User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Around the World

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A long, long time ago, I did a full sub/dub comparison between Smile Pretty Cure! and Glitter Force. In this long, extensive comparison, we only covered two of the languages the anime has been dubbed in. It turns out there are a lot more. Some of these dubs are based off Glitter Force while others come right from the original. I may not be able to judge these dubs all that well, given that French is the only language on this list I understand more than a couple words of, but I’ll do my best.

Right now, this article is incomplete. That’s because there are a lot of different versions to cover. It’s also because I’m working on the ''Doki Doki! Pretty Cure'' sub/dub comparison at the same time. So, I’ll be updating this article little by little as time goes on. It might be a very long time until it’s completed.

Well, with that said, let’s stop loafing around and jump right in!

German
The German dub of Smile Pretty Cure! is more like a German dub of Glitter Force, and it’s also called Glitter Force. This dub is very faithful to the American Glitter Force. The opening theme and ending themes are kept in English, and the girls’ names are unchanged.

There are some differences, the biggest I can think of being the changing of the team’s Glitter Force names. Instead of being Glitter Lucky, Glitter Sunny, etc., they’re named after what color they are (Glitter Pink, for example).

Unfortunately, this dub is so faithful to the American version that I’d imagine it makes things harder for German audiences. For example, Emily pledges allegiance to the flag in episode 1, even though I doubt that’s a thing in Germany. Another example from episode 1 is in Emily’s dream. The American version has Glitter Peace saying, “We want peace! Glitter Peace!” In the German dub, the name changes mean that this pun is lost. No matter, as she never says it again in the entire show.

Finally, the German subtitles don’t match up with the dialogue. They use the American names instead of the German names: for instance, they transcribe “Glitter Pink” as “Glitter Lucky”.

With all that out of the way, let’s dive in!  o      Sparkle Storm becomes Glitter Storm (“Glitzer-Sturm” in German, though I may be wrong, as the subtitles don’t match up well, forcing me to guess).
 * ·          Emily transforms into Glitter Pink. Her voice actress is Katharina von Daake. Unlike in the American version, where it took Emily until the second episode to not sound artificial, Emily Anderson is filled with energy and emotion.

 o      Cinderella Sparkle Storm becomes Cinderella Glitter Storm (“Aschenputtel-Glitzer Sturm” in German)

 o      I don’t know what the German name for Sparkle Storm Shining is, unfortunately. I know it starts with “Glitter Storm” (“Glitzer-Sturm”), but I don’t know what the last word is. The subtitles say it’s “Glitzer-Sturm Leuchte”, meaning “Glitter Storm Light”, but it sounds like Glitter Pink is saying, “Glitzer-Sturm Shower”. It’s probably not “Shower”, but that’s what it sounded like to me.

 o      As a final note, I’m not sure exactly what Emily says before “Glitter Bands” and “Glitter Boots”, but it sounds a heck of a lot better than “Poof poof”.  o      Sparkle Fire becomes Glitter Fire (“Glitzer-Feuer” in German). Like the American version, this attack is misnamed in episode 2. In the original Glitter Force, it was called Fire Spike. I can’t tell what the German version called it, but I think it was Fire Burn.
 * ·          Kelsey transforms into Glitter Red (“Glitter Rot” in German). Her voice actress is Amira Leisner, who isn’t as experienced as Daake. This doesn’t keep her from doing just as great of a job as Daake, though. By the way, Kelsey’s “Sledgehammer Slammer” volleyball move is kept as is in the German dub.

 o      Sparkle Fire Inferno becomes Glitter Fire Inferno (“Glitzer-Feuer Inferno” in German).  o      I believe Sparkle Lightning retains its name, though it’s “Funkelnder-Blitz” in German. Odd that Yellow is the only one whose attacks don’t start with “Glitter”.
 * ·          Lily transforms into Glitter Yellow (“Glitter Gelb” in German). Her voice actress is Lisa Dzyadyk, who is as inexperienced as Leisner. She isn’t as bubbly and energetic as Daake and Leisner are as Emily and Kelsey. On top of that, she doesn’t have the cuteness of Yayoi or the original Lily. In terms of acting and emotion, she’s on-and-off at first but gets better in later episodes. Overall, Dzyadyk’s acting does its job, but her voice is ultimately forgettable.

