mahou bishoujo: magical girls before sailor moon
Anime
before sailor moon took the mahou shoujo genre by storm in the early 90's, many magical girl series were (in my opinion, anyway) often more like pre-cursors to the nichijou-kei/slice of life and kirara-kei/cute girls doing cute things genres that are popular today.
in a time of economic turmoil in japan, sailor moon was a perfect series to receive an anime adaptation because it could--theoretically--appeal to multiple markets across gender-genre lines, giving it a "two for one" value to its production committee members. for example, sailor moon was able to incorporate elements of popular battle series' (that, supposedly, appealed to young boys) into a story that was aesthetically and thematically more familiar to the (supposedly) young girl readership of shoujo manga. add to this stellar combination an appeal to the important consumer demographic of the "first otaku generation" of the 80's, especially in regard to sailor moon's denotation as a "BISHOUJO senshi" in a sailor suit, and the companies sponsoring that anime adaptation had a brilliant piece of intellectual property that had nearly endless potential for merchandising.
the older magical girl series', especially those released in the japan's economic bubble period of the 80's, were more directly focused on the latter two of the three demographics described above. yes, most of them were supposedly intended as entertainment for young girls, but as the bishoujo era of the 80's kicked off, production committees could no longer deny the popularity of shoujo manga and anime with otaku consumers.
this list will contain mahou shoujo anime series that premiered before the premiere of the sailor moon anime adaptation. i'll attempt to order them from most to least important to viewing the genre from this perspective, but certainly my personal biases will come into play, so yes, i'm putting minky momo before sally the witch. please forgive me.
FORMAT:
common english or alternative titles
seasons the listed anime ran through
for more info, i highly recommend patrick galbraith's book on Otaku and the struggle for imagination in japan:
https://www.dukeupress.edu/otaku-and-the-struggle-for-imagination-in-japan
sources and further reading:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160401013143/http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a03904/
https://isaacmeyer.net/2014/07/episode-60-womens-activism-in-japan/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43553398
https://www.amazon.com/Animerica-Anime-Monthly-September-Spectacular/dp/B0072N4D60
in a time of economic turmoil in japan, sailor moon was a perfect series to receive an anime adaptation because it could--theoretically--appeal to multiple markets across gender-genre lines, giving it a "two for one" value to its production committee members. for example, sailor moon was able to incorporate elements of popular battle series' (that, supposedly, appealed to young boys) into a story that was aesthetically and thematically more familiar to the (supposedly) young girl readership of shoujo manga. add to this stellar combination an appeal to the important consumer demographic of the "first otaku generation" of the 80's, especially in regard to sailor moon's denotation as a "BISHOUJO senshi" in a sailor suit, and the companies sponsoring that anime adaptation had a brilliant piece of intellectual property that had nearly endless potential for merchandising.
the older magical girl series', especially those released in the japan's economic bubble period of the 80's, were more directly focused on the latter two of the three demographics described above. yes, most of them were supposedly intended as entertainment for young girls, but as the bishoujo era of the 80's kicked off, production committees could no longer deny the popularity of shoujo manga and anime with otaku consumers.
this list will contain mahou shoujo anime series that premiered before the premiere of the sailor moon anime adaptation. i'll attempt to order them from most to least important to viewing the genre from this perspective, but certainly my personal biases will come into play, so yes, i'm putting minky momo before sally the witch. please forgive me.
FORMAT:
common english or alternative titles
seasons the listed anime ran through
for more info, i highly recommend patrick galbraith's book on Otaku and the struggle for imagination in japan:
https://www.dukeupress.edu/otaku-and-the-struggle-for-imagination-in-japan
sources and further reading:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160401013143/http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a03904/
https://isaacmeyer.net/2014/07/episode-60-womens-activism-in-japan/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43553398
https://www.amazon.com/Animerica-Anime-Monthly-September-Spectacular/dp/B0072N4D60
TV, 1992,
46 eps
Me:-
Author:6
pretty guardian sailor moon
spring 1992 - winter 1993
spring 1992 - winter 1993
TV, 1982,
63 eps
Me:-
Author:10
magical princess minky momo/magical princess gigi
spring 1982 - spring 1983
not only was minky momo one of the earliest mahou shoujo series' to be a breakout hit among adult otaku, minky momo is also known for pioneering the repeated use of elaborate transformation sequences in each episode, an element that might be considered one of the most common trends of the genre from then on. more importantly, minky momo and its 80s successors would coincide with a decade of japanese social reform that enabled women to be more self-sufficient, best exemplified by the passing of the equal opportunity employment act of 1985.
