Magical girl

Revision as of 17:09, 18 August 2007

There are many different genres of manga. Manga is a term used to refer to Japanese comic books. One of the many genres is known as the magical girl genre. These stories are about young girls who have superhero and superhuman abilities. These girls are meant to fight evil and protect the earth using their special abilities. Most of the time the girls have a secret identity and hide their true abilities from the general public. They often have very close friends whom either help them fight or help them hide their identities.

The Basics

Most often in the magical girl manga, the girl receives her superhuman abilities due to a strange object. This could be an enchanted item, such as a wand or pendant. Often the girl has to unlock the power hidden inside the object by using a special incantation. Sometimes a mystical being, such as a deity or creature from another time or place, helps them to understand exactly what is going on during their transformation period. They generally spend a good majority of the first set of mangas learning how to harness their powers and how to fight evil with them.

This being sometimes comes along with them in their travels. Magical girls are also sometimes accompanied by magical boys. They may travel with them or may just appear mysteriously whenever they are needed. Interestingly enough, it is not generally clear where the girls often get their powers. Some mangas do go far enough to explain how the mystical item that transformed them came to be so powerful, but many do not.

Freedom Of Identity

Many of the girls in the magical girl genre of manga hide their true identities from most people that they know. Sometimes they hide their secret because they are ashamed of their powers. Traditionally, Japanese girls are supposed to be demure, not flying around beating up bad guys. Sometimes the magical girls do not expose themselves simply because they want to be able to live their normal lives whenever they do not have to fight evil. Whatever reason they choose, they tend to spend quite a large amount of time figuring out ways to hide their identity.

It is not usual for a magical girl to fight for revenge. Generally they fight for peace, hope and love. They are usually light-hearted and are rarely ever dark. The mangas that have more than one magical girl spend part of their time focusing on learning to cooperate and on how important friendship really is.

Types

There are a few different types of magical girls that are usually found in manga. These include:

• The Magical Being – this is usually about an angel or a witch who is trying to learn to survive in the regular world. They focus on the mundane, every-day world and do not tend to have a lot of villains in them.

• The Regular Girl – there are some mangas where a girl is given a special ability that has nothing to do with fighting. These abilities usually allow them to become either rich or famous after living a difficult life.

• The Fighter – these girls gain a power for a specific reason. They are meant to fight evil in order to save humanity.