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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 ...
/
boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
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 ...
created by
Triangle Staff was a Japanese animation studio established in 1987 from former Madhouse staff, producing series such as ''Macross Plus'', ''Serial Experiments Lain'', and ''NieA_7''. The studio ceased operations in 2000, when they were set to do the animatio ...
and
Junichi Sato is a Japanese anime director, best known for working on '' shōjo''-based anime and in the magical girl genre. He was formerly associated with TYO Animations (formerly Hal Film Maker). Born in Ama, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, his first major ...
. It was first released as a six-part
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 ...
in 1996 and then a 13-episode TV series in 1999, which was broadcast by WOWOW, and then by the anime television network
Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...
across its respective networks worldwide, including
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
,
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
and other regions. Produced by
Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and ...
, the series is directed by Sato, with
Chiaki J. Konaka is a Japanese writer and novelist. He was the head writer of the anime series ''Serial Experiments Lain'', ''Digimon Tamers'', and ''Hellsing'', as well as the television drama ''Ultraman Gaia''. Personal life Konaka gave himself the middle ini ...
handling series composition for the TV show,
Ikuko Itoh is a Japanese animator, character designer, illustrator and animation director best known for her work on ''Sailor Moon'' and as the creator of ''Princess Tutu''. Career Ikuko Itoh graduated at Tokyo Designer Gakuin College, and started working ...
designing the characters and
Michiru Ōshima is a Japanese composer and arranger. She works on music in wide range of areas, such as anime, films, television series, video games and concerts. She has written scores for over 100 movies, over 200 television titles, video games, various typ ...
composing the music. There were also two
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series made, a
shōjo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...
version by Tami Ōta and
shōnen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent boys. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent girls and young women), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adult women), ...
version by Satomi Akai. The anime was originally licensed in North America by
Media Blasters Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
. The license is currently held by
Right Stuf Inc. Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
is streaming the series on their website in partnership with Nozomi.


Premise


OVA series

An enormous cylindrical alien spaceship, which people call , descends upon Earth one day. Multinational military forces attack it, but the Bell's defenses easily vaporize all human weaponry. The story takes place one year afterwards. The Bell, which seems to have no living crew, has begun sending out robotic probes to explore and analyze human civilization and all of the aspects of it. For most of the series, the Bell hovers quietly above the ocean, several miles from Tokyo. It had soon become apparent that the Bell's defenses only destroy whatever attacks it first. As such, most people have now adapted to the Bell's presence on Earth and are once again going about with their everyday lives, just making sure to stay out of the way of the Bell's probes when they pass by. A lot of people, however, due to a message sent by the Bell, believe the Bell may eventually attack and conquer Earth, and are working to figure out a way to stop it. Kitanohashi High School has a small group of students called "The Magic Users Club". Most people think the five club members only learn how to do regular parlor tricks, but only its members know that they learn how to do real magic. The president of the club, Takeo Takakura, started it when he found a box containing a
grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
in a cave by the ocean. Using the knowledge from the book, he was able to teach the other club members to perform magic. Takeo himself believes that the Bell will eventually attack Earth, and decides to combat the alien “menace” using this magic, despite inadvertently revealing the secret of the Magic Users Club's performing of real magic to a pair of journalists, who also want to stop the Bell, when they witness the club's first foray against it. These two become the only people on the outside to know about the club's secret. A young girl named Sae Sawanoguchi goes to Kitanohashi High School and belongs to the Magic Users Club, where she learns how to use magic that will soon become trade. The town that she lives in has never exactly been attacked, being in place in the city for a year to date. She has yet to discover the true strength of her magical ability, and because of her unintentional clumsiness, none of her friends realize it either. What would be really helpful to Sae would be that if something were to happen that would let her fine tune her talent, and the club's mission to stop the Bell may be her chance to do that.


TV series

The Bell has been defeated, its "crew" having retreated into space, but is now a massive cherry tree above the city. The Magic Club must meet once again to solve the problem of the spaceship-turned giant tree, which is blocking off sunlight for the city. A mysterious figure descends from the tree and watches over the members of the club as they continue to deal with magic in their daily lives.


