Magic User's Club

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Magic User's Club
魔法使いTai!
(Mahō Tsukai Tai!)
Genre Magical girl
OVA
Director Junichi Sato
Studio Triangle Staff, Bandai Visual
Episodes 6
Released 1996
TV anime
Studio Triangle Staff, Bandai Visual
Network Flag of Japan WOWOW
Flag of South Korea Animax
Original run 7 July 1999 – 6 October 1999
Episodes 13
Manga
Author Junichi Sato (Story)
Shamneko (Art)
Publisher Flag of Japan Kadokawa Shoten
Original run 1999 – 2000
Volumes 3

Magic User's Club (魔法使いTai! Mahō Tsukai Tai!?) is an anime, released as a six part OVA in 1996 and then a 13-episode TV series in 1999, which was broadcast by WOWOW, and then by the anime television network, Animax, across its respective networks worldwide, including Southeast Asia, South Asia and other regions. The original plan was done by anime director Junichi Sato, with animation produced by Triangle Staff and Bandai Visual. There were also two manga series made, a shōjo manga version by Tammy Ohta (太田 多美 Ōta Tami) and shōnen manga version by Shamneko (紗夢猫). The Magic User's Club anime is released in North America by AnimeWorks.

Contents

[edit] Plot

[edit] OVA series

An enormous cylindrical alien spaceship named "the Bell" (釣り鐘 Tsurigane) by humans descended upon Earth one day. Military forces attacked this entity but their attempts were in vain, as the Bell easily vaporized all human technology. The Bell sent out robotic probes to explore and analyze human civilization and, since the probes didn't cause any harm, people soon adapted and went about their everyday lives. A group of high school students at Kitanohashi High School's "Magic User's Club" attempt to combat the alien menace using magic.

[edit] TV series

The Bell has been defeated, but a massive cherry blossom tree stands in its wake. The Magic Club must meet once again to solve the problem of the giant tree, which is blocking off sunlight for the city. A mysterious figure descends from the tree and watches over the members of the club as they continue to deal with magic in their daily lives.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Magic Club

Sae.
Sae.

Sae Sawanoguchi (沢野口 沙絵 Sawanoguchi Sae?)

2nd year student at Kitanohashi High School and a new member of the Magic Club. Sae is eager to learn magic, but often has setbacks due to her clumsy nature. She looks up to Takakura as a great mentor. Although she actually has feelings for him beyond that, she is too shy to express them. Of the five members, Sae has the greatest amount of power to utilize, but lacks the training and concentration to fully tap into this potential.
Sae displays a clear ineptitude to flying on a broomstick in the OVA series, but her skills progress and by the TV series, she can fly on different pole-sized items without any problems.
According to character designer Ikuko Itoh, her own mother was an influence for the character of Sae, who has a similar klutzy nature.[1]
Nanaka.
Nanaka.

Nanaka Nakatomi (中富 七香 Nakatomi Nanaka?)

A 2nd year and a friend of Sae since childhood. She just wants to be a normal high school girl and gets frustrated with Sae's obsession with the Magic Club. Nanaka has a crush on Aburatsubo but is afraid to admit her feelings because she knows they won't be returned.
Akane.
Akane.

Akane Aikawa (愛川 茜 Aikawa Akane?)

A 1st year and another new member of the Magic Club. Akane is a spoiled rich girl who often misses going to club meetings in order to go on dates with boyfriends. She seems to be a natural at using magic, and it comes very easily to her. Akane often uses magic for selfish reasons against what Takakura has taught, which causes Sae to lecture her in several instances. (In a cute touch, anything affected by her magic SPINS.)
In the TV series, Akane works as a model and appears in clothing advertisements throughout the city. Her mother is a famous actress.

Takeo Takakura (高倉 武男 Takakura Takeo?)

President of the Magic Club and 3rd year student at Kitanohashi High School. Takakura often has a tendency to show off in front of the girls and has perverted daydreams at inopportune times. He loves Sae, but will not admit his feelings because he is nervous and self-conscious of his position as Sae's mentor and upperclassman.
Hiding from his childhood nemesis, Takeo found a magical textbook called the Grimoire.

Ayanojyo Aburatsubo (油壷 綾之丞 Aburatsubo Ayanojō?)

A 3rd year and the vice president of the Magic Club. Aburatsubo is homosexual, but only shows affection toward Takakura; He never shows signs of being interested in any other boy. Takakura is uncomfortable with Aburatsubo's flirting, but doesn’t think much of it. He has a variety of talents and is involved in many other clubs besides the Magic Club such as the tennis team and drama club.

[edit] Other Magicians

Jeff-kun (ジェフくん Jefu-kun?)

  • Voiced by: Satoru Nakano (Japanese), Michelle Medlin (English)
Jeff is both the name of a mysterious silhouetted magician Sae met when she was a child and a stuffed teddy bear that he gave her. When Sae gets in tough situations, Jeff-kun the teddy bear aids Sae's magic powers. She meets the real Jeff again (only as a silhouette) when the rest of the club are trapped inside the Bell and he gives her the confidence to rescue them. Appears in the OVA, and at the end of the TV series.

Jurika Jinno (仁乃 樹里加 Jinno Jurika?)

Jurika is a magician that seems interested in the members of the Magic Club and the use of magic, for reasons that are not clear at first. Jurika is highly androgynous, officially male as a student but having a very feminine look for the most part. He has the ability to read and translate the Grimoire that Takeo uses to teach the other Club members, going so far as to identify the Club's copy as "an older version that has mistakes in it".
Jurika is actually a magical construct given life and personality by Sae's fondest wishes and ideals about magic. As a being of pure magic, he has the ability to manipulate his appearance, exist in multiple times and places, read minds, interact in the dreams of others and other numerous abilities. Since he is a byproduct of Sae's mind, he is aware of the personalities and relationships between the Magic User's Club members and utilizes this knowledge to manipulate them into using more magic. At the end of the TV series, he is absorbed back into his creator, Sae. Appears only in the TV series.

