YMMV / W.I.T.C.H.

• Adorkable:
  • Hay Lin is the absolute quirkiest of the girls, due to her spaciness, tendency to make up her own words, and the fact that she collects comics and alien collectibles.
  • Will is also endearingly quirky with her shyness and love of frogs. She also dances like a total goof, and says some pretty silly stuff.
• Americans Hate Tingle:
  • While being a sensation across Europe and pretty popular throughout the 00s, for whatever reasons the comics never gained even a fraction of that following in the English-speaking countries. Hyperion, the original publisher, eventually stopped publishing new issues quite early in the run, citing already low sales.
  • Italy seems to uniformly despise the animated series. The web is full of Italian comments about it, yet it's hard to find a single one that's even non-negative - let alone positive. Of course the comics are beloved in their country of origin more than anywhere else, so it makes sense that any adaptational changes would be most sensitive there.
  • The French seem to uniformly dislike the cartoon as well, though not quite as much as Italians. This is rather bizarre considering the show was primarily produced in Paris. There is some more appreciation for the second season, however.
• Anti-Climax Boss:
  • After a, for the most part, spectacular second season, things climax with a final battle against Cedric, who was defeated, like, 100 times before, and even with his new powers, this didn't turn out any different because he has no idea what to do with them.
  • At the end of the Ragorlang saga, Edward Folkner, the Ragorlang hunter, is forced to fuse himself with the Ragorlangs, when the magical box he had created to capture the Ragorlangs is threatened to be taken away from him. He's going to come back some sagas later as a dangerous foe, right? Wrong! In the next issue, the girls defeat him quite fast at the end of that issue.
• Audience-Alienating Era: The issues following the New Power saga up to the comic's cancellation. The action-packed and adventurous stories are done away from simple Slice of Life one-shots with brief storylines in between. What also didn't help was that many of the beloved supporting cast left (rather crudely) to be replaced by generic one-note replacements who couldn't live up to them. Orube, Cedric, Himerish and Eric were just a few of these losses.
• Ass Pull: The comics eventually revealing that Matt is actually from Kandrakar and was completely aware of Will's secret double life. This had little to no build up and even left a few new plot holes here and there. Many fans, older and younger, thought this plot twist came out of nowhere.
• Crosses the Line Twice: When Nerissa puts the high school boys under a love spell, Cornelia mutters that better not happen to Caleb. Will goes, "Eww!" and reminds Cornelia that Nerissa is Caleb's mother and Nerissa isn't so messed up as to perform incest. Cornelia gives a relieved and grossed out "Gag."
• Draco in Leather Pants: Perhaps inevitably, some fans have given Phobos, Cedric or both the sympathetic, romantic treatment.
• Fan Nickname: Some comics fans prefer to call Matt as "BatMatt" since the release of the "A New Power" saga.
• Fan-Preferred Couple:
  • At the beginning of the television series premiere, Will/Caleb was far more favored than Cornelia/Caleb. It seemed to die out pretty fast, but still has a strong following in fanfiction, to say nothing of the femslash shipping.
  • In the comics, this is taken in the form of Caleb/Cornelia vs Peter/Cornelia. While many liked the fantastical aspects of the first romance, many more admit Cornelia would be much happier with Peter, considering he was much less superficial than Caleb. Other favorite couples in the fandom were Hay Lin/Eric and Orube/Cedric (and funnily enough, both pairings were tragically cut short).
• Fandom Rivalry: With Winx Club, another western Magical Girl series starring a Five-Man Band that uses Elemental Powers and debuted in the same year. Though it's not universal among fans^note In fact, most fans tend to actually be fans of both., it is official in the sense that a former Disney executive apparently derided Winx Club for being produced quickly, stealing the spotlight from his own company's show and leading ultimately to its cancellation (well that and the fact the comics came out so late in the U.S.) according to this forum post. Then it becomes both Harsher and Hilarious in Hindsight (depending on how you view it) when the live-action reboot of Winx titled Fate: The Winx Saga released on Netflix, many fans find this to be more closer to W.I.T.C.H. in terms of tone and visual style to the point of being Spiritual Adaptation.
