Line #37 Main/MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction


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7	[[caption-width-right:350:Top: Teen girls fighting evil.\
8	Bottom: The reason why that's a phenomenally bad idea.]]
9
10	->''"Back in the day, anime girls could become idols with just a few magic words and a flashy transformation scene. These days the poor girls gotta train and audition and all that crap, 'cause I guess a little optimism would kill these stinkin' scriptwriters."''
11	-->-- '''Neko-senpai''', ''Anime/AnimeGataris''
12
13	The MagicalGirl and MagicalGirlWarrior genres are very popular genres for {{anime}} and {{manga}} in Japan; they're also popular internationally, with several non-Japanese works being produced for the genres. They're normally fluffy {{Coming Of Age Stor\|y}}ies usually featuring a cast of [[KidHero young 8-15 year old girls]] who gain magical powers thanks to a TransformationTrinket. However, in the 2010s, a new SubGenre began to form: the Magical Girl GenreDeconstruction, usually called "Dark Magical Girl" in anime fandom, though that is a [[DarkMagicalGirl different trope here]].
14
15	Magical Girl Genre Deconstruction anime are [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForLittleGirls almost never aimed at little girls]]. They're usually {{Subverted Kids Show}}s aimed [[{{Seinen}} at men]] (and, more rarely, [[ShonenDemographic teenage boys]] and [[{{Josei}} women]]).
16
17	This genre twists the normal WishFulfillment part of most Magical Girl shows by showing that the magical powers aren't all fun and games but [[ComesGreatResponsibility serious responsibilities]]. These works are deconstructions where being a Magical Girl [[BlessedWithSuck comes with various]] real-life complications [[SourGrapes that end up actually preventing the wish-fulfillment]]. This often comes in the form of trying to be DarkerAndEdgier. Common themes of these series are that you should BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor and that GrowingUpSucks (in sharp contrast with how traditional Magical Girl works treat [[OlderAlterEgo pseudo-adulthood]] as [[ComingOfAgeStory a form of empowerment]]). Rather than being "magical" in the sense of "wondrous", here [[TheThemeParkVersion it's usually just an aesthetic]] - you can expect the protagonist's identity to be common knowledge, and[=/=]or for there to be [[EveryoneIsASuper an entire class of similarly empowered people in which she's only a small cog]]. Sometimes they are treated as ChildSoldiers, with all the horrors that entails. If the protagonist is a StockShoujoHeroine, then she will often end up a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype. You can expect them to emphasize that being a magical girl is NotAGame.
18
19	Straight examples of Magical Girl [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual rarely use]] the term "magical girl" InUniverse (and because the fantasy is [[OlderAlterEgo based around a desire to grow up]], they might even [[JustAKid find it insulting]]). However, most stories like this use "magical girl" ''[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual exclusively]]'', to the point of [[NonIndicativeName extending it to characters who are adults or even male]] (because the fantasy is based around [[GrowingUpSucks nostalgia for childhood]]).
20
21	2011's ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' is the TropeCodifier and GenrePopularizer for this genre (but it's not the UrExample, with ''Anime/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' and ''Anime/CyberTeamInAkihabara'' predating it). It's an anime which starts off looking like a normal Magical Girl story but [[WhamEpisode takes an unexpected turn three episodes in]], and portrays the stereotypical MentorMascot as a figure more akin to {{Mephistopheles}}. The series' twist proved popular enough that [[FollowTheLeader other works]] soon began exploring more serious interpretations of Magical Girls as well.
22
23	''Madoka Magica'' was in turn heavily influenced by the HenshinHero series ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'', one of the [[GenreDeconstruction more deconstructive entries]] in the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' franchise. While Kamen Riders are [[WasOnceAMan no stranger to darkness]], ''Ryuki'' threw the whole idea of Riders being ''heroes'' [[BlackAndGrayMorality out the window]], with a whopping 13 people gaining {{Transformation Trinket}}s (which ''weren't'' a magically summoned part of the Rider's body like past entries, but physical items that could be damaged or stolen) and [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne forced to fight each other to the death]]. This would eventually lead to [[Creator/GenUrobuchi Madoka's creator]] being recruited to write ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', a series with a ''Ryuki''-esque format and a CentralTheme of GrowingUpSucks.