spring 1982 - spring 1983
not only was minky momo one of the earliest mahou shoujo series' to be a breakout hit among adult otaku, minky momo is also known for pioneering the repeated use of elaborate transformation sequences in each episode, an element that might be considered one of the most common trends of the genre from then on. more importantly, minky momo and its 80s successors would coincide with a decade of japanese social reform that enabled women to be more self-sufficient, best exemplified by the passing of the equal opportunity employment act of 1985.
TV, 1983,
52 eps
Me:-
Author:10
magical angel creamy mami/creamy mami, the magical angel
summer 1983 - spring 1984
along with her status as minky momo's greatest rival, creamy mami is especially noteworthy because her series incorporated the idol element popularized by anime like macross. additionally, creamy mami would be the first of four (or five, if you count the anniversary project fancy lala) stellar magical girl series created by studio pierrot in the early 80's that would serve as touchstones for future magical girl series. finally, creamy mami and her fellow pierrot magical girls all have fathers who do not embody the conventions of masculinity within 80's japan. instead of salarymen, doctors, or scientists, these girls had fathers who worked as a crepe cook (mami), a grocer (persia), a baker (emi), and a florist (yumi). this trend shows that especially in the 80's, the mahou shoujo genre challenged gender conventions from all sides both internally and externally, as male otaku became an important part of the genre's audience.
summer 1983 - spring 1984
along with her status as minky momo's greatest rival, creamy mami is especially noteworthy because her series incorporated the idol element popularized by anime like macross. additionally, creamy mami would be the first of four (or five, if you count the anniversary project fancy lala) stellar magical girl series created by studio pierrot in the early 80's that would serve as touchstones for future magical girl series. finally, creamy mami and her fellow pierrot magical girls all have fathers who do not embody the conventions of masculinity within 80's japan. instead of salarymen, doctors, or scientists, these girls had fathers who worked as a crepe cook (mami), a grocer (persia), a baker (emi), and a florist (yumi). this trend shows that especially in the 80's, the mahou shoujo genre challenged gender conventions from all sides both internally and externally, as male otaku became an important part of the genre's audience.
TV, 1966,
109 eps
Me:-
Author:-
sally the witch
fall 1966 - fall 1968
sally the witch is often credited as the first magical girl in anime. i have yet to sit down with this one, so i can't confidently describe the specifics of it, but sally the witch is necessary viewing for anyone looking to trace the genre back to its roots.
fall 1966 - fall 1968
sally the witch is often credited as the first magical girl in anime. i have yet to sit down with this one, so i can't confidently describe the specifics of it, but sally the witch is necessary viewing for anyone looking to trace the genre back to its roots.
TV, 1971,
26 eps
Me:-
Author:6
marvelous melmo
fall 1971 - winter 1972
melmo is important because she's the representative of the magical girl genre in the ouevre of the "god of manga", osamu tezuka. however, perhaps most noteworthy about the anime series today was its intended purpose as a children's program for sex education. fans of tezuka may not be surprised by his tactics in this show, which he directed himself, but viewers not so familiar with his work are likely to find the show strange, surreal, perhaps distasteful, and sometimes even scary. i urge viewers from the anglophone fandom to acknowledge the radically different cultural standards of an entirely different society, especially with regard to its cultural texts from 50+ years ago. it is always important to recognize that centuries of different historical contexts will inevitably lead to differences within the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs within the respective cultures.
fall 1971 - winter 1972
melmo is important because she's the representative of the magical girl genre in the ouevre of the "god of manga", osamu tezuka. however, perhaps most noteworthy about the anime series today was its intended purpose as a children's program for sex education. fans of tezuka may not be surprised by his tactics in this show, which he directed himself, but viewers not so familiar with his work are likely to find the show strange, surreal, perhaps distasteful, and sometimes even scary. i urge viewers from the anglophone fandom to acknowledge the radically different cultural standards of an entirely different society, especially with regard to its cultural texts from 50+ years ago. it is always important to recognize that centuries of different historical contexts will inevitably lead to differences within the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs within the respective cultures.