Characters


Magic Club

* : A second-year student at Kitanohashi High School and a new member of the Magic Club, Sae is eager to learn magic, but often has setbacks due to her clumsy nature. She looks up to Takakura as a great mentor. Although she actually has feelings for him beyond that, she is too shy to express them. Of the five members, Sae has the greatest amount of power to utilize, but lacks the training and concentration to fully tap into this potential. : Sae displays a clear ineptitude to flying on a broomstick in the OVA series, but her skills progress and by the TV series, she can fly on different pole-sized items without any problems, even without using her wand. : According to character designer
Ikuko Itoh is a Japanese animator, character designer, illustrator and animation director best known for her work on ''Sailor Moon'' and as the creator of ''Princess Tutu''. Career Ikuko Itoh graduated at Tokyo Designer Gakuin College, and started working ...
, her own mother was an influence for the character of Sae, who has a similar klutzy nature. * : A second year and a friend of Sae since childhood. She just wants to be a normal high school girl and gets frustrated with Sae's obsession with the Magic Club, although she is proficient in magic herself. Nanaka has a crush on Aburatsubo but is afraid to admit her feelings because she knows they won't be returned. She describes her family as "all over the place", and though often embarrassed and aggravated by their antics, she loves them dearly. * ''Voiced by:''
Junko Iwao is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Her most notable role is in ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', providing the voice to Sakura's best friend and cousin, Tomoyo Daidōji. She also voiced lead character Mima Kirigoe in ''Perfect Blue'', Ceres in ''Ceres ...
(Japanese), Nicole Tieri and Stacey Williams (English) : A first year and another new member of the Magic Club. Akane is a spoiled rich girl who often misses going to club meetings in order to go on dates with boyfriends. Using magic comes easily to her. Such is her innate skill that she is able to produce makeshift wands out of ordinary objects, though they are rather primitive and weak compared to her regular wand. The same can't be said for her flying. Akane often uses magic for selfish reasons against what Takakura has taught, which causes Sae to lecture her in several instances. Anything affected solely by her magic "spins" before the spell's true effect come to pass, something which she has no control over. : In the TV series, Akane works as a model and appears in clothing advertisements throughout the city. Her mother is a famous actress. * : President of the Magic Club and third-year student at Kitanohashi High School. Takakura often has a tendency to show off in front of the girls and has perverted daydreams at inopportune times. He loves Sae, but will not admit his feelings because he is nervous and self-conscious of his position as Sae's mentor and upperclassman. : Hiding from his childhood nemesis, Miyama, Takeo found a magical textbook called the Grimoire, along with the magic wand he later replicated. * : A third year and the vice president of the Magic Club. Aburatsubo is homosexual, but only shows affection toward Takakura; he never shows signs of being interested in any other boy. Takakura is uncomfortable with Aburatsubo's flirting, but doesn't think much of it; though Aburatsubo continuously flirts with Takakura, he understands that Takakura will never return his feelings.Magic User's Club OVA 5 He has a variety of talents and is involved in many other clubs besides the Magic Club, such as the tennis team and drama club. : The television series establishes that he doesn't have a very good standing towards his mother, who constantly babies him, though he does love her.


Other Magicians

* : Jeff is both the name of a mysterious silhouetted magician Sae met when she was a child and a stuffed teddy bear that he gave her. When Sae gets in tough situations, Jeff-kun the teddy bear aids Sae's magic powers. She meets the real Jeff again (only as a silhouette) when the rest of the club are trapped inside the Bell and he gives her the confidence to rescue them. Appears in the OVA, and at the end of the TV series. * : Jurika is a magician that seems interested in the members of the Magic Club and the use of magic, for reasons that are not clear at first. Jurika is highly
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics i ...
, officially male as a student but having a very feminine look for the most part. He has the ability to read and translate the Grimoire that Takeo uses to teach the other Club members, going so far as to identify the Club's copy as "an older version that has mistakes in it". : Jurika is actually a magical construct given life and personality by Sae's fondest wishes and ideals about magic. As a being of pure magic, he has the ability to manipulate his appearance, exist in multiple times and places, read minds, interact in the dreams of others and other numerous abilities. Since he is a byproduct of Sae's mind, he is aware of the personalities and relationships between the Magic User's Club members and utilizes this knowledge to manipulate them into using more magic. At the end of the TV series, he is absorbed back into his creator, Sae. Appears only in the TV series. * : Nicknamed by Sae. Miki is a friend and former mentor of Sae who lives in England. She was in the Magic User's Club for an unknown amount of time before leaving to England. Sae writes her constantly in the TV series, telling her what has been going on. Miki's father is a "grandmaster" sorcerer/magician based in England and she presumably has trained under him. She has enough magic training to fly without using a broom and can summon a magical serpent to aid her. Appears only in the TV series.


