Majokko Meg-chan

English Title: Little Witch Meg
Mangaka: Tomo Inoue & Akio Narita
Pub. Date: 1974
# of Vols.: 1

TV Series: 1974 (72 Episodes)
2 Movies between 1974-1975

Meg is a witch next in line for the throne in the Witch or Magic World, well she and her rival, Non. Like many magical girl witches of these worlds before her, Meg goes to the Human World and there resides with Mami, a witch who relinqueshed her claim to her former world after falling in love with a human and starting a family with him. For Meg the transition won't be easy as there are no family units in her old world, but she must learn about humans and Earth if she wishes to be the next Queen.

Little Witch Meg of course is known for several motifs it brought out in the series and that would show up in later shows of the genre. This is the first mahou shoujo to introduce a rival to the heroine. One later show that would employ this motif is Pretty Sammy. Two more things this show would become known for are having the sexuality of the heroine both addressed and played up, and the show dealt occasionally with serious topics within the family. The later series Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne would continue this with a heroine who comes from a broken home and who sometimes finds herself dealing with issues such as domestic abuse.

Fans who've seen the second season of Sailor Moon might recognize the motif of altering memory. When Meg comes to stay with her family, Mami alters her husband's and children's memories so that they think Meg is the eldest daughter. When Chibi Usa shows up at the Tsukino residence she uses her magic to make everyone believe she is Usagi and Shingo's little cousin.

It's possible the background story of Mami, coming from the other world and leaving it behind to start a family, could have been the inspiration for the backstory of Wedding Peach. Uragano basically relinqueshes his life in Akuma-Kai for the love of a mortal woman and their son. Celeste does the same while she can, choosing her life on Earth with her mortal family over her life in Tenshi-Kai.

A last note, the earlier series Cutey Honey also addressed the heroine's sexual side, but unlike Majokko Meg-chan, the original Cutey Honey ran for and was produced as a show targeted for a male audience. It wouldn't be til over 20 years later that Cutey Honey would be redone as a shoujo title.

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