is a
magical girl
is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
produced by
Pierrot
Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and '' commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''P ...
which aired from 1983 to 1984 on
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
. It went on to have four
OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
adaptions and featured in other Studio Pierrot special presentations. A three-volume manga was released during the original TV run, with the story written by
Kazunori Itō
is a Japanese anime screenwriter and artist who is well known for his work in the ''.hack'' franchise and his writing for the 1995 ''Ghost in the Shell'' movie. Itō supervised the writing for the novel, '' .hack//Another Birth'' which was writ ...
and art by Yuuko Kitagawa. This was the first magical girl anime to be produced by Pierrot,
and the first original work from the studio. In 2005, the web poll for
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
's top-100 anime of all time saw ''Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel'' poll 82nd.
The series is currently streaming in North America via
Tubi
Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...
, RetroCrush, Amazon Prime, Midnight Pulp, and AsianCrush, as of Spring 2020. Thus far, a limited DVD release of all 52 episodes has been successfully crowd-funded at Anime Sols.
Story
Yū Morisawa is an ordinary 10-year-old girl, until she sees a spaceship floating in the sky. Carried into the ship, she helps a friendly alien called Pino Pino find the Feather Star. In thanks for her assistance he grants her a magical wand, which allows her to transform into a 16-year-old girl, for one year. She is also given two cats from Feather Star, Posi and Nega, who are to watch over her while she has magical powers. While wandering around the city as a teenager, she accidentally ends up on TV and asked to sing, which the magic enables her to do remarkably well. Using the alias of Creamy Mami, she becomes an overnight success, and is soon sought to begin a professional career as an idol under Parthenon Productions. Along the way, she also meets past residents of Feather Star and supernatural beings. In addition, she must fight against Snake Joe, a shady character of the rival LP Productions, who is always trying to steal her away and Megumi-chan, another one of Parthenon Productions' top stars.
Characters
; /
:
: A normal 10-year-old girl, Yū harbours a secret crush for her childhood friend Toshio Ōtomo. Given the ability to transform into a 16-year-old girl, she is made to fill in for the absent Megumi Ayase to sing on TV. Naming herself Creamy Mami, she becomes an overnight hit. Throughout the series, it is a running gag for Mami to frequently be late for appearances like concerts, television filmings, and signings, or always makes it perfectly in the nick of time.
;
:
: One of the two cats from the Feather Star asked to watch over Yū Morisawa while she has magical powers. His name is short for negative. Nega was the one who taught Yū the words which allow her to transform into Creamy Mami, and he also secretly knows other magical words, but avoids telling them since Yū might end up using her powers for self gain like cheating in a surprise school test. Despite this Yū tricked him into saying the magical words to generate a pen which can answer any question in one of the episodes. He, despite his brash attitude, really likes Yū a lot that he even mistook a girl named Cassidy for her.
;
:
: One of the two cats from the Feather Star asked to watch over Yū Morisawa while she has magical powers. Her name is short for positive. She is very supportive of Yu and it sometimes annoys Nega. When Yū failed to transform for the first time, she suggested using the magic wand while saying the magic words which led to a successful transformation. Her voice actress also say the titles of every episode.
;
:
: Friend of Yū Morisawa and Midori Kisaragi, he falls in love with Creamy Mami after her first TV appearance. He frequently goes to Creamy Mami's concerts and appearances. Halfway through the series until episode 25, Toshio sees Yu transform into Mami, which causes her to lose her magic. Yu and Toshio later travel to Feather Star where Pino Pino gives Yu a new wand to use magic with in exchange for Toshio's memory of Yu using magic, to which he agrees. Later, he finds a tape of him recording the incident and begins to remember. In the end he finally understands that Mami was Yū all long and that he was in love with Yū all this time and didn't realize it. In episode 47, Toshio says that he is 14, making him presumably 13 at the beginning of the series.
;
:
: A spoiled and selfish idol who is the star of Parthenon Productions. She feels threatened by the newcomer, Creamy Mami, and declares herself to be Mami's rival. She is particularly jealous of Shingo's affection for Mami as an idol and person, as Megumi is hinted to be in love with him.
