This article is reposted from the Pretty Cure Wiki with some minor changes.
Episode 31 (Sub), 26 (Dub) | Table of Contents | Episode 33 (Sub)
Japanese title: “Our Hearts as One! Pretty Cure’s New Power!!”
English title: “A Perfect Nightmare”
The episode starts with a flashback to the end of the last one, where Joker/Rascal traps four of the girls in the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball. Then, we get the openings. After that, we cut back to Miyuki/Emily, Joker/Rascal, Candy, and Pop. The episode title is added over the first shot in the dub.
Miyuki/Emily demands that Joker/Rascal return her friends, but he refuses, saying they’re having too much fun in the dream world to want to return. Candy disagrees, and Miyuki/Emily says she’ll rescue them by going in the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball herself. Candy and Pop are shocked, but Joker/Rascal welcomes her in. He warns her that she’ll forget all about the real world, but Miyuki/Emily goes in anyway. As the ball swallows her up, dialogue is added where Rascal says, “Bon voyage!” Also, after Miyuki/Emily disappears, Joker calls her an idiot, while Rascal tells her to “forget to write.”
Candy and Pop scream, but Miyuki/Emily is confident as she goes into the dream world. Miyuki calls for the others to wait for her, while Emily encourages herself. Then, the sub shows the title card.
We cut to the dream world’s version of school. In the sub, we hear the school bell ring before Akane wakes Miyuki up; in the dub, Kelsey spends a longer time waking her up. We then see that the other four are there. On the blackboard, the dub removes Japanese text and adds English text.
In the sub, the others are going home after school. Miyuki asks Akane what happened to her volleyball practice, Akane is confused, and Nao says that volleyball is a waste of energy. In the dub, the others are cutting class. Emily says they’ll get in trouble, and April says that people do it all the time.
The group decides to go to an amusement park and invites Miyuki/Emily along. By the time her she packs her things, though, they’re already gone. She runs after them, only to come across the teacher. In the sub, Miyuki says everyone’s acting strange and the teacher says they aren’t and Miyuki shouldn’t worry herself about such difficult things. In the dub, Emily tries to come up with an excuse for cutting class and the teacher says she was planning to cut school herself due to a sale.
The teacher points out that Miyuki/Emily’s friends are waiting. Miyuki/Emily says goodbye to her and pursues them. In the sub, Miyuki bows to her teacher; in the dub, it’s kept on a still frame so Emily doesn’t bow.
As Miyuki/Emily runs, Miyuki thinks that something is wrong here, while Emily thinks her friends are acting strange. Then, we see the amusement park, which is Akanbe/Buffoon-themed. In the sub, creepy music plays as we get multiple shots of the park; in the dub, we hear people screaming on the rollercoasters, and Emily asks when the park was built and how it was allowed so close to school. We get a shot of Miyuki/Emily’s reaction. Miyuki is shocked that there’s an amusement park here, while Emily is shocked that it managed to get built despite being named “BAD END”.
Miyuki/Emily turns around and is creeped out to find the school gone, replaced with more of the amusement park. Then, her friends invite her to a snack table and Miyuki/Emily nervously walks over.
We cut to the real world. Candy wants to go into the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball to rescue Miyuki/Emily and the others, but Pop tells her it’s dangerous. However, when Candy insists, Pop reluctantly lets her go. Joker/Rascal tells her she may not be able to escape this time, but Candy says she will. As she disappears, dialogue is added where Rascal says he can’t wait to see her try. After she’s gone, Joker calls Candy an idiot, while Rascal says he doubts she’ll succeed. The scene ends with Joker/Rascal saying that with Candy and the others in the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball, the Royal Clock can’t be used.
We cut back to the dream world. One of the shots of the amusement park booths is cut.
In the sub, Akane says Miyuki can eat all she wants here, Yayoi says she can drink as much as she wants, Nao says she can play as much as she wants, Reika says she can sleep all she wants, Yayoi says there’s neither school nor homework, Nao says nothing bad ever happens here, and Akane says everyone’s having fun. In the dub, Kelsey says Emily can ride as much as she wants without waiting in line, April says she’ll never get to all the rides, Lily says they can play until they’re exhausted, sleep, and play some more, and Chloe says there’s neither homework nor people telling them what to do.
