Film Genealogy of Magical Girls

Kayson Carlin

25 April 2017

Bowling Green State University

 

Building A Genre Using Magic and Love

Over the past century, film has gained incredible momentum, from audiences watching a 46 second reel of workers leaving a factory, to multimillion dollar blockbuster hits that employ cutting edge technology. Auteurs were made, genres were discovered, and technology advanced. Throughout all these years, film has been intertwined with history, economics, societal expectations, cultural customs, religion- everything you can think of. The result is somewhat like a family tree; each movie, director, genre, etc is connected in some way or another, either directly or somewhere far down the line. Of course, the same can be said for everything in this world. But in this paper, I will look at a specific genre of animation, and how it connects to the bigger picture of film’s overarching genealogy, with an emphasis on Japan.

Animated movies have been made in nearly every major country with a film industry. Dating back to the early 19^th century, animation has been used to not only create spectacular visuals but to tell a narrative, or story as well. The technique of moving drawn images progressed differently in parts of the world, but none quite as uniquely as Japan. It even has its own name, to which everyone knows exactly what is being described – anime. Unlike the common western idea that all animated pieces are meant for children, anime is intended for any age group whether it be housewives or salary men, and is widely accepted. From emulating Walt Disney’s early cartoons to exploring modern socio-economical issues, anime has evolved to become the most popular medium used today in Japan.  Anime contains many different genres and sub-genres, but one of the most prominent is a genre known as “mahou shoujo” or magical girl. This genre originated in Japan in the early 60s, and although it has found footing in other countries, it is still uniquely Japanese. Though there are girl superhero films in the west, magical girl anime films feature elaborate transformation sequences and characters with more girlish, feminine appeal (Saito). These films are generally produced for a younger female audience, and features a “feel good” atmosphere. Themes of magical girl films tend to include love, friendship, magic, and happiness. There are, of course, later magical girl films that challenge not only the common ideas, but the entire construction of the genre.

In order to understand the history of the magical girl genre, first one must look back to World War II. The origins of this genre started in manga– a form of Japanese comic that came about during the war to provide some relief to citizens. Directly after the war, books and magazines boomed because they could be published with minimal labor, and used cheap material which was often recycled (Prough). Children rapidly consumed popular manga because it captured the whimsical life that they longed for, but couldn’t fully have. As the children grew up, publishing companies continued to churn out titles to match their consumer’s age. Eventually by the early 60s, those same kids were old enough to begin creating manga of their own (Prough). Initially it was mostly men authors who enlisted the help of their wives, but in the late 60s and early 70s there was a surge in female authors. This was because of influence from the feminist movement, which promoted female empowerment. Since these women had spent years working in the background of their male counterpart’s shadow, they too were skilled at creating manga and were finally making their way into the light of day. Encouraged by pro-female ideology, women authors began writing girl-centered manga, and one way to express their independence was giving the girl characters some sort of magical power. This was used as a metaphor for how “powerless” women felt under male oppression. By giving the character magical powers, they were literally giving them power to be strong on their own. By this time, anime began to adapt manga to capitalize on it’s popularity, which included the magical girl genre.

Prior to 1960, a vast majority of artists, writers, and filmmakers were men, and featured heavily on male-centric narratives. It wasn’t until the mid 1960s that positive female-centric stories were widely available, created by women themselves (Saito). A major contributing group to female visibility and empowerment, which later lead to the start of the magical girl genre, were the members of the all-female, Showa 24. The Showa 24 (named so because most of the members were born in 1949, the 24^th year of the Showa era according to the traditional Japanese calendar) created numerous manga with female protagonists, and female character driven plots which garnered the attention of women readers, who could identify with not just the characters, but the themes as well. Their artwork and layout was inspired from film, treating each panel as if it were a frame from a camera, adding diverse views of characters (Newitz). One creator in particular, Moto Hagio, is considered the “founding mother” of modern female manga, due to her unprecedented take on female-centric characters at the time, presenting them as complex human beings (Lunning). Later in the decade, the work of the Showa 24 would intersect deeply with the feminist movement, and come to be accepted as the original influence on magical girls, whose core values are empowerment, femininity, and friendship.

