#akko chan's got a secret

[showamagicalgirls]

My copy of Akko-chan’s Got A Secret μ (ひみつのアッコちゃんμ), Volume 1 came with these sticker sheets, which sadly I can never actually use for fear of spoiling the perfection of the book.

#Akko-chan’s Got A Secret μ #Akko-chan’s Got A Secret #ひみつのアッコちゃんμ #ひみつのアッコちゃん #昭和 #showa era #魔法少女 #magical girl #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #comics #manga #akko chan #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #himitsu no akko chan #heisei era #heisei #平成

[bunnymajo]

Mahoutsukai Sally - Episodes 87 & 88

I finished 80′s Sally just now and I gotta say that I’m really glad they decided to focus on Sally’s relationship with Sumire & Yoshiko for the finale. It really brings home that the whole reason Sally put up with everything that she did was just so she could be with her human friends. 

While not the first magical girl show to really focus in on girl friendships as a core theme, I think it’s one of the only shows in the 80′s that has it. Momo, the Pierrot MGs and the few others had friends that were girls but their relationships with male characters usually had more weight in the story and I think that’s really important to note as this show takes us into more “girl power” trends of the 90s.

#akko had moko-chan but the story is more about her growth as a person #and moko-chan was never allowed in on her secret while Sumire & Yocchan learn the truth & accept Sally for who she is #anyway sally got me crying in the club as they say #majobun liveblogging #magical girl chat

[ladies-of-fiction]

Category: Magical Girls

Atsuko Kagami (Akko-chan's Got a Secret), Lalabel (Lalabel, the Magical Girl)

Cure Echo (Pretty Cure), Kaylyn Ling (Balala the Fairies)

Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug), Sana Futaba (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Mew Pudding (Tokyo Mew Mew), Roxy (Winx Club)

Sailor Kakyuu (Sailor Moon), Season 1 Princessess (Catch Teenieping)

#category #magical girls #atsuko kagami #himitsu no akko chan #lalabel #lalabel the magical girl #cure echo #ayumi sakagami #pretty cure #kaylyn ling #balala the fairies #ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculous ladybug #sana futaba #puella magi madoka magica #mew pudding #bu-ling huang #roxy #winx club #sailor kakyuu #princess kakyuu #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #romi #catch teenieping #female characters

[retrosofa]

After I finished Mahou no Mako-chan, I decided I wanted to re-watch some other magical girls shows I haven't seen in awhile. Last weekend I started watching Mahoutsukai Chappy or "Chappy The Witch." I haven't seen it in 10 years and honestly, I barely remember anything about it. Chappy is more or less a ripoff updated retelling of Mahoutsukai Sally.

Chappy and her family live in the magic kingdom. During a royal banquet she decides to flee to the human world with her younger brother, Jun. Her mother, father and "pet" Don soon follow, and thus their adventures in the human world begin.

Chappy is the third majokko series Toei Animation produced, following Mahoutsukai Sally, Himitsu no Akko-chan, Mahou no Mako-chan and Sarutobi Ecchan. While Mahoutsukai Sally and Himitsu-chan no Akko were both extremely successful series, Mahou no Mako-chan and Sarutobi Ecchan were not. Mako made decent ratings but definitely never came close to Sally or Akko's success. The series also failed to keep consistent ratings, which gradually dropped throughout it's 48 episode run. Ecchan tanked in the ratings, which resulted in it ending with a mere 26 episodes. Frantic to get another winner on their hands, Toei Animation decided to make their first "original" magical girl, combining elements from their previous series. Like Sally, Chappy was a witch from another realm. Like Akko and Mako, she had a magical item. Like Ecchan, she had a "pet mascot." The end result exceeded their expectations. Apparently Chappy was only planned for 26 episodes but got extended to 39.

The first episode, "Here Comes the Magical Family," was written by Masaki Tsuji, directed by Yugo Serikawa, and featured animation direction by Shinya Takahashi. These three men previously worked on Akko, Mako, and Ecchan. The first episode does a pretty good setting the tone of the series. There is quite a lot of Disney influences sprinkled around, namely Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. In the magic kingdom, Chappy dresses very similarly to Maleficent. Her father conjures a spell to turn a mouse and pumpkin into a horse and carriage. There's a scene where Chappy's brother and their grandfather have a magical battle that's reminiscent of Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora's dress color, etc.

The scenes in the magic kingdom are a lot of fun. They're pretty spooky and the denizen depicted are all eccentric and otherworldly. If you look closely you can see one of the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz, and there's also a demonic character aptly named "Satan King." When Chappy arrives to the human city, things are not as she had hoped for, evoking the social commentary we previously saw in Mako. As with the other series, Chappy and her family must keep their true identities a secret. There's a darker twist this time, as they fear being burned at stake.

I just re-watched the first two episodes, which were both pretty fun. Some of the darker aspects took me off guard - like the paranoia about witch burnings, as well as a scene where a biker thug attempts to assault Chappy's mother. It's not a graphic scene at all but the implication is very clear.

The animation quality is a little rocky, even for an older series. This series was produced in 1972 which was around the time of the Toei Animation Lock Down, so maybe that's why? If I remember correctly, the series has a lot of ups and downs in the animation department. Some episodes look fantastic while others are downright horrendous.

Oh, something I found very amusing: most of the cast would go on to star in Cutie Honey. Check it out:

Chappy: Eiko Masuyama (Honey Kisaragi)

Chappy's mother, Shizuko: Noriko Watanabe (Sister Jill, Mami)

Chappy's father: Koji Yada (Additional voices)

Jun: Sachiko Chijimatsu (Twin Panther)

Don, Chappy's grandpa: Kosei Tomita (Danbei Hayami)

Obaba: Nobuyo Tsuda (Panther Zora, Ms. Miharu)

Ippei: Masako Nozawa (Scorpion Panther)

The fact Eiko Masuyama and Noriko Watanabe play daughter and mother in one series and mortal enemies in another is so freakin' hilarious.

Anyways, I'll post more after I watch the first 13 episodes.

#chappy the witch #mahoutsukai chappy #magical girl #review

[marshmallowgoop]

Why is Kill la Kill considered a magical girl anime? Just because of the transformations?

Short answer: It’s Complicated.

Long answer: It’s complicated. Incrediblyso. The magical girl genre—and shoujo mangaand anime in general—is… pretty neglected when it comes to serious analysis. AsDeborah M. Shamoom writes in the book PassionateFriendship: The Aesthetics of Girl’s Culture in Japan, “… writing on shōjo manga even in Japan has lagged behindacademic study of manga for boys. Although Yonezawa Yoshihiro published ahistory of postwar shōjo manga in 1980, for over a decade it was the onlybook-length study of the genre. In the late 1990s, women who had grown upreading these texts, such as Fujimoto Yukari and Yokomori Rika, began writingabout shōjo manga from a feministperspective” (5-6). And, when you consider that Sally the Witch and SecretAkko-chan, the first (arguably) magical girl anime series ever produced,were put to TV screens in the mid-to-late 1960s,it’s easy to see that there’s kinda a dearth of study here (Saito 147).

