Ojamajo Doremi/Magical DoReMi (4Kids) Episode 10: Pinch! The Teacher Found Out!! | Sub/Dub Comparison
Plot: The girls are caught working at the magic shop when it’s against school rules. Their teacher and the vice principal insist on visiting the shop when the girls lie and say they’re helping out the elderly owner who is a relative of Aiko. They have to scramble to keep up their lie to ensure that they can continue working at the magic shop and stay as witches.
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As always, the opening sequence is removed. The girls all look sadly at their fairies as they lament about how they won’t be able to be witches or work at the magic shop anymore.
“Welcome” and “Open” are removed from the signs out front.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
The shot of Hazuki at the counter is removed.
This shot of a clock is removed.
Name Changes: Kaori Shimamura, the photographer, is changed to Penny.
The blonde villainness girl is originally Reika Tamaki. In the dub, she’s Josie Huffingon.
The red-haired girl is originally Nanako Okado. In the dub, she’s Autumn Harrison.
The girl in the pink shirt is originally Kanae Iida. In the dub, she’s Haley.
Originally, Nanako and Kanae just praise Kaori’s pictures. In the dub, Penny asks if there’s anything they notice about the pictures she took. Haley says they’re of a cute little store, Autumn asks where that shop is, and Haley adds that they were taken during the day and are shiny.
Reika and Kaori just point out that they’ve caught Doremi, Aiko and Hazuki breaking rules while they were trying to get pictures of local shops. In the dub, they act as if the intention all along was to prove Dorie and the others were working somewhere when they’re too young.
They insert a flipped shot of the photos after Reika talks.
Ya know, I know they’re young, but…..seriously, how did they think they wouldn’t get caught working when they’re not supposed to? It’s not as if they hide in there. Honestly, if it’s such a terrible rule to break, you’d think some customer would have reported them by now.
The blackboard originally read “Study hall”. In the dub, it says “Chapter 3 Pages 13-24”.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
On that note, Seki-sensei says they’re having study hall for an hour. In the dub, she tells them to do the reading assignment because it will be on the test.
Name Change: I don’t think I’ve noted this yet, so – Seki-sensei (seemingly has no first name) is changed to Miss Cooper.
Seki originally said straight out that the girls were photographed working in a shop. In the dub, she just vaguely says they’re were photographed doing something they’re not supposed to do.
Also, they’re third graders. Why are they being treated like they committed murder when, logically, the ones who would be most in the wrong would be their employers?
Name Change: Kouchou-sensei, the principal, is changed to Principal Hamburg.
Doremi asks if it’s true that Reika sold them out, and Seki says it doesn’t matter who said what. In the dub, Dorie denies working at the shop and Miss Cooper says she never mentioned what the pictures were of, so there’s no way she knew that unless they’re guilty.
Doremi denies working there. Dorie says someone else told them about the pictures and that’s how they know about them.
Hazuki says they’re helping Aiko’s aunt’s niece’s grandma. In the dub, Reanne says they’re helping Mirabelle’s grandmother’s niece’s third cousin’s neighbor twice removed.
The sign for the principal’s office is properly translated and painted to English.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
The exit sign is painted free of a bit of kanji. It’s especially funny in this shot, because, look, in this same shot, they accidentally left in the kanji that they just translated on the principal office sign.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
Aiko says they’re helping a relative. In the dub, she says they’re helping the owner of a magic shop who has taken ill.
Whatever this sign is above the vice principal is painted free of text.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
The original doesn’t specify the illness the owner has. In the dub, they say she has a skin disease.
Also…..it’s fine for them to be working in the store as long as they don’t get paid? Does that seem backwards to anyone else?
Doremi says they don’t get paid – they don’t even get allowance. In the dub, Dorie says they need to help her make money at the shop to pay for the old lady’s medical bills or else they might force her to close up shop and take her house away.
Getting a little too real there, 4Kids.
