From Puella Magi Madoka Magica to Sailor Moon, which Magical Girl Anime is the best? Let’s explore the history of the Magical Girl Anime and why it is some of the most compelling and popular shows in Japan and internationally. The Magical Girl Anime is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media where a girl or group of girls have magical powers that they can access through transforming into an alter-ego.
Himitsu no Akko-chan was the first of its kind in the 1960s but the idea of the ‘transforming heroin’ didn’t come about until the popularity of Sailor Moon in the 1990s which brought a whole new wave of shows just like it.
By the 2000s late-night anime became popular resulting in shows like Pulla Magi Madoka Magica exploring more mature themes and being marketed toward an older male audience. Despite this, the core themes of the Magical Girl genre remain intact exploring the topics of youth, feminity, transformation, romance, friendship, and heroine elements.
Shows inspired by this style include Totaly Spies and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir from France, Winx and W.I.T.C.H from Italy, Stephen Universe, Star vs. The Forces of Evil, and She-Ra and the Princess of Power from the United States. These shows are heavily influenced by the popularity of Sailor Moon internationally while the Pixar film Turning Red also includes the same themes and even has similar artwork inspired by the worldwide phenomenon.
These shows have been instrumental in allowing young girls to figure out who they are and see positive representations of friendship groups. This has led many to believe that female empowerment has always been at the center of these shows. Young girls and women who grew up watching the Magical Girl Anime hold these shows and characters close to their hearts, seeing themselves in these young women, who are often created by women.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Also known as Madoka Magica the show debuted in 2011 and deals with mature issues as it is a late-night anime. The story centers around a group of middle school girls who become magical and fight their enemies known as ‘witches’. The show was only around for 1 season but its legacy lives on in Manga, video games, and movies.
Madoka Kaname, who is the protagonist of the show, along with her best friend Sayaka Miki meets a small cat-like creature named Kyubey. Unlike other Magical Girl shows, they are offered the chance to gain magical powers via a wish and with those powers must fight witches. They are also joined by Homura Akemi, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.
Majokko Megu-chan
Megu-chan has been noted in particular for its portrayal of multiple magical girls and the friendship between girls, laying the groundwork for shows like Sailor Moon. Majokko Megu-chan translates as Little Meg the Witch Girl and ran for 72 episodes between 1974 and 1975.
The show follows an accident pron witch whose powers are great, she comes to earth to learn and integrate into society, learning about human relationships and growing into the future ruler of her world. The show is a true coming-of-age story as Megu-chan discovers emotions and feelings she never knew she had while keeping to her free-spirited nature. She learns about family and has real friendships which help her in the battles she faces over the 72-episode show.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is a spin-off of a popular Japanese game, Triangle Heart, and has a big male following in Japan and Internationally. We follow Nanoha Takamachi, a girl who meets a young mage named Yuno, and together they must collect 21 artifacts known as Jewel Seeds. A sequel was released in 2005 called Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s with a third, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS following in 2006 which takes place 10 years after A’s.
The main character of the show is Nanoha Takamachi who is a nine-year-old girl and in classic magical girl anime fashion, an animal reveals itself as a shapeshifter and takes the protagonist on a jouerny of discovery and magic. Nanoha saves an injured ferret who is in fact Yuno and together they set off on this journey to collect the Jewel Seeds, with her magical wand and Raising Heart by her side. Along the way, Nanoha meets a fellow magical girl who is her rival then friend, Fate Testarossa, and her familiar Arf, while facing dangers she has never known before.
Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka
Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka is a magical girl series that also has military elements and was serialized by Square Enix before becoming an anime in 2019. Asuka Otori is the protagonist of the show and is one of The Legendary Five, these women were a part of a squadron of 11 magical girls who were in a war with the Disas. The Legendary Five are the only survivors of the war from the squadron whose motto was “Who laughs last, laughs best…”.
The show takes place three years after the war against the Disas, who are beasts from another world, who have returned for unknown reasons. Asuka must join up with the remaining five girls from her squadron to fight this new threat and save the world.
Powerpuff Girls Z
Powerpuff Girls Z is heavily inspired by the original Powerpuff Girls series and was produced by Cartoon Network Japan as a magical girl anime. The show ran for one season between 2006 and 2007 and was adapted into a manga during the show’s original run. There is an English language adaptation that was aired in Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand in 2008.
The show follows the same premise as the original Cartoon Network show with a few little edits. Unlike in the original show, the girls are 13 years old instead of being in Kindergarten. Professor Utonium is working on Chemical X just like in the original but he has a son, Ken Kitazawa, and a dog called Peach. A daifuku, which is a Japanese confectionery item, is dropped into the vat creating Chemical Z, hence the name of the show.
Chemical Z not only transforms Peach into a talking toy dog but also affects three ordinary girls, transforming them into magical girls. Momoko Akatsutsumi, Miyako Gōtokuji, and Kaoru Matsubara now have the ability to transform into superheroes called Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powerd Buttercup. The effects of Checimal Z are not just seen to change the three girls but it changes people, animals, and objects into evil monsters, this includes fan favorites of Mojo Jojo, The Ganggreen Gang, and Fuzzy Lumpkins.
Little Witch Academia
Little Witch Academia debuted in 2013 as a short film as a part of a Young Animator Traning project and is still going strong to this day in various different media. After a few short films, Little Witch Academia debuted in 2017 as a 13-episode anime series being broadcast in Japan and internationally around the world via Netflix, with the next 12 episodes being promoted as its second season. It has also been adapted into two manga series since then.
At the Luna Nova Magical Academy, Atsuko Kagari also known as Akko joins the school in order to become a witch but struggles due to her non-magical background. Her hero is the famous witch Shiny Chariot who had a magical relic known as the Shiny Rod, which Akko finds and this helps her on her journey to realize her power and herself. Along the way, she helps magic blossom, helps turn the reputation of the school as old-fashioned around, and makes some great friends along the way.