While there is a lot moreresearch devoted to shoujo today, inregards to Western, English-language discussions on something like the magicalgirl genre, it’s super important to note that—in my experience, anyway—therejust ain’t a lot of access to this work in English. Additionally, what is available in English is often writtenfrom a foreigner’s perspective. Even while working at a university and havingaccess to loads and loads of material, I struggle to find much of anything on shoujo written by someone who actuallygrew up and spent most of their life in Japan.

So, maybe it’s no surprisethat—for lack of a better term—Westerners get their panties all in a twistabout what’s actually magical girland what’s not. It’s just hard to get anything concrete on the matter. I mean,it’s hard to get much of anything onthe matter.

I also acknowledge that I am inno way an authority here. I’ve only dipped my toes into serious shoujo analysis, and I am not Japanese,nor have I ever even set foot on Japan. But I can provide a little bit ofreasoning for why Kill la Kill mightmaybe be magical girl. Hopefully.

First things first: what is a magical girl show, anyway? In thearticle “Magic, Shōjo, andMetamorphosis: Magical Girl Anime and the Challenges of Changing GenderIdentities in Japanese Society,” author Kumiko Saito offers a basic idea:

In public discourse, the general definition of the magicalgirl anime tends to solely focus on the content. Largely influenced by TōeiStudio productions in the 1960s and 1970s,mahō shōjo as a genre signifies (usuallyserial television) anime programs in which a nine- to fourteen-year-old ordinarygirl accidentally acquires supernatural power; majokko suggests the alternative setting that the female protagonist’ssuperhuman power derives from her pedigree as a princess of a magical kingdomor a similar scenario. In either pattern, the plot often revolves around theway she wields her power to save people from a threat while maintaining hersecret identity. She frequently uses magical empowerment gadgets, such as wandsand accessories (to be sold as toys), often accompanied by little animal pets(to be sold as toys). (145)

So, let’s consider Kill la Kill. Ryuko is older thanfourteen, but you might argue that sheaccidentally acquires supernatural power in the form of Senketsu as in mahou shoujo series... well, at first, anyway. When it turnsout that Ryuko was designed from birth tohave superpowers, maybe there’s something to be said about how Kill la Kill actually fits more into themajokko category rather than the mahou shoujo one, but at the same time,it’s not that Ryuko’s exactly a princess,nor do her superpowers really have much to do with her lineage; her dadjust used her as a literal science project. Right off the bat here, it’s lookin’like two nopes already for the Kill-la-Kill-is-a-magical-girl-show thing.

Still, moving on to the nextpieces of Saito’s definition, Ryuko doesn’t have a secret identity, and thoughshe does wield her power to savepeople from a threat, she’s also super motivated by her own self-interests fora good chunk of the plot, so I’ll be conservative here and say that Ryukodoesn’t fit either of these classic components. For the last two bits, Ryuko’s“empowerment gadget” could easily be argued to be Senketsu, and Senketsu couldalso be argued to be her “little animal pet,” especially when he won thirdplace for “Best Mascot” in the Newtype AnimeAwards 2014. Kill la Kill characterdesigner Sushio even drew Junketsu getting kinda jelly about it.

Satsuki: Seems like Senketsu won an award…

Junketsu: !!

Translation from @sushiobunny here

But let me stay conservativehere. Let’s say Ryuko’s “empowerment gadget” doesn’t count because Senketsu’s neithera magic wand nor a compact mirror, and let’s say that Senketsu ain’t a “littleanimal pet,” either (and I mean, he really, really, really ain’t, thanks). Out of the six common elements of magicalgirl anime that Saito presents—young girl, accidental acquisition ofsuperpowers, saving people with superpowers, secret identity, “magicalempowerment gadget,” and “little animal pet”—Kill la Kill arguably fits noneof these. Even being as generous with this as possible, Kill la Kill would still only score a 3/6at the most.

Do people who call Kill la Kill a magical girl series haveno idea what they’re talking about? Well, again, it’s Complicated. Saito’s definitionis super-duper extremely general. That’s why you got words like “often” and “frequently”stuffed in there. Even pretty unquestionably magical girl series like Princess Tutu aren’t fitting inperfectly. The magical girl genre encompasses a lot more than any simple plot outlinecould ever convey.

So, maybe the question of Kill la Kill’s magical girliness isbetter answered by examining more specific tropes commonly utilized in thegenre. In the article “Shoujo Versus Seinen? Address and Reception in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011),” authorCatherine Butler provides a table that, though self-described as being “far from… an exhaustive list of mahou shoujo tropes,” includes some establishedfeatures of magical girl anime and notes whether or not they appear in Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, LyricalGirl Nanoha, and Puella Magi MadokaMagica, which are all series that, unlike Kill la Kill, are widely accepted as magical girl shows (5):

Following Butler’s table, Kill la Kill scores much higher on the “magicalgirl” scale than it does following Saito’s general synopsis. Ryuko doesn’t havea “‘dream’ that is more than a dream” (unless you count her Senketsu death dream),and maybe clothing isn’t quite the same as jewelry, but Senketsu is officially considereda “cute mascot character,” Ryuko does sortof rescue him from eternal sleep, and he also turns out to be an alien. On topof that, Kill la Kill hastransformation sequences and named attacks. The increased specificity of thetable has Kill la Kill coming in anywherefrom a 4/7 to a 6/7—and a 6/7 is higher than even Cardcaptor Sakura, a show that I don’t think anyone would deny as a magical girl anime.

A similar look at Kill la Kill and particular magical girltropes can be found in the article “SentientSailor Uniforms are Serious Business: Trope-Twisting in Kill la Kill,” where author R looks to the TV Tropessite and examines what (presumably largely) Westerners have to say regardingthe magical girl genre:

Notably, consider what [TV Tropes] credits to have been pioneered by Majokko Meg-chan, a magical girl series from 1974that allegedly “codified many of the tropes that would later become staples ofthe magical girl genre”:

Another important early Magical Girl showwas Majokko Meg-chan in 1974. This was the firstshow to be marketed to boys as well as girls, and featured a number ofdevelopments—it was the first Magical Girl show to…

have a Tomboyish heroine—all magical girls prior to this had been sweet feminine girls;

feature a rival to the main character (Non, Meg’s rival and the local Dark Magical Girl);

include a really evil character. Prior to this, there was a perception that young girls couldn’t handle such things;

feature Fanservice (in the form of Panty Shots, slight nudity, and Megu being a borderline Fille Fatale), as well as Lovable Sex Maniac characters (Megu’s stepbrother Rabi and Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain Chou);

touch on more serious social issues, like Domestic Abuse, extramarital relationships, and drug abuse; and

have the heroine not only lose fights, but having to face serious consequences (deaths, injuries, humiliations, etc.).

Kill la Kill has all of this. Ryuko Matoi is certainly portrayed astomboyish, Satsuki is her rival, Ragyo is a really evil character,the fanservice is notorious and we have the Mankanshoku boys and dog as(supposedly)-lovable perverts, sexual abuse is present with Satsuki’snarrative, and Ryuko loses and faces humiliation, severe injuries, and shock.Combine all this with the magical transformation sequences that this genre isfamous for, and Kill la Kill absolutely feels pretty magicalgirl.