;
:
: President of Parthenon Productions, he quickly recognizes Creamy Mami as a future sensation, and tries to make her into a star. It is hinted that he is in love with Megumi and Mami.
;
:
: Megumi Ayase's bumbling manager who is moved to managing Creamy Mami when she joins Parthenon Productions. He is continuously subjected to various unfortunate situations and gags, as well as the reprimands of Shingo when Mami is late or anything goes wrong.
;
:
: Toshio Ōtomo's best friend, Midori is in love with Yū Morisawa and seeks to tell her this. Because of his bashfulness, he needs Toshio's help to do this.
;
:
: Wife of Tetsuo, and mother of Yū, Natsume works in Creamy with her husband. She used to be the leader of a motorcycle gang. Her and her husband own Creamy Crepe making crepes.
;
:
: Husband of Natsume, and father of Yū, Tetsuo works in Creamy with his wife. He used to be a member of Natsume's motorcycle gang. Tetsuo almost discovered Yû when she transformed for the first time, however she managed to trick him.
;
:
: A struggling writer, Wān is a loyal customer of Creamy and frequently drops by with his piles of pointless but brilliant manuscripts.
;
:
: An alien being, Pino Pino grants Yū Morisawa magical powers for one year in thanks for helping him find the Feather Star.
;
:
: A boy which recently got transferred to Yû's school who came from a small town in Hokkaido. He seemed to be pretty rude at first, but later became friends with Yû due to his huge love for cats. He says he can listen what the wind says and was one of the few people who realized Nega and Posi aren't normal cats. Mamoru at first doesn't know many things about big cities and was annoyed due to the fact Creamy Ga-Oka had such small threes. He was pretty outdated with news that he even doesn't know who Creamy Mami was, plus when asked he thought it was a name of a crepe. Despite being a major character, Mamoru never had any real contact with Mami.
Episode list
Music
Original songs
By Creamy Mami/Takako Ohta
# (OP)
# (ED 1)
# (ED 2)
#
#
# (''Long Good-bye'' OVA OP)
#
#
# I CAN`T SAY "BYE-BYE" (''Curtain Call'' OVA ED)
# (''Curtain Call'' OVA OP)
# Ma Wa Le Mi Gi (with Saeko Shimazu) (''Curtain Call'' OVA insert song)
By Megumi Ayase/Saeko Shimazu
#
#
Tribute album
A tribute album was released on February 9, 2011 and features covers by modern voice actors and rerecorded versions by or with Takako Ohta and Saeko Shimazu.
# MA・WA・LE・MI・GI by Takako Ohta and
Tomoe Shinohara
is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion designer, producer and artist. She is notable for her flamboyant fashion sense and bubbly (sometimes goofballish) personality, as well as her distinctive squealing speaking voice. She is also a close frien ...
# Beautiful Shock by
Rin Suzuki Rin may refer to:
*, yen, former Japanese currency
*Rin (given name)
*Rin (detergent), a brand of detergent sold by Unilever
*Rin, a Japanese standing bell
* ''Mnemosyne'' (anime) or ''RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne'', an anime
*'' Rin!'' (凛!), a Ja ...
# Delicate ni Sukishite by
Marina Inoue
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She was signed into Aniplex until 2007. She was chosen out of 2,000 people from the "Gonna be a star" auditions (hosted by Sony Music Entertainment ...
# The Medicine That Works Best for You by
Chie Nakamura
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Axlone. She voiced Sakura Haruno in ''Naruto'' and Sophitia in ''Soulcalibur''.
On November, 28, 2022, she is diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and immediately goes into medical hiatus for the trea ...
# Girls Talk by
Mariya Ise
Mariya is a variation of the feminine given name Maria.
People
* Mariya Abakumova (born 1986), Russian Olympic javelin thrower
* Mariya Agapova (born 1997), Kazakhstani mixed martial arts fighter
* Mariya Alyokhina (born 1988), Russian politica ...
# Heart's Season by
Eri Kitamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime such as and Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in ''Bloo ...
# Memory of the Beach by
Tomoe Shinohara
is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion designer, producer and artist. She is notable for her flamboyant fashion sense and bubbly (sometimes goofballish) personality, as well as her distinctive squealing speaking voice. She is also a close frien ...
