Prétear

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Prétear


caption = First volume of the ADV Manga English release of "Prétear"
ja_kanji = 新白雪姫伝説プリーティア
ja_romaji = Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Purītia
genre = Magical girl, RomanceInfobox animanga/Manga
author = Junichi Sato
illustrator = Kaori Naruse
publisher = flagicon|Japan Kadokawa Shoten
publisher_en = flagicon|USA ADV Manga
publisher_other = flagicon|France Kaze, Taifu Comics
magazine =
first = May 30, 2000
last = July 18, 2001
volumes = 4
chapter_list =
demographic = ShōjoInfobox animanga/Anime
director = Kiyoko Sayama
writer =
studio = flagicon|Japan Hal Film Maker, Kadokawa Shoten, Rondo Robe
licensor = flagicon|United States flagicon|UK ADV Films
flagicon|Australiaflagicon|New ZealandMadman Entertainment
network = flagicon|Japan WOWOW
network_en = flagicon|United States The Anime Network
network_other = flagicon|Philippines GMA 7, Hero TV
first = April 4, 2001
last = June 27, 2001
episodes = 13
episode_list =

nihongo|"Prétear"|新白雪姫伝説プリーティア|Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Purītia, also called "Prétear - The New Legend of Snow White", is a manga series written by Junichi Satou and illustrated by Kaori Naruse. Spanning four volumes, the manga series was originally published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten from May 2000 through July 2001. It was 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 . It aired in Japan on WOWOW from April 4, 2001 until June 27, 2001. Geneon released the series episodes across four volumes in Japan in both VHS video and DVD forms. ADV Films licensed and released the anime series, with English subtitle and audio dub track, Region 1 DVD in North America and Region 2 DVD in Europe.

Plot

A high school girl named Himeno Awayuki is attempted to adjust to her new life after her widowed father remarries into a wealthy family. Himeno meets Hayate, Sasame, Goh, Kei, Mannen, Hajime, and Shin, the seven Leafe Knights. They tell her that the Princess of Disaster has escaped from a prison in their world of Leafinia and was now using demon larvae to absorb Leafe, the essence of all life. Though powerful, the Knights alone can not defeat the Princess of Disaster. They ask Himeno to help, explaining that within her resides the power to become the Prétear, who can merge with any of the knights to battle and destroy the larvae and the Princess of Disaster. Himeno is initially reluctant, but agrees to help after seeing the larvae in action.

They begin training sessions to help her become accustomed to the power's each gives her when they merge with her. As the series progresses, Himeno finds herself slowly falling in love with Hayate, who is initially cold and refuses to acknowledge her as the Prétear. Eventually she learns the Princess of Disaster was once a girl named Takako, who was the last Prétear. She had not enjoyed fighting, but did it anyway, also falling in love with Hayate. When he could not return her feelings, her anguish caused her powers to turn to evil, changing her into the Princess of Disaster.

Mawata, one of Himeno's stepsisters, has been overwhelmed with grief since the death of her father and holds herself distant from her family. She and Himeno temporarily connect over their shared feelings, but Mawata is hurt when she see's Himeno with Hayate. Mawata is in love with Sasame, but it is revealed that he was in love with Takako. He throws away his status as a Leafe Knight and joins Takako to become her Knight of Darkness. Takako uses Mawata's love for Sasame to hurt her even more, enabling Takako to use her to fuel the Great Tree of Fenrir.

The town fills with demon larvae. To protect the rest of her family, Himeno reveals her Prétear powers to them, then begs them to escape while she rescues Mawata. They leave initially, protected by the other Leafe Knights, while Hayate and Sasame engage in a battle to the death, and Himeno climbs the Great Tree of Fenrir. When they are nearly safe, the family turns around, refusing to leave the two girls behind. They go back to the tree and start attacking the bubble holding Mawata, calling to her desperately. Himeno continues up the tree to confront the Princess of Disaster. Mawata is freed and Himeno's kindness reaches out to the Princess, enabling her to return to herself, but not before Hayate is killed by Sasame. Out of control, the tree attacks Takako. Sasame shields her and is struck instead. As he dies in her arms, she cries for him and realizes she loved him too.

To stop the tree, Himeno calls upon all of her powers, becoming the legendary White Prétear and pouring out a massive amount of Leafe. The town is restored, the Leafe Knights healed, and Sasame and Hayate are brought back to live. Hayate awakens to find the others crying over Himeno's lifeless body, lying in the grass as if she were sleeping. In agony, he holds her, then kisses her, which restores her life and enables her to awaken. At the end of the series, Himeno and Hayate are a couple, Himeno and her family are closer, Mawata is happier, and Takako is seen quietly sitting with Sasame.

Characters

* is the sixteen year old heroine of "Prétear " After her mother's death and her father's remarriage, Himeno is thrust into a high-class society life. However, Himeno has great difficulty adjusting to her new life, and is picked on both by her new family, and by her peers at school. Himeno's alienation grows, and she begins to question her place with her new life, she meets Hayate and the other Leafe Knights, who tell her that she's the Prétear who is needed to save the world. Himeno usually feels distant from her family, like Cinderella. She is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida in the original Japanese anime adaptation, and by Luci Christian in the English dub.

* is the Knight of Wind. Hayate is initially hostile towards Himeno, refusing to acknowledge her as the new Prétear due to a past experience. After testing Himeno through various means, Hayate gradually begins to accept her as the Prétear and ironically falls in love with her. In an attempt to watch-over and protect Himeno, Hayate takes a part time job with her father working on the mansion grounds. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kousuke Toriumi in the original Japanese dub, and by Illich Guardiola in the English one.

