While this log is going to show this as my first time reading through this volume(and series,) I've read Prétear before, back in high school, though I couldn't tell you for sure when. The concept had initially struck me as a bit silly: a new Snow White story where she's a magical girl and there are 7 hot knights instead of dwarves? As a teen, I remember scoffing when a classmate pitched it like that. Why would I take an interest?
Well, simply put: I was in my young anime fan days still, and beggars couldn't be choosers. I devoured pretty much any manga that was shoved in my face because it wasn't popular, meaning I consumed a lot of series that were mediocre and/or bad alongside those that were good and/or great, and I didn't exactly have a reliable gauge for what I would like and what I wouldn't. (Back then I might have tried to sell you on the idea that I had discerning tastes, but the truth was I was an uppity little snob in my own head with Opinions about every manga I read despite being so starved for the stuff that I would really read anything.) And I think it's safe to say that in the beginning I was sure Prétear would be a series I'd eventually look back on with scorn, that it was trying something too absurd and ambitious, and not doing it even middlingly well, leaving me to sneer in contempt and laugh.
Luckily, it slapped me in the face back then.
While I'd say that this first volume has its weak points, particularly where the pacing stands against the exposition and character growth, it's still solid and opens the story very well. The world-building isn't overbearing, and none of the scenes we're given prove unnecessary. As a teenager, it was enough that I came out of this first volume impressed and wanting to know more; as an adult, remembering and looking back on this series, I think I hold this first volume in much higher regard now. We follow Himeno, a young high schooler whose father remarried to a rich woman with two daughters of her own (which evokes more Cinderella vibes than it does Snow White.) Himeno is struggling to adjust to this and to her new family, and it's thanks to an unkindness on the part of one of her new stepsisters that the events of the series really kick off. An unnatural red snow is falling everywhere and anything touched by it is slowly rotting, and when Himeno meets seven young men (three of whom are really just young boys,) they display magical gifts and tell her she's a prétear, someone with the power to combat the effects of the red snow and the seeds that cause them, which are planted by the Princess of Disaster. Himeno initially rejects them and their request for her help, but gets involved when her friend is endangered. The story continues to unfold from there.
What I like about this in retrospect is that even now it holds up. While you may get into this thinking it's about a magical girl or magic knights or a fairy tale modern retelling, the truth is that the core of Prétear deals with grief, loneliness, trauma, and the struggle of adapting to change we have no real control over or say in. This is true for nearly all of the characters, but we only briefly touch on glimpses of this in volume one. The later volumes dive more into this, and I hope that as I continue my re-read, I can bring up these themes and topics in greater detail. As it stands, I'm just happy to return to this series because it became near and dear to my heart, and I don't think it gets enough love. Hopefully my reviews will do it justice.