User blog:GlitterInformer/Doki Doki! Pretty Cure/Glitter Force Doki Doki SDC: Episode 16 (Sub), 12 (Dub)

Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage 2 | Table of Contents '''Japanese title: “Regina’s Fierce Attack! Mana is Mine!”'''

English title: “Maya’s New Best Frenemy”



Last episode, Regina fought Pretty Cure/the Glitter Force for the first time. This episode is going to go deeper into her character because it’s going to focus directly on her! I’m excited because so far, Regina is my favorite villain of the season. From her very first appearance, Regina has been affably evil. She enjoys causing misery with her Jikochuu/Distain, yet she’s also playful and sometimes even has friendly interactions with the main heroines. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next!

As usual, the dubbed episode starts with an added recap of last episode.

Filming finishes up, so Makoto/Mackenzie heads off to talk with Dabi/Davi. Dabi/Davi says that Mana/Maya hasn’t called yet and Makoto/Mackenzie gets mad that Dabi/Davi thought Makoto/Mackenzie cared. Then, Rikka/Rachel and Arisu/Clara come in to deliver Mana/Maya’s present. Makoto/Mackenzie wonders why Mana/Maya didn’t deliver them herself and guesses that she’s with Regina. She confesses that she has no idea what Mana/Maya sees in Regina. Rikka/Rachel says that they don’t understand either and that Mana/Maya herself doesn’t understand. She just had a hunch that Regina really wanted to be her friend. In the sub, Arisu says that Mana often follows her heart instead of her head and uses her scolding the crab Jikochuu in episode 1 as an example. Clara instead says that Maya’s hunches are usually right and uses her asking them to join the Glitter Force as an example.

In the sub, Rikka says that she still doesn’t think it’ll work out because Regina is King Jikochuu’s daughter, and Arisu asks Makoto if she’s also worried about Mana. In the dub, Rachel says that Mackenzie might be worried because Regina is King Mercenare’s daughter (gee, ya think? She literally said it earlier), and Clara asks if Mackenzie is really worried about that or if she actually fears losing Maya.

Before Makoto/Mackenzie can answer, Regina suddenly jumps down and declares that she’s found them. In the sub, she says that she’s the only friend Mana needs; in the dub, she outright says she’s going to get rid of the three. Then, when a guy comes in with drinks, Regina darkens his Psyche/heart and turns him into a can-shaped Jikochuu/Distain. In the sub, Regina just tells the girls to get lost; in the dub, she delivers a great pun by telling them they’re about to get canned.

Meanwhile, when Mana/Maya is running towards the studio to make sure her friends are okay, Sharuru/Kippie says that she sense a Jikochuu/Distain. Before she gets there, the other three transform. Once they’ve done so, the Jikochuu/Distain shoots soda cans at them and demands that they have his drinks. In the sub, Cure Diamond says it’s not tasty if it’s shoved down their throats and Cure Rosetta says that the Jikochuu is being selfish; in the dub, Glitter Diamond says she’s saving room for dinner and Glitter Clover says that littering is illegal.

Rosetta/Clover uses Rosetta/Clover Reflection to protect the other two from the soda cans, but for some reason the shield breaks under the barrage. It’s weird because the attack has never broken before and there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special about these soda cans.

Oh, by the way, the Distain has an annoying habit of saying, “Pop pop pop pop pop!” every time he shoots cans. And since that’s his only attack, it quickly gets grating.

Anyway, Mana/Maya arrives and is devastated to see that her friends have been knocked over. Regina then talks to her. In the sub, Regina says she’s done so much for Mana and that Mana should repay her by stopping being friends with Rikka, Arisu, and Makoto. In the dub, Regina doesn’t understand why it’s so hard for Maya to just tell Rachel, Clara, and Mackenzie that she’s not friends with them anymore. Mana/Maya refuses, transforms into Cure/Glitter Heart, and says her catchphrase.