Hey, maybe anyone who considersKill la Kill a magical girl anime might have some idea of what they’retalking about?

But then again, isn’t a genremore than some tropes mashed together? After all, many series simply featuringa female protagonist could probably fit into several magical girl tropes just ‘cause they’vegot a female protagonist, but I wouldn’t call something like Birdy the Mighty: Decode a magical girlshow, even if it does have a transforming heroine and a robot alien mascot buddy.

The question of whether or not something is a real “magical girl anime” also has a tendency to turn into even more questions about intended audience. Can amagical girl show be made primarily for boys? What about for adults rather thanyoung children? When Kill la Kill seemspretty clearly aimed at the seinen (oldermale) demographic, it’s easily dismissed as a magical girl series simply forthat aspect alone. Something designed for adult men just can’t ever be considered“magical girl.”

But—and I bet you can alreadyguess where I’m gonna go here—it’s Complicated. The 1973-1974 anime Cutey Honey is widely understood as theanime that began many of the commonmagical girl tropes of today; in fact, authors Brian Camp and Julie Davis describeCutey Honey as “the classic seriesthat served as a prototype for anime’s magical-girl genre” in the book Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces, and they furthernote that the famous magical girl transformation sequences that make mostpeople think Sailor Moon were actuallystarted by none other than Honey herself (86-87).

But… the original Cutey Honey anime was initially intendedfor boys. Though the story got adapted into a very “classic” magical girl series with CuteyHoney Flash in the late 90s, which “add[ed] more romance and expand[ed] therange of Honey’s fashions,” as well as marketed itself primarily to young girlswith merchandise that consisted of “fashion dolls in the style of the popular JapaneseJenny and Licca doll series” (Camp and Davis 88), the pieces of the magical girl genre werealready right there in the original. In fact, Camp and Davis argue that “Honeyneeded only a slight cosmetic makeover and bust reduction to qualify for the[magical girl] genre” (87)! If so much of magical girl is built off of Cutey Honey,can’t even the original Cutey Honey beconsidered a magical girl series itself?

Cutey Honey isalso extremely relevant when it comes to Killla Kill because Kill la Kill drawsa ton of influence from old anime—especially the works of Go Nagai, of which CuteyHoney is (another example is Devilman,and it was allegedly even confirmed that the coloring of Ryuko/Senketsu’sberserk form was modeled on Devilman himself in Trigger’s Christmas commentary for Kill la Kill’s 12th episode). Many, many others have written on the comparisons between Kill la Kill andCutey Honey before me—actually, Iwent to a Cutey Honey panel a fewyears back, and the panelist actually noted that talking about Honey’s influence on Kill la Kill would be “cheating” becauseKill la Kill is so clearly and heavilyplaying homage to the show—but here’s just one visual example:

On top of all this, the2004 OVA Re: Cutie Honey was even writtenby Kill la Kill’s scriptwriter KazukiNakashima, and the first episode shares Hiroyuki Imaishi as director! Magicalgirl stories are nothing new for these two—I mean, if you count Re: Cutie Honey as a magical girl story,anyway.

In the end, I can’t say I really got any dog in this Kill la Kill magicalgirl fight personally, though I do scratch my head a bit at the inclusion ofPanty and Stocking as magical girls but not Ryuko and Satsuki. What interestsme more than how anyone categorizes the show is how the show utilizes its “magical girl” tropes andwhat it’s trying to do and say with its utilization of these tropes.

But that’s just me! However yousee it, I do hope that this provides some reasoning for why Kill la Kill could, perhaps, be categorizedas a magical girl anime.

Sources

Butler, Catherine. “Shoujo Versus Seinen? Address and Reception in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011).” Children’s Literature in Education, Springer Netherlands, 2018, pp. 1-17.

Camp, Brian, and Julie Davis. Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces. Stone Bridge Press, 2011.

Saito, Kumiko. “Magic, Shōjo, and Metamorphosis: Magical Girl Anime and the Challenges of Changing Gender Identities in Japanese Society.” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 73, no. 1, 2014, pp. 143–164.

Shamoon, Deborah M.. Passionate Friendship : The Aesthetics of Girl’s Culture in Japan. University of Hawaii Press, 2012.

#Anonymous #replies #kill la kill #magical girl #analysis #ramblings #cutey honey #shut up goop #this is why no one wants to listen to you #i wasn't gonna tag this but i spent many multiple hours writing it #and it's not gonna be in searches 'cause of all these links so #sorry tags but you can have this monstrosity that no one asked for :P

[lonelypond]

Healing Hearts

Love Live/Little Witch Academia Crossover AU (yes, I did The Thing™), NicoMaki, DianAkko, 5K, 1/2

Yazawa Nico is having a Nico day as The Number One News Icon in the Universe™, when an unexpected encounter forces her to confront the fact that's she been drifting apart from long time girlfriend and doctor in training Nishikino Maki. 

Alt summary: Diana Cavendish's first visit to Tokyo with Akko Kagari goes nothing like they'd planned.

Healing Hearts

Yazawa Nico was meeting her camerawoman for a location shoot near Harajuka. Even with the humidity in the air, Nico’s hair and makeup were on point. After all, The Number One News Icon in the Universe™ had an audience that expected both expertise and Ultimate Cuteness.™ Nico also had a very busy student doctor in training Hot Smart Sexy Talented Girlfriend™ who Nico didn’t see nearly enough, but who enjoyed watching Nico’s segment every night.  Nico was hurrying from the train to the park, always professional and ahead of schedule, her sling bag bouncing out a beat on her hip when she saw the tendrils of frosty light zipping down the street, curling into a ball and pinballing into the darkest part of the park. Then she heard the scream. Nico took off at a run, thankful she’d worn practical footwear due to the outdoor shoot. She and Maki had been text quarreling about sensible shoe choices for weeks now.

There wasn’t much wind and with the sudden dimming of every artificial light, the gingko trees loomed much closer than Nico expected. There was a small clearing, and one girl, platinum blonde hair glowing in the illumination from the magic streaming out of her wand, mottled gray cloak billowing around her, stood over a body, crumpled to the ground and dressed in a matched cloak. Approaching them was a formerly friendly cafe robot, all curves and kindness, now with an ominous red glow leaking from every joint and seal, hovering above the ground.

Nico sighed, planted her feet, visualized her way through the focusing technique Hanayo had taught her, and started to sing. She could feel the power rising from her abdomen, up through her throat and she pushed the energy forward as the notes loosed, a pink cloud surrounding the robot. Nico concentrated on finding weak points, focusing her attention on those. The blonde girl spun, wand out, then refocused her own energy, doubling the attack. With a barely audible crackle of electricity, the robot dropped to the ground, inert.

“Akko!” The blonde immediately fell to her knees, frantically examining the person at her feet. Nico saw a wedding ring glint as the streetlights came back.

“Are you all right?” Nico asked, keeping alert for movement in the trees.

