(L+CR) Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku (Magical Girl Raising Project)

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for ep1:

Rokyubu wo Kakeru Madoka

That said, I will give them credit for the boy -> girl transformation fetish thing. That itself was nice. Now for some fanservice scenes of him/her... Fuhehehe.

[Kuroageha]

Rokyu-

No. Stop there it doesn't make any sense.


Sato is best girl(?).

Originally Posted by alex_drian

I get angry when they resurrected to the dead magical girls at the end

They didn't. Different characters.

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

P.S: a total nitpick here, but isn't La Pucelle supposed to be a spear? Its not like we haven't had a memorable magical lancer before.

Wasn't that just the title for Jean D'Arc who was a girl dressing as a boy?

Well, here it is a boy dressing (?) as girl.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Oh, that’s nice. The battle-royal premise caught my interest and the MC reminded me of pre-Sailormoon Magical Girls who are more about helping people in need than kicking demons' asses.

And let’s not forget my favorite element of the show so far: A Legit Magical Trap!!!

Originally Posted by Peanutbutter

La Pucelle makes me confused. I dun know how my body should react.

As someone who have experienced Ranma ½, Birdie the Mighty Decode, the latest arc of D-Gray-Man, and other shows with similar element, I think I’m already used to this “gender confusion” . But for some reason, I’m still disturbed by that Magical-Boys show that I dropped (title escaped me right now).

[Flower]

Ep 01

Well, I am not quite sure what to think of the first ep of the series...in many ways it feels like it spent a lot of time just setting things up, which is fine and all, but still no clear initial read for me yet.

Will try another ep and see where things go, I think.

[Nachtwandler]

I just leave it here:

YouTube

https://youtu.be/5Wg9ryK-jJU

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[Dengar]

I doubt this will be the "best show of the season".

But I have a feeling this might end up becoming my personal favorite... because reasons.

[Zefyris]

La Pucelle refers directly to Jeanne d'arc indeed, who is usually pictured (when in armor) with a standard and a sword.
No spear involve here.


@Nachtwandler nice, thanks.

@alex_drian what show are you even talking about? I genuinely don't get it O_o

@serenade_beta what is roukyuu bu even doing in there?


@Yamada II please not "la puce" lol x). pucelle is a female virgin, puce is either a flea, a midget or a chip. ^^"

[IceHism]

Oh touyama was really enjoyable to listen to here. Didn't even recognize sou as ayaneru .

Can't wait for the battle royale and the incoming darkness to start

[Sagitta Luminis]

I'm praying for this anime to be good, even though experience has long taught me to lower my expectations to the floor.

[Crazy Frog]

Ost is good. I have high expectation for this..

[Triple_R]

@Nachtwandler - Thanks for linking to the full ED song! It's great. ^_^

Ange Vierge is definitely my favorite anime OP/OP song of the year, and now Ikusei Keikaku has my definite favorite ED/ED song of the year.

Originally Posted by Sagitta Luminis

I'm praying for this anime to be good, even though experience has long taught me to lower my expectations to the floor.

Have bad experiences with darker-toned mahou shoujo shows?

[Magewolf]

Maybe it is just my taste for blood dying down with age but I sort of wish they had left out the dark turn with this show. I think I would have enjoyed a SOL cute girls/boy doing cute magical girl things with this cast. Learning to be their best with no real oversight and seeing the back stories of everyone.

[MeoTwister5]

I have what you could say a love-hate relationship with Madoka Magica, and specifically speaking the dark Mahou Shoujo phenomenon that the show started the day Mami bit off more than she could chew (or was a victim thereof). On one hand I appreciate what Urobuchi managed to do with a degree of stone cold darkness and gravitas that was deemed all but impossible for the genre. On the other hand I'm also a purist for the genre having grown on Cardcaptor Sakura and Nanoha. Sure they had some darker serious moments, but when Madoka Magica hit the scene it's as if there was this noticeable paradigm shift in what you could see and expect from the genre.

With that in mind, if we were to assume that the show's premier and synopsis are true then it looks like we're being set up for something you'd think lighthearted and cute, then we'll get dumped into the dark underbelly of this show's magical rules. The episode played out very similar to the... prototype(?) of the subgenre and I'm sure the comparisons will be made.

The episode wasn't bad, it was kind of good, but given the inevitable comparisons that will be made the show will need to do something to make it stand out. That phone AI voice better not be the show's Inkyubeytor stand in at least.

