Just a little clarification...
Jun. 19th, 2006 10:10 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mippa.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tutufansMore and more I see people calling Princess Tutu a "magical girl" (mahou shoujo) anime. It isn't. Just like Utena is not a magical girl anime.
Let me start by stating the qualifications of a magical girl, taken from my recently published article in the latest issue of Frames Per Issue magazine. (Official Website Here)
"In order to fully understand and appreciate mahou shoujo, we must first set certain criteria. What makes a mahou shoujo what it is, and how is one series mahou shoujo and another not? First, a mahou shoujo must be an animated work aired in Japan.(Check.) “Winx Club,” no matter how closely it follows the mahou shoujo formula, does not qualify, nor does the Disney animated title “W.I.T.C.H.” Next, the protagonist must be a girl no older than 16.(Ahiru is not a girl. She is an animal. Thus she is a "magical creature," more like All-Purpose Cultural Cat-girl Nuku Nuku than a "magical girl.") This age is when girls are no longer considered to be children, but are closer to the age of adulthood. She must have a super-natural power, either inherently or as a gift, and the power must be unusual or special.(It begins to blur here.) Many shoujo and shounen anime have girls with magical powers, but mahou shoujo anime must have the use of this magical power as the main topic of the anime.(Princess Tutu does NOT focus on Ahiru's POWER, but rather, a totally different aim entirely.) Finally, the primary target audience has to be young females, no older than 12.(It was, oddly enough, meant to be viewed by children, according to its different airing times.) While these titles do breach their intended audience quite often, there is no denying that “Sailor Moon” and other titles were meant first and foremost for elementary school girls."
Add in the fact that all magical girl shows can be categorized into the following four categories:
Majokko (Sally-type)
Majokko (Akko-type)
Mahou aidoru
Mahou sentai
...Princess Tutu does not fall into any of those categories. Therefore, while it is a magical fantasy, it doesn't fall into the conventional subgenre of mahou shoujo.
Just a thought from years of research. ^^;
(Note from admin: before commenting, be sure you read everything that has been posted thus far in order to prevent needless repetition. thank you. ^^)
Let me start by stating the qualifications of a magical girl, taken from my recently published article in the latest issue of Frames Per Issue magazine. (Official Website Here)
"In order to fully understand and appreciate mahou shoujo, we must first set certain criteria. What makes a mahou shoujo what it is, and how is one series mahou shoujo and another not? First, a mahou shoujo must be an animated work aired in Japan.(Check.) “Winx Club,” no matter how closely it follows the mahou shoujo formula, does not qualify, nor does the Disney animated title “W.I.T.C.H.” Next, the protagonist must be a girl no older than 16.(Ahiru is not a girl. She is an animal. Thus she is a "magical creature," more like All-Purpose Cultural Cat-girl Nuku Nuku than a "magical girl.") This age is when girls are no longer considered to be children, but are closer to the age of adulthood. She must have a super-natural power, either inherently or as a gift, and the power must be unusual or special.(It begins to blur here.) Many shoujo and shounen anime have girls with magical powers, but mahou shoujo anime must have the use of this magical power as the main topic of the anime.(Princess Tutu does NOT focus on Ahiru's POWER, but rather, a totally different aim entirely.) Finally, the primary target audience has to be young females, no older than 12.(It was, oddly enough, meant to be viewed by children, according to its different airing times.) While these titles do breach their intended audience quite often, there is no denying that “Sailor Moon” and other titles were meant first and foremost for elementary school girls."
Add in the fact that all magical girl shows can be categorized into the following four categories:
Majokko (Sally-type)
Majokko (Akko-type)
Mahou aidoru
Mahou sentai
...Princess Tutu does not fall into any of those categories. Therefore, while it is a magical fantasy, it doesn't fall into the conventional subgenre of mahou shoujo.
Just a thought from years of research. ^^;
(Note from admin: before commenting, be sure you read everything that has been posted thus far in order to prevent needless repetition. thank you. ^^)