Mako-chan's Magic: A detailed review and recommendations of the fascinating anime

Magical Mako-chan - A story of a girl's growth and magic

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

November 2, 1970 - September 27, 1971
November 2, 1970 - September 27, 1971 Every Monday from 7:00pm to 7:30pm

■Broadcasting station

NET (now TV Asahi)

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 48

■Original Story

Shinobu Urakawa

■ Production

Toei Animation

■Works

©Toei Animation

■ Story

Mako, the princess of the mermaid kingdom, falls in love with a human boy named Akira when she breaks the rules and goes out to sea. Mako tells the knowledgeable old woman that she wants to become human, and becomes human, knowing that she will never be able to return to being a mermaid. While living in the human world, hoping to meet Akira again, Mako occasionally uses the "Mermaid's Tear Pendant" given to her by her father, which can cast magic when you make a wish, to solve various cases. Through her encounters with people, she grows as a human.

■Explanation

This is the third installment in Toei Animation's Little Witch Series. It is made for a slightly older audience than the previous series, targeting middle and high school girls, and in addition to romance, it also has episodes that deal with social issues such as the entrance exam wars and pollution. It is a work that reflects the landscape of Japanese society in the early 1970s, and contains many themes that viewers at the time could relate to. In particular, the episode depicting the entrance exam wars realistically portrayed the stress and pressure students felt at the time, eliciting a lot of sympathy. Additionally, the episode that tackled pollution issues helped raise awareness of environmental issues. By dealing with such social issues, it can be said that it is not just a fantasy work, but also contains educational elements.

■Cast

・Urashima Mako/Kazuko Sugiyama・Dad/Isamu Yatsu・Mother/Michiko Hirai・Taro/Yuko Maruyama・Jiro/Keiko Tomochika・Bancho/Hiroshi Otake・Old Urashima/Tetsuya Kaji

■ Main staff

・Original story: Shinobu Urakawa・Planning: Toru Hara, Kenji Yokoyama・Published in: Shojo Comic, Shogaku Ichinensei, Shogaku Niensei, etc.・Music: Takeo Watanabe・Records: Nippon Columbia, Asahi Sonorama・Character design: Shinya Takahashi・Producer: Shinichi Miyazaki・Music selection: Masao Kagawa・Sound recording: Fumio Arakawa・Sound effects: Noriyoshi Taihei・Recording: Sayoko Hayami・Production: Toei Animation, NET
・Production: Toru Hara ・Cinematography: Yukio Katayama, Masaaki Sugaya, and others ・Editing: Masaaki Hanai, Hitoshi Komura, and others ・Developing: Toei Chemicals ・Theme song
OP "Magical Mako-chan"
Lyrics by Takeo Watanabe Music by Takeo Watanabe Sung by Mitsuko Horie

ED "I'll follow Mako"
Lyrics by Takeo Watanabe Music by Takeo Watanabe Vocals by Mitsuko Horie and Columbia Male Harmony

■ Main Characters

・Urashima Mako The youngest daughter of the Dragon King of the Mermaid Kingdom. She fell in love with a human boy and became human and came to the human world. She lives as an ordinary girl in her second year at Karatachi Academy. Although she is troubled by various encounters and incidents, she is a playful, cheerful and active girl. Mako's character embodies the ideal image of girls at the time, and her coming-of-age story touched many viewers. In particular, her use of magic to overcome difficulties gave viewers courage and hope.

Papa is Mako's father and the Dragon King, the king of the mermaid kingdom. When Mako leaves for the human world, he gives her a magic pendant. He is worried about Mako and visits the human world. Papa's character is portrayed as a strict but loving father to his daughter, warming the hearts of viewers.

・Old Urashima: He rescues Mako, who has just become a human, on the beach and takes her in as a parent figure. Having lost his daughter at sea, he dotes on Mako as if she were his own daughter and warmly watches over her as she grows up. The character of Old Urashima symbolizes love for family and humanity, and has deeply moved viewers.

・Taro and Jiro are twin boys who live near Mako and Urashima. They love Mako very much. The characters of Taro and Jiro portray pure friendship and childlike innocence, bringing smiles to the faces of viewers.

