Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Prétear

Due to her father's remarriage, robust 16-year-old Himeno Awayuki moves into a large mansion with a beautiful garden—the quintessential dream house for any girl her age. However, much to Himeno's disappointment, her new stepfamily doesn't really seem to like her, as her stepmother often occupies herself with her father, her younger stepsister Mawata ignores her, and her other stepsister—the equally aged Mayune—tries to prank her at every opportunity.

But Himeno doesn't have time to dwell into thoughts of hopelessness—her new life has now become involved with a group of seven magical boys known as the Leafe Knights, after they ask her to become a magical princess who can borrow their powers! Although Himeno accepts their request and becomes the Prétear, she feels doubtful in her abilities to protect the world and its Leafe, the source of energy for all life. Will Himeno be able to find happiness among her new family and also save the Earth from the enemy, the Princess of Disaster?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hayate Main

Toriumi, Kousuke Japanese

Awayuki, Himeno Main

Yoshida, Sayuri Japanese

Sasame Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Takako Main

Horie, Yui Japanese

Shin Supporting

Nakanishi, Tamaki Japanese

Awayuki, Mawata Supporting

Kanda, Akemi Japanese

Kei Supporting

Naruse, Makoto Japanese

Mannen Supporting

Yajima, Akiko Japanese

Goh Supporting

Morikubo, Shoutarou Japanese

Awayuki, Mayune Supporting

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Haruta, Katsunori Producer, Executive Producer

Fukura, Kei Producer

Ide, Mie Assistant Producer

Satou, Junichi Director, Storyboard, Original Creator

Reviews

Sep 30, 2025

SgtSalamander

Recommended

Pretear is a foundational title of the modern shoujo genre, and, to those who lived through the era of its release and the decade that would follow, an iconic title as well. Pretear stands proudly and nostalgically as a definitive early 2000s title, complete with the visuals, style, and humor that would define the rest of the 2000s and serve as an important element in otaku culture going forward. It also serves as an interesting inflection point between what anime was in the 90s and what it would go on to be in the 2000s, a transfer phase which follows the medium's move into a ... digital era. Now, enough with the generalizations, let's get into the review itself, beginning with the story. Pretear is a genuine, funny, good-hearted magical girl reverse harem that is loosely inspired by Snow White, an influence which comes across in Himeno's family life as the protagonist, being the stepdaughter with two stepsisters who don't care for her, and eventually seven magical dudes who help her out and even build her a little cottage at one point. Beyond this, however, the influence is sparse and superficial. The story itself is a fairly straightforward anime of its type, with plot progression driven by a mysterious 'Witch of Disaster' and various romantic brushes and close calls with certain members of the the Leafe Knights, who notice her special qualities as a chosen girl who can focus and amplify each of their powers, a position called the Pretear. The story, while largely straightforward in concept, is still engaging, and even diverges in quite unexpected ways throughout that will keep you on your feet for sure, even if the basic premise is a little predictable. I feel like a great deal of the story's value comes from the dialogue and chemistry between various characters, each one feeling somewhat believable and definitely engaging. The show's sense of humor is the best aspect of the writing in my opinion, with comedic timing in various forms being executed flawlessly, well-constructed for a good laugh. Not to mention that it is extremely nostalgic, with the construction and sequence of this humor trailblazing the general cultural identity of anime fandom moving further into the 2000s in a way which was especially reflected on the internet. In many ways, while the main dramatic fight against evil is good, the funny parts are where it really shines.

Moving on to the art, it inhabits an interesting space in the anime landscape. It has a strong, creative art direction with powerful yet measured use of color and distinctive character design coupled with rich backgrounds that incorporate light and airy watercolor influences throughout. However, while it is overall visually pleasing, it also manages to exhibit a style which straddles two eras. On the one hand, it was produced in standard definition, with various shots, especially in more serious scenes, exhibiting dark, sketchy linework with proportioned faces that feature sharper chins and noses with a color scheme that is 'foggier' and more muddled as they are tied together by panning or smear shots. On the other hand, shots seem to be digitally painted, with many scenes that feature bold colors with clean lines and a more high-energy, moe style, and consisting of a crisp brightness and effortless neatness which come together into a style which feels well-defined and snappy. What I am describing here is that part of this anime looks like it is from the 90s, and part of this anime looks like it is from later in the 2000s. It exhibits a transition point between these two prevailing styles, giving it an interesting look that isn't completely reproduced elsewhere. Furthermore, despite being on the digital side of the production timeline, it still benefits greatly when viewed on a CRT or otherwise through a CRT screen filter. I only just recently gained the ability to evaluate anime in this fashion, and I can absolutely say that this was how the creators intended Pretear to be viewed. The CRT blends together some of the rough edges, and the color bloom gives everything a much greater sense of depth and richer array of colors. It also warms the image, and totally overcomes the digital artifacting that is to be expected in a standard definition anime from over 20 years ago at the time of this writing. In short, when viewed on a CRT or through a CRT filter this anime's compelling art style is really allowed to shine, unencumbered by the harsh directness of HD displays.

The sound is solid, with a fun, memorable soundtrack that runs the gamut from buoyant orchestral numbers to adventurous motifs. My favorite aspect of the sound, however, is the admittedly corny dub. Even if it's not the most technically proficient dub of all time, it's not bad, and the casting is excellent for Himeno, Hayate, Sasame, Yayoi, Kaoru, and others. Plus, there's something eminently nostalgic about hearing a dub from the early days of western otaku culture done relatively well. It feels innocent, earnest, and done for the love of the art at hand and not as some cynical economic proposition (save for in a few select cases). Furthermore, it is also an odd dub because of how freely it uses profanity throughout. Not a constant presence, but enough to be noticeable.

