User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Episode 48 (Sub), 40 (Dub)

Return to Episode 47 (Sub), 39 (Dub) | Return to the Table of Contents | Advance to the Smile Pretty Cure! novel

'''Japanese title: “To a Future Sparkling with Light! Deliver it! The Best Smile!!”'''

English title: “Friends Forever”

So, this is it, guys. We are finishing this season. I started working on this sub/dub comparison sometime in the spring of 2018. It was almost autumn when I first wrote this article in particular. Now, it’s the final part of winter of 2019, and I’m going to finish Smile Pretty Cure! and Glitter Force. I gotta say, it has been quite the fun ride. This is the first sub/dub comparison I’ve ever done, and it’s a way different experience watching an anime as part of a sub/dub comparison rather than just watching it without writing anything down. And at last, after many months, I am finally going to say goodbye to this thing.

Well, not just yet. I’ve still got my final thoughts to write, as well as my views on this season’s songs, book, and dubs around the world. Not only that, but the season after this, ''Doki Doki! Pretty Cure'', has been dubbed, too. But be careful, guys. I have heard that it would be wise to bring a tissue to this episode. I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t watched it yet, but we’re about to. Ready?

To highlight the finality of this episode, both versions start off with the opening theme. Additionally, the sub’s title card is narrated by all five of the girls, not just Miyuki. Speaking of the title card, the sub I’m watching has an alternate translation: “Onwards, to a Dazzling Future! Let’s Share the Greatest of Smiles!!” It isn’t as faithful, but it sounds better than the one I came up with based on the wiki’s translation.

After the opening theme, the dub adds a recap of last episode.



 And with that, we’re done. Smile Pretty Cure! and Glitter Force have ended. It’s hard to believe that I’m done, but it had to end sometime.

 Overall:  This was a nice season finale. It didn’t reach the heights of 47->39’s EPIC FIGHTS, but not only did we see a worthwhile end to Pierrot/Nogo’s reign of terror, but we also laid witness to one of the most emotional scenes in the series: Candy and Pop having to leave the others. While I very rarely shed tears when watching anime, there are sometimes scenes that make me tear up, and the scene where Candy realized she had to leave was another one. It’s too bad the dub got rid of part of this tearfest.

 Speaking of the dub… it started out quite good, with the only edits of note being the constant dimming and tinting. However, as soon as we returned to normal, things took a turn for the worse. Not only did they get rid of the girls crying and replaced it with confidence that Candy would surely, most definitely return (because kids just can’t handle emotional scenes, am I right?), but everything after that was extremely heavily edited. I get them removing some Japanese text as well as cutting out the Japanese ending theme (though it would have been cool if the dub had made their own play-by-play recap of the show with one of their ending themes), but overall, there were so many edits for no reason.

 Finally, you may have heard me compare Smile’s ending to Heartcatch Pretty Cure! a few times, but I omitted the real Pretty Cure piece this show was uncannily similar to: Pretty Cure All Stars DX3. This is the crossover movie that came out right before New Stage, which was included in this sub/dub comparison. You needn’t know all of the details – after all, none of the characters in it show up here outside of New Stage – but its ending is quite similar. First of all, the main villain is a black hole. Second of all, the Pretty Cures are forced to part with their fairy partners, only to meet them again much later. Fans are split on which one is better: DX3 because Smile is a blatant ripoff, or Smile because it focuses on the characters’ lives without the fairies and doesn’t play happy music over the emotional moment. Personally, I found knowing what would happen already detrimental to my enoyment of the emotional scenes, but that in no way means it wasn’t a treat to watch.

 Now, for my thoughts on the season as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed this season, just like every other season of Pretty Cure. Smile may not have done much to go outside the typical Pretty Cure tropes, but it bounced around within its constraints so energetically that I couldn’t help but have fun. With funny moments, emotional moments, character growth, and EPIC FIGHTS, this season was a winner.

 But while the show may be done, the sub/dub comparison is not! As I stated above, I’m still going to review the Smile Pretty Cure! novel, which takes place 10 years after the show. I’ll also review all of the songs associated with ''Smile Pretty Cure! ''and Glitter Force. After this, I’ll top it all off with my overall thoughts on both versions of this great season of Pretty Cure. Originally, I was also going to take a look at the foreign-language dubs of this show before writing my final thoughts, but I’ve found that it’s taking a really long time to do that, so that will be a treat for afterwards.

 But watch out: even with those evaluations finished, we’re still not done. Pretty Cure is far from finished, and neither are its English dubs. Right after Smile Pretty Cure!, we have ''Doki Doki! Pretty Cure… and Glitter Force Doki Doki.'' Man, my excitement is off the hook! I’ll see you there!

 Next time:  The novel!! Ten years after the show, Joker returns to take his revenge…