Healin' Good suffered the awful fate of having come out in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. Precure is a yearly show with an episode releasing every week, so I'm sure you can imagine that this had to have been incredibly destructive at Toei, leaving Healin Good with a lower episode count than usual. But despite that development hell, Healin' Good somehow turned out pretty good. As a matter of fact, it's one of the better seasons in quite a while.
Healin Good Precure is about Nodoka Hanadera, a girl who spent the last few years sick and bed-ridden, recently moving to a beach town called Sukoyaka. When the evil virus Byo-gens start infecting the Healing Garden that's responsible for keeping the Earth healthy, four mascots are sent to Sukoyaka to find people to become Cures/doctors that can stop them. You know how this goes by now, Nodoka and her new friends become Cures and fight against the Byo-gens. This is just an amazing set-up for a Precure show, hitting all the right notes for me. The beach town setting feels like it harkens back to Splash Star and its themes of nature in all the best ways, though I don't think it's quite as memorable. Healin Good spent a bit more time telling us how tightly-knit its town is rather than actively showing us, though there's also a Masuko Mika clone so I can't complain about the side cast too much. Nodoka is hands down the best pink Cure to date, better than even Haruka. The fact that she's physically weak adds a new layer to her being a Cure, her selfless nature is explored far more than similar pinks like Mana, and and her more calm and comforting personality is a breath of fresh air (also she's voiced by Madoka freaking Kaname). Pink Cures tend to get excited over everything but it just hits different with Nodoka because it's something she likely never got to experience as a kid, her excitement feels genuine and heartwarming. And the Byo-gens are fantastic villains, genuinely scary and intimidating from how visibly destructive they are. I wouldn't even call Healin Good one of the darker shows, but there's something far more visceral and real seeing victims get flat-out infected rather than possessed or locked up like usual.
Okay, now that we got the basic plot out of the way, I need to talk about the elephant in the room: Nodoka and Daruizen. This is easily one of the most controversial storylines in any Precure show period, and it's probably also one of my favorites. So unlike the other antagonists, Daruizen has had a particular interest in Nodoka from the start. At first, it's a pretty standard rivalry, with some viewers even picking up on a bit of ship tease as well, but then we learn that Daruizen was the virus that crippled Nodoka as a child, which puts all of his prior actions into a haunting new context. From the very start, Daruizen had only ever used and taken advantage of Nodoka, so when circumstances change and the virus runs over to Nodoka for protection, she refuses to offer it and kills him. No forgiveness, no redemption. This is a great storyline. For starters, it's a response to the divisive redemption that capped off Star Twinkle, giving kids the very important message that some people are just lost causes. It also gives a great message about prioritizing keeping yourself safe, which was especially relevant when the season aired in 2020.
But most impressive of all, this is one of the most surprisingly mature stories about abuse that I've seen in a TV show, let alone one for kids. Daruizen is an abuser, it's blatantly framed as such. He only ever wants to infect Nodoka, sometimes he forcedly does so, and calls her selfish when she refuses. That's abuse, no sugar-coating it. Nodoka's decision to stand up to Daruizen is given the gravity it deserves, and she's depicted as 100% in the right for defending herself. Some fans think Daruizen deserves redemption just because he's cute or because he's "an interesting character", but that just aids Healin Good's point. Attractive abusers get off easily, Daruizen being fun to watch doesn't mean he's not a total piece of shit. You can enjoy a character and acknowledge that they don't deserve a happy endng. Nodoka did nothing wrong by standing up for herself and Healin Good's unwillingness to give Daruizen any sort of slack is what makes this storyline work so well. As a matter of fact, the fact that some called Nodoka selfish for defending herself is why this storyline is so important to begin with. I feel like kids shows struggle with abuse-related plotlines, there's actually been a surprising amount of them lately but they can often feel watered down or muddled, even ones I've otherwise praised like Lapis Lazuli or Catra. Healin Good doesn't have to water anything down because kids can focus on the virus metaphor while adults can pick up on some of that more mature subtext, and yet it all leads to the same core takeaway: It's okay and important to prioritize your own health and well-being. It's a stroke of genius, and a true showcase of Precure's prowess at delivering important and mature messages when it tries. After all my gripes with how Star Twinkle tackled its own themes (and to a lesser extent Hugtto's commitment issues), this is one hell of a turnaround.
So yeah, I just ranted for two paragraphs about a single storyline because Nodoka's arc really is that amazing, but how's the rest of Healin Good? I mean, it's pretty alright. For starters, most of the rest of the cast is great. Chiyu is pretty unique for a blue Cure since she's both smart and athletic, and the show focuses a lot on her doubts and drive to surpass herself giving her a bit more depth than the usual athletes. I find it funny that the Precure show about doctors breaks the trend of the blue Cure wanting to be a doctor. Also, her love for puns is absolutely adorable. Hinata is such a treasure and is easily my second favorite behind Nodoka. She's so fun and energetic, and her struggles with her self-esteem and what can only be described as ADHD are super compelling. And oh my god, the fairies are remarkable this time around. I was never big on each Cure getting their own fairies, but Healin Good proved that it's all in the execution. Not only does each fairy have adorable animal-like designs, but they have their own unique personalities and arcs that parallel that of their assigned Cures perfectly. Unlike in something like Doki Doki, the fairies feel like their own characters with their own wants, desires, and relationships with their respective Cures. They don't just feel secondary to the Cures, they're as important as they are. That's one of the best things about Healin Good, really. It's simple from a plot standpoint but it's so character-driven. Not in a development standpoint like Yes 5 and Kira Kira, but how focused it is on developing the bonds between the cast as much as possible.