24
25	Note: '''Before adding examples, please read Administrivia/NotADeconstruction''', as not ''all'' DarkerAndEdgier MagicalGirl series count. ''Anime/ShamanicPrincess'', for example, is a dark MagicalGirlWarrior series but it doesn't feature the deconstruction or subversive elements associated with this genre. Many traditional MagicalGirl works, such as ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' and ''Anime/PrettyCure'', and even classic MagicalGirl anime like ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' each feature dark elements, however they're not considered Magical Girl Genre Deconstructions, as they still adhere to the traditional tropes of the genre.
26
27	Compare to RealRobotGenre (in contrast to SuperRobotGenre), {{Capepunk}} (which takes a similarly deconstructive approach to superheroes), MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, and NinetiesAntiHero (this could be considered to be to Magical Girls in the 2010s what these were to superheroes in the 1990s). Contrast NotWearingTights.
28	-----
29	!Examples
30	[[foldercontrol]]
31
32	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
33	* ''Anime/DayBreakIllusion'' features magical girls who want to fight monsters... but then they discover that not only are the monsters created from corrupted humans, but they can't defeat the monsters without killing the humans as well--even humans who never wanted to be monstrous.
34	* ''Manga/TheDemonGirlNextDoor'': Hiding under a cute, {{Moe}} SliceOfLife gag manga exterior, this {{Yonkoma}} Manga deconstructs the MagicalGirl from the point of view of the nominal 'villains'. Not only is every single demon portrayed as ineffectual and harmless, everything we learn about the magical girls paints them as pawns of an ancient, uncaring celestial bureaucracy who're awarded points for essentially [[VanHelsingHateCrimes hunting down pseudo-ethnic minorities]]. They are locked into complete life altering contracts [[ChildSoldiers as young as 5 years old]]. We're told many unscrupulous magical girls only care about racking up points to make their wishes come true, and in the first six volumes, the only real villain has been [[spoiler: a magical girl who wants to commit genocide against demons to 'end their suffering']].
35	* ''Anime/FantasticDetectiveLabyrinth'' has Aya, a type of MagicalGirlWarrior that transforms a young girl with potential and rewrites her personality with an artificial one loyal to its Doll Master. These types of warriors become cold-blooded killers with the humanity of the girls only kept by the fact they are ManchurianAgent bodyguards, meaning they do not recall anything from the fight, and how the Doll Masters treat them.
36	* ''Anime/{{Granbelm}}'': the main character, Mangetsu, is a StockShoujoHeroine -- kind, sweet, and helpful. She feels empty and unfulfilled [[spoiler:because she actually is just a creation of Magic with no actual history]]. Magic power is a terrible thing that has been locked away for 1000 years for good reason. It lures young girls every generation into battle royale in cute {{Super Robot}}s, where their dreams will be destroyed and many are [[spoiler:erased to the point of never having existed in the first place]].
37	* ''Gushing Over Magical Girls'' is a highly sexual action/comedy work about Hiiragi Utena, a girl who dreams about being a magical girl but actually ends up being a DarkMagicalGirl. While at first horrified, Utena discovers a hidden side to herself as she fights her admired heroines, and she likes it... a ''lot''. The series also shows, at length, that most of the power and mental development of Tres Magia (the "traditional" magical girl group of the setting) could only happen because [[StealthMentor Utena kept pushing for them to grow]], is [[VillainsActHeroesReact the one instigating most of their conflicts]], and very much wants them to defeat her organization the "proper" way (i.e. just like in magical girl anime); when a villain ''wants'' them dead, or when Utena starts showing her hand, it's nearly a steamroll. That being said, the series and Utena are still very much in favor of the Powers of [[ThePowerOfLove Love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]] winning the day, as both Enormeeta and Tres Magia become better fighters as they accept themselves, their allies, and even their sexuality.
38	* Parodied in ''Manga/MagicalGirlOre''. It hits all the high points but takes them to such extremes that what is horrifying for Saki becomes hilarious to the audience:
39	** Saki's wish to get together with Mahiro is fulfilled in a Monkey's Paw way. True, he [[LovesMyAlterEgo Loves Her Alter Ego]], but considering [[SuperGenderBender what]] that alter ego is, [[IncompatibleOrientation her regular self never had a chance]].
40	*** In a GenerationXerox, her father was the same way with her mother, preferring her buff, male magical alter ego.
41	** The MentorMascot is literally a Yakuza boss.
