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> The state of magical girl toons in the US
SpiderBraids
post Sep 29 2016, 4:49 PM
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In light of the recent article I linked to promoting a new magical girl show in the US trying to rival Winx (and the fact that Winx is currently no longer on Nick Jr. US), it got me thinking (and researching) about how the genre has been doing in the US since the original Sailor Mooon burst on to our screens, so I did some research... Short version: Not very good icon_confused.gif

It doesn't help that in the years since the Winx came along, Japanese anime (Sailor Moon included) has seen itself mostly relegated to DVD releases and online streaming (and fansubs, of course icon_wink.gif) AFAIK, the US hasn't had a mahou shoujo anime on mainstream TV since Doremi and Mew Mew icon_confused.gif and even those shows had to be edited to conform to (ahem) American standards, which probably explains things icon_confused.gif Even the mega-phenomenon Precure has appeared to have mostly passed North America by: After 4Kids briefly held the US license and did nothing with it, YTV Canada dubbed just the first season for domestic release, and it wasn't until more recently that another season was dubbed: Smile Precure (season 9), dubbed by Saban (4Kids-style, to boot) as Glitter Force for Netflix... and no offense to House of Cards and Stranger Things, but when was the last time a Netflix-only cartoon got mainstream buzz?

So enough about Japan, what about Western-made magical girls? Well, it seems that outside of the early years of Winx, America just isn't latching on to those either...
* W.i.t.c.h. was expected to be Disney's next big hit after Kim Possible, but ended up limping into obscurity after 2 seasons (covering the two comic arcs that were published in the states) And I'm sure some people will claim that our favorite fairies were part of the reason icon_confused.gif
* Angel's Friends: First season bought up by a syndicator for E/I considerations, now legally available on YouTube
* LoliRock and the Winx spinoff PopPixie: Netflix'd, like Glitter Force

Suddenly, Miraculous really does seem appropriately-named when you think about it icon_wink.gif And you'll also notice that these shows are all European productions (though W.i.t.c.h. was co-funded by Disney, and even had Greg "Gargoyles" Weisman as a writer at one point)

As for what's been taking North America so long to roll their own, it seems like in the mid to late 2000's, US TV animation was going through a phase where they were averse to female protagonists: In 2007, Chris Reccardi made a magical girl-inspired spy cartoon pilot that was never picked up for series, seemingly for that very reason ohmy.gif (And between Korra and Young Justice, I imagine some will argue that there's still some pushback against girls icon_confused.gif)

The whole "girl aversion" thing appears to have toned down with the dawn of the new decade, and quite a few American shows that lie just outside the fringe of the typical magical girl trappings seem to be doing well: You've got Star vs., Steven Universe, and the latest incarnation of My Little Pony (plus its more "traditional" Equestria Girls spinoff series of specials)... Other than the lack of transformations (and in Steven's case, the focus on the male lead rather than the girls), these shows have all most of the other magical girl formulaics down pat... So, what gives? The best reasons I can come up with are:
- Those successful shows have something to offer the boys in the audience without feeling too ashamed: the superhero elements in Miraculous, the pop references in MLP, Star Butterfly's wackiness...
- As much as we'd like to think otherwise, the American common denominator seems to prefer eye candy and wacky hijinks to character-driven storytelling icon_confused.gif You pretty much have to lure them with the former to get away with doing the latter...


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mightymarty2
post Sep 29 2016, 5:22 PM
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The thing with all types of programmes all things seem to rise and fall in popularity as people get bored or fed up with all similar programmes another type comes in and becomes on trend. Thus the process is repeated very few shows and types have continual success.

I think that if 3 or so shows are running of the magical girl variety that it should be considered reasonable successful


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P-girl
post Sep 30 2016, 11:10 AM
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It's not just Magical Girl Cartoons....
Remember that one DC Superhero cartoon that did REALLY well, but the main audience was girls and got cancelled because of it? Because girls don't buy merch or some such nonsense?
In fact, I remember that happened twice...
U.S. broadcasting seems to have... issues regarding girl audiences.

This post has been edited by P-girl: Sep 30 2016, 11:11 AM
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SpiderBraids
post Sep 30 2016, 5:18 PM
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QUOTE (P-girl @ Sep 30 2016, 6:10 PM) *
It's not just Magical Girl Cartoons....
Remember that one DC Superhero cartoon that did REALLY well, but the main audience was girls and got cancelled because of it? Because girls don't buy merch or some such nonsense?
In fact, I remember that happened twice...
U.S. broadcasting seems to have... issues regarding girl audiences.


That would be the aforementioned Young Justice... Greg Weisman (who also helped to write YJ) has recently cleared the air about that misconception though; he said that the show's toyline wasn't selling enough toys, so they didn't get the funding they needed to continue... Still, pretty lame way to get cancelled icon_confused.gif

No network in their right mind would dismiss their girl audience so easily, it's just that they want male eyeballs as well, and because of certain stigmas, it's easier to convince girls to check out boys' offerings than the other way around :) And as YJ has shown, if the show also exists to push toys, they'd also like to see those toys going off the shelves...


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P-girl
post Oct 1 2016, 8:33 AM
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Well, if anything, that's a lie.
I mean, Winx Club, at it's core, is meant to push toys. Mostly dolls.
And it's still going quite strong in the rest of the world.
So... Cancelling a show because girls watch it and you want to sell toys.... Not the greatest argument.
I dunno. U.S. Pop Culture regarding certain things is.... strange to me, as a Dutch person.

This post has been edited by P-girl: Oct 1 2016, 8:35 AM
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MylesDay
post Dec 12 2018, 11:32 AM
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I don't understand the ins and outs of US pop culture and marketing when it comes to cartoons and toys either. It's probably because that relationship is much more developed over there than where I'm from. I could be wrong.


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P-girl
post Dec 15 2018, 10:37 PM
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Would the new She-Ra count as a Magical Girl? I heard that one's doing gangbusters and is REALLY good.

This post has been edited by P-girl: Dec 15 2018, 10:38 PM
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