Miyuki/Emily concedes that the world does look fun. Then, the other four give her treats to eat. In the sub, they say Miyuki should eat whatever she wants and not hold back; in the dub, April and Lily say it’s all-you-can-eat, Chloe says the food isn’t bad for you, and Kelsey says the amusement park is great.
Miyuki/Emily chows down on a donut. Suddenly, all five of them get dark, lifeless eyes, and Miyuki/Emily doesn’t care about anything anymore. Then, Candy falls into the world and hits her on the face. In the sub, when Candy screams, she shouts, “Kuru!”; in the dub, she cries, “Emily! Up here! It’s me!” Additionally, when the two fall on the floor, Miyuki says, “Ow ow ow ow ow…” in the sub, while Candy says, “That’s gonna leave a mark…” in the dub, a callback to episode 1.
Miyuki/Emily doesn’t recognize Candy. She crawls up to her and lifts her up, saying she’s cute. In the dub, Candy replies, “I know.” In the sub, just like in episode 1, Miyuki asks if Candy’s a dog, cat, or raccoon and asks Candy’s name; in the dub, Emily asks if Candy is a poodle, a bunny, or a platypus.
In the sub, Candy panics and asks if Miyuki’s forgotten her; in the dub, she gets angry and tells Emily she’s her best friend, Candy. In response, Miyuki asks who Candy is, while Emily vacantly says, “Best friend…? That’s nice…” Jn the sub, Candy says Miyuki is mean; in the dub, Candy says it’s just as she thought.
Candy tries to make Miyuki/Emily remember by splitting a cookie into six pieces and tells her about when she taught her that happiness is better when you share it with others. Miyuki says that sounds bothersome; Emily says she thought there wouldn’t be math. In the sub, Candy tells Miyuki that one has to think hard about what’s precious to them and decide for themselves what’s important; in the dub, she begs Emily to remember the lesson she taught her.
Miyuki/Emily looks at the cookie pieces and has a flashback to her splitting the cookie between the six of them. Her eyes become full of light again, and she panics, remembering that she’s in the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball. She tells the others that the world is fake. Unfortunately, the girls don’t remember Joker/Rascal, or even Pretty Cure/the Glitter Force.
Miyuki/Emily begs the girls to remember; Miyuki reminds them of how hard they worked as Pretty Cure, while Emily says they need to work harder to remember. In both versions, the girls respond that working hard is too much effort and it’s easier to do nothing.
The other four then become tired and start to fall asleep. Miyuki/Emily and Candy, panicked, try to wake them up. Miyuki/Emily manages to get Akane/Kelsey up for a bit, but Akane/Kelsey doesn’t remember her. In the sub, Miyuki silently cries and then shouts Akane’s name, after which Candy gets an idea; in the dub, Candy panics and says she has to think of something and then comes up with her idea.
Candy tells Miyuki/Emily to purify the dream world with Happy Shower/Sparkle Storm. Miyuki/Emily agrees and transforms. For the first time in a while, we see her uncut transformation in both versions. In the sub, the transformation music remains even after the transformation ends; in the dub, it cuts out once the transformation is over.
Happy/Lucky generates her spirit and uses Happy Shower/Sparkle Storm. Happy says she’ll rescue her friends from the dream world, while Lucky says she’ll blast a hole in the world’s ceiling. Candy cheers her on, and Happy/Lucky gives all her power to the attack.
The sub then shows the eyecatches, which show Princess Beauty and Princess Happy. Then, we return to the action. Before Happy Shower/Sparkle Storm can hurt the dream world, a giant card appears in the sky, creates a portal into which the attack disappears, and flips around to reveal Joker/Rascal. Joker says, “Too bad,” while Rascal says the attack tickled.
Joker/Rascal challenges Happy/Lucky to a fight because she tried to destroy his world. He tears a tiny yellow ball of his jester hat and turns it into a Yellow Nose since a Hyper Akanbe/Twilight Buffoon would hurt him. With the nose, he turns a roller coaster into a Yellow Akanbe/Buffoon. Oddly, when Rascal summons the Buffoon, he says, “Buffoon, appear!” which hasn’t ever been said before when summoning a Buffoon.
The paradise illusion fades away, revealing a nightmarish landscape. As this happens, dialogue is added where Lucky asks what’s going on. Then, Happy/Lucky and Candy notice the other four and try to wake them up.
Joker/Rascal sends the Akanbe/Buffoon forth. Leaving Candy with the others, Happy/Lucky goes to attack it. When it chases her, she jumps off a cliff to evade it (Lucky shouts, “Try to catch me, you big Buffoon!”). However, the Akanbe/Buffoon crashes through the ground, causing Happy/Lucky to fall.
Meanwhile, Candy finally wakes up the others. She tells them that Happy/Lucky needs help, but they don’t know who she is. While this is going on, Happy/Lucky, through some difficulty, lands a hit (more specifically, a headbutt) on the Akanbe/Buffoon. Joker says that Happy is pretty good; Rascal asks if the Buffoon can’t handle a single girl.
The Akanbe/Buffoon smacks Happy/Lucky into the ground. She leaps up multiple times to attack again, but each time, she gets smacked back down. Akane asks what she’s doing; Kelsey asks if she and the Buffoon are playing a game.
Happy/Lucky says she won’t quit until her friends are back home. Joker/Rascal asks why she thinks the real world is so important. He says there’s nothing they have to do – neither school nor homework nor getting up early – and that you can do whatever you want in the dream world. Reika/Chloe and Akane/Kelsey smile at his words.
After getting knocked back down again, Happy/Lucky says that she needs to return her friends to normal. In the sub, Joker asks why, given that they’re having fun, and Happy says they aren’t genuinely smiling. In the dub, Rascal says her friends don’t remember her anymore and Lucky says that it’s because they’re under Rascal’s spell and she knows they’ll come to their senses. During this last line, footage of Happy/Lucky running is darkened.
Happy/Lucky’s last line resonates with the other four. In an effort to put them back under his spell, Joker/Rascal outlines the struggles each of the four have to face in the real world. First, he flashes back to episode 2, with Akane/Kelsey struggling in volleyball. Joker says that it’s painful when Akane tries her best and still fails, while Rascal says that no matter how much Kelsey practices, she’ll never be the best.
Then, he reminds Yayoi/Lily of the humiliation that came with her trying her best in the art contest in episode 3. After that, he reminds Nao/April of her relay race failure in episode 18->16. He finishes with Reika/Chloe by flashing back to episode 16->15. However, the footage used is different in the sub than in the dub. Additionally, Joker says that Reika may think and think, but she only ends up disappointing her friends, while Rascal says that Chloe gives everything her all but it’s never enough.
This is followed by a shot of Happy/Lucky beating up the Akanbe/Buffoon. Also, dialogue is added where Lucky tells Rascal he can talk all he wants. Once again, the sub’s footage is jarringly blurry, and I apologize for that.
Happy/Lucky gets beaten up again, and Joker/Rascal says that in this world, nobody has to try, so nobody has to fail. In the sub, Candy shouts that even though they fail, she likes how hard her friends work because they sparkle when they do so; in the dub, Candy says that if you don’t try, you never succeed, which is why Lucky keeps getting up after being knocked down.
Then, the Akanbe/Buffoon seemingly crushes Happy/Lucky, but she manages to hold up its tail to keep herself from getting squished. I thought super-strength was Sunny’s power, but okay… Anyway, Happy/Lucky flashes back to episode 22->19, where the team had to decide whether to rescue Candy or to say goodbye to their families and friends before the Bad End Kingdom/Shadow Realm destroyed the world. Happy/Lucky says they decided for themselves what was most important: working hard to protect all of their loved ones.
The four then flash back to memories of their friends and relearn the importance of friendship, and how true friends can help even in tough times. Miyuki says that answering the question of what is important may be difficult and it may hurt, but it allows one to progress, and that even if they’re useless alone, they must band together to create a future where they’re all sparkling and one; Emily says that if they never tried to succeed, they never would have become who they are, and that if they beat Nogo, they can beat Rascal. In response, the four girls start crying and they come back to life.
Joker/Rascal is unfazed. At his orders, the Akanbe/Buffoon shoots numerous lasers at Happy/Lucky, beating the poor girl up even more. Joker/Rascal says that no matter how much she tries, her friends don’t care about her anymore and won’t help her.
Just as the Akanbe/Buffoon is about to deliver the finishing blow, Candy steps between it and Happy/Lucky, determined to fight with her. Despite Happy/Lucky’s anguished protests, Candy stays with her. The beam launches and is about to hit them. This is darkened in the dub. Japanese version:
English version:
More is darkened, but I think you get the point.