“No. Akko needs a doctor. And I don’t know Tokyo.” Nico was surprised by the flawless Japanese being spoken by a very Western looking witch.

“Right.” Nico sighed. “I know a doctor, kind of...but I have to do a quick video shoot. Is Akko stable?”

The blonde nodded as she pulled the other girl into an embrace.

“Can you wait here? Is it safe?” Nico was going to have to yell at Hanayo for not warning her about bewitched robots. “My name’s Yazawa Nico and I promise we’ll get her some help soon.”

“Diane Cavendish. I can cast an obscuring spell until you return.” Diana picked up her wand. “And thank you.”

Nico took off at a run. So much for perfect hair and makeup. She hoped Kaede could cover for what would be Nico showing up five minutes late and messy. But there were always angles to adjust and Kaede owed Nico several favors. Plus, she was addicted to Nico’s curries.

Nishikino Maki needed a break. Too many meetings. The business of running a hospital involved too many other people. And too much paperwork. Eli would be in her element, Maki thought. She looked at her watch, 5 minutes ‘til Nico. Time to find the nearest unused television. Nico was out on location; Maki wondered if she’d put on the towering heels she’d threatened to via text. Maki liked Nico Nico sized. And she was tired of having a mostly text based relationship with Nico. Maki regretted not discussing moving in together when Nico got her latest job and a new apartment. It had been almost a year and they were down to weekend dates and Wednesday breakfasts, on good weeks. It wasn’t enough. School was busy, helping Croix Meridies with secret medicinal magic research was busy, being a Nishikino was busy, but being Nico’s girlfriend was where Maki really wanted to excel and they managed to keep missing each other and avoid discussing how they really felt. Which really wasn’t a surprise, Maki acknowledged. Neither of them were particularly open, but the tension and high stakes of their Love Live experience had forced openness on them, when they realized the spark growing between them was too dangerous to ignore. Communication had saved them once, maybe it was time to make that effort again. Her father would understand. He’d been trying to nudge Maki into conversations about work-life balance for months now and always asked after Nico.

Maki bit her lip. 5 minutes gone. No time for a TV now. She stepped into the closest room, empty, and pulled out her phone and swiped to the TV station’s app. Nico!  Disheveled. Nico never had a hair out of place. But there she was, askew. Maki frowned, zooming in for a closer look, seeing the tension in Nico’s posture. They might not currently be spending much time together, but Maki knew what every Nico twitch meant, even at a distance.

The spot finished, Nico with an excessively cheerful “Good night and remember, Nico Ni brings you news that makes you smile. Nico Nico Ni.”

Maki was going to Nico’s tonight. No matter what Nico said. And as she swiped to message that to Nico, a text came in:

N: Meet me at Yoyogi Koen, as soon as you can.

M: Why? What’s wrong, Nico-chan? You looked awful.

N: Good to know you’re still a smooth talker, Maki-chan (･ω<)☆ Just meet Nico. Bring your doctor stuff…and a car.

M: Nico-chan, what’s going on?

N: Oh, it’s not for Nico. Don’t worry. I wore the boring shoes ( p_q) I love you, Maki-chan (⺣◡⺣)♡

M: Half an hour. I love you too, Nico-chan ♡

20 minutes. Maki hadn’t even bothered to tell anyone she was leaving. She’d texted her father on the way to the park, telling him Nico had an emergency. The car slowed down and Maki had the door open before the driver pulled to a stop.

“Wait here.” She ordered, taking off at at the fastest pace she could manage while still searching for Nico who’d only given her basic directions, ending with, “Nico will see you, Maki-chan. You’re not a ninja.”

Nico’s voice. Maki oriented on that. Nico sounded cheery.

“Calm down, Diana. Maki is the smartest person Nico knows. She’ll figure things out.”

Diana? Maki decided shouting was the only choice at this point, “NICO-CHAN!” She didn’t care if her voice cracked, reverberated through a sleepy downtown, woke everyone or sounded of desperation. She needed to see Nico now.

A cloaked woman with stunning, green streaked blonde hair and a regal attitude, stepped out from behind a tree...something held in her hand, pointed straight at Maki. Maki stopped, hands open in front of her.

“Maki-chan!” Nico stepped into view, putting out a hand to lower the other woman’s arm. Was this Diana? Why was she here with Nico. Why was Nico touching her? Why had Maki really been spending so much time at the hospital? Maki walked right up to Nico, hand on Nico’s waist pulling her to the side, glaring at the other woman.

“What’s going on, Nico-chan? Who is this?” Maki snipped.

Nico was about to say something, then took a good look at Maki’s face. “Really, Maki-chan. Jealous?” Nico chuckled, “Nico barely has time to see Nico.”

Nico took the other woman’s left hand and showed it to Maki. A gold band glinted, “This is Diana. Her wife is unconscious and Diana, the just married 18 year old kid lost in a foreign country, is completely freaking out.”

Diana pulled her hand away from Nico’s, voice shrill, “I’m not a kid!”

Nico shook her head and put both her hands around Maki’s waist, pulling the still frowning redhead closer, “Hey, let’s help Akko and get these ‘kids’” Nico smiled sweetly over her shoulder in Diana’s direction, “to a safe location and then Nico will explain everything she can.” Nico kissed Maki, her lips warm, “Thanks for coming when Nico called.”

“Of course I will, Nico-chan. Always.” Maki didn’t let Nico get away without another, deeper kiss, audience be damned. Nico was as reluctant to pull away as Maki was. Which put a slightly smug spring in Maki’s step as she followed her lover. Whatever this was about, Maki was texting her father that she needed some time with Nico. Because while Maki didn’t know how much Nico hadn’t told her, there was obviously chunks of recent experience Nico had left out.

A brown haired girl had been sandwiched between a cloak and Nico’s coat. Maki knelt down next to her, taking her pulse, examining her pupils.

“What happened?” Maki asked, suddenly efficient.

Diana scuffed the ground, looking like a guilty teenager, “She fell off my broom.”  

Maki turned to stare, still kneeling, “Broom?!?”

Diana started to say something but Nico ran over her, “Flying broom, magic, witches, these two saved their part of the world, you missed it when you were having a melt down over possible medical school specialties and Nico forgot to tell you about it…” Nico left off the ‘because Nico was learning how magic worked and thought you’d be really really annoying about it.”

Maki and Diana were both staring at Nico now, Maki in shock about how she’d not told Nico about working with Croix for fear Nico couldn’t keep a secret and here Nico was, keeping secrets, then Diana spoke, “You know who we are.”

Nico grinned and did a two step that ended with her trademark gesture, “Nico knows everything, Nico Nico Ni.”

“Really, Nico-chan?” Maki’s voice was a stern echo in the silence after the chirp of Nico’s cheer died.

“Fix the girl, Maki-chan. Nico will talk later.” Nico fidgeted.

“Nico-chan.” Now that was a familiar tone, Maki thought to herself, the exasperated worry that colored her voice when Nico was trying to sneak something by her. And yes, Maki already knew about magic, but she hadn’t told Nico that. Which was another too familiar feeling. Did they only ever talk about the height of Nico’s shoes anymore?

