Prétear


Prétear, also called Prétear - The New Legend of Snow White, is a manga series written by Junichi Sato and illustrated by Kaori Naruse. Spanning four volumes, the manga series was originally published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten from May 2000 to July 2001, and published in English in North America by ADV Manga.
The series was adapted into a thirteen episode anime series by Hal Film Maker, Kadokawa Shoten, and Rondo Robe, and aired in Japan on WOWOW from April 4, 2001, to June 27, 2001. Geneon, now NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, released the series' episodes across four volumes in Japan on both VHS and DVD, with ADV Films licensing and releasing it.

Plot

High school student Himeno Awayuki is trying to adjust to her new life after her widowed father remarries the wealthy widow Natsue. While taking a shortcut to school, she encounters Hayate, the Knight of Wind, and gets into an argument with him; she attempts to punch him, but he blocks her hand, causing a powerful light to appear. She later meets the other Leafe Knights, who tell her that the red snow that has been recently falling in town is caused by the Princess of Disaster, who is awakening and using demon larva to absorb Leafe, the essence of all life. They ask Himeno to become the Prétear and help them protect the world, but she is initially reluctant, believing they are trying to play a trick on her. However, when a larva attacks them and begins to steal Leafe, she agrees to help and merges with Hayate to become the Wind Prétear. After adjusting to her new powers, she is able to defeat the larva.
As the series progresses, Himeno falls in love with Hayate, who is initially distant and refuses to acknowledge her as the Prétear. Eventually, she learns the Princess of Disaster was once a girl named Takako, who was the previous Prétear and did not enjoy fighting. She also fell in love with Hayate, and when he could not return her feelings, her anguish caused her powers to turn to evil, turning her into the Princess of Disaster.
Mawata, one of Himeno's stepsisters, who has been overwhelmed with grief since her father's death and has distanced herself from her family, temporarily bonds with Himeno over their shared feelings, but is hurt when she sees Himeno with Hayate. Mawata is in love with Sasame, but when it is revealed that he is in love with Takako, he leaves his position as a Leafe Knight and joins her to become her Knight of Darkness. Takako uses Mawata's love for Sasame to hurt her so that she can use her to fuel the Great Tree of Fenrir.
As the city is overrun by the Great Tree, Himeno reveals her status and powers as the Prétear to her family and begs them to flee while she rescues Mawata. However, they refuse to leave Mawata behind and put themselves in danger to save her. Hayate and Sasame engage in a fight to the death while Himeno climbs the Great Tree of Fenrir and Himeno's family begins to attack the bubble holding Mawata. Himeno continues up the Tree to confront the Princess of Disaster. Mawata is freed and safe in the arms of her family, but Takako does not want her to go and desperately calls for Sasame, who appears after defeating Hayate. Fenrir asks Sasame to kill both Hayate and Himeno, but Himeno convinces him not to. Believing that not even Sasame loves her, Takako tries to kill herself, but he shields her and dies, causing her to return to her true self after realizing that she loves Sasame as well. Out of control, the Tree captures Takako and Hayate sacrifices himself to protect Himeno as she tries to save her.
To stop the Tree, Himeno becomes the legendary White Prétear and pours out a massive amount of Leafe, which restores the town, heals the Leafe Knights, and revives Sasame and Hayate. Hayate awakens to find the others crying over Himeno's lifeless body, but she is revived after he kisses her. At the end of the series, Himeno and Hayate are a couple, Himeno and her family are closer, and Mawata and Takako and Sasame are happier.

Characters

Awayuki family

Leafe Knights

Other characters

Demons

Forces of darkness eventually controlled by Fenrir that seek to drain the Leafe out of other life forms, similar to parasites. Although this is instantaneous toward plant life, more complicated organisms such as animals take longer to drain.
  • Demon Larvae: Appear throughout the series starting in episode 1. They have the power of environmental merging and changing their size.
  • Water Demon: Appears in episodes 1 and 2. It has a body made of water with tentacles coming out of it.
  • Trash Demon: Appears in episode 2. It has two heads and a thick turtle shell.
  • Bicycle Demon: Appears in episode 3. It has detached body parts with tentacles coming out of them.
  • Soil Demon: Appears in episode 4. It has the power to jump high.
  • Transport Demons: Appear throughout the series starting in episode 5. They have the power of flight, and in episode 11 one was shown to be capable of growing in size.
  • Electric Demon: Appears in episode 5. It has the power to conduct electricity with its head bulb.
  • Building Demon: Appears in episodes 6, 7, and 8. It has the power to phase through matter, burrow, spawn decoys, and fire a purple energy beam from its top.
  • Great Tree of Fenrir: Appears in episodes 11, 12, and 13. Powers include large destructive vines, size growth, regeneration, and spawning demon larvae.

    Production

Anime director Junichi Satou created Prétear out of his desire to work on a series for women that featured good-looking boys. Wanting to base the story on a fairy tale, he asked himself what Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be like if the dwarfs were replaced with cute guys. As the story took shape, Leafe became the symbol of the apple in the story, as it pass on its life force to others, like a regular apple when eaten, or take away life, as the poison apple did in the original story. Feeling that the concept of a woman being rescued by "Prince Charming" was old-fashioned and not fitting with modern girls, he decided to make Prétear's "Snow White", Himeno, a more assertive woman.
Though an anime director himself, Satou did not direct the anime adaptation of Prétear. Kiyoko Sayama directed the series, while Satou provided consultation and checked the scripts and storyboards before they were animated. The anime characters were designed by Akemi Kobayashi, who made changes to the characters for the new story. For example, Hayate's anime version has longer hair tied in a ponytail, while in the manga, Hayate had cut off his longer hair before the start. The design of Kei is the most drastically changed in the adaptation, with the anime version bearing little resemblance to the original.

Media

Manga

Written by Junichi Satou and illustrated by Kaori Naruse, the Prétear manga series was published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten. The first volume was released on June 1, 2000, and the fourth and final volume was released on July 21, 2001. All four volumes have been published in English in North America by ADV Manga.

Volume list

Anime

, Kadokawa Shoten, and Rondo Robe collaborated to adapt the manga chapters into an anime series that premiered in Japan on WOWOW on April 4, 2001, and ran for 13 episodes until June 27, 2001. Geneon, now NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, released the series' episodes across four volumes in Japan in both VHS video and DVD forms. ADV Films licensed and released the anime series. Funimation has re-licensed the series.
The series has two pieces of theme music. The opening theme, "White Destiny", is sung by Yoko Ishida, while the ending theme, "Lucky Star", is sung by Sayuri Yoshida.

Episode list