* is the Knight of Sound and has a job as a radio personality, addressing people's problems on the air. Sasame enables Himeno to strengthen her abilities as Prétear, by not only teaching her how to use her powers, such as the Sonic Arrow, but by also providing her with advice. Sasame later becomes Fenrir's Knight of Darkness after confessing that he was in love with Takako 16 years ago, pitting him against the Leafe Knights and the Prétear. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in the original Japanese dub, and by Chris Patton in the English dub.

* is 14 years old. Intelligent and composed, Mawata is the seemingly perfect child of the family. However, her outwardly calm demeanor is used as a facade to hide her loneliness and mask her own sense of loss as a result of her father's death. Her only outlet for her emotions are the postcards she sends to Sasame, under the pen name "Miss Silk", whom she is in love with. Ultimately, Mawata's grief is used by Fenrir to fuel the Great Tree of Fenrir. She is voiced by Akemi Kanda in the original Japanese anime adaptation, and by Mandy Clark in the English dub.

* is one of the maids at the Awayuki estate. She is often seen throughout the series helping Himeno, including providing advice. It is later revealed that she is actually nihongo|Takako|貴子|Takako, the former Prétear. When she was the Prétear, Takako feel in love with Hayate. When Hayate could not reciprocate her feelings, Takako's powers as Prétear turned towards evil and she became nihongo|Fenrir, the Princess of Disaster|災妃フェンリル|Saihi Fenriru. As Fenrir, Takako's ultimate goal is to destroy the world by taking away the Leafe that preserves all life. When Sasame confesses that he had loved her all along, she doesn't return his feelings but has him become her Knight of Darkness and orders him to kill Hayate and attack the other Leafe Knights. At the end of the series, Himeno's kindness and Sasame's death out of love for her enables her to regain her humanity and return to normal. She is last seen with the revived Sasame. In the anime adaptation, Yui Horie provides her voice in the Japanese dub and Kaytha Coker voices her in the English dub.

Production

Anime director Junichi Satou created "Prétear" out of his desire to work on a series for women that featured for good-looking young 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 boys. As the story took shape, Leafe became the symbol of the apple in the story. It can 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.cite book |title=Prétear, Volume 2 |first=Junichi |last=Satou |authorlink=Junichi Satou |others=Kaori Naruse (ill.) |publisher=ADV Manga |isbn=978-1413901450 |date=2004-09-07 |chapter=Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs...An Afterword by Junichi Satou |pages=pp. 183-185 ]

Media

Manga

Written by Junichi Satou and illustrated by Kaori Naruse, the four volume "Prétear" manga series was published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten. The first volume was released on June 1, 2000, and the final was released on July 21, 2001.cite web |url=http://www.geneon-ent.co.jp/rondorobe/anime/pretear/goods/book.html |title=Prétear Item Books |publisher=Geneon Entertainment |work=Official Prétear website |language=Japanese |accessdate=2008-08-01 ] All four volumes have been published in English in North America by ADV Manga.

Graphic novel list/header
Language = Japanese
SecondLanguage = EnglishGraphic novel list
VolumeNumber = 1
OriginalRelDate = June 1, 2000
OriginalISBN = 4-04-853203-0
LicensedRelDate = May 25, 2004cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/1413901441/ |title=Pretear, Vol. 1 |publisher=Amazon.com |accessdate=2008-08-01 ]
LicensedISBN = 978-1413901443
ChapterList =
* Chapter 1-5
VolumeExtras = Cover characters:

* Himeno Awayuki
Summary = Graphic novel list
VolumeNumber = 2
OriginalRelDate = March 1, 2001
OriginalISBN = 4-04-853329-0
LicensedRelDate = September 7, 2004cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/141390145X/ |title=Pretear, Vol. 2 |publisher=Amazon.com |accessdate=2008-08-01 ]
LicensedISBN = 978-1413901450
ChapterList =
* Chapter 6-10
* Afterward
* Hang I There Mr. Tanaka
VolumeExtras = Cover characters:

* Himeno Awayuki
* Hayate
* Princess of Disaster
Summary = Graphic novel list
VolumeNumber = 3
OriginalRelDate = April 1, 2001
OriginalISBN = 4-04-853342-8
LicensedRelDate = October 4, 2004cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/1413901468/ |title=Pretear, Vol. 3 |publisher=Amazon.com |accessdate=2008-08-01 ]
LicensedISBN = 978-1413901467
ChapterList =
* Chapter 11-13
* About the Anime
VolumeExtras = Cover characters:

* Himeno Awayuki
* Sasame
Summary = Graphic novel list
VolumeNumber = 4
OriginalRelDate = July 21, 2001
OriginalISBN = 4-04-853392-4
LicensedRelDate = January 18, 2005cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/1413901476/ |title=Pretear, Vol. 4 |publisher=Amazon.com |accessdate=2008-08-01 ]
LicensedISBN = 978-1413901474
ChapterList =
* Chapter 14-18
* Epilogue
VolumeExtras = Cover characters:

* Himeno Awayuki
* Hayate
Summary =

Anime

Hal Film Maker, 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. It ran for 13 episodes until its conclusion on June 27, 2001. Geneon released the series episodes across four volumes in Japan in both VHS video and DVD forms. ADV Films licensed and released the anime series, with English subtitle and audio dub track, Region 1 DVD.

The series uses two pieces of theme music. The song "White Destiny", performed by Yoko Ishida, is used for the series opening theme. "Lucky Star", sung by Sayuri Yoshida, is used for its ending theme.

References

External links

* [http://www.geneon-ent.co.jp/rondorobe/anime/pretear/ Official Geneon "Pretear" website] jp icon
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