast. However, I will say that I quite like the villain lineup this time. They're all memorable and fun, managing to toe the line between goofy and menacing incredibly well.
So what fills in the space between the start, middle, and end of Smile? Comedy. Pure comedy. Remember how I praised those weird experimental episodes that Gogo had? Well, Smile is pretty much nothing but weird and experimental episodes. You got fairy tales, robots, shrinking, mermaids, body swapping, the Cures getting turned into fairies, age regression, ghosts, board games, turning invisible, movies, it's easily the most creative lineup of standalones to date. Once it gets going, Smile is definitely the funniest Precure show so far, consistently tossing out gag after gag at an impressive rate. Of course, since Smile relies so heavily on its standalones, that does mean there are some misses every once in a while. But when Smile hits, it hits. Unlike Gogo where there were really just two super noteworthy episodes, Smile has far more classic Precure episodes that stick out in my head.
Thankfully, Smile isn't solely comedic episodes. Taking cues from its spiritual predecessor Yes 5, Smile tries to have some character-driven elements, with several episodes focusing on peeling back the layers on its cast to reveal what makes them tick. And when they do that, it's usually fantastic. Between Yayoi dealing with her father's death, Reika struggling with her path in life, Nao's fierce protection for her siblings, and the reasoning behind Miyuki's love for fairy tales, Smile can be at its best when it's character-driven. The highlight of the entire season for me was that stretch of episodes near the end where each character gets an episode to cap off their arc, it truly makes the show for me and I don't think I'd like Smile as much if it didn't exist. I also quite like Smile's cast overall, they're all fun characters with strong chemistry, and Yayoi and Reika in particular are some of my new favorites. Just a shame I found the fairy Candy to be really annoying, her brother Pop was way more likable even if he didn't appear as often.
Smile is also absolutely fantastic on an animation level. While not nearly as exaggerated as Heartcatch, Smile's artstyle feels cut from a lot of the same cloth, with thick character outlines, bold colors, and dynamic posing. The animation can be incredibly fluid for the most unnecessary scenes, and the action is pretty consistently solid. Like in the last two shows, the transformation sequences and attacks are also really great. I love Cure Peace briefly shocking herself with her own attack, and that huge explosion at the end of Cure Sunny's transformation. There's so many little details that didn't need to be there, but it really heightens the show for me. I also have to shout out the new animation style for the CGI ending, which gives all the characters thick lines and more cartoonish expressions. It was a bit of a shock at first and I don't think the style has really been perfected yet, but there's a lot of room to grow.
Highlights:
Thank You Paper! Yayoi's Treasure (episode 19): What can I really say about this one that hasn't already been said. It's a surprising shift in tone for the series, as Yayoi spends the episode dealing with trying to remember her dad that passed away when she was very little. It's a solid candidate for most emotional episode in the series, though I wouldn't quite go that far...
What Is The Most Important Thing? (episode 22): While I've voiced my criticisms of Smile's plot, I will admit that the midseason arc is pretty alright. The fight between the Cures and Joker in this episode in particular might just be the best in the series, and the ending where Joker manages to get the last bits of dark energy out of the Cures themselves is genuinely chilling. I shouldn't have been surprised that this was yet another Tanaka Yuta episode.
Yayoi, Protect The Earth! A Pretty Cure Has Become A Robot?! (episode 35): I just... how do you even think of this? All-timer comedic Precure episode.
Hot-Blooded! Akane's First Love Life?! (episode 36): Tanaka Yuta never misses! This may very well be the first Precure romance I have zero issues with. Akane and Brian have really great chemistry, the latter being an absolutely adorable dork of a character elevated by some really great voice acting, and it tells a good story about grappling with one's romantic feelings. But most of all, the direction is on point. The action is stellar, the visuals are stunning, that final chase was great, and that long shot of Akane running might be one of my favorite shots in a Precure episode. Somehow, Smile managed to write a more compelling romance in a single episode than both Futari and Yes 5 could over the course of four seasons. Good job!
Hustling Nao! The Pretty Cure Becomes Kids (episode 38): One of my least favorite tropes is "the whole cast turns into kids", so I was kinda surprised with how fun I found this one. The chibi kid designs for all the Cures is genuinely adorable, the scenes where they hang out with Wolfurun and Akaoni were hilarious, the Cures's attacks failing was brilliant, and Paperockssors. Just paperockssors.
Protect It! Nao's Precious Bonds With Family (episode 42): Out of those final five character development episodes, Nao's episode had to have been my favorite. This has to be one of the most intense, stressful, and emotionally exhausting episodes I've ever seen in a Precure show. The moment two of Nao's siblings run off to look for apples, I immediately got on-edge, and yet things kept getting worse as Nao has to reveal her identity to her siblings, she has to fight Majorina with her kids in the arena, and most crushingly of all, Nao is left thinking all her siblings died. Marine Inoue freaking killed it with Nao's voice acting too, especially when she broke down in the end.
Reika's Path! I Will Go Abroad For Studies (episode 43): TANAKA. YUTA. NEVER. MISSES. This totally could've been a fairly grounded episode, but the trippy presentation, high emotions, and that show-stopping fight between Cure Beauty and Joker made for a truly standout episode.
The Worst Ending?! Bad End Pretty Cure (episode 46): As rushed as it is, the final arc of Smile is kinda really fun. The last episode for the Generals was really sweet, and while the Bad End Precures were a really cool concept only used as a one-off villain, I can't deny that their fights with the Cures were insanely entertaining. I like that Smile differentiates itself from the Yes 5 movie by making the dark Cures these gloriously unsympathetic little gremlins. They pull so many cheap tricks and so visibly enjoy being awful villains that they're a joy to watch. Also, holy shit, Joker is one of the best and creepiest Precure villains ever.
To A Future Sparkling With Light! Deliver It! The Highest Smile (episode 48): This was so close to being one of the best, most emotional Precure finales to date! They finally made a Cure-fairy separation as heartbreaking as Futari's midseason finale, the entire episode was this super dramatic tearjerker of an ending... that all happens to be undercut by Candy suddenly returning in the stinger with no explanation as to how. Goddamn it...
Overall, it took me a while to really figure out what I thought of Smile Precure. But you know what? I liked it. I liked it a lot. While the plot is lacking and kinda repetitive at points, I really came around to loving the strong characters by the end of the series thanks to a selection of hilarious comedic episodes and compelling character-driven ones. It's not one of my favorite Precure shows, but it's one I'm sure I'll look back on pretty fondly.
4/5 Stars
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