Mahou Shoujo verus Magical GirlMahou Shoujo - also written as mahō shōjo - translates literally into 'magical girl', titles that have been used for both Japanese and Western media since the early 90s. Some of the earliest series within the magical girl genre were known as 'majokko', which can be translated to 'little witch' or 'witch girl'. The term has largely fallen out of use. Why It MattersUltimately, what is and isn't a magical girl is decided by the fans, by history, and by the creators. This page will hopefully help you to understand how it all works, why the community isn't as united about it as you'd think, and how MSF chooses what gets featured and what doesn't. The Title Says It AllThe genre is called 'Magical Girls' - if that doesn't tip you off to what is needed to qualify, nothing will. Magical Girl MUST HAVE Tropes: - The main character(s) are girls - The main character(s) have magical powers, or something that acts as magic There's no if, buts, or maybes - if even one of those are missing, it isn't a magical girl. Yet, It's Not That SimpleIf that's all there was to it, many shows that currently aren't considered magical girls, would be. How the genre is broken down and defined from that point forward is surprisingly complicated. It also isn't helped by many people misinterpreting common tropes as requirements, or by not knowing the history and origins of the genre. The Many Misinterpretations:Often, people claim transformation scenes equal magical girls - except that many Magical Girl classics, like Cardcaptor Sakura, don't have any, and other genres like Idols and Super Sentai also use them, yet neither genre should ever be confused for a Magical Girl series (even if they do cross over sometimes.) The truth is, you can say the same of almost any Magical Girl trope - aside from the two Must Haves. Another issue is people assuming that magical girls are strictly a Japanese anime and manga concept. In truth, that is far from the reality, and disregards both the history of the genre, and it's current-day evolution. Originally, Japanese writers and animators were inspired by Western live-action series like Bewitched, and later, Sabrina the Teenage Witch - so cartoons like Winx and anime like Sailor Moon have arguably evolved from the same point, complete with the same common tropes, and thus are the same genre. In fact, Japanese books and magazines have featured Western cartoons under the genre of Mahou Shoujo, along with their own series. However, not everyone agrees, so to avoid confusion and conflict, we've labeled our sections as Anime, Western, or Foreign for clarity. Which bring us to the relatively new development of 'Foreign' series, most of which come from other parts of Asia or Eastern Europe, and are mostly made after the mid-2000s Magical Girl boom. Balala for example is from China, which Flowering Heart is from Korea. However, this section is continuing to grow, and we can only hope that more countries will join in on the genre. What else defines the genre? |
2: Consider "Optional" Tropes
- Transformation Scenes
- Evil villains / Antagonists
- Feminine battle outfits
- Magical wands
- Henshin (transformation) devices
- Secret identities
- Coming-of-age story
- Power of Friendship
- Magical creature/fairy/guide
- Selfless lead characters
3: Subgenres
Even though they all fall under the 'magical girl' umbrella, they have very different tropes and audiences. Being able to define which subgenre - or several - it falls under can help people to understand why opinions vary so much.
Often, people have become stuck into thinking that just one subgenre counts - when that's definitely not the cast.
Common Sub-genres:
- Cute Witch
- Where magic is 'normal' to the protagonist
- Typically less violent
- Under 12 audience
- May have neutral rivals as well as villains
- May lack transformations
- Warrior
- Violent / Action heavy
- Often has teams
- Aimed at teenagers
- May appeal to boys as well as or instead of girls
- CGDCT / Slice Of Life
- Follows the characters' daily lives
- Often involves attending school
- One, if not more characters, are exchange/new students.
- Typically aimed at tween and teenage girls.
- May involve boys with powers as well
Controversial Sub-genres:
Examples include:
- Deconstruction
- Designed to subvert or avoid magical girl tropes, usually to make a point.
- Often much darker and adult-oriented, with older protagonists.
- Parodies
- Many are 'boy' magical girls; thus, not being magical girls.
- They're usually designed to make fun of magical girls, not to actually be one.
- Magical Idol Singer
- This is a blend of magical girls and idols - as such, some series fit as Magical Girls better, and others as Idols.
- AKB0048 fits, as they use tech devices and have magical auras that they use to fight evil
- Magical Angel Creamy Mami fits, as she uses magic and does ultimately 'fight' evil.
- Aikatsu! and Pripara are usually considered purely Idol, and not Magical Girl, due to their complete lack of magical abilities. However, they're often mistakenly included as Magical Idols, We'll be doing a full blog post explaining this soon.
- This is a blend of magical girls and idols - as such, some series fit as Magical Girls better, and others as Idols.
Ultimately, what makes a magical girl is up to viewers - and that includes the writers here at MGC.
We try our best to explain why we do or do not consider a series is featured, but it's entirely possible - likely, even - that people will disagree.
We ask only for politeness and fair treatment in the matter; we intended to do the same in return.
Sister Blogs
For bootleg and fake magical girl wands
Real Magic Wands
For genuine magical girl merchandise.
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