Anime Review #1 Winx Club: World of Winx

New look to the Winx!

 November 2016, on Netflix, by Rainbow, Magical Girl anime, English version, 9/10E & 10/10E

So far I've watched up to episode 6. I initially wasn't going to watch this at all, because from the clips and graphics I'd seen it didn't look my style. It's a different style to the main Winx show, not as cute looking. 

Here are the girls about to transform to Mythix fairies! season 6

 

Closeup of the girls' faces in season 6 (Bloomix power)

However, I saw it on Netflix so figured I'd give it a go. I was hooked! The only issue is the graphics, as the new style makes the girls look really mean a lot of the time, which isn't fun to see. The opening song suggests a lighter show, which it isn't. Yes there is the usual humour (got to love Stella!), and some say this is better than series 5-7 which apparently 'lost' the feel of the original characters. I have to disagree with that completely, the girls always remain themselves, yes sometimes they were slightly different to earlier seasons but they are growing up and experiencing different things, so of course they are going to act differently. 

Stella in WoW with her magical sewing thingy which I've no idea how she explains it works to human. She doesn't look quite like the Stella I'm used to (that's accounting for all the style changes through seasons 1-7)

Plus, and I realise a lot of people can only watch the English version, but I think the French version is better, preserving the original feel of the Italian show. I saw both French and English version of seasons 5-7 (not all the seasons but enough episodes to form this opinion). The English version changes the feel of the girls. Stella doesn't feel like Stella, the words that get used in the English version completely change the feel of the show compared to the French one (there's one I distinctly remember in season 6 where a remark gets made about a mobile with connection to the web, and the English version was less Winx-like than the French version). 

 

Bloom with Kiko (season 6 or 7)

So for me World of Winx is a great show, I can see how it is pitched to an older audience (less cute transformations, no pixies, no cute animal companions, NO KIKO! It is so weird seeing Bloom without Kiko! I mean I know she's travelling, but Kiko adds a lot of humour to the show, and I'm sure he'd have his uses). I realise she is undercover but she never even sees her adoptive parents either, and they live in Gardenia (so why people don't recognise them as fairies is an indication it's an alternate dimension of Winx Club)

New WoW transformation!

Graphics and darker themes aside, as ever Winx shows are pure coolness! The Dreamix transformation gives me shivers as every single Winx transformation does, although compared with the original show I'd really like more flourish with the magic, with different spells named rather than just the magic aimed at creatures. I enjoyed the action the girls get involved with, it's in keeping with where their magical and non-magical training was by season 7 (they are highly athletic) and when they have to hide their magic they come up with fun alternatives, like climbing walls and ceilings with special sucker thingies instead of just flying up and over them. 

I'm glad I read about the series before I watched it, otherwise I'd have been completely clueless about the villains in the show (a crocodile like monster and a mysterious clock). I know this plot will get unravelled, but I'm more intrigued knowing it's to do with a Peter Pan themed tale than being in ignorance. I was a bit unsure about the second talent they find, because the boy involved seems to be erring on the malicious side of his natural gift, but Tecna in particular helps lead him to the right path. 

WoW Leila/Ayesha (she is Leila in most of the French series), Stella, Musa

All in all World of Winx is a hit with me, I won't mind too much about not being able to see it for a while once my Netflix subscription expires at the start of December because I do prefer the original series. I will eventually get it if it comes out on dvd (if it does it'll be the French version, as season 7 doesn't seem to be out in English on dvd yet). I'm looking forward to seeing the French version of it too!) 

Edited after to add: Have watched the entire season, looking forward to season 2. It was clever, especially the twists at the end. Will watch again but not for a while.  

Suggested watch

Check out my review of Winx Season 6!  

Here's the Winx, plus Daphne (far right) who helps the Winx but isn't completely a member.

 

Mini anime review: Kobato (Magical girl anime, 10E/10E)

This is Kobato from the anime Kobato: haven't seen her wear this so don't know if it's in the anime or a promotional image.

I'm busy with family today, but here's something cute to brighten up your day! Kobato is a happy go lucky girl, a bit ditzy, trying to make the world a better place so her own wish can be fulfilled. There's a time limit, so I hope she can make it! It's a magical girl anime, funny, with some more serious elements. From the episodes I've seen so far I highly recommend it! 

Cardcaptor Sakura anime entire series (Magical Girl, 10/10E, semi short 'n' sweet review)

Sakura transformed with Kero

I have far too few anime reviews on this blog. I aim to change that over the next few months! Those of you who know me relatively well online know how passionate (try obsessed) I am with anime, especially ones which are mega cute. After several years I've finally finished Cardcaptor Sakura! The end wasn't quite a let down, as I'd read ahead to see if I could handle the conclusion. It misses gaining the magical 'e' ranking simply because with some of the difficulties Sakura faced earlier in the series, the end battles were hard but not as super scary as I'd expected them to be. The reason I'd held off from continuing watching it was due to the odd dark episode which I didn't like at all. So, if you don't like scary things don't fear, Cardcaptor Sakura is safe! 

For those of you who like collectors editions, here are the covers of mine. 

