Episode 32: "Sakura, Kero and Shaoran" or "The Switch"
Introduction to the Experiment
Episode 31
Episode 32: Sakura, Kero and Shaoran (Card Captor Sakura) or The Switch (Cardcaptors)
Sakura, Kero, and Li are battling a Clow Card. This one is the Change Card. As Sakura seals it, Li and Kero grab hold of it at the same time. Unfortunately, that makes the Card activate and, after some confusion, they discover that Kero is in Li's body and vice versa. In the Japanese version, they maintain their voices but they use the accents that are used by the person possessing the body. In the English version, even the voices are switched. As expected, Li and Kero are not happy about being in each other's bodies but luckily there is a way to fix it. After 24 hours, they can switch back. In the Japanese version, Kero melodramatically builds to the revelation that, in order for it to work, they'll have to be in a tight embrace. In the English version, Kero never points that out as an explicit requirement (even though that's clearly a requirement later on). Also, in the English version, Kero and Li have a long, drawn-out smack down session about who can do a better job at being the other and make it to the meeting on time. In both versions, Kero also points that if they don't switch at the right time, they will be switched forever. In the English version, Sakura decides that no one must know that this has happened. In the Japanese version, it's never explicitly stated who thought no one should know but it's clearly not Sakura's idea based on the next scene. Anyway, they've got another problem: Li has to go home to Meilin/go visit Meilin. So, they drop Kero off and Meilin remarks that "Li" is acting weird by ringing the doorbell/is late. Meilin takes Li inside and reveals that Wei is out and they have to cook tonight. In the English version, cooking Wei's chicken noodle soup is the very reason Li was supposed to go to Meilin's house. Kero is overwhelmed but determined to try. Meanwhile, Sakura and Li worry about whether Kero can convince Meilin that he's Li. In the Japanese version, Sakura wonders why they can't just tell Meilin but Li says that would make things too complicated. In the English version, Sakura brushes off the concern: it's just soup. Back at Sakura's place... the two versions differ. In the Japanese version, Sakura says that Li has to stay inside but (after blushing) Li concludes he can't and decides he'll sleep in the tree outside. Sakura says he'll catch cold but Li, after a bout of vertigo, goes for it. But he doesn't know how to fly so he falls. In the English version, Sakura insists that Li cannot sleep in her bedroom. Li protests: what does she expect him to do? Sleep in a tree? (no blushing this time). Um, yeah, that is kind of what Sakura wanted so, without any vertigo, he attempts to fly but he falls. Luckily, Li does not die because Toya and Yukito found him and Yukito caught him. In the Japanese version, Li is clearly blushing and Yukito remarks that the "toy" has very red cheeks. In the English version, Li is protesting being smothered by Sakura, and Julian asks if that toy has always talked. Sakura freaks out and quickly puts Li in her room. In the Japanese version, Sakura tells Li gently to stay put and that he must not leave the room. In the English version, Sakura basically mocks Li for being incompetent at flying and then forbids him from leaving the room but promises him food. In the Japanese version, Li sits and is sad because he can hear the sounds of Yukito and Sakura in the kitchen below. The English version has no background talking as Li sits but he thinks "I can't leave this room, huh?" Back with Meilin and Kero, they're having the soup. It's horrible but Meilin and Kero have to eat it anyway (Meilin to not hurt "Li"'s feelings, Kero to keep up the act). During this festival of pain, Meilin remarks that "Li" sounds a lot like "that stuffed toy". Kero tries to brush it off as hanging around "Keroberos" all day. Meilin makes a comment about Kero being a stuffed toy and Kero takes offense. Meilin is confused: "Li" always calls "Kero" that, so what gives today? Kero tries to cover it up by saying that he has now realized that he's actually pretty awesome. Back to Sakura's house and Sakura, Toya, and Yukito are having a grand old time. Li is outside, trying to climb up a drainpipe to reach the kitchen. In the English version, Li explicitly points out that he can do whatever Kero can do, even