“Is Akko going to be all right?” Diana’s voice trembled, bringing Maki back to the immediate problem, the girl in front of her. How would Maki be feeling if Nico was laying there?

Maki smiled at Diana. “Don’t worry. I’ve spent a lot of hours in the Emergency Room, diagnosing trauma. If anything’s wrong, we’ll find out.”

Diana paled, Nico grumbled “Maki-chan!” than put an arm around Diana’s shoulders, “Maki’s bedside manner isn’t the best, but she is, Nico promises.”

Maki really needed to get the girl conscious and talking, if possible. And somewhere better lit. “Did she hit her head?”

“I don’t think so. We were nearly on the ground when the blast hit us. From behind so I couldn’t evade it.” Diana kept rerunning the scene in her mind, Akko’s hands suddenly releasing their grip, the rush of panic. Should she have paid more attention to her surroundings?

“Nico-chan?” Maki sounded hesitant now.

“Yes?”

“Can you go to the car and get the collapsible back board out of the trunk? I’ll text Papa to have a gurney meet us.”

“She didn’t fall that far.” Diana pointed out, her voice sounded increasingly shrill, twisting her cloak with worry.

“I don’t want to take any chances.” Maki explained, gently.

Exasperated, Diana swept her cloak back, pushed Maki away from Akko and let her wand hover the unconscious girl, whispering as the tip of the wand flared with energy and a glowing cloud surrounded Maki’s patient.

“She might have a broken rib.” Diana whispered.

“How?” Maki sat in the dirt, annoyed at Diana’s forwardness and curious about her actions. Croix had never done a diagnosis without a scanner.

“My family are ancient healers. That spell can’t pinpoint exact damage but it can identify major breaks in energy flow.” Her voice cracked, “If Akko had damaged her…”

Nico interrupted, brusquely enough to bring everyone back to practicalities, “Since we settled that, Maki help Diana get Akko into your car. We can go to my apartment. Did you use the driver, Maki-chan?”

Maki stood, slowly, nodding, brushing the dirt off her hands, “Ok. I’ll take her left side.” Diana nodded and slid an arm under Akko’s right shoulder. “On three.”

Akko had been settled in the spare bedroom, Diana kneeling next to the futon, hands clasped tightly, watching over her wife and looking exhausted. Maki had set up an IV to get fluids in Akko. Nico was in her kitchen throwing together miso soup and omelet rice. Both Nico and Maki realized the most urgent thing right now was convincing Diana Cavendish to eat and rest.

“Nico-chan,” Maki cleared her throat. Nico had brewed a pot of coffee for both of them, first thing, and Maki was fidgeting with her half empty cup with Nico was being her usual blur of activity in the kitchen.

“What’s up, Maki-chan?” Nico continued chopping scallions to scatter in the miso as she assembled it.

“I k...know about magic.” Maki forced herself not to mumble.

“What?” Nico turned.

“I’ve been helping a scientist with combining technology and magic to use in medicine.” Maki smiled, “Her name is Croix Meridies and I didn’t tell you about it bec…”

“Croix?!?!!” Diana’s angry shout preceded her rushing into Nico’s living room, “Croix is in Japan?”

“She approached Nishikino Hospital three months ago.” Maki was puzzled by Diana’s reaction.

“Is she experimenting on people?” Diana lips were narrow, her entire expression furious, eyes throwing sparks of icy fire.

“N...no. I’ve let her scan me a few times. But nobody else.” Maki felt a flip in her stomach as Nico hissed and turned off the stove.

“Maki-chan!” Nico was suddenly running her hands all over Maki as if searching for a wound.

“Nico-chan!?!” Maki pushed her chair back, tingling a little at Nico’s touch, “What are you doing?”

“Can you still sing? Improvise on the piano?” Nico’s questions were staccato accusations as Maki's unease increased. Why was Nico so worried?

There was a silence while Maki just stared at Nico. Diana had reached for her wand but had nothing to draw it against. Then a confused cry came from the bedroom, “Diana?”

“Akko!” Diana sprinted back to the bedroom. Maki tried to rise, but Nico held her down by the shoulders.

“Maki-chan needs to tell Nico what you’ve been letting this woman do to you.”

Maki couldn’t believe how angry Nico sounded. Didn’t Nico trust her judgement? Croix had explained everything, the lilac haired scientist offering Maki full access to all her research materials.

Akko had tried to sit up, but had fallen back on the futon. She was staring at the IV, toying with it a little. Diana watched the line bob and gently blocked Akko’s hand, “Don’t touch it, Akko. You’ll pull it out.”

“Diana! You are here.” Akko hugged Diana enthusiastically, almost succeeding in accidentally getting the IV out. Diana for once was not paying full attention to practicalities and squeezed her wife until Akka yelped in pain. “Ow.”

Diana didn’t let go of Akko, but she did move one hand to brushing the hair out of Akko’s eyes, “I was so worried about you, my heart.”

“What happened?” Akko’s maroon eyes were wide, she couldn’t remember much of the evening.

Diana giggled, Akko's nearness a comfort after all of her fears, “You fell off my broom.”

Akko grinned proudly, kissing Diana on the nose, “Nearly every day. You should be used to it, Cutie.”

Surprised by Akko's surge of energy, Diana couldn't hold her control and began to sob, “Oh, Akko, I was so scared.”

Akko wrapped the non IV’ed arm around Diana and pulled the other girl tight, “I’m all right, Diana. This isn’t one of your nightmares. I’m here. I’m fine. We’re here.”

Maki had stopped in the doorway, Nico at her side. Nico nudged the taller woman, “We’ll finish later.”

Maki nodded, still confused by Diana and Nico’s reaction to her mention of Croix. But she made sure to let none of that color the professional cheeriness she had practiced for so many hours. With Nico’s help. Professional cheeriness was a Nico ace. So was caring. Maki took a moment to glance at Nico who was watching the two girls embrace, her smile pensive. When had Maki last let Nico hold her that close?

Back to professional cheeriness, the flagship tradition of the Nishikino-Yawawa relationship. Maybe honesty would be a better one, Maki realized.

Maki stepped into the room, waving, “Hello, Akko. I’m Nishikino Maki. Nico’s been helping your wife and called me. I’m studying to be a doctor.”

Diana lifted her head from Akko’s shoulder, tears dry, voice fierce, speaking only to Akko, “Croix’s here.”

Akko sighed, pressing her forehead against Diana's, “But you were going to meet my parents finally.”

Nico chuckled, “Kid sounds ok, I’ll get their food.”

Diana was a worried lump on the end of Nico’s couch, clad in smartly tailored, blue striped pajamas, a throw wrapped around her shoulders. Maki had chosen the chair and Nico had, surprisingly, chosen to curl up on Maki, one arm around Maki’s waist and her head resting on Maki’s shoulder.

“Exhaustion, dehydration and an ear infection are the biggest problems Akko has, Diana. The rib is probably only bruised. She should feel much better in the morning.”  Maki felt strange using the distant and despondent blonde’s first name, on such short acquaintance, but Nico had, as always, led the way there. So Nico and Maki, Diana and Akko it was. Akko had fallen asleep, snores could be heard and it had taken all of Nico’s big sister skills to pry Diana away for a shower and a cup of tea.