[Zefyris]

Originally Posted by Magewolf

Maybe it is just my taste for blood dying down with age but I sort of wish they had left out the dark turn with this show. I think I would have enjoyed a SOL cute girls/boy doing cute magical girl things with this cast. Learning to be their best with no real oversight and seeing the back stories of everyone.

This season is full of magical girl shows and Mahoiku is pretty much the only one that goes in such route so I'd say you can easily find what you'd like to see on that point .

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

The episode wasn't bad, it was kind of good, but given the inevitable comparisons that will be made the show will need to do something to make it stand out.

This show already stands out in two big ways.

1. Koyuki/Snow White is a life-long magical girl fan. Outside of comedy shows like Ore no Twintail, I don't think I've ever seen that before in a magical girl lead character. Some magical girl leads quickly embrace their new magical girl role, some whine about it and have to grow into it, and some fall between the extremes... but Koyuki isn't simply embracing some exciting and new reality that connects with her altruistic spirit, as this is the dream of a lifetime for her. Out of the magical girl shows I've seen, that's truly different. It gives the show a stronger meta-edge, in my view, It also makes Koyuki very charming and more relatable to me. If you're a fan of this genre, as I am, then it's very nice and easy to connect with Koyuki as she's also a fan. And it's also very easy to connect this way to Souta. Speaking of which...

2. What male magical girl fan hasn't felt like Souta does, at least at some point in your life? I've never wanted to actually be a magical girl, like what Souta is doing, but I relate some to his more basic fandom issues. Souta/La Pucelle is one of the most interesting and fascinating anime characters I've seen in recent years. A very bold character concept here, in my opinion. And so far, I think they're handling it very tastefully. (Yes, I'm aware Sailor Moon's final season had something very similar to this, but having this sort of thing right off the bat with one of the main characters seems very fresh and different to me).


Dark or light or anything between, this show would stand out to me due to Koyuki and Souta's characters.

[MeoTwister5]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

This show already stands out in two big ways.

1. Koyuki/Snow White is a life-long magical girl fan. Outside of comedy shows like Ore no Twintail, I don't think I've ever seen that before in a magical girl lead character. Some lead magical girls quickly embrace their new magical girl role, some whine about it and have to grow into it, and some fall between the extremes... but Koyuki isn't simply embracing some exciting and new reality that connects with her altruistic spirit, as this is the dream of a lifetime for her. Out of the magical girl shows I've seen*, that's truly different. It gives the show a stronger meta-edge, in my view, It also makes Koyuki very charming and more relatable to me. If you're a fan of this genre, as I am, then it's very nice and easy to connect with Koyuki as she's also a fan. And it's also very easy to connect this way to Souta. Speaking of which...

2. What male magical girl fan hasn't felt like Souta does, at least at some point in your life? I've never wanted to actually be a magical girl, like what Souta is doing, but I relate some to his more basic fandom issues. Souta/La Pucelle is one of the most interesting and fascinating anime characters I've seen in recent years. A very bold character concept here, in my opinion. And so far, I think they're handling it very tastefully. (Yes, I'm aware Sailor Moon's final season had something very similar to this, but having this sort of thing right off the bat with one of the main characters seems very fresh and different to me).


Dark or light or anything between, this show would stand out to me due to Koyuki and Souta's characters.

I would argue that Madoka also wanted to be one at some point in the story, partially egged on by Mami before THAT episode. I see similarities between the 2, except Koyuki being more excited fangirl most of the time. If we want to see how she'll be differentiated from the girl she will also be compared to (whether we like it or not), it will be how she reacts to the eventual news of the Mahou Soujo being downsized and what she'll do about it.

As for Souto he's coming off a bit like a fanboy with a hobby that isn't what you'd call social and gender acceptable, but we'll see. I actually had a... uh... Mahou Shounen phase in my youth, minus the frilly clothing and frilly magic and shit, so it's not exactly a novel concept to me, which is why I don't exactly see him as unique. I've even seen some in local cons in my country so... yeah...

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by Kuroageha

Rokyu-

No. Stop there it doesn't make any sense.


Sato is best girl(?).


They didn't. Different characters.


Wasn't that just the title for Jean D'Arc who was a girl dressing as a boy?

Well, here it is a boy dressing (?) as girl.

Originally Posted by Zefyris

La Pucelle refers directly to Jeanne d'arc indeed, who is usually pictured (when in armor) with a standard and a sword.
No spear involve here.