42	** Saki wanted a perfect body -- she got ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Goku's]]'' version, not Franchise/SailorMoon's. The former is much more realistic for physically smashing evil after all.
43	** Unlike most {{Magic Idol Singer}}s, she hates using her transformed body to perform. And while using it does boost her group's popularity, the sales also come from the novelty of seeing [[DancingBear two crossdressing buff men singing]] rather than any skill they have.
44	** Combat is anything but elegant (such as in ''Anime/PrettyCure''). Instead, it's a brutal hand-to-hand battle, leaving behind a horrible, bloody mess.
45	* ''Anime/MagicalDestroyers'': the three Magical Girls are all rude and crude, and don't want to be Magical Girls anymore. They are very GenreMotif/{{Punk}}, with drug use, sexual promiscuity, sadomasochism, and a "burn it all down" attitude. They represent "SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll" (Blue, Pink, and Anarchy, in that order). The very nihilistic attitude is the opposite of the traditional MagicalGirl. [[spoiler:In the end, they turn on and kill the hero.]]
46	* ''Manga/MagicalGirlSite'': The [[DrivenToSuicide suicidal]] main character is horribly abused by [[DomesticAbuse her brother]] and [[BullyBrutality brutally]] [[TheBully bullied]] by a GirlPosse before becoming a Magical Girl. A website called the "Mahou Shoujo Site" specifically targets troubled young girls and asks them if they want to become magical girls. Once she becomes one, it turns out that [[CastFromHitPoints using her powers steals from her lifespan]]. There is also a battle royale among the magical girls. While ThePowerOfFriendship is a major element, it doesn't prevent it from falling into this genre given the other effects.
47	** Once one gets over the gory and raunchy sections of the series, the manga shifts into a {{Reconstruction}} after Aya [[GrewASpine grows a spine]] and [[WiseBeyondTheirYears matures far beyond her age]] thanks the assistance of her new friends like Yatsumura, along with numerous girls who had similar misfortunes in their lives. She becomes TheHeart for even the most unscrupulous and highly-flawed individuals that includes former enemies and ordinary humans wrapped up in their fights, forming a LaResistance with the common goal of saving the world. [[spoiler:And it ends with Aya completely turning the world system into her favor, resulting in a SurprisinglyHappyEnding for everyone who was hurt, whether the Site was (in)directly involved or not.]]
48	* ''Manga/MagicalGirlSpecOpsAsuka'': Magical Girls are widely known and are treated as [[ChildSoldiers soldiers]] [[MilitarySuperhero by governments]]. The protagonist is a ShellShockedVeteran magical girl formerly attached to the [[UsefulNotes/KaijuDefenseForce JSDF]] who just wants to live an ordinary life after years of fighting monsters, but keeps getting dragged back in because there aren't many Magical Girls left. The enemies also use ColdBloodedTorture on innocents, just to drive home how horrible they are.
49	* ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan'' at first seems to be a typical MagicalGirlQueenlinessTest anime- that is, until Punie, the main character, begins using wrestling submission holds upon people. The further you get, the more you learn that Punie is not a nice person, and neither is her family.
50	* ''Manga/MagilumiereCoLtd'' takes place in a world where the constant threat of monsters means magical girls are commonplace. Rather than being used to help come of age, becoming one is a viable and much sought-after career for adults, with industries rising to assist them. Advancements in magic are done through {{magitek}} and programming, and even the prospect of men taking on the job is only hampered by the technology needing improvements to accommodate their abilities. The strength of their enemies depends on how much magic is used, leading to a LensmanArmsRace between the women and the Kaii that involves both factions getting stronger to defeat the other, with the conflict then being how to defeat them without feeding into their power.
51	* ''Mahou Shoujo Erena'', being a {{Hentai}}, has a plot where with the help from a mysterious creature called Ovi, Erena turned herself into a magical girl to beat Zoid, a tentacle monster to save her sister, Emille. Since that day, to protect her sister and to keep peace on the earth, Erena started to fight against the ugly creatures as a magical girl. However, what awaited her is a harsh destiny: immoral days of naughty humiliations and extreme rape. And her battle eventually involves her sister and her dead mother, also being raped by the monster.
