Majokko Megu-chan

Majokko Megu-chan (魔女っ子メグちゃん; lit. Meg the Little Witch) is a Japanese magical girl anime television series. The manga was created by Tomô Inoue and Makiho Narita, while the 72-episode anime series was produced by Toei Animation between 1974 and 1975. This series is considered an important forerunner of the present day magical girl genre, as the series' characterization and general structure exerted considerable influence over future shows in the same genre. Most notably, several of the show's recurring motifs inspired Toei's Sailor Moon, AIC's Pretty Sammy, and (to a lesser degree) Wedding Peach.

Majokko Megu-chan
Title screen from episode 1.
魔女っ子メグちゃん
Genre	Magical girl
Anime television series
Directed by	Shingo Araki Yugo Serikawa
Produced by	Eisuke Ozawa
Written by	Fumihito Imamura Hiroyasu Yamaura Masaki Tsuji Seiji Matsuoka Shun'ichi Yukimuro Toyohiro Andô
Music by	Takeo Watanabe
Studio	Toei Animation
Original network	NET (TV Asahi)
Original run	1 April 1974 – 29 September 1975
Episodes	72

Story

Megu-Chan follows the experiences of a powerful (but accident-prone) young witch who comes to Earth as part of her initiation into larger society.^[1] Megu is a contender for the throne of the Witch World but knows very little of human relationships. Sent to Mid-World (Earth) in her early teens, she is adopted by Mammi Kanzaki, a former witch who gave up her royal ambitions to wed a mortal. Mammi bewitches her husband and their two children, Rabi and Apo, into believing that Megu has always been the eldest child of the family (the concept of using magic to alter memory would turn up again in future magical girl series, such as Majokko Tickle and Sailor Moon). Under Mammi's tutelage, Megu learns to control both her abilities and impulses in order to prove her worthiness for the crown.

This rite of passage subtext is continued throughout the series. A free spirit in the purest sense of the word, Megu-chan discovers emotions she had never known existed – loneliness, compassion, grief, love, desperation, and (perhaps most importantly) self-sacrifice. As the story progresses, she proves the nobility of her character through the various trials and tribulations of youth, evolving from a willful and rather selfish little girl into a kind, generous, loving young woman. She battles monsters, demons, and rival sorcerers (including her nemesis, Non), but quickly realizes that her true enemy is the darker side of human nature.

Episodes

Of the anime's 72 episodes, 7 episodes were omitted from international releases and were never broadcast outside of Japan due to their controversial nature.

1. Here Comes the Pretty Witch (April 1, 1974)
2. That Girl is My Rival (April 8, 1974)
3. Lots of Witches (April 15, 1974)
4. Light of Our Home (April 22, 1974)
5. Witch of Love (April 29, 1974)
6. Papa Can't Afford to Laugh (May 6, 1974)
7. My Longing for Meg (May 13, 1974)
8. A Genius Venting His Anger (May 20, 1974)
9. Song of Sincerity (May 27, 1974)
10. Marvelous Balloon Trip (June 3, 1974)
11. Messenger From the Moon (June 10, 1974)
12. Bow-Wow Riot (June 17, 1974)
13. Duel! The Magical Mansion! (June 24, 1974)
14. The Phantom Harp (July 1, 1974)
15. Papa's Girlfriend?! (July 8, 1974)
16. From the Sky with Love (July 15, 1974)
17. Meg Times Two (July 22, 1974)
18. The Old Castle's Love Story (July 29, 1974)
19. Goodbye, Mr. Ghost (August 5, 1974)
20. Walk, Mil! (August 12, 1974)
21. Ex-Witch Granny Chuck (August 19, 1974)
22. When Do the Stars Fall Into the Sea? (August 26, 1974) (Japan-only)
23. The Great Tearful Humiliation Operation (September 2, 1974)
24. The Stolen Dress (September 9, 1974)
25. The Phantom Boy (September 16, 1974) (Japan-only)
26. The Great Magical Battle (September 23, 1974)
27. The Curse of Scorpio (September 30, 1974)
28. The Baby Scandal (October 7, 1974) (Japan-only)
29. Tears of an Angel (October 14, 1974) (Japan-only)
30. The Mysterious Bullied Girl (October 21, 1974)
31. Yodel of Love (October 28, 1974)
32. Shadow of a Witch Fluttering Her Wings (November 4, 1974)
33. Saturn's Messenger (November 11, 1974)
34. Uninvited Guests (November 18, 1974)
35. The White Horse Upstairs in Our House (November 25, 1974)
36. The Dolls That Left (December 2, 1974)
37. The Strange Transfer Student (December 9, 1974)
38. Paper Planes Bound Far Away (December 16, 1974)
39. Santa's Name is Apo (December 23, 1974)
40. The Great Tomboy Race! (January 6, 1975)
41. The Lost Polar Bear (January 13, 1975)
42. Friendship at the Snow Festival (January 20, 1975)
43. The Secret Snow Bird (January 27, 1975)
44. The Age of Rebellion is Here (February 3, 1975)
45. Red Shoes of Friendship (February 10, 1975)
46. Tale of North Spring Winds (February 17, 1975)
47. Spring in a Yacht (February 24, 1975)
48. A Doll's Poem (March 3, 1975)
49. Pinwheel's Song (March 10, 1975)
50. The Flying Bag (March 17, 1975)
51. Please Take Care of Taro (March 24, 1975)
52. Gonbei Returns (March 31, 1975)
53. The Magic World's Failure (April 7, 1975)
54. Missing Cat (April 14, 1975)
55. Who's the Criminal? (April 21, 1975)
56. Secret of The White Lily (April 28, 1975) (Japan-only)
57. Carp Streamers High in the Sky (May 5, 1975)
58. Where is Gonbei? (May 12, 1975)
59. The Girl in The Rain (May 26, 1975) (Japan-only)
60. Young Master's Great Circus (June 2, 1975)
61. The Rain Man (June 16, 1975)
62. Due by Midnight, Bound for The Witch Kingdom (June 23, 1975)
63. The Blue Star of Tanabata (July 7, 1975)
64. The Fuss Over Swimming (July 14, 1975)
65. The Dreamy Trolley Car (July 21, 1975)
66. Foggy Morning Paper, Taro (August 4, 1975) (Japan-only)
67. The Guitar and the Boy (August 18, 1975)
68. Nya-Nya! Summer Vacation! (August 25, 1975)
69. Revenge Dog Sigma (September 8, 1975)
70. Great Kite, Fly Me with the Sea Wind (September 15, 1975)
71. Final Battle: The Greatest Magic! (September 22, 1975)
72. Farewell, Meg (September 29, 1975)

Music

In episode 27, Megu watches Misty Honey from Cutie Honey on TV singing the Cutie Honey theme. The same vocalist, Yoko Maekawa, performed the theme songs for both Cutie Honey and Megu-chan.

The series also reused some incidental music from an earlier magical-girl series by Toei, 1970's Mahō no Mako-chan. Takeo Watanabe composed the music for both series.

Opening theme

• Majokko Megu-chan / Little Meg the Witch Girl

Lyrics: Kazuya Senke

Composition: Takeo Watanabe

Arrangement: Yuji Matsuyama

Performance: Yoko Maekawa

Ending theme

• Hitori Bocchi no Megu / Megu is All Alone

Lyrics: Toru Okato

Composition: Takeo Watanabe

Arrangement: Yuji Matsuyama

Performance: Yoko Maekawa