"Dora the Explorer: The Magic Stick" Dora the Explorer is a popular children's television show that follows the adventures of a young girl named Dora and her talking backpack. In one of the episodes titled "The Magic Stick," Dora and her friends embark on a quest to find a magical stick that can grant wishes. The episode begins with Dora and her friend Boots the monkey receiving a mysterious package in the mail. Inside the package is a stick with magical powers. The stick is said to grant a wish to anyone who holds it and says the magic words, "Wish, wish, I want a fish!" Excited by the possibilities, Dora and Boots decide to test the stick's magic by making a wish for a fish. To their amazement, a fish appears in a nearby pond.
These last for 2 minutes and starts with them looking at each other, then holding hands and being transported to another place while a song plays over, this can be anything from flying through the sky together, playing in a lake, running through flowers and well it is basically insane. It then ends with them exactly where they started still holding hands and smiling at each other… WHAT? XD
Teika takes a Cruel to Be Kind approach by disparaging Kohana s display and family name, and threatening to kick her off the Hoshi Festa s council if she continues to fail to produce sparkles. I think my favorite routes would be Rintaro loves me a deredere or possibly Todo but I m afraid he had a thing with Kohana s mom so that would be creepy.
To their amazement, a fish appears in a nearby pond. Convinced that the stick is indeed magical, they continue their adventure. Along the way, Dora and Boots encounter various obstacles and challenges, but with the help of their trusty map and backpack, they are able to overcome them.
Magic-kyun Renaissance – Ridiculously Magical!
After her mother’s death, Kohana strives to follow in her footsteps and become a first-class magical flower arranger (yup). To her great joy, she is accepted into the same magical artes (not a typo) school that her mother attended and can finally set about making her dream come true. First on the agenda, planning the school summer festival (of course) with an assortment of dreamy artsy boys (sounds legit). Did I mention her new school uniforms are just straight up anime prince cosplay? And sparkles, so many sparkles.
My very first thought when watching this show was: Did I somehow sleep write this? My second was: Maybe I should change the name of my blog to “I watch bad anime so you don’t have to”… or the more honest “I enjoy bad anime, please help me” . My third, and arguably only relevant, thought was: This is an otome right? Wiki said – uh huh, totally an otome.
In case you had any doubts
For this being nothing more than a commercial tie-in, the animation and art were both surprisingly good. I have not played the game but from the little I saw the visuals seem to be very faithful to the otome and remain fairly detailed and consistent throughout. The animation is decent and does not resort to stills or chibis and the backgrounds and settings are absolutely beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the **council house**. The designs are in line with the genre but the ridiculously intricate uniforms were a particular source of glee. Also – I really liked Monet’s (yup) hoodie and I wish I had one just like it. The only sore spot in the otherwise surprisingly impressive production values, was the voice acting which was generally wooden or just lacking in depth.
See it’s asymmetrical and has these probably useless strap things…
Like I said this show screams otome from the very first frame. Even the bubbly opening theme somehow belongs in a dating sim. I’m not sure how faithfully the plot was adapted to the anime but it seems there was some dearth of content because almost every episode includes a non plot specific music video which can only be described as absolute gems of modern anime arts. These videos not only had me glued to the TV but inspired me to come up with such terms as: kitchtastic and sappyrific! My life needs more of those amvs – the World needs more!
Nowhere close to doing it justice
The show follows much the same structure as a lot of VN adaptations, the first episode establishes the setting – and can we just take a minute to appreciate that this is not only a super exclusive art school that does not seem to have any classes and only one professor, but also magic, and the magic is limited to the creation of “sparkles”, which seem unrelated to the actual quality of the work! i ran out of breath typing that. It’s brain hemorrhagingly stupid fun. Most of the meat of the show introduces us to the supporting characters, each getting one or two dedicated episodes and the finale purposefully tells us that they all lived just rapturously happy ever after! Honestly, I’m having a real tough time not ending every single sentence with an exclamation point!
Her flower arrangement was so potent that the sparkles it created destroyed the roof of the dorm house ( which is fine the next day somehow)…that pain you feel behind your left eye is normal!
Likewise, the characters are your boiler-plate of assorted otome pretty boys with sensitive sides. Of all the games I’ve played, this reminded me most of Tokimeki girl’s side. The only archetype missing was the sweet and reliable megane senpai and the jerky borderline abuser (and I’m thankful for the omission of the latter). Our heroine Kohana, being an otome heroine, can be completely summed up as pretty and nice. Since she’s supposed to be an empty vessel into which the player can insert their own personality and have some degree of vicariousness, she was never meant to be a fully established independent character. This may work reasonably well in games but doesn’t translate all that well into anime. The actual plot is completely irrelevant, it’s probably more or less exactly what you’re picturing right now.
