Prétear - Vol. 1

Created by acclaimed animators Kaori Naruse and Junichi Sato (SAILOR MOON, KALEIDO STAR), the magical-girl anime series PRETEAR borrows from CINDERELLA and SNOW WHITE for an utterly unique sci-fi fairy tale. The series centers around 16-year-old Himeno, who is perfectly happy-go-lucky until her widowed father remarries and moves them to his new wife's palatial island estate. With a stern stepmother and two new stepsisters who either taunt or ignore her, Himeno thinks that things can't get any worse until she is visited by seven mysterious men called the Leafe Knights. Led by the handsome but disdainful Hayate, the knights inform Himeno that she is a magical being with the power to help them battle the evil Princess of Disaster, who is spreading demon larvae in an effort to suck the world's lifeblood and destroy it. Eschewing the genre's typical cutesiness for truly innovative storytelling bolstered by gorgeous animation and exciting action sequences, PRETEAR is the rare magical-girl anime that appeals to both male and female viewers. This collection presents the series' first four episodes.