flying. Li struggles and strains to get on to the sill and have Sakura notice him and let him inside. Eventually, Toya notices and Sakura goes to investigate and finds Li, who is about to fall off the sill. Sakura closes the window again and walks off as Li falls into blackness. Li wakes up in Kero's bed. In the Japanese version, Sakura asks if Li's alright and apologizes for the small nature of Kero's bed. Li accepts that beggars can't be choosers. Sakura asks Li what he wants to do: stay home or go to school? Li chooses to go to school because he doesn't trust Kero in his body. In the English version, Sakura asks if Li's awake. He replies, no, he's still having a nightmare. Sakura then berates Li for leaving the room, saying that his injury is his own fault. Sakura then says that Li should not come to school today but Li vetoes this: who knows what Kero will do? Sakura reminds Li that he's not that great at keeping a low profile either but Li promises he won't move at school. At school, Sakura has brought Li along in a huge bag. In both versions, Li remarks that he understands why Sakura is late nearly every day now and the English version has Li whine about how the bag is dark. Sakura gets Li to quiet down before Mr. Terada comes over and remarks on her bag. She claims it's for gym class and notes that he's carrying a gift bag. It's for his niece and it's a stuffed toy she wanted. Sakura escapes from Mr. Terada and Li again promises to not move. Sakura gets to class and sees a crowd of kids around Kero, who is demonstrating moves from a video game. Li is mortified. In the Japanese version, Meilin remarks that she didn't think Li knew about video games. Later, Sakura and Li berate Kero for totally not getting the whole "keep a low profile" thing. Kero remarks that he couldn't help it and while they are all arguing, Tomoyo comes. Tomoyo thinks something must be up but Li forbids Kero and Sakura from telling her. In the Japanese version, Tomoyo holds up her camera to Kero and says she's going to take a picture. Kero poses dramatically, revealing to Tomoyo that Kero is in Li's body. In the English version, Sakura accidentally lets it slip, causing Kero and Li to berate Sakura for being the stupid one this time, but Madison brushes it off: she knew the whole time. Now, it's gym class, and Kero stinks at soccer. At one point, to Li and Sakura's horror, Kero starts running on all fours and seems to want to head butt the ball but Sakura hits Kero with her dodgeball to stop him. Meanwhile, a teacher enters the room Li is in and thinks that Li is a lost stuffed animal and takes him away. Back with the other kids and Kero, they remark that it's nearly over but Meilin comes over, demanding to know what is going on. In the Japanese version, Kero starts spouting out some romantic rubbish about how Meilin should trust him and such. Meilin is so moved by "Li"'s sudden emotional outburst that she lets the whole matter drop and walks away... only to turn back and see "Li" crouched and rubbing his face like a dog. In either case, the jig is up and they explain to Meilin off screen. Meanwhile, Li is in a bag that's on a cart. Mr. Terada also sets his bag on the cart. Once the coast is clear, Li tries to escape but is distracted by the stuffed animal in the other bag, leaning to take a look and tripping so the bag holding the toy is knocked over. Mr. Terada accidentally takes the bag with Li in it. After this, the kids and Kero stumble upon the toy, thinking it's Li. They try to rouse "Li" until they realize that the toy has no wings. It's not Li and they can't find him now. Eventually, they find out that Mr. Terada returned the "toy" to the store because his niece didn't like it/already had it. They rush to the store but Li's not inside the store: he's in a claw machine. Kero attempts to catch Li but fails the first time. Eventually, Li is rescued and it's back to the park to get switched back. They are switched. In the English version, the next scene is Li coming to school and seeing Sakura. Sakura remarks that she felt that he might be having trouble since the switch back and brought his "other half", revealing Kero, who says that he misses Li and wants to ride in his backpack. In the Japanese version, Li comes to school to find that Sakura and Kero have switched and he's switched with Meilin! But it's a dream and he's fine. He gets up and Meilin comes in and remarks that he's Li and hugs him. All is well.
Wanna see them?
