#fwpcss3d

This is the last bit of exclusively Splash Star-related media I’ll be covering. This 12 minute short film was released in IMAX theaters in July of 2006. I can’t find a more precise release date but date-wise it was around the Kiryuus’ face turn and continuity-wise it fits anywhere between episode 19 and 24, as the girls are in their summer school uniforms, Moop and Foop are not around, and they use the Twin Stream Splash finisher. Anyway, the reason they released this short film was to show off the latest 3D film technology (this was a couple years before Avatar really kickstarted the modern 3D cinema fad) so there’s a lot of exaggerated depth shots and objects coming straight towards the camera, which in 3D would look like they’re coming out of the screen right towards you. Presumably, Toei determined that it wasn’t in their interests to further pursue this technology, they didn’t make any other 3D movies until about 2008 or 2009, and the only other Precure 3D movie they made was a short All Stars film in 2011, which I will cover in due time. I’m not sure what the exact technology was they were trying to showcase, and maybe we’ll never know because the only home video release of this movie came 6 years after the fact and it was converted to 2D. If you’ve ever watched a gimmicky 3D movie that was downgraded to 2D you know the result is silly, and this is no exception. Thank goodness it’s short. But this preamble has gone on long enough so let’s dig in.

The Plot

The Seed of Hope has been spotted and poses a threat to Dark Fall’s mission, because it will spread more and more hope to people, so Akudaikaan tasks Gohyaan with tracking it down and destroying it. Gohyaan uses his own seed, the Seed of Despair, to find it. Meanwhile, Saki, Mai, Flappi, and Choppi are out and about when Flappi sprouts a bud on his head. He’s frustrated because it won’t come off, Saki is laughing at him, and Mai just wants to draw it instead of helping. Suddenly the Seed of Despair appears as a giant floating eyeand identifies the bud as the Seed of Hope. It quickly buries itself in the ground, sprouting a tree that sprouts a bunch of gremlins.

Saki and Mai transform and fight the plant monsters (they don’t call themselves Uzainaa, they only yell out “Zetsubou!” or “despair”) but there are too many of them and they run away. A giant Seed of Darkness pops out of the ground and swallows them whole and they fall through its guts (a dark cavern) in a sequence that was probably a lot better in 3D, before it spits them out and they fall through the rain into another dark chasm, where they’re bound by vines.

Gohyaan mocks them for having hope and wanting to do trivial things, saying the seed of despair will consume all their hope. The girls are weak but thinking about all the things they want to do, spending time with their friends and families and enjoying life, renews their motivation, and the sprout on Flappi’s head begins to bloom. A pair of giant claws reaches towards them from the dark but they’re powered up by the Seed of Hope and they manage to break its grip and the vines, and suddenly they’re standing on a cliff as a giant Uzainaa made of roots stretches out.

They jump and dodge for a bit but they quickly finish it off with Twin Stream Splash. The uzainaa dissipates into what appear to be spirits from the Fountain of Gold, but instead of a Miracle Drop in the middle it leaves the Seed of Darkness. Mai catches it and it glows and cracks open to reveal a flower, which flies off. Saki comments that it’s spreading hope now. Suddenly the flower on Flappi’s head also blooms into a large dandelion, going from flower to fluff, and then blowing away in the wind. The rest of the flower disappears from Flappi’s head and the girls comment that a lot of hope is now lowing out into the world, then Saki optimistically remarks that she’ll be in top form tomorrow too, and the credits roll.

The Analysis

This little short is trying to do a lot at once. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not good either. The 3D effects are rarely overwhelming, especially since I can’t actually view it in 3D, but they do tend to be distracting enough that I was forcibly reminded that I was watching it in the wrong format. The biggest problem with this movie is that it was made for 3D IMAX but its only home video release was on a 2D DVD, six years after the fact. I can see high quality backgrounds that get shredded in the video encoding. The character models appear to be TV quality but the animation is fluid with some vibrant fight scenes. There is some ugly blending of cell and CG animation that doesn’t layer well and a lot of times these are also the gimmick shots that remind you it’s 3D, so it’s really jarring. The girls’ faces are frequently drawn off-model and that is also a little disconcerting. I assume this was put out in a bit of a rush so the budget was probably tight, but there were enough good quality shots that it’s more noticeable when something isn’t up to par.

The plot is kind of silly and doesn’t give you enough time to absorb the information before it rushes into the next setpiece. One moment the girls are fighting in the woods, then they’re falling down a bottomless tunnel, then they’re in the air, then they’re in a chasm, then they’re on a cliff. It all goes by so fast and the transitions don’t make much spacial sense as we aren’t shown how A turns into B. Again, a lot of the locations and camerawork are picked out to showcase the 3D effect, and it becomes obvious with just how much time is spent on certain shots. However, while it’s fast-paced, the simple story is given adequate build-up and resolution to not feel rushed. Bloom and Egret yelling about how they like the small things in life and being powered up by the hope of seeing their friends and family again is really sweet and tender and resonant.

I would have loved to see this movie in IMAX 3D to see if the effect of everything is better in that format, but as I can’t I have to try to imagine what it was like. Despite a lot of “in your face” shots, it was an enjoyable experience from start to finish and a good, short adventure with the girls. I can’t knock it for being experimental because it delivers on what it promises. All that to say, I liked it.

Next time on Precure Daily, it’s the long-awaited FWPC era overview! When will I have that out? Maybe by this time next week but I’m not making any promises. Look forward to it whenever, and hey, if you’re new here, take the time to look back at my older reviews. I’ve got 150 of them for you to digest so there’s plenty to keep you occupied.

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 Zekkouchou Nari!