52	* ''Anime/MyHime'' is an early example that either tosses or examines many of the standard tropes of the MagicalGirl genre. Fancy costumes (except for the {{Cosplay Otaku Girl}}s) and secret identities are not in use. ThePowerOfLove that powers the [=HiME=] is shown to be a tainted love that drives several girls to insanity and murder, and the defeat of a magical girl kills whoever they love the most. The military gets involved in magical girl affairs midway through due to the actions of a secret society, but their forces are defeated by magical firepower. Even WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld is deconstructed, since in a world of magical battles, going to class ''really'' stops mattering by the midway point (or earlier, if you're Natsuki).
53	* ''Anime/MyOtome'' takes a minor subplot of [[Anime/MyHime its predecessor]] and puts it in full view: Magical girls have the power of fighter aircraft? Then they'll be treated as weapons of mass destruction and taken into the service of their nations, and they'll fight ''wars'' rather than the MonsterOfTheWeek. Also, the tendency for magical girl series to have a CastFullOfGay and strong yuri undertones is also spotlighted, because [[VirginPower sperm destroys the Otome nanomachines]], so Otome are [[SituationalSexuality expected to sleep with girls]], and the Academy's culture includes sexual relationships between sempai and kohai. While the latter is fully romanticized, some Otome are actually straight and in love with men, leading to comedy and angst in equal proportion.
54	* ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' [[UnbuiltTrope presages the genre]] and was released in 1996. Its displays [[GrowingUpSucks several elements]] of this genre despite [[UrExample predating it by well over a decade]]. Ririka is a ten-year-old who must fight an alien invasion against the evil organization Dark Joker. It's a normal MagicalGirlWarrior anime but then the WhamEpisode hits. Ririka is forced to [[spoiler: let her crush and friend, Kanou, die - though she has the means to save his life via the [[AppliedPhlebotinum Green Vaccine]], he refuses her aid since there is only a limited amount left.]] Ririka soon begins [[IJustWantToBeNormal doubting her resolve]]. As it turns out, [[spoiler:Ririka is actually the {{reincarnation}} of the original Nurse Angel and is the flower she's been looking for the entire series]]. The series ends with [[spoiler:Ririka committing a HeroicSacrifice, but the very final scene reveals that she survived. The unanswered question, however, is whether her family and friends still remember her]]. Even before the WhamEpisode, every fight is very difficult, and bad guys have an unlimited source of power, the Black Vaccine, while the Green Vaccine that powers Ririka is limited and some drains away every time she rescues people, forcing tough decisions on her.
55	* ''Anime/OkusamaWaMahouShoujo'' is a more lighthearted Deconstruction, exploring instead what happens when the Magical Girl grows too old to be called a "girl" anymore, with the main character now 26, and married, but refuses to give up her power to her teenaged replacement, as it would undo all her own efforts for the town. An example showing not all Magical Girl Genre Deconstruction creations are DarkerAndEdgier.
56	* ''Manga/OtasukeMikoMikoChan'' is very, very fond of playing with the conventions of the Magical Girl genre. The most obvious ways are how Ayumu as Miko-chan is used primarily to sell merchandise and advertise the shrine, that his magical familiar is more of a manager than anything else, and that he is a reluctant cross-dresser.
57	* ''Manga/PhantomThiefJeanne'' is a precursor to most other examples, as the manga was first published in 1998. Main character Maron suffers from [[BrokenBird Clinical Depression]] as a result of ParentalAbandonment, and her magical companion and friend Fin [[spoiler:is actually a fallen angel working for the Devil]].
58	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' is the TropeCodifier. It's a MagicalGirl franchise featuring an [[ArtStyleDissonance adorable art style]] but a dark and depressing plot. As it turns out, empowering and sending teenage girls to fight horrible RealityWarper entities tends to result in the girls dying, slowly losing their minds, and fighting each other as much as their enemies. Plus, all Magical Girls are [[spoiler:destined to become the Witches they fight]] and the TransformationTrinket is in fact [[spoiler:their soul itself]]. Another {{Deconstruction}} is of [[spoiler:the cute MentorMascot willing to empower teenage girls to fight evil, who is here the [[ManBehindTheMan true]] BigBad and more of a classic Devil - a contract for the soul that is never quite what it seems, and in the lives of the magical girls, who experience combat fatigue and wear down mentally. However, the series ''ends'' on a DeconReconSwitch for ThePowerOfHeart: naive young Madoka invokes the vast power from her wish to effect a vast CosmicRetcon, preventing witches from having ever existed and becoming the [[AbstractApotheosis embodiment of Hope]] in the process. The ultimate message is profoundly AntiNihilist: this world may be grim and messed-up, but it's ''never'' wrong to keep on hoping and fighting to make it a better place]].