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng3oXUCclvI
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 2/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeeuH4CGAgI
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 3/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntWdBuF1vY
Cardcaptors Episode 32: Part 1/3
Cardcaptors Episode 32: Part 2/3
Cardcaptors Episode 32: Part 3/3
I absolutely love the "Freaky Friday" trope! And it works perfectly with Li and Kero here because they're such opposites. I sometimes call these types of episodes "Actor Pieces" because, at least in live action and sometimes in animated shows, it's a chance for the two actors to show off their acting skills since not only must they act but they have to mimic the other character perfectly enough that we believe that it's really the other character. It's especially funny when they have to act like themselves but badly because they're the other person. It's a hoot. Too bad the English version ruined it by doing it so badly but I'll get into that.
Card Tally
Sakura: Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery, Rain, Wood, Jump, Illusion, Silence, Thunder, Sword, Flower, Shield, Power, Mist, Float, Erase, Glow, Move, Fight, Loop, Sleep, Song, Little, Mirror, Maze, Shot, Sweet, Big, Create, Change
Current number: 31
Li: Time, Storm, Return, Dash
Current number: 4
Wow, Japanese writers, you are so not trying here. That title could have worked for practically any episode. And why "Shaoran" and not "Li"? Did Meilin write this episode? The English title wins.
Alright, where to begin? The English version does that thing that I hate when animated shows do the "Freaky Friday" trope: they made the voices switch. Half the fun is seeing the actor play another role. Live action shows have no choice, switching voices is actually harder to do, so it never happens there. But animated shows can do this and it's so lazy because the actor doesn't have to act any different. It's a real shame because it would have been fun to see Matt Hill play Li and Rhys Huber play Kero. However, I can see a legit reason for the switch: half of the jokes in the episode deal with Li "sounding different". Of course, in the Japanese version, Kero has an Kansai accent and so "Li" has one during the switchover. But the English version just has Kero sound annoying. But, however, I still think switching is lazy. Kero's vocal patterns are more than just being annoying: his word choice, his topics of conversation, his gestures. Li can still "talk like Kero" without literally sounding like him. And if that failed, Meilin could have just said he was acting weird and never mention his voice at all.
Of course, with a now adult male voice playing a kid, why didn't they make a joke about Li's voice breaking? It would have been funny, it would have made sense, and Meilin would have bought it since Li is the right age for his voice to break.
But that's nothing compared to what happened with Sakura. Why is Sakura such an evil little bitch in this episode? She seriously was going to make Li sleep outside! What the hell, Sakura? Are you still bitter about his behavior during the trip to the cave? Geez. And after his two near brushes with death, she's like, "Well, you suck at this, don't ya?" Wow, way to be sympathetic to his traumatic experience, Sakura! Granted, the second time was his own fault (what were you thinking, Li?!) but berating him for being dumb was not the best way to go about it. And the weirdest part is that the animation is still the same so Sakura is smiling the whole time. It makes Sakura look like the hugest jerk in the world. Man, I wanted to strangle Sakura in this episode in the English version.
Speaking of evil people, what was with the teacher who finds Li in the English version? Seriously, what was up with the whole "Welcome to your new home... the Lost and NEVER FOUND!" bit? I'm surprised that they didn't add a cackle after that. What kind of teacher is he? God, he scared me!
And they cut and changed scenes to either make them less funny or make less sense. This episode is hysterical in the Japanese version so it was real shame that the English version isn't very funny. And before you say "Well, because you had just watched it", I've seen this episode before in the Japanese version and I laughed harder this time. One scene that is notable because it both is less funny and makes less sense is the scene where Kero explains what they have to do get back to normal. In the Japanese version, there is a whole routine about Li and Kero complaining about how each is much worse off than the other because their new bodies are "ugly" and Kero melodramatically explaining that they have to hug. In the English version, Kero doesn't explain the hugging requirement (even though they do it later and Sakura even says that Li knows that he has to do it that way even though it was never explained onscreen) and then makes some remark about how he can totally go to town now in Li's body. Why would Kero want to go to town in Li's body? He's got a pretty sweet deal getting served by Sakura at home so I don't know what he intends to do in Li's body. Then this moment is followed by an overly long and not very funny bit where Kero and Li talk smack about how each is better at being the other and how Li will absolutely, definitely be on time to the meeting. And then Sakura has this seriously over the top melodramatic moment where she makes everyone promise that no one else will find out to prevent any "hitches". She says this like she's in a remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer or something. It makes it sound like they murdered someone and they're making a blood pact. Sakura acts this way when Li remarks that Kero won't be able to convince Meilin when she says that if "Li" doesn't keep "his" appointments, people will get suspicious. She says "suspicious" in this very threatening voice as if she's going to beat Li if he ever questions her again.
