lead=yes is a subgenre of primarily Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, , and live-action media) centered on young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transform.
The genre emerged in 1962 with the manga Himitsu no Akko-chan, followed by Sally the Witch in 1966.
In the 1990s, Sailor Moon redefined the genre by combining "transforming hero" elements from live-action tokusatsu hero shows. The growth of late-night anime in the early 2000s led to a demographic shift for the genre, where series with more mature themes such as Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004) were created and marketed towards an older male audience.
Genre history
1953–1971: Early magical girl works
Despite no presence of magic, the manga series
Princess Knight (1953) is seen as a prototype for the magical girl genre,
as it set forth the appeal of girls who transform to do things they normally cannot perform.
(1962), serialized in the
shōjo manga magazine
Ribon, is credited as the earliest magical girl manga series.
followed in 1966, with a concept inspired by the American sitcom
Bewitched.
Its 1966 anime television adaptation produced by
Toei Animation, is regarded as the first magical girl anime.
This anime adaptation introduced the idea of using a compact to transform, a characteristic that is still present in modern series in the genre.
1972–1979: Majokko series
Toei Animation produced most of the magical girl series of the 1970s,
collectively known as the
.
This popularized the term for the genre, especially with
Mahōtsukai Chappy (1972) and
Majokko Megu-chan (1974).
Megu-chan has been noted in particular for its portrayal of multiple magical girls and the friendship between girls.
Coinciding with the influence of the women's liberation movement in Japan, magical girls began displaying a "certain coquettishness" in the 1970s.
1980–1989: Transition from majokko to magical girl
In 1980, Toei released
Lalabel, the Magical Girl, the first instance of the term "mahō shōjo (magical girl)" being used.
In the following years, other studios besides Toei began producing magical girl anime series, such as
Magical Princess Minky Momo (1982) and
Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel (1983), the latter of which was the first installment of
Studio Pierrot's .
A characteristic of
Minky Momo and
Creamy Mami showed girls transforming into grown-up images of themselves,
which has been linked to the increasing prominence of women at this time including politician
Takako Doi, the
all-female band Princess Princess, and pop
Japanese idol Seiko Matsuda, as well as the passage of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in 1985.
, the producer of both
Minky Momo and
Creamy Mami, noted that male fans of the magical girl genre increased after
Creamy Mami due to the shows' use of transformations and they enjoyed watching girls using magic to solve their problems in ways men traditionally could not.
Due to the popularity of
Minky Momo and Studio Pierrot's shows, the term "majokko" had largely fallen out of use in favor of "magical girl".
1990–1999: Transforming heroine and diversification
Sailor Moon (1991), whose anime adaptation was broadcast from 1992 to 1997, revolutionized the magical girl genre by combining "transforming hero" elements from live-action
tokusatsu hero shows like
Super Sentai and
Kamen Rider with traditionally feminine interests, such as romance and fashion.
Up until then, magical girl series were comedic and the characters' use of magic only exacerbated social conflict.
A key attribute of the transformations in
Sailor Moon is that they focused on exaggerating the characters' beauty through make-up and fashion, negating the link between cuteness and weakness traditionally seen in women.
In addition, unlike previous magical girl series,
Sailor Moon featured a team of magical girls as the main characters, with male characters supporting them in battle.
The format of using fighting, transforming heroines became popular and were used in other magical girl series following
Sailor Moon.
Series that attempted to capitalize on
Sailor Moon success include
Akazukin Chacha, whose anime adaptation created an original arc featuring "transforming heroine" characteristics;
(1997), a remake of the original male-oriented science fiction series
Cutie Honey (1973) for a young female demographic;
and
Wedding Peach.
In the following years, the magical girl genre became diversified. While Sailor Moon also drew in male fans, Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) was extremely popular among men in spite of its target demographic for including themes such as cosplay, yaoi, otokonoko, and yuri.
2000–present: Expanding demographic and parody works
After the end of
Ojamajo Doremi (1999), Toei Animation's first original magical girl anime series since 1985,
was broadcast in 2004, with new installments broadcast yearly.
Similar to
Sailor Moon,
Pretty Cure drew influences from
tokusatsu hero shows, but unlike the former, it was heavily focused on action and used the same talents who worked on
Kamen Rider and
Super Sentai.
This helped the series achieve widespread demographic appeal outside of young girls.
At the same time, the target demographic of magical girl shows expanded. With more late-night anime being produced in the early 2000s, magical girl shows aimed at an older male demographic were produced, a notable one being Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004), a spin-off originating from the adult game series Triangle Heart.
In addition to late-night magical girl series, media exploring the idea of male characters as magical girls (colloquially known as " magical boys"
Concepts and themes
Femininity and youth
Magical girl series use elements associated with female interests, such as accessories associated with traditional femininity, child-rearing, and romance.
Magical girl characters are typically 10 to 14 years old, with cute features and an appearance resembling a princess or an
Japanese idol singer.
Older women are usually portrayed as villains.
Professor Bill Ellis noted that in traditional Japanese folklore, powerful women were depicted to be monstrous, similar to
Oni.
