Magical Girl Recommendations
You might have noticed by now that I post a ton of magical girl stuff, so I’d like to share the love by recommending some of the ones I like. Since a ton of people have already seen Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica, this list will focus on some lesser-known series.
Cardcaptor Sakura: An archeologist’s daughter finds a mysterious set of cards in a book on her father’s bookcase, but once she opens it, they disappear. These cards have mystical qualities and minds of their own, so it’s up to her to find them and learn to harness their power. Recommended for fashion buffs (has the most costumes out of any magical girl series), fans of rivals-to-lovers tropes, and wizard-type characters (since Sakura has a ton of spells at her disposal by the end)
Precure: The plot and characters change every season, so you can start whenever! It’s mainly about girls chosen to save fairy worlds alongside the human world, but it’s rarely as simple as that. Twists can include new characters, reformed villains, and even some tragic pasts. But two things remain constant: the Precure will always fight for love and happiness, and they’ll always dole it out with plenty of kicks and punches. Recommended for Power Rangers/Super Sentai fans, people who like martial arts movies, people who like close female friendships, and people who wish the Avengers stayed friends in the MCU (there are crossover movies with over 50 girls, so eat your heart out, Infinity War)
Shugo Chara: If you’ve ever felt like people don’t see you for who you really are, this is the anime for you. In this show, kids gain powers through eggs that contain sprite-like creatures formed from the people they really want to be. So transforming means showing your true self, which is extra hard for Amu, a fifth-grader with three eggs and no clue who she wants to be. (Relatable at any age.) Recommended for psychological types, people who don’t know what do with themselves, people who like magical boys, and people who crush on anime characters. (Seriously, I haven’t heard of anyone who hasn’t crushed on a Shugo Chara character at some point.)
Magic Knight Rayearth: From the authors of Cardcaptor Sakura, this story tells of three girls from different schools who find themselves trapped on an unknown world called Cefiro. Their mission seems fairly simple: fight the monsters, get new weapons, save the princess. But the twists are devastating—so much so that you may never look at a RPG the same way ever again. Recommended for RPG fans, isekai fans, and general sword-and-sorcery high fantasy fans. The manga is short but sweet, so it’s good for a quick fix.
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne/Phantom Thief Jeanne: A mysterious young thief has been spotted in mansions and museums all over town, and all anyone knows about her is that the art she steals is instantly replaced by paintings of angels. But Jeanne, the thief, doesn’t do it for crime—she does it because she’s the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, tasked with exorcising demon-possessed paintings. Along with her rival/partner, Sinbad, she’s out to protect Japan from demons while she wrestles with her own—since her parents abandoned her when she was young. Recommended for fans of darker MGs, religious themes, heist stories, tragic backstories, and oddly enough, Miraculous Ladybug fans. (From what little I know of ML, Ladybug and Chat Noir remind me of Jeanne and Sinbad a lot.)
Tokyo Mew Mew: Aliens have come to invade Earth, not just because they want the land, but because they believe humans have been polluting it. To counter this threat, five girls are infused with the DNA of endangered animals and must find a way to protect the earth from both aliens and humans. Pretty simple, but also quite fun. Recommended for fans of ‘90s environmental cartoons, catgirls, more lighthearted superhero stories, and romance.
Mermaid Melody: Lucia is one of seven mermaid princesses who can use song-based attacks. In order to save the world’s oceans, she must find the other six princesses and rescue mermaids that the villains have captured, all while she slowly falls in love with a human boy. But, as she comes to discover, this love is fated to fail, since mermaids turn into sea foam after falling for humans. Recommended for fans of tragic romance, idol singers, and cheesy mermaid stories. (It’s not personally my thing, but I know plenty of people like cheesy mermaid stories.)
Wedding Peach: With its almost cloying cuteness, crazy costumes, and more, Wedding Peach isn’t for everyone. But it is, if nothing else, a guilty pleasure about the power of love. Momoko and her friends are reincarnated angels sent to Earth to protect love itself—as demons have recently begun to attack lovers and spread hatred. In the meantime, of course, the three angels must tackle their own fair share of love issues. Recommended for romance fans and lovers of wedding fashion.
Corrector Yui: I’m still working on this one, but the premise is gold—a fan of magical girl stories ends up transforming into one herself. The only problem is that, in her futuristic society, she’s a cyber-themed magical girl with no knowledge of the Internet or computers. Outdated but endearing. Recommended for fans of cyber settings and the good old fashioned “fighting villains inside the computer” plot.
Kamichama Karin: Karin is your ordinary magical girl ditz who’s going through a rough spot in her life until she meets two mysterious cousins, one of whom has a similar ring to one her mother gave her before her death. As fate should have it, these rings give their bearer the power of the Greek gods—and there are dark forces who want that power for themselves. Recommended for Greek mythology fans, Percy Jackson fans, and lovers of the jerk with a heart of gold romance trope.
