User blog:GlitterInformer/Doki Doki! Pretty Cure/Glitter Force Doki Doki SDC: Episode 24 (Sub), 18 (Dub)

Episode 23 (Sub), 17 (Dub) | Table of Contents

Japanese title: "What a Shock! Mako-pi Declares Her Retirement!"

English title: "Mackenzie Loses Her Mojo"



I’m really sorry for not having updated the sub/dub comparison at all for over three weeks. I haven’t forgotten about you all; I’ve just been very busy now that summer vacation is over. I’ll continue the sub/dub comparison as best I can, but the pace might be a lot slower from here on out.

Last episode had Cure/Glitter Heart following the first oath/rule of Pretty Cure/the Glitter Force and, as a result, gaining a pink aura and a significant power-up in her physical attacks against the Jikochuu/Mercenares. This episode is going to focus on Makoto/Mackenzie, so my prediction is that she’ll do something similar. I do know from the Pretty Cure Wiki that all five Cures get the cool fiery aura eventually.

As usual, the episode starts with a recap narrated by Maya. This extends into the first shot of the episode proper, which is narrated over by Maya.



 The reporter’s Psyche/heart re-enters her body and all physical damage is undone. Leva/Riva may have been defeated, but he’s not angry. Instead, he’s intrigued at the thought of fighting such a powerful enemy as Pretty Cure/the Glitter Force.

 After the fight, Makoto/Mackenzie’s concert occurs as planned. Mana/Maya, Rikka/Rachel, and Arisu/Clara watch her perform from the balcony. Mana/Maya and Rikka/Rachel are in awe of Makoto/Mackenzie’s performance and comment on how much happiness her singing is causing around them. They’re not the only ones who are impressed. Aguri/Natalie is getting in on the action, too, as she’s swaying along with Makoto/Mackenzie’s purple-clad fan squad. Aguri congratulates Makoto for spreading love everywhere; Natalie says she wants to forget about the Mercenares and just enjoy Mackenzie’s music.

 After finishing the one and only song we’ve heard from her throughout the series, Makoto/Mackenzie talks directly to the crowd. She says that she loves to sing because it makes her feel happy, and she wants to make everyone else feel just as happy through her songs. Mackenzie also says that her friends taught her how important it was to keep doing what she loves.

 The entire crowd cheers for Makoto/Mackenzie. In the dub, Maya’s cheering can be heard over everyone else’s, as can the final lyric of Mackenzie’s song. With this, the episode ends.

 Overall:  This episode was a much-needed focus on the Pretty Cures other than Heart and Ace. Since about episode 16->12, everything has centered around Mana/Maya, Regina, or Aguri/Natalie, with the other three “main” characters as an afterthought. It’s nice to see Makoto/Mackenzie back in the spotlight because she has the most engaging character arc out of everyone here. Not only does she have to cope with having failed to save her kingdom, but she also has to deal with her singing seemingly not having any effect on finding the queen/princess at all. She must have felt just as useless as she’s appeared for the past few episodes.

 I also like that Aguri/Natalie seemed like a lot less of a jerk here. Last episode, she was beating poor Mana/Maya while she was down, expecting her not to show any sign of sadness at her new friend, Regina, being kidnapped and brainwashed. Here, though, all Aguri/Natalie said was that Makoto/Mackenzie’s doubt was impeding the quality of her singing. She was stern about it, but she had a point. Makoto/Mackenzie was feasibly able to follow through on Aguri/Natalie’s advice, and this ultimately had a very positive effect on the purple warrior.

 Additionally, the fight this time was pretty cool. The physical combat and animation weren’t anything special, but I really liked the Jikochuu/Distain’s personality. Ace Shot having multiple different versions (presumably to match each warrior’s color) with different effects is a great idea, too. And I like that it was ultimately Sword/Spade who dealt the final blow.

 Next time:  Sebastian invents a device that lets anybody become a Pretty Cure/Glitter Force warrior!