While browsing the r/MagicalGirls SubReddit the other day I came across an interesting thread. ."..if there's any consistent difference between the sort of tropes, motifs, and themes found in Japanese "magical girl" stories (i.e. Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Pretty Cure), and those of Western origin (W.I.T.C.H., Winx Club, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil). If there is, I'd be interested to know." For over a decade I have been fascinated by the cultural exchange of the Magical Girl genre. Starting at it's Majokko genre roots in the U.S. sitcom Bewitched, and continuing through to the modern day with the generation that grew up on Anime currently creating shows like Star Vs. the Forces of Evil and Steven Universe. Part of the reason I adore the genre is because of the global evolution around it; it truly is a melting pot of ideas and cultural relevance. The term Mahou Shoujo may have been coined by marketing professionals in Japan, but like isekai the genre itself has been a global experience since it's inception. So while differences exist, they aren't as obvious as you'd think. What it comes down to primarily is trends and frequency and cultural nuances. I did take the time to reply, the response I gave on the reddit post wasn't as deep or as detailed as I'd would have liked it to be. Variety is the spice of lifeLet's start off with the obvious: frequency. While not a trope, motif, or theme, frequency plays a major role in the cultural differences between the genre. Because there are more pieces of Magical Girl media being produced in Japan there are more examples of varied and diverse storytelling. It gives creators and the industry the ability to develop rapidly in a shorter amount of time. The West is fairly limited in it's options and because of this has less of a scope in terms of the type of Magical Girl stories being told. Psychological Magical Girl Show - Wonder Egg Priority Mix n MatchThe current biggest difference in the West's take to the genre and East Asia's take is the ability to mix in other genres. In the West, Magical Girls are Magical Girls and you can't deviate too far from the formula without it shifting into something else. You can have tones with a choice between Fantasy + Action, Comedy, Drama or Pre-School (or a mix of any of the above) but you will not see a classic West pioneered genre like Western or Steampunk be translated into a Magical Girl piece of media. We do get exceptions such as Atomic Betty being more Retrofuturism based SciFi and She-Ra being a blend of High Fantasy and SciFi, but examples of these are far and few between. This isn't the case with Japanese and other East Asian magical girl shows. We have seen Mecha Magical Girls (Granbelm), Psychological Magical Girls (Wonder Egg Priority), Horror Magical Girls (Magical Girl Site), SciFi Magical Girls (Lyrical Nanoha), Phantom Thief Magical Girls (Saint Tail) - the list goes on! From genres that are more culturally relevant to Japan like Isekai, Mecha and Sentai; to more globally recognized genres like Horrir, SciFi, and Psychological, there doesn't seem to be a type of genre that hasn't had the Magical Girl touch in Japan. These aren't one or two show exceptions either: Kunihiko Ikuhara has built a career on Psychological Magical Girl shows and I wrote extensively about the Mecha Magical Girl cross genre. The anime industry treats animation as an all ages media market, even if the cultural perception of it is different. The Western animation industry largely considers animation, and by association the Magical Girl genre, 'for' children. When adult animation exist in the West it's usually pop culture based comedies, including Magical Girls. Of the three animated Magical Girl series aimed at adults two of them are parodies: Super Drag and Magical Girl Friendship Squad. By limiting the audience the West limits the types of magical girl stories that can be told. Individual creators don't have these market imposed restrictions. so genre mixing is more likely to happen with indie content. Web Comics like Sleepless Domain can explore Horror and Psychological elements; and self published books like Weapon Girls: Waltz can include giant mechs. Independent creatives have less market imposed limits so we get more varied stories. "I'm a magical princess from another dimension" - Star, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil Not so AverageThe West not only puts a restriction on audience, but a limit on who can be a magical girl. Magic is less likely to happen in our own world, when it comes to Western Magical Girl media. The story either takes place Isekai style (normal protagonist going to a magical world) such as Mia and Me or The Owl House or an alternative setting entirely ala Mysticons or Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. If the setting is our world, the majority of the action tends to happen off of it, like in W.I.T.C.H or Winx Club. On top of all of that, it's very rare that some average girl becomes a magical girl. They're usually born into it: Steven Universe, Lolirock, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Sabrina. It sets the precedence to the audience: you're either magic or you're not and this adventure can't happen to you. As with everything there are exceptions (Miraculous and H2O: Mermaid Adventures), but they are in the minority. East Asian shows and media are more likely to be grounded in our current world. Minky Momo, Sailor Moon, Cutie Honey, Ultra Maniac, etc. all take place in our world even if the girls themselves were born with their magic or in some other world. It's also stressed that anyone can be a magical girl: Precure, Pretear, Flowering Heart, Creamy Mami, Shugo Chara, Cardcaptor Sakura- the list goes on! While alternative worlds and realities and Isekais all exist in Japanese and East Asian Magical Girl media it's more like they exist because the genre is so varied. "The effervescence of bursting lemon, Cure Lemonade!" - Cure Lemonade, Yes! Pretty Cure 5 Pop Culture ImpactThe next batch I'm grouping together because they all come down to specific pop media influences - i.e. the audience in the West is less familiar with the tropes and references than the audience of Japan.
