Linh Nguyen

Disregarding everything we already know about the Winx Club, this show was absolutely awful and terrifyingly boring. All the characters were more or less the same (except Terra, the shows' scapegoat). They all seemed like they could barely stand each other and I couldn't understand why they were all so angry? Are they even friends? If they are meant to be friends, have the show creators ever even seen what friends look like? Is this what all 16 year olds are like? Did I miss something when I went to high school? Why is Alfea so toxic? Where are the supervisors? What is going on at Alfea? Each character brings a toxic behaviour that is so unbearable to watch (e.g. Bloom's anger, Stella's jealousy, Musa's aloofness). The main issue with this is that they have no redeemable qualities to balance them out. More importantly, it makes me wonder how any character development is meant to happen IF the series were to continue. If Bloom ever gains control over her powers, will she ever change? Will she grow out of her "I'm not like other girls"/"nobody understands me" archetype? I'm thinking she won't. A lot of people were frustrated that the Winx Saga series was taking a "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" take. I entirely disagree. Yes, the show takes a darker turn (and I don't find that to be a bad thing - it adds an interesting element to the story). However, at least the characters in Sabrina had personalities. In this show, everyone's just angry and nobody has friends. Of course, a show is not supposed to be entirely representative of real life. However, if the show producers are going to make things "different from real life" why did they decided to make all the characters the same? Another issue: the mythical world that we're supposed to believe exists is hardly developed. Yes, there are mythical creatures (duh) but that's about it. Given the very drab stylistic choices, it's hard to visualize the realms, "kingdoms", etc. Are there supposed to be large differences between the realms? Even if the costume design is meant to be more appealing to the YA audience, it says nothing about the characters who wear them. On top of that... if they're all from different "worlds" why do they all have access to instagram? I don't get it. The writing is also... cheesy (i.e. "You're a guy and I'm hot"). I'll leave it at that. Lastly, the casting. Yes, the problematic casting. Everyone has heard about it, and not many people like to hear about it. But let's face the music: we can't just sit here and pretend like that casting is diverse. There are no varying cultures or ethnicities. At the end of the day, can the adaptation stand alone as a remarkable series? Are the characters distinct from any other show we have in the market? No it isn't. A show being an adaptation isn't an excuse for absolute mediocrity. It's not a show I'd recommend (whether you've watched Winx before or not).