Diana nodded, sipping her tea, “I can use a healing spell then, as well. It would have been impossible to safeguard her while casting in the open.”

“But that’s ok, the Number One Reporter in The Universe, found you. And now, we’re ALL going to fix things. Nico Nico Ni” Nico raised one hand in her signature gesture, winking at Maki.

Maki shook her head at Nico. Diana closed her eyes as she did the same, “Akko was too out of it to process who you are, I think, but she’s a very big fan of yours, Nico. She watches your broadcasts whenever she misses Japan.”

“Everyone who knows anything watches Nico, it’s good for their mental health.” Maki was always impressed by how Nico could mix egotistical bragging with genuine concern. Nico was cocky for the good of everyone. “Even my Talented but Too Busy Girlfriend™ here makes time to.”

The Talented but Too Busy Girlfriend™ found herself thinking that she should make more time to take Nico in her arms as she leaned into Nico’s hair, enjoying the lavender scent.

Diana glanced away, fingers white around her cup, and Nico kissed Maki’s cheek apologetically and bounced over to the couch.

“So, Dr. In Training Nishikino, tell us why you are helping the twisted Croix Meridies achieve her next scheme?” Nico leaned forward, her interviewing mode suddenly activated.

“I...I um…” Maki stuttered, once again thrown off by the quicksilver Yazawa Nico, whose usually merry eyes were narrowed and suspicious, Maki took a calming breath. "T...the hospital's always getting research proposals. Papa's letting me deal with some. Croix told me she wanted to help people, that she had a theory negative energy pooling was responsible for some conditions. She called them magical tumors that needed to be lanced.”

Diana growled. Nico’s professional demeanor slipped and fear trembled in her voice, “You said you let her scan you. Are you sick, Maki-chan?”

Nico was back again, off the couch, with the searching hands. Maki had a vague memory of Nico’s hands caressing her in the darkness, her lover’s lips audacious, the want cracking through Nico’s now trained and polished voice some weekend recently but Maki had lost track of exactly how many weekends ago. Maki took Nico’s hands in hers, “I’m fine, Nico-chan. Don’t worry.”

Nico hung her head, “You don’t tell Nico much anymore.”

“No, I don’t.” Maki could feel the tears start, “I’m so sorry, Nico-chan.”

Diana coughed. Maki sighed.

“What is Croix planning?” Diana snapped, impatient, politeness gone from her voice. The blue eyes were once again fierce with icy fire and Diana had also risen from the couch, reached for a wand she didn’t have on her, and was now just vibrating with anger in Nico's living room in pajamas more expensive than the contents of Nico’s living room. Nico bit back a giggle. Maki tried to remember exactly what Croix had told her. Diana exploded at the delay, nose to nose with Maki, ‘You are aware that she created a spell that steals magic, and then created ANOTHER that steals emotions which nearly blew up half the world, aren’t you, not quite a doctor Nishikino?”

“Hey.” Nico forced herself between the two, Diana even taller than Maki. “Back off, Diana. Maki-chan would NEVER hurt anyone. We are helping you.”

“Not if she’s helping Croix.” Diana crossed her arms, glaring at Maki.

“Maki didn’t hurt Akko.” Nico’s voice was gathering threatening notes, “And I want to know what this Croix is doing to Maki more than you do. So let’s ask Maki calmly.”

Diana and Nico stared at each other for so long that Maki wondered if there was some magic to freeze time in effect. Nico was standing close enough to Maki that they were touching and Maki pressed up against her back, comforted by Nico's defense. Diana’s glance flitted up to meet Maki’s eyes and then back to Nico. Nico smiled, “I promise you, Diana, Maki-chan didn’t help this person hurt anyone.”

Maki really hoped Nico was right.

Diana had interrogated Maki for an hour, with a few odd questions from Nico. Then, the obviously exhausted traveler joined her wife to attempt sleep. Maki didn’t see how it would be a problem for the young witch, anger had been the only thing keeping her eyes open when Nico shoved her into the spare bedroom.

Which left Maki in the chair and Nico settling on the far end of the couch where Diana had sat, shuffling through a stack of glossy fashion magazines. Maki had texted her father that an emergency had come up and she would be spending time in the lab and with Nico. Nico and Diana had agreed that she should keep to her normal schedule of interactions with Croix, to stop the scientist from suspecting anything. Diana had been reluctant, wanting to confront Croix immediately, but agreed that surprise would give them an advantage.

“Cute kids.” Nico muttered, not looking up as she scanned pages.

Maki watched Nico read, noticed her nose scrunch up when she almost liked something but..., her lips purse when she saw an outfit she’d look great in, her chest rise with a sigh when nothing had interested her for a dozen pages or so. There it was. Fashion had failed Nico; so had Maki.

“I...I’m sorry, Nico-chan.” Maki broke the silence, not surprised to find herself twirling a twist of hair. She hadn’t done that in a...well, honestly, probably a week.

Nico closed the magazine and pushed the stack aside. She patted the couch next to her and Maki joined her, feeling a bit like a summoned cat. Nico started to sing, her voice soft, like a lullaby. It was a tune Maki hadn’t heard before and the air around Nico shimmered. Maki swore that flowers petals started floating between them, purple and golden and white. Maki leaned forward, fingers reaching toward the sparkle, but they passed through the petals like wind, stretching and tearing them, leaving colorful debris drifting in new directions.

“I can do magic.” Nico took Maki’s reaching hand, pressing her lips against the palm.

“How?” Maki eyes were as wide as Nico had ever seen them.

“When Akko and Diana did the big save the world thing, Hanayo and I started diving into the world of witches; Hanayo figured out how to hack their version of the internet...we figured witches were kinda like a new type of idol. And Hanayo thought Akko was so cute.” Nico chuckled, “Don’t tell Rin that.”

Maki shook her head. While she knew Hanayo loved Rin fervently, Hanayo also continued to love Idols with an almost equal passion, just not as personally. Rin had never been threatened by it, although she was less fond of A-Rise than anyone else in in μ's, but Nico always tried to keep her Idol talk with Hanayo to times when Rin was elsewhere. And Maki too, although Nico pulled off the professional interest facade much more convincingly than Hanayo.

Nico continued explaining, her eyes crimson, dark and serious, running her hands through her loose black hair, Maki always preferred when Nico let it free, because it meant they were alone and Maki was spending time with her Nico, having a real chance to admire the often hidden charms of the quicksilver, caring, warm, clever, talented, beautiful girl she'd fallen in love with.

“Maki-chan?” Maki had completely blanked on whatever Nico had said and sable eyebrows lowered over suspicious crimson eyes.

“I love you, Nico-chan. I miss you.” Maki just blurted it out, hand raised to Nico’s cheek, stroking the soft skin.

“Nico can do magic now but all Maki cares about is sitting around looking at Nico with those gorgeous lavender eyes and tasty tasty pink lips. Nothing Nico does ever makes it through here…” Nico grumbled, tapping Maki’s forehead.