 o      Sparkle Lightning Hurricane becomes (I think) Sparkle Lightning Tornado (“Funkelnder-Blitz Tornado” in German). Oddly, Netflix’s subtitles always translate it as Sparkle Lightning Hurricane (“Fulkelnder Blitz-Hurrikan”).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Goldenlight retains her name. <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Sparkle Shot becomes Glitter Shot (“Glitzer-Schuss”).
 * ·          April transforms into Glitter Green (“Glitter Gr ü n” in German). Her voice actress is Nicole Hise. Hise does a great job of sounding like a cool big sister, but she doesn’t do well with extreme emotions such as anger and shock. For example, in episode 42->34, when the bad guys put her siblings in danger, she only sounds stern, not furious.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Sparkle Shot Maximum Impact becomes Glitter Shot Maximum Power (“Glitzer-Schuss Maximale Power”).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      April’s siblings retain their English names, and unfortunately, they aren’t that well-acted. Plus, the oldest brother sounds much older than he looks. <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Sparkle Blizzard becomes Glitter Blizzard (“Glitzer-Blizzard”).
 * ·          Chloe transforms into Glitter Blue (“Glitter Blau”). Her voice actress is Maren Borrmann, whose only anime role is this. Unfortunately, she sounds too old for the role. She also doesn’t emote much, but that fits with Chloe’s reserved character, and she does turn it up at more dramatic moments. However, there are still some points where she needs to emote more.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Sparkle Blizzard Arrow becomes Glitter Blizzard Arrow (“Glitzer-Blizzard Pfeil”). <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Candy retains her name. Oddly, she has two voice actresses. In the first half of the show, she’s voiced by Mandy M üller. This show is her only anime role, and she doesn’t do the best job. Sure, she’s better at emoting than Debi Derryberry was at the beginning, but her voice is annoying rather than cute. It isn’t anything horrible (for horrible voices, see Mepple, Flappy, Coco, and Nuts of the first five Pretty Cure seasons), but it still isn’t charming at all. In the second half, she’s voiced by Moira May, who does a much better job. As Candy, May is cute, expressive, and a joy to listen to.
 * ·          Jubiland is renamed Jubelland.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Queen Candy is still Queen Candy (“K ö nigin Candy” in German). May portrays her well in calm moments, but she shortchanges moments of sadness and panic, such as Euphoria dying and Queen Candy trying to rescue her friends.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Pop retains his name. His voice actor is Jan Langer. Glitter Force is the only anime he’s been in; however, he voices April’s dad as well as Pop. He does a good job sounding caring and brotherly at some moments and stern at others.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Queen Euphoria retains her name, but it’s “Königin Euphoria” in German. Her voice actress is Kerstin Draeger. When Draeger debuts in episode 1, she sounds way too calm for a half-dead queen begging for help from the Glitter Force. However, in season 2, she becomes much more emotive. She’s still regal and reserved, but she actually sounds human.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Draeger also provides the voice of the Glitter Pacts. They retain their name in this dub, though they’re “Glitter-Pakts” in German. Unlike in the English dub, where the Glitter Pacts’ voices are more emotive than Euphoria, Draeger gives them a completely emotionless voice. This is understandable, as the Glitter Pacts are machines. <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Ulric retains his name. His voice actor is Thomas Petruo.Like in the Japanese and English version, Ulric has a gravelly voice that is charmingly evil… sometimes. However, there are moments where Ulric just sounds dull and Petruo is doing the bare minimum when voicing him.
 * ·          The Shadow Realm seems to be called the Shadow Realms (“Schattenreichs” in German).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Brute becomes Brutus, and his voice actor is Walter Wigand. (The IMDb page may not be correct, as it doesn’t have Glitter Force in his list of roles.) Unfortunately, Wagand’s performance leaves a bit to be desired. Sure, he does okay with emoting and he sounds evil enough, but his voice is too high-pitched and a bit too quiet. Plus, while he hits all the emotional beats, he lacks the over-the-top quality that makes Brute special.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Brooha becomes Bruja, and her voice actress is Emily Schubert. This is her only anime, though Bruja isn’t her only character; she also voices a newscaster in episode 8. We’re doing a lot better with her. Schubert is just as hammy, fun, and amusingly evil as her Japanese and American counterparts. Good on her!