・A classmate of Mako Bancho. A boy with a gang leader style, wearing a school uniform and a school cap. He can't stand up to Mako. He's always accompanied by his sidekick, Senkichi. The character of Bancho reflects the delinquent boy culture of the time, and gave viewers a fresh impression.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: First LoveEpisode 2: With Love from the SeaEpisode 3: Karatachi AcademyEpisode 4: New BudsEpisode 5: Stolen MagicEpisode 6: Tears of ReunionEpisode 7: The ReminiscenceEpisode 8: Where is Santa?Episode 9: The Duel at MinatogaokaEpisode 10: The School StarEpisode 11: Don't Run Away, Jim!
・Episode 12/Sounds of the Sea・Episode 13/Date with Daddy・Episode 14/Wandering Youth・Episode 15/A Trumpet Betting on Tomorrow・Episode 16/I Don't Want to Wear a Uniform・Episode 17/Hearing a Flute on a Snowy Night・Episode 18/Two People in the Spray・Episode 19/A Dangerous Age・Episode 20/The Stewardess and the Pilot・Episode 21/School of Lies・Episode 22/Someone is Calling・Episode 23/Instant Cupid・Episode 24/Who Am I?
Episode 25: Beyond the Mountains Episode 26: The Mischievous Prince Episode 27: Red Galax Episode 28: The Grand Angel Episode 29: Please!
・Episode 30/The Little Mermaid・Episode 31/The King of the Destination・Episode 32/Lulu is Alive・Episode 33/The Baby Deer Walks the Streets・Episode 34/The Song of the Hangnails・Episode 35/The President's Seven Transformations・Episode 36/I'll ​​Sell My Life・Episode 37/My First Lipstick・Episode 38/The Jungle Boss・Episode 39/Don't Die, Mao・Episode 40/Research on Becoming a Bride・Episode 41/Encounter・Episode 42/The Only Record・Episode 43/The Ghost Is There・Episode 44/An Album Without Pictures・Episode 45/That Guy on Sunday・Episode 46/The Tears of the Demon (Part 1)
・Episode 47/Tears of the Demon (Part 2)
・Episode 48/Until We Meet Again

■ Related works

・Theatrical version "Magical Mako-chan" released on Saturday, March 20, 1971 "Magical Mako-chan" released on Sunday, July 18, 1971

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

"Magical Mako-chan" is set in the early 1970s in Japanese society and tells the story of the mermaid princess Mako growing up in the human world. This work was produced as part of Toei Animation's Witch Girl series and is targeted at middle and high school girls in particular. As such, it contains many episodes that deal with social issues such as the entrance exam wars and pollution, as well as romance, and has struck a deep chord with viewers.

The story begins with Mako falling in love with a human boy named Akira and deciding to become human. Using the magical pendant "Mermaid's Tears" given to her by her father, Mako lives in the human world while solving various cases. Her coming-of-age story gives courage and hope to viewers, and has become an ideal model of growth for young girls in particular.

The portrayal of the characters is also very appealing. Mako, the main character, is a playful, cheerful and active girl who viewers can relate to. Her growth process touched viewers and resonated with many. Additionally, characters such as Dad, Old Urashima, Taro and Jiro, and Banchou all had their own unique personalities and left a deep impression on viewers. In particular, Dad's strictness and love for his daughter, Old Urashima's love for his family, Taro and Jiro's pure friendship, and Banchou's charm as a delinquent boy made a strong impression on viewers.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this work. The theme songs "Magical Mako-chan" and "I'll Follow Mako" by Takeo Watanabe left a deep impression on viewers and enriched the worldview of the work. In particular, Mitsuko Horie's singing voice moved viewers and further enhanced the appeal of the work.

As you can see from the subtitles, each episode dealt with a variety of themes, providing fresh surprises to viewers. For example, episodes such as "First Love" and "From the Sea, With Love" depicted Mako's romantic feelings, eliciting sympathy from viewers. Additionally, episodes dealing with social issues such as "Exam Wars" and "Pollution" encouraged viewers to think deeply, and also had an educational effect.

Another related work that cannot be missed is the movie version of "Magical Mako-chan" released in 1971. This movie version was based on the episodes of the TV series and provided viewers with a new perspective. In particular, the movie version depicted Mako's growth in more depth, which moved viewers.

"Magical Mako-chan" is a work that reflects Japanese society in the early 1970s, and has touched and inspired viewers with deep sympathy. It has become an ideal model for young girls to grow up in, and has been loved by many viewers. The work is not just fantasy, but also includes social issues and educational elements, encouraging viewers to think deeply. The music and character portrayals are also appealing, enriching the hearts of viewers. The theatrical version of the related work is also not to be missed, offering viewers a new perspective. "Magical Mako-chan" is a work that gives viewers courage and hope, and should be loved by many people.