Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers

In 2008, the Japanese government began hunting people who identify as otaku in an effort to protect the country's culture. In just one week, the enforcement agency known as the SSC captured almost every otaku by force and confiscated their memorabilia. One passionate man calling himself Otaku Hero refuses to allow this agency to do as they please: he raises a resistance army made up of other displaced geeks who band together to help defend their culture.

Three years later, the fires of rebellion wane as all hope seems lost for otakus. Spurred on by his ally—the magical girl Anarchy—Otaku Hero commands the resistance in an effort to reunite Anarchy with the other two other magical girls: Blue and Pink. By combining the power of this trio, the resistance may be able to defeat the SSC and save otaku culture for everyone.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Anarchy Main

Fairouz Ai Japanese

Otaku Hero Main

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Pink Main

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Blue Main

Aimi Japanese

Shobon Supporting

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Itasha Driver Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Marcus Supporting

Miyake, Kenta Japanese

Slayer Supporting

Serizawa, Yuu Japanese

Chogo-shi Supporting

Chiba, Shigeru Japanese

Adam Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Taniguchi, Hidehisa Producer

Ikehata, Hiroshi Director

Motoyama, Satoshi Sound Director

Konno, Taiki Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Reviews

Jun 23, 2023

Mcsuper

Recommended

Imagine a world where otaku culture was banned, and you couldn’t like what you wanted to like. Quite the dystopia am I right? As one would expect, this was quite the oddity of a show, and it definitely delivered in how insane it was. The animation reminded me of some Trigger/Gainax anime like FLCL for example, along with how fast paced and insane some of it was. The story is admittedly very messy, but for a show that doesn’t really take itself seriously at all, it works for what the show was trying to go for. The creator, Jun Inagawa, certainly cooked with this one, ... as funny as it sounds. It’s a show unlike any other I’ve seen, but comparisons I often see are to shows like Shimoneta.

This show is all about otaku culture, and people trying to suppress the voices of the otaku, so the gist of the anime is an all out war between otakus and people who want to eliminate all otakus. Sounds quite dumb, and it is, but it’s very entertaining, dumb fun. It uses very “meta” comedy, along with very colourful animation to tell such a story.

The animation is up and down in terms of its quality, but most of the time, I was glued to the screen due to how chaotic the art was. A nice job overall with the visuals for sure. They especially stood out in the opening, one that I’m sure many have watched and felt very confused by. The soundtrack was quite solid, with impactful tracks in the big moments, and the ending was my favourite of the season as well.

If there was a notable weaker part however, it would be the characters, who don’t really have much development, but are nonetheless very entertaining to watch due to their wacky personalities. The three magical girls are the highlights of the cast, in Anarchy, Blue, and Pink, and while they get a bit gimmicky with their actions, there was really no point in the anime that I wasn’t amused with their crazy, twisted antics.

I’ll keep this review relatively short, as you really have to see the show to understand what people are saying, instead of just reading what people have to say about it. It’s genuinely difficult to describe what this show is. It’s pure madness, and I was glad to embrace said madness for twelve weeks straight as I wondered what I was watching every week. The visuals were definitely the highlight, and while the story was nothing to write home about, I just had such a great time. It’s quite an indescribable experience, that’s for sure. Just don’t come in expecting the most deep of stories, come in expecting unfiltered insanity.

So basically, it’s like Marmite or Vegemite, you’ll either love it, or you’ll hate it, nothing in between.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 23, 2023

LordSozin

Mixed Feelings

Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers is an interesting one. It’s an experimental anime that attempts to make an appeal to its broader otaku-orientated audiences while also composing a social commentary about the otakus and its culture. Siding mostly with sympathy for otakus and the cruelty of being ostracized for liking anime and its subcultures, Magical Destryers desperately wanted to convey a guilt-driven fantasy for the unfairness of being misrepresented and illy treated by a larger, ambitiously as well as ambiguously presented “societal”’ forces that want to eradicate them from the face of Japan.

Set in a fictional timeline of the year 2008, the Japanese Government, ... for unknown reasons, decided to crack down on its otakus and the culture within the country. Fast forward to the year 2011, the suppression has brought the masses to the brink of extinction, pushing the last group of remaining otaku rebel forces to a secluded area within Akihabara. This particular group of rebels, led by a famed figure known as the “Otaku Hero” along with his magical girls have long lost their strongholds elsewhere in Japan. With only one of the three magical girls remaining and the other two gone either missing or captured, the rebels’ ultimate goal was to rescue and recruit the magical girls once again to even have a slim chance of fighting back against the forces of suppression.

