The Magical Girls of the Anime World Quiz

Answer: Sailor V

Before writing 'Sailor Moon', creator Naoko Takeuchi wrote the manga 'Codename: Sailor V', featuring Minako Aino and her sidekick-cum-mentor, Artemis the talking cat. While Sailor Venus wears orange and yellow, Sailor V's outfit has a colour scheme more similar to the one Sailor Moon wears, as well as a mask (Takeuchi was going to give the Sailor Senshi masks originally, but dropped the idea). She transforms into Sailor V using a magical pen. At the end of the manga, she discovers that she is really Sailor Venus, and has to track down the Moon Princess and the other Sailor Senshi who were her personal protectors (Sailors Mercury, Jupiter and Mars). Unlike 'Sailor Moon', 'Codename: Sailor V' has never been made into an anime.

Sailor V is mentioned in the 'Sailor Moon' anime, and Usagi plays a Sailor V arcade game in a couple of episodes. However, Sailor Venus herself does not appear until much later on, and is the last of the Sailor Senshi to join the group.

Answer: Panther Claw

Panther Claw consist of two sisters, Panther Zora and Sister Jill. Honey Kisaragi is actually an android; her 'father' is her creator, and planted a magical device within her body which enables her to transform. Over the series, Panther Claw plot to steal this device to use for their own ends. Many of their android underlings in the 1973 anime have the words 'claw' or 'panther' in their names (such as Tarantula Panther, Dynamite Claw or Blade Panther).

Over the years, there have been several different versions of 'Cutey Honey': manga, live-action, drama CDs and OVAs. The anime debuted in 1973. Although there are differences between the versions, Honey generally has red or pink hair, and can transform into different forms, such as a rock star named Misty Honey, a model named Fancy Honey, and the sword-wielding warrior Cutey Honey.

As for the other answers, anime fans might recognise them: Akatsuki appear in 'Naruto', Raven Tail are from 'Fairy Tail', and Super High School Level Despair are from the video game-turned-anime 'Dangan Ronpa'.

Answer: Amulet Heart, Amulet Spade, Amulet Clover

'Shugo Chara' revolves around the identity crisis of Amu Hinamori, a shy teenage girl struggling to come to terms with her true identity. One day, she discovers three colourful little eggs. The eggs hatch into three tiny 'Shugo Charas' (Guardian Characters) called Ran, Miki and Su, who represent different aspects of the person Amu would like to be. Ran, the pink Shugo Chara, enables Amu to change into Amulet Heart, representing her wish to be more confident and athletic (hence the visor that forms part of her outfit). With the help of Miki, the blue Shugo Chara, she becomes Amulet Spade, representing her wish to be more artistic. Finally, Su, the green Shugo Chara, helps her become Amulet Clover, representing her wish to be more feminine and domesticated. Amu gains different items and attacks depending on the form (such as pom poms for Amulet Heart, or a mixing bowl for Amulet Clover). Other members of the council at Amu's school have Shugo Charas of their own, representing their own desires.

Amu later gains a fourth Shugo Chara, Dia, who represents her desire to be an idol (of the pop kind, not the wooden kind!), and becomes Amulet Dia. Later, with the powers of the four Shugo Charas combined, she becomes Amulet Fortune.

Answer: Water

Middle school students Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are sucked into the magical world of Cephiro whilst on a field trip to Tokyo Tower. They meet Guru Clef, a mage, who tells them that they are the Magic Knights whose have been prophesied to be the saviours of Cephiro, and gives them magic weapons and powers. Unfortunately, he is cut short by the arrival of the agents of High Priest Zagato, who has taken over the land. The girls not only have to figure out how to use these new abilities, but must also hunt down and awaken the Mashin (Rune Gods), three powerful creatures who guard Cephiro. Each Mashin becomes affiliated with one of the Magic Knights.