However, Healin Good isn't a perfect show, and I think a big part of that is sadly the pandemic. The first eleven episodes of Healin Good are pretty much perfect, but post-hiatus, it felt like the quality of the standalone episodes kinda dropped off. It's noticeable some stuff had to get cut, most notably when the ending arc kinda just... starts, and you can tell the crew weren't able to truly make this season as good as they wanted to. But the biggest issue with Healin Good hands down is the sixth ranger, Asumi aka Cure Earth. Asumi is basically just Shiny Luminous again, a character who was literally born yesterday and thus has zero defined personality (and it doesn't help that most of her development episodes were seemingly cut). Thankfully, she doesn't take over the show like Hikari did, but she's still a pretty big black mark on the season. But despite it all, the production as a whole is still pretty great, with beautiful art and lighting effects, decently entertaining fight scenes, and great comedic gags. The music is also a massive improvement over the last few seasons. Shiho Terada is the new composer this time and I much prefer her orchestral style to that of Hayashi, it just fits Precure more. And of course, the mark of any great Precure show: The ending themes are absolute bangers.
Highlights:
No Longer Partners!? I Guess I'm No Good? (episode 2): This episode kinda stunned me with how good it was so early on in the show. I love how since the first episode was so focused on setting the stage, we got one extra episode before the other two Cures showed up to really develop Nodoka and Rabirin as characters. There's a nice blend of comedy (Nodoka sucking at sports) and drama (Rabirin wanting a new partner) all culminating in a fantastic scene where Nodoka opens up to Rabirin about her past sickness and why she cares so much.
Awkward Day At The Aquarium! We're All So Different (episode 5): Funnily enough, Pegitan seems to get a lot of the best one-off episodes. Having him get chased around an aquarium is a stroke of genius, and having it happen while a Byogen is around turns the episode into a surprisingly tense madcap chase.
Emergency Treatment! There's Multiple Megabyogen!? (episode 10): What started as a cute homage to one of Futari's most iconic episodes ended up becoming one of the most stressful episodes in the franchise as the Byogens throw multiple Megabyogens and leave the Cures spread way too thin. The episode following this one was great too, but it couldn't match how anxiety-inducing this one was.
Protect Latte...! The Wind of Prayers and The Girl of Miracles (episode 19): Look, I love Doki Doki Precure, but this...this is how you introduce your mid-season Cure out of nowhere. This episode managed to give the initially mute Latte a genuinely fantastic character arc where she feels she hasn't been able to contribute anything, culminating in the incredibly tense scene where Latte tries to attack a Byogen herself. And through the combination of the lovely music and fluid animation, Cure Earth showing up felt like a comforting sigh of relief (compared to Cure Ace's debut which felt more like a wtf moment). Shame she turned out to be an absolute bore of a character.
In Pain Again!? Daruizen, Are You? (episode 28): The previous episode had what is one of the darkest endings I've ever seen in a Precure episode, right up there with Ruru shutting down. After an otherwise pretty standard Asumi episode, Nodoka runs into Daruizen in the park who proceeds to stab her with a Mega Part. This episode deals with the consequences and it's heartwrenching, as Nodoka gets sick again and realizes Daruizen is responsible for her sickness as a child (seriously, how could you defend him after that?), Nodoka's parents of course have to deal with a relapse scare, and Rabirin has an absolutely crushing breakdown. Fuck Daruizen.
A Reunion Full Of Memories! The Gift My Past Self Left Behind (episode 33): Once again, Nodoka gets the best episodes. Her doctor revealing he quit because he couldn't figure out her disease was a pretty big gut punch, and it led to Nodoka having to figure out how to tell him without saying anything about what really happened. That's kind of the hidden tragedy there, Nodoka now knows why she got sick but she can't tell anyone of the people who are worried sick about her.
The Birth of Hinata's Regrets! King Guaiwaru (episode 40): Healin Good may not all have been perfect but damn, did it stick the landing with a lengthy but very satisfying final arc that resolves most of the character arcs and villain storylines really well. This is Hinata's big episode, where she breaks down about her rashness only for all her friends to declare that it's what they love about her. Not to mention Guaiwaru taking over as king and storming the town, as the Cures head off to save it.
Nodoka's Choice! Something To Protect (episode 42): Nodoka did nothing wrong. Daruizen did not deserve her help. Nodoka is not selfish for prioritizing her own self-being. Her decision is perfectly valid. She is not acting out of character, it's her growing as a person. And Rabirin is based for encouraging Nodoka to stand up for her self. This is one of the best and most important episodes in all of Precure. All of Healin Good was worth it for this one episode.
Let's Heal It Together!! For A Healthy Future (Healin Good 44): As far as the token sad Precure goodbye goes, this was definitely one of the best. Part of it is that you really come to get to care for the fairies this season, but it also helped that the goodbye itself was so mature and subdued (looking at you, Smile) and the brief appearance of the first ending theme only helped things. On top of that, the citizens learning about the Cures' identities but keeping it a secret for them was a nice twist, and the final battle itself had some pretty sick sakuga to end the series on a nice note. The actual final episode didn't really contribute much though it was pretty cute and inoffensive, and Cure Summer may have beat out Ichika and Nodoka's baton passes in how silly it was. Can't wait for Tropical Rouge!
Healin Good Precure didn't escape from the pandemic unscathed, some elements definitely felt under-developed because of it, but it can be understated how impressive it is that it not only survived but was actually still pretty good. Its refreshingly back-to-basics approach lets it really focus on the characters, the villains are intimidating, and it manages to tackle some truly dark subject matter perfectly, making it both digestible for kids without watering anything down. While the cracks from the pandemic do show at times, it's just a damn solid Precure season through and through.
4/5 Stars
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