1953–1971: Early magical girl works Despite no presence of magic, the manga series
Princess Knight (1953) is seen as a prototype for the magical girl genre, as it set forth the appeal of girls who transform to do things they normally cannot perform.
Sally the Witch followed in 1966, with a concept inspired by the American sitcom
Bewitched. This anime adaptation introduced the idea of using a
compact to transform, a characteristic that is still present in modern series in the genre.
1972–1979: series Toei Animation produced most of the magical girl series of the 1970s, In the following years, other studios besides Toei began producing magical girl anime series, such as
Magical Princess Minky Momo (1982) and
Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel (1983), the latter of which was the first installment of
Studio Pierrot's . which has been linked to the increasing prominence of women at this time including politician
Takako Doi, the
all-female band Princess Princess, and pop
idol Seiko Matsuda, as well as the passage of the
Equal Employment Opportunity Act in 1985. Due to the popularity of
Minky Momo and Studio Pierrot's shows, the term "" had largely fallen out of use in favor of "magical girl".
1990–1999: Transforming heroine and diversification Sailor Moon (1991), whose anime adaptation was broadcast from 1992 to 1997, revolutionized the magical girl genre by combining "transforming hero" elements from live-action hero shows like
Super Sentai and
Kamen Rider with traditionally feminine interests, such as romance and fashion. Series that attempted to capitalize on
Sailor Moon success include
Akazukin Chacha, whose anime adaptation created an original arc featuring "transforming heroine" characteristics; and
Wedding Peach. In the following years, the magical girl genre became diversified. While
Sailor Moon also drew in male fans,
Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) was extremely popular among men in spite of its target demographic for including themes such as
cosplay,
boys' love, , and .
Cardcaptor Sakura was also one of the series that influenced the idea of , which was integrated into later magical girl series aimed at an adult male audience. This helped the series achieve widespread demographic appeal outside of young girls. whose mature themes and darker approach earned acclaim from viewers and critics outside the conventional audience group. Other examples of late-night magical girl anime include
Day Break Illusion (2013) and
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya (2013).) were introduced, most of them as comedic parodies.
Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! (2015) features a cast of male characters parodying the magical girl concepts combined with growing interest in shows aimed at a audience. Other magical boy parodies include
Is This a Zombie? (2011) and
Magical Girl Ore (2018). ==Concepts and themes==