The appeal and reputation of Little Witch Megu-chan: Reevaluating the nostalgic magical girl anime

Little Witch Megu-chan - A pioneer of magical girl anime

"Mahoukko Megu-chan," a magical girl anime series produced by Toei Animation and broadcast from 1974 to 1975, is known as the work that laid the foundation for today's magical girl genre. The story depicts the growth and adventures of Kanzaki Megu, a candidate for the Queen of the Demon World who trains in the human world, and through her conflicts and friendships with her rival Go Non, she learns about the warmth and value of the human heart.

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

April 1, 1974 - September 29, 1975 Every Monday 19:00-19:30

■Broadcasting station

NET Nippon Educational TV (Episodes 1 to 52 were on the NET network, Episodes 53 to 72 were on TV Asahi)

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 72

■Original Story

Hiromi Pro, Makiho Narita, Satoshi Inoue

■ Production

NET Japan Educational TV, Toei Animation

■Works

©Toy Box, TV Asahi, Toei Animation

■ Story

Kanzaki Meg is training in the human world as one of the candidates to become the queen of the demon world. Despite her conflicts with her rival Go Non, who also lives in the human world, she grows up while learning about the wonderfulness of the human heart. Meg lives as a third-year middle school student and continues her magical training under Kanzaki Mami, a senior witch. She can cast her magic from her fingertips like blowing a kiss, and overcomes various difficulties. Meanwhile, Non is a gifted girl who excels in both academics and sports, but has a cool personality that looks down on humans, and she grows through her conflict with Meg. Additionally, an investigator named Chosan monitors the actions of the two, and adds tension to the story by taking Non's side in particular.

■Explanation

"Magical Girl Megu-chan" is the seventh work in the magical girl series produced by Toei Animation, and unlike the previous series, it features a storyline that emphasizes the negotiations between the protagonist, Kanzaki Megu, and her rival, Go Non. This "protagonist vs. rival" formula has become the basic structure of magical girl stories today. In addition, the attention to detail in the art and direction, and the incorporation of touches from girls' manga and fashion magazines, successfully creates a fashionable impression. Megu's costumes and magical direction had a major impact on children at the time, establishing a new style for magical girl anime.

■Cast

・Kanzaki Megu/Yoshida Rihoko・Go Non/Tsukase Noriko・Kanzaki/Otake Hiroshi・Kanzaki Mami/Yamaguchi Nana・Kanzaki Rabi/Yamamoto Keiko・Kanzaki Apo/Chijimatsu Sachiko・Cho-san/Hase Sanji・Saturn/Nozawa Masako

■ Main staff

・Planning / Yoshio Takami・Production / Masaharu Eto, Tetsuo Misawa・Music / Takeo Watanabe・NET Producer / Eisuke Ozawa・Editing / Yasuo Iseki, Jun Mino, Naomi Kanbara・Sound recording / Kenji Ninomiya・Sound effects / Kyoritsu Sound・Music selection / Haruo Kagawa・Recording / Marumi Ando・Art setting / Isamu Tsuchida・Production / Toei, NET


・Opening theme song
"Witch Girl Meg-chan"
Lyrics by Kazuya Chika, Music by Takeo Watanabe, Vocals by Yoko Maekawa (Columbia Records, Asahi Sonorama)


Ending Theme "Lonely Meg"
Lyrics by Ryoichiro Itani, Music by Takeo Watanabe, Vocals by Yoko Maekawa (Columbia Records, Asahi Sonorama)

■ Main Characters

Megu Kanzaki: A third-year middle school student in the human world, she is one of the candidates for queen. She is an active girl who can be foul-mouthed when angry. She is currently training under Mami Kanzaki, a senior witch who is staying with her in the human world. She can cast magic from her fingertips in the same way as blowing a kiss.


・She is one of the candidates for Queen Gonon, and is training in the human world just like Meg. She is a gifted woman, skilled in both the arts and martial arts, but looks down on humans. She has a cool personality and pale skin.


