Everyone hates 4Kids Entertainment. Everyone. Well, almost everyone. Most people would cringe at the thought of Al Kahnnote getting his grubby hands on a fan-favorite "mature" series such as the innocent-looking Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but did you ever think someone cared enough about the idea for it to happen?
Magical Molly! is a hypothetical 4Kids Entertainment dubbed version of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. As you may know, 4Kids lives up to its name, and its most infamous anime dub jobs involve heavy amounts of Bowdlerization and Cultural Translation in order to market the series to children. (See One Piece.) Not to mention that they try to merchandise their series to hell and back. Sure, Madoka is one of the darkest anime series of all time, but the art style lends itself very well to a cute Magical Girl show for young girls. Needless to say, 4Kids wouldn't dare waste such enormous untapped marketing potential.
The series also has a hypothetical Japanese Gag Dub, done by most of the original Madoka voice actors,note which is intended as a parody of the American dub, marketed towards the adult fans of the original Madoka.
The idea started with the infamous "Cake Planet"
◊ meme, but was later expanded upon by Ruto on Tumblr.
While Ruto has since abandoned the concept, one fan, Xyuehong,note has taken it upon himself to document every single (thankfully) non-existent Magical Molly character, comic, episode and toy in existence, even opting for Adaptation Expansion. The level of devotion is rather impressive, but why someone would care enough about a (thankfully) imaginary 4Kids dub to do so is beyond comprehension.
Facebook (Currently running), Wikia, and ask blog pages here, all by Xyuehong.
Magical Molly! provides examples of:
- Audience Shift: Seeing that this is 4Kids, the "show" is now aimed at children.
- Bowdlerize: Everyone and everything in the series, as per 4Kids tradition. For example, just like in Yu-Gi-Oh!, death here is replaced with the "Dark World".
- Bloodless Carnage: as seen in the 7th Episode, in which "Sabrina" (Sayaka) destroys the Shadow Witch (Elsa Maria).
- Bold Inflation: Often, on his pages, Xyuehong uses ALL CAPITALS and occasionally BOLDING to emphasize a point.
- Brain Bleach: Some of the 4Kids dub aspects are played so straight so as to likely invoke this with the reader. In fact, the writing and expansiveness of the concept suggests that the author actually wants Magical Molly! to exist; it is unknown whether this is true or not, but the very idea that someone out there actually wants that - even merely to drive home the point about franchise-ruining adaptations - is indeed Brain Bleach.
- Cultural Translation: Duh. For instance, the Tumblr page's image shows Madoka's (now "Molly's") onigiri edited into some weird orange-colored snack with a straw sticking out of it, which is allegedly a jelly donut.
- Dub Name Change: Everyone and everything in the series, as per 4Kids tradition. Madoka becomes "Molly Kelley", Homura becomes "Hilda Adams", etc. Averted with the original series' Homura, who cameos in the Japanese dub.
- Family-Friendly Firearms: The guns are completely uncensored, but they add their own beam effects. Until Episode 10 to 11.
- Growing the Beard: In-universe example (well, kinda)note . The "show" is noted to become darker and slightly better-received after Episode 6.
- Inconsistent Dub / Freudian Slip: Mami is called "Mami" instead of "Maria" in one ask blog post.
- Insane Troll Logic: Apparently this whole thing got started in-universe when 4Kids tried to market teens and adults with shows like Friends with the Titans and ScissorLaScissor, thinking it would stop the Periphery Hatedom.
- Lighter and Softer: Everyone and everything in the series, as per 4Kids tradition.
- Live-Action Adaptation: Not of the "show" itself, but in the alternate universe where Magical Molly! exists, there's apparently a live-action Adventure Time movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan. You all know what that means...
- The Merch: Inevitable, seeing as it's 4Kids, the licensor of Pokémon: The Series and Yu-Gi-Oh!.note It even includes a McDonald's toy promotion.
- Never Say "Die": Everyone and everything in the series, as per 4Kids tradition. Averted on the ask blog, where "Kacey" says how she wants to "kill all the witches", which shows how tenuous a grasp the author has on the whole "4Kids parody" concept.
- No Name Given: The witches don't have names here; instead, they're referred to as "the Dessert Witch", "the TV Witch", etc.
- Old Shame: Xyuehong seems to be aware that his parody isn't doing everything right, and claims that it's too late to fix any mistakes but is trying to avert these mistakes with his other 4Kids parodies.
- Pet the Dog: Xyuehong seems to be doing this to 4Kids Entertainment itself, trying to paint Magical Molly! as a competent and well-received effort on their part. Still, no one likes the Dub Name Changes, bowdlerization and censorship. In fact, no one knows in what universe such a dub by 4Kids would be well-received in the first place.
- Retraux: Qualifies somewhat, seeing as the "show" is written in the style of mid-2000s 4Kids dubs. 4Kids hardly dubs anime anymore, let alone in the style they are infamous for.
- So Bad, It's Horrible: Again, in-universe (kinda). The first 6 episodes are just as terrible as one would expect a 4Kids Madoka dub to be.
- Spiritual Successor: To past 4Kids dub parodies, including "Casey And Friends"(Higurashi: When They Cry) and "Breath Note" (Death Note). The former was even referenced on the "show"'s Tumblr.
- Stealth Parody: Acts like one, but is clearly not meant to be taken seriously. Needless to say, this hasn't stopped some fans from sounding the alarm.
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: For some reason, Xyuehong hasn't incorporated the "Cake Planet" meme into the "series".
- X Meets Y: Puella Magi Madoka Magica meets 4Kids Entertainment meets... Sonichu.
The Japanese dub provides examples of:
- Abridged Series: Dubbed in this style, but the episodes are full-length.
- Alternate Continuity: The Japanese dub of Magical Molly! takes place in an alternate continuity from the original Madoka Magica. The original series' Homura created the Magical Molly! continuity when she spilled some coffee on a 4Kids licensor's laptop during a witch chase.
- Darker and Edgier: Still Lighter and Softer than the uncensored Madoka series, but contains more adult jokes and content than the English 4Kids dub.
- Denser and Wackier: It's also more comedy-based, since a Japanese redub wouldn't work any other way.
- Defictionalization: In the Japanese Magical Molly!'s backstory, 4Kids was about to license a Lawyer-Friendly Cameo version of Pokémon: The Series known as "Rocket Monsters" before Homura Prime accidentally caused them to license Madoka. Apparently, a one-shot manga of Rocket Monsters was published in Kirara Magica, and it showed Kyoko to be a fan of the show. Kyoko Prime, not "Kacey Stevens".
- Gag Dub
- Genre Shift: Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a dark, dramatic deconstruction of Magical Girl shows. The English Magical Molly! is a heavily Bowdlerized version of said show. The Japanese Magical Molly! is a humorous parody of both of the above (but more so the latter).
- Homage: The Japanese dub is essentially described as a trans-Atlantic equivalent of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series (which is also much beloved in Japan).
- Mythology Gag: This dub apparently has all sorts of in-jokes about the uncensored Madoka series.
- The Other Darrin: Averted except in "Hilda"'s and ironically, Homura Prime's case.