With an already intriguing setup such as this, Magical Destroyers still found itself lost in its own directional ideas and tonal inconsistencies that were scattered throughout. Going beyond its debut episodes, Magical Destoyers’ unwillingness of sticking to its core premise for more than a couple of episodes at a time was the ultimate detrimental fallout in its place.

From the get-go, the initial impression of its premise can be served for the entirety of the runtime as the plot point involve finding, rescuing, and recruiting the two crucially absent magical girls could take time and effort, as well as the difficulties due to their limited remaining forces, and the endeavors that come with a governmental crackdown that is three year into its operation. In theory, with the exploration of its concepts such as why the Japanese Government has decided to take on its own deeply ingrained culture, and, by extension, the economically successful industries that derive from it, could be utilized between its supposed key plot points and conceive a show more than just a surface-level presentation.

The basic premise of Magical Destroyers derives solely from the notion of ostracization of Otakus and Otaku Culture and how media such as Magical Destroyers anime utilizes it for commentary purposes as a form of entertainment. Shows like this are intended to make a larger social commentary about the state of its broad social sphere. In Japan, like anywhere else in the world that has been exposed to anime and its otaku culture, there’s no secret that there’s still a feeling of disdain and belittling among the larger societal forces towards anime and its sub-cultures—especially within the populations that aren’t too familiar with the subcultures and its appeal. Conveniently, Magical Destroyers takes those elements of feeling looked down upon and took to the extreme with its presentation of ostracization by the literal display of outright prohibition of typical otaku activities and hobbies: anime figurines are seized from existence, cosplays are forbidden, otaku people in cages, the extreme tight surveillance within Akihabara, the ongoing war between factions and the government, and the constant destruction of cities and civilizations that are centered around otaku culture. Its extreme presentation within the anime is meant to invoke a feeling of despair and despondency that otakus ought to be felt as if it’s a real possibility.

The fundamental message that Magical Destroyers wanted to convey throughout its entire run but struggled to do so is that it’s okay to be an otaku and one should be proud of the hobbies that they enjoy performing and indulge in. The friends and foes of the rebels and their hero encounter serve this single narrative message. This is also deliberately spelled out through Anarchy’s actions and her occasional emotional pleas and outcries. For instance, in the early stages of the anime, when there was a seemingly clear narrative objective, the psychological-dream battle between Pink and Anarchy that resulted in Pink being the eventual third and final magical girl to be recruited aided in this primary idea of the anime. The gist of the fight was for Pink to embrace her existence and what she represents in the larger context of otaku culture despite the vulgar tendencies that come with it. That, in the eyes of disgust, one’s own actions can bring about the appreciation of their hobbies to light in a positive manner. That, the perception of others on things that are known to be confined within the otaku culture can be shaped by the very people who are knowledgeable and wields them with good intentions. That, it’s all about the person who’s behind it all dictates the perceptions of otakus and its culture. This fundamental idea is significant as it shows that there was something to be taken from this anime.

However, the issue lies in the tonal inconsistencies that significantly diminish the urgency that the anime wants to make the viewers feel and empathize. In one episode, the anime could focus much on the core elements of the show by presenting the harsh and bleak environment that Otaku Hero and his rebel forces are suffering through but then in the next episode, out of nowhere, a random faction from another desolated town could be having a sewage-pool party with the Otaku Hero Group and his magical girls join in—everybody joins in and have a good time. Even in an episodic structured anime, while the narrative may not have progressed, the tone in which that was instilled in the first episode should always be kept consistent. Otherwise, in a combination of a lack of meaningful progress and tonal inconsistencies, the content in which it’s presented feels pointless. Oftentimes, when a series presents absolutely meaningless content on screen, one has to make contrivances to tie in whatever bizarre crap was on display to an aspect of the show superficially. And this superficiality is often used to disguise the sheer mess that a series is in.

The anime’s journey it took to present and deliver this core idea was futile in the end because of its indecisiveness in its direction that which become quite evident later on. Instead of maybe focusing on crafting a few more purposeful events that serve in the grander narrative message, the show resorts to confusing and pointless, and dumb entertainment to fill in the time before tying it all together with an ill-planned plot twist to instate its presence.

When crafting a fiction such as Magical Destroyers that attempts to make a larger societal commentary, one should approach the topics on hand with a heart, clear and purposeful direction. Along with it, one might also incorporate some philosophical concepts and interpretations to facilitate the grander scheme of such work. The ideas that Magical Destroyers had is arguably a common guilt-driven sentimental projection that some might have held; it’s a view that shouldn’t be laughed off of let alone making a wishy-washy show with no further explorations of its concepts.