Transformation
In magical girl series, the main female characters transform into prettier, more mature-looking versions of themselves who have special powers, an idea originating from
Princess Knight. Unlike hero shows, the items used to initiate transformation are often "cute" accessories associated with femininity and beauty.
The first example of an item used to aid the transformation is the anime adaptation of
Himitsu no Akko-chan, in which Akko uses a compact to transform; since the broadcast of the series, compacts are commonly used as a transformation item.
Heroine elements
The henshin hiroin is a concept adapted from hero media that was first popularized by
Sailor Moon in the early 1990s; it has been a staple of magical girl series since.
The transforming heroine features an ordinary schoolgirl who changes into an "adorable" costume with "cute" accessories; she then uses a sceptre (or a similar weapon) to channel magical energy in order to fight against the forces of evil.
This format has allowed magical girls to be viewed as
, especially in the West during the
girl power movement of the 1990s.
Comparisons have been drawn to Western superheroines like
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Wonder Woman, but unlike the former, "transforming heroine" series use femininity to weaponize and also features young girls instead of women,
while older women are typically portrayed as villains in magical girl series.
Romance and friendship
A common goal for magical girl characters since the 1960s is romance that eventually results in marriage.
While heterosexual romance was present and received focus in magical girl series, post–
Sailor Moon works saw a diminished presence in male characters in favor of focusing on the friendships between the main female characters.
Kevin Cooley observes that the magical girl genre “regularly produces characters ranging from the ambiguously but evocatively queer to conformity with LGTBQ+ categories.”
Akiko Sugawa suggests that the future of magical girl shows may include rebellion against sexual norms, using
Puella Magi Madoka Magica as an example of yuri relationships favored over heterosexual relationships.
Media
Live-action television series
In 1989, Shotaro Ishinomori produced the first live-action magical girl series,
, as part of the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series.,
with all of them categorized as the 美少女シリーズ.
The shows were viewed as a female counterpart to
tokusatsu series aimed at young boys, such as
Super Sentai,
Kamen Rider, and
Ultraman; however, interest in the genre declined in the early 1990s due to competing toy sales with
Sailor Moon and other magical girl anime.
Live-action magical girl series were revived with the
Girls × Heroine series, beginning with
Idol × Warrior Miracle Tunes! in 2017.
Merchandise
Magical girl series aimed at young girls were often marketed with a merchandise line, with Kumiko Saito saying that magical girl anime is best understood as "twenty-five-minute advertisements for toy merchandise", highlighting the high production costs and the involvement of
Bandai in
Sailor Moon and
Pretty Cure.
Reiko Yamashita also mentioned
Ojamajo Doremi as an example of a series with mass toy production.
has become Japan's fifth highest grossing franchise as of 2010 in part due to its high merchandise sales.
For the
Girls × Heroine series,
Shogakukan project manager Reiko Sasaki stated that she had to create scenarios on how to integrate the toys into the show.
was the earliest example of having a merchandise line and was a "huge hit".
Toys from the 1980s were commonly in bright colors and were mostly compact cases or sticks, with the character's face sometimes printed on them.
From 1990 to 1994, toy sets began including pendants as part of transformation items, along with feminine motifs, such as hearts and stars; most of the toys were pink at the time.
From 1995 to 1999, the toys became more colorful.
For Sailor Moon 20th anniversary, in 2013, Bandai, the producer of their toy line, released a cosmetics line based on transformation items seen in the series, aimed at adult women who grew up with the show.
Non-Japanese works
Asia
In China,
Balala the Fairies is an ongoing franchise originating as a live-action series before transferring to animation, though it was accused of plagiarizing
Pretty Cure.
Europe and the United States
Similar to Japan, the transforming heroine concept coined by
Sailor Moon saw popularity when the show was broadcast overseas in the 1990s due to the
girl power movement taking place in Europe and the United States at the time.
The influence of
Sailor Moon has led magical girls to be associated with
in the West.
Notable examples include
W.I.T.C.H. (2001) and
Winx Club (2004) in Italy;
and
Totally Spies! (2001),
(2014),
and
(2015) in France.
Animated series from the United States, including The Powerpuff Girls (1998),
The influence of the genre has also been seen in Western comics and graphic novels, such as Agents of the Realm (2014),
Critical analysis
Magical girl series have been linked to female empowerment since the 1970s, from exploring female sexuality to weaponizing femininity.
Aside from feminine
Gender role from the genre's defiance against female gender roles, the magical girl genre has also influenced a shift in male gender norms as the stigma between traditional femininity and weakness were removed.
Akiko Shimada's 2011 dissertation Representations of Girls in Japanese Magical Girl TV Animation Programmes from 1966 to 2003 and Japanese Female Audiences' Understanding of Them references Yokokawa (1991) and Murase (2000) who state that in Japanese language, the word "shojo" is always used in third person. Young girls do not refer to themselves as "shojo". This reflects on how narratives about shojo are crafted from a third-party, often Male gaze.
See also
-
Girl Heroes—2002 book by Susan Hopkins
-
List of magical girl works
Further reading
