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Now in Japan
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Written by maehara
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Saturday, 17 June 2006 00:00 |
 Some series are just too cute not to like, despite barely having a shred of originality behind them - usually magical girl shows, which I freely admit are my greatest weakspot. Magical Pokan is the latest magical girl series to hit my screen, and while it's not quite as sugary-sweet as say, Cardcaptor Sakura (there's a limit on cuteness when werewolves and vampires are involved), I still can't help but go "Awww"...
1a - The First Spell is an Easy Trap
Four girls have come to the human world from the Netherworld: Yuuma, a witch; Pachira, a vampiress; Liru, a werewolf; and Aiko, an android. They've set up home in a treehouse, but life on Earth isn't going according to plan. While Pachira is out looking for tasty necks one night, she's captured by Super Doctor K-Ko, who;s determined to prove the existence of "draculan women". Fortunately, he creature sidekicks are able to alert Pachira's friends, who rush to... make fun of her. "Rescue" seems to be a secondary concern - and K-Ko's quite happy to keep increasing her collection. Only problem is, she didn't allow for the existence of witches - which only makes Yuuma pissed...
1b - The Afternoon Spell is a Red Cab
The mailman catches Yuuma's attention - especially the way he seems to delivery something to each house. Except theirs, which bothers her greatly. The other girls explain that to get mail, it would probably help to have a mailbox. Even when she builds one, though, there's still the minor detail of getting someone to write to her. Perhaps Yuuma's magic could solve the problem..?
The Red Dwarf fan in me had to grin when I saw the otaku's t-shirt in 1a. Moving quickly onwards - this is one of those series where there's not really much to write about, as it's extremely simple in concept: the adventures of four students from the Netherworld doing their "work experience" on earth. That's not even remotely new or unique (although the particular cast of characters is an unusual mix), so any appeal the series will have comes from the execution. Like Bottle Fairy or Snow Fairy Sugar, Magical Pokan seems aimed more at the adult moe-loving audience while making a deliberate effort to be cute - and it does it well enough to be enjoyable to watch, despite its flaws.
Having each episode split into two short halves is a good move, as the slapstick sort of humour here can wear a bit thin when it's overused - keep the episodes short and the gags don't get a chance to wear thin - and the characters are the cutest bunch I've seen in a while. Add it together, and against my better judgement Magical Pokan becomes a keeper. It certainly won't be to everyone's taste - it's one of those shows that will either grab you by the throat or repel you completely - but personally, I found it hard not to love it... |
