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The Controversy over the Definition of Magical Maiden: What exactly is’ Wangdao ‘?
As a phenomenal anime, “Magical Girl Little Circle” has been often referred to as a “anti royal” or “evil” magical girl work since its premiere in 2011. It subverted the audience’s expectations of traditional magical girls and had a huge impact. However, this raises a fundamental question – what exactly is the so-called ‘royal magic girl’?
Recently, Japanese netizens have engaged in heated discussions, revealing the complexity and diversity in the evolution of magical girls.
The complexity of defining a magical girl
Many Japanese netizens have pointed out that before “Magical Girl Xiaoyuan”, there was no explicit “Wangdao Magical Girl” work. Netizen LOLISKY said in the discussion, “The history of magical girls is very complex, and there is no clear standard to define the so-called ‘royal magic girl animation’
This viewpoint has sparked a large number of responses, and netizens have begun to discuss what kind of works can be called “kingship” and what is “anti kingship”?
Some netizens have mentioned that ‘The Little Witch DoReMi’ may conform to the public’s understanding of ‘kingship’. Although this work does not explicitly claim to be a magical girl anime, it revolves around magic and girls, and the story is full of ease and positive energy.
Other netizens believe that the history of Magical Girl can be traced back to early works such as “Sweet Little Angel” and “Magic Candy”, but there is still controversy over whether their influence is sufficient to define “kingship”.
Combat and Non combat: The Two Major Systems of Magical Girls
As the discussion deepened, many netizens proposed two main directions for the evolution of magical girls:The Magical Girl Who Solves ProblemsWithCombat type magical girl. The earliest magical girls usually did not participate in battles, and their magic was more used to help others or solve small problems in life.
For example, in works like ‘Magic Makes Sally’, the protagonist often uses magic to drive the development of daily plot rather than participating in intense battles.
However, as time passed, works of combat oriented magical girls began to emerge, represented by “Sweetheart Warrior”.
It pioneered the mode of magical girls fighting against enemies, which gradually influenced subsequent magical girl animations and was further developed in works such as “Sailor Moon”.
Therefore, some netizens pointed out that “the magical girl has deviated from the original way of fighting
The Diversity of Magical Girls and the Changes of Times
Many netizens also emphasized that the concept of magical girls has undergone significant changes with the passage of time. A netizen said, “The definition of the so-called ‘Wangdao’ magical girl animation will change with the times, so it is difficult to give an exact example that meets everyone’s expectations
This indicates that magical girls’ works from different eras have their representativeness, and their characteristics and styles are also influenced by the social and cultural factors of that time.
Netizens have also discussed that modern magical girl animations, especially those after “Magical Girl Little Circle,” tend to have dark, reversed, or tragic colors. Although this type of work was influenced by “Magical Girl Little Circle”, they did not completely replace early magical girl works. In fact, modern magical girl animations exhibit a high degree of diversity in style, theme, and narrative structure.
The Vague Boundary between Wangdao and Anti Wangdao
Some netizens believe that “Wangdao” and “routine” are often confused, and there is no unified definition of “Wangdao” among people.
In fact, the evolution of the magical girl is so complex that it is difficult to accurately define a certain work as “royal” or “anti royal”. Many people have also suggested that magical girl works actually contain elements of “evil ways” from the beginning, as they mix many different types of elements, including cute girls, transformations, battles, adventures, etc., making it difficult to find a unified standard.
Netizens give examples: “Some magical girls use fists and feet to fight, some drive robots, some wear mini skirts or sailor suits, and some are characters with a melancholic style
These differences indicate that different magical girl works have a wide range of creative expression techniques, making it difficult to find a “greatest common divisor” to summarize what “kingship” is.
The Diversity and Future of Magical Girls
Through this discussion, it can be seen that the theme of magical girls itself contains enormous diversity and creative space. Whether it is the “royal way” or the “anti royal way”, the development of magical girl works has never been confined to a fixed form, but has constantly evolved with the changing needs of the times, culture, and audience. As summarized by netizens, “No work can fully meet everyone’s expectations for ‘Magical Girl’
As the theme of magical girls continues to evolve, there may be more works with different styles in the future. And it is precisely this diversity that has kept the Magical Girl anime attractive for decades, continuously influencing generations of audiences.