# Last Kiss of Good Luck! by Saeko Shimazu
# I Can't Say "Bye-Bye" by Takako Ohta
# MA・WA・LE・MI・GI by Takako Ohta and Saeko Shimazu
# Missing Kiss by Takako Ohta
# Bin Kan Rouge by
Yukari Fukui
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and gravure idol known by the nickname in Japan.
Filmography
Anime
*''7 of Seven'' as Nanarin
*'' Dragonaut -The Resonance-'' as Saki Kurata
*''Gundam Reconguista in G'' as Raraiya Monday
*''Highschool ...
# Miracle Angel by
Yuka Iguchi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer.
Biography
She auditioned for Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering ...
# Love Nonchalantly by
Yu Kobayashi
# Staying in My Pajamas by
Aya Endo
# Whispering Je t'aime by
Hiroko Kasahara
is a Japanese voice actress, J-pop singer and stage actress. She sang the ending theme song of the PlayStation 2 role-playing video game ''Shadow Hearts'', titled ''Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts'', and the ending theme of the PC and PlayStation ...
Impact and influence
''Creamy Mami'' is known as a pioneer of the new marketing strategy, now known as
media mix
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...
.
They used an anime to promote a new, least-known idol singer.
The real idol singer,
Takako Ōta
(born August 13, 1967) is a Japanese voice actress and singer, best known for voicing the lead role of Yū Morisawa / Creamy Mami in anime ''Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel''.
''Creamy Mami'' is known as a pioneer of the new marketing strategy, now ...
, acted as an idol singer (Creamy Mami) also in the story.
The opening theme ''Delicate ni Suki Shite'' was her first song in the real world too.
Even though Ohta was a new singer and not a trained voice actress, she voiced Yū/Creamy Mami.
The result was a great success.
The anime ''Creamy Mami'' has become famous and Ohta gained a high popularity that still exists today.
In 1999,
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
's show ''Kaishingeki TV Utaemon'' had a poll to decide the most popular old TV theme song for a 25-year-old audience, and ''Delicate ni Suki Shite'' was ranked first. This anime has been repeatedly broadcast over the Internet too.
As of writing (2006-08-08), people in Japan can legally watch the show on-demand for free on
GyaO
is a Japanese internet company originally formed as a joint venture between the American internet company Yahoo! (later divested by Verizon into Altaba) and the Japanese company SoftBank. It is headquartered at Kioi Tower in the Tokyo Garden Terr ...
.
The same media mix approach was seen in ''Idol Densetsu Eriko'' (1989) and ''Idol Tenshi Youkoso Yōko'' (1990).
The anime version of ''
Full Moon o Sagashite
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Arina Tanemura. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Ribon'' from January 2002 to June 2004 and collected in seven ''tankōbon'' volumes.
The ...
'' (2002) shared the same format too.
Another example is ''
Lemon Angel'' (1987).
Using an anime to promote a singer was not a new concept, as there was ''
Pink Lady Monogatari'' (1978), a popular anime at the time.
Creamy Mami set the format that would be used for future Studio Pierrot magical girl titles, and was especially influential in ''
Fancy Lala
''Fancy Lala'', known in Japan as , is a magical girl anime series produced by Studio Pierrot in 1998, following an OVA released in 1988. A two-volume manga adaptation by Rurika Kasuga ran in '' Ribon''. The original designs were created by ...
''.
Creamy Mami also stars in ''
Adesugata Mahou no Sannin Musume'', along with
Magical Emi
is a magical girl anime series by Studio Pierrot. It was simultaneously released as a manga by Kiyoko Arai. The third magical girl series created by Studio Pierrot, ''Magical Emi'' also appears in two feature-length OVAs, as well as the '' ...
and
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, as well as ''
Majokko Club Yoningumi A-Kukan Kara no Alien X'', with Magical Emi, Persia and
Pastel Yumi. The popularity of the series not only saw two feature-length sequels, but Creamy Mami also featured in five
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
-based productions, starting with the 1985 OVA ''Lovely Serenade''. The second of the feature-length sequels, Magical Angel Creamy Mami Long Goodbye, began with the short animation ''Mahō no Tenshi Creamy Mami VS Mahō no Princess Minky Momo Gekijou no Daikessen'', and where Creamy Mami battled against
Ashi Productions' Minky Momo
is a Japanese magical-girl anime franchise by Ashi Productions. The original series ran between 1982 and 1983 on TV Tokyo and inspired three OVAs between 1985 and 1987. A second television series, titled , ran on NTV between 1991 and ...
