Monday 29 March 2004

Pic of the day: If only ... (Screenshot from anime Akazukin Chacha.

Chacha shoujo anime

I have no top secret projects after work on Monday, so today is writing day, yes? No. Because I have 40+ episodes left to watch of a TV series for children. I talk, of course, about anime once again. In Japan, manga (comics) and anime (cartoons) come in various forms for children, teens and adults, for boys and girls, for salarymen and housewives, for the pious and for the perverts. Serial art permeates society more than in any other country. Most of my favorite anime is for young adults, actually. But sometimes I stumble on a good series made for some other audience. Akazukin Chacha is such a thing. It is pretty clearly made for children. And more specifically, girls.

There is a stereotype in anime called something like "mahou shoujo", magical girl. It is usually targeted at fairly small kids, and contains much silliness. The heroine, a small girl, is for some reason given the ability to transform into a young woman, usually once per episode, and in this form she has some kind of near invincible magic power. The transformation sequence usually takes a long time, during which time stands still (which is a good thing since the main character is usually on the brink of total defeat).

Chacha is such a shoujo anime, but with a twist. Usually a magical girl uses some bauble or gadget to power up; but Chacha also needs the cooperation of her two boy friends, one whom she loves and one who loves her. (For junior values of love, obviously; they are all prepubescent.) The two boys don't play well together, as can be expected. But each of them holds an item that is necessary for Chacha to change into her adult form and save the day. A fascinating concept, don't you think? Or is it just me? ^_^*

***

The songs may be the best part of it, though. I can listen to them again and again. The melodies are so beautiful. They make me want to fly. Then again, I want to fly a lot. The text is kinda plain without the melody, but I'll include it for completeness. I've fixed the English a little where it looked even weirder than this.

If only we could show each other our hearts,
we could find the answers.
I'm sorry for not understanding
what made you cry.
If only we hit it off with our heart,
our relationship would change.
Your feeling toward me all this time ...
I'll hug you when I have trouble sleeping.
If only we could show each other our hearts,
we could find the answers.

OK, perhaps it was better in Japanese which I don't really understand... Doesn't sound like it was written for a children's cartoon, does it?

A bright shining jet stream
is forming straight in the blue sky.
Let's go search to see what we will find,
I'll give you courage to fly to the dream;
riding on the wind
blowing through the vast grassland...
The smile suits you best,
so don't give in to sorrow!
The smile is my favorite;
I always believe that the wish will come true.