Oh my god, it's here. Okay, so, if you remember at the start of my Futari review, I said that I was really excited to get to "the mermaid one". Well, this is it. Tropical Rouge was what got me interested in Precure to begin with, all thanks to a silly Youtube video called Mermaid Monopoly Monday. I was already considering diving into it as a magical girl fan but the sheer scale of the franchise felt intimidating. But this silly one-minute video showed off just how charming and expressive the character animation in Precure could get, and I was immediately hooked. So, did Tropical Rouge Precure live up to that first impression? Oh hell yeah.
Tropical Rouge Precure is about Manatsu Natsuumi traveling to a tropical city to the first time only to run into a mermaid named Laura, who chooses her and her new friends to become Precures and fight the evil Witch Of Procrastination. Like with Maho Girls and Star Twinkle, this is a more fantastical season of the series, but I think TroPre is far better executed. Instead of having a more slice of life second half, this season starts off pretty slow-paced, with the full scope of the villains' plan not becoming truly apparent until past the halfway point. I much prefer this kind of slow plot escalation, and it allows you to endear yourself to the cast before things start to get a bit more emotional once the memory machine comes in. Don't get me wrong, though, Tropical Rouge is above all a comedy, and probably the best in the franchise at that. This season is so energetic and fast-paced, the jokes don't stop coming and the combination of the exaggerated animation and outlandish situations the characters get into make for a truly fun ride. But the best thing is that Tropical Rouge has a great central premise in the Cures and Laura forming a club (called the Tropical Club) that helps other students of the school with odd tasks. Every good sitcom needs that solid core premise to sustain its length and serve as a jumping-off point for fun and memorable comedic one-offs, and the Tropical Club serves that purpose wonderfully. It also helps that unlike in Smile where the plot felt like an afterthought, Tropical Rouge's plot still isn't bad, just simpler and in the background to facilitate the comedy.
Like in Star Twinkle, Manatsu and Laura are very much the main protagonists to the point where the other Cures are basically side characters. Unlike that season, though, I don't mind because Manatsu and Laura are awesome. Manatsu is a bundle of energy even by lead standards, so energetic that it completely doubles back around to being hilarious, and Laura is a charismatic and lovably prideful character who easily ranks as one of the best Cures in the franchise. Manatsu and Laura's dynamic is an absolute joy to watch, and are truly the heart of the show. Laura in particular reminds me a lot of Nano from Nichijou in a way. She spends the first third of the series as solely a mermaid and her possible interactions with the cast are somewhat limited, so when she becomes a Cure and gains legs, allowing her to attend school and be a proper member of the Tropical Club, it feels really big. While the other three Cures get less focus, they're all great in their own right. Sango is a much-needed straight man of the cast almost as if Yui Nanase became a Cure, Minori's dorky stoicness is endearing and the way she slowly becomes livelier throughout the season is great, and Asuka... is kind just amazing all around. She's badass and prickly on the outside, but on the inside is actually really sweet and has a strong sense of justice, and her subplot is one of the best parts of the whole season. This isn't as character-driven a season as Yes 5 or Kira Kira, but each character has a central flaw that they overcome over the course of the season so there's still enough depth to them beyond their fun personalities. Laura is too arrogant, Sango is a massive doormat, Minori comes across as emotionless, Asuka has serious trust issues, etc. The side cast that populates Manatsu's new town is also pretty solid, with one of the best teacher characters in the franchise to boot. Oh, and the fairy Kururun is pretty great too, a real bundle of chaos.
In terms of its presentation, Tropical Rouge is pretty great. Befitting its tropical setting, this season is so bright and lively, with some of the most out-there character designs to date. Manatsu isn't even really a pink Cure, she's kinda pink-white-yellow-ish. The characters are so expressive which really heightens the comedy, and the action is the best it's been since Hugtto and can rival the finest the series has to offer at its absolute best. This is just a colorful, confidently directed season, which makes sense considering its director is the guy responsible for fisheye Miyuki. The music is also once again really good, Terada Shiho is really doing a fantastic job in her time as Precure composer.
Highlights:
A Slapstick School Broadcast! Echo, A Mermaid's Song (episode 13): If Frasier is any indication, radio broadcasts make for great episodes. This was the point where Tropical Rouge gets truly chaotic with its comedy, as the Tropical Club has to take over the school radio and it quickly devolves into madness, especially when Laura shows up. Speaking of her, the subplot about her singing is also pretty great, and it had a great payoff too. Also, the gag where Yukie becomes The Scream was brilliant.
Minori is Laura and Laura is Minori (episode 15): Fresh's body swap episode was one of my favorite one-offs in the series, so it made me so happy to see another one. While not quite as off the wall as that episode, this is still a really fun time that gives Minori and Laura an opportunity to bond, packs in loads of shenanigans, and kicks off Laura's desire to become a human setting up the mid-season arc.
A Mermaid's Miracle! Transform Into Cure La Mer (episode 17): Laura single-handedly escapes all on her own, admits that she likes staying with the humans, and finally becomes a Cure, solidifying her as best character. As far as mid-season arcs go, this is definitely one of the most satisfying.