• First Installment Wins: In the comics, many fans think that the Meridian saga is the best arc in the series, citing that there was a more mysterious and mystical quality to it that was never truly matched later on.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
  • The comics/franchise as a whole in Europe. In the USA aside from the show, W.I.T.C.H. was always more of a niche thing, but in Europe during the mid-2000s it was a huge deal. Not only did the comic magazine sell like hotcakes, it also spun a whole set of other parts: licensed dolls, the comics reprinted as graphic novels, spin-off books, and makeup were just a few things that were part of the franchise.
  • The series is huge in Scandinavia - to the point that most of the Expanded Universe is created by Danish writers. (Lene Kaaberbøl and Josefine Ottesen)
  • This franchise is also popular in Japan. It even went so far as to have its own manga adaptation of the same name.
• Girl-Show Ghetto: The comics were never shy about being primarily oriented towards a female audience, with stories full of Schoolgirl Series plots throughout, though they certainly have their Periphery Demographic.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Trill is introduced as a Nice Girl who feeds the powerless Guardians when they arrive on Meridian without Will by accident. She then joins the rebels officially when they storm Phobos's coronation. We learn in "J is for Jewel" that Trill was Nerissa the whole time, and all of her seemingly benevolent actions were just a scheme to get closer to Elyon so she could steal the princess's powers.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In the animated series, Caleb is voiced by Greg Cipes (best known for voicing Beast Boy in Teen Titans (2003)) and is paired with Cornelia who has blonde hair and controls earth. Swap out her voice actress for Ashley Johnson whose characters are often paired with Cipes' and you've got the closest thing to a version of the Beast Boy/Terra relationship that doesn't end in tragedy.
• I Am Not Shazam: The characters are Magical Girls, not technically witches. This is even noted in-series:
  We're not witches! That's just our initials!
• Les Yay:
  • The comic has a lot of "moments" for Irma. A comic had this comment from her: "Oh, Will. I love when you take command."
  • According to Cornelia, Elyon describes her ideal partner as tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. How would you describe Cornelia's appearance? In the comic, Cornelia says that Elyon always was "more than a friend, but more than a sister".
  • In the very last issue of the comic, all the Guardians tell each other how much they love and appreciate one another... and it's kicked off by what looks a lot like an Anguished Declaration of Love from Irma to Cornelia.
    Irma: I mean... I like you! A very very very big lot! Seeing you in the past really opened up my heart!
    Cornelia: Irma? Are you actually being serious for once?
    Irma: Silence, Blondie. There are some things I never told you. I have to tell you... You're really beautiful... I mean both on the inside and the outside! The outside is so pretty my eyes hurt!
• Narm: In Arc 8, one of the WITCH's new students says that he can beat any villain if he's thinking of his mom. And why's that? Because "bad guys never think about their moms!" Granted, he's a very small kid, but this immediately goes from "innocent childhood naivety" to Narm when literally everyone present (including the WITCH) agrees with him.
• Only the Creator Does It Right: It is generally agreed that as long as ideas from Canepa and Barbucci were lasting, the comics were up to certain quality, with at least a semblance of planning and overarching plots. The moment those run out and Disney's marketing department took full creative control, New Powers got released and the Audience-Alienating Era started.
• Periphery Demographic: The comics, while undoubtedly girl-oriented much of the time, feature dark undertones and complex emotional drama that can appeal to readers outside the target audience. (The Animated Adaptation, on the other hand, falls under outright Multiple Demographic Appeal.)
• Realism-Induced Horror: Wil's father in the comics is a whole different story. Unlike in the Animated Adaptation where he has a good enough relationship with his daughter, in the comic he views her as nothing more than something he can use to blackmail his ex wife into paying off his investment debts for him. He even used blackmail to stack the deck against his wife - threatening to have Wil taken away from her in a custody battle. He's easily up there with Phobos and Nerissa as one of the most dastardly villains because of how realistic he is.
• The Scrappy: Matt is heavily disliked from the New Power saga onwards. His revelation that he came from Kandrakar - a complete Retcon - and his cold attitude don't help.
