
Fairy Princess Minky Momo Episodes 1-15 Anime Evaluate
Yes, this is the series with the notorious episode 46 that influenced the darker aspects of subsequent magical girl series; I should probably mention that before we begin. Although the first fifteen episodes still include some content that we probably wouldn’t see in a program geared at small girls today, they aren’t exactly innovative either, and to be honest, that’s just great with Crunchyroll.
Prince Minky, the Fairy Princess The initial Momo run was in 1982, a year before the start of the Pierrot Magical Girls with Creamy Mami. It’s easy to see how it drew inspiration from previous series, notably Cutie Honey, and how it impacted Mami and her offspring, Magic Emi and Pastel Yumi. The ability to transform into an adult version of oneself is Momo’s greatest strength; she can transform into whatever she wants just by requesting it, such “a policewoman with an adult touch.” After her transformation, she has enhanced versions of all the talents necessary for her chosen profession. She utilizes these powers to assist anyone she encounters on Earth in the pursuit of magic energy, which she then transmits to her parents in the distant magical continent of Fenarinasa. With the typical theme of one occupation every episode, she transforms into a policewoman, soccer coach, phantom thief, nurse, and many more throughout these episodes. But she also has a short cameo as a magician in the soccer one. It is revealed in the somewhat strange narrative about hunting dogs that Momo’s ability can also transform anybody into her adult self for a duration of three minutes, without all the extras.
The fact that Momo gaslights everyone on Earth the moment she arrives is one of the most perplexing and funny parts of the narrative. When her Earth parents wonder whether they’ve always had a daughter, she responds with a grin and says, “Of course we have.” She also uses this same logic to reassure everyone who seems perplexed by her existence that she’s always been there. As the adults in the room raise issues about her real presence, Momo dismisses them with a charming smile—a gesture that will likely have a different impact on adults than it did on the younger viewers. Momo lives in a surreal world where her dad treats polar bear colds in the Arctic and her family runs a strange hybrid of a pet store, shelter, and vet clinic; someone even surrenders a dog to them. This is just one example of how Momo’s world is as strange as it gets in children’s media. The nation’s location is unclear, and Momo doesn’t seem to go to school. It’s not England or Japan, but it has the same air of fancifulness as Momo’s heavenly country. That’s not necessarily a negative thing, but it does reveal that “logic” and “making sense” aren’t major narrative objectives; it isn’t until episode four, when we meet Momo’s parents and have a quick tour of her hometown, that we really learn her purpose.
This show is very epoch-defining in many respects. In three episodes, references to earlier series are made directly. You may find one episode of Aim for the Ace!, two episodes with Lupinne, a thief, and a Speed Racer episode featuring a helmet that you might recognize. Funny thing is, none of them are parodies; the three friends who accompany Momo—a dog, a monkey, and a bird—are the ones who provide the comedy. At one point, the episode’s male protagonist is shown roaming through the red-light area, replete with billboards depicting nude women; this is just one example of how the tennis plot goes very dark. In episode 10, Momo reveals her “transformation this week” and begins to perform her theme song, which is the first time we hear a hint of parody. There is only one storyline that keeps coming up, and that’s the Lupinne one, and even it only includes two non-concurrent episodes. Essentially, the show is just an old-school Saturday morning cartoon, and that’s mostly how it comes across. For thirty minutes, it will keep you amused, although it isn’t always well-drawn or animated.
Regardless, or maybe because of this, Fairy Princess Minky Momo is an enjoyable experience. The fact that Momo’s dad in the sky is both irritating and somewhat unsettling, and that a backdrop sign in episode eight alternates between reading “Women’s Wear” and “Women’s Dress” between frames, are both insignificant. What makes this show so entertaining is seeing Momo glide around life, act as if she’s always been there, and then suddenly turn into some strange expert to rescue the day. For a long time, she was a mainstay in children’s media throughout the world; she’s a perky, cheerful figure that embodies the stereotypical playful yet good-hearted little girl. Even while it becomes a problem later on (in, say, episode 46), for now it just makes the show more enjoyable to watch while eating sugary cereal in the style of the 1980s. This is a significant word in the magical girl vocabulary from a historical perspective, but if you like old school anime and magical girl tales, you can happily ignore that. Enjoy some upbeat music and goofy antics as you sit back and marvel at Momo’s absurdly lengthy transition phrase. It would be great if there were more episodes like this.