Hana no Ko Lunlun

English Title: Lulu, the Flower Angel
Ran shortly in North America as "Angel" during the 80s
Mangaka: Shiro Jinbo
Pub. Date: 1979
# of Vols.: 36 as of Dec. 2004

TV Series: 1979 (50 Episodes)
Movie (1979)
Konnichiwa Sakura no Sono (1980)

About a little French girl named Lunlun who searches out the Seven-Colored Flower after being asked by beings of another planet for help to find it, otherwise the prince can't take the throne (she is descended from flower fairies herself). She's helped by the mysterious boy, Serge, who turns out to be the very prince in question. An interesting note on this series is that each episode employed a theme from the language of flowers (which seemed to be an extensive symbol here, more than most shoujo productions).

From this series was coined a phrase that would stick in Japanese pop culture. The term "runrun" means "a young girl being in a happy mood typically humming a tune or doing something like that." Later the title of the Japanese shoujo magazine RunRun would be named from the saying as well.*

*Definition and note on runrun taken from translator's note for Utena ep. 4 from the now defunct Utena Encyclopedia (duellists.tj)

Magical Companions
Cateau-cat from Planet of Flower
Nouveau-dog from Planet of FLower

Magical Phrase
Fleur-French word for flower, she repeats this

Magical Items
Key of Flower-mirror she can transform her clothes with