Magical Girl (魔法少女) is a character trope, as well as a genre of fiction which centers both around the concepts of girls coming of age and possessing power through their femininity rather than by rejecting it. It is a common theme for the protagonists to need to balance their school lives, personal lives, and their responsibilities of saving the world as a Magical Girl. The aesthetic is often hyper feminine and very in touch with expressing emotion freely, both positive and negative.
Magical Girls are often in a team of young girls, destined to save the world. These characters often have their own designated color, weapon, and power assigned to them, although which colors, weapons, and powers can vary. Alongside these color coded costumes, a very iconic part of what makes a Magical Girl a Magical Girl visually is the animated transformation from a normal young girl into her Magical Girl identity.
Sally the Witch by Mitsuteru Yokoyama was the first Magical Girl anime to air in 1966, whilst Himitsu no Akko-chan was the first Magical Girl manga (first printed in 1962), but the most well known and influential Magical Girl anime in pop culture is, for now, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (often shortened to Sailor Moon) by Naoko Takeuchi.
Although the genre and aesthetic is more geared towards girls, there are various examples of Magical Boys existing as well.
Visuals[]
- Transformations
- Glitter
- Ribbons
- Stars, hearts
- Soft colors, often pink
- School uniforms or anything like decorated dresses
- 90's anime
- Wands, lockets, brooches
- Brightly Colored Hair
- Animal companions
Fashion[]
Magical girl-inspired fashion, also known as Mahou Kei, shares many visual similarities with Fairy Kei. Beyond the casual outfits with magical girl print, there is also many frilly sailor uniforms and over-the-top lolita dresses inspired by the outfits from the various series. Handmade transformation compact brooches and magic wands are popular accessories. Different to other styles, wigs are very common to be worn due to the extensive styling that gives a more otherworldly feeling to the outfit.
Media[]
TV Shows[]
- Aikatsu Planet!
- Balala the Fairies
- Bee and Puppycat
- Card Captor Sakura
- Catch! Teenieping
- Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!
- Cutie Honey Flash
- Corrector Yui
- Creamy Mami
- Fancy Lala
- Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya
- Flip Flappers
- Flowering Heart
- Fullmoon wo Sagashite
- Himitsu no Akko-chan
- Idol Time PriPara
- Is This A Zombie?
- Jewelpet
- Kamichama Karin
- Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne
- Kill La Kill
- Lalabel, the Magical Girl
- LoliRock
- Lilpri
- Magical Angel Sweet Mint
- Magical Emi, the Magic Star
- Magical Doremi
- Magical Girl Friendship Squad
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
- Magical Girl Pretty Sammy
- Magical Girl Raising Project
- Magical Girl Site
- Magical Princess Minky Momo
- Magic Knight Rayearth
- Mahou Shoujo Ore
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
- Moetan
- Miraculous Ladybug
- My-HiME
- Nurse Angel Ririka SOS
- Nurse Witch Komugi
- Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol
- Powerpuff Girls Z
- Princess Tutu
- Revolutionary Girl Utena
- Sailor Moon
- Sally the Witch
- Saint October
- Saint Tail
- Sasami: Magical Girls Club
- Shugo Chara!
- Smile PreCure!
- Sugar Sugar Rune
- Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
- Persia, the Magical Fairy
- Pretty Cure
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica
- Tokyo Mew Mew
- Wedding Peach
- Winx Club
- W.I.T.C.H.
- Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero
Animations/Other Media[]
- Daoko - "Girl" (Music Video)
- Doja Cat - "Like That" (Music Video)
- The Enchanted Ones From Santos (Web Series)
- Magical RuRu (Animated Music Video)
Books/Comics[]
- Many Japanese Magical Girl shows and movies have either manga or graphic novel equivalents.
- Princess Amethyst (DC comic book)
Games[]
- League of Legends - Star Guardians (In-game cosmetics)
- Paladins: Champions of the Realm - Radiant Stars (In-game cosmetics)
- Pathfinder first edition
- Royale High
Resources[]
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.
Communities[]
Playlists[]
Pinterest Boards[]
Gallery[]
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