Kawazaki Rikka
Yawamori Elementary School, Sixth Grade

A few weeks ago, I tried to get back into a franchise I’ve loved since I was younger and checked out Hugtto Precure. A lot of time has passed since I religiously followed Mahoutsukai Precure as a 9-year-old, but I had hoped Hugtto Precure would fill me with a sense of nostalgia and make me feel like a kid again. How wrong I was.

I’m not sure what happened to anime in these two long years, but Precure just isn’t the same anymore. I think about the fond memories I have of Liko and Mirai battling different monsters every week when I was in 4th grade, and they don’t even compare to the generic drivel in today’s children’s anime.

The world has changed since I started learning long division in school. Kids these days will never appreciate classic Precure series like Go! Princess Precure (or so I’ve heard, it’s kind of before my time). I remember cool character designs, plots that make sense, realistic emotions, and memorable characters. Now I feel like magical girl anime is just dirty otaku wish fulfillment. And I can’t help but feel that it’s killing the industry.

Whatever. Kids can enjoy what ever shows they want to enjoy without having to listen to a jaded anime fan like myself. As an 11-year-old, I’m too old to be watching Precure anyway.