Winx Club S7 E1

## Plot

DuArt Film and Video dubbed this season, and only this season, which means I have to get used to new voices again. Luckily, while there are two transformations again, neither one is in CGI. I hate the new theme song. It sounds like it's for really little kids. Unfortunately, it is also irritatingly catchy. *We are the Winx Come on get up and play Sparkling and wonderful We're magic all the way Let's sing it loud we are the Winx Turn on your smile, get up and play We're sparkling, we're wonderful We're magic all the way We'll light the sky Flying together Shimmering bright Rising forever Let's sing together We are the Winx Come on get up and play Sparkling and wonderful We're magic all the way* How is it only forty seconds long? It feels like it goes on forever… The other girls are annoyed at Stella for making them carry her shopping bags all day, when she could've just cast a miniaturizing spell on them. Wait, was that actually… foreshadowing? For the Mini Worlds? Could it really be possible? I think my head's gonna explode. Also, I don't like their new voices, and most of the people in the YouTube comments section seem to agree with me. Anyways, they worry about Faragonda giving them grief, but Stella says she knows a secret passage that can get them inside without being seen. That might've come in handy all those other times you snuck out and broke curfew to take matters into your own hands. Suddenly, they hear screaming. Two fairies are running away from a monster. Before it can squash Bloom and end this travesty before it even starts, Faragonda shrinks it down into a cuddly creature. She tells the fairies that the creature must only eat fruits and vegetables, because candy turns it into a monster. She reprimands the Winx in her office for coming back so late, saying that they should be setting an example for the other students. She invites them to the Alfea Natural Park the next morning, so they can plan its grand opening party. Stella continues being even brattier than normal by waking them up just before six to try on different outfits. The Winx meet Faragonda and the two fairies from before outside, along with… Roxy! Yes! But she also has a new voice. No! Faragonda explains that she created the park to protect all the fairy animals, especially the ones that are endangered. Oh yay, another one of those PSA anvil seasons. Huzzah… There's a large barrier that protects the park from predators. Only those with fairy magic can pass through. The grand opening party is next week. Suddenly, three-quarters of the way through the episode, a giant bird swoops down from the sky and grabs a Digmole. Roxy says the bird isn't a fairy animal. The Winx transform. Look, I could insult seasons 5 and 6 all day, and I have, but at least the voice actors for the girls sounded passionate. These actresses just sound bored. I don't see them as the Winx, I see them as bad imitations, or cosplayers that nailed the costumes but not the voices. Oh, they still do that thing where they call out their names when they transform? I was hoping they got rid of it like *Power Rangers* did, especially since they *did* get rid of the awful CGI. Whatever, they go after the bird of prey, but it turns out that it can fire magic from its beak. It easily destroys Aisha's Morphix cage. It also has super sharp feathers. It easily trounces the girls, and escapes the park with the Digmole. The Winx tell Roxy what happened, and she says she's never seen an animal like that before. They tell Faragonda, who wonders why the bird abducted the Digmole. The bird returns to its lair, where numerous other fairy animals are kept in cages. It turns out that it's actually a shapeshifting woman with animal attributes. Her name is Kalshara, and she's working with her dog like brother Brafilius. It turns out that the Digmole is the last of its kind. Kalshara wants to have an army of fairy animals at her command.

## Review

So, yeah, I don't think season 7 is off to a great start. And you want more bad news? Aside from the first few episodes, I haven't watched this season yet, so I don't know what's filler and what's not. The pacing has been a problem for me for a few seasons now. It just moves so slowly sometimes, and the only way they can fill up the runtime is with unfunny Kiko, selkie, pixie, and fairy animal antics that can last for minutes at a time. Sure, that happened sometimes in earlier seasons too, but they were a lot less frequent. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but remember, each episode is 22 to 23 minutes long, and that's with the opening and ending themes, as well as the recaps and next time promos. I feel bad for Stella. She's been flanderized so much, but no one ever calls her out on her horrible behavior because "that's just Stella". No, it's not! Stella could be nosy, yes, but the other girls called her out on it and let her know that what she did wasn't okay, and she actually felt guilty about it and sincerely apologized for it. Yes, she likes parties and fashion, but there's supposed to be more to her than that. I actually really like Kalshara. I love her design, abilities, and voice, and that she's a main female villain that isn't Selina or the Trix. I don't like her comic relief brother. She strikes me as more of a loner, who would only work with someone if she was forced to.