So cute!

Also so cute!!

The only reason I've got it is because Amazon France has an amazing anime collection, which so happened to be special edition for these dvds. I don't care about what a cover looks like, but I do think they are pretty. I could have Japanese (with French subs), but because I mostly watch anime when I'm tired I stuck with the French version which has a few name variations but they didn't matter at all. 

Small tangent coming up!

For new blog readers, I can understand 90-95% of French, so it's like watching English, only cooler because English can be dull compared to other languages. (Totally all my opinion). Japanese is uber cool, but I don't know it as well, and it's harder work on my brain than French.

Back to the subject of this post...

Oh, I guess you need a bit of info about what Sakura is about....here's some info from CCS Wikia  (all credit to them)

Cardcaptor Sakura was adapted into an anime television series by the animation studio Madhouse.^[1] The manga creators, CLAMP, were fully involved in the project, with head writer Nanase Ōkawa writing and composing the series' screenplay and Mokona Apapa overseeing the costumes and card designs.

Directed by Morio Asaka, the series premiered on NHK on April 7, 1998 where it ran for seventy episodes until its conclusion on March 21, 2000. The series was also aired across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax, who later broadcast the series across its respective networks worldwide. The series also has two movies.

The series focuses on eleven-year old Sakura Kinomoto, a fourth grade elementary school student who discovers that she possesses exceptionally strong magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of fifty-two Cards' from a magic book in which they had been sealed for years. She is tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world and is thus chosen by Keroberos as the Cardcaptor. 

Reasons why I love Sakura: I love her magical girl transformations, they are a huge reason for loving the show. Each episode has a different outfit - more details below - but that in itself is super squee! 

Like this one!

I adore the different 'magic' power she gained from each card - how she has to figure out which card/s to use to 'beat' another.

Cards can look like this (I don't think this is a fan art one...)

 I also love the sweet relationship she has with her brother, who knows way more than he lets on. The way they annoyed each other was funny. 

Siblings!

The whole background story of collecting the cards is important...but I really loved Sakura's mega rich friend who is called Tiffany in the French version. 

She spends a lot of time looking like this

 Her mother is so powerful that she has to have her own bodyguards...although they either ignore the adventures she goes on with Sakura or simply aren't there because Tiffany gets put in danger but they don't appear.  She has the best technology...which now looks dated but then was top of the range. 

Tiffany searching for something

She is totally into Sakura, and creates exquisite outfits for Sakura to wear when off on her adventures. A video camera is never far from Tiffany's hands as she likes to capture the action to treasure forever (and gets quite upset when she misses out on doing just that). 

See? It's literally in her hand!

As Sakura's close friend Tiffany features in pretty much all of the episodes, which kept me happy. 

There's heaps more to say about the other characters, both her family, friends & enemies,  who provide a mild romance interest, lots more laughs, mystery, danger etc but I need to go, so hopefully I'll chat more about this series another time. Enter the title into any search engine and you'll get more than enough information about it. I'd like to collect all the manga one day, and see how different it is to the anime. I'm wary of watching the 2nd movie as the 1st movie proved too scary for me to watch again. 

editions of the movies which I've got

Sakura & Tiffany having fun - I can't remember if this is fan art or not. Either way it's cute!

So go, check out this super fun anime! You won't be disappointed!

That's a Nayu promise!

Shugo Chara! vols 1-5 by Peach-Pit (Manga, Magical Girl, Young Adult, 10/10)

Peach-Pit, Roughly 170 pages each 

Personal Copy 

Content: occasional romance, fantasy fights

Summary from Anime News Network 

Every child has an egg in their heart, unseen at first, an egg with the would-be self of their dreams. Hinamori Amu, part of a group called the Guardians, protect those eggs from becoming x-eggs, eggs filled with resentment and resignation that gives children troubles. Amu's job is to capture and restore x-eggs to their orginal form. She does this with the help of her three Shugo Chara (guardian characters or her would be selves), Ran, Miki and Su. Thanks to them she can change her character and abilities, and so fight against the mysterious organization Easter which aim is to find a special egg called Embryo using the x-egg

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I'm amazed at how true to the manga the anime is - some scenarios are switched around eg the snow sculpture contest in the anime is a sand sculpture contest in the manga. So far there isn't any major change. I watched the anime before reading the manga. It's quite something to read the manga, having an idea of how the characters sound. I love all the life lessons that both Amu and the other guardians learn from each other, and from all the children whose x-eggs they save. The cute charas are hilarious! The manga may not be in colour, but I see the colour in my mind - it's a delight to read. I hope to slowly collect the rest in the series. I must note that while I read the first in English, I've read the French translation of the others. 

Suggested watch 

Usually for books I recommend other books to read. I strongly suggest you watch this awesome anime - currently it can be found on Crunchyroll (I don't benefit from mentioning them.) I'm with them, and I'm a paid member for the anime. However, you can watch a fair amount for free. Because I pay and access all anime, I'm not sure if Shugo Chara is a free anime, but it could be! I've got a review for Shugo Chara Doki! the second season here.