59	* ''Anime/ReCreators'': Among the fictional characters [[RefugeeFromTVLand transported to reality]] is Mamika Kirameki, star of the ([[ShowWithinAShow in-universe]]) kids' show ''[[MagicalGirlWarrior Magical Slayer Mamika]]'', whose design evokes something from ''Anime/PrettyCure'' but whom in the "outer" setting functions more as an {{Expy}} of [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Madoka Kaname]]. Being from a LighterAndSofter work than the other Creations, she fights by shooting [[HeartBeatdown pink hearts]] and {{Energy Ball}}s that knock people out without hurting them... so she's horrified to learn that in the transition to Earth ([[AmbiguousSituation or possibly due to the influence of]] her PeripheryDemographic), she's become a PersonOfMassDestruction whose attacks make people actually ''bleed''. In the end, while she becomes a little more stoic, she manages to retain her idealism and become the TokenGoodTeammate of [[MageInManhattan Altair]]'s faction (as well as the LivingEmotionalCrutch of Aliceteria, a female CaptainErsatz of [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]]). [[spoiler:At least until figuring out that Altair is an OmnicidalManiac and [[SenselessSacrifice dying in a failed attempt to kill her]]]]. The reality of the creators does not have the same genre expectations as the world she came from.
60	* 1997's ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is a shoujo with MagicalGirl influences, though it's not a full-fledged Magical Girl work. Utena is a fourteen year old girl who wants to be a prince some day after being inspired by a princely man she met seven years ago. At her middle school, she becomes involved in a secretive swordfighting tournament held by the student council. While fighting this tournament she meets a similarly aged girl, dubbed the "Rose Bride", Anthy. What follows is a surreal story about InnocenceLost and {{Coming Of Age\|Story}} revolving around a DysfunctionJunction.
61	* Initially played straight with ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'', which seems to utilize magical girls as tools to fight wars with extraminensional entities, as well as almost completely averting the usual AdultsAreUseless trope found in Traditional Magical Girl Settings to the point that viewers early on thought it was a Madoka clone (Not helped by Creator/AoiYuuki playing the lead like with Madoka), only to outright defy it '''HARD''' by the first season's end, turning into an optimistic, hotblooded Magical Girl SuperRobot fusion by season 2 onwards. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Its suitably epic]] as a result.
62	* While ''Anime/VividStrike'' is still very much a ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series, and thus even at its deconstructionist it is still lighter than most examples here, it still delves into a franchise-specific deconstruction of some of its favorite tropes via its DarkMagicalGirl Rinne Berlinetta.
63	** Rinne, like several other ''Nanoha'' characters such as Fate and Vivio, is HappilyAdopted. However it was being adopted that led her to becoming the she was via bullying. [[AdoptionDiss Girls at her school did not take kindly to a orphan becoming a rich girl and her being initially unwilling to join clubs, instead being more interested in spending time with her ill grandfather]]. This led to [[BullyBrutality increasingly brutal bullying that eventually culminated in her being beaten so badly she wasn't able to be there when her grandfather's health took a turn for a worse and he died.]] While her adopted family is a bright spot on her life, the entire incident left her with a lot of internal self-loathing.
64	** Said bullies were defeated by Rinne the day after her grandfather died. This was not a 'defeat' in the famous ''Nanoha'' method of [[DefeatMeansFriendship blasting the person opposing you with laser until they are befriended.]] This is [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown snap one of their wrists with her raw strength while kicking and slamming the other two's faces into the lockers and floor until blood is everywhere and the bullies stop moving.]] This, naturally, did not lead to anything good: it led to her adopted parents in court and one of the bullies brothers kidnapping her in retribution.
65	** [[IJustWantToBeBadass Like several previous characters, Rinne then went into training to deal with her issues]], with her coach noting that many athletes, magical girls or otherwise, use their issues as fuel to motivate themselves. Rinne, however, stewed in her issues instead of properly channeling them, becoming a powerful magical girl fighter with many wins under her belt, but one who loathed the sport she was in, becoming a brutal fighter who severely injured many of her opponents, and viewing the entire case as a means of becoming so strong she can never lose anyone she loves again. However in doing so she ultimately did not address her real issues and lost her best friend, Fuka, over her new attitude and raw pursuit of strength, and only was able to even vaguely approach as functional or stable when she was winning. A single loss was enough to send her back into self-spiraling open self-hatred instead of a internal self loathing she could mask. She does ultimately gets better, [[WarriorTherapist it just took Fuka being able to ''re-befriend her'' with her fists]] and ultimately ends the series in a much better place than when she starts. Because even a deconstructive take on ''Nanoha'' is still a ''Nanoha'' series at heart.
