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spiderbraidsWe conclude the Cloud Tower arc, as 4Kids makes another change that really futzes with the story...
2x18: (In) The Heart of Cloud Tower
As already mentioned last time...
Unedited: Griffin comes out and declares, "It seems you have found my personal sauna!" Tecna is shocked to have miscalculated... it makes no sense since she didn't say the Codex was in the heart, and yet this (and her later "Fairies and logic don't mix!" comment) would make it seem that she did. ANOTHER last second re-write?
(NB:
Griffin: Congratulations, Trix. You've just found my personal spa.
Darcy: This isn't the Codex vault?
Tecna: I miscalculated?
Griffin: I usually come here to relax but today I came to wait for you three.
)
Edited: We just get straight to the "Hey, where's the Codex?!" bit.
(NB:
Griffin (of the Codex piece): It's not here, Icy. And not anywhere where the likes of you will find it.
Darcy: The likes of us?
(Tecna's reaction is skipped over, even though it'd actually make sense with 4Kids' changes to the previous ep)
Griffin: Yes, girls I kicked out of school who run errands for Lord Darkar.
)
The first thing that Tecna does after taking Bloom back to their CT dorm:
Unedited: Blame herself for everything. (She does have a point. The witches only went to the Heart because Tecna's map pointed them there, and same for Bloom.)
Edited: Tell everyone "What matters is that we have to work together." In both versions, the scene then proceeds with everyone pointing fingers at each other.
One of the biggest plot problems is that except for Flora/Layla, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the fairies' pairings.
Unedited: A teacher points this out, and Grif explains, "It will either strengthen their bond or destroy it. Either way, they'll learn something."
Edited: In the scene that they explain this originally, Grif explains that they're using the Winx as live bait to buy them time.
(NB: Zara in the original: "Then why divide them? You put each girl with her worst match." In 4Kids: "Using live bait to buy yourself some time? How wicked.")
Neither version makes sense. The lack of explanation in the edited is one thing, but the explanation in the unedited is cheap. They're trying to save the universe, and all Grif is interested in is having them learn something? Why not go for the sure thing, and pair Bloom off with Stella, Tecna with Flora, and Musa with Layla (esp. since this last pairing has been emphasized lately)? The answer, for the writers, is obviously, "So that the witches can end up taking the piece, so that they'll eventually have all four and get this plot into turbo mode."
So, the Trix benefited from all that the CT teachers did, what with the catfight spell, then splitting off each fairy with her least compatible pair, and the Winx suffered. Suddenly, Musa's little conspiracy theory may be holding water... but I digress.
(NB: And because the explanation is missing in 4Kids, Frank had his gripes with this issue in his review: "I wonder why the fairies paired up the way they did, seemingly with little reasoning behind them. Like why wouldn't Flora and Musa go together? And why wouldn't Bloom and Stella go together? As it is, putting Musa and Stella together didn't seem like the smartest thing, really.")
Bloom and Tecna enter a room.
Unedited: Bloom: "We need a plan" Tecna: "Well don't look at me! Apparently fairies and logic don't mix!" Bloom: "No one blames you..." Tecna: "Do they blame you?! Huh?!"
Edited: Bloom: "Guessing the Codex was in the heart was a good guess" (Good point, Bloom. Many of us thought the heart was the obvious place to put it.)
(NB: TF disagreed with me about this)
Tecna: "I made a ridiculously illogical leap in reason. I assumed!" Bloom: "Everyone makes mistakes, Tecna." Tecna: "Not me! I don't!"
Count me in on those who thought that Bloom's next line should have been something like "But you did attack Avalon, right?" instead of "Didn't you tell me something about digitally enhancing these rubies?" Regardless, the unedited sidesteps the lack of reference to 2x09 (although it does create a new problem... how can Tecna say that, when she's lived all her life with logic just fine? It would be like Layla thinking she's not good at friendships after having a fallout with Stella, because she's always been good with Musa).
While Bloom isn't going well with Tecna, the girl she SHOULD be paired with isn't doing too well with Musa either.
Unedited: In the cafeteria, Stella decides that there's no way the witches would come here, so she decides to just sit here. Musa does not like that "battle plan". The gist: "You're just going to sit there? What if they do come?"
(NB: Well, I misremembered the scene a little... Actual dialog:
Stella: If the Trix are on the move, we might miss them if we're on the move too.
Musa: But of all the places in the school, why would they come here?
