What defines a magical girl story?

[jseah]

Anime watchers should recognize the term "magical girl".

I would like to ask a simple question. What makes a story a magical girl story? (I'm not referring to anime series, just stories in whatever medium)

Basically, what would a story have to have (or not have) in order for you to consider it about magical girls.

I have asked this question in my university's anime society IRC channel and got some answers:

1) Has a young girl who uses magic to semi-regularly 'save the day'. Where 'saving the day' could be anywhere from solving a personal problem to saving the entire human race...

2) Has a young girl with magic powers. Has a light and hopeful plot where the girl focuses on helping others with her magic powers. Cute companion animal is a must.

I would like other opinions to get a broader view on things.

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The purpose behind this is that I am just starting to write a story meant to be a magical girl -like story... done my way.

After planning and worldbuilding for a bit, ironing out the kinks in the magic system etc... I have noticed that the story isn't very much like any magical girl story anymore.
In fact it's hardly recognizable as one apart from "main character is a girl with magic".

[Tengu_temp]

Not a specialist on the topic, because the only magical girl shows I've seen are Nanoha and Madoka (both of which are nonstandard and aimed more at the adult male demographics) and like 1 episode of Sailor Moon, but here's my view:
A magical girl story is one where the main character is a young girl using magic, usually given to her from an outside source, to become a superheroine of sort and fight evil. Like with most superheroes, a costume is almost mandatory, but a secret identity less so (especially if the whole conflict stays out of the public eye).

[Bastian Weaver]

A girl with a magical "alter ego" that helps her deal with problems. W. I. T. C. H. comics and cartoon are a good example, methinks.

[Prime32]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalGirl
^ Fighting evil is not mandatory.

[Dr.Epic]

It's a story. There's a main girl character in it. The story has strong magic and fantastical elements in it.

I don't get what's baffling you about this.:smallconfused:

[jseah]

Well, you wouldn't consider a superhero story whose main character is female as a magical girl story, would you? Not even if she's underaged and thus a 'girl'.

I started (but won't finish) a story involving time travel which has a female main character. But since the focus is all the tricks with consistent time travel and 'saving the world', it's basically a superhero story, not a magical girl story.

[Ravens_cry]

It's a story. There's a main girl character in it. The story has strong magic and fantastical elements in it.

I don't get what's baffling you about this.:smallconfused:
Except, by that description Slayers is a Magical Girl show. Which, from what I've seen of it, it's really not.

[Prime32]

Except, by that description Slayers is a Magical Girl show. Which, from what I've seen of it, it's really not.Well it would explain this (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXvaIYmpEMk#t=2m58s). :smalltongue:
You're right, it's not.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Umm defines Magical Girls hmmm.... blasting away with Maximum Power?

[erikun]

It is a story about girls with magic, of course. :smalltongue:

A bit more seriously, I've found that most magical girl stories are about a (typically young) girl using her newfound magical abilities in superheroic or mundane situations as she works towards gaining confidence, friendship, and exploring new experiences. It really is an optimistic and growing-up genre as a whole, although I haven't watch many of the earlier ones that didn't make use of the Sailor Moon/super sentai method of daily monsters and secret identities.

[Nerd-o-rama]

A girl with a magical "alter ego" that helps her deal with problems. W. I. T. C. H. comics and cartoon are a good example, methinks.

I think this definition is probably the most encompassing. A magical girl as a character is a girl (I would say mid-teens or younger to be a magical girl) who uses magic (as defined in the story) to resolve conflicts, and specifically has some kind of superhero style alter ego - not necessarily a secret identity, but an alternate one.

A magical girl story is of course a story about one or more of these characters.