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Deconstructing Magical Girls

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lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
#926: Oct 13th 2013 at 6:51:09 PM

Here's one—what if the energy/magic magical girls use cuts from their lifespan?

edited 13th Oct '13 6:51:18 PM by lalalei2001

The Protomen enhanced my life.
KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#927: Oct 13th 2013 at 7:52:20 PM

Yikes. As if putting your life in immediate danger fighting weird monsters wasn't bad enough! tongue

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
joeyjojo Happy New Year! from South Sydney: go the bunnies! Since: Jan, 2001
Happy New Year!
#928: Oct 13th 2013 at 11:38:54 PM

That would neatly explain why you never see any magic girl over 30.

edited 14th Oct '13 12:41:43 AM by joeyjojo

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kiukiuclk from 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693 Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: My TiMER is ticking
#929: Oct 13th 2013 at 11:55:40 PM

[up] Well, you never do anyway. They would be magical women then.

joeyjojo Happy New Year! from South Sydney: go the bunnies! Since: Jan, 2001
Happy New Year!
#930: Oct 14th 2013 at 12:47:08 AM

For extra deconstruction you hammer home most magic girls considers this preferable to grow old and losing their magic primary demographic appeal.

Better to a tragically beautiful magical copse and the bitter old magical woman.

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Sereg Since: Jun, 2010
#931: Oct 14th 2013 at 12:55:03 AM

Something similar was done by The Covenant.

edited 14th Oct '13 12:56:53 AM by Sereg

Durazno Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#932: Oct 14th 2013 at 12:57:28 AM

Is that deconstructive or just a really grim take on the genre?

kiukiuclk from 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693 Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: My TiMER is ticking
#933: Oct 14th 2013 at 12:58:23 AM

[up]Actually, that could have been awesome. Old women who can do magic....are witches. Seems like a missed opportunity here.

Sereg Since: Jun, 2010
#934: Oct 14th 2013 at 1:24:26 AM

[[quoteblock]]Is that deconstructive or just a really grim take on the genre? [/quoteblock]]

Just a really grim take on the genre, because there is no reason why that would be more logical.

A deconstruction isn't "darker", just applies Reality Ensues more or takes the tropes to their logical conclusion. A deconstruction can even end up lighter.

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#935: Oct 14th 2013 at 2:10:21 AM

Well, Madoka seemed to take that quote from Dark Knight Returns and run with it:

Either you die a hero, or you live long enough for people to see you become the villain.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#936: Oct 14th 2013 at 2:21:04 AM

Actually, the quote is "you live long enough to see yourself become the villain".

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
joeyjojo Happy New Year! from South Sydney: go the bunnies! Since: Jan, 2001
Happy New Year!
#937: Oct 14th 2013 at 2:40:19 AM

It is logical progression because you're extrapolating as to why the Magical Warriors are entirely young teenage to pubescent children as opposed to adult women.

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KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#938: Oct 14th 2013 at 2:49:45 AM

What you're attempting is a recontruction, Joey. Looking for reasons and justifications for a trope, as opposed to simply taking a trope to its logical conclusions and seeing what breaks (and what remains intact).

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
joeyjojo Happy New Year! from South Sydney: go the bunnies! Since: Jan, 2001
Happy New Year!
#939: Oct 14th 2013 at 2:55:23 AM

Okay well it's a grim dark reconstruction. Close enough

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GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#940: Oct 14th 2013 at 5:12:02 AM

The story can be dark but not necessarily so, we can make room for comedy or breather epiosdes.

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
kiukiuclk from 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693 Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: My TiMER is ticking
#941: Oct 14th 2013 at 7:13:41 AM

Well, you can only have Reality Ensues so much. You can't have Magical Girl without magic, so you can't have to much reality. After that, it pretty much depends on where you want the reality to happen. It's the same problem you get with supers deconstruction really. Because of that, you get different ways to deconstruct then.

KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#942: Oct 14th 2013 at 7:19:08 AM

Kind of a random question, but are there any instances where the magical girl comes out to their family? Explicitly, as in "mom, dad, I have super powers and I fight monsters every day after school"?

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
Elfive (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#943: Oct 14th 2013 at 7:24:26 AM

Nanoha presumably did at some point but it was off-screen.

Rainbow Pomeranian Lover from Central Illinois (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
Pomeranian Lover
#944: Oct 14th 2013 at 8:05:41 AM

They do reveal their identities to their families and friends near the end of Fresh Pre Cure, and earlier in that series, they tell their dance teacher about being Cures after they're hospitalized because they were too exhausted from trying to do the dance training plus fighting the stronger monsters that Eas was using at the time. Their parents are worried at first and want to prevent the Cures from going to their final fight, but then Inori's dad says that they should trust that the Cures know what they're doing and decide for themselves if they are able to do it, and they end up seeing the Cures off when they go to Labyrinth for their final battle.

That was one of my favorite things about Fresh Pre Cure because I had wanted to see one where they revealed their identities and didn't keep it a secret. As for the argument that "what if the magical girls get grounded or otherwise forbidden from fighting monsters?", then the parents would be dooming others to suffer from monster attacks for the sake of keeping their superpowered daughter safe (and given the plans of many magical girl villains, would only keep her safe until the villains won and destroyed the world or turned it into a place where monsters would run amok with no heroes to stop them), plus the monsters might be the type who would attack the girl anyway, meaning she would have to transform to defend herself and her family.

Doesn't anyone think that the parents might be proud of their daughters on some level, even if they were also very worried? Also, what if the parents were magical themselves, or at least used to be, like Kaoruko from Heartcatch Pre Cure?

Also, what about deconstructing Villain Tropes as well as the heroes? Things that would make it harder for the villains and not just the heroes. Like a deconstruction of You Have Failed Me where the villain kills off all his/her minions for failing but then realizes that he/she has killed someone who is important to his/her main evil plan (like someone whose powers otherwise would have been able to charge the Doomsday Machine).

edited 14th Oct '13 8:20:16 AM by Rainbow

KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#945: Oct 14th 2013 at 8:26:55 AM

Also, what if the parents were magical themselves, or at least used to be
Another Megatokyo character comes to mind. Man, what is it with Megatokyo and the magical girl genre?

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
Rainbow Pomeranian Lover from Central Illinois (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
Pomeranian Lover
#946: Oct 14th 2013 at 8:41:29 AM

Another reason for the parents to be in the know is because then it could avert Adults Are Useless and the parents could help their magical daughter. Maybe not by directly fighting the monsters if they're regular people who would just get killed or badly hurt, but they could help advise on strategy and things like that.

KylerThatch literary masochist Since: Jan, 2001
literary masochist
#947: Oct 14th 2013 at 8:54:03 AM

It doesn't even have to be related to the Monster of the Week directly. Could be something stupidly simple as fabricating an excuse to give the teacher for the class she missed. There was a family emergency, or she came down with a sudden fever, or whatever.

Or if nothing else, emotional support. Especially at the age that magical girls usually are.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...
kiukiuclk from 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693 Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: My TiMER is ticking
#948: Oct 14th 2013 at 8:56:16 AM

One of the things Il Sole penetra le illusioni did right was that many of the parents knew and were supportive to various degrees. It also explored that issue a bit.

Rainbow Pomeranian Lover from Central Illinois (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
Pomeranian Lover
#949: Oct 14th 2013 at 9:04:37 AM

@Kyle Thatcher: Or what if the teachers knew as well and were able to excuse the magical girls from class if they needed to go fight monsters or as a reason that assignments weren't done? Like in Puni Puni Poemi, there's a scene where the Aasu sisters are going off to defend against the aliens and Futaba excuses herself from class by saying she has to go defend the Earth and the teacher just lets her.

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#950: Oct 14th 2013 at 9:07:03 AM

There's also some H-manga where the Magical Girl got to leave class halfway to fight a monster terrorizing the city.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!

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