Majokko Megu-chan


Majokko Megu-chan is a popular magical girl anime series. The manga was created by Tomô Inoue and Makiho Narita, while the 72-episode anime series was produced by Toei Animation between 1974 and 1975. This series is considered an important forerunner of the present day magical girl genre, as the series' characterization and general structure exerted considerable influence over future shows in the same genre. Most notably, several of the show's recurring motifs were recycled in Toei's Sailor Moon, AIC's Pretty Sammy, and Wedding Peach.

Synopsis

Megu-Chan follows the experiences of a powerful young witch who comes to Earth as part of her initiation into larger society. Megu is a contender for the throne of the Witch World but knows very little of human relationships. Sent to Mid-World in her early teens, she is adopted by Mammi Kanzaki, a former witch who gave up her royal ambitions to wed a mortal. Mammi bewitches her husband and their two children, Rabi and Apo, into believing that Megu has always been the eldest child of the family. Under Mammi's tutelage, Megu learns to control both her abilities and impulses in order to prove her worthiness for the crown.
This rite-of-passage subtext is continued throughout the series. A free spirit in the purest sense of the word, Megu-chan discovers emotions she'd never known existed – loneliness, compassion, grief, love, desperation, and self-sacrifice. As the story progresses, she proves the nobility of her character through the various trials and tribulations of youth, evolving from a willful and rather selfish little girl into a kind, generous, loving young woman. She battles monsters, demons, and rival sorcerers, but quickly realizes that her true enemy is the darker side of human nature.

Main characters

The European dub versions made generally minimal changes to the character names. In Italian, the only major name change was "Megu" to "Bia", and Megu's family's name was changed from "Kanzaki" to "Giapo", "Chou-San"/"Cho-San" changed just only a bit and became "Ciosa" or "Ciosah", "Kurou" became "Cra Cra" from the Italian onomatopoeia of the song of the crows, "Furu Furu" cat was changed with the correct spelling of "Fru Fru". In the French dub, Mammi Kanzaki became "Mamine" Kanzaki, and Rabi and Apo became "Robin" and "Apolline".
;Megu Kanzaki
;Non Gou
;Mami Kanzaki
;Papa Kanzaki
;Rabi Kanzaki
;Apo Kanzaki
;Boss
;Saturn
;Chou-san
;Furu-Furu
;Crow
;Emi
;Roko

Social commentary

The series dealt with subject matter considered too mature for young children at the time. Complicated social issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse and extramarital relationships were introduced, while loss and mortality frequently underscored Megu's hijinks. This was a major break from the traditional juvenile animation in both Asia and the West, perhaps explaining why the series didn't find a European market until the early eighties.
Another point of departure was the series’ subtle eroticism. Majokko Megu-chan was born of a proposal by Hiromi Productions, which had previously produced the less successful magical girl series Miracle Shoujo Limit-chan with Toei, to create a magical-girl series with a slightly naughtier edge than previous shows of the genre. The influence of Megu-chan's Toei stablemate, Go Nagai's Cutie Honey, was apparent in several aspects, from the somewhat racy lyrics of the opening theme song to the fact that the two series shared many of the same staff. While not as overtly sexualized as Nagai's heroine,Megu-chan was surprisingly voyeuristic for its period. Megu was frequently depicted in various states of undress and the series featured scenes which anticipated the rise of so-called fan service anime; the opening theme song itself features lyrics in which Megu boasts about her breasts and her way of manipulating boys with her looks and coquettish behaviors.
Later kogaru heroines would capitalize on Megu's sexuality; it would, in fact, become a hallmark of the genre. There were numerous scenes in which Megu wore sheer nightgowns through which her underwear was plainly visible. Rabi had an arsenal tricks aimed at catching his "big sister" disrobed, from yanking the sheets off Megu's bed in the morning to using a fishing rod to lift her skirt.
Rabi wasn't the only voyeur Megu was forced to contend with; there was the vile Chou-san, an agent of the witch queen sent to sabotage Megu's chances of winning the throne. A stereotypical pervert in every sense of the term, Chou spent most of his time spying on Meg and devising ways to publicly humiliate her. In a memorable scene in episode 23, Chou-san rigged Megu's bathtub with wheels, causing it to race around the city while Megu was bathing. Earlier in that same episode, Chou attempted to trick Megu into taking off all of her clothes by hypnotizing her with a magical cuckoo clock; only Non's intervention at the last minute saved Megu from stripping herself totally naked. In another sequence, Chou-san breaks into the Kanzaki residence, hoping to abduct Megu in her sleep. While his intentions were never stated explicitly, his underlying motivations were always made obvious.

