Another Nightmare Night approaches, however, this year things will be different as we will first be taking a trip through the portal to the world of Equestria Girls.
Typically for Nightmare Night, I do a themed long event covering a villain from the MLP franchise, which has included the likes of Nightmare Moon, Flutterbat, & Tempest Shadow. This year, we will be taking a look at villains from the EQG spin-off franchise but there is some other material that I wanted to look at for Nightmare Night as well, so I thought I'd still do this and perhaps use it as a testing ground to see if I want to cover any more EQG villains in the future. With that outta the way, let's begin.
Voice Actors
Kazumi Evans - Adagio Dazzle
The second EQG film continued the trend of giving the singing voice actors a larger role in the sequel as Evans serves as the singing voice for both Luna and Rarity. This was the first MLP role where she really got to shine and she chewed up all the scenery as the sadistic leader of The Dazzlings.
Diana Kaarina - Aria Blaze
Karina has apparently done a lot of voice work for the Barbie movies and Aria Blaze thus far seems to be her only MLP role. It was fun and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that she also has a lot of theater work under her belt including playing Mimi in a production RENT.
Hendriske seems to have the most impressive resume of voice work under her belt of the three Dazzlings. We'd be here all day if I attempted to list all the characters that she's played. However, within the world of MLP, she is also the voice of Gilda.
And wow, talk about a sharp contrast between her two characters that she plays in this franchise. One's a gruff meanie that was eventually redeemed. The other is a bit of an airhead.
With that outta the way, let's move onto The Dazzlings' first appearance.
First Appearance
Rainbow Rocks opens where the first EQG movie ended as we see Twilight and the rest of the humane characters defeating Sunset. This brings attention to Equestrian magic being in the human world, which is something the Dazzlings need to feed off of. As they are first seen in a cafe corner vocalizing and feeding off he negativity around them as that gives them power.
This does a good job of setting up the dynamics of the characters, which we will discuss with their personalities.
Personalities
Much like the Sanderson Sisters or any three set villain pair, you have the leader that is annoyed by her two underlings. And in this case, that Adagio. This is perhaps best seen with this line.
She is very blunt and to the point with her feelings about the other two. Aria Blaze is perhaps the hardest one for me gauge a read on but there are moments where it seems that she wants to be the one in charge and has no respect for the other two.
This speaks to how there could be something more with her as a villain but I feel that she's just lacking a little bit. Sonata Dusk is evil Pinkie Pie and that's it. She's funny and had a lot of memes after the movie came out but she's just evil Pinkie Pie.
Grand Desire
I think one should first look at what got them banished from Equestria in the first place when they were still Sirens.
This speaks quite a bit to what their goal is in this movie as they feed off the negativity that they create in others to make themselves more powerful and eventually rule the world. Seems kinda large in scope for just three teenage girls (in the human world, at least) But they get close to it with their power of manipulation.
Most Evil Deed
This one is a little tough but for my money, I gotta go with how they manipulate Canterlot High to turn on Sunset as she is trying to redeem herself and prove that she's not the girl from the previous movie and this is felt when they confront Sunset and it mirrors how Sunset cornered Twilight in the first movie.
By setting the scene up this way, the movie is telling the audience that it wants them to sympathize with Sunset Shimmer. Which I find quite easy to do with this movie as I already Sunset even during her Sharpay Evans phase. And in a way, this movie sets The Dazzlings up as Sunset's personal enemies.
Villain Songs
Let's Have a Battle
Our first villain song really shows how evil these three can with the power of manipulation as they get the CHS student body to turn on one another quite easily. This ties into them being Sirens and how they're voice can mesmerize those around them.
Under Our Spell
As the movie goes on, we see their evilness increase and it is really highlighted with this number as they brag about putting the CHS student body under their spell. Again, this is a pretty good number as it shows the vocal talents of The Dazzlings and probably one of the more fun numbers from this movie.
Welcome to the Show
Again, this is a really cool number and having The Dazzlings taken out in a Battle of the Bands setting just makes sense for what this movie is going for in terms of aesthetics. This is just so much fun and shows the Rainbooms coming together to take down The Dazzlings. And it has one of my favorite moments with this sequence.
Seeing the true form of The Dazzlings during this battle is quite a delight as it ups the battle.
Demise
Well, if you watched that last video, you saw their demise. However, one thing that I want to highlight is the part that Sunset plays in taking down The Dazzlings. All throughout the movie, Sunset Shimmer has felt like an outcast because of her past actions as a villain but when Sunset joins the other Rainbooms, the audience sees the confidence that has built up in her to stand alongside her friends to take down the villains.
This again ties back to the idea of The Dazzlings being the personal enemies of Sunset Shimmer and how she had to help take them down. This speaks to how she's now one of the heroes and has put her past behind her.
Where are The Dazzlings Now?
EQG much like its parent series likes to redeem its villains and this is seen in the special, Sunset's Backstage Pass, where Sunset Shimmer is stuck in a time loop for three works at a music festival. And she thinks The Dazzlings are responsible as they have somehow regained their vocal abilities but Adagio tells her that they've repented for their past actions and that living in the human world every day is their punishment for what they did. This may not seem like much but considering that the EQG series is ending this year alongside the main series, I'm willing to take it as a hint that The Dazzlings truly have redeemed.