Maybe he did question her and that's why he got sent outside to sleep in a tree.
But back to the conversation during the explanation scene: The English version really knocks you over the head with "it's hard to be another person!" aspect of the "Freaky Friday" trope. Yes, that's the moral of the "Freaky Friday" trope, walk a mile in a man's shoes kind of thing, but it's not really the point of the episode here so they should have backed off a bit.
And they cut the scene where Kero makes the romantic speech to Meilin. It's a funny moment, especially the follow-up, but it's gone here. That made me sad.
And they cut the ending so now it makes absolutely no sense! Was the English ending a dream or not? If it's not a dream, are they playing a prank on Li? And if they are, man, Sakura, you're really mean. And if it's not a dream and it's not a prank, then why does Kero and Li have this weird side effect? Is Kero and Li all messed up now? Was it all just to avoid a crossdressing joke which makes no sense because Li was clearly freaked out by it as well so there was no hint of the gay in this episode?
Speaking of the gay, was that the reason the hugging explanation was cut? Come on, that scene was downright homophobic so I was sure that would stay but nope, it's gone. Is even the hint of two guys hugging, even if it's explicitly stated to be undesired, going to give kids the gay?
And while we're on the topic of gay, Li gets his gay moments with Yukito cut. Unlike the rest of the changes, these aren't that bad. I actually did like that Li had more ego-based reasons for leaving the room than just "I want to be near him" kind of nonsense. I still think leaving the room in either version was dumb but I liked English Li's reason better.
The bad news is that Li's blushing moments with Sakura are gone. These were endearing and added an additional dilemma to Li's situation (ohmigod, I'm staying in the same house as my crush... wait, I'm crushing on her?) but nope, no romance allowed in Cardcaptors so Li doesn't get cute moments with Sakura and Sakura gets to be a sadist.
It's just so frustrating watching the dub for this episode. They took a really funny episode and made it hard to watch. I really thought the English dub would work wonders with this episode since their track record with the funny episodes have been sound (if I'm remembering correctly). But this was just a terrible outing for the dub. If it had been a bad episode anyway, I wouldn't mind but this episode was actually a good one and they just blew it.
Plot holes!
1. This only happens in the English version but why do the voices switch after Sakura seals the Card? Shouldn't they switch beforehand?
2. Why wasn't this Card called the Switch while we're on this topic? The Change makes me think of transfiguration or something. Yeah, yeah, bad English skills, I know.
3. Why does the Change have that weird time limit? I could understand "can only change at a certain hour" but "miss the window and you're stuck FOREVER" is kind of extreme, don't you think? Did K.A. Applegate write this episode?
4. Why can't they tell Meilin? Why would telling her "complicate things"? Why does letting Kero demonstrate his bad acting and cooking skills and Meilin thinking Li has lost his mind less complicating than just owning up?
5. Where was Wei? I know "he stepped out" but where? Does he have an active social life or something? As for the English version, why is "Li" making Wei's chicken noodle soup recipe? Shouldn't Wei make it and give it to Li to give to Meilin?
6. Okay, so at the start of the day, Mr. Terada has a gift for his niece. Later on that same day, he finds out that the niece did not want/already had that particular toy. When did he give the present to the niece? Unless the "niece" is really Rika. Maybe he called while at school?
7. Why does the teacher take Li to the lost and found? He was on a student's desk! It wasn't like he was on the floor or in the hallway! The children were clearly having gym class so he wasn't lost. Stop misplacing students' things, silly teacher!
8. When Mr. Terada returned the toy, why did the shop keeper put Li in the claw machine? Did Mr. Terada get the toy from the claw machine? You can't return that!
In conclusion, because of the horrible rendering of this episode by the English production, I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the Japanese Card Captor Sakura being the superior!