Pretty Cure
Pretty Cure is less popular than Sailor Moon in the west but it is still one of the best magical girl anime, especially for younger children. Pretty Cure has been airing since 2004 and has spanned over 800 episodes while being adapted into everything from films to video games and even manga. Three of its seasons have been adapted into English.
With nineteen series under its belt, it might just be one of the most popular and long-lasting Magical Girl Anime in history. Each series centers around a different group of girls who are known as Pretty Cures and are assisted by fairies in order to fight the forces of evil using their magical powers. Two of the seasons are direct sequels of their most popular teams of teens.
If you recognize this magical team you might have seen the Netflix dub, known as Giller Force and Glitter Force Doki Doki, which were originally called Smile PreCure! and DokiDoki! PreCure in Japan.
Revolutionary Girl Utena
In 1996 a manga would take Japan by storm resulting in an anime and film adaptation, it is known as Revolutionary Girl Utena. It is a perfect mix of action and a coming-of-age story told from the viewpoint of a strong-willed tomboy named Utena Tenjou who desires to be a prince. Utena enters into a series of sword fights in order to win the hand of the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya, who has the power to revolutionize the world.
This show deals with LGBTQ+ issues by deconstructing the typical fairytale and magical girl anime and centering on the relationship between its main characters, Utena and Anthy. The show uses metaphor and symbolism in a way that wasn’t seen often at the time, incorporating color with yellow representing nostalgia, orange as confrontation, and red as ambition. The show explores queer and feminist themes with its two leads being presented as bisexual while Utena’s presentation deconstructs gender norms. Their relationship is described as a soft and sympathetic lesbian relationship that challenges hetronormativity.
This show was a huge influence on the person who worked on Adventure Time and later created the hugely popular Stephen Universe, Rebecca Sugar. They have gone on to be the first non-binary person to create their own dhow for Cartoon Network.
[Utena] was an epiphany for me. The way that it plays with the semiotics of gender. I was a bisexual teenager watching a show like Utena. It was stunning, I related to it in a way that I had never really felt before and it really stuck with me… I love that she (Utena) decides that after being saved by a prince that she wants to be a prince, It’s great!… (Utena) is so extreme that it’s funny.
That was a huge influence on me as well, that something could be so dramatic and so, beautiful, but also wacky… Akio will flip onto the front of the car, or the way that (the student council members) want to shatter the world. It’s so extreme that it’s powerful and almost even funny, it’s really exciting… I saw them [the Takarazuka Revue] do Guys and Dolls, which is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. And there’s huge, huge Takarazuka theater influence to Steven Universe, I feel like I got a chance to see some of the deepest source material for that whole genre, and it was hugely inspiring.
Rebecca Sugar on Utena on Stephen Universe | Den of Geek
Cardcaptor Sakura
This might be one that those who watched afternoon ITV Kids programming might remember. Cardcaptor Sakura is a personal favorite of mine and still holds up today, even if it is aimed more at a younger demographic. Originating as a manga in 1996 it was adapted into a 70-episode anime in 1998 and two movies. In 2000 it was dubbed for English-speaking audiences known as just Cardcaptors.
Sakura Kinomoto is a ten-year-old girl who accidentally frees a set of magical cards into the world. Possibly taking influence from the story of Pandoras Box, Sakura must retrieve these cards to prevent catastrophe. This awakens Cerberus, the guardian of the cards, and is renamed Kero by Sakura, he is the comic relief of the show, being a small lion cub with wings who is bossy, demanding, and likes food but he also deeply cares about Sakura. Each card grants Sakura new magical powers that reveal her own inherent magical ability.
Sailor Moon
She’s fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight, Sailor Moon has become one of the most well-known and well-loved magical girl anime in the world, with its influence being felt even to this day. Starting off as a manga in 1991 it would be adapted into one of the most popular animes of all time the following year. 30 years on and Sailor Moon is still the standard when it comes to this kind of anime, am I biased? possibly, I do have Sailor Moon stickers on my laptop at the time of writing, but this show influenced a whole generation of women.
Sailor Moon has been adapted into eight series and seven movies over its 30-year run. Starting off with the classic Sailor Moon series that ran between 1992 and 1997 it spawned three movies during its initial run. Sailor Moon would return to TV with three seasons as Sailor Moon: Crystal in 2014 and ending in 2016. This new adaptation, which changed the 90s technology to relate to a more modern audience has spawned two movies with two more set for release in 2023.
The show and presentation of young teenage girls are one of its greatest strengths with themes of feminism and girl power, as well as a strong LGBTQ+ relationship making it a truly groundbreaking show in the 1990s. The Sailor Guardians are seen as strong and beautiful while all having their own distinct personalities, wants, needs, and styles, which is refreshing. While the show deals with magic and transformation the friendship between the Sailor Scouts is one of the most realistic portrayals of strong female friendships put to film. They argue, they are kind, and they always stand by one another.
For western fans of the show, the characters of Uranus and Neptune were changed to cousins instead of lovers, and this is the biggest reason a fan of the show needs to watch the original. Luckily this isn’t the case with Sailor Moon: Crystal which finally shows that audience who grew up with the Guardians a beautiful LGBTQ+ relationship that is relatable and shows little queer kids everywhere that they are normal and accepted. The show also shows the teens as hyperfeminine while also inhabiting stereotypical male spaces and concepts with them being the ones fighting evil and saving the day.
Sailor Moon is by far the best magical girl anime and most popular but if this is your first introduction to this type of show maybe a deeper look into the shows listed here is needed. Have fun and enjoy the power and great stories told in these female-centric shows.
