Nayu's DVD Watching Challenge #4 Winx Club, Alias, Shakugan no Shana

It's week 5 of my DVD watching challenging! For various reasons last week this post didn't happen. But lets see what I've been reading the past two weeks! 

First lets have a look at my progress on The Winx Challenge!

Last week's goals = finish season 2 and make a start on seasons 3.

Actual goal = I am on disc 1 of season 4! 

Yup, you read write. As I was ill over the weekend (didn't feel right, rested up, but was off work on Monday), I watched Winx. I finished season 3. I love it for the Enchantix powers the girls have, the transformations are lovely, the power they get from it is incredible. The power of Valtor (the bad guy in this series) is phenomenal. But the girls have to give up so much in this series, to get what they need. 

Bloom learns more about her biological parents. Her Enchantix power isn't complete, because she's so special. But she finds a strength within her core which suits her dragon power, which is shown when she changes into Enchantix 

Flora has a cute little sister, who she gives her life for, and thus gets her Enchantix. 

Techna gives her life in the world to save another community. Only her boyfriend Timmy never gives up on her. Her Enchantix is nice because her hair is actually a little long. 

Layla discovers she is to be married to someone she's never met...but, as often can be the case in arranged marriages, she is very well suited to her fiance. 

Stella is Stella. She actually learns that beauty isn't everything, and she happily gives it up to save the world. She gets her Enchantix when she saves her father. 

Musa has some pretty nifty moves. I'm having a brain cloud moment and can't remember how she got her Enchantix! This is bad. I do need food though. Oh well! She looks so happy when she transforms - they all do, but her and Flora in particular look happy. 

After seasoon 3 ended, I watched the Winx film. Couldn't sleep until midnight! It was awesome! The girls are in 3D, and finally I understand why Bloom doesn't discuss her parents in season 4 - she finds them in the film! I was tearing up a lot. The Enchantix powers are as awesome as ever. There are much higher stakes in the film, and the ancestral witches (evil!!!) play a big role. But its lovely. Really lovely. Especially some of the girls' costumes. 

So this week it'll be on with season 4! Yay! I love it because they are going out into the wider world, using their power to help people on Gardinia (Blooms home town) believe in them (such a big clue when the new power for the girls is Believix & it's very awesome!) I love Winx!!! 

This week's goal = finish disc 1 of season 4. 

Next up: Alias

Last week's goal = get onto disc 2 of season 2

Um yes, this so didn't happen. When I feel rubbish, I need things to cheer me up. Alias isn't a feel good series. It is - but its quite dark too. So I didn't watch it. 

This week's goal: get onto disc 1 of season 2 (I'll aim lower...)

Next up: my 3rd challenge, Shakugan no Shana!

Last weeks' goal = to move on to disc 3.

This week's goal: = to move on to disc 3. 

Yup, like Alias, I haven't watched it. Been watching Winx!!!!! & also spent the day watching Maria Watches Over Us - I got onto season 2. 

That's it for this week's goals - here's to completing them by next week!

Nayu's DVD Watching Challenge #3 Winx Club, Alias, Shakugan no Shana

It's week 3 of my DVD watching challenging! I've been watching a fair amount lately - it's a great way to relax after word when my brain is too tired to read. 

First lets have a look at my progress on The Winx Challenge!

Last week's goals = be on disc 3 of season 2

Actual goal = I am on disc 3 of season 2! 

I've watched a few episodes - the girls have recently go their Charmix power. I'd thought they received it much earlier in the series, so yes at every episode I was going 'Charmix?' There have been a few differences amongst the Winx, they've misunderstood each other and the Specialists. However, through Charmix they've learnt how to get around the differences, and are now getting on better. 

Poor Layla still feels a bit out of the loop especially when Stella forgets to include her in conversation (says 5 instead of 6). 

Bloom is gaining more information about her real parents, although the finer details such as where they are remain a mystery. 

Musa has held her first concert at the Specialists HQ - it was a huge success and her father agreed to let her pursue her career in music: he'd wanted to take her way from Alfea and make her be a dancer. It's a feel good episode, one which I re-watched several times whenever I played that particular disc. 

Flora remains a firm favourite, the connection she has with nature is incredible. 

Techna has a tendency to be blunt and refuse to listen to the Specialist Timmy, but she's getting over that. 

Stella is Stella! Still opening her mouth and putting her foot in it, and seeking centre stage. Her kind heart is showing a bit more now.