Stella: For a coffee break, you know? Listen Musa, I really think we should stay here, okay? And since I have the coin thingie, I'm in charge. Besides there are comfy chairs here.
Musa: You've completely lost it. We're in the middle of a serious crisis, and all you want to do is sit there?
Stella: And your pacing and fretting is doing what exactly? My way of doing things is as good as anyone's.
Musa: What if the Trix were to attack now?
Stella: I'd be well-rested and ready to fight.
Musa: Yeah, right. You probably wouldn't even notice.
[My point remains, though: At least in the original, Stella is still thinking about the mission and not getting themselves needlessly sidetracked])
Edited: In the cafeteria, Stella says to the gist of, "My music taste is better than yours, and I'm sitting here until you admit it!" Musa gists, "We're trying to save the universe, and we're arguing over music?" (They continue to argue even after they get walled up!)
(NB: For equal opportunity... actual dialog:
Stella: How can you say 'Drop It' is the single of the year? That low-fi, inter-realm sample heavy crunk is so last decade.
Musa: Do you even know what any of those phrases mean, Stella?
Stella: I don't need to be a musical expert to know a bad song when I hear one.
Musa: What are you doing?
Stella: I'm not going anywhere until you admit I'm right.
Musa: Is your brain candy-coated? We're trying to save the universe and you wanna argue Top Fives?
Stella: I resent that you always think your musical opinion is like superior to everyone else's.
Musa: I can't help that I have good taste.
Stella: Sorry, I can't hear you, darling.
[The original ended the scene with a shot of the ruby coin glowing, but 4Kids cuts to the next scene immediately following Stella's line])
And I'm with edited Musa on this. Arguing over a battle plan makes more sense.
(That said, I'm betting some fans will actually like Musa and Stella arguing over frivulous things, just because it shows how much the catfight spell has affected them.)
The rest of the episode pretty much goes the same in both versions (but tell me, is there a scene where Flora and Layla consider whether to save Bloom/Tecna or the Codex? That costs them valuable time, and Layla regrets this when she sees the damage from B/T-Trix fight).
(NB: Turns out 4Kids snips it out: The scene in question comes between B/T transforming and them actually fighting the Trix)
Responses
...were mostly not about the edits, but let's just focus on the edit stuff:
Me: Didn't you have gripes with the "mispairing" of the fairies? And surely it would interest you to know that Stella and Musa aren't arguing over music in the original? (Quite frankly, I don't understand WHY Stella would try to convince Musa that her musical tastes are wrong. Musa is the fairy of freakin' music. Of course she'll have the best musical tastes!)
TF: Frankly, I don't believe there is such a thing as mispairing the fairies. They ALL have to learn to work in harmony to make six-way convergence work. Putting the easy pairs together doesn't give them practice in meshing with their more different friends.
(NB: Well, saving the Codex is more of a priority right now, so why not give yourselves the best chance? In any case, TF had thoughts on the explanation, but not 4Kids snipping it out)
As for Stella, you know she thinks she's always right. Besides, Musa likes hip hop. That alone makes her taste questionable. (Even if she doesn't play it in the original, her dressing style is referencing hip hop.)
Me: However, the fact that they're arguing doesn't bug me as much as what they're arguing over. They're arguing over music, which has nada to do with the issue at hand, while in the original, Musa is mad that Stella plans on just sitting here. Of course, knowing you, you're probably one of those people who'd actually prefer Musa and Stella arguing over frivolous things.
Although not as big of an issue as the Sphere of Truth, say, I didn't like how 4Kids turned the Musa/Stella argument from being relevant to their task to being sidetracked needlessly (well, even more needlessly than in the original) I eventually did get an opinion from TF about it in a later discussion, and once again she preferred the 4Kids version: "I like the top five argument. It lightens the mood and seems more in character. No matter what Musa's status, Stella would always think her opinion was right and would thus argue with Musa. But battle plans? Stella? She's not exactly strategic." I felt that it was more important for dialog to stay on topic in the dub, but TF replied: "There is no such thing as off-topic in daily conversation. This is a good bit of realism."
Again with the "realism" argument... and in any case, as 4Kids Musa suggests, they don't exactly have time for "daily conversation" when they're trying to save the universe, so I'd argue that it'd be more realistic for them to stick to their task (even if somewhat poorly), and Stella insisting that "My way of doing things is as good as anyone's" in the original is also on brand with the whole "she thinks she's always right" aspect of her character :-)
2x18: (In) The Heart of Cloud Tower
As already mentioned last time...
