Mahou no Tenshi Creamy Mami

Around the beginning of the pandemic I stumbled across this particular anime. To some this may feel just like some generic kid's magical girl anime, which it is. And for that reason I enjoyed it very much. Each episode I kept looking forward to it like a little child. I even felt as if I could be a magical girl myself and sing my nights away. This anime also gave me this sense of some nostalgia, as if I grew up in the 80s as well which is when it was released. It's nice n wholesome and well, I never had a dull moment watching ... this. If you like some retro anime maybe give this a try!

After reading the Moe Manifesto (A book that covers the history of moe, full of interviews from creators of moe work), I really wanted to look into some of the early 80s series mentioned. There were two series that caught my eye, Creamy Mami and Minky Momo. I could not find subs for the latter, so I decided to watch Mami since all of its episodes were subbed. I did not know what I would be getting myself into. Somehow, I was pretty hooked.

Creamy Mami is one of the most unique magical girl series I have seen. What stands out with this anime is how ... Yuu’s transforming idol career is integrated to its episodic story structure. In each episode, Creamy Mami covers a lot of intriguing themes and subjects that I did not expect. The situations Yuu goes through with her career can range from bizarre to surprisingly mature, covering the struggles of an idol in the most effective, kid-friendly way possible.

Its cast of characters also shine. Yuu started out pretty generic, but she became likable as more episodes showcased her child-like personality. The rest of the cast are rather cheesy, but very likable on their own right. Shingo/Megumi’s messy relationship and Toshio’s silly disdain for Yuu works for pretty solid comedy. If there were any problems, they are minor. Sometimes, a song gets repeated too many times in many to the point where it can get irritating. I wish there were more variety in the music choices. And this is mostly preferential, but I wish Yuu’s story as Mami were progressive. Its episodic format works fine, but I would have loved to see some form of character development that could make satisfying growth for Yuu.

Overall, I really enjoyed my spare time with Creamy Mami. There is just enough variety and enjoyment in Mami’s stories and characters for me to keep watching all the way through. If you liked the episodic nature of older magical girl anime like Cardcaptor Sakura, you will definitely love Creamy Mami. I will now take my leave as I listen to Mami's song "Fall in Love" for the umpteenth time.

The premise of this show is basically if Hannah Montana got her musical alter ego (and some ambiguous magic powers) from being abducted by aliens.

It's very cute, very 80s... It's very good for what it is, honestly. I just prefer my magical girl shows to have higher stakes. I was really feeling the lack of a bigger conflict or overarching villain. (Much as the summary claims she fights aliens alongside all her daily life stuff, that's limited to a couple one-off episodes.)

But I really liked Yuu's character. She's just the right blend of easygoing and brash. The kind of kid who's excited to ... tackle anything.

I may not have loved it, but I won't say the time wasn't well spent. It's always worth seeing the building blocks of a genre.