Kara Dennison
June 14, 2024 
As much as the Precure franchise pulls in fans of all ages, the fact is that its primary demographic is little kids. There’s nothing wrong with that—little kids deserve good entertainment, too! But it’s also why every season of the long-running magical girl series comes packaged with wholesome lessons for youngsters. And this year’s Wonderful Precure! is no different. With its focus on animals (both wild and tame) and forging friendships, it dishes out some solid wisdom for the kids in the audience.
While many episodes have their own stand-alone lessons, here are some of the overarching themes of the series. And just because we’re grown-ups doesn’t mean we can’t learn from them, too!
Learning to Respect Animals
Wonderful Precure!, much like previous seasons, doesn’t present monsters of the week that are bad themselves. Rather, the Garugaru of this season are animals corrupted by a strange power. It’s up to this year’s Precure team to approach them cautiously, calm them down, and send them home. It’s a solid lesson for kids about the nature of wild animals: they don’t act out of malice, but a frightened wild animal could still do damage.
Similarly, we learn a lot about caring responsibly for pets. Despite Komugi the dog’s ability to turn human, she is only permitted to eat dog-safe food when in canine form. Leash etiquette, vet visits, and even the proper way to approach other people’s pets are all covered as a matter of course in each episode.
Building Trust and Honesty
Being a magical girl requires a certain degree of secrecy, and that’s true in Wonderful Precure! as well. Mey Mey the butler sheep, the caretaker of the magical Niko Garden, reminds the girls of this constantly. But people just seem to keep finding out: Iroha’s classmate Satoru, Mayu (before she becomes a Precure herself), and even family members!
While these moments are occasionally played for comedy (because Mey Mey freaking out is hilarious), it’s also an important lesson in trust and honesty. The people who learn about Niko Garden and the Precures’ mission are reliable, helpful, and kind. And knowing who you can trust to have your back is something we could all use a little practice in.
Healthy Boundaries
Wonderful Precure! is all about the friendship and loyalty between humans and their pets, but right now that theme is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Iroha and her dog Komugi have had their share of fights, but patch things up within an episode or two. But now that Mayu’s cat Yuki has a human form and can transform into Cure Nyammy, she has some very rigid ideas about what Mayu can and can’t do. These come out of a place of concern, but is that necessarily okay?
Mayu’s decision to speak up and make her feelings known is huge, and not just because she’s naturally shy. Mayu and Yuki’s tension is an important reminder that caring isn’t the same as control, and defining your boundaries isn’t the same as no longer being friends. Hopefully soon these friends can see eye to eye and protect each other on even ground.
Look back at a whole different kind of magical girl as we remember Magia Record.
