The magical girl genre has been reigning strong since the debut of the epic pop culture phenomenon Sailor Moon in 1994. While not as popular as the shounen genre, there is no denying that these entries left their mark in anime history with the sparkling power of friendship, and battling evil in super cute outfits, while representing the hope that girls can do anything they set their minds to. As the magical girl genre has evolved, its storytelling has diversified, giving anime fans a variety of themes to explore and gush over. Read on to find your next magical binge-watch!
Sailor Moon
Of course this anime has to be on this list. Sailor Moon is the pinnacle of magical girl anime, which started the tropes many series then followed. From cute outfits, magic scepters as weapons, a talking animal sidekick, and a romance that transcends time, this anime holds up as a pop culture classic.
Usagi Tsukino is a normal middle school student who tries and fails to get good grades in school. She has a loving family, a best friend (who gets slowly kicked to the background as the series goes on), and as normal a life a girl could have. When she helps an unassuming cat, Luna, Usagi’s life changes forever. Now bestowed with the power of the moon, Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon and fights extraterrestrial villains alongside her friends, the Sailor Guardians. As long as Usagi has the power to defend, she’ll defeat her adversaries one by one, all while finding love with the mysterious Tuxedo Mask and his power of throwing roses! This show is a classic for its humor, great animation for its time, unforgettable characters, and a premise that’s similar to the Power Rangers. You’ll be hooked just by the anime’s iconic first opening.
The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies
This new anime of the summer has an interesting premise. Mira, affectionately known as Mr. Evil Lieutenant, is part of an evil organization that attempts to take over the world. The only problem is that magical girl Glass Happiness — real name Mimori Byakuya — keeps getting in the way, fighting off every minion and monster. However, once Mira takes a look at the magical girl, his glasses break in the name of love. Instead of fighting, Mimori and Mira spend their time eating and talking, with Mira falling more in love with Mimori. Meanwhile, Mimori feels more comfort from the villain’s kindness than she’s ever felt in her lonely life. The heroine’s worked more than ten jobs, only becoming a magical girl because of a loan shark scheme planned by a talking cat who smokes and drinks.
The show is as sad as it is funny; I’m certainly wishing for Mr. Evil Lieutenant to save Glass Happiness from the greedy cat using her. If only he could stop forcing his feelings down by smashing his face, or breaking everything he squeezes when Mimori does something cute.
This anime is similar to Love After World Domination, which is another enemies-to-lovers romance where the villain and hero are already in a secret relationship. Both series are adorable, and we can only hope Mimori and Mira do end up together as the season continues.
Cardcaptor Sakura
Sakura Kinomoto was a normal fourth grader until she accidentally released magical cards called the Clow Cards, that were sealed away in a mysterious book, the Clow Book, stored in her home library. The cards were created by a very powerful sorcerer named Clow Reed, who entrusted them to guardians Cerberus and Yue until the next owner of the cards was selected. That presumed new owner is none other than Sakura, who sets out to collect the cards as they cause havoc in her hometown.
It wouldn’t be a magical girl anime without cute outfits, which Sakura’s best friend Tomoyo gladly provides as she creates amazing costumes fit for all of Sakura’s conquests — and records everything like the fangirl that she is. Cardcaptor Sakura is a really cute watch; you’ll be cheering for Sakura throughout her adventures, even as transfer student Syaoran Li comes in to challenge her for the Clow Cards. Don’t worry, you’ll like Syaoran the more you watch the anime.
Shugo Chara!
Everyone has a hidden side they wish to express, but it’s hard to feel comfortable showing it when you’ve already been projecting yourself differently. Amu Hinamori is seen as cold and tough, and scares bullies away. In reality, she’s a shy, kind-hearted girl who wants to have friends and be the real her — a wish that is granted in the form of cute chibi floating representations of Amu’s true self. Ran, Miki, and Su are Guardian Characters who give her the power to transform and use special abilities — like Ben Tennyson from Ben 10 — against an evil that takes Character Guardians before they hatch from their person’s inner wish.