Episode 33
Episode 31
Episode 32: Sakura, Kero and Shaoran (Card Captor Sakura) or The Switch (Cardcaptors)
Sakura, Kero, and Li are battling a Clow Card. This one is the Change Card. As Sakura seals it, Li and Kero grab hold of it at the same time. Unfortunately, that makes the Card activate and, after some confusion, they discover that Kero is in Li's body and vice versa. In the Japanese version, they maintain their voices but they use the accents that are used by the person possessing the body. In the English version, even the voices are switched. As expected, Li and Kero are not happy about being in each other's bodies but luckily there is a way to fix it. After 24 hours, they can switch back. In the Japanese version, Kero melodramatically builds to the revelation that, in order for it to work, they'll have to be in a tight embrace. In the English version, Kero never points that out as an explicit requirement (even though that's clearly a requirement later on). Also, in the English version, Kero and Li have a long, drawn-out smack down session about who can do a better job at being the other and make it to the meeting on time. In both versions, Kero also points that if they don't switch at the right time, they will be switched forever. In the English version, Sakura decides that no one must know that this has happened. In the Japanese version, it's never explicitly stated who thought no one should know but it's clearly not Sakura's idea based on the next scene. Anyway, they've got another problem: Li has to go home to Meilin/go visit Meilin. So, they drop Kero off and Meilin remarks that "Li" is acting weird by ringing the doorbell/is late. Meilin takes Li inside and reveals that Wei is out and they have to cook tonight. In the English version, cooking Wei's chicken noodle soup is the very reason Li was supposed to go to Meilin's house. Kero is overwhelmed but determined to try. Meanwhile, Sakura and Li worry about whether Kero can convince Meilin that he's Li. In the Japanese version, Sakura wonders why they can't just tell Meilin but Li says that would make things too complicated. In the English version, Sakura brushes off the concern: it's just soup. Back at Sakura's place... the two versions differ. In the Japanese version, Sakura says that Li has to stay inside but (after blushing) Li concludes he can't and decides he'll sleep in the tree outside. Sakura says he'll catch cold but Li, after a bout of vertigo, goes for it. But he doesn't know how to fly so he falls. In the English version, Sakura insists that Li cannot sleep in her bedroom. Li protests: what does she expect him to do? Sleep in a tree? (no blushing this time). Um, yeah, that is kind of what Sakura wanted so, without any vertigo, he attempts to fly but he falls. Luckily, Li does not die because Toya and Yukito found him and Yukito caught him. In the Japanese version, Li is clearly blushing and Yukito remarks that the "toy" has very red cheeks. In the English version, Li is protesting being smothered by Sakura, and Julian asks if that toy has always talked. Sakura freaks out and quickly puts Li in her room. In the Japanese version, Sakura tells Li gently to stay put and that he must not leave the room. In the English version, Sakura basically mocks Li for being incompetent at flying and then forbids him from leaving the room but promises him food. In the Japanese version, Li sits and is sad because he can hear the sounds of Yukito and Sakura in the kitchen below. The English version has no background talking as Li sits but he thinks "I can't leave this room, huh?" Back with Meilin and Kero, they're having the soup. It's horrible but Meilin and Kero have to eat it anyway (Meilin to not hurt "Li"'s feelings, Kero to keep up the act). During this festival of pain, Meilin remarks that "Li" sounds a lot like "that stuffed toy". Kero tries to brush it off as hanging around "Keroberos" all day. Meilin makes a comment about Kero being a stuffed toy and Kero takes offense. Meilin is confused: "Li" always calls "Kero" that, so what gives today? Kero tries to cover it up by saying that he has now realized that he's actually pretty awesome. Back to Sakura's house and Sakura, Toya, and Yukito are having a grand old time. Li is outside, trying to climb up a drainpipe to reach the kitchen. In the English version, Li explicitly points out that he can do whatever Kero can do, even flying. Li struggles and strains to