Akazukin Chacha


Akazukin Chacha is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Min Ayahana. It was serialized by Shueisha in the manga magazine Ribon from 1991 to 2000 and collected in 13 bound volumes. The series is loosely based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and follows the adventures of a fumbling student magician named Chacha, who habitually wears a red hooded cloak, as she seeks the truth about her family and defend the kingdom against its enemies.
A 74-episode anime television series based on the manga was produced by NAS and TV Tokyo and animated by Gallop. It was first broadcast on TV Tokyo from 7 January 1994 to 30 June 1995. This was followed by a sequel original video animation series of three episodes released between 6 December 1995 and 6 March 1996. In 1998, Cartoon Network aired an English |dub of the Akazukin Chacha anime in Southeast Asia and Mandarin-speaking countries.
Two new one-shot manga titled Akazukin Chacha N were published in the May 2011 and January 2012 issues of Cookie. Akazukin Chacha N became a monthly series published from 2012 to 2019. This version of the story takes place in modern-day Tokyo.

Story

Akazukin Chacha is the story of a young magical girl named Chacha. She lives in a cottage on Mochi-mochi Mountain with Seravy, her guardian and teacher, who is the world's greatest magician. Chacha is clumsy in casting her spells, frequently mistaking homonyms, she summons spiders instead of a cloud. When she and her friends are in trouble, however, her spells do work. Living on the same mountain is a boy named Riiya, gifted with enormous strength, who comes from a family of werewolves. Far away from Mochi-mochi Mountain is Urizuri Mountain where Dorothy, a well known magician that has a past with Seravy, lives in a castle with her student, Shiine. Shiine is a young wizard, who is adept at casting spells and barriers, as well as transformations.
The storylines of the manga and the anime adaptation are markedly different: while the anime uses most of the same characters, the story of the first two seasons were invented for the television show. Most of the stories in the third season are based on the manga.

Story of the anime

At the beginning of the anime, when Chacha is about to begin school, Seravy gave her a pendant called the Princess Medallion, and a magical bracelet and ring to Riiya and Shiine respectively. The Princess Medallion enables Chacha to transform into the Magical Princess, who can defeat Daimaō's minions, when she shouts the phrase "Let Love, Courage and Hope -- Magical Princess Holy Up!". However, the transformation works only if the three of them get together.
In season one, Chacha, Shiine, and Riiya attend Urara School, named after their principal Urara. The three are in Banana Class with their teacher named Rascal-sensei who wields a whip and looks strict, but is actually very kind. On the same class is Kurozukin Yakko and Orin. Yakko admires Seravy deeply and even calls him Seravy-sama. Orin is a ninja of the Momonga Clan, and good at concealing herself. Orin is probably the most truthful character in the story, she develops a crush on Shiine when they first met. Later a selfish mermaid called Marin tags along because she is interested in Riiya.
In the second season, after Chacha's weapon, the Beauty Serene Arrow, was unable to beat one of Daimaō's minions, Access, the trio began to search for another, more powerful weapon called the Phoenix Sword or Wing Kris. As they do so, Chacha discovers that her parents are the King and Queen of their land. After encountering many obstacles, they find Phoenix Sword. They then begin their quest for the Bird Shield, the third weapon that the Magical Princess must acquire to defeat Daimaō's minions. At the end of this story arc, Chacha, Shiine, Riiya, Orin, Yakko, Marin, Dorothy, and Seravy together, as the eight Holy Warriors of Love, Courage, and Hope, get inside Daimaō's castle. They defeat Daimaō, after which the castle and the kingdom changes back to its original shape and color.
In season three, the King's Crest, which is a magical artifact called the Holy Bird, is stolen by one of Daimaō's minions, Soprano. Whoever possesses the King's Crest can make the world good or evil. When Chacha as the Magical Princess fights Soprano, by accident they break the seal, allowing demons to enter their world and start devastating their land. Seravy tells them that to close the seal again, they must use things that are from gods or goddess. Because the Pendant, Bracelet, and Ring were given to them by Queen Joan, now a goddess, they sacrifice the three items to save the world. As a result, Chacha can no longer change into the Magical Princess, but her family gives her three more magical items, a magical brooch, compact, and Crescent Aurora Bracelet, which she can use to call up a boomerang which in turn brings her the items that can solve her problems. The rest of the series are based on the first 5 volumes of the manga. At the end of the series, Seravy settles down, engaged to be married to his former classmate, Dorothy.

Characters

Main characters

All main characters appear in both the manga and anime versions.

Manga

Akazukin Chacha was written and illustrated by Min Ayahana. It was serialized in 94 chapters by Shueisha in the manga magazine Ribon from 1991 and 2000 and collected in 13 tankōbon volumes. The series was reissued in 2006 in a nine-volume "library edition" with new covers. The manga was licensed for publishing in Taiwan by Da Ran Culture.
A sequel series, titled "Akazukin Chacha N", set in modern-day Japan, was first published in two one-shots in Cookie on March 26 and November 26, 2011. A serialized version of the sequel started in the same magazine on June 26, 2012. The series finished on July 26, 2019. Shueisha compiled its individual chapters into five tankōbon volumes, published from November 25, 2013 to September 25, 2019.

Anime

The series was adapted as an anime television series produced by TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems and animated by Gallop. The series was direct by Shoki Tsuji with music by Osamu Tezuka and Toshihiko Sahashi and character designs by Hajime Watanabe. The opening theme was "Kimi-iro Omoi", performed by SMAP during the original broadcast and Shoko Sawada on the DVD release. There were three ending themes: "Egao ga Sukidakara" by Shoko Sawada for episodes 1–31, "Chacha ni Omakase " by Masami Suzuki, Tomo Sakurai, and Mayumi Akado for episodes 32–56, and "Welcome to the Magical School" by Masami Suzuki and Magical Study for episodes 57–74.
The series was first broadcast on TV Tokyo in 74 episodes from 7 January 1994 to 30 June 1995. In 1998, Cartoon Network aired an English dub of the Akazukin Chacha anime in Southeast Asia and Mandarin-speaking countries. Additionally, the series has aired in Hong Kong, Philippines.

Original video animation

The television series was followed by a three-episode sequel original video animation series, also animated by Gallop. These were released between 6 December 1995 and 6 March 1996. The opening theme for all three episodes was "Make Me Smile" by Yuki Matsuura and the ending theme was "Negai wa Hitotsu" also by Yuki Matsuura.
The OVA series depicts the efforts of the elite Momiji School as they try to find out why the greatest witches and wizards in the world come from Urara School. A psionic named Popy-kun is sent to infiltrate the school, but things will not prove too easy when Chacha and friends try to befriend Popy-kun instead.

Games

Akazukin Chacha was adapted as a series of video games:
In the novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, Akazukin Chacha is mentioned several times. Rue Ryuzaki mentions that he loves Akazukin Chacha and notices that volumes four and nine are missing from a collection, which is a vital clue to the case.
In the manga City of Dead Sorcerer detective Kim calls the elusive murderer Crimson Robe several times Chacha, while stating that he's a fan of Akazukin Chacha.

Reception