A quick history of the Pretty series

Today marks the tenth anniversary of Takara Tomy's Pretty series, which started from the Pretty Rhythm saga and all the way to the recent installment, Kiratto PriChan. In honor of this milestone, let's take a quick history lesson about the Pretty series.

Pretty series 10th anniversary

From Prism Stones to PriTickets, from Aira Harune to Mirai Momoyama, and from different versions of Meganee-san, the world will never be a brilliant place without the Pretty series. As the pioneer of family-friendly idol games, the Pretty series is always been a household name for Japanese families everywhere because of its colorful characters, catchy songs, and endless array of costumes, the ideal template of an idol genre. As an arcade game, it's a snuggle with a struggle at the start until it gets accessible as it evolves. But as an anime, the Pretty series will be highly remembered as the fruit of Korea-Japan friendship, shrugging off the age-old rivalry between the two Asian giants and creating something that will please both sides. Overall, they're something they should be thankful for.

Starting with the one that started it all, the Pretty Rhythm saga, the one that started it all. We've seen Aira Harune doing her best to become the next Prism Queen in Aurora Dream, Mia Ageha taking on the Grateful Symphonia in Dear My Future, and Naru Ayase, well, being Naru Ayase, in Rainbow Live. But if we are going to be thorough, we need to talk about the arcade game that time forgot but the one that started it all.

The first one, titled Pretty Rhythm Mini Skirt was launched on July 15, 2010, and it's made by Takara Tomy and developer SynSophia. A rhythm game made for little girls, Mini Skirt pits players in the role of Prism Stars, performing Prism Jumps, and collecting Prism Stones. There's your lot.

While the one that started it all made a slow start, the folks from Takara Tomy wanted to do more with the Pretty Rhythm saga, and with that, a TV anime titled Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream was made. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 9, 2011, for 51 episodes, this anime is the fruit of Japan-Korea collaboration thanks to Japan's Tatsunoko Production and South Korea's Dong Woo Animation. The TV anime is all about Aira, Rizumu, and Mion in their quest to take on the prestigious Prism Queen Cup.

As Aira Harune's journey to become Prism Queen is completed, Mia Ageha takes the baton as the star of the next Pretty Rhythm story; Dear My Future. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 7, 2012, for 51 episodes, Dear My Future centers on the rivalry between Prizmmy☆ and the K-Pop group PURETTY. Believe it or not, there are real-life versions of the groups as seen in the anime. There's even a live-action segment featuring Prizmmy☆ as well.

As Mia Ageha's road to Grateful Symphonia is well and truly over, Naru Ayase steps to the spotlight in the third and final chapter of the Pretty Rhythm saga, titled Rainbow Live. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 6, 2013, it features an original storyline unlike the previous two. It's about Naru, An, and Ito, who are working together at the Prism Stone Shop while trying to take good care of a mysterious girl named Rinne.

Although the Pretty Rhythm saga ended, the story continues with the KING OF PRISM spinoff films featuring male characters from the Pretty Rhythm saga. They even got a 2019 anime show as well showcasing the rise of the boys who would be Septentrion.

Anyway, back to right after the end of the Pretty Rhythm saga, the folks of Takara Tomy prepped up what it seems to be the second generation of the Pretty series. It's called PriPara and it's aired on TV Tokyo in the Summer of 2014 and lasted for three seasons, four if you count Idol Time PriPara of course. This anime series centers on the life and times of Laala Manaka, a little girl who wants to be the best PriPara idol. Together with Mirei Minami and Sophy Hojo, they became SoLaMi Smile and they fought their way against the best idol teams of PriPara, especially Dressing Pafe consisting of Dorothy, Reona, and Sion, Tricolore, and Gaarmageddon, among many others. PriPara is a huge win for the people behind it and such success prompted the show to spawn four movies and outrageous merchandising rights.

In the spring of 2017, the next chapter of PriPara begins with three new main characters penning the final pages of this saga. Titled Idol Time PriPara, it's all about Yui Yumekawa, whose fateful encounter with Laala Manaka changed everything following an accident. With Nino Nijiiro and Michiru Kouda joining alongside, the MY☆DREAM trio made the best closure to this saga.

Now that the PriPara saga is well and truly over, we now proceed to the third and current generation of the Pretty series. Titled Kiratto Pri☆Chan, this show has still on air on TV Tokyo since April 2018 and is currently in its third season. This show is all about Mirai Momoyama and Emo Moegi trying to be the best Pri☆Chan idols on the World Wide Web. Joining alongside their friend and classmate Rinka Aoba, they've formed Miracle Kiratts and together, they shared their cause and are ready to take on the world, physically and viral. They even wage rivalry against Meltic StAr consisting of Anna Akagi, Sara Midorikawa, and later, Mel Shido.

So, there you have it. A quick history of the Pretty series in honor of the franchise's 10th anniversary. From Prism Stones to PriTickets, from Aira Harune to Mirai Momoyama, and from different versions of Meganee-san, this is why the Pretty series holds a special place not in the history of anime but as a staple in the now-rotten Japan-Korea relations. Yes, Japan and South Korea got their relations ruined because of historical issues known only to themselves but for the people from both sides behind the Pretty series, they just really wish the two sides settle their differences so they continue evolving the franchise to greater heights.

After all, with the emergence of Aikatsu from Bandai, the Pretty series was locked in a heated rivalry for years, and in the end, the Pretty series emerged victorious and the Aikatsu series, thanks to the Aikatsu On Parade finale, waved the white flag of surrender...for now.

Happy 10th anniversary to the Pretty series! As Laala Manaka loves to say...

KASHIKOMA!