The Mini Fairies are brilliant - they provide great back up for the Winx, and they even have their own adventures. 

This week's goal = finish season 2 and make a start on seasons 3. 

Next up: Alias

Last week's goal = to finish season 1

That goal was nearly over-ambitious as I'd forgotten how many episodes I had left to watch. I finished the season this morning - I've kept it on while I've been writing emails, sorting out blog posts etc. I've seen the first season several times,, so I know what happens next. It's still really exciting, and knowing a bit more of the following seasons means I can look at events with hindsight. Spoilers are ahead. 

At the end of season one....

Will, Sydney's reporter friend, has been kidnapped by baddies, and rescued by Sydney. He's in complete shock when he finds out who Sydney is and what she and her father do. While in a so-called safe-house, he gets shot by one of Sydney's enemies. Will he survive? (yes he does) 

Francie has decided that on finishing her business degree or whatever she's doing, she's going to open a restaurant. I remember it gets a bit chaotic in season two as she prepares for the opening. 

Sydney, on realising her mother's death was faked, goes on various missions. She's really annoyed with the CIA as they tested her and held her prisoner because they believed her to be the woman referred to in Rembaldi's prophecy. They weren't going to let her go, which would ruin her cover at SD6, so Vaughn and her father kidnapped her, and made her see a particular sight which, according to Rambaldi, the person in the prophecy would never have seen (thus proving it wasn't Sydney who was destined to cause chaos and destruction). 

That's all well and good - she goes off to find out more about the mysterious circumfernece. It had been a very small red ball. At the end of the season its a very large red ball. She disengages it, the place gets flooded with water. She legs it out of there, Vaughn follows but he kept looking back, so slowed down and the doors shut, separating him from Sydney. He is presumed drowned (he isn't, but the story gets complicated at that point). 

Sydney herself - well finally she gets taken/captured (I wasn't quite paying attention at that point) by the individual known as The Man. That is a total misnomer because The Man is actually a woman, and surprise! It's Sydney's mother. 

That's where the season ends. Pretty hard hitting stuff - I'm so glad there are 4 more seasons to watch! 

This week's goal: get onto disc 2 of season 2

Next up: my 3rd challenge, Shakugan no Shana!

This time round of watching I've put the subtitles off. I'm understanding more than I thought I would - I think I'm getting used to some of the technical terms used by Shana and other flame hazes. Shana has eaten a fair amount of melon bread. Another flame haze, Margary Dor turned up - she's a very strong, outright character, who in future episodes has a tendency to drown her sorrows/celebrate her joys and become inebriated. 

Last weeks' goal = to move on to disc 3.

This week's goal: = to move on to disc 3. 

I'm only on disc 2.....I hope to be on disc 3 by the end of today. 

That's it for this week's goals - here's to completing them by next week!

Nayu's DVD Watching Challenge #2 Winx Club, Alias, Shakugan no Shana

If you can cast your minds back to last week (you'll be doing better than me, I can barely remember what I had for lunch today), I started my very on DVD watching challenge! This week I have added to other series to the mix, one TV series (English/American), one anime. I'm posting them all here so that I don't end up with heaps of posts.

First lets have a look at my progress on The Winx Challenge!

Week 1's goals = Finish season one, and start season 2.
Actual goal = I'm now on disc 2 of season 2!
This week's goal = be on disc 3 of season 2

Now one awesome series, Alias, has been purchased to do things going boom, and lots of action. Most of my stories require action, ingenuity and inventiveness, all of which are portrayed by Sydney, who is a double agent for the CIA and a very nasty organisation SD6. Google it and you'll find loads of info. This is the first week of watching it, so there wasn't a goal from last week.

This week's goal = to finish season 1

In the last episode I watched today, Sydney had to creep around SD6 boss's house, take photos of a document in his safe, while she had dinner with the evil boss, his wife, Sydney's own father (who is a double-agent) and a journalist friend. What Sydney didn't know was that Sloane, the boss, had wanted Will (the journalist) to be killed because he was pursuing a story to do with SD6. That didn't happen because Will's got the message and is off the case.

I must quickly go to my 3rd challenge, the amazing anime Shakugan no Shana!