Influence on Japanese popular culture

Megu-Chan was not the first magical girl anime, but it has been described as the first modern anime series to fall into the genre. Initially overlooked as a minor effort due its relative obscurity following its airing in the seventies, it nonetheless formed a template on which many later scenarios were based. Significantly, many of the show's plot devices were recycled in the enormously successful Sailor Moon - indeed, two later episodes of Megu-chan were directed by Yuji Endo, who later became one of the chief episode directors on Sailor Moon - and echoes of Meg's tempestuous rivalries can be perceived in seinen parodies such as the Project A-Ko franchise. The "fan service" angle would turn up again in countless other future series, such as Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The program's impact on Japanese popular culture should not be underestimated; thematic descendants include the entire magical girl genre, along with some degree of bishōjo, lolicon and hentai material. Megu's effect on Japan's burgeoning manga industry has yet to be documented, but considering the vast number of shōjo titles currently available, it is safe to assume that Majokko Megu-Chan's animated adventures must have inspired at least a few of them.
The series gained moderate recognition after it reached the European market, but remains largely unknown in the United Kingdom and the United States, as it has never been translated into English with the exception of fansubs of a handful of episodes. Outside Japan, the series achieved its greatest popularity in Italy in the early 1980s ; however, the Italian dub skipped nine of the 72 episodes and also made a few edits for content in the extant episodes. The undubbed episodes were fairly dark, most of them dealing with suicide. The edits made in the Italian version carried over into the Polish and Portuguese versions, which were adapted from the Italian and not from the original Japanese.

Episodes

  1. Here Comes the Pretty Witch
  2. That Girl's a Rival
  3. Lots of Witches
  4. The Light of Home
  5. Witch of Love
  6. Papa Can't Afford to Laugh
  7. My Longing for Meg
  8. A Genius at Venting his Anger
  9. True Heart's Song
  10. Marvelous Balloon Trip
  11. Messenger From the Moon
  12. Bow-Wow Riot
  13. Duel! The Magical Mansion!
  14. Vision of the Harp
  15. Papa's Lover?!
  16. From the Sky with Love
  17. Two Megs
  18. The Old Castle's Love Story
  19. Good-bye, Mr. Ghost
  20. Walk, Mill
  21. Ex-Witch Granny Chuck
  22. When Do the Stars Fall Into the Sea?
  23. Great Operation: Tearful Humiliation
  24. The Stolen Dress
  25. The Vision of a Boy
  26. Terrific Magical Battle
  27. The Scorpion's Curse
  28. A Baby's Fuss
  29. The Angel's Tear
  30. The Mystery of the Abused Girl
  31. Echo of Love
  32. Shadow of a Witch Fluttering Her Wings
  33. Saturn's Messenger
  34. Uninvited Guests
  35. The White Horse, Upstairs in our House
  36. The Dolls that Left
  37. Strange Transfer Student
  38. Paper Planes Bound Far Away
  39. Santa's Name: Apo
  40. Great Tomboy Race!
  41. The Lost Polar Bear
  42. Friendship at the Snow Festival
  43. The Snow Bird's Secret
  44. The Age of Rebellion is Here
  45. Red Shoes of Friendship
  46. Tale of North Spring Winds
  47. Spring in a Yacht
  48. A Doll's Poem
  49. Pinwheel's Song
  50. The Flying Bag
  51. Please Take Care of Taro
  52. Gonbee has Returned
  53. The Demon World's Failure
  54. Missing Cat
  55. Who's The Criminal?
  56. Secret of The White Lily
  57. Carp Streamers High in the Sky
  58. Where Are You, Gonbee?
  59. The Girl in The Rain
  60. Young Master's Great Circus
  61. Rainman
  62. Due by Midnight, Bound for The Witch Kingdom
  63. The Blue Star of Tanabata
  64. The Fuss of Not Swimming
  65. The Dreamy Trolley Car
  66. Foggy Morning Paper, Taro
  67. The Guitar and the Boy
  68. Nya-Nya! Summer Vacation!
  69. Revenge Dog Sigma
  70. Great Kite, Fly me with the Sea Wind
  71. Final Battle: The Greatest Magic!
  72. Farewell, Meg

    Music

In episode 27, Megu watches Misty Honey from Cutie Honey on TV singing the Cutie Honey theme. The same vocalist, Yoko Maekawa, performed the theme songs for both Cutie Honey and Megu-chan.
The series also reused some incidental music from an earlier magical-girl series by Toei, 1970's Mahō no Mako-chan. Takeo Watanabe composed the music for both series.
;Opening theme:
;Ending theme: