Glitter Force - Season 1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 9 Emily is obsessed with fairy tales. She would love to be in one, and one fateful day she gets her wish when a pixie pops out of a flying book and the big bad wolf steals negative energy from those around her. Now she and her new friends are magical girls, fighting to protect their homes and Jubliland from a permanent unhappy ending.I don't have cable, so my look at what's new is on Netflix. I was looking for something new to watch when I stumbled across Glitter Force Season 1 (added in December 2015). I like anime and magical girl series, so I gave it a shot. It's a bit saccharine with some goofiness, especially with the villains. It's got a solid heart. The episodes repeat the same mechanics, but the plot is definitely moving forward to a climax at the very end. The girls go through several growing pains, strengthening as individuals, Glitter Force warriors, and as a team. We get a very good feel for each of their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, and some episodes early on really focus on them becoming friends. They progress very quickly, getting a boost or evolution to their powers somewhere in the middle (which needed to happen because the villain's got a stronger fighter, too), and a second boost at the end. It's got a lot of the themes and tropes that other magical girl series have, but there's some comfort in that. I like that these girls can be good at sports, art, martial arts, and taking care of others but also be fine with their "girly" make-up themed transformation (the use a compact to "powder" themselves into a sailor outfit with bigger hair). The second power-up is "tiara mode", which makes their appearance a bit more "princessy", but the final one is "princess mode" and involves a unicorn-pegasus, so very fantasy. The designs are very pretty, while their attacks are powerful. I love Glitter Peace's electric attacks (and her reaction to the initial shock of the charge) and Glitter Breeze's ice attacks. I am curious who else will join their team in the future, as there are two other gem colors in their compacts .... Candy is a pixie from Jubiland, who recruited the girls. She's like a little kid, but she's vital to them becoming a team and powering up, and even she grows. The magical way of travelling through bookshelves and a magical library is pretty cool. Her older brother is a nice asset, but I appreciate that his role is minor. He is especially helpful in fighting alongside Glitter Breeze in the climax fight, as he's able to turn into a shield among other things. I love that the villains are fairy tale villains -- big bad wolf, wicked witch, Japanese oni, and harlequin joker. I like their attempts to turn everything into an unhappy ending, and I like how they set the stage to absorb the negative energy from people (there's a lot of early Sailor Moon similarities, but it's also quite different). They can be a bit goofy, but I like them. The witch especially has some great personality traits and trouble-making inventions, and the joker, Rascal, is a good plotter and planner. I like how they create a fighter (Buffoon) from things in their surroundings; it make it humorous but also presents new and different challenges. I also like that we get to see their real strengths when they divide up to face the Glitter Force girls one-on-one. I am annoyed that Netflix is calling this a "Netflix Original"; it's a Netflix exclusive, but as it's a series on its own (Smile Pretty Cure!) in Japan that they bought the dubbing rights to, it's not an "original". Some changes were made from the original, including character names, catchphrases, and music. I approve of changes to the names and catchphrases. The music is very hit-and-miss, with some closing themes that are not at all a good fit. The closing animation is also much poorer CG, making it look like cheap video game graphics instead of the smooth animation of the series. The closing animation just has the girls dancing (and the dance and setting are changed up as the series progresses). The opening song is fun, and I don't mind hearing it every time, which is good because it's annoying to try to fast-forward through something like that on Netflix. The voice acting is great. I especially love the voices of the villains, which reminds me of the types and variety of voices we used to see more in cartoons in the 80s. I hope that Netflix will release this series on DVD / Blu-ray; it's very enjoyable. Written: January 21, 2016
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