Mary Bell: World’s Happiest Damn Anime

Well, it took about half a year, but I finally finished Floral Magician Mary Bell. So much for that “one episode a day” plan, eh? I really intended on finishing sooner. Looking through my planner, several months held “finish Mary Bell” as one of my objectives; on many days, I even scheduled an episode or two (my life is so dull that I schedule anime watching). Something always distracted me, though. Message boards, video games, staring at the wall, etc. Whatever, I completed it, and I really want to tell someone about it, and who better than you, who probably stumbled across this page 3+ years after it was written?

Magic, Psychic Powers, Blue Sonnet

What does it take to be considered a magical girl? We know we require a girl who uses magic. But what of her age? What kind of magic must she use? I feel safe assuming most magical girls attend middle school or below, but can you still call her a “mahou shoujo” if she attends high school or has graduated? What about her powers? What if they come from technology, rather than magic? What if she uses psychic abilities? Can you always differentiate between them? Sometimes the lines blur together. But I try not to worry about it. As long as the subject bears some resemblance to a magical girl, I’ll probably get some enjoyment out of it.

Magical Cyborg Mitsuki

In the mood for a mahou shoujo video game. What should I pick? Let’s search around the internet. A Madoka game? Nah, too cool for that. Something on the Vita? Maybe if I ever get one. Touhou? Still haven’t gotten over my first rage quit. Oh, how about this cool looking one? Wait, no translation. Sure wish I didn’t give up learning Japanese a couple years back. This one might be good – wait, an eroge, too pure for that. Hold on… what’s this?

A 20 minute long game hastily made in RPG Maker solely using default RTP resources?

Perfect.

Holy Up: Akazukin Chacha’s Transformation Theme

I love Akazukin Chacha, and I especially love the transformation music. Definitely one of my favorites.

I didn’t make or upload any of these videos, I’m just sharing them.

Chantelise

Chantelise does not fall in the mahou shoujo genre. The protagonist, Elise, does not transform into a magical girl. But, she can use magic, and magic proves more powerful than physical combat through most of the game. I won’t review this stupidly adorable action game. Instead, I’ll discuss the magic system, and how fans of magical girls can squeeze a couple dozen hours out of it.

Carat!

The other night I finished reading Carat!, a parody manga in which two young girls must fight over who becomes queen of their country, Carat. However, the two girls are childhood friends, so they travel to Earth and pick two suckers to duel in their stead. They choose Kanon, a girl, and Alto, a boy.

Floral Magician Mary Bell

At random, I began watching an anime called Hana no Mahou Tsukai Marybell, or, Floral Magician Mary Bell. Beyond the name, I had no knowledge of the show. Upon loading it up, I felt a bit embarrassed watching such a childish cartoon, but I get over that embarrassment pretty easily. Remember to tell yourself, it’s not for children, it’s just ‘family friendly’!