Kouchou just agrees outright. Hamburg says it’s fine as long as they keep their grades up, which is very fair.
The original doesn’t mention anything about Reika wanting a job because she doesn’t get an allowance like the dub does. Josie is just being a jerk for the hell of it in the original.
Nanako says she feels bad for them, and Reika says there’s no need to feel sympathy for rule-breakers. In the dub, Autumn says it sounds like Josie is jealous, and Josie asserts that rules need to be followed or else there would be anarchy.
Originally, Reika just calls Tetsuya by his name. In the dub, she insults him by calling Todd “Toad.”
Reika taunts Tetsuya by asking why he’s taking the side of the girls. He gets flustered and says he’s not taking their side. Reika catches on, points out that he’s blushing, and then she suggests he has a crush on one of the girls, which makes the whole class crowd behind him and go “Oooooooooohhhhhh!” In the dub, the first part is changed entirely to Josie saying he better knock it off or else she’ll run a story about his doll collection. Todd blushes and says, what I think I hear as “Lyra” isn’t a doll – she’s an elven warrior princess who kicks butt. Then Josie suggests Todd has a crush on Dorie specifically, and everyone goes “Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhh” behind him.
The original has Doremi saying they’re at the shop on Saturdays and Sundays. The dub doesn’t include this.
Name Change: Kyoutou-Sensei is changed to….well, the Wiki just says he’s called the vice principal, but Miss Cooper calls him Vice Principal Shoople?
Seki is scolding Reika for going to the vice principal with the pictures instead of her. Cooper is scolding her for running stories in the paper with information that’s not verified and not getting the full story behind photos before starting rumors. I much prefer the dub’s version.
Kaori actually pushes back against Reika’s ranting and blaming her for getting scolded. In the dub, she’s scared to death of Josie and apologizes profusely.
“Post” is removed from the mailbox.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
Pop says, because Doremi did something as uncharacteristic as leaving without eating her snack, they might get a rogue snowstorm today. In the dub, she sighs and says “They grow up so fast.”
They basically got the note right, but;
– Majo Rika won a lottery not a ‘Gojingo’ game.
– The hot spring is not named in the original. It’s called the Holleryot Hot Springs in the dub.
– Majo Rika didn’t tell them not to break stuff like Patina does.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
Why is Majo Rika not being there such a problem? Just….close the shop for the day. It’s not like it really has to be open, and if the risk is their identities as witches being revealed then Majo Rika should understand.
They change a hexagram on the table to a triangle because something something occult?
Subbed:
Dubbed:
Like always, Dela’s song is completely changed for the dub.
The quick flip-screen transition is removed.
Dela asks why she has to dress up like this, and Aiko explains that she has no choice, otherwise she’ll lose them as customers. In the dub, Conya says she doesn’t have time for this because she has to visit 15 more customers, and Mirabelle gets offended saying those 15 other customers must be more important than they are.
A shot of the fairies, Hazuki telling them they have to go in their crystal balls, a shot of the weather vane, and Seki saying “Maho-dou” are all removed for some reason.
The dub adds a vocal song as they show shots of the shop.
Seki jokingly gets mad and says it’s not right to lie to adults. Cooper jokingly gets mad and offended at the implication that she needs magic to find a man.
The girls say the old lady has a cold. In the dub, they repeat what they told Cooper earlier and say the reason she isn’t talking is because she has a rare skin disorder and it will spread if she opens her mouth.
Kyoutou asks if the girls are working here part time and if she pays them. In the dub, he gets annoyed because Conya’s nodding ‘yes’ when he hasn’t asked any questions yet.
Seki just acts as if Dela’s nodding is confirmation that the girls aren’t working or being paid. Cooper asks Conya if the girls are being paid.
Despite the fact that they kept in a very similar image earlier, they cut out the shot of the sweatdrop imposed on screen during this scene.
Dela gets up because she hears the clock chime and realizes she’s late to visit other customers. In the dub, there’s no chime, and she leaves because, I think, she says Winda the Blue Warlight just paged her. Can people please enunciate in this show?