.
Creamy Mami's companions Posi and Nega were also parodied in
Gainax
Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...
's 1991 OAV ''
Otaku no Video
is a 1991 anime OVA spoofing the life and culture of otaku, individuals with obsessive interests in media, particularly anime and manga, as well as the history of Gainax, its creators. It is noted for its mix of conventional documentary film s ...
'', in which Misty May (the magical girl character created by the series' protagonist) has two lion cub companions named Posi-King and Nega-King. (The character design for both is based on King the lion cub, a companion of the title character in Gainax's 1990 TV series ''
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water''.)
Producer Yuji Nunokawa noted that there was a substantial increase in male fans after ''Creamy Mamis broadcast due to the shows' use of transformations and enjoyed watching girls using magic to solve their problems in ways men traditionally could not.
A spin-off manga series titled, ''Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess'', was launched
Coamix
Coamix Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manga and anime production company headquartered in the in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo.[事 ...]
's ''Comic Tatan'' website on December 21, 2018. The series is written and illustrated by Emi Mitsuki. The series focuses on the character, Megumi Ayase. The series was released in North America in March 2021 by
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...
.
Internationalization
''Magical Angel Creamy Mami'' was dubbed into
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
by Studio PV, who released it as ''L'incantevole Creamy'' from 1985-02-03.
It was also broadcast in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
by
La Cinq
La Cinq () was France's first privately owned free-to-air television network. Created by politician Jérôme Seydoux and Italian media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, the network broadcast from 1985 to 1992.
The contract for France's fifth terrest ...
(later on TMC, AB1 and Manga) as ''Creamy, merveilleuse Creamy'' from April 29, 1988,
and more recently released in French DVD editions (French dub or Japanese and French subtitles) by Declic Image. It was also distributed in Spain as "El Broche Encantado" in 1992.
In these countries the musical theme was the same: in Italy it was sung by Cristina D'Avena, in France by
Claude Lombard
Claude Lombard (25 February 1945 – 20 September 2021) was a Belgian singer, best known internationally for her participation in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
Lombard studied at INSAS, a college of film, theatre and televisi ...
and in Spain by Soledad "Sol" Pilas.
The text and music were by Alessandra Valeri Manera - Giordano Bruno Martelli.
The musical base was partially re-orchestrated in France and Spain, and the text was translated and adapted by Charles Level for the French version.
It was dubbed into
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
by a Hong Kong TV Station - TVB, who released it as "我係小忌廉" (I am Creamy Mami) from January 7, 1985 showing it from Monday to Friday at 6pm, each time shown half an hour.
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold USA, Inc. was an American film and television production company. It was founded in 1983 by Egyptian-born Frank Agrama and is managed by his daughter, Jehan F. Agrama.
In 1976, Agrama sold broadcast rights from Paramount Pictures t ...
(the company best known for the ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from t ...
'' adaptation) was planning an English dubbed version under the name ''Pretty Creamy the Perfect Pop Star'', but it never saw the light of day. Had it ever been released in English, most of the characters' names would have to be changed to target an English-speaking audience.
References
External links
Creamy Magical WorldEnglish (and French) site about Creamy Mami.
*
;Official sites
Japaneseat Studio Pierrot.
;Internet Movie Database
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Tomomi Mochizuki
1983 anime television series debuts
1983 manga
1984 anime OVAs
1985 anime OVAs
1986 anime OVAs
Fictional shapeshifters
Japanese idols in anime and manga
Japanese webcomics
Josei manga
Kodansha manga
Magical girl anime and manga
Nippon TV original programming
Pierrot (company)
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Shōjo manga
Webcomics in print