66	* ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'' is an aversion, subversion, and deconstruction all in one. Although both the Witchblade and the Cloneblades are equipped with a rather dark {{Transformation Trinket}} to occasionally fight a {{Monster of the Week}} [[spoiler:and each other]] in a {{Superpowered Alter Ego}}, they hardly show any of the standard fancy tropes of their heroic magical girl counterparts: instead, [[BloodKnight they seek violence]] and their blades [[spoiler:are inadvertently destroying the body and mind]]. Where the Cloneblades are esentially expendable [[TheLabRat lab rats]] armed with a [[EvilKnockoff cheap knockoff]], the eponymous Witchblade [[spoiler:[[ArtifactofDeath treats its hosts no better]].]]
67	* ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'' is the first in the multimedia franchise ''Franchise/YuushaDeAru'' where a group of young girls [[CallARabbitASmeerp dubbed]] "Heroes" are assigned by the government to save their island from monsters called "Vertexes". Within a few episodes, it becomes clear that they're closer to ChildSoldiers than {{Kid Hero}}es. The initial anime takes place [[spoiler:in a CosyCatastrophe 300 years in the future. The entire world has been wiped out except for one Japanese island, with everything outside of the wall being an AcidTripDimension.]] Heroes must protect the WorldTree from Vertexes [[spoiler:but it's a HopelessWar because there are always more Vertexes]]. Every time a Hero goes [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Mankai]] they [[spoiler:permanently give up a part of themselves (their hearing, eyesight, ability to walk, memories, etc) to the WorldTree. Eventually, they'll end up bed-bound, but in exchange for having god-like abilities and being worshiped by the Taisha.]] To add insult to injury, [[spoiler:their FairyCompanion [[ICannotSelfTerminate prevents death or suicide]]]] (a rule enacted after [[spoiler:an elementary schooler Hero, Gin from ''Literature/WashioSumiIsAHero'', died in battle]]). [[spoiler:However, fate is not unkind to the girls who made their sacrifice as the Heroes, and they [[EarnYourHappyEnding managed to achieve their victory]] and get their normal life back ([[BittersweetEnding mostly]]) by the end.]]
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Comic Books]]
71	* ''ComicBook/SaveYourself'' is a miniseries published by Creator/BoomStudios (under the Boom! Box label), it tells about the main lead who finds out that the three magical girls she idolizes are revealed to be three shapeshifting criminal aliens, while the villains who are chasing them are actually the good guys.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Fan Works]]
75	* ''Fanfic/BattleFantasiaProject'' is a crossover between this genre and the more hopeful MagicalGirlWarrior style, in a MegaCrossover. It still opens with Akiko, a MagicalGirl grown weary, [[DrivenToSuicide attempting suicide]] on live TV.
76	* The ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' fan-expansion "World of Freedom 2.5" (later "World of Freedom 3.2") includes the Legendary Angel Heralds, Sailor Scouts who grew up and became a bit (or a lot) screwed up in the process, and [[https://www.echoesofthemultiverse.com/viewtopic.php?p=33868&sid=8e8ea51978b936de626738097c5bc104#p33868 Pretty Princess Loli-chan]], whose concept is "What if the OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent grows up... and the SuperPoweredAlterEgo ''doesn't''?"
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Literature]]
80	%%* The ''Literature/DaughtersOfTheMoon'' series definitely counts. While it is pretty lighthearted overall, it does get increasingly darker as the series goes on, with big changes to the member lineup and the coming of the final eclipse approaching. By the end of the series, one of the members leaves to live in another dimension permanently, another has no memories of her time as a Daughter, and two of them are dead.