Was this what you were picturing?
The show may be a few episodes too long. The main storyline essentially wraps up in episode 9, when they have their prom or whatever, without too much trouble I may add, and then we are left with 4 episodes, two being very clearly filler and 2 being a weird dramatic twist right at the end. The shift is very clumsy and completely out of left field but I did appreciate that they made the climax of the series about Kohana and her hang ups rather than the usual go take care of some emo boy and tell him he’s perfect the way he is or sumefin. I also liked that episode 13 was in fact a sneaky clip show. It was well done and a good way to stretch resources and pad runtime.
I would also like to know
Pretty much all the notes I took while watching this, end in: so stupid – I like it! If you happen to be lactose intolerant, I would stay away from this show as it 100% cheese. Actually no, it’s super sugary cheesecake covered in whipped cream and edible sparkles… It did make me want to play the game too (I couldn’t find an English patch – I looked…a lot). I think my favorite routes would be Rintaro (loves me a deredere) or possibly Todo but I’m afraid he had a thing with Kohana’s mom so that would be creepy…
and he cooks too
Favorite character: Todo Sensei
What this anime taught me: There is no way to make a serious sounding sentence which includes the word “sparkles” in any language.
If your drinking to forget than please pay us in advance
- Every time Kohana mentions that the sparkles are lovely – enjoy your drink
- Every time Kohana’s mom is shown – enjoy your drink
- Every time Ichijoji sings – enjoy your drink
- Every time Aoi smiles – cheer
- Every time Anjo says “Little Flower” – enjoy your drink
- Every time Hibiki is super optimistic – enjoy your drink
- Every time Aoi sits like L – enjoy your drink
- Every time Rintaro feeds Monet – have a snack
- Every time Kohana plays secretary – roll your eyes
- Every time someone has a ridiculous dilemma – deeply enjoy your drink
- Every time Hibiki says senpai – enjoy some water
- Every time Hibiki redresses Anjo – boo
See it’s asymmetrical and has these probably useless strap things…
They also meet some friendly characters who join them on their quest, including Benny the bull and Tico the squirrel. As they continue their journey, Dora and her friends each make a wish using the magic stick. Benny wishes for a baseball, Tico wishes for a bag of acorns, and Boots wishes for a banana. Each time, their wishes come true, further confirming the stick's magical powers. However, their adventure takes a turn when Swiper the fox, known for his sneaky ways, steals the magic stick. Now, Dora and her friends must work together to retrieve the stick and continue their wishes. With their quick thinking and problem-solving skills, Dora and Boots are able to outsmart Swiper and recover the magic stick. They use it one last time to make a wish for everyone to be friends, and their wish is granted. The episode ends with Dora and her friends celebrating their successful adventure and the power of friendship. "The Magic Stick" episode of Dora the Explorer teaches children valuable lessons about friendship, teamwork, and problem-solving. It also encourages imagination and creativity by introducing the concept of a magical wish-granting stick. Overall, "The Magic Stick" is an entertaining and educational episode of Dora the Explorer that captivates young viewers and inspires them to embark on their own imaginary adventures..
Reviews for "The mythology behind Dora the Explorer's magic stick."
1. John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Dora the Explorer: The Magic Stick". The animation felt cheap and lackluster, and the storyline was incredibly predictable. It felt like the writers were just recycling the same tired formula from previous episodes. Additionally, the voice acting was mediocre, and it was hard to connect with any of the characters. Overall, I found the film to be a forgettable and uninspired addition to the Dora the Explorer franchise.
2. Emily - 1/5 - I absolutely despised "Dora the Explorer: The Magic Stick". The plot was nonsensical and poorly executed, and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The animation was choppy and unappealing, and the character designs were unattractive. It seemed like the filmmakers were more interested in making a quick cash grab rather than delivering a quality product. I would definitely not recommend this film to anyone, especially not to fans of the original series.
3. Mark - 2/5 - As a parent of a Dora the Explorer fan, I was really hoping "The Magic Stick" would be a fun and engaging movie for my child. Unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. The storyline lacked depth and creativity, and the pacing felt off. The songs were repetitive and not as catchy as those from the TV show. While the film did have a positive moral message, it wasn't enough to redeem it. Overall, I was left disappointed and feeling like my child deserved better entertainment.