However, before Smile Pretty Cure! can become the first Pretty Cure season ever to kill off its main character, Sunny/Sparkle Fire destroys the beam. Sunny appears in front of Happy/Lucky and Candy, saying she heard her feelings. The Akanbe/Buffoon fires another beam, but Peace Thunder/Sparkle Lightning destroys it. This is darkened.
Peace appears, too. Cure Peace says she also received Happy’s feelings; Glitter Peace compliments Lucky’s speech. The Akanbe/Buffoon tries a third beam, but March Shoot/Sparkle Shot dispels it, and Beauty/Sparkle Blizzard knocks down the Akanbe/Buffoon itself. In the sub, Beauty apologizes for being late and March tells Joker they’ll show him their power; in the dub, Breeze thanks Lucky for waking them up and Spring says they all heard her.
Joker/Rascal is shocked because he thought it would be impossible for all five to break out of the spell. In the sub, the girls reply that hard work is important to move forward and be truly happy; in the dub, they say that because they’re a team, they’re invincible.
The six of them put their hands together and unleash the power of the Royal Clock. In the sub, they say, “Sparkle! Smile Pretty Cure!” as they do this; in the dub, rather than saying their catchphrase, they shout, “All together! Go, Glitter Force, go!”
Their sheer power breaks open the Ball of Neglect/Dream Ball, leading to an extremely relieved Pop. Joker is shocked and upset, but still determined to defeat the girls; Rascal is a bit annoyed, but still confident. He covers the Yellow Nose in black paint, turning the Yellow Akanbe/Buffoon into a Hyper Akanbe/Twilight Buffoon.
The girls respond with an upgraded version of Rainbow Burst. First, they transform into Princesses as usual. Then, the Royal Clock appears, and Happy/Lucky and Candy activate it. In the sub, Happy says, “Open, Royal Clock!” and Candy says, “Make everyone’s powers as one!”; in the dub, Lucky says, “Summoning the power of the Royal Clock!” and Candy says, “When you hear the chime, it’s time for a happy ending! Ding!”
Then, the number 1 on the Royal Clock lights up, and it unleashes a giant orange phoenix. After that, the girls fly around on their Pegasi as usual. In the sub, Happy says, “Deliver the light of hope!” just as before, but the whole group says, “Fly into the future with shining light!” In the dub, the girls say their usual lines.
The giant phoenix appears behind the girls. This is darkened in the dub.
In the sub, the girls shout, “Pretty Cure Royal Rainbow Burst!” and for some reason, one of the girls gets vibrato while shouting this. In the dub, they cry, “Phoenix Power Attack! Here we go! Royal Rainbow Burst!” This unleashes a phoenix/Pegasus hybrid, which shoots a rainbow beam. This, too, is darkened.
The beam kills the Akanbe/Buffoon, and the team ends the attack as usual. Like last episode, the sub has the girls receive one Cure Décor while the dub gives them two Glitter Charms. In the sub, they get the Elephant Décor; in the dub, they get a Banana Charm and an Angel Charm. Additionally, in the sub, Candy says the victory was due to everyone’s power; in the dub, she says they’re off to a good start and that one of the Glitter Charms is a baby. Japanese version:
English version:
Joker/Rascal is angry about the team unlocking the Royal Clock’s power. Committed even further to finding the Miracle Jewel, he teleports away. Pop explains that their powers united summoned the legendary Phoenix and that if they fill up the Décor Décor/Charm Chest once more, the queen will be revived.
We cut to sunset, where the team is looking over a river. In the sub, Miyuki says that today was a wild day and that things may get even tougher, but she’s sure they can overcome any problem together. In the dub, Kelsey says that today got a happy ending, and Emily says that after coming so close to losing her friends, she’s realized just how special the real world is. April says that she missed the all-you-can-eat aspect of the dream world, and the girls discuss which of the foods was their favorite. Then, the episode ends.
Overall: Now this is the big showdown I wanted last episode! I always get excited for episodes where the team gets new attacks because there’s always a good fight. And at last, after many episodes of subpar action, we got a good fight scene! The only problem I have with this episode is that unfortunately, in the dub, Candy’s voice acting was kind of iffy. Sometimes, she did great, but other times, it started to feel like the first few episodes of the dub. I hope Candy gets better next episode. Oh, wait, it isn’t dubbed…
Next time: Pop becomes human and the team participates in a period drama!
GlitterInformer Central 