81	* ''Literature/InvadersOfTheRokujyouma'': Rainbow Yurika is a LighterAndSofter example. A BookDumb, magical-girl-loving orphan, Yurika was taken in by Magical Girl Rainbow Nana (an {{expy}} of [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha adult Nanoha]]) on one of her missions on Earth, only to witness her mentor make a HeroicSacrifice which [[CareerEndingInjury burned out her magic and left her constrained to a wheelchair for life]]. She resolved to take Nana's place and become a magical girl who could make her proud, travelling to her home of Folsaria and studying hard enough to become the youngest [[TheArchmage Archmage]] on record. However, "magical girl" is just the Folsarian term for "female MilitaryMage", and their magic system is less ''Manga/SailorMoon'' and more [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition "the wizard class in D&D 3.5"]]; as a result, Yurika's best spells are [[BadPowersGoodPeople decidely unheroic things]] like temporary insanity and flesh-eating gas. This, combined with her rushing back to Earth [[WellTrainedButInexperienced while still inexperienced]], has made her a CowardlyLion convinced that she's a failure as a "magical girl of love and courage" despite being likely [[TheBigGuy the strongest member of the main cast]]. It doesn't help that Nana was very short, so even if no one else notices [[EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit Yurika can tell that her costume doesn't fit properly]]. It also doesn't help that her vow of never using magic for personal gain means [[CassandraTruth she can't actually prove]] she's a magical girl to anyone, [[PlayedForLaughs causing them to laugh her off as a cosplayer]].
82	* ''Literature/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'': a [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent middle schooler]] named Koyuki has always wanted to be a magical girl and still adores magical girls even after her peers have outgrown them. She plays a free-to-play mobile game called ''Magical Girl Rising Project'' that, rumor has it, allows one in every few thousand people to become a real Magical Girl (regardless of their age or gender). Koyuki ends up one of the people and gets [[AscendedFanboy turned into]] a Magical Girl whose alias is "Snow White". She and a group of other magical girls act as superheroes around their district. One day Fav, the fairy mascot who made them all magical girls, mentions that he accidentally allowed too many in one region and has to downsize by half. It's soon revealed that those who stop being magical girls die. Even if you voluntarily quit being a magical girl, you'll still die. This quickly leads into a battle royale between the magical girls as each one fights to make sure they're not the one who is forced to quit, with most of them dead by the end.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
86	* ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' is a much earlier take on a form of ''HenshinHero GenreDeconstruction''. As noted in the description above, this was a major influence on ''Madoka Magica'', the TropeCodifier.
87	* ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' ends up deconstructing [[Manga/SailorMoon its own source material]] in increasingly surprising ways as it diverges from the original story, until, by the end, [[spoiler: Sailor Moon herself has become the OmnicidalManiac villain; the senshi's power source, the Silver Crystal, turns out to have really been an ArtifactOfDoom; and erstwhile villain Queen Beryl is revealed to have actually been trying to save the world, [[EvilVersusOblivion albeit only so she could rule it]].]] The deconstruction arises here as a result of the audience's own [[MagicalGirl genre expectations]] about the senshi's PowerOfFriendship and the motivation of the {{Card Carrying Villain}}s, and how naive and dangerous it'd actually be for the heroines to make such assumptions.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
91	* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful'' is actually a Magical Girl Genre ''{{Reconstruction}}'' set in the ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness''. Princesses suffer real risk of both injury and trauma. Monsters will not hesitate to go after your family. Different factions of magical girls may disagree on the details of things like "what is right" to the point that they attack ''[[WeAreStrugglingTogether each other]]''. But at the same time magical girls have access to more diverse powers than battle magic, and can call upon networks of support from all over mundane society, allowing them to succeed anyway.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Video Games]]
95	* ''VideoGame/HeroHoursContract'' is lighter than most examples, but this team of superheroines is underpaid. Rather than being the embodiments of purity and justice, Magical Girls are treated as mere employees of a larger system, and having to regularly protect the world from the forces of evil has interfered with Bea's education and left her with no possible career other than working in a (struggling) family-owned store.
96	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': The Star Guardian universe, taking its inspiration from ''Anime/SailorMoon'' and ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' in equal measures, starts out optimistically but then deconstructs the nature of accepting the Star Guardian vow and how it affects those who sign on:
97	** Zoe was one of the first Star Guardians chosen by the First Star. During their battles, her best friend Harp fell victim to despair and became the Star Nemesis Fiddlesticks. Zoe was thoroughly broken by the revelation that they would inevitably become the very monsters they destroyed and fell herself, keeping only enough of her sanity to maintain a somewhat normal appearance and targeting Star Guardians in an effort to MercyKill them before they fall to despair.