• Seasonal Rot: There are many fans who think that the later comics aren't as good as the first few sagas; mostly due to the fact there are no real villains that stick around longer than a couple of issues, and the stories can sometimes come off as Anvilicious. Where it started varies heavily between fans, though most will say that everything following the New Power arc constitutes the Audience-Alienating Era.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: A new comic reboot named W.I.T.C.H. Il cuore dell'amicizia, has caused some discourse between the still alive online community. They don't seem to agree on whether or not the new character designs are likable.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Orube was liked by many for being a kick-butt warrior girl while also having a gentle, noble side (after going through some character development, of course), and others found her semi-romance with Cedric engaging. The fact that she was often pushed to the side after the Arkhanta saga and then booted off the series after the Ludmoore saga did not amuse many. Quite a lot of fans also think that Orube would have been a suitable trainer for girls instead of Matt in New Power saga onwards due to her extensive experience in combat.
  • The Regents of Earth are introduced as the heroines' most valuable allies, but their contributions in the following conflicts are minimal. Shagon loses every battle he takes part in, Khor is reduced to a few cameos, and Napoleon only transforms into his Regent form again in the finale, when the trio plays a supporting role during the final battle by forming a giant Glamour Zone around the city.
  • Foreman Takeda of “Teach 2b Witch” is the Arc Villain. His goal is to remove magic from the world, with a few personal reasons. Considering the purpose of the arc is for the Guardians to teach an increasing population of people developing magical powers, this should be rife for conflict. Unfortunately, he is quickly dealt with as the plot accelerates, and not once gets even an ideological confrontation against the Guardians of Kandrakar.
  • Nihila from “100% Witch” is, thanks to her loom, one of the most powerful opponents the girls ever had to face. Along with the Dark Mother, she’s the only one to have actually threatened Kandrakar in any feasible way - even imprisoning the Oracle. Her main power is to weave the fates of any living thing on earth to her desires. Unfortunately she only lasts for two issues.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • In the first arc of the comics, before the creators got screwed by the publishers, they were setting up Elyon to be a We Used to Be Friends scenario where she was actively manipulating circumstances on Earth so that her friends, the new Guardians, would be captured and Will would have to surrender the Heart. She explicitly mentions having her adoptive parents arrested for lying to her and keeping her from her "real" family. Also, she had a crush on Will's crush, Matt, and expressed jealousy about it. This created an ongoing conflict where the Guardians were put into a Fighting Your Friend scenario and Elyon wasn't completely wrong in her anger and rage. Come the second half of the arc, however, Elyon gets disillusioned by Cedric being an Ungrateful Bastard about Will saving him and from there finds out all the other deplorable aspects of her brother's regime, Cornelia renews their friendship, Elyon decides to save her adoptive parents from prison, and it's revealed Elyon is the rightful ruler of Meridian and a Hope Bringer. Phobos also makes it clear that he's planning to absorb Elyon's powers and kill her at the coronation, when before she was proving to be a formidable ally to him.
  • Two noteworthy cases in the post-New Power stories:
    • The Ladies appear out of nowhere for a few issues and then are abandoned without explanation of what they are or where they came from at the start of the final arc.
    • The Runic Wizards' wider organization. They're presented as an organization with the stated goal of destroying Kandrakar, they've managed to give five boys what appear to be the 'dark' counterparts of the Guardians' powers, and after their introduction the only one to have a few appearances is Nashter, who's apparently on the run after being blamed for their operation's failure.
• Ugly Cute: Blunk is a small ogre-like creature who has many disgusting habits and smells like garbage. However, his big eyes and goofy personality make him surprisingly endearing.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Sometimes it can be hard not to find Will as this. Despite the fact her mother is also having trouble adjusting to Heatherfield, Will gives her attitude a lot of the time and shows her very little empathy even though her mother just presumably got divorced. While a child blaming the parent that's still around for a family split is probably Truth in Television, this reaches uncomfortable levels in the episode Will's astral drop gains sentience, as her astral drop is far kinder to her mother. Happens in the comics as well, leading to many thinking Will was "whiny" and disliking how often her problems took center stage above the other girls' issue (and noting how the other girls didn't make a fuss about their problems as much as she did). She had so many problems it even leads to a point of her lampshading it after her dormouse is put to sleep in the comics.

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