DokiDoki Precure END
Wrapping everything up just as my vacation comes to an end~
Ten years ago, I was determined not to let my Smile bias affect Dokis the same way Heartcatch did Suite, and it was working. I was enjoying the episodes without constantly making comparisons to Smile and even managed a bit of art.
Then towards the end of May, my girlfriend broke up with me. via text. and I can't say I took it particularly well? Basically quit art (hello 2013 art summary), which maybe I was subconsciously doing because she'd been encouraging me for years?? Point is, the latter half of 2013 was one big blur for me. I continued to watch Dokis semi-regularly (i think...) but can't say my heart was really in it (because it was torn in half on the floor). Then the final episode came and went and then it was on to the next season. So when I say Dokis didn't leave any kind of impression on me, it's literally because I wasn't in the right head space and didn't really watch it.
I caught on to the generally agreed upon fandom points though. #1. This is basically The Mana Show, #2. This is yuri harem for kids, and #3. wtf Cure Ace. Also Kokoro wo Komete was a standout moment. Ship-wise, I was really into Mana/Mako in the opening episodes, and glorious Negom had gotten me hooked onto Mako/Ritsu and Mana/Alice so that's how I went into this rewatch.
Oh boy.
Quite obviously, the biggest surprise for me was just how much I LOVED Regina, which, considering she didn't make a single impact on me the first time through, came out of absolutely nowhere?? Checking episode airdates, aforementioned breakup happened as she was busy stealing royal crystals and juuuust before her character development so I guess that makes sense... At first, I was jokingly going along with the Regina → Mana stuff but then episode 20 happened and honestly, I was no match for the very real feels. AND THEN SHE WAS GONE FOR SO MANY EPISODES AND MANA WOULDN'T STOP BRINGING HER UP IN EVERY EPISODE, I WAS LITERALLY STRUGGLING NOT TO MAKE A RUNNING JOKE OF IT. AND THEN SHE CAME BACK AND THEIR POSITIONS WERE REVERSED OMGGGGG. AND THEN EPISODE 47 HAPPENED AND MY HEART!!!!!!!! Point being, I really like Mana/Regi now woooooo ヽ(≧∇≦)ﾉ
The rest of the show? Well, I still think it was quite a decision to have this season so Mana-centric; your enjoyability really depends on whether you can endure her as the protagonist. Even after all this, I can't say she ranks particularly highly among all the others. The Trump Kingdom plot made my heart hurt at the tragedy of it all, and I shed real tears at the familial love on display (ღಥ◡ಥღ) And I looooove sisters so I'll enjoy coming up with headcanons for Regina and Aguri's relationship~ Love Link has always been one of my favourite Precure EDs and it still is!! So fun~ All in all, I ended up enjoying Dokis a lot more than expected and you can't say better than that.
Looking towards the future, I still have some Mana/Regi art I wanna get done as well as working out some of my other headcanons. I was actually working on a Mako/Ritsu thing that I wanted to get done before the final arc but abandoned because I couldn't get the script right. Then a Alice → Mana thing that I always had planned before the rewatch but which clearly needs a reworking now. So there will be more Dokis, they're just not gonna be the priority anymore. Speaking of which...
Happiness Charge is next!! Unlike Dokis, it doesn't have the excuse of my terrible state of mind. I remember very clearly that love triangle bs halfway through and the Nice Guy syndrome that completely turned me off the season. Combined with my initially poor impression of Dokis, HaCha nearly turned me off the series as a whole. Not gonna lie, I wish I could skip it. But I won't. ...........even though I reeeeeally want to. Might just phone it in. On the plus side, it can't possibly get any worse.
2014 was actually the year I started this whole rewatch thing. After the 2013 debacle, I decided to reclaim my love of drawing but needed something that wasn't her to propel me forward. Honestly, you'd probably expect someone to improve much more in the span of 10 years, but I'm not discontent with where I am. I love arting and I love Precure. Most importantly, I'm still here 😊