Unedited: Griffin comes out and declares, "It seems you have found my personal sauna!" Tecna is shocked to have miscalculated... it makes no sense since she didn't say the Codex was in the heart, and yet this (and her later "Fairies and logic don't mix!" comment) would make it seem that she did. ANOTHER last second re-write?
(NB:
Griffin: Congratulations, Trix. You've just found my personal spa.
Darcy: This isn't the Codex vault?
Tecna: I miscalculated?
Griffin: I usually come here to relax but today I came to wait for you three.
)
Edited: We just get straight to the "Hey, where's the Codex?!" bit.
(NB:
Griffin (of the Codex piece): It's not here, Icy. And not anywhere where the likes of you will find it.
Darcy: The likes of us?
(Tecna's reaction is skipped over, even though it'd actually make sense with 4Kids' changes to the previous ep)
Griffin: Yes, girls I kicked out of school who run errands for Lord Darkar.
)
The first thing that Tecna does after taking Bloom back to their CT dorm:
Unedited: Blame herself for everything. (She does have a point. The witches only went to the Heart because Tecna's map pointed them there, and same for Bloom.)
Edited: Tell everyone "What matters is that we have to work together." In both versions, the scene then proceeds with everyone pointing fingers at each other.
One of the biggest plot problems is that except for Flora/Layla, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the fairies' pairings.
Unedited: A teacher points this out, and Grif explains, "It will either strengthen their bond or destroy it. Either way, they'll learn something."
Edited: In the scene that they explain this originally, Grif explains that they're using the Winx as live bait to buy them time.
(NB: Zara in the original: "Then why divide them? You put each girl with her worst match." In 4Kids: "Using live bait to buy yourself some time? How wicked.")
Neither version makes sense. The lack of explanation in the edited is one thing, but the explanation in the unedited is cheap. They're trying to save the universe, and all Grif is interested in is having them learn something? Why not go for the sure thing, and pair Bloom off with Stella, Tecna with Flora, and Musa with Layla (esp. since this last pairing has been emphasized lately)? The answer, for the writers, is obviously, "So that the witches can end up taking the piece, so that they'll eventually have all four and get this plot into turbo mode."
So, the Trix benefited from all that the CT teachers did, what with the catfight spell, then splitting off each fairy with her least compatible pair, and the Winx suffered. Suddenly, Musa's little conspiracy theory may be holding water... but I digress.
(NB: And because the explanation is missing in 4Kids, Frank had his gripes with this issue in his review: "I wonder why the fairies paired up the way they did, seemingly with little reasoning behind them. Like why wouldn't Flora and Musa go together? And why wouldn't Bloom and Stella go together? As it is, putting Musa and Stella together didn't seem like the smartest thing, really.")
Bloom and Tecna enter a room.
Unedited: Bloom: "We need a plan" Tecna: "Well don't look at me! Apparently fairies and logic don't mix!" Bloom: "No one blames you..." Tecna: "Do they blame you?! Huh?!"
Edited: Bloom: "Guessing the Codex was in the heart was a good guess" (Good point, Bloom. Many of us thought the heart was the obvious place to put it.)
(NB: TF disagreed with me about this)
Tecna: "I made a ridiculously illogical leap in reason. I assumed!" Bloom: "Everyone makes mistakes, Tecna." Tecna: "Not me! I don't!"
Count me in on those who thought that Bloom's next line should have been something like "But you did attack Avalon, right?" instead of "Didn't you tell me something about digitally enhancing these rubies?" Regardless, the unedited sidesteps the lack of reference to 2x09 (although it does create a new problem... how can Tecna say that, when she's lived all her life with logic just fine? It would be like Layla thinking she's not good at friendships after having a fallout with Stella, because she's always been good with Musa).
While Bloom isn't going well with Tecna, the girl she SHOULD be paired with isn't doing too well with Musa either.
Unedited: In the cafeteria, Stella decides that there's no way the witches would come here, so she decides to just sit here. Musa does not like that "battle plan". The gist: "You're just going to sit there? What if they do come?"
(NB: Well, I misremembered the scene a little... Actual dialog:
Stella: If the Trix are on the move, we might miss them if we're on the move too.
Musa: But of all the places in the school, why would they come here?
