Suite Fatherhood

The obvious theme of Suite Precure is music.  The story centers on collecting musical notes, teaming up with singing cats, and fighting with sonic based attacks.  However, there are other themes in the show, slightly more subtle, but just as strong.  One of the most important of these is fatherhood, and the relationship between fathers and their children.  Again and again, we see the role a father played both in what motivates a Precure to fight, and in what motivates them to dream.

Hibiki’s relationship with her conductor father is mediated through music.  As her mother spends so much of her time outside the home on her musical career, he steps in to take an outsized role in her life.  We see this reflected in her piano playing – his criticism of her music causes her to first quit piano for several years, and when she does restart, to do so surreptitiously and away from his gaze.  Hibiki simultaneously craves his approval, but doesn’t want to leave herself exposed to getting hurt again.  As nearly anyone who has gone to a job interview or a date can attest to, few things are as discouraging as negative feedback that is at once both harsh and vague.  Through the efforts of her and her comrades, Hibiki manages to overcome this block, and learn to love music once again.

Kanade and her father aren’t given center stage in this manner, but we are treated to an important view of how he has sculpted her dreams.  Throughout the series, we know that Kanade believes she wants to follow in his footsteps as a pastry chef, but is not herself clear on why she truly wants to do this.  From her initial stance of wanting to cook as defaulting to taking on the family business, we watch Kanade grow and change throughout the series.  Her father mentors her in this capacity, and she learns why she wants to cook – both for her own sake as a means of expressing herself, and as a way to find joy in making others happy (primarily, her cake-fueled relationship with Hibiki.)

We know absolutely nothing about Ellen’s father, biological or otherwise (presumably he was a tomcat that met her mother once while she was in heat, and then ran off.)  Instead, after she is transformed into a human for good, Otokichi takes on a role as a surrogate father figure of a sort.  He provides for her a place in her new world, both literally (in terms of room and board) and figuratively.  This includes providing her with information to help her function in these surroundings, and anchoring her back to her past by giving her a chance to take up music once again.

Of all these relationships, none loom larger than Ako’s relationship with Mephisto, which much of the season is built around.  When Mephisto is brainwashed by Noise, Ako knows that she needs to do something, and is inspired to take on the mantle of Cure Muse.  At the same time though, she is hesitant to fully confront him, and commit herself to acting against her family.  When we see a loved one damaging themselves or others, it is heartrendingly difficult to both recognize what’s going on, and when we do, to put our feelings and relationship on the line to stop them.  We should all be so lucky to have the courage of a Precure – Ako is eventually moved to force Mephisto to come out from behind the scenes, and come to terms with what he’s doing.

Once Mephisto does repent, a different dynamic emerges.  During this time, Ako has matured significantly, and this takes him by surprise.  To some extent, he’s cast adrift from her, not known quite how to relate to his now growing child.  We see his struggles in this respect – his first instinct is to do whatever he can to protect her, in part to atone for his past behavior, and in part because that’s what he’s always done.  This is off-putting to Ako, who has just spent a significant amount of time operating independently, and consequently feels smothered by having him back in her life, no matter how much she may love him.  Eventually, he is convinced to let her go again, even after finding her so soon – he has his own work to do in Major Land, and she needs to continue operating as a Precure.  Her initial goal was to save her father, but as part of her maturing, she broadens her focus to the entire threat poised by Noise.

Family has played a major role in many Precure seasons, whether it’s the bonds we see in Splash Star, or the terrible ordeals Cure Moonlight faces in Heartcatch.  In the maddeningly uneven Suite though, we have an unusually strong and consistent focus on how the girls relate to their fathers specifically, how that motivates them, and how that has helped them grow up.  In fact, I would have appreciated seeing even more on this theme – in particular, I’d like to have seen Ako and Mephisto redevelop their relationship more gradually.  That being said, this was one of the best executed aspects of Suite, and something that sets it apart.