User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Episode 44 (Sub), 36 (Dub)

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'''Japanese title: “The Secret Behind the Smile! Miyuki’s True Ultra-Happy!!”'''

English title: “The Gift of Friendship”

Judging by the preview from last episode, this episode is about Miyuki/Emily finding the girl who brought her out of her shell as a kid and taught her to smile. You’d think that was Nico from the movie, since her book had the same effect on a young Miyuki there, but the girl from the preview is different. Perhaps the movie isn’t canon; Pretty Cure movies usually aren’t.

With that aside, there are 5 episodes left and 2 more Cure Décors/Glitter Charms. Today is going to be quite the pivotal episode, because the Royal Clock is going to come full circle! With the Bad Energy Memory/Wheel of Doom having 2 ticks left, the end is nigh!

We start with a view of the town. There are Christmas decorations everywhere, which is a good sign! Pretty Cure’s Christmas episodes tend to be ones that kickstart the grand finale.

Like the past four episodes, this one starts with a monologue from its focus character, this time being Miyuki/Emily. Miyuki says her name and tells the audience that she loves happy things and searches for something new every day to make her ultra-happy, even though she’s not sure what “ultra-happy” means. Emily says that she’s excited because Christmas is coming and she’s going shopping.

Candy and Miyuki/Emily state their excitement about shopping. Then, Nao/April and Akane/Kelsey greet them. Miyuki apologizes for being late, while Emily says she’s almost embarrassed by how happy she is. Then, she trips (Emily cries, “Oh, no!” as she trips and says she’s embarrassed afterwards).

A woman offers to help Miyuki/Emily. A sign behind her is edited.



Seriously. Would you look at that. Sparkle Storm “Shining” is MORE SHADOWY THAN THE SHADOW REALM’S ATTACKS. This is even worse than episode 40->32. At least you can see Sparkle Fire Inferno, even if there’s a thick black border around it. Here, it’s just horrible.

Happy/Lucky collapses from exhaustion (Lucky saying, “Piece of cake…”). Happy asks why Wolfrun is so stubborn, while Lucky asks why Ulric won’t realize he’ll never win. Both lines mean the same thing, but I get the feeling that Happy feels bad for his endless pursuit of unhappiness, while Lucky just hates him. It would be perfectly reasonable to hate this guy, mind you, but one of the cool things about Pretty Cure is its emphasis (in some seasons, at least) on happiness and friendship for everyone, even the villains. Sometimes the villains are pure evil and never consider it and the girls are forced to resort to murder, but they often receive an offer of mercy.

Wolfrun/Ulric shouts that he has to win and is about to attack Happy/Lucky, but the other four interfere. They perform Royal Rainbow Burst, completing the Royal Clock and receiving the Butterfly Décor/Charm.

We cut to the evening, where Yura/Nora and her mom say goodbye to the girls. Then, it starts snowing. In the sub, Candy says it’s pretty; in the dub, she asks if they can eat the snow and Lily says she can if it isn’t yellow. Then, the girls all talk to each other. Miyuki says that she found out that her true ultra-happy is helping others; Emily mentions that they did a lot today, such as defeating Ulric, bringing Euphoria closer to revival, and finding her ultimate happiest happiness (but she doesn’t tell them what it is).

Then, the entire city powers up the holiday lights, and the girls all admire its beauty. In the sub, there are no sounds but for an insert song called "The Best Smile". It’s an upbeat, fun song performed by the voice actresses of Miyuki, Akane, Yayoi, Nao, and Reika. According to this wiki, it also appears in the final episode, so we’ve got that to look forward to!

In the dub, there is no special insert song. Instead, the girls gasp at the pretty lights. Miyuki/Emily gets an inner monologue; Miyuki’s starts during a flashback to her old friend, and Emily’s starts a bit before that, when Emily is staring at the scenery. Miyuki says her name, that she loves happy things, and that a bright future awaits her if she shares it with her friends. Emily says that the only thing more she could want is to find her old friend and thank her for everything.

Overall: This was a great episode! Sure, I’m a little upset that it’s stealing from and overshadowing the movie, but it was wonderful seeing another side of Miyuki/Emily and how she grew into the person she is today. The problem I have with pink Cures is that a lot of them are the same: friendly, energetic, protective, brave, and generally not the sharpest tool in the shed. I feel that Miyuki/Emily’s past differentiates her from her pink sisters at least a little bit.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Of course, this episode wasn’t going to reach the heights of 43->35; the confrontation between Joker/Rascal and Beauty/Breeze was simply too awesome. But seeing the journey from shy, solitary Miyuki/Emily to the Miyuki/Emily who values friendship above all else was rewarding, and the fight and attack were cool, too. The only thing the dub messed up on was Happy/Lucky’s new attack. Shining =/= dark.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">A few notes: according to this wiki, Miyuki’s grandmother is named Hoshizora Tae, and the creators referred to Miyuki’s old friend as “Smile-chan” or the “girl in the forest”. It’s a shame that we never found out more about Smile-chan. My theory was that she was the Royale Queen/Euphoria in disguise, but to my best guess, she’s never mentioned again.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Speaking of last appearances, say goodbye to the Hyper Akanbe/Twilight Buffoon. You’ll never see it again.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Next episode: The climax begins! Joker/Rascal finds the Miracle Jewel and powers up the other three villains!