Thanks for clearing that up. A much more fitting title for the magical trap than I expected No, really, when you consider she/he is paired up with a girl called Snow White, the story is telling us something about this two.

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Oh, that’s nice. The battle-royal premise caught my interest and the MC reminded me of pre-Sailormoon Magical Girls who are more about helping people in need than kicking demons' asses.

And let’s not forget my favorite element of the show so far: A Legit Magical Trap!!!

This isn't the first magical trap, just to be clear. There's been at least one manga doing it before, and there wasn't even a magic gender change involved, just a girly looking boy.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

I would argue that Madoka also wanted to be one at some point in the story, partially egged on by Mami before THAT episode.

Exactly. After she met Mami. I would argue that it's very different to be inspired into something by another person than it is to develop your own passionate fandom on your own throughout your childhood and life. I'm not saying that the "inspired into" approach is necessarily shallower, but there's a certain fullness to the life-long fan that stands out well to me. Plus, the life-long fan has already made this hers. When you're inspired by another person, comparisons between yourself and the person who inspired you are liable to arise. Koyuki isn't measuring herself against Mami Tomoe, Koyuki is measuring herself against her own personal conception of the ideal magical girl. I've always been interested in the concept of platonic ideals, so this does resonate a lot for me.

As for Souto he's coming off a bit like a fanboy with a hobby that isn't what you'd call social and gender acceptable, but we'll see. I actually had a... uh... Mahou Shounen phase in my youth, minus the frilly clothing and frilly magic and shit, so it's not exactly a novel concept to me.

So don't you think it might be interesting to see how Souta compares to the phase that you yourself went through? Doesn't that give you some degree of connection to him?

The core idea may not be novel, but I certainly don't recall seeing this explored in anime much. Off the top of my head, the only other place I remember seeing guy-to-magical girl was Sailor Moon's last season.

[BWTraveller]

Koyuki: "So you're really a girl now?"
Souta: "When transformed I'm completely female. Yes I'm sure of it... Probably..."
Koyuki: "Oh, I see..." and LOOKS DOWN
Loved that. Hopefully we'll see some development for me and my fellow childhood-friend fans. And we can have scenes for both the hetero and the yuri fans so bonus there too.

I just hope one of her two friends at the start wind up turning; either that or one of them finds out or suffers some form of incident. Just to make things interesting.

[MeoTwister5]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Exactly. After she met Mami. I would argue that it's very different to be inspired into something by another person than it is to develop your own passionate fandom on your own throughout your childhood and life. I'm not saying that the "inspired into" approach is necessarily shallower, but there's a certain fullness to the life-long fan that stands out well to me. Plus, the life-long fan has already made this hers. When you're inspired by another person, comparisons between yourself and the person who inspired you are liable to arise. Koyuki isn't measuring herself against Mami Tomoe, Koyuki is measuring herself against her own personal conception of the ideal magical girl. I've always been interested in the concept of platonic ideals, so this does resonate a lot for me.

While Mami became one not so much due to choice but more of circumstance, the similarities lie in the romanticized and idealized notion of what Mahou Shoujo is. While we can argue that Mami was sort of Madoka's inspiration after seeing her in action, she already held on to idealized beliefs of what a MS is, and Koyuki falls much more into this category given she's been wanting to be one since as long as she can remember.

And it's precisely this similarity and state of mind that produced the gravitas of Madoka, and eventually Koyuki's, realization that being a MS isn't all it's cracked up to be. The higher the pedestal, the higher the fall. You could say that Koyuki's MS pedestal is higher than anyone in the Madoka cast ever had. It happened then, it'll happen again, with probably similar results. I make the comparison because it seems eventual, and I would have hoped for a different approach rather than a similar character holding a similar naivete who's eventual fall satisfies the viewer's Schadenfreude.

So don't you think it might be interesting to see how Souta compares to the phase that you yourself went through? Doesn't that give you some degree of connection to him?

The core idea may not be novel, but I certainly don't recall seeing this explored in anime much. Off the top of my head, the only other place I remember seeing guy-to-magical girl was Sailor Moon's last season.

Not so much because I assume the culture difference. Such things aren't exactly THAT frowned upon where I live. When you go to a con filled with businessmen, lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers and other full blown professionals wearing everything from Naruto to a pedobear suit, seeing an elementary schooler crossdressing to a character they isn't something a lot of people bat an eyelash over.