Ask John: Why Do Magical Girl Shows Introduce Elder Characters Later?

Question:
There’s something I’ve noticed repeated in the magical girl shows I’ve seen- after the main group is introduced, they introduce one (or 2, in the case of Sailor Moon) new character who is colder, more aloof, older and usually more powerful than the main heroine and her friends. Here are the examples I can think of: Sailor Moon’s Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, then later the Sailor Starlights fill this role, Tokyo Mew Mew’s Zakuro, and Wedding Peach’s Angel Salvia.

Since I have only heard of it, I’m not sure whether Ojamajo Doremi has a character like this, though Onpu might count. Does this cliche have a plot purpose? Why is this character usually introduced later on in the story and not as part as the main group (Zakuro is somewhat an exception to this though even she is last)? This is just a cliche that intrigues me.

Answer:
I can assert a possible explanation, but since I don’t watch a lot of magical girl anime, I can’t promise that my theory is correct. I think that the purpose of introducing an older, more powerful, wise or experienced character is to create a sense of scope for the story. An experienced character implies that the story is larger and longer than the main character’s involvement. Logically an anime series like Tokyo Mew Mew or Sailor Moon begins by introducing an average young girl who is suddenly drawn or thrust into a conflict that affects more than just herself. This literary trope is useful because it allows viewers to relate to the story. As the protagonist is introduced to an epic adventure, the viewer is likewise drawn into the story. In the case of magical girl shows like Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure, the focus of the shows is exclusively on the main characters, so the story begins with the main characters and remains focused on them. In the case of programs like Sailor Moon and Tokyo Mew Mew, the adventure, the conflict itself is ultimately the main point of the show, and the protagonists are players within the larger conflict. In that case, it’s wise to first introduce and establish the primary cast, then introduce other characters that have been involved in the conflict for a longer time, or at least give that impression, so that the viewer apprehends a sense that the story is bigger than just the protagonists. The conflict began before the protagonists joined the battle; there have been other warriors involved in the conflict beside the ones that the program focuses on.

Programs like Tokyo Mew Mew and Sailor Moon create an epic, global scope by implying that the battles between good and evil in these shows have been ongoing and have involved many people beside just the main characters. Magical girl shows like Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure don’t introduce older, wiser or more experienced participants because the focus of these shows isn’t universal or global. Sailor Moon is about an intergalactic battle that has carried on for ages. Tokyo Mew Mew is about an alien menace that threatens the whole world. On the other hand, Ojamajo Doremi has no epic conflict. The program is about several young girls simply learning to grow up as witches. The conflict in Pretty Cure doesn’t directly involve the whole world. It’s focused directly on just the two members of Pretty Cure.

The master and apprentice relationship has existed for nearly as long as civilization itself. Its most evident recent literary illustration appears in Star Wars. Star Wars is full of young, maturing characters guided by older, wiser and more experienced masters. The master and apprentice theme isn’t directly evoked in magical girl anime; it’s implied. Sailor Moon and Tokyo Mew Mew feature mature, aloof characters as mentors for the younger protagonists. These older characters guide and protect the younger ones, encouraging them to persevere and mature by example. Shows like Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure have a different goal. Doremi and Pretty Cure seek to have their characters develop on their own. Their characters aren’t part of a larger, ongoing struggle, so they don’t need role models. The characters of Doremi and Pretty Cure are supposed to discover their own futures and potential by themselves, which creates an entirely different structure for the two types of shows.

Magical girl series that introduce older, more powerful characters do so to create a literary revelation- to create the impression that the story extends beyond just the protagonists. These characters also create a role model for the protagonists, and establish a physical goal for the protagonists to match then surpass.