An interesting fact that should be known is that while the magical girl genre is uniquely Japanese, it was actually an American television series that planted the idea of adding magical powers. Bewitched (1964-1972), which featured a witch using magic in everyday situations, became a surprising hit in Japan. The popularity of this show largely contributed to the rise of magic appearing in creative works, especially with female characters. As stated previously, women with magical powers intersected with the feminist movement, as these characters were given control over their lives, as opposed to previously male-dominated positions.

In more recent  history, the roots of the magical girl genre has been prevalent in the works of Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon (1992-1997). Inspired by the shows of the 60s and 70s, Takeuchi revolutionized the magical girl genre in the mid 90s (Newson). She combined aspects of male-oriented film, with female-oriented ideology. For example, a popular genre in the 1980s and 90s was super sentai– basically a team of mostly male superheroes that fought together for the common good, such as Power Rangers. Takeuchi took her individual magical girls and turned them into a sentai team, while adding more action not typically seen in girl’s films (Kotani). This broadened the audience demographic, putting the magical girl genre in the spotlight as it’s popularity exploded among male and female viewers. Not only did it create a worldwide boom, it’s effects can still be seen decades later.

Today the influence of the magical girl genre can be seen in western productions, mostly animation. Those who were initially introduced to Sailor Moon as children, were slowly exposed to more “mahou shoujo” works as Japanese companies could capitalize on the globalization. As a result, those children are becoming adults who work in the film, television, and media industry. More and more you see the influence of this genre spring up, especially in television shows. Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe (Sugar 2013), an insanely popular series on Cartoon Network, credits magical girl anime such as Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena (Ikuhara 1997) for her influences on everything from style to characters, visuals and plot devices. This is incredibly evident as there are scenes that directly pay homage to various magical girl films. The Disney Channel is currently airing Star vs the Forces of Evil (Nefcy 2015), which can be considered the first fully western magical girl series. The show comes complete with transformations, sparkles, and magical attacks. In fact, the creator has been reported as modeling the main character after Sailor Moon herself (Lunning). It can also be argued that Disney has taken cues from magical girls, such as in Frozen (Buck & Lee 2013). Elsa is the only female character to have supernatural and/or magical powers, while her sister Anna is without. While singing “Let It Go”, Elsa is seen transforming into a different outfit using her snow powers, akin to typical magical girl transformations. The overall theme of Frozen is love, friendship, and female empowerment, traits shared by the mahou shoujo genre. As time goes on, it’s clear this genre will continue having an impact on film, television, and media.

Overall, the magical girl genre is extremely fascinating. There are so many aspects and cultural conditions which brought about this unique genre. During my research, I could easily see each stepping stone that made it into what it is today. I believe that magical girls can go beyond anime, because of its core values and themes of empowering women. It can even be used as a tool to promote gender equality. Slowly but surely its influence is spreading across the globe, making its way into film, television, art, even literature. Not just the magical girl genre, but all anime has the potential to cross cultural lines to bring about new perspectives, just as western film has influenced the rest of the world. It really is a two-way street, or perhaps a multi-directional street, in terms of what the world can achieve by bringing their ideas together in a display of astounding creativity.

 

 

References

Kotani, Mari. “Metamorphosis of the Japanese Girl: The Girl, the Hyper-and the Battling Beauty.” Mechademia, Vol. 1, Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga (2006): 162-169.

Lunning, Frenchy. Women Who Changed Free Expression. 31 March 2015. 17 April 2017.

Newitz, Annalee. “Magical Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm.” Film Quarterly (1995): 2-15.

Newson, Victoria Ann. “Young Females as Super Heroes: Super Heroines in the Animated ‘Sailor Moon’.” Femspec (2000): 57-81.

Prough, Jennifer S. “Straight from the Heart.” University of Hawai’i (2011): 25-56.