Maki darted forward quickly, kissing Nico before Nico could finish her second sentence. Nico didn’t pull away and her hands quickly found their way under Maki’s shirt, fingers digging into her back. Nico gently bit Maki’s lower lip and then pulled back slightly, hands now stroking the curves of Maki’s hips, scattering her senses, “Maki isn’t paying enough attention to the problem, Nico will be quizzing you in the morning, on magic.”

“Nico-chan could always do magic.” Maki murmured.

“Exactly!” Nico sounded excited, kissing Maki in a congratulatory manner and blinking proudly.

“What?” Maki grumbled, confused,

“Music is magic, singing, acting.” Nico reluctantly reclaimed one hand, raising it to her temple with the usual flair, “Nico Ni’ing. It’s all magic.”

“Really?” Mood burst, Maki was getting curious, drawn in by Nico’s excitement.

“That’s what Hanayo and I are trying to prove, with the help of one of Akko’s friends. Well, mostly Hanayo and Lotte. Nico tries out spells for them sometimes because Nico is brave.”

Nico was brave enough for three people twice her size. Maki was always amazed at how a sometimes timid Nico could steel herself to charge into situations Maki would have chartered a private jet to avoid.

Maki leaned back against the couch, deciding to sound tired, which came out peevish, “Will there really be a quiz?”

Nico was suddenly straddling Maki’s lap, hands tugging at Maki’s hair, fingers dragging tantalizing trails up Maki’s neck, lips rapidly driving Maki’s nerves into a frenzy with teasing zings all over her face and neck.

“Maki can get extra credit in advance, Nico has decided.”

Maki could hear the smirk. She didn’t care. She swept Nico up in her arms. Maki had always been an excellent student so putting in lots of time to receive extra credit was an old habit. Nico knew that as well as she did.

“Akko?” Diana prodded her wife, who seemed to have slipped out of the deeper stages of sleep into a more restless one. Akko’s flipping from side to side was keeping Diana from getting comfortable, as was the strangeness of the futon.

“Diana?” Akko sounded so adorable when she was half asleep. This is one of the first things Diana had learned during the two months they’d been married. “Didja have a nightmare?” Akko opened her arms, but not her eyes, and pulled Diana closer, her lips kissing Diana’s forehead gently. Diana missed the honest affection she could always find in the depths of Akko’s warm eyes, but she didn’t want to disturb her beloved further.

“Diana?” Akko was more awake, and worried, when she didn’t get a response, “What’s the matter? Are you hungry? Do you want to get up and have a snack? I’m sure Nico wouldn’t mind...hey wait,” Akko sat up, “Nico. Is that Yazawa Nico? The reporter? Oh my god, she’s so nice and pretty in person.” Akko’s voice was getting louder.

“Akko.” Diana’s tone was a warning. Akko’s volume was increasing.

“Oh.” Diana heard Akko swallow nervously, misunderstanding her wife’s concern,  “Not as pretty as you, Diana. No one’s as pretty as you, Diana. Plus, that redheaded doctor lady seemed super protective.”

“Yes, as one might be, dating a pretty, popular celebrity.” Diana grinned, having felt this herself as Akko’s fame grew after saving the world from the missile. Right now, Akko was sounding so like herself that the burden on Diana’s heart eased. She wrapped Akko in an embrace and when their lips met, all Diana’s reserves melted as they always did in the presence of Akko’s energy and charm, Diana feeling giddy and light enough to fly without a spell or a broom. Akko’s stomach, being Akko’s stomach, choose that moment to grumble loudly enough that if Nico and Maki had still been on the couch they might have heard it.

“Diana?” Akko’s voice was meek, her head pressing shyly  into Diana’s shoulder.

“Yes, my heart?” Diana knew what was coming, but also knew she would never get tired of it.

“Do you think we can get that snack first?”  

A/N: Howdy. Have been enjoying the world saving action of Little Witch Academia so this happened. It's always inspiring when cute, talented, hardworking girls kick evil ass together. Wanted to post the first chunk to clear it out of my head. The second chapter may take a bit, as I'm going back to howling so as not to delay the next Casual Lunacy chapter. There is, of course, a playlist 

Thanks for reading; hope you enjoy : )

#nicomaki #dianakko #diakko #nico x maki #Love Live #Little Witch Academia #fanfic #lwa #magic #witches #Idols #music #nearly as angsty as my nicomaki gets

[tedlyanderson]

That "magical girl" essay is a great idea! First part looks good. I think I would've also mentioned "Akko's Secret" (Himitsu no Akko-chan), which technically predates "Sally the Witch" by a few years (the manga came out in 1962), although the anime came right after "Sally"; in fact, it was made to replace "Sally" when it got cancelled. It's about a girl who's given a magic mirror that can transform her into anything. Created by Fujio Akatsuka of "Osomatsu" fame.

You are absolutely right, and I completely missed this! Thank you for the correction! I’ll add a section to the original post!

[shacklesburst]

Youjo Senki ep 10 Oh, they saved that guy, huh. And now they're going all SpecOps? Zettour really liked that one, eh. I like his character. It's gonna be a slaughterhouse. Oh damn. They booby trapped it all. Daaaaaamn. Big bada-boom. Oh wow. Total annihilation. Wow, Tanya really pulled her batallion together, eh. Let's see if Sonzai X has anything to say about that. Aaaand there he comes. 8/10, nothing elese to say about it. Viktoriya Ivanovna is a heavy sleeper. What else is new?

Demi-chan wa Kataritai ep 11 Hikari's video was very aww-inducing. Not even the final boss is an actual boss. Tetsuo probably really should've become a researcher instead of a teacher. Stays at 7/10.

Little Witch Academia ep 11 やった！アッコは魔法を掛けた！ Finally. Just like the OP wants her to ^_^. Self-doubts? Akko?! Ohhh ... will she finally learn of Ursula-sensei's secret? Well, if that familiar's not a huge giveaway ... good thing Akko's about as observant as a wet towel. Oh, btw, when we're talking about it anyways ... how is it, that Chariot could do magic without the Philosopher Stone around? Something sinister is going on, and it's probably got something to do with why she's gone underground. Ohh, Akko's waking up. Maybe it's gonna be another Akko/Diana episode? Akko's really made of steel. Uhhh, deep. Take your future at the expense of your past. Which basically means: stop existing, and allow another existence to be born, with your features, but is it really you? Boom. I actually liked this episode. But what about Diana's story? Well, stays at 5/10.

GabrielDropout ep 11 So they're just starting off on Earth again? Damn, and I so wanted to see them sneak Satania into Heaven. Satania really made peace with that dog, hmm? And now she went to Hokkaido? Yeah, that's totally what I expected of Raphi. Awwww. Gabu. Can't totally strip that side from yourself, hm? Hahaha, she went from "gotta move the hamster" to "got C and Java down, next is PHP" (whyyyy would anybody do it in that order ... no. whyyyyy would anybody think of PHP after knowing C and Java. no .... whyyyyy would anybody think of doing either Java or PHP after learning C???) Gaaah. I wan't a takoyaki party so bad. Wow, Gabu sucks at takoyaki. Vigne saves them. Obvious things are obvious. Okay. Gotta be honest here. I still like the show. But it's become too much of a gag-of-the-scene fest lately. I think it's gotta go down to 6/10.

