User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Episode 6

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'Japanese title: The Team is Complete! Smile Pretty Cure!!'

English title: The Library of Legends

Rather than a flashback, the episode begins with all five team members, plus Candy, celebrating the completion of the Pretty Cure/Glitter Force. Part of their celebration involves Candy being released from a weird spherical thing with streamers and a sign. This sign has Japanese text in the original, which is turned blank in the dub.

Happy/Lucky celebrates their great catchphrase. Just as she does so, the Akanbe/Buffoon shoots a can at them, knocking them down. Candy and Pop scream (where Pop says, “Oh, nooo!” his acting is pretty bad. It’s a shame, especially since he’s done a good job so far.), and Happy/Lucky complains that sneak attacks are unfair. As the Akanbe/Buffoon marches toward them, Beauty/Breeze begs the others to get up, but they’re having trouble. Just as the monster is about to step on them, Pop runs in front of them and turns into… something.

Pop says that he’s deep-fried squid in the Japanese version, but that just doesn’t look like squid...

Pop knocks the Akanbe/Buffoon to the ground. The team and Majorina/Brooha are just as confused as I am. In the sub, Beauty says it’s a pressing machine, and Candy announces, to everyone’s surprise, that the machine is a transformed Pop. In the dub, Breeze doesn’t know what Pop is, but Candy says that he’s a trash compactor, and that Pop’s into recycling.

Somehow, Pop gets the Akanbe/Buffoon between the flaps of his new body. The five girls then jump up and kick the top flap down, crushing the monster. Candy tells Happy to finish the monster off. After summoning her spirit, she uses the Happy Shower/Sparkle Storm, ending the fight. Majorina/Brooha teleports away, and a Cure Décor/Glitter Charm with a bow and a bunch of stars falls into Happy/Lucky’s hands. Pop says it’s the Star Décor/Charm, and Happy/Lucky puts it in the Décor Décor/Charm Chest. I’ve noticed there are sixteen Cure Décor/Glitter Charm slots in there. Where will the other 6 clicks of the Wheel of Doom come from?

The team congratulates Pop on his cool transformation. Pop, embarrassed, walks backwards shyly and hits his head on a bench. The girls and Candy laugh, and we fade to a few hours later. Pop is leaving, and Candy is crying because she doesn’t want him to go. Pop says that Candy can use the Phone Décor/Charm to contact him whenever she wants, but Candy is still upset. Pop tells Candy to smile, and she pulls her cheeks into one, even as she continues to cry. He jumps back into the book and bids farewell as the book flies into the distance.

Candy watches him go. In the sub, this is silent. In the dub, April asks if it’s a long flight, and Kelsey jokes that Pop at least brought a book. Emily chides Kelsey for her inappropriate timing. In both versions, Candy then starts to cry, and Miyuki/Emily picks her up and tells her they’ll always be there for her. The other four affirm this. Candy starts to cry with gratitude… then her stomach rumbles, and she says she’s hungry. Miyuki/Emily is shocked that Candy ruined the moment, and everyone laughs, while Candy gets mad. The episode ends there.

By the way, one last thing: Happy is the first person shown in this episode’s ending theme in the sub. I wonder if they’ll alternate, or if Happy will always start it?? Also: the next-episode preview in the Japanese version is shorter, because they also have an ad for Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage. There’s a four-letter keyword to win a prize, one letter of which is shown each episode.

Overall: I like that this episode went more into what the Pretty Cure/Glitter Force was supposed to do. Pop was an interesting mix of cool and cute (I don’t care that you don’t like being called cute, Pop; your reasons, at least in the sub, were sexist anyway.) The only problems I had with the story was that it focused more on Miyuki/Emily than the other four team members, and that the fight scene, while interesting, was lacking in combat. I worry this might be a trend for this series.

In terms of voice acting, this was a great episode. After nosediving in quality last episode, Candy gets back up there this time. Pop had a good voice as well. Interestingly, Pop’s voice was different in the sub and the dub. While the Japanese Pop was calm and samurai-like, the English Pop seemed more of a show-off, yet still level-headed and caring. Both versions worked really well. Aside from one quick slip-up during the fight scene, which I mentioned, Pop’s voice actor did a laudable job. Finally, it’s imperative that we cover Joker/Rascal. Man, was he an interestingly creepy villain! Both his Japanese and English voice actors captured his playfulness, slight femininity (though that isn’t creepy; I’m feminine myself), and ultimately evil nature. I look forward to seeing more of this jester in the future!

Next time: The team looks for a secret base!

But first: I’m reviewing the All Stars movie! Don’t want to deal with the 24 other Pretty Cures from past seasons? Feel free to skip the review and wait for episode 7 if you wish.