NERDBOT
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Nerd Culture
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»Movies & TV»Anime»Pop Culture Infiltration: The 90s Anime Magical Girl Boom
    Anime

    Pop Culture Infiltration: The 90s Anime Magical Girl Boom

    Loryn StoneBy Loryn StoneJuly 18, 20185 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    During the heyday of the anime fan-subbed VHS boom of the late 90s, obscure magical girls were everywhere. Lists upon lists of anime series like the one listed on the website above existed, and you’d see the same series’ names over and over again. If you were a big collector of fan-subbed VHS tapes like I was, you knew that when it came to the magical girl genre, not all series were created equal.

    From the oldest of old-school days of Minky Momo and Sally the Witch here’s no dispute about it- Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon was the top-shelf magical girl of the era, and she still holds that title to this day. (Albeit with the Pretty Guardian title, whatevs.) With stores dedicated to the series and her own Universal Studios Japan experience, there are no other magical girl shows that can reach the same heights that Sailor Moon has. But don’t think for a second that other series didn’t try. Because they did, and today on PopLurker we’re going to talk about the anime Magical Girl infiltration of the 90s and how many of these series went unnoticed by the (non-obsessed) watcher.

    Akazukin_Chacha_Magical_Princess_with_the_Bird_Shield

    First up on the list of “I saw this title everywhere” was Akazukin Cha-Cha or Red Riding Hood Cha-Cha. This anime has one of the most charming styles I’d ever seen and I just could never afford the tapes of it. Cha-cha is a fumbling magician who seeks the truth about her family and defends a kingdom against its enemies.

    We’re followed by Magical Angel Creamy Mami (title doesn’t sound so tasty, does it?), a story about a ten-year-old girl who is transformed into a sixteen-year-old girl for one year. The idea of transforming into an older girl isn’t an unfamiliar trope in Japan. We can see this premise in another magical girl series called Fancy Lala, a story about a ten-year-old girl who, using an enchanted item, is transformed into a teenage girl who becomes a pop-idol singer. Likely, these are both stories reminiscent of Big with messages of “Hey, don’t be so eager to grow those boobs. Hang out as a kid for a little bit.”

    nurse_angel_ririka_sos_jp

    We have Nurse Angel Ririka Sos, a strange and convoluted story about (yet another) ten -year-old girl who is given a magic wand of sorts and transforms into the Nurse Angel. Her name was already Ririka, so it’s not like she has a battle name or anything. Spanning over fifty episodes, this series did not benefit from the way it just kept going and it ends with one of the saddest endings in anime history, although post-final credits, things cheer up a little bit.

    Angels versus devils and the battle between good and evil combined with keeping little girls in their maternal, nurturing place was a huge trend in the magical 90s, and it continued right up with Ai Tenshi Wedding Peach or Love Angel Wedding Peach. I watched way more of this series than it deserved, primarily because their magical items and secondary costumes were the coolest magical girl garb I’ve seen to date.

    Wedding_Peach.jpg

    I have a secret for all of you out there, and it may result in tomatoes being thrown at my face, but I don’t actually like the Sailor Moon costumes. The hip rolls, the puffy arm sleeves, and the bows on the front and back…barf. They’re just not for me. But Wedding Peach? Holy mother of stars in the sky, give me those forever. Those girls where decorative bodices and metal garters! I love it!

    Magical Project S.jpg

    On the more popular side, Card Captor Sakura blended magical girl with clow cards for a fun overlap of genres, and Magical Project S was born from the Tenchi franchise. It was a joke in one of the OAV series that Sasami transform into Pretty Sammy, but then next thing you know she got her own spin off…and yet another retelling of the Tenchi franchise.

    Honey Flash.jpg

    Our friend from the 70s Cutey Honey came back in the 90s for a magical girl series called Cutey Honey Flash, a streamlined and modern (at the time) design that fit more into the Sailor Moon aesthetic and less into the thick-bodied, luscious boobed, rounded facial features look old-school Cutey Honey fans were used to (even the 1995 OAV reboot that we all saw on the Blockbuster shelves adhered more to the original 70s style).

    Jeanne5

    And no magical girl article would be complete without talking about Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne or as I call it, the show that (temporarily) put the nail in the Magical Girl coffin. This show was absolutely terrible. What started out as a charming show about a normal girl became this unnecessarily layered show about rebirth, god, and religion. Possibly, the original premise just wasn’t strong enough to stay hard. You had Maron, a girl who transformed into the reincarnation of Joan of Arc so she could destroy evil demons that haunted paintings.