An investigator in charge of observing the candidates for Queen Chosan. However, he has a tendency to curry favor with the strong, and always sides with Non, trying to lower Meg's reputation.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: A Wonderful Witch Has ArrivedEpisode 2: That Girl is a RivalEpisode 3: There Are Lots of WitchesEpisode 4: The Light of Our HomeEpisode 5: The Wizard of LoveEpisode 6: Daddy Can't Stop LaughingEpisode 7: Meg, My LongingEpisode 8: The Reckless GeniusEpisode 9: A Heartfelt SongEpisode 10: A Wonderful Balloon TripEpisode 11: A Messenger from the MoonEpisode 12: The Doggie TroubleEpisode 13: Duel! The Magical HouseEpisode 14: The Phantom HarpEpisode 15: Daddy's Lover?!
・Episode 16/With love from the sky・Episode 17/Two Megu-chans・Episode 18/A love story in an old castle・Episode 19/Goodbye ghost・Episode 20/Let's walk! Mill-chan・Episode 21/Ex-Witch Chuck Baa・Episode 22/When Will the Stars Fall into the Sea?・Episode 23/The Embarrassing and Weeping Strategy・Episode 24/The Stolen Dress・Episode 25/The Phantom Boy・Episode 26/The Great Magic Battle・Episode 27/The Curse of Scorpio・Episode 28/The Baby Trouble・Episode 29/Tears of an Angel・Episode 30/The Mysterious Bullied Child・Episode 31/The Echo of Love・Episode 32/The Witch's Shadow Flapping in the Air・Episode 33/Saturn's Messenger・Episode 34/The Uninvited Guest・Episode 35/The White Horse on the Second Floor of Our House・Episode 36/The Dolls that Never Return・Episode 37/The Strange Transfer Student・Episode 38/Paper Airplane to a Faraway Land・Episode 39/Santa's Name is Apo・Episode 40/The Tomboy Race!
・Episode 41/The Lost Polar Bear・Episode 42/The Snow Festival of Friendship・Episode 43/The Secret Snow Viewing Bird・Episode 44/The Rebellious Age Has Arrived・Episode 45/The Red Shoes of Friendship・Episode 46/The North Wind and the Story of the Spring Breeze・Episode 47/Spring on a Yacht・Episode 48/The Doll's Poem・Episode 49/The Windmill Song・Episode 50/The Flying Bag・Episode 51/Please Take Care of Taro・Episode 52/Gonbei Returns・Episode 53/The Demon World's Failure・Episode 54/The Lost, Lost Kitten・Episode 55/Who is the Culprit?
Episode 56 / The Secret of the White LilyEpisode 57 / Carp Streamers High in the SkyEpisode 58 / Where Did Gonbei Go?Episode 59 / The Girl in the RainEpisode 60 / The Young Master's Great CircusEpisode 61 / The Rainy Day ManEpisode 62 / Departing in the Middle of the Night, to the Witch's CountryEpisode 63 / The Blue Star of TanabataEpisode 64 / The Hammer TroublesEpisode 65 / The Dream StreetcarEpisode 66 / Morning Paper Taro in the FogEpisode 67 / The Guitar and the BoyEpisode 68 / Akanbee on Summer VacationEpisode 69 / Sigma the Vengeful DogEpisode 70 / Big Kite, Dance in the Sea BreezeEpisode 71 / The Final Battle and Great Magic!
・Episode 72/Goodbye Meg-chan

■Detailed explanation and evaluation

"Mahoukko Megu-chan" occupies an important place in the history of magical girl anime. In the world of Japanese animation in the 1970s, the magical girl genre was still new and fresh to many viewers. This work added depth and tension to the story by introducing a new element of conflict between the protagonist and rival while retaining the sweet and dreamy elements of traditional magical girl anime. This allowed viewers to not only immerse themselves in the beauty of magic and the dreamlike world, but also to empathize with the growth of the characters and the changes in their relationships.

The relationship between Meg and Non is particularly noteworthy. Meg has a bright and lively personality, and learns the warmth of the human heart through her life in the human world. On the other hand, Non has a cool and arrogant personality, and often looks down on humans. However, as the story progresses, Non also grows through her experiences in the human world, and her friendship with Meg deepens. The relationship between these two characters symbolizes the theme of "friendship" in magical girl anime, and has deeply moved viewers.

"Magical Girl Megu-chan" also showed great attention to detail in its art and direction. Megu's costumes and magical effects were influenced by girls' manga and fashion magazines of the time, but also established their own unique style. Megu's magic in particular was unique, as she was cast from her fingertips in the style of a blown kiss, creating a visual impact. These elements had a major impact on later magical girl anime, contributing to the development of the genre.

Music was also an important element in enhancing the appeal of "Majokko Megu-chan." The opening theme "Majokko Megu-chan" and the ending theme "Hitoribocchi no Megu" captured the hearts of viewers with Yoko Maekawa's singing voice and deepened the worldview of the work. These songs, composed by Takeo Watanabe, are still loved by many fans today.

■ Recommendations and related works

I highly recommend "Mahoukko Megu-chan" not only to fans of magical girl anime, but also to anyone interested in Japanese animation culture of the 1970s. This work can be said to be the origin of the magical girl genre, and has influenced many works that followed. In particular, the relationship between the protagonist and the rival, the magic effects, and the music form the basis of today's magical girl anime.

Related works include "Sally the Witch" and "Himitsu no Akko-chan," also produced by Toei Animation. These works are also representative of early magical girl anime, and like "Majokko Megu-chan," they have appealing stories and characters that give viewers dreams and hope. More modern magical girl anime include "Sailor Moon" and "Cardcaptor Sakura." While influenced by "Majokko Megu-chan," these works have their own unique style and storylines, and you can feel the evolution of magical girl anime.

"Mahoukko Megu-chan" is an essential work in the history of magical girl anime, and its charm has not faded even today, and it is loved by many fans. Please rediscover the origins of magical girl anime and its charm through this work.