The characters, meanwhile, are my favorite aspect of this anime, and feature some excellent chemistry, both in romantic and platonic ways. The way Himeno and Hayate have a chilly rapport that betrays deeper feeling, the way that Yayoi always waxes poetic about her romance stories at every opportunity, and the way that Sasame tries to be the voice of reason while neglecting some serious considerations he has to face about his own life, all make for a very lively and interesting title when brought into one cohesive whole. Of them, my favorites are Himeno and Yayoi. Himeno takes her spot as an excellent protagonist that really drives the plot forward while maintaining a unique, memorable, and quirky personality, while Yayoi has entire wild monologues about secret romances and royal balls on the tip of her tongue at all times, every one of her outbursts a pleasure to sit through for their complexity and humor, while also for their knowing parody of certain types of girls, those romance-obsessed otaku who often take it a little too far- something that is still resonant now but was especially resonant back then due to how much smaller the scene was as a whole. Overall, Pretear is a delightful little piece of anime history that I can easily recommend to basically anyone, with a special note for those who were alive during its release that it is an absolute nostalgia bomb from start to finish, even if you've never seen this anime before. In any case, you'll definitely want to give Pretear a shot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 16, 2021

okamikotori

Mixed Feelings

So I am a big fan of magical girl shows and when I wanted to watch a somewhat shorter show, I landed on this one. It's short, it's sweet, it's a magical girl anime: I enjoyed myself.

But seriously guys, the main conflict of this show is beyond stupid.

STORY

So the story... In my opinion, the show moves through it's story beats relatively well and it doesn't try to be too complicated or sophisticated.

Which,, might be what's the problem here. The conflict in this show is SO melodramatic and #firstworldproblems , it's just plain funny. I wanted Himeno to roast the main villain for her ridiculous ... motivation so badly, but alas, the plot took itself seriously.

If you are above the age of 14, you probably can't take this story too seriously.

It is very much a magical girl show centered around the romance, so if that isn't your thing, then I'd stay away.

Some of the humour is a bit outdated. Some of it was still funny and a few jokes were a bit yikes (mostly centered around Tanaka, the butler, who isn't against the idea of one of the girls falling in love with him, apparently), but most of it just fall flat to me.

The theming is a bit lackluster in my opinion. So it's based on Snow White,, but only in the sense that her father remarries rich and her new family member don't treat her right sometimes; her father isn't dead or anything. Which, as a setting, I liked surprisingly well, but then you have this whole Leife deal, which brings in a more "everything is alive and connected" type of theming, but it doesn't really do that much with that either? Like I said, this show is mostly about who will become whose boyfriend by the end lol

ART

I REALLY love Himeno's general design and transformations, it's just really iconic. Her hair looks really bright in the pictures on this website, but her hair is such a beautiful soft orange in the show...

Her transformations are very dated and it's not something you'd see nowadays, but that's what I really love about it. It's also more pastel instead of the BRIGHT colours you'd see in say Tokyo Mew Mew a few years later. One thing I really liked about the character designs are her LONG legs

The transformation sequence itself isn't bad, but not my favourite.

SOUND

The opening is really good, I listen to it pretty often haha. It's honestly one of the reasons why I wanted to watch this show.

didn't notice the OST that much, but I did really like some of the voice acting, Himeno's VA in particular. She has a very soothing voice.

CHARACTER

Himeno is a very stereotypical main character. Eats a lot, loud, is physically ridiculously strong, but very sweet on the inside, ect. ect. But I do think it was executed well enough. I liked her and the way she treats the younger characters in the show.

Anyobdy else notice that Hayate is just EXACTLY like Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi? lol

I liked the male characters in this show, I liked their dynamic with Himeno and their designs. Some of them get development, which is good. I liked the younger characters a lot, I think they were very cute!

This show has that one magical girl cliche that was really prevalent around this time, which is good character turns evil~ ooohh,,- I have yet to see this executed well honestly... Like,, brainwashing is fine, but I specifically mean this trope where they are jealous or something and that is their motivation for turning evil haha

ENJOYMENT

Yeah, I enjoyed myself. It wasn't exceptional, but I hadn't really expected it to be that way either. I think it was the perfect length and it had some definite merits (designs and the opening) But i don't think you should watch this if you aren't into shows from this era or into magical girl shows

OVERALL

It's a real 6/10 for me. If it had a better conflict I would have liked it way better, but it's not too long so it's watchable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 11, 2013

tuff2baunicorn

Not Recommended

As a high schooler with little experience watching anime, but plenty of enthusiasm, I jumped at the chance to buy Pretear when I found the series in the bargain bin at Best Buy. If I could go back in time and warn myself against this total waste of money I would. This series belongs in the bargain bin for sure, not in a DVD player.

Even as a 16 year old, when my tastes were far less developed, I was disappointed with this show. The characters are shallow, the plot is pointless and the stakes are very low. It tries to pull at your heart strings ... without investing you emotionally in the characters.

The protagonist and main love interest are both fairly unlikable. In fact all the characters are very one dimensional. It was very difficult to finish watching Pretear and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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