For All the Magical Devil Girls (and their male friends, too)
There's an often far-too-brief window in a child's life, around the tween years, when the universe opens up before them and reveals its wonder and glory and magic and mystery in ways they hadn't realized before - and often, they respond to the power that opens up around them by finding their own power within themselves. Those years are where stories like Stranger Things or The Hunger Games come from, or E.T. a generation earlier, or even the Oz franchise a century ago.
In Japan, they've been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Boogiepop franchise, a series of light novels that set the standard for the light novel genre that came alive in the 2000s. The story is about an ordinary, mild mannered girl named Miyashita Touka, who becomes a mysterious supernatural hero named Boogiepop and battles threats to the world. One big difference from the typical superhero story is that Touka is completely unaware of Boogiepop's existence, and it's never completely clear who or what Boogiepop is. An alternate personality from Touka's subconscious? A supernatural entity that's possessing her? A manifestation of some higher "evolved" state? Even Boogiepop doesn't know.
Other characters note the nuances in Boogiepop's use of language and remark that it's like an older man speaking. So there you go, a teenage girl who suddenly finds a magical older man speaking through her. Can't imagine why that would appeal to me.
A recent article about Boogiepop pointed out its connection to another popular franchise that began a few years later, focused on something the Japanese call "Chuunibyou," or in English, "Eighth-Grader Syndrome." The anime series Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions tells the story of a high school boy named Togashi Yuuta, who ran around pretending to be a Boogiepop-like magical being in middle school, but now wants to leave those horribly embarrassing days behind and be "normal." Too bad he falls in love with Takanashi Rikka, a girl who hasn't given up her chuunibyou personality.
It's an interesting dynamic. Yuuta takes it upon himself to bring Rikka into the real world. Are we supposed to sympathize with his desire to have her grow up, so she can love him "properly?" Sometimes Rikka's fantasy world gets them into trouble, but other times it's what makes their relationship special. What sort of outcome are we supposed to want for her?
But for me, the most interesting character is Shichimiya Satone, a middle school classmate of Yuuta's who called herself a "Magical Devil Girl" and shared his fantasy adventures. When she's first introduced, you think she's there to be Rikka's rival for Yuuta's affection (and in fact, that's what Rikka thinks). But her story arc takes an unexpected turn. Satone reaches the same conclusion Yuuta does, the conclusion Rikka tries to avoid - that the fantasy world and the world of real, proper romantic relationships are incompatible. She can have Yuuta or she can have the fantasy world, but she can't have both. She recognizes it and accepts it - and then gives Yuuta up. It breaks her heart, but she chooses to remain the "Magical Devil Girl."
What is it that pulls kids out of their magical years? What drives them to give up their powerful selves? Do we chalk it all up to "maturity?" Personally, I think sexual development and teen romance have a lot to do with it - teenage hormones causing distraction, pressures to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend causing insecurity or a rush to conform with what's considered attractive. But other social pressure plays a big part, too. Parents, older siblings and other adults push kids to put away their childish things and become adults. All in all, it's hard to find enough people who will accept you when you're "different." Finding enough nurturing relationships - friends, family, lovers, mentors, or whatever - can take a while, and the seemingly easy road of conformity can be appealing.
But here's the thing... that childhood power is real. It may not turn you into a superhero, but that doesn't mean it's an illusion. That kind of childhood power gave Malala Yousafzai the courage to take on the Taliban, gave Emma Gonzales and David Hogg and the rest of the Parkland Florida kids the courage to take on the NRA, and gave Greta Thunberg the courage to fight for climate action. That kind of childhood power fuels the kids who come up with new inventions to clean up the environment or provide clean energy. The "Magical Devil Girls" (and boys) are the ones who will change the world, not their peers who rush into the embrace of a "normal grownup life."
This is who I write for. My audience, and my people, too. Just like the writers who fueled my imagination when I was a kid, I want to be the one who does the inspiring now. It's more important than ever.
In Japan, they've been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Boogiepop franchise, a series of light novels that set the standard for the light novel genre that came alive in the 2000s. The story is about an ordinary, mild mannered girl named Miyashita Touka, who becomes a mysterious supernatural hero named Boogiepop and battles threats to the world. One big difference from the typical superhero story is that Touka is completely unaware of Boogiepop's existence, and it's never completely clear who or what Boogiepop is. An alternate personality from Touka's subconscious? A supernatural entity that's possessing her? A manifestation of some higher "evolved" state? Even Boogiepop doesn't know.
Other characters note the nuances in Boogiepop's use of language and remark that it's like an older man speaking. So there you go, a teenage girl who suddenly finds a magical older man speaking through her. Can't imagine why that would appeal to me.
A recent article about Boogiepop pointed out its connection to another popular franchise that began a few years later, focused on something the Japanese call "Chuunibyou," or in English, "Eighth-Grader Syndrome." The anime series Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions tells the story of a high school boy named Togashi Yuuta, who ran around pretending to be a Boogiepop-like magical being in middle school, but now wants to leave those horribly embarrassing days behind and be "normal." Too bad he falls in love with Takanashi Rikka, a girl who hasn't given up her chuunibyou personality.
It's an interesting dynamic. Yuuta takes it upon himself to bring Rikka into the real world. Are we supposed to sympathize with his desire to have her grow up, so she can love him "properly?" Sometimes Rikka's fantasy world gets them into trouble, but other times it's what makes their relationship special. What sort of outcome are we supposed to want for her?
But for me, the most interesting character is Shichimiya Satone, a middle school classmate of Yuuta's who called herself a "Magical Devil Girl" and shared his fantasy adventures. When she's first introduced, you think she's there to be Rikka's rival for Yuuta's affection (and in fact, that's what Rikka thinks). But her story arc takes an unexpected turn. Satone reaches the same conclusion Yuuta does, the conclusion Rikka tries to avoid - that the fantasy world and the world of real, proper romantic relationships are incompatible. She can have Yuuta or she can have the fantasy world, but she can't have both. She recognizes it and accepts it - and then gives Yuuta up. It breaks her heart, but she chooses to remain the "Magical Devil Girl."
What is it that pulls kids out of their magical years? What drives them to give up their powerful selves? Do we chalk it all up to "maturity?" Personally, I think sexual development and teen romance have a lot to do with it - teenage hormones causing distraction, pressures to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend causing insecurity or a rush to conform with what's considered attractive. But other social pressure plays a big part, too. Parents, older siblings and other adults push kids to put away their childish things and become adults. All in all, it's hard to find enough people who will accept you when you're "different." Finding enough nurturing relationships - friends, family, lovers, mentors, or whatever - can take a while, and the seemingly easy road of conformity can be appealing.
But here's the thing... that childhood power is real. It may not turn you into a superhero, but that doesn't mean it's an illusion. That kind of childhood power gave Malala Yousafzai the courage to take on the Taliban, gave Emma Gonzales and David Hogg and the rest of the Parkland Florida kids the courage to take on the NRA, and gave Greta Thunberg the courage to fight for climate action. That kind of childhood power fuels the kids who come up with new inventions to clean up the environment or provide clean energy. The "Magical Devil Girls" (and boys) are the ones who will change the world, not their peers who rush into the embrace of a "normal grownup life."
This is who I write for. My audience, and my people, too. Just like the writers who fueled my imagination when I was a kid, I want to be the one who does the inspiring now. It's more important than ever.
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