10 Anime Shows Like Sailor Moon That Predate It

10 Anime Shows Like Sailor Moon That Predate It

Before there was Sailor Moon, there were these other amazing Magical Girl anime series, with their own magical protagonists to save the day.

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While Sailor Moon arguably popularized the magical girl sub-genre of anime, it wasn’t entirely unique. In fact, there were predecessors to Sailor Moon dating all the way back to the 1960s when the first anime shows were being broadcast from Japan.

Yet these shows have fallen by the wayside in terms of availability because of their age, with some not even being licensed for a United States release. But their contributions to the magical girl genre as a whole is just as important as Sailor Moon. There are even some shows that may have arguably influenced Sailor Moon’s premise.

10 Sally The Witch (1966-8)

Arguably influenced by the show Bewitched, Sally the Witch is about the princess of a magical kingdom who has witch-like powers. Curious about Earth, she decides to go there and stay indefinitely after saving a couple of girls from some bank robbers.

These girls also become her friends, who are named Yoshiko (or Yo-chan) and Sumire. Sally even has a reluctant shapeshifting assistant named Kabu (aka Cub) who poses as her younger brother.

9 Himitsu No Akko-Chan (1969-70)

Though the manga predates Sally the Witch, the Himitsu no Akko-chan anime came out after Sally. Roughly translated as The Secrets of Akko-chan, there were three incarnations of this show with the first premiering in 1969.

Plot-wise, it’s about Atsuko ‘Akko-chan’ Kagami whose favorite mirror breaks and decides to bury it. She is in turn visited by a spirit that gives her a magic mirror that lets her transform into anything.

8 Marvelous Melmo (1971-2)

Based on a lesser-known work by Osamu Tezuka, Marvelous Melmo was also directed by him. However, this surprisingly mature anime was only released in Japan as well as Italy.

The plot was about a girl named Melmo (also known as Lilly in the Italian version) whose mother tragically dies and has to take care of her younger brothers. Fortunately, she is aided by magic candy that transforms her into an older version of herself.

7 Chappy The Witch (1972)

Also known as Mahoutsukai Chappy, this short-lived series has parallels to Sally the Witch. Though particularly, its animation style and plot which is about a young witch girl who lives in a magical land that decides to stay in the human world instead.

But whereas Sally used her hands and winked to perform her magic, Chappy uses a magical baton. Thus, she is arguably the first magical girl to use a type of wand.

6 Cutie Honey (1973-4)

Transformation sequences occur in just about every modern magical girl anime, but where did this trope originate? Well, it most likely came from Cutie Honey which premiered in 1973 with several follow-up series.

Originally based on a manga by Go Nagai, who also created Devilman, Cutie Honey is about a female android who dons various outfits that have different abilities by shouting “Honey Flash!”. In turn, she uses these personas to battle nefarious villains.

5 Majokko Megu-Chan (1974-5)

Aside from Cutie Honey, another magical girl show that strongly influenced Sailor Moon was Majokko Megu-chan. Meaning Little Meg the Witch Girl, this show was about the titular Megu who is competing for the throne of her magical home world.

To prove herself, she is sent to Earth and adopted by a former witch and her family. While learning to become a better person, Megu also battles rival sorcerers including the blue-haired Non.

4 Majokko Tickle (1978-9)

Unlike Go Nagai’s other manga, which tend to have mature content, Majokko Tickle is one of his more restrained works. Also known as Magical Girl Tickle, this manga came out the same year as the anime series.

Story-wise, it begins with a young girl named Tiko who receives a book and accidentally releases a blonde-haired fairy called Tickle. Bound inside the book for causing too much mischief, Tickle poses as Tiko’s twin sister.

3 Magical Princess Minky Momo (1982-3)

While magical girl shows are generally aimed at young girls, the genre has attracted an older male audience which arguably began with Magical Princess Minky Momo. Released in the early 1980s, it’s about a girl who comes from a land where dreams are real.

Accompanied by three talking animals, she travels to Earth and uses magic to help people. The English version was retitled as The Magical World of Gigi and only released in Australia.

2 Creamy Mami, The Magic Angel (1983-4)

In wake of Minky Momo’s commercial success, several magical girl shows were released during the 1980s including: Persia, Magical Emi, and Pastel Yumi. But these anime didn’t rival Minky Momo quite like Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel.

The story focused on Yuu Morisawa, a girl who meets two alien cats and gains the ability to transform into a 16 year-old version of herself. Inadvertently, her older self becomes a pop idol named Creamy Mami.

1 Devil Hunter Yohko (1990-5)

Unlike many of the anime covered in this article, Devil Hunter Yohko was licensed for a US release. In fact, it came out a few years before Sailor Moon both in Japan and the US.

As the title implies, the show is about Yohko, a boy-obsessed teenage girl who is destined to become the successor in a line of demon-slaying warriors. So she has to deal with this and living a normal life.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/sailor-moon-similar-earlier-anime/

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