Are/Were The Dazzlings Good Villains?
Hmm, I can see why people like them and they are a bit of improvement over Sunset's evil scheme in the first movie but I think they are a bit of a mixed bag. With only one of them truly standing and it's Aria or Sonata. They can fun especially when they're singing and are probably the strongest EQG villains but the MLP franchise as a whole has much better villains. Join me next time as we look at the Sirens issue of FIENDship is Magic.
With that outta the way, let's move onto The Dazzlings' first appearance.
First Appearance
Rainbow Rocks opens where the first EQG movie ended as we see Twilight and the rest of the humane characters defeating Sunset. This brings attention to Equestrian magic being in the human world, which is something the Dazzlings need to feed off of. As they are first seen in a cafe corner vocalizing and feeding off he negativity around them as that gives them power.
This does a good job of setting up the dynamics of the characters, which we will discuss with their personalities.
Personalities
Much like the Sanderson Sisters or any three set villain pair, you have the leader that is annoyed by her two underlings. And in this case, that Adagio. This is perhaps best seen with this line.
You'll have to excuse them. They're idiots.
She is very blunt and to the point with her feelings about the other two. Aria Blaze is perhaps the hardest one for me gauge a read on but there are moments where it seems that she wants to be the one in charge and has no respect for the other two.
Adagio Dazzle: Just follow my lead.
Aria Blaze: Or my lead.
Adagio Dazzle: My lead!
This speaks to how there could be something more with her as a villain but I feel that she's just lacking a little bit. Sonata Dusk is evil Pinkie Pie and that's it. She's funny and had a lot of memes after the movie came out but she's just evil Pinkie Pie.
Grand Desire
I think one should first look at what got them banished from Equestria in the first place when they were still Sirens.
Take over Equestria and destroy Star Swirl the Bearded
This speaks quite a bit to what their goal is in this movie as they feed off the negativity that they create in others to make themselves more powerful and eventually rule the world. Seems kinda large in scope for just three teenage girls (in the human world, at least) But they get close to it with their power of manipulation.
Most Evil Deed
This one is a little tough but for my money, I gotta go with how they manipulate Canterlot High to turn on Sunset as she is trying to redeem herself and prove that she's not the girl from the previous movie and this is felt when they confront Sunset and it mirrors how Sunset cornered Twilight in the first movie.
By setting the scene up this way, the movie is telling the audience that it wants them to sympathize with Sunset Shimmer. Which I find quite easy to do with this movie as I already Sunset even during her Sharpay Evans phase. And in a way, this movie sets The Dazzlings up as Sunset's personal enemies.
Villain Songs
Let's Have a Battle
Our first villain song really shows how evil these three can with the power of manipulation as they get the CHS student body to turn on one another quite easily. This ties into them being Sirens and how they're voice can mesmerize those around them.
Under Our Spell
As the movie goes on, we see their evilness increase and it is really highlighted with this number as they brag about putting the CHS student body under their spell. Again, this is a pretty good number as it shows the vocal talents of The Dazzlings and probably one of the more fun numbers from this movie.
Welcome to the Show
Again, this is a really cool number and having The Dazzlings taken out in a Battle of the Bands setting just makes sense for what this movie is going for in terms of aesthetics. This is just so much fun and shows the Rainbooms coming together to take down The Dazzlings. And it has one of my favorite moments with this sequence.
Seeing the true form of The Dazzlings during this battle is quite a delight as it ups the battle.
Demise
Well, if you watched that last video, you saw their demise. However, one thing that I want to highlight is the part that Sunset plays in taking down The Dazzlings. All throughout the movie, Sunset Shimmer has felt like an outcast because of her past actions as a villain but when Sunset joins the other Rainbooms, the audience sees the confidence that has built up in her to stand alongside her friends to take down the villains.
This again ties back to the idea of The Dazzlings being the personal enemies of Sunset Shimmer and how she had to help take them down. This speaks to how she's now one of the heroes and has put her past behind her.
Where are The Dazzlings Now?
EQG much like its parent series likes to redeem its villains and this is seen in the special, Sunset's Backstage Pass, where Sunset Shimmer is stuck in a time loop for three works at a music festival. And she thinks The Dazzlings are responsible as they have somehow regained their vocal abilities but Adagio tells her that they've repented for their past actions and that living in the human world every day is their punishment for what they did. This may not seem like much but considering that the EQG series is ending this year alongside the main series, I'm willing to take it as a hint that The Dazzlings truly have redeemed.
Are/Were The Dazzlings Good Villains?
Hmm, I can see why people like them and they are a bit of improvement over Sunset's evil scheme in the first movie but I think they are a bit of a mixed bag. With only one of them truly standing and it's Aria or Sonata. They can fun especially when they're singing and are probably the strongest EQG villains but the MLP franchise as a whole has much better villains. Join me next time as we look at the Sirens issue of FIENDship is Magic.
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