TV, 1980,
49 eps
Me:-
Author:-
magical girl lalabel/lalabelle
winter 1980 - winter 1981
supposedly, lalabel was the first series to introduce the term "mahou shoujo".
winter 1980 - winter 1981
supposedly, lalabel was the first series to introduce the term "mahou shoujo".
TV, 1974,
72 eps
Me:-
Author:-
witch girl meg-chan
spring 1974 - summer 1975
megu-chan is one of what are known as the toei "majokko" or "little witch" series', a 70's analog to the 80's pierrot magical girl collection. after the toei anime popularized the term "majokko" in the 70's, lalabel, minky momo and the pierrot girls would instead christen the genre as "mahou shoujo". in particular, megu-chan is remembered 1) for its deft focus on relationships between girls specifically, and 2) for its introduction of mild sexual expression within the genre, which would become a trend in the genre during the bishoujo era.
spring 1974 - summer 1975
megu-chan is one of what are known as the toei "majokko" or "little witch" series', a 70's analog to the 80's pierrot magical girl collection. after the toei anime popularized the term "majokko" in the 70's, lalabel, minky momo and the pierrot girls would instead christen the genre as "mahou shoujo". in particular, megu-chan is remembered 1) for its deft focus on relationships between girls specifically, and 2) for its introduction of mild sexual expression within the genre, which would become a trend in the genre during the bishoujo era.
TV, 1969,
94 eps
Me:-
Author:-
akko-chan's got a secret
winter 1969 - fall 1970
winter 1969 - fall 1970
TV, 1973,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:-
cutey honey
fall 1973 - winter 1974
phenomenally influential and perhaps more similar to sailor moon than many other works in this list.
fall 1973 - winter 1974
phenomenally influential and perhaps more similar to sailor moon than many other works in this list.
TV, 1985,
38 eps
Me:-
Author:9
star magician magical emi
spring 1985 - winter 1986
the third of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
spring 1985 - winter 1986
the third of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
TV, 1986,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:8
magical idol pastel yumi
spring 1986 - summer 1986
the fourth of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
spring 1986 - summer 1986
the fourth of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
TV, 1984,
48 eps
Me:-
Author:-
magical fairy persia
summer 1984 - spring 1985
the second of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
summer 1984 - spring 1985
the second of the studio pierrot magical girl anime.
TV, 1987,
119 eps
Me:-
Author:-
esper mami
spring 1987 - fall 1989
esper mami, an adaptation of shounen big comic manga series, is noteworthy for a higher emphasis on ecchi elements. once again, we see the bishoujo era's crossover appeal between young (supposedly) female children and adult otaku.
spring 1987 - fall 1989
esper mami, an adaptation of shounen big comic manga series, is noteworthy for a higher emphasis on ecchi elements. once again, we see the bishoujo era's crossover appeal between young (supposedly) female children and adult otaku.
TV, 1979,
50 eps
Me:-
Author:-
flower child lunlun/flower angel
winter 1979 - winter 1980
winter 1979 - winter 1980
TV, 1973,
25 eps
Me:-
Author:-
miracle girl limit-chan
fall 1973 - winter 1974
fall 1973 - winter 1974
TV, 1970,
48 eps
Me:-
Author:-
magical mako-chan/mako the mermaid
fall 1970 - summer 1971
fall 1970 - summer 1971
TV, 1990,
47 eps
Me:-
Author:-
magical angel sweet mint
spring 1990 - winter 1991
sweet mint ended its run just about a year before the premiere of the sailor moon anime!
spring 1990 - winter 1991
sweet mint ended its run just about a year before the premiere of the sailor moon anime!