Onihei ep 11 Uhhh. Wife backstory. Evil small old lady (who is the exact same character, down to the face, as all the small old men in this anime) is evil. What else is new. Ojun gets kidnapped or is otherwise used by criminals to get to Heizo. What else is new. And gets saved. What else is new. (Meanwhile, the son is kinda useless ... what else is new.) Heizo-Hisae powercouple ftw. 6/10.

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon ep 11 Tooru is wearing the scarf :). (I mean as if there was ever any question, but still ... cuuuute :))) Yeah, that is exactly what a kotatsu is like. I miss iiiit, aargh. Wistful, this episode. Too many memories. Too much I still want to do. Whatever. I don't think anybody can take the 9/10 away from Kobayashi-san anymore.

Kuzu no Honkai ep 11 Honestly I like Akane's character more and more. Kanai's so boring tho. OMG. What kind of prescription does he have?! Hahaha, okay, that talk between them under the moon shine really brings me back to the fun had with the first few episodes. Ohhhh, so the literature teacher has an Oedipus complex? Uhh. Suddenly he's kinda become interesting (he just needed his own complex! that's all! in a show full of broken characters, he'd seemed to wholesome until now.). (Well, kinda.) Hahaha. What a "love story". Dear god, Akane, have you never heard of the concept of "mountains"? Of course people in The Olden Times (tm) had ample possibility to look down on things from high up. Okay, sure, no elevator, but, jeesh. Actually it seems kind of strange that Kanai gets a better reading of her than Mugi. They're kind of similar, but far apart nonetheless. 「めがね屋」 hrhrhr, Kuzu no Honkai, again, with the subtle hints. :D I guess it actually kinda works as a resolution. And next ep will finally resolve Hanabi/Mugi, I guess. Well, I'm in! 8/10.

#winter 2017 season thoughts #weeaburst's seasonal anime reviews

[showamagicalgirls]

I only have the first volume of Akko-chan’s Got A Secret μ (ひみつのアッコちゃんμ) in my collection.

#Akko-chan’s Got A Secret μ #Akko-chan’s Got A Secret #ひみつのアッコちゃん #ひみつのアッコちゃんμ #akko chan #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #himitsu no akko chan #manga #comics #comic #昭和 #showa era #魔法少女 #magical girl #majokko #魔女っ子 #heisei era #平成

[showamagicalgirls]

I’m in Japan this week and I has my first sighting of a Showa magical girl in the wild.

Technically, I guess this is Totoko Yowai (弱井 トト子) from Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) instead of Atsuko Kagami (加賀美あつ子) from Akko-chan’s Got A Secret (ひみつのアッコちゃん). But, the two characters are identical and interchangeable in Fujio Akatsuka (赤塚 不二夫)’s “star system.”

#secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #akko chan #himitsu no akko chan #ひみつのアッコちゃん #昭和 #showa era #魔法少女 #magical girl #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #Osomatsu-kun #おそ松くん

[showamagicalgirls]

I’ve come into possession of a few of the Cardass trading cards associated with the Showa magical girl video game Great Magical Girl Strategy: Little Witch Mischief (魔女っ子大作戦). As with all the materials associated with this game, the joy here for me is seeing all these characters together.

#Great Magical Girl Strategy #魔女っ子大作戦 #昭和 #showa era #magical girl #魔法少女 #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #video game #game #video games #sally the witch #魔法使いサリー #ひみつのアッコちゃん #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #akko chan #cutie honey #キューティーハニー #花の子ルンルン #flower girl lunlun #魔女っ子メグちゃん #magical megu chan #megu chan #magical girl chappy #Lala el

[showamagicalgirls]

Everything that was made in conjunction with the Great Magical Girl Strategy (魔女っ子大作戦) video game thrills me because I love to see the stars of the Toei Magical Girl series all together. This is a coloring book.

#昭和 #showa era #魔法少女 #magical girl #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #comics #manga #魔女っ子大作戦 #great magical girl strategy #cutie honey #majokko megu chan #flower girl lunlun #lunlun #hana no ko run run #hana no ko lunlun #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #sally the witch

[showamagicalgirls]

Some shots from the opening sequence from the first episode of the second Akko-chan's Got A Secret (ひみつのアッコちゃん) TV anime. I sometimes refer to this as Akko-chan's Got A Secret ② (ひみつのアッコちゃん②) . It ran from 1988-1989.

#Akko-chan's Got A Secret #secretive akko chan #himitsu no akko chan #akko chan #akko-chan #akko chan's got a secret #secretive akko-chan #ひみつのアッコちゃん #Akko-chan's Got A Secret ② #himitsu no akko-chan #ひみつのアッコちゃん② #昭和 #showa era #magical girl #魔法少女 #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #tv #tv anime #showa #anime #animation

[showamagicalgirls]

Since I’ve been watching the second iteration of the Akko-chan’s Got A Secret (ひみつのアッコちゃん) TV anime, I decided to get my entire Akko-chan manga collection down for a photo.

#himitsu no akko chan #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #akko chan #昭和 #showa era #magical girl #魔法少女 #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #comics #manga #retro shojo #ひみつのアッコちゃん

[showamagicalgirls]

Another holiday gift I received from Japan was both novelizations of the Akko-chan’s Got A Secret (ひみつのアッコちゃん) 2012 live-action film.

Obviously I have a special place in my heart for the most obscure footnote texts in any series, and when it comes to the Showa-era magical girls, these two novels (小説版) are deep cuts ❤️.

#ひみつのアッコちゃん #昭和 #平成 #showa #heisei #showa era #heisei era #魔法少女 #magical girl #majokko #魔女っ子 #retro shoujo #retro shojo #comics #manga #secretive akko chan #akko chan's got a secret #akko chan #himitsu no akko chan #novels

[showamagicalgirls]

For my first film of the year, I watched the first big-screen adaptation of the second iteration of Akko-chan’s Got A Secret (ひみつのアッコちゃん) from 1989.

Here’s what I wrote about it on my Letterboxd account: For my first film of the year it felt appropriate to watch a retro magical girl movie since it’s a trope that’s had a hold on me my whole life. Interestingly, this was released seventy days after the death of Emperor Hirohito, putting it at the very, very beginning of the Heisei era of Japanese history, a time when magical girls would grace the silver screen much more often than they had.  I have to say, the story is quite good. I mostly watch these things because I’m obsessed with the magical girl and get some kind of generic repetition pleasure response watching the same kinds of things over and over again. I do not watch them because they represent storytelling at its most profound level. But, in this case, the text is pulling it off. You get enough wackiness and magic to feel the genre, but they actually do get to some real pathos here by the end.  And, of course, the animation is beautiful. These TV anime big-screen adaptations are always about getting to see a favorite character animated in a more stunning big-budget way, and this film really delivers on that. Plus, for me, the 1989 style is just divine.

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