Mahō No Mako-chan

is a Japanese anime series by Toei Animation. The story is loosely based on the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Little Mermaid". It was broadcast from 1970 to 1971 on Nippon Educational TV (NET), later rebranded as TV Asahi.

Plot

Mako is a mermaid and the youngest daughter of the Dragon King. She longs for the human world despite it being forbidden. One fateful night, she rescues a young man from drowning and falls in love with him. With the help of the sea hag, Mako is transformed into a human girl. Possessing the magical pendant called the "Life of A Mermaid", Mako meets many people and experiences many things as she learns what it means to be human, while searching for the young man she saved.

Main Characters

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:The 15-year-old daughter of the Dragon King who yearns for the human world. Mako becomes human so she can be with the man she rescued from a shipwreck. She is adopted by an old man named Urashima and attends Karatachi Academy. Mako's parents gift her with a magical pendant called the "Life of a Mermaid."
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:The Dragon King himself. He is able to assume human form and appear on Earth so he can help Mako. He often lets his daughter do her own things but is stern, particularly with Mako's use of her magical pendant and the etiquette she should follow. Later on in the series, he is reprimanded by God for allowing Mako to live with humans.
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:The Dragon King's wife and mother of Mako. She also contemplated becoming human when she was Mako's age.
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:The sea hag who tells Mako how to become human.
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:Unlike Mako, most of them are content with their lives under the sea. One of Mako's older sisters does go exploring on the surface in one episode.
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:The old zoologist who found an unconscious Mako on the beach after her transformation into a human. He eventually takes her in as his adoptive granddaughter. He's very stern but deep down cares for Mako. His real daughter, Kyoko, died at sea many years ago. His surname, which Mako adopts, may be based on the legend of Urashima Tarō.
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:The young man Mako once saved from drowning. He had been on a cruise ship that was hit by a tsunami. Mako falls in love with him but once she becomes human, he's not found so easily. Akira is actually a drifter who does odd jobs and arrives and leaves town at will. Eventually he realizes Mako was the one who saved him that fateful night. In the original series proposal, his name was "Shinichi," which was used for the Spanish dub. He is modeled after Ken Takakura.
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:Jiro's identical twin brother, Taro is the more realist of the two.
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:Along with his identical twin brother, Taro, are Mako's neighbors.
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:Mako's classmate at school, she becomes her closest friend there. She loves jewelry.
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:The gang leader of Karatachi School. He's in love with Mako. His real surname is Matsubashi.
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:Bancho's friend and lieutenant.
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:Mako's classmate and rival. Her mother is wealthy and president of the school's PTA, hence her arrogance. Tomiko falls in love with Akira, which sparks a rivalry with Mako. She eventually becomes friendly with Mako.
;Principal
:Principal of Karatachi. She is strict with the students, especially Mako, and often ingratiates herself to Mrs. Tomita in order to keep her donations to the school flowing.
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:Mako's homeroom teacher.
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:Tomiko's mother. Head of Karatachi's PTA. Abuses her wealth to control the school.
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:Mother of Taro and Jiro. Raises and educates her sons in a very strict manner.
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:Taro and Jiro's subdued father.

Supporting Characters

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:A little girl who Akira befriends on the Sea Paradise cruise ship. The shipwreck leaves her traumatized. She eventually gets over her phobia thanks to Mako and a magic telescope given to her by Obaba. She is called "Naomi" during her second appearance. In the Spanish dub she is called "Kaoru" and "Midori." Appears in episodes 1 and 6.
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:A wealthy gentleman onboard the Sea Paradise who is dismissive of Akira at first. He is saved by Akira after going overboard. He later employs Akira to help his daughter, Kaoru. Appears in episodes 1 and 6.
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:Two con artists who pretend to be Mako's parents. They had swindled people in Paris. Appear in episode 2.
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: A African man who is falsely accused of a crime. Mako tries to restore his faith and urges him to clear his name. Appears in episode 11.
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: Two young men who take a liking to Mako, much to her father's chagrin. Appear in episode 13.
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:The principal's daughter, who is studying in Paris. When she returns to Japan, she proposes uniforms for Karatachi Academy. Appears in episode 16.
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:A top baseball player at Karatachi Academy. He has a secret girlfriend named "Yukiko." Appears in episode 17.
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:Mako's classmate who befriends Urashima's pet monkey, Kiiko. She stops going to school and joins a biker gang after her parents abandon her. Appears in episode 19.
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:Taro and Jiro's aunt. She wants to be a flight attendant. Appears in episode 20.
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:A young woman who looks exactly like Mako. She has an arranged marriage but she only wants to marry the man who saved her little sister's life. Appears in episode 23.
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:Prince of Escalia. He falls in love with Mako. Appears in episode 26.
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:A young woman who craves fame. She insinuates she was the one who rescued Akira. Appears in episode 41.
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:She wants to meet the ghost of her mother, who died a year earlier. Appears in episode 43.
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:A creepy boy who transfers into Mako's class. He hypnotizes her classmates and lures them to a bombing testing site. Funakichi is revealed to be a kappa who wants to get revenge on mankind for how they've mistreated his people. Eventually he realizes the error of his ways and saves Mako's friends. His people go out in the world, deciding to believe in humanity. Appears in episodes 46 and 47.

Music

The scores and lyrics for Mahō no Mako-chan were created by Takeo Watanabe and performed by Horie Mitsuko. Some of the score was reused in later Toei series, including ''Majokko Megu-chan'' and '' Genshi Shonen Ryu''.

Theme songs

Opening theme

"Mahō no Mako-chan" (Magical Mako) by Horie Mitsuko

Ending theme

"BOKU wa MAKO ni tsuite yuku" (I Follow Mako Around) by Horie Mitsuko

Episode List

References

External links

Official site
(Japanese)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maho no Mako-chan
1970 anime television series debuts
Anime and manga based on fairy tales
Magical girl anime and manga
Toei Animation television
TV Asahi original programming
Anime and manga about witchcraft
Television shows based on The Little Mermaid
Fiction about human–mermaid romance