The Jikochuu/Distains shoot more cans. Heart prepares to get hit by them, but the cans are headed for the other three warriors instead of her. Heart can’t stop them from getting hit once again. Regina says that it’s Heart’s fault that they’re in pain (in the dub, Regina says that it wouldn’t have happened if she’d ditched them like she told her to). Then, Diamond and Rosetta/Clover protest. In the sub, Cure Diamond and Cure Rosetta say that they were the ones who insisted to stay by Heart and that they’re prepared to withstand extreme hardships to stay her friends. In the dub, Glitter Diamond and Glitter Clover are more direct and say that real friends don’t toss each other aside and instead stick together no matter what.

The Jikochuu/Distain shoots cans at Sword/Spade, but Heart shields her and says that if Regina were a real friend, she wouldn’t be trying to get rid of her other friends. In the sub, Regina asks why Cure Heart, her friend, is disobeying her and Cure Heart says it’s because she wants to be her friend that she’s being honest with her and trying to right her wrongs. In the dub, Regina says that Glitter Heart never wanted to be her friend and was just pretending, and Glitter Heart says that she does want to be her friend but that she wants to be friends with other people, too.

Regina refuses to hear it and the Jikochu/Distain shoots more cans. This time, Sword/Spade comes forward and slashes them to bits. Cure Sword says that Regina should listen to Cure Heart since that’s what friends do; Glitter Spade says that Glitter Heart is right even if she made the wrong choice in whom to befriend. This makes Regina even angrier, but the team is unfazed. As the Jikochuu/Distain jumps forward, the girls perform Lovely Force Arrow/Togetherness Power Arrow to defeat the Jikochuu/Distain.

As the drink delivery guy regains consciousness and the set is magically repaired, Heart offers to be real friends with Regina. Regina refuses and teleports away. Later that day, after the girls have de-transformed, Makoto/Mackenzie asks if Mana/Maya really meant it when she offered to still be Regina’s friend. Mana/Maya says that when she saw Regina smiling, she got the feeling that Regina wasn’t really rotten to the core. She does acknowledge, however, why Makoto/Mackenzie was so upset and says that she’s still on her side when it comes to saving her kingdom. Makoto/Mackenzie says that she’ll never forgive Regina even if she’s Mana/Maya’s friend, but that the reason she’s telling her this at all is because she’s her friend and friends should be honest to each other. Mana/Maya is so delighted to hear that Makoto/Mackenzie is still her friend that she bursts into tears again. Makoto/Mackenzie also tells Mana/Maya that she made way too much food for her as a gift (omlette rice in the sub, cupcakes in the dub), and Mana/Maya sniffles and apologizes.

Back in the villains’ hideout, Regina is eating ice cream by herself. She’s still mad at Mana/Maya, but she also remembers her offering to be a real friend to her. In the sub, Regina wonders what a real friend is; in the dub, she says she could be a real friend, whatever that might be. And with this, the episode ends.

Overall: This was a really engaging episode. I really liked the central conflict with Mana/Maya being torn between Regina and Makoto/Mackenzie. I liked that neither of them were shown as completely wrong and that the show hinted that Mana/Maya could eventually be real friends with them both. I believe that it’s important for kids to know that they shouldn’t abandon their friends for the sake of a new friend. I know that’s a common bullying tactic, and I like that this show is offering such good friendship advice.

Fun fact: this isn’t the first time in Pretty Cure that a villain has befriended the main cast. Usually, though, it’s because the villain is trying to get something from them other than friendship, such as their transformation trinkets. This is the first time in a franchise has befriended a main character solely for the sake of friendship. Thus, rather than coming across as completely evil, Regina seems somewhat tragic. She isn’t just mistreating Mana/Maya’s other friends out of evil; she seems to have never been taught what true friendship is. Hopefully, Mana/Maya will be able to help her out with this.

My only problem with the episode is that I don’t know why Regina was fascinated specifically with Mana/Maya. She wasn’t the only one who fought valiantly and successfully against her Jikochuu/Distain. In fact, the episode in which they fought her was the first time they all finished off an opponent together. The show never explains why she only finds Mana/Maya interesting and not any of the other three.

Next episode: Regina steals the red Royal Crystal!