    Jeanne1.jpg

    She has a male counterpart named Sinbad, whose identity she doesn’t know while transformed, but the two are classmates in real life and one has feelings for the other while transformed and the other has feelings for the other while in civilian form (sorry for the lack of details. It’s been a minute and my brain is fried). Meanwhile, you have Maron’s best friend who is the daughter of the chief of police, who is obsessed with arresting Jeanne (not knowing Maron is Jeanne). But seriously…that holy-mother-on-the-cross martyr nonsense that was the second season…man…the eyes just can’t roll any further.

    So, what were your favorite magical girls from the 90s? Did we miss any? What other anime tropes infiltrate pop culture? Tell us about it in the comments and it might be our next Pop Culture Infiltration article!

     

     Follow Loryn on Twitter. She also has a personal blog. Her debut novel My Starlight, a young adult novel about anime, cosplaying, fandom, love, loss, and friendship will be released August 3rd, 2018 by Affinity Rainbow Publications.

    Author

    Loryn Stone
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe Simpsons’ Matt Groening Says the Apu Discussion Is ‘Tainted Now’
    Next Article Rainbow Six Siege Instantly Banning Players for Hate Speech
    Loryn Stone
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Loryn Stone has dedicated her life to the written Word of the Nerd. Her writing has also been published on other pop culture websites such as Cracked, LoadScreen, PopLurker, and Temple of Geek. Her debut young-adult novel "My Starlight" (a contemporary love letter to fandom, friendship, anime, cosplaying, love, and loss) is out now by Affinity Rainbow Publications. When she's not writing, Loryn's other interests include collecting robots (Megazords, specifically), playing bass, and blasting metal.

    Related Posts

    Full Line of Jimmy Choo “Sailor Moon” Shoes, Boots Revealed

    February 8, 2023

    Ash Ketchum, Pikachu’s Adventures Come to A Close After 25 Years

    December 17, 2022

    Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2022 (into 2023!) Anime Line-Up

    December 14, 2022

    Beginners Guide to Naruto 

    November 28, 2022

    15 Anime Released in 2022 You Should Check Out

    November 27, 2022

    “Tom and Jerry” Get Kawaii Makeover from Cartoon Network Japan

    November 19, 2022
    • Trending
    • Latest
    • Movies
    • TV

    Christian Activist Suing The NFL For $867 Trillion Over Half-Time Show

    February 5, 2020

    Marvel Eyeing GOT Star Nathalie Emmanuel To Play The MCU’s Storm

    June 27, 2019

    Rumor: Charlie Hunnam In Talks For New Wolverine Movie

    May 20, 2019

    Scientists Are Actually Trying to Open a Portal to a Mirror Universe(Yes Really)

    December 28, 2019

    5 Best Video App Development Languages

    February 27, 2023

    What to Look for in a Crypto Poker Room

    February 27, 2023
    CSGORoll Homepage with CSGORoll affiliate code

    Is CSGORoll.Com Safe and Legit? – Full Review

    February 27, 2023

    Is Online Casino Bonus No Deposit Available to All Players?

    February 27, 2023
    "Attack of the Meth Gator" Poster

    The Asylum Confirms “Attack of the Meth Gator” Film Coming

    February 27, 2023
    “The Pope's Exorcist”

    Russell Crowe Plays Real Life Priest in “The Pope’s Exorcist”

    February 26, 2023

    Ryan Reynolds Developing “Boy Band” Comedy for Paramount

    February 25, 2023

    “Smoking Causes Coughing” Looks Ridiculous and Awesome

    February 25, 2023

    Eric Stonestreet to Play Mad Santa in “The Santa Clauses” S2

    February 27, 2023

    Woes and More for AFC Richmond in “Ted Lasso” Season 3 Trailer

    February 27, 2023

    “The Goldbergs” Cast Reacts Show Ending After 10 Seasons

    February 27, 2023

    Stop-Motion Pokémon Project Announced by Netflix

    February 27, 2023
    Related Posts

    None found

    San Diego Comic-Con
      • auction
      • carnivorous plant
      • dinosaur
      • pennyworth
      • San Diego Comic-Con
    NERDBOT
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    © 2023 NERDBOT Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.