W.I.T.C.H includes girls of multiple ethnicities and body types without color coded teams. Industry babyLast, but not least, let's not forget the important role capitalisms plays in the construction of our media. The way the merchandising (or lack there of) works for the animation industry works in each culture plays a heavy role in some of the things we do and don't see. Because Western animation is all about perpetuating a single property until it's no longer profitable either via being appealing to advertisers or via merchandising, the West is still prone to be more episodic. It usually lacks in high stakes villains and world ending scenarios, and stories are often left hanging in the abyss with no solid conclusion. We're starting to see a shift in this but this is after almost 50 years of industry evolution. In contrast, Anime in general are signed by the season and broken up into seasonal runs which have completed arches. They can typically achieve this because they're based off a piece of media that's proven to have an audience for it (manga, games, etc.). The stories have a defined limit to be told and the promise of closure so higher stakes issues and elaborate villains can exist. Japan's Magical Girl media used to be more like the West's in the early days of it's inception- 60s to 80s- because back then Anime was sponsored by a single toy company to had the production rights on the show. As the industry evolved, so did the formula. East Asian magical girl teams have been consistently growing in the number of magical girls contained in on magical girl show. While shows of the 80s and early only had one or maybe two magical girls, not we have teams averaging around 4 to 6 girls with additional magical girl characters existing within the universe (Magia Record, Battle Girl High School, PriPara). This is largely due to the influence of Idol Culture, specifically the concept of oshimen (推しメン) where a favourite member of the idol group is supported by fans. Having a large cast of girls manufactures the same phenomenon and encourage fans to choose a favourite member of the group to buy corresponding merchandise of. In contrast, the West tends to have smaller consistent Magical Girls and teams - with 3 being the most common- that include more real world diversity. You're more likely to find a black magical girl, a Chinese magical girl, body diverse magical girls in Western media. This is because instead of appealing to a specific brand of Idol Culture they're appealing to the 'she looks like me' brand of buying. It's the same reason a Black Barbie doll was created - to appeal to a broader demographic. It's this same reason magical boys are more likely to be found in magical girl shows in the west (Miraculous, Tenko and the Guardians of Magic, etc.) Not only do these result in different team sizes, but it also results in different magical girl visuals. East Asian Magical Girl units are more likely to be color coded and have specific cultural tropes attached to that color (Pink is the leader, Blue is the level headed smart one, Yellow the energetic young one, etc.). Color coding plays a less significant role in Western shows and when colors exist you're less likely to find those specific sorts of tropes being used. Indie media like Sleepless Domain helps bridge the gaps. So... the difference is...?This is sort of a weak wrap up, isn't it? If you were seeking some big revelation of what makes Precure fundamentally different from Winx Club you won't really find it. Each show has been adapted for the culture and industry it was developed in, but the core ingredients of Magical Girl still exist. They're still a team of girls who transform to fight monsters; or they're still witches getting into hijinks of their own design; or they're still normal girls who were thrusted into magical worlds who now have powers to exist there.
The cultural nuances matter to the culture and the context, but not to the heart of what makes something a piece of Magical Girl media. With continued globalization of the genre and the ease of accessibility of publishing independent works the gaps that used to more clearly divide the cultures are being closed. After all, the genre was built on Cultural Exchange.
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