Saito, Kumiko. “Magic, Shoujo, and Metamorphosis.” Journal of Asian Studies (2014): 143-164.

Reflection on Madoka Magica: Rebellion

Kayson Carlin

20 February 2017

Bowling Green State University

 

Connecting the Magia

The “mahou shoujo” genre has existed since the early 1960s, when female empowerment was dominating the globe. Over the years it has gained popularity with children, especially young girls who are enticed by the magic and elaborate outfits. Themes of love and friendship have been the main focus of these films, and there are those that argue that there is nothing more beneath the surface of children’s animation. This belief was challenged with the release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Gen Urobuchi, 2011). What started as a cute, magical girl story became a dark deconstruction of ideas and themes present in the genre.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica features a young girl, Madoka, who is presented with a contract to become magical, by a mysterious fantasy-like creature. Anyone who accepts must fight monsters known as “witches”, in return for one wish, big or small. The film follows Madoka who befriends various magical girls, but cannot decide whether to agree to the contract herself. Meanwhile, one magical girl, Homura, is intent on interfering with Madoka and her friends at every step.

Having been released in 2011, Madoka Magica has an updated look compared to classics such as Sailor Moon (Naoko Takeuchi, 1991) or Cardcaptor Sakura (CLAMP, 1996). A current popular animation style is “moe” or “cute”. In this style, characters have soft features, large pupils, and not much attention to small details. Often times, a pastel color palette is used. This is used more for stories with young girls, everyday life, and feel good stories. At first glance this style seems to fit with magical girls, but as the film progresses it proves a stark contrast to the dark atmosphere and questions of morality. Symbolism, imagery, and allegories are rampant in this film, highlighting not only the main characters but the witches and monsters as well.

The main antagonists in Madoka Magica are entities known as witches. These beings have a wide variety of physical forms and corrupt people with their misery, causing death and disaster. Each witch has their own alternate space, like a dimension pocket, where they reside. The imagery within these spaces are trippy and overwhelming, such as dandelions with mustaches and giant scissors that cut cake. At first it seems random, used only to exaggerate how unnatural the witches are, until it is revealed that each witch is actually a former magical girl who has fallen into despair. Each alternate space the witch occupies correlates to their original wish. For example, one witch has the appearance of a mermaid and resides in a dimension filled with instruments, music symbols, sheet music, and the like. This is influenced from her wish that turned her into a magical girl. A boy that she liked was hospitalized, never to play the violin again, until she wished for his health. Upon recovery, the boy started playing but never thanked her and instead started dating her best friend. Her story parallels Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, in which she suffers for a man who ultimately rejects her for someone else, which is why she’s portrayed as a mermaid. While initially thinking her wish was selfless, she realized she had used it to try to manipulate the boy into liking her, turning it into a selfish wish. This brings about the question of if the wishes made by the magical girls are moral, and whether or not they lead to their downfall.

An interesting theory to consider, is that young girls gaining magical powers is an allegory to female sexuality. In this case, becoming a magical girl represents losing their virginity. Each character embodies different portrayal their sexual situation. The main character, Madoka, is seeing all her friends doing it but is hesitant to get directly involved herself. She is seen as the “pure virgin” who is insecure and afraid of taking that step. Mami is a mature, older girl who knows everything about being a magical girl, suggesting she is the sexually experienced one. Sayaka made her wish for the benefit of her boyfriend, implying that she “did it” for the one she loved. One girl, Kyoko, who was born into a poor family, became a magical girl in order to feed and provide for her siblings. This can be seen as an allegory to prostitution, or even human trafficking, as it was in exchange for money and food. The character of Homura represents a darker take. Her power is the ability to time travel, as she tries and fails to desperately fix the events of the past. Thus, she represents the girl who was raped, trying to erase the past but never succeeding. Given that magical girls eventually devolve into witches, it can be said that witches embody adulthood, sex, and the corruption it brings to those who are considered innocent.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica surprised its viewers by the dark, gritty tones it took on while attempting to have the exterior of a children’s show. It has gained a huge following of adult fans who find the deconstruction of the magical girl genre to be revolutionary. To this day there are still people who are actively speculating and arguing the different theories and ideology of this film. There is so much to look at and consider, which makes it an enjoyable, thought-provoking watch.