get on to the sill and have Sakura notice him and let him inside. Eventually, Toya notices and Sakura goes to investigate and finds Li, who is about to fall off the sill. Sakura closes the window again and walks off as Li falls into blackness. Li wakes up in Kero's bed. In the Japanese version, Sakura asks if Li's alright and apologizes for the small nature of Kero's bed. Li accepts that beggars can't be choosers. Sakura asks Li what he wants to do: stay home or go to school? Li chooses to go to school because he doesn't trust Kero in his body. In the English version, Sakura asks if Li's awake. He replies, no, he's still having a nightmare. Sakura then berates Li for leaving the room, saying that his injury is his own fault. Sakura then says that Li should not come to school today but Li vetoes this: who knows what Kero will do? Sakura reminds Li that he's not that great at keeping a low profile either but Li promises he won't move at school. At school, Sakura has brought Li along in a huge bag. In both versions, Li remarks that he understands why Sakura is late nearly every day now and the English version has Li whine about how the bag is dark. Sakura gets Li to quiet down before Mr. Terada comes over and remarks on her bag. She claims it's for gym class and notes that he's carrying a gift bag. It's for his niece and it's a stuffed toy she wanted. Sakura escapes from Mr. Terada and Li again promises to not move. Sakura gets to class and sees a crowd of kids around Kero, who is demonstrating moves from a video game. Li is mortified. In the Japanese version, Meilin remarks that she didn't think Li knew about video games. Later, Sakura and Li berate Kero for totally not getting the whole "keep a low profile" thing. Kero remarks that he couldn't help it and while they are all arguing, Tomoyo comes. Tomoyo thinks something must be up but Li forbids Kero and Sakura from telling her. In the Japanese version, Tomoyo holds up her camera to Kero and says she's going to take a picture. Kero poses dramatically, revealing to Tomoyo that Kero is in Li's body. In the English version, Sakura accidentally lets it slip, causing Kero and Li to berate Sakura for being the stupid one this time, but Madison brushes it off: she knew the whole time. Now, it's gym class, and Kero stinks at soccer. At one point, to Li and Sakura's horror, Kero starts running on all fours and seems to want to head butt the ball but Sakura hits Kero with her dodgeball to stop him. Meanwhile, a teacher enters the room Li is in and thinks that Li is a lost stuffed animal and takes him away. Back with the other kids and Kero, they remark that it's nearly over but Meilin comes over, demanding to know what is going on. In the Japanese version, Kero starts spouting out some romantic rubbish about how Meilin should trust him and such. Meilin is so moved by "Li"'s sudden emotional outburst that she lets the whole matter drop and walks away... only to turn back and see "Li" crouched and rubbing his face like a dog. In either case, the jig is up and they explain to Meilin off screen. Meanwhile, Li is in a bag that's on a cart. Mr. Terada also sets his bag on the cart. Once the coast is clear, Li tries to escape but is distracted by the stuffed animal in the other bag, leaning to take a look and tripping so the bag holding the toy is knocked over. Mr. Terada accidentally takes the bag with Li in it. After this, the kids and Kero stumble upon the toy, thinking it's Li. They try to rouse "Li" until they realize that the toy has no wings. It's not Li and they can't find him now. Eventually, they find out that Mr. Terada returned the "toy" to the store because his niece didn't like it/already had it. They rush to the store but Li's not inside the store: he's in a claw machine. Kero attempts to catch Li but fails the first time. Eventually, Li is rescued and it's back to the park to get switched back. They are switched. In the English version, the next scene is Li coming to school and seeing Sakura. Sakura remarks that she felt that he might be having trouble since the switch back and brought his "other half", revealing Kero, who says that he misses Li and wants to ride in his backpack. In the Japanese version, Li comes to school to find that Sakura and Kero have switched and he's switched with Meilin! But it's a dream and he's fine. He gets up and Meilin comes in and remarks that he's Li and hugs him. All is well.
Wanna see them?
