Prequel to Yuki Yuna is a Hero
Genre(s): Magical Girl, School, Drama, Magic, Fantasy
Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (Violence, dramatic themes)
Platforms: Formerly Amazon
Episodes: 6
TheAwersome Rating: 7.6 / 10 (More of about the same)
Premise: Three girls have been chosen by the great Shinju-sama to be heroes and fight against the destructive beings known as Vertexes—enemies that threaten the harmony and safety of the world. Unsure of when they would be called to duty, Sumi Washio, Sonoko Nogi, and Gin Minowa spent their time idly. However, with the sudden appearance of a Vertex, they realize they have no idea how to fight together as magical girls when they are nearly bested. Follow the story of the chosen heroes who came before Yuki Yuna and her friends.
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: I’m always down for a prequel, and anime prequels tend to be done well in my (limited) experience. This one didn’t disappoint but didn’t bring too much of anything new. As I did a bit with the first series, I found myself sometimes zoning out on this one, and it wasn’t just because we already knew for the most part how things are going to turn out. I just wasn’t as invested in this group of girls as I was the previous one. There’s still a handful of emotional moments that are mostly well executed, but again, we’re lacking the dynamic. You grow numb to the tragedies and sadness when they’re so constant. Then you feel bad because you aren’t feeling anything when all the characters are crying and it leaves a dissatisfied taste in your mouth. Music is still great though, and we get to learn a bit more about the Taisha, Shinju-sama, and world setting, so that was nice. We get more of that strong religious vibe which was interesting.
TLDR: Decent prequel, has some cries, but they feel a bit shallow? Like only from the eyes. I wasn’t crying from my throat or soul like in some other “good cry” anime.
There is a 6 episode segment that acts as a sequel to the original Yuki Yuna called the HERO chapter, which will be our next review in this series.
You’ll likely enjoy this if you enjoyed:
- The first season of Yuki Yuna is a Hero
- Darker Magical Girl shows like Madoka, Magia Record, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka
- Tragic Prequels like Fate/Zero, Kizumonogatari
At a Glance Anime 