Umi is a tall, blue-haired girl from a rich background whose name, rather fittingly, means 'sea'. She fights with a rapier, due to being a member of the fencing club at her school, and her Mashin is a blue dragon called Celes. As for the other two Magic Knights, Hikaru is a boisterous redhead with fire powers, while green-haired Fuu is an intellectual who has wind powers and fights with a bow and arrows, before switching to a sword. Their respective Mashin are Rayearth, a wolf with a flaming mane, and Windam, a four-winged bird.

Answer: Princess Tutu

Drosselmeyer, the old storyteller in question, has the power to make his stories become real. He is executed while writing a story called 'The Prince and the Raven', but is still able to manipulate events from beyond the grave. After Drosselmeyer dies, the Raven escapes from the story and the Prince follows him, shattering his own heart in order to seal the Raven away. Drosselmeyer sees a sad little duck watching the Prince dancing, and gives her a pedant which enables her to turn into a human girl called Ahiru, and the magical ballerina Princess Tutu. Ahiru takes ballet classes with the Prince, who has become a high school student called Mytho, and as Princess Tutu, helps him find the pieces of his heart.

If you've heard of 'Swan Lake', the storyline of 'Princess Tutu' may seem a little familiar (in fact, one episode of the anime is named 'Swan Lake' and the Prince's real name is Siegfried). There are also references to other ballets. For instance, Edel, a mechanical woman who acts as a confidante and guide to Ahiru, bears a resemblance to the title character of 'Coppelia'. Drosselmeyer is named after the children's godfather in 'The Nutcracker', the ghostly Wili Maiden is based on the heroine of 'Giselle', and Hermia and Lysander are both named after characters from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Hermia even dresses up as a donkey and delivers love letters.

(NB - I didn't want to post the transformation phrase for this one, as I'd be giving away the answer!)

Answer: Iriomote mountain cat

'Tokyo Mew Mew' has an environmental theme; the Mew Mews must protect the earth from the Chimera Anima, alien parasites who turn animals into monsters. Whilst at an exhibition about endangered species, Ichigo Momomiya and four other girls are hit by a strange light, following an earthquake. A cat appears in front of her and she fuses with it, gaining the ability to turn into a pink-clad catgirl named Mew Ichigo. She also occasionally turns into a black cat.

As for the other Mew Mews, the other girls at the exhibition: ballerina Mint Aizawa has the DNA of a blue lorikeet, Lettuce Midorikawa is infused with the DNA of a finless porpoise, and Pudding Fong (also known as Bu-Ling), the baby of the group, is infused with the DNA of a golden lion tamarin. The final Mew Mew to join the group is an aloof older girl, Zakuro Fujiwara, a teen model with the DNA of a grey wolf. (You might have noticed that they're all named after food - 'zakuro' means 'pomegranate' and 'ichigo', as Bleach fans might be aware, means 'strawberry'.) They are tasked with finding the Mew Aqua Drop, a magical item which will help them in their fight. It is also revealed that Quiche, Pie and Tart, the aliens controlling the Chimera Anima, were forced to leave Earth due to damage to the environment, and wish to reclaim the planet from humans.

Answer: Strawberry Surprise Pretty Cure

'Pretty Cure' is an anime franchise consisting of several different series, all featuring teenage girls who can transform into magical girls in elaborate, brightly-coloured outfits, with the name 'Cure (Something)'. The Cure names can refer from anything from flowers and colours to music or types of food. The lead Cure in each group tends to wear pink and have blonde, pink or red hair.

The first series features lacrosse player Nagisa and class president Honoka, who meet some fairies on the run from a villainous group known as the Dusk Zone. The fairies give them the power to transform into the 'Emissaries of Light', Cure White (Honoka) and Cure Black (Nagisa). Together, they are known as Pretty Cure. Unlike the characters in other magical girl anime, Nagisa and Honoka can only transform and fight in tandem, and use physical attacks as well as magical ones.

'Dokidoki' is an onomatopoeic word for heartbeats, and 'Dokidoki! PreCure' features Cures with card-themed names, such as Cure Ace and team leader Cure Heart. 'Pretty Cure Max Heart'. 'Yes! PreCure 5' is the fourth series and features a team of five Cures (hence the name), led by Cure Dream. 'Max Heart' is the sequel to 'Futari wa Pretty Cure', where Cures Black and White are accompanied by a third team member, Shiny Luminous. 'Strawberry Surprise' is actually the name of one of Mew Ichigo's attacks in 'Tokyo Mew Mew'.

