Magical Girl Shows Like Sailor Moon – Its Very Cliche Right
Why Magical Girl Shows Exist
Magical girl shows are top 5 anime genres in history. Everyone knows that Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon kickstarted the genre in the early 1990s. There is one before Sailor Moon like Princess Knight (1953) and American sitcom Bewitched (1964). Magical girl shows are catered to younger female demographic, while Tokusatsu or Super Sentai is for boys. The genre format is very similar, for example, monster of the week, transformation and different story arc along with filter episodes. Most female heroine goal is to pursue male love interest and saving world from villains.
What about having a magical companion to help you fight evil and helping the main protagonist transform. In Japanese animation, magical girls show has been very popular than western culture. This genre is known for bright and colorful animation with lighthearted tone. Later on, Puella Magi Madoka Magica has a darker and more mature tone that stands out from rest of the lightheart shows out there. Some shows don’t always fight villainous organization like Little Witch Academia, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Ojamajo Doremi. There is slice-of-life, coming-of-age and even comedy that’s apart from magical girl series.
After the success of Sailor Moon, there are more popular shows such as Pretty Cure, Tokyo Mew Mew, Wedding Peach and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. There are over 15 magical girl manga and anime out there. Some of them are on-going like Pretty Cure fanchise which is still on Star Detective Precure! Magic Knight Rayearth is mech and isekai story in its own way. Three teenagers journeying into another world, Cephiro, to save a princess Emeraude from main antagonist, Zagato. Another one, Revolutionary Girl Utena is about girl in a sword dueling tournament to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya (aka Rose Bride) that has the power to revolutionize the world.
Elements of Magical Girl Shows
Like Revolutionary Girl Utena, it has some LGBTQ elements just like Sailor Moon with Uranus and Neptune. Also, magical girls deal with betrayal, friendship and morals on how they view life. There is also singing and performing like Princess Tutu that found in the genre. In magical girl series, there complains about transformations being too long and repetitive. Personally, I skipped them if I see them once but how can forgot about attacks too. If heroines have ultimate form and attack, I will watch it for the first time.
After each episode, there is a stinger on what will happen and viewers will have to stay tune for next week. Mostly, magical girls air on Sundays like Super Sentai in the morning time. Sometimes, it would air on different days of the week, depending on timeslot. Anime openings would have female voice actress sing and letting audience know, what they are getting themselves into.
Endings of the show is magical heroines would dance or sing as well just like opening. Some shows have 52 episodes that included filter episodes along with main story arc. I don’t watch filler episodes because it doesn’t offer much in the story but just take a break from main plot. Main villain minions summon monsters to foil main characters plans to rule the world and they defeat them before episode ends. Most of the time, main antagonists get destroyed or purified along with reformed as series progresses. There manly two to five villains in the series that heroines face.
Magical Girl in Other Countries
What about love interest? Love interest can be sometimes a foil for main heroine as well like telling him a dark secret or finding out that he doesn’t love her. Did you know other counties have their own spin on magical girl genre? There is France, which Thomas Astruc created Miraculous Ladybug, which is about Marinette Dupain Chang who falls in love with boy named Andrien Agreste and save the Paris from Hawk Moth. Also, Lolirock, who is about a girl named Iris (who is the lost princess of Ephedia), who faces off against Gramorr who wants the throne. While in Italy, there is Winx Club, which main heroine Bloom goes to a school called Alfea to learn magic and finds out about her past.
How I forgot about W.I.T.CH. which is about a group of girls learning about their powers. In the USA, we got Star vs the Forces of Evil, Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to Be a Magical Girl and many more. Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to Be a Magical Girl is a web series created by Kiana Khansmith. This features the first black magical girl character named Aika, who wants to be normal girl than typical hero. As person of color, I was excited by this and hopes it turns into a full series. I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl pokes fun of every troupe of the genres like long transformation sequences and villains.
This is something that’s much needed nowadays because who is tired of those troupes in magical girls’ shows. Anywho, there might be more in the near future in other parts of the world. Now just animation but live action as well, don’t forget about magical boys like Cute High Earth Defense Clue Love and Is This a Zombie? Also, there is magical girl spinoff shows from mainline series like Pretty Sammy (Tenchi Muyo) and Kaleid Liner Prisma Llya (Fate series). I don’t see the genre dying anytime soon but more will come for younger and adult audience alike.
Closing
There are a lot of clichés in the genre and people get tired of them. I get straight to the important plots than just watching 52 episodes. As male, I get laugh that watching shows with female protagonists back in the 90s. Now, you see guys crossplay as magical girl in anime conventions and collect figures along with posters. You can watch magical girls shows on Tubi, Netflix, Crunchyroll and more on your own time. What is your favorite magical girl show like Sailor Moon? Let me know in the comments and thank you for reading this blogpost. Tune into the next one from yours truly.
Anjim Plays is a award-winning streamer from Washington DC, who is a advocate of blerd and gaming culture. I am willing to help others and work with brands.
