Winx HERO

[SKJAM!]

I've been following a Saturday morning cartoon series imported from Europe called "Winx Club." It was started in the summer when most of the other series were reruns, and is not quite as awful as I may be making it sound at various points.

 

Basic premise: It takes place in the present day, though we swiftly learn that Earth is considered a primitive backwater because most of the people there can't use magic. Not sure if it's ever explained *why* Earth is different that way. Anyhow, the rest of the galaxy is populated by people who look more or less human, but have access to magic/magical technology. One planet is the base for three exclusive boarding schools for magical types. Most of the action takes place there.

 

"Typical girl" Bloom is surprised one day when she discovers a girl using magical powers to fight monsters in a secluded part of the park. More surprisingly, Bloom herself turns out to be gifted with the "Winx." In gratitude, the visiting girl arranges for Bloom to be able to attend her school, Alfea.

 

Alfea is the school for good female mages, who are called "fairies". (Or "pixies" if you want to be insulting.) Less pleasantly-powered women are called "witches" and attend Cloud Mountain. The third school on the planet is for boys, who are called "heroes." No word on where bad boys go to school. There is a certain amount of rivalry between the schools, which is exacerbated by a trio of senior class witches who are bent on gaining ultimate power, which just happens to be in the possession of one of the heroines.

 

On to the gaming stuff: Fairies have a small VPP of studied spells, most of which require OAF potions, Incantations, Gestures, Extra Time, etc. In addition, each has access to her Winx, which is a Multipower or Elemental Control themed around the type of energy she's most attuned to. Oh, and they have wings that pop out when they exercise their Winx. (might be able to justify OHID for the Winx and wings.) Our five friends are freshmen at Alfea who call themselves the Winx Club. Members include:

 

Bloom : The main character, she has flame-based Winx and access to the Dragonfire (even bigger flame VPP, but on a low Activation Roll), which is believed to be the ultimate power that created the universe (or some such.) Bloom's disads include: Unfamiliar With the Magical Universe; DNPC parents; Naive/Nervous about her powers, and Wants To Find Out Where She's Really From. Like all the other members, she's Subject to Alfea Rules and Hunted by the Trio.

 

Stella : Her Winx is light. Stella is extremely self-centered and spoiled. She also seems to have a lower effective INT than the others. A vain girl, she's very aware of her attractiveness and fashion sense and isn't at all hesitant about giving tips to others regardless of their interest in such. The kind of girl who wears high heels to a swamp, then whines when they're ruined. I hate her.

 

Flora : Her Winx is, you guessed it, plants! She's the gentlest and most environmentally conscious of the club. Her protectiveness of plants does get annoying from time to time. Flora has an innate "Nature Sense" that is helpful in wilderness areas. She tends to be a little absent-minded when doing research. Twenty years and forty pounds later, I'm sure she'll make a terrific Earth Mother type.

 

Musa : Music and dance are Musa's Winx. She's a hip, happening girl, but has *horrible*taste in men. She tends to be insecure, and has a troubled family life.

 

Techna : The smart one, both in terms of INT and common sense. Her Winx is magictech, basically. Always carries around a palmtop computer, and isn't very experienced at low-tech situations. Has trouble relaxing, and has the least fashion sense of the girls.

 

More on the Trio in the next post....

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Winx HERO

 

All I've seen of this show is part of the pilot, and I have a feeling I'm missing out on something really interesting. Tell me more!

 

European studios like Marathon have produces duch interesting adventure cartoons as Code: Lyoko (which many mistake foir anime) and Totally Spies!. They seem to be filling the void left behind by Disney, whose only current adventure series of any interest is Kim Possible.

[SKJAM!]

Re: Winx HERO

 

The Trio are three witches in the senior class at Cloud Mountain. They're the most powerful witches in their year (and apparently in the entire student body.) But they want more. These witches aren't content to be the "chaos" counterbalance to the fairies' "order", but want to rule the magical universe.

 

All of them have fairly large Multipowers or Elemental controls of learned spells, including ones that allow them to fly. They've got the Teamwork skill, and often pool their power to pull off difficult spells. While they have some difficulty with bickering and overlooking the obvious, the Trio is pretty competent for teenage girls.

 

Icy: The leader, mainly because someone has to be and she volunteered. Most of her spells have to do with ice and cold, to the point that she's not terribly versatile. She's followed around by a cute and nearly indestructable duckling that she acquired due to a Winx Club prank.

 

Stormy: A weather controller, natch. If it has to do with nasty weather, she can do it. She has the worst temper of the trio, and may qualify for an Enraged When Thwarted. Stormy also seems to be Vulnerable to Illusions.

