World of Winx Review: Episode 1

World of Winx.
First aired November 4, 2016, it poses as a Netflix-shown followup to the so popular Winx Club. Just as girly and fantasy-filled, it came in the scene right after Winx Club started to lose its spunk and audience. It could be better, right at par, or even worse depending on how you measure the two. Or, you love/hate them for completely different reasons to the point where comparison isn't even fair. Overall, it still only received decent ratings. It didn't fulfill the full Winx Club vision, but it satiated fans who were disgusted by seasons 7 and 8.
It's very first episode, the Talent Thief revolves around the girls and their "TV show."
We begin with the six of them scouting the city looking for a suspect who the Winx believe kidnaps what they call talents--special individuals with extraordinary abilities. Tecna admits they've been following this guy around for eight months with no luck. They appear to get close this time, but yet again he slips away due to what the show reveals is an invisibility guise.
However, duty calls, and the crew has to hurry off to prepare to be filmed. We're shown that they're talent scouts for the "Wow! Wow! Wow! Talent Show." It seems to have a reality element, especially concerning the girls. They're nicknamed the "Wow 6" and the camera attempts to follow them in their daily lives. It then follows them as they watch various--admittedly horrendous--acts attempt to be the show's next talent. However, almost as expected, they end up venturing from the line up of auditions and chasing some waitress trapped in a bakery. Annabelle, the waitress, receives help from the Winx to finish orders and prepare for a concert to which the audience will vote either "wow" or "ouch."
The next few scenes are a 2000s performance, the audience loving it, and the Winx acquiring a new power, Onyx(the one known for being an animated perfume ad).
From here, everything spirals downhill with Annabelle mysteriously going missing. The six chase a figure running through the halls, who ends up being Louise, a jealous coworker. Who, apparently, "couldn't bear to see Annabelle living (her) dream." For a moment, I rolled my eyes, expecting them to sympathize with her possible kidnapper. Instead, Broom quickly snaps at her before they run off to find Annabelle. Good choice, though we never find out just what Louise did. The episode ends with a slight cliffhanger moment of Annabelle asking her kidnapper what his intentions are.
My thoughts? It's likable. Definitely still geared more towards the younger audience--the awkward pauses and lines bothered me a bit--but I could watch this through and enjoy it. I even went on to watch the second episode. The show is likable, definitely something to watch in the middle of July when I've found myself with nothing keeping me from writing and sleeping all day. The plot is solid, the characters are well drawn, animation is smooth, and the music is decent. My only issues are the pacing and dialogue. Though, considering it's garnered for eight to twelve-year-olds, it's excusable. To be frank, this was the same target audience the original Winx Club had in its first season--and it faced the same issues. The story line was solid, but the script was lacking due to being watered down. But it was lovable. And to the fans upset over Winx Club's newer seasons being aimed at four-year-olds, World of Winx is just the fix.