Anime is expensive.  There's no two ways about it, this hobby runs into some bucks.  One thing that the publishers are doing to make it more affordable though is releasing a boxed set of a series some time after the individual volume release has been completed, and doing it at a lower price.  That way the fans who want the series right away so they can talk about it in web forums and with their friends can purchase it as soon as it comes out, while the more economically minded can wait for the set.  ADV has take this idea one step further.  They've started releasing the complete series sets without extras and in thinpacks.  That way the people who bought the first releases will get some extra value and not feel ripped off, while the people who wait will still get the complete series at a good price.  The latest series that they've done this with is Prétear, a magical girl show with a good story and a fast pace.

Himeno Awayuki is a sixteen year old girl who seems to have everything, but is really miserable.  Her mother died when she was quite young and she and her father, a struggling author of romance novels, were rather poor.  That all changes before the show starts however when her father marries an ultra-rich lady who owns most of a large city.

Now Himeno is living in the lap of luxury on a huge estate.  All is not wine and roses though.  In the best Disney tradition, the girl in now saddled with a mean step-mother and a step-sister who torments her relentlessly.  Even the kids at school shun her, thinking that she's as a rich brat and that her father is a gold digger.

All that changes one day when she bumps into Hayate.  He's an attractive yet standoffish man who, along with his six friends, declares that Himeno is a Prétear, a magical person who has great power.  The seven people she meets are Leafe Knights who come from another world, Leafeania, to protect Earth.  The Princess of Disaster has escaped from her prison and is threaten to absorb all of the life force, called Leafe, through monsters that she releases just about every episode (in the beginning at least.)

With Himeno these Knights can Prét: she absorbs one of their bodies into hers and not only gains their magical powers, but amplifies them.  Only with a functioning Prétear do the Knights have a chance to stop the Princess of Disaster, but Himeno is not experienced and doesn't even know how to use her power.

This is a fun series, and there are several things about it that make it so enjoyable.  One of the main things is that it's only 13 episodes long, and it doesn't get a chance to grow old and tired.  Magical girl shows often try to milk the concept for all that it's worth, and after a couple dozen episodes viewers are left thinking "Haven't I seen this all before?"  Happily this show ends long before it starts getting redundant.

Another thing is that the plot moves at a good pace.  With only a half season to work with, they had to tell the story in a straight forward way.  There wasn't time to include a lot of filler episodes or to string viewers along.  The story unfolds in a nice way with a few surprises that add to the charm.  (I liked the origin of the Princess of Disaster especially.  I wasn't expecting what happened, but it fit in very well with the tone of the show.)

That's not to say this series is perfect.  Like most magical girl shows there is a battle in just about every episode, and sometimes these felt a little forced.  Almost like the writers said "Oh my gosh!  There's only 7 minutes left in the show - hurry up and throw in a fight!"  These weren't as bad as I make it sound though.  Since Himeno has a different power depending on who she Préts with, these did serve to explore all of the different things that she could do.

There were a couple of plot points that I found a little hard to swallow (the events in episode 10 for example) but these weren't too troublesome.  After all the show was intended for a much younger audience than I and I'm willing to give them some leeway because of it.
 
Overall this was a good series, much better than your average magical girl show due to the fast paced plot and the good amount of humor.  (Much of it is funny to.)  Fans of shoujo anime (girl's cartoons) won't be disappointed though.  There is a good amount of romance, it just never overwhelms the story.

All 13 episodes of Prétear are contained on three DVDs that come in thinpak cases.  The three cases are enclosed in a thick and sturdy slipcover that has some nice art.

Audio:

This set offers viewers the choice of the original Japanese track in stereo or a 5.1 English dub.  I alternated tracks with every episode and found them both to be very good.  I liked the Japanese voices a little better, but that's probably because I viewed the first episode in that language.  The English voice actors did a very good job.  The English dub also had the advantage of being in 5.1, and there was some good use of the rear channels during some of the battles, which added to the show.  Being a recent show, there weren't any dropouts, hiss, or other defects in either track.

Video:

The full frame video also looked good.  The animation wasn't the best that I've ever seen, but it was adequate and these DVDs reproduce it well.  The colors were bright and the lines sharp.  There were no glaring digital defects to speak of.  A solid looking set.

Extras:

There are no extras included in this boxed set.

Final Thoughts:

A mix between Sailor Moon and Cinderella, Prétear is an above average magical girl series.  ADV has now released the entire show (without extras) as a boxed set at a very reasonable price.  A fun shoujo anime show, it has romance in it, but it doesn't go overboard (well, maybe at the very end...)  This fast paced show is sure it thrill fans of the genre, but also entertain other anime fans too.  Recommended.