March 7, 2024, marked the 32nd anniversary of the original Sailor Moon anime series by Toei Animation. Takashi Washio, an animation producer at Toei, has recently commented on the current state of the magic girl genre and how much it has changed decades after Sailor Moon first aired on screens.
Washio, perhaps best known as the "Father of Pretty Cure," was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Chuo Koron for his influential work on Toei’s ongoing magical girl series. In particular, Washio was asked about Futari wa Pretty Cure, the first Pretty Cure anime series that kicked off the franchise. Pretty Cure (PreCure) stood out from typical magical girl anime series at the time because Misumi Nagisa and Yukishiro Honoka, the two leading female protagonists, often fought their enemies in hand-to-hand combat instead of using magical items to zap them away. Additionally, PreCure avoided common genre clichés such as fairy tale imagery and romantic obsessions with boys -- or, to be more specific, an obsession with finding a "prince."
Pretty Cure's "Girls Want to be Wild" Tone Is Markedly Different From '90s Sailor Moon
As the Chuo Koron interviewer noted, the "girls want to be wild" atmosphere of Futari wa Pretty Cure was a sharp contrast to the original Sailor Moon anime, where Usagi Tsukino and the other Pretty Guardians often obsessed over boys and used primarily 'feminine' weaponry to do away with their foes. Usagi’s relationship with the mysterious and handsome Tuxedo Mask was also the backbone of the series. In his response, Washio didn’t dismiss the significance of Sailor Moon but explained why Pretty Cure went down a different path from the popular shojo series.
"It may be similar in the sense that the main character is a fighting girl," Washio said in comparing the two shows. "But because the broadcast times were different, I think the way women are perceived as characters and the main character's principles of action have changed considerably to reflect the times. In PreCure, the main focus of the story is on the girls' everyday club activities and friendships, and we intentionally avoid incorporating elements such as love or desire for marriage. Because I thought that was not their place of refuge."
PreCure Is a Physical Action-Heavy Series That Eschews Stereotypical Feminine Movements
Earlier in the interview, Washio revealed that the reason why Pretty Cure became such a physical action show was because he "wanted to do an action movie with a female protagonist." He also credited director Daisuke Nishio for the remarkable action sequences throughout the 49-episode series. PreCure's successful depiction of women being used for criticism relating to gender studies was also brought up by the interviewer and addressed by Washio. The latter said Nishio understood the concept of gender back then and utilized it, refusing to use lines such as "like a girl" or "because I’m a woman," instead animating the main duo based on real-life actions over movements traditionally associated with femininity.
2004's Futari wa Pretty Cure is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Prime Video. Wonderful Pretty Cure!, the 21st and newest installment in the Pretty Cure series as of writing, is likewise available on Crunchyroll and features a magical dog transforming into a magical girl. The original 1992-1997 Sailor Moon anime series can be viewed on Hulu, while its reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal, is available to watch on Hulu, Netflix and Crunchyroll.
Source: Chuo Koron
