User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Episode 27 (Sub)

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'''Japanese title: “A Summer Mystery!? Grandma’s Treasure”'''

Oh boy, two undubbed episodes in a row! This one’s a bit different, too. See, all the undubbed episodes so far were cut for obvious reasons. Episode 10 had okonomiyaki, Episode 17 had manzai, Episode 19 had death, and Episode 26 had the summer festival. While I don’t think these episodes should have been cut, I understand why they were. This, however, is about all the girls visiting Miyuki’s grandmother’s farm. What about this episode made Saban deem it unworthy of American audiences? Let’s find out!

We start with a long, silent pan over a beautiful green landscape. The girls are tiredly walking to their destination because there are no taxis or buses. Akane is so tired that she has to rest. Nao comments that this is unusual for her, and Akane says it’s probably because her appetite hasn’t been great lately. The others speculate that Akane’s problems may be caused by the summer heat.

As Akane is pouring water on herself, a woman warns her not to get too close to the creek, lest she attract kappa. (Kappa are mythological Japanese monsters. They’re human-turtle hybrids who enjoy cucumbers, wrestling, and pulling organs out of human’s butts. Wikipedia has more info.) The woman is Miyuki’s grandmother, who welcomes Miyuki back. In case you’ve forgotten, Miyuki started the series by moving from her old town to Nanairogaoka. It seems her grandmother didn’t move with her. Anyway, as Miyuki greets her grandmother, there’s a mysterious plop in the water.

We get the opening theme. Then, we cut to the rolling greens of Miyuki’s grandmother’s house. Nao and Reika praise the amazing view from her house. Akane and Yayoi then remind Candy of her promise to act like a plush doll in front of Miyuki’s grandmother. Candy yells that she knows, and the girls shush her. Then, as Miyuki’s grandmother invites the girls to stay in her house, Miyuki says she’s grown a lot of vegetables this year. Miyuki’s grandmother says she’s going to go to the creek to cool her vegetables and invites Miyuki to join her. From here on out, I’m just going to call Miyuki’s grandmother “Grandma” to save space.

We get the title card. Then, we cut to the forest, where all five girls have joined Grandma. Akane tries a cucumber and marvels at how delicious it is. Grandma’s veggies are that good. Yayoi and Reika comment on how the creek acts as a natural refrigerator, and Akane says that the cucumber has her pumped up again. Personally, I dislike cucumbers, but perhaps a farmer like Grandma could change my mind.

Nao gets scared and asks if kappa are real. Akane teases Nao, which gets her mad. Then, Miyuki sends a cucumber down the river to appease the kappa. According to legend, kappa are anywhere from troublemakers to rapists and murderers. It’s said that offerings of cucumbers will keep kappa from wreaking havoc. I think I now understand why this episode was cut; real kappa require offerings of research!

This episode could have been dubbed, though. The other four are confused about what exactly Miyuki did and she explains to them what I said above and says that Grandma told her stories of various youkai (Japanese monsters). As I said, quite dubbable. Maybe it gets more Japanese later on?

Reika says that Miyuki’s love of stories probably came from Grandma. Then, we cut to nightfall, where all the girls are making dinner inside Grandma’s house. They invite Grandma to join them for dinner, and Grandma notices that there’s food set up for their “plush doll”. Candy protests that she’s not a plush, and the girls hide her mid-sentence. It’s as flimsy as usual, and just as always, Grandma buys it hook, line, and sinker.

Enter Tae, a man who Grandma somehow knows. I don’t think he’s Grandpa, because Miyuki is only really excited to see Grandma, implying Grandpa is dead. Tae is likely her friend or her employee. Anyway, he’s brought food, too. As he comes in, Candy complains that Miyuki is heavy and Miyuki apologizes and gets off her.

After dinner, the girls enjoy themselves outside. Miyuki invites Grandma to move in with the rest of her family since they’re worried about her health and she wants to spend more time with her. Akane says that it’s hard to get to Grandma’s place and Reika adds that since it’s so hot every day, they’re worried about her. Grandma says she likes it here because she has her treasure. Miyuki asks what the treasure is, and Grandma says it’s a secret.

Nao, Yayoi, and Grandma then go out to play. Akane asks Miyuki if the treasure is why she wanted to come, Miyuki apologizes for dragging them with her, and Akane says they wanted to see the mountains anyway. The three then go off into the night, but not before Akane and Reika quabble and Miyuki gets a good look at the beautiful stars.

We cut to the Bad End Kingdom, where Wolfrun is complaining about how hot it is despite it being night. After contemplating cutting his hair because of how damp it’s getting, he decides to go to the mountains to cool down.

The eyecatches show Princess Peace and Candy. Here’s the new picture of Princess Peace:



Overall: This was a pretty good episode, but as soon as Wolfrun entered Grandma’s property, it became epic. Not only was the comedy top notch between Wolfrun and the others, but the fight scene was notably better than the past three episodes. I also liked that it tied into Japanese mythology. Unfortunately, the Japanese mythology was likely why it wasn’t dubbed. However, it still could have been. Just say that Grandma is really into Japanese fairy tales and give explanations as to what kappa and tengu are. That is, if you've got enough time.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Next time: The girls visit a haunted house!