Dela says she’ll bill them at the end of the month and add it to what they already owe. In the dub, Conya says to tell Patina she’ll be back in a week to collect payment.
Doremi points out that Dela took the old lady clothes with her. In the dub, she says their future as witchlings has gone down the drain with Conya.
“WC” is removed from the door.
Subbed:
Dubbed:
Hazuki’s spell is changed to:
“If they knock, we can’t take em in,
unless we turn Dorie into an old woman!”
Hazuki says Doremi is in the bathroom. In the dub, Reanne says Dorie went to buy some medicine.
Minor, but Kyoutou only asks the old lady to sign a paper stating that the girls are volunteering and not working for a wage. In the dub, he asks her to write a full statement explaining such and then to sign it.
Why did that spell only last like 30 seconds?
Aiko says grandma had to go to the bathroom again. In the dub, she tries to make small talk by asking about the price of candy these days.
Doremi’s spell is changed to:
“She’s just a girl, but she needs to be 80,
so turn Reanne into an old lady!”
Doremi yells that she has to try again. In the dub, she says she turned Reanne into her grandpa.
Doremi’s second spell is changed to:
“When I ask for a lemon, I don’t want a lime,
so turn her into an old WOMAN this time!”
Kyoutou just says they’re being impolite after he, the vice principal, bothered to visit. In the dub, he suspects something is up.
Aiko’s spell is changed to:
“Please let this work so I can save my fanny,
turn my friend into a granny!”
This time, the original has a vocal song and the dub doesn’t.
Kyoutou says he has one more thing to ask. In the dub, he both says she didn’t sign the statement yet and that she signed it “Old Lady.”
Seki says Kyoutou probably has many more things to do back at school. In the dub, she acts as if he’s falling ill.
Seki says the old lady is not their relative. In the dub, she flat out says there is no old lady because one of them was playing the role….however…earlier, Conya was playing the old lady and all three of the girls were in the room at the same time, so her logic doesn’t make any sense.
Cooper goes a bit overboard saying she’s the cool teacher that everyone can talk to so it doesn’t make sense that they didn’t come clean. Originally, she just asks why they didn’t trust their own teacher.
They change a flash transition to a flip screen transition seemingly because they cut out several following shots.
Aiko’s dad just asks why she didn’t say what she was doing because he’d never stop her from helping out at the shop. In the dub, he says this excuse makes more sense than the one she was using, which was that she was part of a hip hop music group.
Doremi’s mom says this is why she’s been getting up early on Sundays and says she can also keep helping out. She then adds that her father will be very surprised. In the dub, Dorie’s mom says as long as Dorie keeps her grades up, she can keep helping out too. She’s just floored that Dorie has actually volunteered to work. Now if only she can be as motivated to clean her room.
Oh I wasn’t even going to note the sign in the background being painted because I figured I had before, but….they kept in the “Welcome” sign behind the adults. Strange.
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This episode felt way too long. This plot on paper seems like it could fill a whole episode, but everything just feels so stretched. The second half in particular felt stretched. They just keep doing the same things and the same gags over and over. And it really felt like the part with the parents was something they threw in at the last minute because they came out of nowhere and were just waiting outside the shop after Seki found out for some reason.
And what makes this even weirder is that Reika doesn’t show back up again in the second half with some new plan. They act like she’s going to do something and then never shows back up. And as snotty as she is, I would welcome Reika to come back if she would actually do something more interesting in the second half.
Seki doesn’t even REALLY find out. She knows the girls are helping out there and can’t say why. That’s it. It’s very cool of her to keep their secret even if she doesn’t even know the secret, but that’s all that happens.
Dub-wise, it’s just very much more of the same. No cuts or changes that are too bad – some are even a little better. For instance, I still like that the dub emphasized the girls keeping their grades up as a condition for working there.
Next time, Hazuki and the others help a little girl.
…..Previously
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