Spring is finally springing forth at last, and with it comes a month of magical girl manga here at the Manga Test Drive. Our first title isn't one of the best known titles, but it's got some really interesting things going for it.
PRETEAR (Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Puritia), written by Junichi Sato and art by Kaori Naruse. First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2004.
PLOT:
Himeno went from near poverty to riches beyond their dreams when her father married a cosmetics magnate. The only problem is that her stepmother and stepsisters antagonize her at every turn, to the point that Himeno feels like a stranger in her own household. Her sad reveries are interrupted by seven strange men who declare her to be the Pretear and that they are her knights. By magically fusing with these young men, she can gain elemental powers which she can use to fight the strange monsters that are stealing the life force from the world. Himeno now has to juggle her family issues with her duties as a magical girl, even with the Princess of Disaster lingering on the sidelines.