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Rascal retains his name. His voice actor is Alessandro Alioto, who also voices Jared, the student council president. He does a great job as Rascal, and he’s just as fun and creepy as his Japanese and American counterparts.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Emperor Nogo retains his name but is called “Kaiser Nogo” in German. Oddly enough, whoever voiced him never appeared in the credits. I have no idea why, but that’s just wrong. Whoever is behind it put effort into it, and the dub acts like he doesn’t exist. Even worse, it seems like it isn’t one, but two voice actors who aren’t credited. Nogo has a much different voice in the first season than the second. In his first appearance in episode 23->20, Nogo’s voice is ridiculously high-pitched and gravelly. He sounds more like a Muppet than the Emperor of Evil. Fortunately, in episodes 47->39 and 48->40, he sounds much more menacing.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Buffoons retain their name. Their voice actor is Erik Wildfang (epic name, by the way). Glitter Force is his only anime, but he also voices the policeman that Bruja keeps running into. As the Buffoons, Wildfang does okay. He emotes well, but there’s something off about his voice, most notably when a Buffoon is killed. He sounds kind of like a 90’s surfboarder stereotype when a Buffoon shouts its name for the last time.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Super Buffoons retain their name.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Twilight Buffoons become Shadow Buffoons (“Schatten Buffoon” is the singular in German)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Glitter Shadow Force is renamed the Shadow Force. Like in the Japanese and American versions, they seem to share the voice actresses of their good counterparts.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Shadow Lucky’s attack, Shadow Force Heartbreaker, retains its name.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Shadow Sunny’s attack, Shadow Force Fireball, retains its name.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Shadow Peace’s attack, Shadow Force Thunder Blow, retains its name, but it’s called “Shadow Force Donnerschlag” in German. The subtitles say, “Shadow Force Blitzschlag”, or “Shadow Force Lightning Blow”, instead.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Shadow Spring’s attack, Shadow Force Corner Kick, retains its name (I think), but it’s called “Shadow Force Ecksto ß ” in German.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Shadow Breeze’s attack, Shadow Force Avalanche, retains its name, but it’s called “Shadow Force Lawine” in German. <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Glitter Charms are called Glitter Stones (“Glitter Steinen” in German).
 * ·          And now for the miscellaneous items and attacks:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The phrase the girls say to transform is Glitter Force Transformation (“Glitter Force Verwandlung” in German). How original.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      I don’t know what the Charm Chest is called in the German dub. The subtitles say it retains the name of Charm Chest (“Amulettschatulle” in German), but that doesn’t match up with the name of the Glitter Stones or the spoken dialogue.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Wheel of Doom is the Doom Wheel (“Untergangsrad” in German).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Tiara Mode Torrent is (I believe) Tiara-Mode Power Blow (“Tiara-Modus Powerschlag” in German).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Princess Wands retain their names and are called “Prinzessin-Stabs” in German.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Royal Clock retains its name and is called “die K ö nigsuhr” in German.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      The Miracle Jewel retains its name and is called the “Wunderjuwel” in German.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> o      Rainbow Burst becomes Rainbow Explosion (“Regenbogen Explosion” in German).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Royal Rainbow Burst becomes Royal Rainbow Explosion (“K önigliche Regenbogen Explosion” in German).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:2.0in;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level4 lfo1"> ·           Unlike in the American version, the incantation for Royal Rainbow Explosion is different from Rainbow Explosion. In Rainbow Explosion, Glitter Pink says, “Pink, red, green, blue, yellow!”; in Royal Rainbow Explosion, she says, “Pink, orange, yellow, green, blue!”

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left:1.5in;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level3 lfo1"> §     Miracle Rainbow Burst becomes Miracle Rainbow Explosion (“Wunder Regenbogen Explosion” in German).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Overall, I unfortunately have to rank the German dub lower than the English dub. Even some of the best actors in this dub have some moments where they just aren’t getting into their roles, and there are enough actors that just don’t fit that put this one into the myriad of dubs that are overall poorly-acted.