Winx Club

I love this cartoon for its surprisingly good action. The more negative reviews here seem to be about the terribly mis-managed English localizations of the show. Apparently, the show was originally done in Italian until 2010, when Viacom/Nickelodeon started producing it. So for the earlier episodes (seasons 1-2), there are a few different, almost unprofessional-seeming dubs from random studios...and they censor/reduce all of the layered characters into the same dumb stereotypes. Yikes!

Avoid these 3rd-party dubs and watch either the Italian episodes or the newer Nickelodeon ones (both overseen by this show's creator, Iginio Straffi). It's a really fun watch and my favorite character is Timmy (Tecna's boyfriend).

I was curious about Winx Club when I first heard about it.It didn't show where I am so I did a little research.I didn't know what I was expecting so I decided to wait for it to premiere on tele.I was surprised in a good way.

Winx Club is about a girl named Bloom who discovers her magical powers while saving Stella,a fairy who has magic of the sun and moon.Stella suggests to bring Bloom to a school called Alfea where fairies learn to control their magic.There Bloom meets Flora,a fairy who's power is based on flowers,Musa,a fairy who's magic is based on music and Tecna,a fairy who's power is based on technology.Together they join to form the Winx Club to fight against Icy,Darcy and Stormy,three senior witches who go the Cloud school(forget name).Bloom also meets Brandon,the nicest warrior of them all who she falls for.At the school,Bloom's goal as a fairy is to discover her past and the origin of her powers.

I personally believe that Winx Club is a decent show.Most of it is unoriginal yet there are some plots that have magic of their own.Brandon and Prince Sky switching identities for security reasons and to see the world in different shoes was original.I believe the powers are also well thought of.There is one thing that disturbs me though.They make some of the girls too perfect.They're all super skinny and their fashions and battle outfits make them look like sluts.The fairies all make it seem like fashion,boys and good-looks are the most important thing all girls should worry about.Stella has the most powerful ring in the Magical Realm and it's a target of the witches to steal and she doesn't want to wear it because it doesn't match her outfit.In most hero/heroine shows,the writers would never do that.I really don't like Brandon,Prince Sky,Bloom and Stella.They just seem like the way all girls should act.The romantic pairings also fail to have any depth.Brandon is just made to be this macho,handsome prince charming and Bloom is made to be this little-miss-perfect supposed role model for young girls and they're both just paired off.The only pairing that interests me is Riven and Musa.Riven isn't Mr.Perfect and is distant around everyone yet Musa the deep and understanding girl seems to be drawn to him.I believe that the animation is superb and the characters all have good personalities but the episodes are usually about Bloom and her past,the witches trying to steal Stella's ring or cause havoc or about fashion and beauty.In total,I rate Winx Club a 5.5/10

This TV show is about a girl named Bloom who finds out that she has powers 1 day. She goes to the woods where she finds Princess Stella of Solaria. Stella is battling an ogre who is trying to take her scepter. Bloom helps her out, and Stella returns the favor (that's what I say) by asking Bloom if she would want to come to Alfea College. Bloom agrees. She also meets Flora, Techna, and Musa. But then trouble starts, three witches from Cloud Tower want Bloom's power. Icy, Stormy, and Darcy attempt to make Bloom's life miserable. But things get even worse when they take her power.And her crush Brandon is a prince and is in engagement with another princess.

People say this is a cross between sailor moon and harry potter. Except this is better than sailor moon, because sailor moon and the gang are almost always obsessed w/boys. In Winx Club they like boys, but don't fuss much about boys...

The basics of this series is what would be Sailor Moon attendance Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Anyone who says different is fooling them self. Beside the predone pretext, the only problem I have with Winx Club is the shallow and forced relationships the girls and boys are put into with each other.

Since I'm inclined to point out the bad points of the show I would like to say this is on a whole an enjoyable show and worth watching if only for the first few episodes to see if you like it yourself.

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-POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW-

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The main character's background is taken straight from Sailor Moon. There are at least four main points the Bloom's past share with Usagi's but I won't go into them here as I'll put definite spoilers later on.

As for the school of Alfea. It's only difference to Hogwarts as I see it is the building itself. The teacher and classes could not be anymore similar to the ones in Harry Potter if they used the same names.

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-DEFINITE SPOILERS BELOW-

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The basic story of both Bloom and Usagi is this. The girl is the princess of the world of the most importance in the Universe. One day an evil force destroys the girl's world but she miraculously escapes to Earth to be raised by a foster family. At the age of 14 the girl discovers she has magic powers and a guardian to help them reveal the secrets of the past. The girl find four other girls who, while different, become friends and help her fight the evil that destroyed her planet.

The school similarities are easy enough to point out. From what little they show of classes, in Winx, Alfea has a Transfiguration class which is fun by a Flitwick clone. There is also a Potions class of course and a teacher who is distinctly like McGonagall only more punishment minded.

Lastly, the relationships seem to be thrown into the series for the sake of it. There is no depth to them, they have obviously pre-designated partners and basically act as if these are the only people there are. It would be nice if two people shared an interest in the same person or someone didn't return someone feelings but not because of a spell. Hopefully Flora and Mirta will at least share an ambiguous relationship as theirs is the only interesting one.

I really like this cartoon, it is a break from reality which it was meant to be. I liked that the plot line, and fights had story line behind it, and that it went into the characters backgrounds/ family situations. Even though they were revealing outfits, where aren't girls portrayed that was, and bashing them because of that, your bashing every other cartoon not made in the dark ages. It's good that it shows girls that you can be this pretty thing, yet still be strong. In response to the other commit look at any girl in a cartoon no matter what age they are meant for and they look really hot, even if in reality things were different. Take Disney's Pocahontas for example, no way was she 13 in that movie, like she was in real life. No 13 year old looks like that, so what? Guys don't look real either, what guys do you know have muscles like that, and perfect hair? That's the whole point of a cartoon, to not be real people, and take you to a places where everything can be pretty, even ugly things. ~