Parody anime that pick apart well-beloved anime genres are usually beloved by the anime community, such as withKonosuba.But what if there was an anime likeKonosuba, but with magical girls? That’s whereMagical Girl Oreenters the scene. WherePuella Magi Madoka Magicaportrayedthe dark realities of magical girlsin a horrifying and psychologically damaging way, Magical Girl Ore pursues the same idea in a more comedic light. Most of the time.
Magical Girl Oretells the fail of a failing idol group, starring the daughter of an ex-magical girl and the sister of a famous pop idol. When the daughter of the ex-magical girl, named Saki, agrees to become her mother’s replacement and become a magical girl herself. When she finally transforms into her magical form, she turns into a buff anime man and defeats her foes with mainly violent brute force. But does this wacky premise translate into a good show?
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Genre Subversion Done Well
What this anime does best is subvert the magical girl genre. Although not as profound as the previously mentionedMadoka Magica, it challenges many of the same themes. The difference is in how it’s handled; with comedy.Instead of having magical abilities to take down foes, which are mainly buff squirrel creatures in the first place, the magical wand is a melee weapon to bludgeon their enemies to death with. It contextualizes the violence of magical girl series in a more graphic and literal way.
Besides that, it pokes fun at both the magical girl genre and the idol girl genre. Whenever it can point out how unrealistic idol girl anime is, especially when it comes to glossing over the throes of fame, it does. The anime shows a failing, unpopular idol group with no fans instead of theall-too-perfect image of new idol groupsthat we are used to. It also criticizes people who worship idol groups more than life itself, but to a lesser degree. There’s only so far down that rabbit hole before you’ve created another Satoshi Kon film, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.Magical Girl Orejust takes a different route.
The Plot Is Clunky
Unfortunately, the foundations and themes withMagical Girl Oredon’t make for the smoothest plot. Although the meanings they wanted to get across to get across, it’s admittedly hard to focus on all of these interesting themes through the wacky hijinks. Comedy-based anime with a point typically have this problem, however, with the notable exception ofKonosuba.It’s still worth noting that thewacky nature of this animeovershadows the critiques of its respective drama, which is a shame as the critiques are incredibly interesting points to think about.
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This back-and-forth with the anime’s humor and theme also affects the plot. Or should it be said, the bit of plot there is. Often it feels like theplot is crammed in to random parts of this anime, to the point where it would fix most of the anime’s issues if they let the plot take a backseat to the themes. Taking a more slice-of-life route with the plot would’ve suited this anime better, and possibly allowed for adequate timing for the show to explore its themes throughout. Instead, the viewer feels thrown around from plot, to critique, to more plot, to filler, and then too many plot developments all at once. This ends up detracting from the positive elements of the show.
Is It Worth Watching?
Obviously, this is completely up to you as a viewer. This anime has a mixed bag of strong points and weak points, and what the audience values more will determine whether you want to watch this anime. If you are the kind of person who wantsperfectly crafted thematic elementsthat blend seamlessly into the plot, thenMagical Girl Oreisn’t for you. If you haven’t already, genre-subverting anime that may appeal to you more may beMadoka Magica, Neon Genesis Evangelion,andSchool-Live.Be warned, all of these anime have incredibly dark content matter, both literally and psychologically, however, they all are worth at least one watch.
However, if you’re just looking for a short bit of fun, then maybeMagical Girl Oreis for you. Sure, it isn’t perfect, and the animation’s inconsistencies are evident throughout, but it’s still a fun ride. Not every anime needs to be the existential-crisis-inducing think piece; sometimes, it’s okay for an anime to just be okay. Sometimes just watching an anime because it’s weird and hilarious is a perfectly good reason to watch an anime, or any show.Magical Girl Oreisn’t a perfect show, but it was never trying to be. It was created to be a subversion of two genres,which is what it excels at.