I've just received it back from a friend who borrowed the series. It is a bit complex to explain, but Shana has special powers, is a Flame Haze, along with the talking locket/necklace Alastor (who is a very powerful entity). She meets up with Yuji, who is actually dead. He doesn't realise that he's been replaced with a 'torch' because his human self was eaten by mystical creatures. Shana expected him to fade away - all torches when their life force decreases they go poof and the world carries on as if they never existed. However, Yuji is a Mystes - a type of torch which is highly sought after by everyone who's bad. So Shana sticks around him. Yuji is considerate to all his friends (most of the time). I love Shana because her skills are so awesome - her hair goes red (with flames) when she transforms. She's so funny at school, she adores Melon bread and terrifies all the teachers. This is one of my favourite anime, not only are the characters fun and cool, but the soundtrack is very awesome too. 

This week's goal  = to move on to disc 3 (I'm currently still on disc one)

That's it for this week's goals - here's to completing them by next week!

Nayu's DVD Watching Challenge #1 Winx Club! Week 1

In the spirit of my new set of challenges, I can happily announce my first challenge will be the Winx Club!

I adore the Winx. I've watched all four seasons once, and I'm on my fourth time of watching season 1 (which was watched 3 times while I waited for the others to arrive). I love it because its fun. Yes there is hardship and a fair amount of sadness. But watching fairies fight evil with magic makes me smile. I go 'Ooooo, pretty!' and my eyes light up when the girls transform into their fairy mode. The tunes are catching, some of the costumes are very pretty. It never fails to make me smile. What does Winx mean? It's a play on word with 'Wings'.

Right, so what will this and every single challenge involve? I'll be aiming to watch x amount of episodes each week.

This week, week 1,  I hope to watch all of disc 3 of season 1. Bloom has currently lost her magic powers (she hasn't, she only thinks she have but it takes her the rest of the series to learn that), so can't defend herself against the Trix who are 3 very evil sorceresses. Super evil, and chucked out of The Cloud Tower (the Sorceress school) by the headmistress or certified them as being too evil. Nothing like revenge to set 'let's take over the world' plans in motion.

Bloom's friends Stella the Sun fairy  (who is an airhead, but often misunderstood - she does have a heart, but frequently says the wrong thing), Flora is a nature fairy (clue in the name....), Techna who adores everything technical, and Musa who loves music, have to help protect Alfea, the fairy school from the Trix, while Bloom (and for a little bit Stella, if I've remembered correctly) goes off to find out more about her identity, and to get her powers back.

Bloom isn't an ordinary fairy. She's only just discovered she's a fairy, and it was the Trix who revealed that her sister Daphne put her on earth to save her while their kingdom was destroyed. Bloom has the power of the breath of dragon, a highly powerful force. So she's a fire fairy, of sorts. A very powerful one. The Winx are powerful, but Bloom is the strongest on her own.

(Note: I'm watching it all in French, so I apologise if some of the names are wrong, I'm doing my best).

Bloom has a cute rabbit as a pet called Kiko! Where I am currently, Kiko alternates between getting on with, and hating, one of the Trix's pet (Flora gave The Trix Icy the pet as a joke, when she saved the rest of the girls at Alfea from opening eggs with monsters (The Trix had changed the original butterflies to monsters)). Things are getting tense for the Winx, and my heart goes to Bloom because she tried to quit Alfea, but the Trix followed her home and 'stole' her powers at her parents' house. She's one lost, lonely girl, very confused and unsure about her place in the world.

The picture shows the girls' transformation outfits, and their daily outfits. Although its nice to see their outfits vary a little from episode to episode (more so in later seasons, especially 4 when they are no longer at school). They are only at Alfea for 3 years (or 4 if you're a troublemaker like Stella, and wreck the potions lab) - all of them are 16 (Stella's 17) in season 1. If you want to learn more, you can google them :) Its time to go read for me! Tune in to next Tuesday (or Wedsneday) when I'll report back on whether I achieved this week's goals or not.

Nayu's DVD watching challenges!

I had an awesome brainwave while chatting to friends on Twitter. My reading challenges, due to life stuff, are falling by the wayside (I refuse to delete them. I can always change the 1 to a 2 on December 31st). I'm watching rather a lot of DVDs though. So I'm going to have DVD watching challenges!

They will mostly, but not exclusively, be anime/animation series. Just because that's what I watch the most. I have a few series which I which to watch because anime seems to get preference over everything else. Wednesday is my DVD watching day. It's the only way I can guarantee that I'll actually rest, and not write my wips or reviews. I'm supposed to rest up for being at work Thursday and Friday. By having challenges, it'll make the mandatory DVD day even more fun!

Check the next post for my first DVD watching challenge!