Journalists

* : Minowa is a journalist bent on learning the truth behind the Bell. He investigates the Magic Club to find out if they have any connection with the Bell. * : Yoshimoto is a photographer and constant sidekick of Minowa, though he doesn't take the Bell issue as seriously as his boss.


Manga Club

* : Miyama is the bossy President of the Manga Club, which is right next door to the Magic Club. She uses her enormous breasts to intimidate Takakura, and she's been teasing him since childhood. Miyama is constantly trying to dissolve the Magic Club and keeps taking back the space that was loaned to the club. : In the OVA series, Miyama's experience from being examined by the Bell (due to a spell cast on her by Akane) goes completely to her head and makes her declare herself as the planet Earth's "representative". : She secretly harbors feelings for Takakura, despite her incessant tormenting of him. When a truth spell was cast on her, she confessed her true feelings about him, as well as the fact that she didn't actually enjoy tormenting him as a child. Also, in the TV series, she devotes a manga project with allegories to Takakura. * : Kubo only appears in the OVA series and is a faculty member who is club supervisor of the Magic Club and the Manga Club. He doesn't try to resolve any issues between the students, saying "Education is love". Kubo has a habit of giving his
business card Business cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, company or business aff ...
to everyone he talks to. & * ''Voiced by:''
Kazuya Ichijou is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kazuya can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *一八, "one, eight" *一矢, "one, arrow" *一也, "one, to be" *一夜, "one, night" *和也, "harmony, to be" *和矢, ...
(Japanese (OVA)),
Yasuhiro Takato Yasuhiro Takato ( ja, 高戸 靖広, Takato Yasuhiro, born January 23, 1968 in Okayama) is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. Filmography Television animation *'' Sailor Moon'' (1992) - Artemis *'' Ping-Pong Club'' (1995) - ...
(Japanese (TV)), Michelle Newman (English) : They are two boys who are Miyama's constant lackeys. Rinpun & Kojin do all kinds of menial tasks for Miyama and are sometimes called to spy on others for her.


Family

* ''Voice by:'' Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese (OVA)),
Kazusa Murai is a Japanese voice actress. Notable voice roles Anime *Kamichama Karin (Miyon Yi) *Angelic Layer (Maria Shibata) * Boys Be... (Chiharu Nitta) *Digimon Adventure 02 (Jun Motomiya) *Devil Lady (Kazumi Takiura) *Full Metal Panic! (Dana) *Ginban K ...
(Japanese (TV)),
Shannon Conley Shannon Conley (also credited as Sonny Dey, Holly Bobbit, Ursula Conlon, Vibe Jones, Candi Washington and Deborah Zane) is an American voice actress and musician based in New York City. She has done voice work in English dubs of Japanese anime for ...
(English) : Sae's older sister who looks after her in Tokyo. Saki has problems with a boyfriend in the TV series, though they reconcile near the end. It's never defined whether or not she has any knowledge of the goings on in the Magic User's Club. * : She is Sae's mother, a woman with an energetic personality. Sae's parents own a ranch in
Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...
. * : He is Sae's father, seemingly a man of few words. Sae's
hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal groomin ...
was inherited from him. * : He is Nanaka's younger brother, who is bratty and tends to annoy her. * : She is Nanaka's mother, who runs a
health food store A health food store (or health food shop) is a type of grocery store that primarily sells health foods, organic foods, local produce, and often nutritional supplements. Health food stores typically offer a wider or more specialized selection of fo ...
. She also grows her own vegetables. Nanaka is frustrated when she doesn't seem to care about attending parent-teacher meetings, and when she acts in an embarrassing fashion when she does. * : She is Akane's mother, who is a famous actress. Though somewhat critical of her daughter's acting, the two seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company. * : She is Takeo's younger sister. Takako seems annoyed by her brother's eccentricities and makes sure he does regular exercise routines. * : She is Aburatsubo's mother, who treats Aburatsubo very childishly and affectionately. Aburatsubo can't stand her.