Frightened Manatsu! The Seven Mysteries Of The School (episode 19): What initially started off as your standard "spooky" episode turned into one of the most surprisingly wholesome episodes in the entire franchise! Stranded in an abandoned mansion that the Cures just happen to be looking into, Elda pretends to be a haunted doll to scare Manatsu into giving her food while she waits to be rescued. However, what starts off one-sided ends up turning into the unlikely pair hitting it off and meeting every day just to chat. Manatsu just casually hanging out with one of the villains is both hilarious and surprisingly adorable, and did a good job at making me want at least Elda to get a redemption this time.
Detective Minorin! The Missing Melon Bread Case (episode 20): DETECTIVE EPISODE. Tropical Rouge really is the season that keeps on giving. While not quite as perfect as the iconic Gogo episode, Detective Minorin is still an absolute blast with all the chaos you'd expect from a Tropical Rouge episode. Minori was the obvious highlight with her personality completely changing the moment she dons those goofy detective star glasses, but I also really liked the sharp teeth gremlin drawings of all the Cures.
The Great Sakuragawa-sensei Power Up Strategy (episode 25): As I said, Saki is quite possibly the best teacher character in the series so of course her focus episode would be an absolute joy. Her klutziness leads to a lot of great physical comedy especially when she tries to act stern, and the plot of the students trying to help her make a good impression on her father is both wholesome and adorable.
Reviving A Legend! The Pretty Cure's Power-Up Makeover! (episode 29): Tanaka Yuta continues to be on another level. This episode is pretty much non-stop action as the Cures basically fight Chaos from Sonic Adventure, and it's all so fluid and dynamic, this is easily some of the smoothest animation the franchise has seen to date. Story-wise, it also introduces some extra lore like the legendary Precure, and throws in some very heartwarming Manatsu/Laura moments.
Trouble On The Train! Asuka's School Field Trip (episode 31): I loved Asuka from the start, but this episode only solidified her as one of the best characters in the show. Her whole backstory is just gut-wrenching, having her friends turn against her for trying to defend? Yeah, I'd lose trust in people too. Thankfully, Asuka and Yuriko do make some progress here, most notably when the latter realizes Asuka is a Cure. There's also a lot of fun Laura/Asuka banter here that adds some levity to an otherwise pretty serious episode.
Viva! Tropica-Shine In 10 Stories! (episode 33): Tropical Rouge at its most unhinged? No, Precure at its most unhinged. This episode is composed of a bunch of short skits and they're absolutely wild. You got Minori as narrator, Cure Kururin, Laura swapping bodies with a Yarane-da, a Jugemu Jugemu attack, a papercraft-themed animation style, Cure Limbo Dance, and of course, a crossover with the Heartcatch cast. This episode gave me everything I didn't know I wanted and then some.
A Mermaid's Memories! Reclaim The Ocean Ring (episode 37): This episode reveals the memory machine and that Laura and the Cures will forget about each other. It takes the threat of separation that was such a big part of Maho Girls and amped it up to eleven, and unlike Maho Girls' message that the worlds should and must stay separate, it's made pretty clear here that this memory machine is a bad idea. The twist that Laura and Manatsu had met but just don't remember really caught me off-guard, and adds an extra layer to their relationship.
Get The Win! Asuka's Friendship Smash (episode 38): Asuka's fantastic character arc ends on a fantastic note. The entire tennis match between Asuka and Yuriko is so good, especially as they bare their hearts out at each other more and more. Asuka admits the importance of her teammates, Yuriko admits she wants to play with Asuka again, they finally manage to talk out their incident, and of course, Yuriko tells Asuka she knows she's a Cure. Asuka and Yuriko hashing things out over a tennis game is by no means subtle, but it is the perfect way to resolve their storyline.
Invade! The Witch's Mansion In The Ocean! (episode 43): Tropical Rouge pulls a Splash Star by revealing the true villain was Butler all along. Not as shocking as the Goyan twist but still well-executed and a major turning point for the generals' redemption arcs. It was also just really fun to see the Cures running around the base like that.
Tropica-Shine! Our Now! (episode 46): The final battle wasn't anything too special this time but the actual final episode was one of the best we've had in a long time. Part of that is because the last few episodes were all building up towards this big school play that we finally get to see, and it gives this episode a strong feeling of finality. The play itself also ties into the actual storyline of Laura leaving really well, and Manatsu breaking character to beg Laura not to leave broke my heart.
But most of all, it gives the "Precure bittersweet endings" trope a big ol' fuck you by having Laura break the memory machine and properly reunite with the Cures, no time jumps needed. After so many failed attempts at making a finale that was both emotional and satisfying, it felt like Toei was able to finally have their cake and eat it too. They even saved the baton pass for the epilogue this time, so we were able to get an entire finale focused around saying goodbye to the characters. It has the vibes and cadence of a sitcom finale, and for what is essentially a magical girl sitcom, I can't imagine a more perfect ending.
Overall, Tropical Rouge may not be one of the more ambitious seasons but it knows what it wants to be and does so masterfully. Tropical Rouge is a colorful and consistently energetic comedic season with a lovable main duo and surrounding Cure team, a memorable side cast, simple but effective story, hysterical writing, and fun animation. It's not just the best season we've gotten in a long time, it's one of the best and most pure fun seasons in all of Precure.
5/5 Stars
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