Magical Girls and the Men Who Love Them, Part 2
Now that I’ve laid out the history of male-aimed Magical Girl shows and their gradual rise to success and popularity over the past 20 years, the question arises: how has the increased presence of these shows affected the genre as a whole?
The main thing I’ve noticed when comparing MG shows of the 2000s with those of the 90s is that the visual age of the average heroine has sunk like a stone, especially in Magic Warrior shows. The heroines of 90s girl-aimed shows were usually leggy willowy girls who looked to be in their mid-to-late teens, and the heroines of male-aimed shows looked even older, ranging in visual age from late teens to early twenties, since male-aimed shows of that era usually relied on large racks to sell themselves. Mixed in with these were a few younger girls as well as some younger girls who would transform into older bustier alter egos.
Fast forward to the 2000s and suddenly everyone is looking a lot younger. Some of these are because the heroines genuinely are really young or because they look significantly younger than they are.
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Part 2 of an amazing series so far. I love Magical Girls but there was this moment in the early 2000’s where I just realized that they weren’t being made for me anymore. :(