Ran represents Amu’s athletic and confident side; Miki represents her artistic side and her desire to be more levelheaded; Su represents her caring and domestic side. These chibi fairies all help Amu to become more herself and less the “cool,” tough persona she can’t help but show. This anime is more sparkles, magic and sugar with the endless power of friendship spiel. Regardless, it’s a cute seires with a certain pretty boy to fawn over — the real treat of the show.
Tokyo Mew Mew New (2022)
Someone must’ve thought, What if we did Sailor Moon, but with animals? In color-coordinated outfits, the Tokyo Mew Mew team fights against extraterrestrial threats set on reclaiming Earth from the human race. Given the DNA of an endangered animal, the Iriomote cat, Ichigo Momomiya joins Cafe Mew Mew as the leading member of Tokyo Mew Mew. The anime is an in-your-face allegory to the destruction of animal and plant life on Earth, which is probably more relevant today than back in 2002 when the original show aired.
With the 2022 reboot, Tokyo Mew Mew gets an upgrade in animation and storytelling (a continuing trend in the anime world), but still keeps the essence of what makes the original so good. Not to mention the love triangle between Ichigo, alien enemy Quiche, and Ichigo’s crush Masaya Aoyama is very much a show-stealer in both adaptations.
Princess Tutu
A fairytale setting with ballet dancing, and it’s a magical girl anime? Why not give it a watch just for the fairytale vibes? Ahiru (or Duck in Japanese), tries to save Prince Mahito, the boy she likes, as she collects pieces of his heart that are sealing a powerful foe from existence. The only downside is that the prince no longer feels emotions, a blank slate to whom Ahiru’s advances go unnoticed.
What’s interesting is that the prince is from an in-universe storybook called The Prince and the Raven, and Ahiru is aware of this to a certain extent. Another crazy thing is that the author of The Prince and the Raven, old man Drosselmeyer, can see everything that happens in Princess Tutu. As the puppeteer, he makes the anime’s plot move forward, pushing the tale to be a tragedy as Ahiru, as alter ego Princess Tutu, dances her way to Prince Mahito’s salvation. A very meta story far ahead of its time, Princess Tutu depicts classical ballet with many twists and turns.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Saving the best for last, Puella Magi Madoka Magica (or Madoka Magica) subverts expectations of the magical girl genre by giving us an introspection into what the magical girl’s responsibility would be if there were unavoidable consequences. This anime started the rule of watching the first three episodes to see if an anime is worth a watch. Spoiler alert: this is a must-see.
Without giving too much away, the premise follows Madoka Kaname, a middle schooler who catches the interest of the new transfer student, Homura Akemi. Homura is a magical girl who desperately tries to prevent Madoka from forming a contract with Kyubey, a talking cat who grants wishes in exchange for fighting witches. The more involved Madoka is in the world of magical girls, the more the tone of the anime shifts.
With a sequel movie, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion, and a spin-off anime, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Madoka Magica continues to twist the magical girl genre through its beautiful animation, alluring soundtrack, and compelling characters, (especially the stoic Homura). It’s a good time to catch up on the anime as of this year; the sequel to Rebellion, Walpurgisnacht Rising, is set for a theatrical release in Japan soon, with a U.S. release surely following closely after.
While the magical girl genre tends to follow the same tropes and format, it has different flavors anime fans can appreciate and enjoy. The central theme of maintaining hope, is what makes magical girl anime a comfort watch, as well as its simplicity. These shows give me nostalgia for my childhood, especially Sailor Moon — my first anime along with Dragon Ball — that I wouldn’t mind rewatching some of them now. Can you tell which one’s my favorite?
Wanna read some magical girl manga? Head on over to Bookstr’s Ilustrious Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels bookshelf on Bookshop.org!
Not up to date with the latest anime news? Click here to learn about the Ranma 1/2 reboot coming this year!
