A while ago we didn't have anything to watch with my girlfriend. We were saved from trouble by Netflix, who constantly recommended this series, and a few friends boasted that they watched it, so we decided to give it a chance. Initially, I liked the series and even thought that I would rate it positively, but with each subsequent episode it got worse and worse. Especially in the case of the finale, which did not encourage me to learn about the next episodes, but even discouraged me. Why? Please see my short review.
Let me start with the fact that it is a spin-off (?), Or rather a side series, of the popular Italian-American animated series "Winx Club", created in cooperation with Rainbow and Nickelodeon. I'd heard the name several times in my life, probably thanks to my little sister and the magazines she read, but apart from the name itself and the two sentences describing the plot, I knew nothing about it. The Netflix version is like "Harry Potter" but with a few changes. First of all, the whole thing is a bit more brutal (we have more bloody scenes and, as in the case of Netflix, harmful to youth, excessive sexualization of heroes), and instead of a goggle with lightning on her forehead, we have a girl named Bloom. The plot is simple - Bloom is a fire wizard who one day goes to the magical Alfea College. There he meets a few friends, also sorceresses, but who specialize in other branches of magic. Thanks to them, she gets to know a new world and discovers the past of real parents and her own. From what I can remember, Bloom was planted with the inhabitants of Earth, and her real parents remained in another world. Besides, Bloom and her friends attend school, where we have a female version of Dumbledore and ... two or three additional teachers. As if it was some small, rural school, which was created on the initiative of parents so that their children do not have to travel to a city that is too far away.
I will not pretend, although we saw the series relatively recently, the plot was written in such a simple, schematic way that I did not remember it for long. It was also not encouraged by the level of "Fate: The Winx Saga", which I could sum up with one text - the essence of Netflix mediocrity. For these reasons, I can't remember all the things that pissed me off. Apart from the ridiculously small number of teachers, I remembered the schematically created characters, the cliché scenario, even worse world-building and the so-called "Specialists" who did not present anything worth mentioning. And no, sorry, they look extremely artificial and plastic, that's what made them stand out. I read on the internet that this is an important group, but the series did not show it to me. For comparison, criticized by many "Witcher" (in my opinion not quite right - it is not a very good series, a fact, but IMO some people are a bit too critical of it), had an interesting and selfish Yennefer, Renfri, impetuous, bitchy and determined Calanthe, Dandelion, whom I finally liked as a character, and great Henry Cavill as Geralt. You can complain about a few other characters, a few minor deviations from the original book, but at least I remember them. I do not know what it is like from the universe of the animated series "Club Winx", but comparing both adaptations, Netflix did not too badly transfer the world of Sapkowski to the TV screen. I know, people complaining about Netflix will get in soon, but after reading the book and going through "Wild Hunt" several times, I find that it didn't turn out badly and could have been a lot worse. Looking at it from the other side, Winx is more aimed at younger people, so it is no wonder that the characters are less complex and do not display as many human features as those created by Andrzej Sapkowski. However, "The Witcher" is not the +18 title and it has some simplifications or less written elements. Both series had a rather comparable budget for special effects, set design and "Witcher" did a little better in this field. Perhaps I favor the latter title a bit and look at it more favorably, forgiving some of the things that pissed me off during the screening. Ok, even if this is the case, just look at their popularity and opinions on the Internet - in this case "Witcher" clearly dominates "Fate: The Winx Saga".
Since I said this to the effects, these were not that bad, but they are also far from what was shown in season 3 of "Stranger Things" or "Dark". However, this is due to the fact that I compare the first season of the series, in which Netflix did not have so much money for production that had already gained their fan base, so for obvious reasons more capital had to be invested. Burned Ones (in the Polish version, Spaleni) looked on a similar level to Strzyga. It is similar with the fire used by the main character and other tricks of her friends. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Specialists have quite artificial costumes and plastic (?) Swords, which made me laugh inside myself almost every time. At first I thought it was the result of poor lighting or camera shots, but they looked poor throughout all the episodes. If you're expecting to see some nice fight scenes or a creative and effective use of spells here, you're likely to be disappointed. The same is true in the case of "The Witcher" (e.g. the Ghouls that wounded Geralt at the end of the series, or a few fragments of the Battle of Sodden Hill were ridiculous, especially when Triss Merigold tried to stop the Nilfgaardians from breaking through the gate of the fortress with her spells), although in this case I remembered at least a few scenes. For example, using halflings, magic mushrooms of one of the sorceresses, the moment when Yennefer fired the power on a full whore and burned all soldiers alive, or the magic of Stregobor from the first episode. In Winx, I do not remember any such scene, even though I watched the series relatively recently. On the contrary, the first season finale was so sparingly and poorly implemented that you could feel the lack of a budget. It could end with something strong or at least well done, and it was over-the-counter and instead of showing certain threads, it was only talked about. Completely unnecessary, because I have a distaste that is limited only to conversations between characters.
All in all, this is an average successful copy of "Harry Potter". It is neither good nor bad, just an average guy who may appeal to youth who like magical atmosphere, but I don't think many people would wait for the sequel. If I were to summarize it in two sentences, I would say this - an average series, on which you will not waste your time, if you like this subject, but it probably won't surprise you with anything either. If you do not like the school of magic, other worlds in the version of the series for young people, then you will not be dramatically disappointed, but perhaps you will feel what I feel - that you could make better use of your free time. I rate it 5/10 and I don't think I would watch the second season. If anything, I will move on to the series about Sabrina sooner, together with Asia we stopped the screening in the middle of the third or fourth episode, but at least there I saw some idea for the world, characters and a different atmosphere. In "Fate: The Winx Saga" I have too inconsistent and flat script, no interesting content, generally missing anything that would encourage me to continue my adventure in the magical Alfea college. I do not recommend it, you better watch "House of Cards", "Orange is the New Black", "Dark" or at least "Witcher" I guarantee that you will have a lot more fun.