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng3oXUCclvI
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 2/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeeuH4CGAgI
Card Captor Sakura Episode 32: Part 3/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntWdBuF1vY
Cardcaptors Episode 32: Part 1/3
Click to viewCardcaptors Episode 32: Part 2/3
Cardcaptors Episode 32: Part 3/3
I absolutely love the "Freaky Friday" trope! And it works perfectly with Li and Kero here because they're such opposites. I sometimes call these types of episodes "Actor Pieces" because, at least in live action and sometimes in animated shows, it's a chance for the two actors to show off their acting skills since not only must they act but they have to mimic the other character perfectly enough that we believe that it's really the other character. It's especially funny when they have to act like themselves but badly because they're the other person. It's a hoot. Too bad the English version ruined it by doing it so badly but I'll get into that.
Card Tally
Sakura: Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery, Rain, Wood, Jump, Illusion, Silence, Thunder, Sword, Flower, Shield, Power, Mist, Float, Erase, Glow, Move, Fight, Loop, Sleep, Song, Little, Mirror, Maze, Shot, Sweet, Big, Create, Change
Current number: 31
Li: Time, Storm, Return, Dash
Current number: 4
Wow, Japanese writers, you are so not trying here. That title could have worked for practically any episode. And why "Shaoran" and not "Li"? Did Meilin write this episode? The English title wins.
Alright, where to begin? The English version does that thing that I hate when animated shows do the "Freaky Friday" trope: they made the voices switch. Half the fun is seeing the actor play another role. Live action shows have no choice, switching voices is actually harder to do, so it never happens there. But animated shows can do this and it's so lazy because the actor doesn't have to act any different. It's a real shame because it would have been fun to see Matt Hill play Li and Rhys Huber play Kero. However, I can see a legit reason for the switch: half of the jokes in the episode deal with Li "sounding different". Of course, in the Japanese version, Kero has an Kansai accent and so "Li" has one during the switchover. But the English version just has Kero sound annoying. But, however, I still think switching is lazy. Kero's vocal patterns are more than just being annoying: his word choice, his topics of conversation, his gestures. Li can still "talk like Kero" without literally sounding like him. And if that failed, Meilin could have just said he was acting weird and never mention his voice at all.
Of course, with a now adult male voice playing a kid, why didn't they make a joke about Li's voice breaking? It would have been funny, it would have made sense, and Meilin would have bought it since Li is the right age for his voice to break.
But that's nothing compared to what happened with Sakura. Why is Sakura such an evil little bitch in this episode? She seriously was going to make Li sleep outside! What the hell, Sakura? Are you still bitter about his behavior during the trip to the cave? Geez. And after his two near brushes with death, she's like, "Well, you suck at this, don't ya?" Wow, way to be sympathetic to his traumatic experience, Sakura! Granted, the second time was his own fault (what were you thinking, Li?!) but berating him for being dumb was not the best way to go about it. And the weirdest part is that the animation is still the same so Sakura is smiling the whole time. It makes Sakura look like the hugest jerk in the world. Man, I wanted to strangle Sakura in this episode in the English version.
Speaking of evil people, what was with the teacher who finds Li in the English version? Seriously, what was up with the whole "Welcome to your new home... the Lost and NEVER FOUND!" bit? I'm surprised that they didn't add a cackle after that. What kind of teacher is he? God, he scared me!
And they cut and changed scenes to either make them less funny or make less sense. This episode is hysterical in the Japanese version so it was real shame that the English version isn't very funny. And before you say "Well, because you had just watched it", I've seen this episode before in the Japanese version and I laughed harder this time. One scene that is notable because it both is less funny and makes less sense is the scene where Kero explains what they have to do get back to normal. In the Japanese version, there is a whole routine about Li and Kero complaining about how each is much worse off than the other because their new bodies are "ugly" and Kero melodramatically explaining that they have to hug. In the English version, Kero doesn't explain the hugging requirement (even though they do it later and Sakura even says that Li knows that he has to do it that way even though it was never explained onscreen) and then makes some remark about how he can totally go to town now in Li's body. Why would Kero want to go to town in Li's body? He's got a pretty sweet deal getting served by Sakura at home so I don't know what he intends to do in Li's body. Then this moment is followed by an overly long and not very funny bit where Kero and Li talk smack about how each is better at being the other and how Li will absolutely, definitely be on time to the meeting. And then Sakura has this seriously over the top melodramatic moment where she makes everyone promise that no one else will find out to prevent any "hitches". She says this like she's in a remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer or something. It makes it sound like they murdered someone and they're making a blood pact. Sakura acts this way when Li remarks that Kero won't be able to convince Meilin when she says that if "Li" doesn't keep "his" appointments, people will get suspicious. She says "suspicious" in this very threatening voice as if she's going to beat Li if he ever questions her again.