Miki Mizusawa (水沢　美樹 Mizusawa Miki?)

  • Voiced by: Miho Yamada (Japanese), Carrie Keranen (English)
Nicknamed "Micky-senpai" (ミッキー先輩 Mikkī-senpai?) by Sae. Miki is a friend and former mentor of Sae who lives in England. She was in the Magic User's Club for an unknown amount of time before leaving to England. Sae writes her constantly in the TV series, telling her what has been going on. Miki's father is a "grandmaster" sorcerer/magician based in England and she presumably has trained under him. She has enough magic training to fly without using a broom and can summon a magical serpent to aid her. Appears only in the TV series.

[edit] Journalists

Mitsuru Minowa (箕輪　充 Minowa Mitsuru?)

Minowa is a journalist bent on learning the truth behind the Bell. He investigates the Magic Club to find out if they have any connection with the Bell.

Yoshito Yoshimoto (吉本　吉人 Yoshimoto Yoshito?)

Yoshimoto is a photographer and constant sidekick of Minowa, though he doesn't take the Bell issue as seriously as his boss.

[edit] Manga Club

Mizuha Miyama (深山　瑞葉 Miyama Mizuha?)

  • Voiced by: Rei Sakuma (Japanese), Suzanne Gilad (English)
Miyama is the bossy President of the Manga Club, which is right next door to the Magic Club. She uses her enormous breasts to intimidate Takakura, and she's been teasing him since childhood. Miyama is constantly trying to dissolve the Magic Club and keeps taking back the space that was loaned to the club.
She secretly harbors feelings for Takakura, despite her incessant tormenting of him. When a truth spell was cast on her, she confessed her true feelings about him. Also, in the TV series, she devotes a manga project with allegories to Takakura.

Katsuhito Kubo (久保　克人 Kubo Katsuhito?)

  • Voiced by: Akira Shirai
Kubo only appears in the OVA series and is a faculty member who is club supervisor of the Magic Club and the Manga Club. He doesn't try to resolve any issues between the students, saying "Education is love". Kubo has a habit of giving his business card to everyone he talks to.

Rinpun (リンプン Rinpun?) & Kojin (コージン Kōjin?)

They are two boys who are Miyama's constant lackeys. Rinpun & Kojin do all kinds of menial tasks for Miyama and are sometimes called to spy on others for her.

[edit] Family

Saki Sawanoguchi (沢野口　早紀 Sawanoguchi Saki?)

Sae's older sister who looks after her in Tokyo. Saki has problems with a boyfriend in the TV series.

Sawako Sawanoguchi (沢野口 佐和子 Sawanoguchi Sawako?)

She is Sae's mother, a woman with an energetic personality. Sae's parents own a ranch in Hokkaidō.

Sakae Sawanoguchi (沢野口　栄 Sawanoguchi Sakae?)

  • Voiced by: Kouji Kurose
He is Sae's father, seemingly a man of few words. Sae's hairstyle was inherited from him.

Naoki Nakatomi (中富　直紀 Nakatomi Naoki?)

He is Nanaka's younger brother, who is bratty and tends to annoy her.

Naoko Nakatomi (中富　菜緒子 Nakatomi Naoko?)

  • Voiced by: Urara Takano (Japanese), Camille Diamond (English)
She is Nanaka's mother who runs a health food store. She also grows her own vegetables . Nanaka is frustrated when she doesn't seem to care about attending parent-teacher meetings.

Azusa Amano (天野　梓 Amano Azusa?)

She is Akane's mother who is a famous actress.

Takako Takakura (高倉　貴子 Takakura Takako?)

  • Voiced by: Sawa Ishige (Japanese), Amy Fitts (English)
She is Takeo's younger sister. Takako seems annoyed by her brother's eccentricities and makes sure he does regular exercise routines.

Akiko Aburatsubo (油壺　亜希子 Aburatsubo Akiko?)

  • Voiced by: You Inoue (Japanese), Deborah S. Craig (English)
She is Aburatsubo's mother, who treats Aburatsubo very childishly and affectionately. Aburatsubo can't stand her.

[edit] Aburatsubo Safety Committee

Michiko Mikote (御小手　ミチコ Mikote Michiko?)

  • Voiced by: Umi Tenjin (Japanese), Amy Fitts (English)
She is the President of the "Aburatsubo Safety Committee", a group of girls who are obsessively devoted to Aburatsubo in the TV series. Michiko is the most confrontational and jealous of the girls, and she insists that only she may call Aburatsubo "Aya-sama".

Madoka Masuko (増子　まどか Masuko Madoka?)

  • Voiced by: Nanae Katou (Japanese), Camille Diamond (English)
Madoka is another member of the committee who is highly obsessed with Aburatsubo. She has the habit of breaking the rule against calling Aburatsubo "Aya-sama" and gets slapped by Michiko when she does so.

Hikaru Hirasaka (平坂　光 Hirasaka Hikaru?)

Hikaru is another member of the committee who has long bangs. She sometimes goes on small tasks for Michiko, like checking in the men's bathroom whenever Aburatsubo can't be found. She often dogdes Michiko's back swings when she slaps Madoka.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Ikuko Itoh at Ushicon: Q & A, and other fun. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.

[edit] External links