The Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka
is hosting the launch of the new Winx Club series ‘The Magic is
back’ which is set to premiere in October on Netflix and will
also be available in Japan.
“It is something that fills us with satisfaction, because Japan
is the most complex and difficult market of all as it has a
great tradition, great quality and a huge manga and anime
production”, explained Iginio Straffi, founder and president of
Rainbow Spa and the creator of the Winx animated series.
Japanese animation, in fact, is a cultural phenomenon of global
relevance, with a long and fascinating history that has
influenced global culture.
And a common thread connects Japan and Marche, Straffi’s native
region where the Rainbow group is based, which is a protagonist
of events at the Italy Pavilion this week.
Among leading Italian examples of excellence, Computer Animation
is a booming sector which is well represented by the Rainbow
group whose most well-known product is the Winx Club animated
saga, a series presented in over 150 countries since its debut
in 2004.
“Cartoons in the West were dominated by productions for boys”,
said Straffi, while “I wanted to talk about fairies and witches
as rivals, but in a more modern way, as young students”.
He said this “gave birth to the idea of creating a nonconformist
script compared to what we were seeing on television” and in the
end a product that was “unique” among TV productions at the
time.
“I think it is still (unique) today, because after 21 years were
are still present and loved all over the world”, added the
president of the Rainbow group.
“It truly is an immense world”, stressed Marche’s Economic
Development Councillor Andrea Maria Antonini, “because it isn’t
only an animation studio but there are many other contents”.
The councillor also stressed the innovative quality of the
leading company in the sector.
Rainbow’s campus in the Marche, in fact, “is not only a
workplace, but also a location where employees can live in full”
and “I believe it can be a role model” for company welfare,
because “people who work for the company have a series of
possibilities beyond their job that make what they do less
burdensome”.
“Art as well as music are occasions of debate and there is
something very serious in this game”, stated Ambassador Mario
Vattani, the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka,
“because there is an entire professional world connected to all
this”.
The event included the presentation of the winners – an Italian
and a Japanese – of an art contest for university students in
Italy and Japan who are specialized in cartoons and design and
who created a Winx Club illustration combining the distinctive
trait of the series with artistic elements from Japan (like
Kawaii or other trademark local styles of art).
The initiative also included the world of Cosplay, a sector in
which Japan, once again, excels.
The delegation of cosplayers was led by artist and model Daniela
Aiko, known for her portrayal of the Winx character Flora.
However, six Japanese cosplayers who have portrayed Winx Club
characters were also presented at the event, which included a
clip previewing the new season premiering on Netflix.
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