The Origins of the Magical Girl Genre Note: This First Chapter Is an Almost
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The origins of the magical girl genre Note: this first chapter is an almost verbatim copy of the excellent introduction from the BESM: Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book by Mark C. MacKinnon et al. I took the liberty of changing a few names according to official translations and contemporary transliterations. It focuses on the traditional magical girls “for girls”, and ignores very very early works like Go Nagai's Cutie Honey, which essentially created a market more oriented towards the male audience; we shall deal with such things in the next chapter. Once upon a time, an American live-action sitcom called Bewitched, came to the Land of the Rising Sun... The magical girl genre has a rather long and important history in Japan. The magical girls of manga and Japanese animation (or anime) are a rather unique group of characters. They defy easy classification, and yet contain elements from many of the best loved fairy tales and children's stories throughout the world. Many countries have imported these stories for their children to enjoy (most notably France, Italy and Spain) but the traditional format of this particular genre of manga and anime still remains mostly unknown to much of the English-speaking world. The very first magical girl seen on television was created about fifty years ago. Mahoutsukai Sally (or “Sally the Witch”) began airing on Japanese television in 1966, in black and white. The first season of the show proved to be so popular that it was renewed for a second year, moving into the era of color television in 1967. Soon afterwards in 1969, Himitsu no Akko-chan (“The Secret of Akko-chan”) debuted on television and ran for a year and a half. Many magical girls have followed these two, including: 1970 Mahou no Mako-chan (“Magical Mako-chan”) 1972 Mahoutsukai Chappy (“Chappy the Witch”) 1974 Majokko Meg-chan (“Meg-chan the Witch Girl”) 1978 Majokko Tickle (“Magical Girl Tickle”) 1980 Mahou Shoujo Lalabel (“Magical Girl Lalabel”) 1982 Mahou no Princess Minky Momo (“Magical Princess Minky Momo”) 1983 Mahou no Tenshi Creamy Mami (“Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel”) 1984 Mahou no Yousei Persia (“Persia the Magic Fairy”) 1985 Mahou no Star Magical Emi (“Magical Emi, the Magic Star ”) 1986 Mahou no Idol Pastel Yumi (“Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol”) 1987 Esper Mami 1990 Mahou no Angel Sweet Mint (“Magical Angel Sweet Mint”) 1992 Hana no Mahoutsukai Mary Bell (“Floral Magician Mary Bell”) 1992 Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (“Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”) 1993 Hime-chan no Ribbon (“Hime-chan's Ribbon”) 1994 Ai to Yuuki no Pig Girl: Tonde Buurin (“Super Pig”) 1995 Nurse Angel Ririka SOS 1995 Ai Tenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach (“Wedding Peach” ) 1995 Kaitou Saint Tail (“Misteryous Thief Saint Tail”) 1998 Mahou no Stage Fancy Lala (“Fancy Lala”) 1998 Card Captor Sakura In the 60s and 70s, the general criteria set forth in the original two magical girl stories, Mahoutsukai Sally and Himitsu no Akko-chan, helped to maintain a consistency of elements to define the genre. The target audience was obviously defined to be young girls (shoujo anime), usually under the age of ten and sometimes much younger. Both characters were Princesses of the Land of Magic, but their abilities were different. Sally-chan used her powers directly, casting spell of various kinds to effect things around here. Akko-chan, however, used a magical compact to transform (“henshin”) into an alternate identity to become anyone, or any living creature, she desired. Therefore, her magic only affected herself and not anything else around her. Both girls were 10 to 12 years of age, and both stories were focused on the “coming of age” traumas that girls experience as they grow into adolescence and become young women. The girls in these stories were unique with respect to those around them – they had abilities that other people around them had not. Most of these magical girl traits apply not only to the magical girl stories, but also to other shoujo stories about idols, fantasy adventures, and romantic dramas. With the creation of Mahou no Princess Minky Momo (“Magical Princess Minky Momo”) in 1982, new standards were incorporated into the genre. Society had changed – women everywhere were gaining more independence in a world that had always been controlled by men. Minky Momo was the first magical girl story to incorporate a very important element into its story – for the very first time, the heroine of the story dies. Although Minky Momo was still targeted primarily for young girls, it was also created to be viewed by everyone. The story operated on a number of different levels and to this day remains one of the greatest classic stories in anime history. Minky's story was designed to make children actually think about their world. Adults enjoyed the show