 

Darcy: The most versatile of the Trio, she's shown facility with illusions, hypnosis, darkness, earthshaking, and other effects. She's also their best strategist. She has a crush on Ryven, who she hypnotized into becoming a spy for the Trio.

 

Knut(sp?): The Trio's main dogsbody, a yellow troll. He's pretty much a big dumb brick type, but his major weakness is a combination of Nearsightedness and Hates Wearing His Glasses. Spends a lot of time either being knocked on his butt by the Winx Club or tonguelashed by the Trio.

 

The Trio is Subject to Cloud Tower rules, but are a lot less concerned about them than their heroic counterparts.

[Markdoc]

Re: Winx HERO

 

So that's what the hell that is!

 

I've seen chunks of the series on TV in various hotels and couldn't figure what it was all about. Thanks for the summary!

 

cheers, Mark

[SKJAM!]

Re: Winx HERO

 

Thanks for the encouragement, guys!

 

The Specialists

 

A team of boys (sophmores or juniors, I think) from the Red Fountain school for heroes. They're less magically gifted than their female counterparts, having to rely on OAF weapons and Vehicles. Theoretically, they're being taught skills useful to swashbuckling hero types, but we see little of this. The few times they've busted out their weapons in the series, their fighting style has been clumsy at best.

 

Brandon: The default leader type, kind of bland. Has a crush on Bloom. Not overly bright.

 

Sky: Also bland. All his taste is in his mouth, as his crush is Stella. I seem to recall he's supposed to be the best pilot of the group.

 

?: Even blander, to the point I'm not sure he exists, except that someone has to match up with Flora.

 

Timmy: The smart one, you can tell because he wears glasses. Has a crush on Techna, and was actually the first of the boys to make a direct move! Does not dance.

 

Ryven: The rebel, who clearly does not belong at Red Fountain. He'd be much happier at "magnificent bastard school." Arrogant and conceited, Ryven is the type of jerk who claims the rest of his team is holding him back, when it's his own lack of Teamwork skill and prima donna behavior that cripples the rest of the team. Theoretically the best swordsman of the group. He has at least minimal skills at Stealth and Concealment, and a Mind Link with Darcy.

 

Musa fell hard for Ryven at first sight, but he did not return the favor, considering her a simpering little girl and a waste of air. Darcy, on the other hand, was able to use a combination of flattery (appealing to his conceited side) and hypnosis to get him to be infatuated with her. He often spies on Brandon's conversations with Bloom so the Trio can lay ambushes.

 

Minor Characters

 

Headmistress of Alfea: This grandmotherly woman met her husband at Alfea's Fall Ball many years ago. She likes to give the students a lot of freedom, but when push comes to shove has a steel backbone. Is powerful enough to strip the Trio of their powers instantly and simultaneously (though only temporarily.)

 

No-Fun Teacher: From her appearance, a spinster disappointed in love who has ever since taken it out on the world. Very strict and by the rulebook, with no sense of humor. Fortunately, often overruled by the Alfea Headmistress.

 

Headmistress of Cloud Mountain: An experienced witch, who talks a lot about things like "delicious wickedness." However, she believes that witches are to sow chaos and disorder, not rule, as there's a "balance" to maintain. Completely fails to understand how her teachings have been interpreted by the Trio.

 

Lucy: "The Loser." A very homely girl who seems to be weak at magic, this witch is desperate to be popular and hang with the cool crowd. Unfortunately, at her school the "cool" kids are the Trio. She used to hang out with Myrta at the bottom of the social totem pole. Lucy got her own episode in which she made a bargain with the Trio. In exchange for their help in winning a beauty pageant, she'd do their homework for a year. (Since the Trio considers this a good deal, give Lucy extra points to her PS: Student roll, and maybe Scholar.) Technically, the Trio kept their part of the bargain as the heavily glamored Lucy was chosen by the pageant judges, but at the coronation, Bloom cast a Dispel Disguise spell, so Stella got the prize by default. (Completely different from the usual beauty contest episode.)

 

While disguised, Lucy claimed to come from Popularis, the world where everyone is good-looking and gregarious. This may in fact be true, and would explain a lot.

 

Myrta: A freshman witch, and another student who is a poor fit for her school. Myrta believes in peace, friendship and suchlike "goody two-shoes" notions, and the Trio calls her a "Wicca wannabe." Among the spells she knows is an eavesdropping number (Clairsentience: Normal Sight and Hearing) and she's good with Illusions. She chose to help Bloom escape the Trio and was turned into a pumpkin for this "betrayal."