Aburatsubo Safety Committee

* : She is the President of the "Aburatsubo Safety Committee", a group of girls who are obsessively devoted to Aburatsubo in the TV series. Michiko is the most confrontational and jealous of the girls, and she arrogantly insists that only she may call Aburatsubo "Aya-sama" ("His Ayaness" in the English dub). * : Madoka is another member of the committee who is highly obsessed with Aburatsubo. She has the habit of breaking the rule against calling Aburatsubo "Aya-sama" and gets physically assaulted by Michiko when she does so. * : Hikaru is another member of the committee who has long bangs. She sometimes goes on small tasks for Michiko, like checking in the men's bathroom whenever Aburatsubo can't be found. She often dodges Michiko's back swings when she assaults Madoka.


Episodes


OVA

The OVA series had six episodes released from 1996 to 1997. The series was produced by
Triangle Staff was a Japanese animation studio established in 1987 from former Madhouse staff, producing series such as ''Macross Plus'', ''Serial Experiments Lain'', and ''NieA_7''. The studio ceased operations in 2000, when they were set to do the animatio ...
for
Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and ...
. The incidental music was composed by
Michiru Ōshima is a Japanese composer and arranger. She works on music in wide range of areas, such as anime, films, television series, video games and concerts. She has written scores for over 100 movies, over 200 television titles, video games, various typ ...
. The opening theme song, , was performed by Mahōtsukai Tai (the three main female voice actors), composed and arranged by
Toshiro Yabuki , born on December 22, 1961, is a Japanese music composer, record producer, keyboardist and guitarist. He is also the director of music production company P.M CREATORS. Career outline * Yabuki was J-Pop singer Masami Okui's executive producer fro ...
, and had lyrics by Miho Matsuba. The ending theme, , was performed by
Masami is a common Japanese given name and can be given to either sex. Possible writings *惟美, meaning "Considerate beauty" *真己, meaning "True self" or "Truth, Snake" *昌美, meaning "Prosperous beauty" *雅美, meaning "Gracious beauty" * ...
, composed by Masami (as "Masami Okui") and Yabuki, arranged by
Itaru Watanabe Itaru (written: , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, pseudonym of a female Japanese manga artist *, Japanese Magic: The Gathering player *, Japanese publishe ...
, and had lyrics by Matsuba.


TV

The animated television series had thirteen episodes and aired on WOWOW from 7 July until 6 October 1997. It was produced by Madhouse in cooperation with
Triangle Staff was a Japanese animation studio established in 1987 from former Madhouse staff, producing series such as ''Macross Plus'', ''Serial Experiments Lain'', and ''NieA_7''. The studio ceased operations in 2000, when they were set to do the animatio ...
. The incidental music was composed by
Michiru Ōshima is a Japanese composer and arranger. She works on music in wide range of areas, such as anime, films, television series, video games and concerts. She has written scores for over 100 movies, over 200 television titles, video games, various typ ...
. The opening theme song was "I Wanna Do More", which was composed, arranged, written, and performed by
Amii Ozaki , real name , is a Japanese singer songwriter born on 19 March 1957 in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. She has written music such as ''Oribia o Kikinagara'' by Anri and ''Tenshi no Uinku'' by Seiko Matsuda, as well as many ...
. The ending theme was "Should I Do?", also composed, arranged, written, and performed by Ozaki.


References


External links


魔法使いTai! (OVA)
- Official page on
Bandai Channel is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002, by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise, Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Ba ...

魔法使いTai! (TV)
- Official page on Bandai Channel
Sae's Magic Hat
- Fan site with information on anime, manga, and CDs (no longer updated) *

{{Madhouse 1996 anime OVAs 1996 Japanese novels 1996 manga 1999 anime television series debuts Anime with original screenplays Anime Works Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Light novels Magical girl anime and manga Wowow original programming