What you’re watching isn’t a coherent narrative that’s brimmed with ideas that it wants to explore and present. Instead, on a basic level, you’re witnessing a very common feeling that’s born from the sentiment that a certain subculture has been unfairly ostracized by the public and that it’s in dire need of resistance and protection—like that of Magical Destroyers urges represent. But the very child-like inner fantasies that it likes to project is the lethal tumor of itself. Just like any gibberish, incoherent, and rudimentary fantasies that a child would make up in their heads before going to sleep, one forgets them the very next day. Magical Destroyers is that anime.

I want to underline that despite my sheer disappointment with Magical Destroyers’ delivery of its initial captivating ideas, I still had a fun time with the anime. Magical Destroyers is that anime that brings about absurdities and nonsensical ideas onto the screen while making it entertaining to watch. What the anime presents is never the cause of boredom, rather, it’s the failure in sticking to its initial core ideas that the series had.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Jun 23, 2023

KANLen09

Not Recommended

Well-written

"Gobo, gobo gobo gobo gobo, gobo gobo gobo gobo gobo! Gobo gobo!"
Translated: "We are the Mahou Shoujo...Magical Destroyers we mean! We are the last hope for the Otaku who support us, and we'll fight to the death of those who dare oppose us!"

In 2001, from the brillant minds of the former Gainax and Hideaki Anno's protégé Kazuya Tsurumaki, Fooly Cooly a.k.a FLCL was released to the masses, and even some two decades later, the bizarre, surreal hodgepodge coagulation of a show is still being talked out to this very day for being ground-breaking in its own right due in part to its symbolic content, unusual ... plot, and a well-versed OST by The Pillows. In essence, its unusual traits are the showcase of the now-famous franchise that has seen its downfall with Progressive and Alternative in recent years.

And in the same modern generation movement some 20+ years later, there's Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers, looking to carve a similar footnote as FLCL did back in the day. But this is 2023, not 2001, and almost every general idea conceived has been tested and proven at this point that it would take an insane amount of creativity just to create something new. And how the show got off to a weird start to then show off what it can do, I feel like it's kind of a missed opportunity to make an anime such as this, and not make it, at the very least, cohesive with its main theme of Otakuism vs. the world (at least extended to Japan only) at large.

You might be wondering who this rando Jun Inagawa dude is, who was credited with the original concept plan for the anime. As a startling fact, the now 24-year-old artist has quite a sizable reputation in Japan. Going by the handle @madmagicorchestra on Instagram, he's also a DJ and a graphic artist who represents the new generation of Tokyo's culture scene. Jun Inagawa works across a variety of fields, from collaborating with brands and artists to hosting solo exhibitions and partaking in other projects. The surprise twist is that chances are, you might have come across his manga or illustrations online at least once, and the creative is unapologetic about his otaku-culture aesthetic, which has a distinct taste from manga associated with Akihabara and is attached to the otaku archetype.

The idea for this show came about in 2020, while his graphic artist work consisted of magical girls that he'd drawn for artwork and collaborations, and characters like Slayer and Anarchy created the push that he illustrated girls "who are honest with themselves". In Jun Inagawa's own words: "There’s no specific backstory or anything, but you know how most people depict magical girls as these powerful and perfect ideals? I started drawing them because I thought it was better to have magical girls who possess a more human quality and are true to themselves. Before long, these characters were smoking and doing drugs. Whenever I would watch anime featuring magical girls with a strong sense of doing what’s right for others, I would assume weird things about them: "It doesn’t matter if they’re cute because they do bad things in the dark." So, I decided to draw magical girls with their bad sides out in the open. It’s not like I have a message I want to convey through these characters. Nothing deep. I’ve always enjoyed watching anime with girl protagonists and drawing girls, so it’s just an extension of that." Of course, this comes from the inspiration of shows like Madoka Magica, and even Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan, which have similar worldbuilding to his own story of magical girls wanting to act as their true selves. Heck, his art designs, which have been at the centre of Shibuya's Diesel Art Gallery, showcase certain Mahou Shoujo art drawings that would eventually become part of the anime that's made today. Jun Inagawa's level of Otakuism is simply unrivalled in a one-of-a-kind artist form.

