The long-running Precure franchise has been a staple of Japanese children’s programming since 2004. It’s less well-known in the West due to its lack of quality English releases, but this sparkly magical girl show is well worth seeking out. Along with its adorable costumes and cutesy themes, the Precure series stands out from the pack because of its heartfelt character moments and its surprisingly hardcore fight scenes.

So you want to check the franchise out; but there’s a problem. Even though you can jump in at any point (since each series stars separate characters in different universes), how are you supposed to know where to start? Well, join us today as we run through some of the best Precure series to get you started on the sparkly path to Cure fandom!

From classics like Sally the Witch all the way to deconstructions like Madoka Magica and Mahou Shoujo Ore, it’s clear that the magical girl genre has been a beloved part of the anime world for a very long time. But strangely enough, the Western world has had very little exposure to one of the most prominent magical girl franchises of the past few decades – Pretty Cure.

Today, we’re going to take a short look at a hidden gem of anime, often overlooked because of its young demographic. But trust us – there’s more to it than just cute costumes and toys. We’re entering the sparkly world of Pretty Cure~!