Reflection of Sailor Moon SuperS: Black Dream Hole

Kayson Carlin

1 February 2017

Bowling Green State University

 

In the Name of the Moon

Animated movies have been made in nearly every major country with a film industry. Dating back to the early 19^th century, animation has been used to not only create spectacular visuals but to tell a narrative, or story as well. The technique of moving drawn images progressed differently in parts of the world, but none quite as uniquely as Japan. It even has its own name, to which everyone knows exactly what is being described – anime. Unlike the common western idea that all animated pieces are meant for children, anime is intended for any age group whether it be housewives or salary men, and is widely accepted. From emulating Walt Disney’s early cartoons to exploring modern socio-economical issues, anime has evolved to become the most popular medium used today in Japan. The film I’m looking at, Sailor Moon SuperS: Black Dream Hole (Hiroki Shibata, TOEI Animation, 1995), is more representable as a children’s film than a hardcore ideological driven statement. Nonetheless, it is a part of a franchise that revolutionized anime films and even the country of Japan itself.

Sailor Moon SuperS: Black Dream Hole features the main protagonist Sailor Moon, along with her fellow Sailor Guardians as they battle an enemy who wants to drain energy from the Earth to use on their own planet. To do this, the shadowy villains and their queen lure children into never ending nightmares via hypnosis. The subsequent energy from fear is harvested to fuel an evil empire, and it’s up to Sailor Moon and the Guardians to save the world.

Given that Sailor Moon is animated, there is bound to be aesthetic and stylistic markers. In terms of the art and animation, it is representative of the 1990’s anime look. Hair has stacked volume, and bright colors are splattered onto every piece of clothing. The facial structure of the characters is sharp and defined with heavy shadows. More focus is placed on action rather than soft visuals that are pleasing to the eye. The mise-en-scene of Black Dream Hole uses dark colors to portray that the villains are affiliated with the night and the darkness that it brings. In contrast to this, the “good guys” i.e. Sailor Moon and the Guardians, are associated with light and purity. Even their attacks are nothing more than brightly colored streams of light. This enforces the theme of light vs dark, good vs evil.

Sailor Moon is a genre known as “mahou shoujo” or magical girl. This genre originated in Japan in the early 60s, and although it has found footing in other countries, it is still uniquely Japanese. Though there are girl superhero films in the west, magical girl anime films feature elaborate transformation sequences and characters with more girlish, feminine appeal. These films are generally produced for young girls and features a “feel good” atmosphere. Themes of magical girl films tend to include love, friendship, magic, and happiness, of which Sailor Moon SuperS: Black Dream Hole incorporates all. There are certain anime tropes that are present such as the protagonist having blonde hair, which indicates she is “different” or “special” from the rest of the dark haired population. Sailor Mars is characterized by her long, silky, black hair, which is seen as the perfect standard of Japanese beauty. As such, she is often shown in traditional Japanese attire or participating in culturally significant activities like Shinto prayer.

Since Sailor Moon is the epitome of the magical girl genre, then it is also representative of what the magical girl genre produced: the feminist movement in Japan. Other films may have come before in the 60s and 70s to aid in women’s rights, but Sailor Moon had appeal to a greater audience. It took the feminist ideas of girls being friends, women standing up for themselves, and being their own people and combined it with the mass appeal of transformations and magic. It features girls in short skirts that aren’t sexualized for the male gaze, and “frees” them from traditional conservative clothing. The characters are their own complex people, shown as powerful women instead of damsels in distress. These are some of the things that made Sailor Moon a symbol of feminist movements.

Despite Sailor Moon SuperS: Black Dream Hole being a standard for children’s animated films, there is depth to the franchise. There are, of course, later magical girl films that challenge not only the common ideas, but the entire construction of the genre. Sailor Moon is just one example of a classic Japanese film genre.