As for the plot itself, the concept of a dystopian Japan that's indoctrinated by some kind of "cultist-level" oppression regime law that proclaims that "Otaku is dead", is not new in any sense. Take shows like Fall 2021's Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo a.k.a Rumble Garanndoll, which features this show's plot, word-for-word, action-by-action. In the case of Magical Destroyers, it's the SSC under Shobon, who wears a formal suit but with a TV and a cute facial expression for a head vs. the Otaku Revolutionary Army, led by a lone Otaku Hero who's at the spearhead of the operation against their oppressors. To differentiate and blur the line even more, Magical Destroyers attempts Otakuism in the FLCL nonchalant style, and thanks to a certain scriptwriter by the name of Daishiro Tanimura, who's also acting as a debut series composer after a long hiatus since 2018, you could decide for yourself if the show ever made any sense to begin with.

At least the characters are striking at their very best, as expected of Jun Inagawa's bombastic style that's "very out there". Otaku Hero is just being Otaku Hero, and Shobon is just being Shobon. The two factions' leaders are the oh-so-typical protagonist-antagonist lead roles, but I have to admire Shobon's character design as a person with a TV for a head, it shows dysfunction in a dystopian world. What really matters in the show are the Mahou Shoujo girls themselves: the ill-tempered Anarchy wielding a staff with the Anarchy symbol embedded at the end of it (you can see a post on Jun Inagawa's Instagram on the exact drawing that is used for the anime); the extremely horny Blue wielding an odd-shaped scythe; the "Gobo gobo!" verbal tic of Pink wearing a gasmask and Blue's speakeasy to understand; and last but not least, the gothic-lolita style dressed Slayer working under Shobon, being a crazed version of Anarchy. Together with the Revolutionary Army sits the series' mascot, Kyotaro, the weird and strange floating, talking mascot creature who is often used as a meat shield due to his ability to regenerate from any kind of damage. He's mostly used for comedic effect, while the truth about it is shrouded in mystery. For one, like what Jun Inagawa envisioned of girls who act as their true selves, this is as true as it can get for a Mahou Shoujo show with the likes of influentials from Madoka Magica to Dokuro-chan, and this is the one aspect that Magical Destroyers got right from the get-go, and the only thing that I can praise about the show when it's broken down in pieces, thereby capturing the essence of what Jun Inagawa was looking for when bringing his characters to life, no less in anime form.

Directed by Tonikaku Kawaii's director Ikehata Hiroshi, he's pulling double-duty this season with the former's sequel, and for this show, which is facing the wrath of tight schedules, assistant director Masao Kawase is tasked with helping him out as someone who worked with Ikehata on the former's premiere season back in Fall 2020. That, and working together with Bibury Animation Studios to create one bombastic imitation of the FLCL-lookalike show, makes it definitely not an anime for the faint-hearted, as it encapsulates a lot of methodical themes that both make and don't make sense, but the cohesiveness of the message is there, even if explained at a rough or coarse level of understanding that will feel incomplete at times.

The music is a bona fide case of a specialty that is definitely intentional. Starting off with the OP, Aimi's "Magical Destroyers" has music-pumping beats that do not synchronise with the lyrics, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is the case of a badly-chosen song. The visuals, done by key animation and storyboarder Kenichi Kutsuna, are no short of striking and alluring at the very least, and when both song and visual align with one another, it's a trippy ride that screams originality, and though I'm not the biggest fan of things like these, I can at least appreciate the intentions of creating derivative works like these just to add flavour to the work. Ending things off with the ED song of The 13th tailor's "Gospelion in a classic love", it's just as trippy as the OP, but in a calm, yet soothing way that just boggles the mind of how a song like this manages to be THIS good, yet together with its own visuals of Otaku Hero surrounded by his army of Magical Destroyers in an almost Jesus Christ-like resurrection style, the amount of creativity flowing from this is just insane to say the least.

When all is said and done, the TL;DR is this: a concept show that's backed by an experimental, yet nonsensical plot, and I did bet that anyone would have turned their heads away even before this show could ever get off the ground. Which...sadly turned out to be true for most of the anime's run as a weird combination of originality: initially running off of some good ideas, however the execution, which sucked ass, ran its own race into obscurity, that comparing this show to the much-revered FLCL is just the case of the "Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man" meme at this point, it feels like a bin of talent that, like the much-hated 1993 gritty B-movie of Super Mario Bros., went to waste trying to appeal to everybody that ended up appealing to no one.

Chef Alvin Leung of MasterChef Canada says it best: "I like innovation, but you've got to put effort into creating innovation", and I echo this sentiment out loud at the contrast of how Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers had a really good concept but squandered it for any hopeful that thinks that the show was ever so crazy and bizarre to begin with that it'll turn out as a decent product overall by its procreation.

It's worth a try if you wish to watch the show as it is, but I wouldn't place my bets on thinking that Magical Destroyers is ever worth its time, not more than the 3-episode rule.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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