From what I've read, TV Asahi's humongous magical girl franchise "Pretty Cure" is now in its 16th series "Star Twinkle PreCure"（スター☆トゥインクルプリキュア）, and I'm pretty sure that my anime buddy who's in Japan at present has or will be visiting the PreCure shop underneath Tokyo Station. For a lot of young kids (and even some parents) on Sunday mornings, this particular franchise has been the gift that has kept on giving.
The very first PreCure theme that I wrote about here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" was the first ending song for "Fresh PreCure!"（フレッシュプリキュア! ）, the giddily R&B "You make me happy!" by Momoko Hayashi（林桃子）. Everything about that series was a fresh spin on what had come before in the five previous years. And certainly for me, I've especially seen that ending theme (and ending credits) as the key point of change when it came to the approach that future PreCure producers and directors took for wrapping up each episode.
Still, there is an ending theme from those pre-"Fresh PreCure!" years that has stood out for its adorableness, and it has the singular noteworthy achievement of being the only theme song in the franchise's history that has been used in three separate PreCure shows. The fans will know which song I'm talking about.
This would be "Ganbalance de Dance" which got its first go in the third year of the franchise as the second ending theme for the second PreCure team, "Futari wa PreCure Splash Star"（ふたりはプリキュア Splash Star）which had its run from 2006 to 2007. Written by Kumiko Aoki（青木久美子）and composed by Yasuo Kosugi（小杉保夫）, the same duo responsible for the snazzy and fairly suspenseful opening theme for the first dynamic duo of PreCures, "DANZEN! Futari wa Precure"（DANZEN！ ふたりはプリキュア）, it was also the same singer behind that theme who recorded "Ganbalance de Dance", Mayumi Gojo（五條真由美）.
"Ganbalance de Dance", as compared to "DANZEN!", launches off the pad with a vapour trail of good feelings and teddy bears, and can get the kids dancing right from Note One. To add to the cuteness, the two sprites from "Splash Star", Flappy and Choppy as played by Kappei Yamaguchi（山口勝平）and the late Miyu Matsuki（松来未祐）respectively, assist in the chorus. Even with the impressive choreography for the ending credits of "Fresh Precure!", it's still lovely to see the kid-friendly dancing on display at the end of each "Splash Star" show. I also have to throw in the fact that I like that funky intro.
The original single was released in October 2006 and peaked at No. 58 on Oricon.
Then, the following year came "Yes! PreCure 5" with a new quintet of PreCure warriors. Once again, it was the second ending theme with the added subtitle of "Yume Miru Kiseki-tachi"（夢みる奇跡たち...The Dream-Viewing Miracles）. Of the three different versions of the song, I have to say that this version is my least favourite only because of an intro that has never quite fit in with me. That intro just sounds a little too gloppy. However, Kanako Miyamoto（宮本佳那子）gives an even more adorable delivery on her "Ganbalance de Dance" with the main cast of the show backing her up, including seiyuu Mariya Ise（伊瀬茉莉也）who played Cure Lemonade.
The single for this version was released in October 2007 and scored a No. 59 ranking.
Finally, there is "Ganbalance de Dance ~ Kibou no Relay"（希望のリレー...Relay of Hope）which served as the second ending theme for "Yes! PreCure 5 GoGo!", the second year with the same quintet plus the added Milky Rose helping out. This comes down as my favourite of the three versions since it's got some extra octane in the arrangement and the voices via Cure Quartet（キュア・カルテット）which now not only has Mayumi Gojo and Kanako Miyamoto coming back and working together but also Mayu Kudo (工藤真由...who would continue to contribute to the franchise) and Yuka Uchiyae（うちやえゆか）.
The ending credits involve pretty much everybody in the cast and this version of "Ganbalance de Dance" seems to serve as an epic "Let's bring it home!" take on the song. Since the second season with the same gang would indeed be the final one for them (and the last time that a PreCure team would get a second year), it would be nice to go out with a bang. This single came out in September 2008 and got the highest ranking at No. 49.
To finish up for tonight, I'll leave you with the full version of "Kibou no Relay". Good night.
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