Stella: For a coffee break, you know? Listen Musa, I really think we should stay here, okay? And since I have the coin thingie, I'm in charge. Besides there are comfy chairs here.
Musa: You've completely lost it. We're in the middle of a serious crisis, and all you want to do is sit there?
Stella: And your pacing and fretting is doing what exactly? My way of doing things is as good as anyone's.
Musa: What if the Trix were to attack now?
Stella: I'd be well-rested and ready to fight.
Musa: Yeah, right. You probably wouldn't even notice.
[My point remains, though: At least in the original, Stella is still thinking about the mission and not getting themselves needlessly sidetracked])
Edited: In the cafeteria, Stella says to the gist of, "My music taste is better than yours, and I'm sitting here until you admit it!" Musa gists, "We're trying to save the universe, and we're arguing over music?" (They continue to argue even after they get walled up!)
(NB: For equal opportunity... actual dialog:
Stella: How can you say 'Drop It' is the single of the year? That low-fi, inter-realm sample heavy crunk is so last decade.
Musa: Do you even know what any of those phrases mean, Stella?
Stella: I don't need to be a musical expert to know a bad song when I hear one.
Musa: What are you doing?
Stella: I'm not going anywhere until you admit I'm right.
Musa: Is your brain candy-coated? We're trying to save the universe and you wanna argue Top Fives?
Stella: I resent that you always think your musical opinion is like superior to everyone else's.
Musa: I can't help that I have good taste.
Stella: Sorry, I can't hear you, darling.
[The original ended the scene with a shot of the ruby coin glowing, but 4Kids cuts to the next scene immediately following Stella's line])
And I'm with edited Musa on this. Arguing over a battle plan makes more sense.
(That said, I'm betting some fans will actually like Musa and Stella arguing over frivulous things, just because it shows how much the catfight spell has affected them.)
The rest of the episode pretty much goes the same in both versions (but tell me, is there a scene where Flora and Layla consider whether to save Bloom/Tecna or the Codex? That costs them valuable time, and Layla regrets this when she sees the damage from B/T-Trix fight).
(NB: Turns out 4Kids snips it out: The scene in question comes between B/T transforming and them actually fighting the Trix)
Responses
...were mostly not about the edits, but let's just focus on the edit stuff:
Me: Didn't you have gripes with the "mispairing" of the fairies? And surely it would interest you to know that Stella and Musa aren't arguing over music in the original? (Quite frankly, I don't understand WHY Stella would try to convince Musa that her musical tastes are wrong. Musa is the fairy of freakin' music. Of course she'll have the best musical tastes!)
TF: Frankly, I don't believe there is such a thing as mispairing the fairies. They ALL have to learn to work in harmony to make six-way convergence work. Putting the easy pairs together doesn't give them practice in meshing with their more different friends.
(NB: Well, saving the Codex is more of a priority right now, so why not give yourselves the best chance? In any case, TF had thoughts on the explanation, but not 4Kids snipping it out)
As for Stella, you know she thinks she's always right. Besides, Musa likes hip hop. That alone makes her taste questionable. (Even if she doesn't play it in the original, her dressing style is referencing hip hop.)
Me: However, the fact that they're arguing doesn't bug me as much as what they're arguing over. They're arguing over music, which has nada to do with the issue at hand, while in the original, Musa is mad that Stella plans on just sitting here. Of course, knowing you, you're probably one of those people who'd actually prefer Musa and Stella arguing over frivolous things.
Although not as big of an issue as the Sphere of Truth, say, I didn't like how 4Kids turned the Musa/Stella argument from being relevant to their task to being sidetracked needlessly (well, even more needlessly than in the original) I eventually did get an opinion from TF about it in a later discussion, and once again she preferred the 4Kids version: "I like the top five argument. It lightens the mood and seems more in character. No matter what Musa's status, Stella would always think her opinion was right and would thus argue with Musa. But battle plans? Stella? She's not exactly strategic." I felt that it was more important for dialog to stay on topic in the dub, but TF replied: "There is no such thing as off-topic in daily conversation. This is a good bit of realism."
Again with the "realism" argument... and in any case, as 4Kids Musa suggests, they don't exactly have time for "daily conversation" when they're trying to save the universe, so I'd argue that it'd be more realistic for them to stick to their task (even if somewhat poorly), and Stella insisting that "My way of doing things is as good as anyone's" in the original is also on brand with the whole "she thinks she's always right" aspect of her character :-)
