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Majokko Megu-chan

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MAJOKKO MEGU-CHAN 魔女っ子メグちゃん TOEI ANIMATION, 1974-1975

Contents

Synopsis

Based on a popular manga by Tomo Inoue and Akio Narita, Toei Animation's Majokko Megu-Chan ("Little Meg the Witch Girl") follows the experiences of a powerful (but accident-prone) young witch who comes to Earth as part of her initiation into larger society. The underlying plot is deceptively simple. Megu (voice: Rihoko Yoshida) is a contender for the throne of the Witch World but knows very little of human relationships. Sent to Mid-World in her early teens, she is adopted by Mammi Kanzaki, a former witch who gave up her royal ambitions to wed a mortal. Mammi bewitches her husband and their two children, Rabi and Apo, into believing that Megu has always been the eldest child of the family. Under Mammi’s tutelage, Meg learns to control both her abilities and impulses in order to prove her worthiness for the crown.

Subtexts and Supporting Cast

This Rite-of-Passage subtext was continued throughout the series. A free spirit in the purest sense of the word, Megu-chan discovers emotions she’d never known existed – loneliness, compassion, grief, love, desperation, and (perhaps most importantly) self-sacrifice. As the story progresses, she proves the nobility of her character through the various trials and tribulations of youth, evolving from a willful and rather selfish little girl into a kind, generous, loving young woman. She battles monsters, demons, and rival sorcerors (including her arch-nemesis, Non), but quickly realizes that her true enemy is the darker side of human nature.

The blue-haired, blue-skinned Non (voice: Noriko Tsukase) is a particularly interesting character. One of the most powerful sorcerors of the Witch-World, Non is Megu's main contender for the crown; a cold, alien being almost devoid of emotion. Setting a precedent for many later mahou shoujo anime, Non attempts to murder Megu during their very first meeting and continues to plague her throughout the series. Eventually, however, Non comes to admire her rival's innate courage, even joining forces with her against mutual enemies (such as the demonic witch-queen Saturn and her devious henchman, Chou-San) in several episodes. While true friendship is never an option, the two reach an uneasy truce by the middle of the series, agreeing to hold off their final confrontation (for possession of the throne) as long as possible.

Initially, Megu experiences severe difficulties adapting to 'normal' society, even at the simplest levels. Family relationships are completely beyond her. She argues with her Father and squabbles constantly with her younger siblings, Rabi and Apo, who love to play tricks on her. She confronts Boss, the school bully, in an escalating battle of wills and gets into trouble with her teachers. She falls in love with the new boy and weeps in secret when he returns to his home country. In short, she behaves like any other girl her age (at least according to the prevailing social conventions of the mid-seventies). As with the mahou shoujo programs of the sixties, the main focus was on family and friendship; domestic disputes were normally handled with light-hearted humor.

The atmosphere wasn’t always quite so upbeat, however.

Social Commentary

Several observers have commented that the series dealt with subject matter considered too mature for young children. Complicated social issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse and extra-marital relationships were introduced via the supporting cast. Loss and mortality frequently underscored Megu’s hi-jinx like discordant notes in a classical aria. This was a major break with traditional juvenile animation in both Asia and the West (perhaps explaining why the series didn’t find a European market until the early eighties).

Another point of departure was the series’ subtle eroticism. While not as overtly sexualized as Cutie Honey, Majokko Megu-Chan was surprisingly voyeuristic for its period. Megu was frequently depicted in various states of undress and the series featured scenes which anticipated the rise of so-called fan service anime (The theme song for the series itself features the (translated) lyrics: "My breasts make anything I want to do possible... My tears can make boys crazy for me instantly").

Later "Kogaru" heroines would capitalize on Megu’s coy sexuality; it would, in fact, become a hallmark of the genre. There were numerous scenes in which Megu wore sheer nightgowns through which her underwear was plainly visible, and Rabi had a whole arsenal of inventive and clever tricks at his disposal to catch his "big sister" disrobed. Some of Rabi's tricks resulted in Megu actually losing some or all of her clothing (in one scene after Megu has just come out of the shower, Rabi startles her into dropping the towel which she had been covering herself).

Rabi wasn't the only voyeur Megu was forced to contend with; there was also the vile Chou-san, an agent of the witch queen sent to sabotage Megu's chances of winning the throne. A stereotype 'Dirty Old Man' in every sense of the term, Chou spends most of his time spying on Meg and devising ways to publicly humiliate her. In a memorable scene in episode 23, Chou-san rigged Megu's bathtub with wheels, causing it to race around the city while Megu was bathing. Earlier in that same episode, Chou attempted to trick Megu into taking off all of her clothes by hypnotizing her with a magical cuckoo clock; only Non's intervention at the last minute saved Megu from stripping herself totally naked. In another sequence, Chou-san breaks into the Kanzaki residence, hoping to abduct Megu in her sleep (fortunately she woke up in time and chased him out of the house). While his intentions were never stated explicity, his underlying motivations were always made obvious. It was largely due to this "ecchi" content that this shoujo series became as popular with boys as with girls.

Influence on Japanese Popular Culture

Majokko Megu-Chan wasn't the first Magic-Girl cartoon, but it has been described as the first modern Shoujo anime. Initially overlooked as a minor effort due its relative obscurity throughout the seventies, it nonetheless formed a template on which many later scenarios were based. Significantly, many of the show's plot devices were recycled in the enormously successful Sailor Moon (Toei, 1992-2003), and echoes of Meg's tempestuous rivalries can be perceived in Seinen parodies such as the Project A-Ko franchise. The "fan service" angle would also turn up again in countless other future series, such as Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion; in fact, EVA's Asuka Langley Soryu seems to have been inspired by the character of Megu-chan, as both girls are hot-headed and display somewhat exhibitionist tendencies.

The series gained some moderate recognition after it reached the European market (Bia, la Sfida Della Magia, Italy 1981; Megu la Petite Sorcière, France, 1992; Bia - Czarodziejskie Wyzwanie, Poland), although in England and the States, it is still largely unknown outside usenet groups and anime bulletin boards. Be that as it may, the program's impact on Japanese popular culture should not be underestimated: Megu-Chan's thematic descendents include the entire Majokko Shoujo genre, along with some degree of Bishoujo, Lolicon and Hentai material. Megu's effect on Japan's burgeoning Manga industry has yet to be documented, but considering the vast number of Shoujo titles currently available, it is safe to assume that Majokko Megu-Chan's animated adventures must have inspired at least a few of them. The series maintains a huge fan following in Japan, and was in September 2005 voted the #70 anime series of all time in a TV Asahi nationwide poll of Japanese of all age groups. It is also fondly remembered by many in Europe, particularly in Italy, who saw the European dub versions.

Trivia

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