[Movie Report] Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Exciting♡Great Adventure in the Game World!: A Child-Friendly Recommended Movie

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I watched "Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Exciting♡Great Adventure in the Game World!" at the movie theater. Here are my thoughts.

(The following contains spoilers)

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▶︎Conclusion

My satisfaction was high because my child enjoyed it to the fullest. This is because 1) the story was simple and easy to understand, and 2) the narrative structure, which was fully committed to being 'fun', and the use of exciting music were excellent. The direction, unique to the cinema and different from the TV show, was also sharp. It was content that made me think, this is how a movie watched with children should be.

▶︎Synopsis

In short, they enter the game world -> Komugi and Yuki go to rescue Iroha and Mayu who have been captured -> they defeat the boss and exit the game world -> the boss appears in the real world too -> they defeat it and everyone is happy, that's it.

▶︎Good Points

✔️Easy-to-understand story

Throughout the whole thing, it felt like it was fully committed to being 'fun'. Also, the story is simple. I think this is the best level for a children's movie. Otherwise, children wouldn't be able to follow the plot development.

The previous work, 'Precure All Stars F the Movie', had meta content, so it was complex even for adults to watch, and incomprehensible for children. If the target audience for 'F' was 45% children and 55% adults, I felt this work was 95% children and 5% adults.

The story of this work was simple. However, 1) character designs using CG, 2) the appearance of Precure from two past works, and 3) the ability to have fun cheering with the 'Glowing! Friend Ring' ensured that the special feeling of a movie was guaranteed.

✔️ Precise use of music

The use of music was precise throughout, and the way songs were used to build excitement was skillful. My child said, 'I wanted to dance during the beanbag toss scene (where the music played).' Also, during the music game battle, it seemed so fun that my child stood up from their seat and danced.

The scene in the second half where Komugi runs endlessly also used music effectively to build excitement, and it made me tear up just a little. Scenes of someone running with all their might always evoke emotion (like in 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' or 'Your Name.').

Also, I had no issues with the voice acting. In particular, Ponta and Pokota, played by guest voice actors Jaru Jaru. They weren't particularly good, but they weren't bad either. They strangely fit the character perception of Ponta and Pokota. Additionally, the casting of Kana Hanazawa as Natsuki and Kenta Miyake as Mujina provided a sense of stability.

✔️ Crossover of three works

A feature of this work is the participation of 'Witchy Precure!' and 'Soaring Sky! Precure'. Since I watched almost every episode of Sky, I was happy to see the battle scenes and such again at high volume.

Furthermore, it has been decided that 'Witchy Precure!! ~MIRAI DAYS~', the sequel to 'Witchy Precure', will be broadcast starting at 2:00 AM on January 11, 2025 (Reference).

I speculate that 'Witchy' was chosen for 1) promotion of the sequel and 2) the presence of the bear animal character Mofurun, while 'Soaring Sky' was chosen for 1) being the previous Precure series and 2) the presence of the bird animal character Tsubasa.

▶︎ Points that were not good

✔️ Inexplicable final battle scenario

When Mujina appears in the real world, he attacks in the form of a wolf? or fox? Was it necessary to change his form?Since he is a 'Mujina' (badger), wouldn't it have been fine to stay in his tanuki form until the end?

Also, I did not understand the reason why Mujina came out into the real world to attack. Mujina is programmed data based on a wild tanuki that Natsuki was friends with in the past. Why would that data come looking for Natsuki? Did he just want to meet the real Natsuki? If so, was it necessary to destroy the city...?

And the final battle scene is at Yokohama Minato Mirai, a tradition for Precure. When Mujina suddenly crashed into the Red Brick Warehouse, it felt incredibly abrupt (though children probably wouldn't think anything of it). Considering a child-first approach, was it even necessary to fight in Minato Mirai? (Adult circumstances?)

▶︎ Other observations

・The scene at the beginning of the story where an egg is born from a digital screen immediately reminded me of Digimon. Perhaps this is the influence of the director, Naoki Miyahara, who served as the chief animation director for 'Digimon Adventure'.

・It felt somewhat inefficient and laid-back that Komugi and Yuki would seriously accept the game challenges set by Ponta and Pokota in order to save Itsuki and Mayu.

▶︎ Lessons and takeaways

I took the message of the story to be, as stated in the final line, 'When you are happy, be happy together; when you are sad, be sad together. It's not just words; feelings are understood. It is important to care and to believe.'

However, this film goes all-in on being "fun," and because the story is simple and straightforward, there wasn't really anything to be gained in terms of insights. It felt like watching a longer version of the Sunday morning Precure show. My impression stopped at, "It was good because the kids seemed to enjoy it."

Adults' impressions don't really matter. As long as the children enjoy it, I think the movie's purpose has been fully achieved.

▶︎Summary

What did you think? Compared to "Precure All Stars F," the story was concise, and the structure, which went all-in on being "fun", was child-friendly and good. Also, the use of music was skillful, and it was great that the children were also grooving along while watching. It is a recommended movie in terms of being something you can "enjoy" with peace of mind. I thought, this is how children's movies should be.

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