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20 years of Precure is an incredible milestone, so it’s only fitting that the magical girl franchise is celebrating. To wit, we’ve seen a sequel in which the characters are all grown up, gallery exhibits, a concert, and of course, the latest main entry: Soaring Sky! Precure.
Known in Japan as Hirogaru Sky! Precure—hirogaru means “to expand or spread” and is also a pun on “hero girl”—the series stars Sora Harewataru, an aspiring hero and resident of the The magical world is called Skyland. When the king and queen’s baby, Ellee, was kidnapped by an agent of the Undergu Empire, Sora used his superhuman physical strength to pursue the culprit, but an accident forced them all to human world. Sora needs power to protect Ellee, and she soon discovers it: Ellee has the hidden ability to help create fighting magical girls called Precure.
In many ways, this isn’t unusual for the Precure, but there’s one immediately important difference: Sora Harewataru is blue.
For those unfamiliar with Precure in general, that may not seem like a big deal. However, throughout its long history, pink has been the dominant motif of all but one main character: the original from 2004, Cure Black, and she even has pink accents. . Strive for marketing or heteronormativity or whatever, but it’s standard Sora Harewataru, aka Cure Sky, challenged solely through character colors.
Coupled with his athletic tomboyish personality and desire to become a fighting hero to protect others, Sora feels both a return to the Precure’s roots and a step into uncharted territory. Her presence is a signal that the Sky soars high! breaking every rule of what a Precure is supposed to be like, and as more Precure join the group, other “expected standards” begin to fall like dominoes. Why does the pink-haired girl have to play the main role? Why can’t a boy become a Precure? Why can’t adults? The habit of asking yourself and your audience “Why?” became the central theme of the series.
Soaring sky! is conceptually one of the strongest in the series and it largely succeeds in its execution. All of the characters feel very distinct and memorable, and not just because they deviate from established norms. Whether it’s the gorgeous and personality-filled transformations or the interactions, they all feel recognized as unique individuals. One of my favorite early moments is when Sora goes to study in Japan for the first time and screams with excitement, “YES! I AM VERY VERY LIGHT!” despite being a very outspoken person who also happens to break every school sports record (and can smash rocks with his fists).
The villains finally get a lot more depth than in many previous entries, with some of the most interesting arcs given to them across Precure. Even the final boss is developed more than usual. And one of the biggest potential downsides, the constant presence of the baby, turns out to be one of the movie’s strengths.
That said, at times it can feel like some characters don’t get enough attention. The way the show depicts the aforementioned adult Precure, Cure Butterfly, often feels like the creators weren’t entirely sure how they wanted to convey her relative maturity to a young audience. In her better moments, she’s shown to offer a perspective that her younger teammates lack, but she often seems aloof. Compared to The Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom, Butterfly feels a bit depressing, although I wonder if that’s the difference between trying to write a mature character for children and writing one for adults or not.
Soarin’Sky Precure’s highs are (appropriately) high, but the show can be a bit too meandering and it doesn’t live up to its full potential in any case. Still, the show is trying to do a lot, and it does so by refusing to limit the Precure’s abilities. As the film moves from beginning to end, it asks why “the way things are” can’t change for the better and why we can’t be the ones to accept the possibility of a future. brighter.