for exactly the same reasons that stories like Walt Disney's Bambi are suggested viewing for people of all ages. The Minky Momo series also broke the gender boundaries when many boys found themselves profoundly affected by the story of a young girl whose death was felt by the entire world. The 1980s also saw the creation of some of the most memorable magical girl stories ever told. Studio Pierrot created four popular shows during this period: Creamy Mami, Persia, Magical Emi, and Pastel Yumi. In addition, a whole new generation of girls was brought up with remakes of the first magical girls ever: Mahoutsukai Sally and Himitsu no Akko-chan. Although some boys also expressed an interest in the genre, it was still dominated by and targeted for young girls. One of the reasons for this was very simple – many of the girls were portrayed to be idols, or what Westerners might call “pop stars” of music, movies, and television. The idol industry was booming in Japan in the 1980s, and adapting this popularity into the magical girl genre was only natural. The 1980s also saw the birth and growth of the OVA (Original Video Animation) industry. Since many people in Japan owned VCRs, it could be profitable to create an anime series exclusively for the consumer market and video rental outlets. By the 1990s, traditional gender roles had changed considerably. Society encouraged men to be caring and tender, and women to be more forceful and assertive. The idol and OVA industries were showing signs of drastic slowing as the audience changed and people began looking for a new “fad.” A whole new generation of girls was introduced to the continuation/remake of Mahou no Princess Minky Momo in 1991. Megumi Hayashibara, one of the most popular seiyuu (voice actress or actor) of the 80s and 90s, was cast in the leading role. Also in 1991, Naoko Takeuchi debuted a new manga (comic book) story called Codename wa Sailor V. This story featured a sailor-suited, super heroine, teenage girl who tracked down and punished criminals. The following year, in February of 1992, Takeuchi began an expanded version of this story in Nakayoshi, a monthly shoujo manga collection for young girls. This new story featured a team of five teenaged girl super heroines who fought the evil invaders of the Dark Kingdom, and was called Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (“Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”). Only one month later, the animated version of the story aired on national television – the rest, as they say, is history. The Sailor Moon series combined the elements that had always been so popular among young girls with the sentai (lit.: fighting squadron) elements that have always been popular throughout Japan, especially with young boys. As the dual stories continued, more and more young boys and older fans of both genders began watching the weekly exploits of the Champions of Justice. Viewers chose their favorite characters, and watched them grow as they struggled not only with the responsibilities of being defenders of Love and Justice on Earth, but also with boy troubles, school work, parents, their own friendships, and many other common problems that adolescent girls experience worldwide. Takeuchi had discovered a very simple way to vastly expand the market for young shoujo stories – incorporate elements that were popular with female and male audiences, and with a wide variety of age groups. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon ran for a total of five years, with two hundred television episodes, three theatrical movies, and several live-action musical plays. Additionally, it inspired various beat 'em up, JRPG, and fighting video games, as well as an endless plethora of licensed merchandise. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon demonstrated that television could be a very successful venue for promoting not only a story, but also they toys and related products. The show proved beyond a doubt that the risk of making an expensive television anime could indeed be highly lucrative. This fact, coupled with the expanding popularity of anime overseas (especially in America) encouraged studios to gamble on higher quality productions. By 1994, studios were beginning to air series that were originally slated to be produced as OVAs. Example of such high quality television series include Magic Knight Rayearth, Blue Seed, DNA², Zenki, Ai Tenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach, and others. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon also helped gain acceptance of stories featuring young girls in starring roles. This is not to say that the young girls in the stories have become any less feminine – as a general rule, they have not. However, the girls do show a greater level of independence and headstrong behavior than many of the earlier characters. Strong young girls can be seen in Magic Knight Rayearth, Kaitou Saint Tail, Ai Tenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach, Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, and others.