Magical Girl
Magical girls (魔法少女, mahō shōjo?, also known as mahou shoujo or majokko) traditionally belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga, but it has gained traction in non-Japanese formats, such as animated television series, graphic novels and webcomics. Magical girl stories feature young girl heroes with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic and a transformation (such as Full Moon o Sagashite and Sailor Moon). Ojamajo Doremi features magical girls as protagonists, but its plot differs from the standard as the girls use magic for friendship, behavior and achieving goals, rather than for attacking antagonists. The Japanese language identifies magical girls as majokko (魔女っ子?, literally "witch girl"), though this term does not generally apply to modern magical-girl anime. Sally, the Witch (1966) counts as the first magical girl anime.
Magical boys occur much more rarely, but one can readily identify them: they operate along similar lines (as with D.N.Angel, Mei no Naisho, and Negima!). Magical girls generally differ from catgirls and from magical girlfriends. Sometimes the catgirl and magical girl character types cross over; the magical girl may have cat-ears and -tail as part of her costume, or a catgirl could have some form of magical powers. Examples of these include Tokyo Mew Mew and Hyper Police. A magical girl and a magical girlfriend typically differ in that the magical girlfriend is not the protagonist. Over the years, the genre has given significant influence to numerous non-Japanese media, American magical girl-inspired cartoons and other "anime-inspired" series (such as W.I.T.C.H. and Guardians of the Magic).
Read more about Magical Girl: General Examples, Genre History, Common Themes and Features, Magical Girl in Media
Famous quotes containing the words magical and/or girl:
“Something magical happens when parents turn into grandparents. Their attitude changes from “money-doesn’t-grow-on-trees” to spending it like it does.”
—Paula Linden (20th century)
“The girl must early be impressed with the idea that she is to be “a hand, not a mouth”; a worker, and not a drone, in the great hive of human activity. Like the boy, she must be taught to look forward to a life of self-dependence, and early prepare herself for some trade or profession.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)