Answer: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

In 'Cardcaptor Sakura', Sakura Kinamoto accidentally opens a book of magical cards, unwittingly releasing their spirits into the wild. Kerberos, the guardian of the cards (and resident cute animal mentor figure), makes her the new 'Cardcaptor', gives her a magic wand and tasks her with retrieving the cards. Syaoran Li is also interested in collecting the cards and starts off as Sakura's rival, but the two become more friendly over the course of the series.

In 'Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle', Sakura is princess of Clow Country, and Syaoran is the son of an archaeologist. After accidentally stepping onto a mysterious stone, Sakura grows a pair of wings, which then dissolve into feathers and disappear. The feathers are revealed to be parts of her soul, and Syaoran must travel through different worlds to get them back. The witch Yuuko agrees to help Syaoran find Sakura's soul fragments, but at a price; he must give up his memories of her. Both Sakura and Syaoran are later revealed to be clones created by the sorceror Fei Wong Reed, and are reincarnated as the parents of the original Syaoran.

Several other characters from various CLAMP manga appear in 'Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles'. These include the Rune Gods from 'Magic Knight Rayearth', and Chii, the robot girl from 'Chobits'. Yuuko is also the star of 'XXXHolic'.

Answer: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' revolves around a war between magical girls and monstrous beings known as 'witches'. Kyubey, a strange cat-like alien, offers to grant a wish for Madoka Kaname in return for her becoming a magical girl. Homura, a new student and a magical girl herself, tries to stop Madoka, but to no avail. Homura is justified in her fears; as Madoka soons finds out, the life of a magical girl is a dangerous one. When a girl becomes a magical girl, her soul is contained within a soul gem. If the Soul Gem becomes corrupted, they turn into Grief Seeds and the magical girl turns into a witch.

Sayaka Miki is Madoka's best friend, and becomes a magical girl in return for her friend Kyosuke being able to play the violin again. Mami Tomoe is an orphan who acts as a big sister figure to the younger girls. Unfortunately, things do not go well for either of them; Sayaka turns into the witch Oktavia, and Mami is decapitated by the witch Charlotte (although Madoka resurrects her at the end). The fifth member of the party is Kyoko Sakura, the daughter of a religious fundamentalist and the most ruthless member of the party. She starts off as a rival to Homura and Madoka, but becomes more friendly later on.

Answer: Gunslinger Girl

'Gunslinger Girl' is a sci-fi/action anime, based on the manga of the same name by Yu Aida, about a group of pre-teen and teenage girls from disadvantaged backgrounds who are converted into cyborg assassins by the Social Welfare Agency. They are then partnered with an older male 'fratello' (the series is set in Italy) or handler. Due to the drugs and brainwashing dealt out to the girls in order to 'condition' them, none of them live past their teens.

'Magical Angel Creamy Mami' stars Yu Morisawa, a ten-year-old girl who meets a friendly alien, Pino Pino, who gives her magic powers. She gains the ability to transform into an older version of herself, who becomes an idol singer with the stage name Creamy (after her parents' pancake restaurant).

'Ojamajo Doremi' is about the adventures of Doremi Harukaze, a young girl who aspires to learn magic, and her friends Hazuki and Aiko, who become apprentices to a witch who owns a magical shop. Takashi Yamada, the main writer of the series, also worked on the seventh 'Pretty Cure' series, 'HeartCatch PreCure!' Like the lead Cures, Doremi wears pink.

'Galaxy Fraulein Yuna' is based on the video game of the same name, and stars the multi-talented Yuna Kagurazaka. She's an idol singer, the winner of an interstellar beauty contest, and - to top it off - a heroine known as the 'Saviour of Light', who must save the universe from the forces of Darkness. Like Sailor Moon, she prefers trying to befriend and understand her enemies to fighting them.