Pedro Schmeil is a senior and former member of The Raider Voice staff for three years. While he now lives in South Africa, Pedro continues to contribute to The Raider Voice!

Fans of the 2004 hit cartoon The Winx Club are invited to join their favorite fairies once more in a brand new adventure in Alfea. Fate: A Winx Saga is a live-action adaptation of the Italian cartoon Winx Club. The show was announced in 2018 and debuted on Jan. 22. 

The show was heavily criticized once the trailer was released in early January for the lack of diversity in the cast and the lack of bright colors that were a statement of the fairies. Fate takes a much darker turn than the original cartoon, as a young adult coming-of-age show that takes you on an adventure with Bloom and her journey of self-discovery and learning magic, all while trying to make friends and balance her love life. Throughout her journey, Bloom makes some mistakes, but her friends are always there to help and support her.

Fate is a story about friendship, and how five totally different girls can become best friends. Fate also gave new personalities to characters most of which remained similar to the original ones. However, the fairy of light Stella is given a complete new personality. She is nothing like the sweet and funny Stella from the cartoon, in the live action she is much more rude and at first chooses to stay away from the group, however she starts to warm up towards the girls. Other fairies are also missing, the fairy of technology Techna was not in the show and the fairy of nature Flora was substituted by her cousin Terra, the fairy of Earth. 

The show’s target audience are the kids that grow up watching the cartoon, that is the reason why it is darker and more mature, the director of the show is Brian Young, the same director of the vampire diaries so he is used to approaching a show with a darker theme. The series is also accompanied by a tie-in novel called The Fairies’ Path by Ava Corrigan, the book is set to be released on February second of the year. A second season has not yet been announced but it is likely due to the high success in only the first few days of its release.

Overall, I love the show, it is a great continuation to the cartoon, it has some flaws and some things are missing, but I think it is a great show for those who watched the original cartoon. It has some strong scenes and blood so the show is rated 16+. The show is modern and relatable, overall I give this show a four-star review.I’d love to see more of this show in the future.