Maybe he did question her and that's why he got sent outside to sleep in a tree.
But back to the conversation during the explanation scene: The English version really knocks you over the head with "it's hard to be another person!" aspect of the "Freaky Friday" trope. Yes, that's the moral of the "Freaky Friday" trope, walk a mile in a man's shoes kind of thing, but it's not really the point of the episode here so they should have backed off a bit.
And they cut the scene where Kero makes the romantic speech to Meilin. It's a funny moment, especially the follow-up, but it's gone here. That made me sad.
And they cut the ending so now it makes absolutely no sense! Was the English ending a dream or not? If it's not a dream, are they playing a prank on Li? And if they are, man, Sakura, you're really mean. And if it's not a dream and it's not a prank, then why does Kero and Li have this weird side effect? Is Kero and Li all messed up now? Was it all just to avoid a crossdressing joke which makes no sense because Li was clearly freaked out by it as well so there was no hint of the gay in this episode?
Speaking of the gay, was that the reason the hugging explanation was cut? Come on, that scene was downright homophobic so I was sure that would stay but nope, it's gone. Is even the hint of two guys hugging, even if it's explicitly stated to be undesired, going to give kids the gay?
And while we're on the topic of gay, Li gets his gay moments with Yukito cut. Unlike the rest of the changes, these aren't that bad. I actually did like that Li had more ego-based reasons for leaving the room than just "I want to be near him" kind of nonsense. I still think leaving the room in either version was dumb but I liked English Li's reason better.
The bad news is that Li's blushing moments with Sakura are gone. These were endearing and added an additional dilemma to Li's situation (ohmigod, I'm staying in the same house as my crush... wait, I'm crushing on her?) but nope, no romance allowed in Cardcaptors so Li doesn't get cute moments with Sakura and Sakura gets to be a sadist.
It's just so frustrating watching the dub for this episode. They took a really funny episode and made it hard to watch. I really thought the English dub would work wonders with this episode since their track record with the funny episodes have been sound (if I'm remembering correctly). But this was just a terrible outing for the dub. If it had been a bad episode anyway, I wouldn't mind but this episode was actually a good one and they just blew it.
Plot holes!
1. This only happens in the English version but why do the voices switch after Sakura seals the Card? Shouldn't they switch beforehand?
2. Why wasn't this Card called the Switch while we're on this topic? The Change makes me think of transfiguration or something. Yeah, yeah, bad English skills, I know.
3. Why does the Change have that weird time limit? I could understand "can only change at a certain hour" but "miss the window and you're stuck FOREVER" is kind of extreme, don't you think? Did K.A. Applegate write this episode?
4. Why can't they tell Meilin? Why would telling her "complicate things"? Why does letting Kero demonstrate his bad acting and cooking skills and Meilin thinking Li has lost his mind less complicating than just owning up?
5. Where was Wei? I know "he stepped out" but where? Does he have an active social life or something? As for the English version, why is "Li" making Wei's chicken noodle soup recipe? Shouldn't Wei make it and give it to Li to give to Meilin?
6. Okay, so at the start of the day, Mr. Terada has a gift for his niece. Later on that same day, he finds out that the niece did not want/already had that particular toy. When did he give the present to the niece? Unless the "niece" is really Rika. Maybe he called while at school?
7. Why does the teacher take Li to the lost and found? He was on a student's desk! It wasn't like he was on the floor or in the hallway! The children were clearly having gym class so he wasn't lost. Stop misplacing students' things, silly teacher!
8. When Mr. Terada returned the toy, why did the shop keeper put Li in the claw machine? Did Mr. Terada get the toy from the claw machine? You can't return that!
In conclusion, because of the horrible rendering of this episode by the English production, I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the Japanese Card Captor Sakura being the superior!
Episode 33