98	** Ahri has become bitter and cynical about being a Star Guardian after witnessing the deaths of her former team at Zoe's hands, adopting an IWorkAlone mentality and pushing everyone away from her to stop both herself from getting hurt and to avoid leading anyone else to their deaths.
99	** Xayah and Rakan were killed by Zoe and reanimated as her fallen servants. Xayah developed a bitter hatred for the Star Guardians for leaving her and Rakan to die in space, while Rakan holds no ill will but remains devoted to Xayah. Xayah's story is later reconstructed as [[spoiler:Rakan sacrifices himself to purify Xayah of her corruption, and Xayah later joins another team of Star Guardians to bring Rakan back from the brink of death and purify him in turn through ThePowerOfLove.]]
100	** Due to AdaptationalSpeciesChange, Lulu and Poppy were drafted as elementary school children. Lux wonders about the morality of drafting such young fighters.
101	** Magical girls are immortal and age very slowly, and must fight until they either die or fall. Nilah has avoided falling for centuries, but over those centuries has become a BloodKnight {{Womanchild}} who lives to fight and nothing else.
102	** Akali sees her friendship with Kai'sa crumble as Kai'sa dedicates so much of her time to training as a Star Guardian. Under the pressure of being afraid to die and her [[ParentalNeglect neglectful household,]] Akali nearly falls and later [[spoiler:falsely]] joins Morgana after Morgana promises her a way to undo her Star Guardian contract if she kills her former friends.
103	* ''VideoGame/LobotomyCorporation'' has three magical girls who are {{Fallen Hero}}es: The Magical Girl of Love eradicated all of the threats and [[AndThenWhat went off the deep end after realizing this meant that there were no enemies left for her to fight, meaning her purpose was worthless,]] becoming the Queen of Hatred. The Magical Girl of Happiness became consumed by a never-ending and ambitious desire for happiness and sealed herself in a giant egg to prevent her greed from hurting others, becoming the King of Greed. The Magical Girl of Justice, feeling that no good was left in the world, sunk into a depression and became the Knight of Despair. The Magical Girl of Courage, introduced in ''Webcomic/{{Wonderlab}}'' and made into a CanonImmigrant in ''VideoGame/LibraryOfRuina'', made friends with an enemy of her home world and was betrayed by said friend, which caused her to become the Servant of Wrath, a monster who will not allow anyone to get close to her lest she be reminded of the person who betrayed her trust.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Webcomics]]
107	* ''Webcomic/MagicalBoy'' is an {{Animesque}} webcomic where the main character is a UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} boy who is struggling with both his gender identity and the fact his mother, who is a Magical Girl, wants him to be feminine so he can connect with the Goddess Aurora and fight evil. Themes include homophobia and transphobia. [[spoiler: He finds out that his magical girl outfit is mostly for show and can actually be manipulated to become a more masculine outfit.]]
108	* ''Webcomic/MissGuillotine'': Many of the {{Magical Girl}}s are treated like celebrities. But instead of sweet girls, most are actually {{Alpha Bitch}}es who regularly bully other people. One magical girl actually went through plastic surgery just so she would look beautiful to match her name.
109	* ''Webcomic/{{Parallax}}'': Even though the basic premise of the MagicalGirl genre is there, Lomax is a teenage ''boy'' whose TransformationSequence [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-57 looks very feminine]] and is color-coded [[PinkIsForSissies neon pink]] despite the SuperMode being gender-neutral in universe. Many other aspects of the genre are deconstructed as well, including Lomax [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-22 being tricked into this]], unwittingly [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-23 choosing "what"]] [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-55 as the key phrase]], freaking out due to the newly acquired [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-28 super senses]] and [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-31 clingy costume]] and [[https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-36 getting badly beaten by the first monster]]. And to spice things up, Lomax's {{mentor}} is plotting behind the scenes how to use him for own ulterior motives.
110	* ''Webcomic/ShatteredStarlight'' has started to show some of the realistic results of a Magical Girl lifestyle, especially after growing up, with Farrah showing some signs of PTSD and having trouble keeping a regular job, the team apparently having broken apart after some event hinted to have ended with a member dying, and the former team mentor is now near-constantly drunk.
111	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'' is an {{Animesque}} webcomic where Magical Girls serve as ChildSoldiers to protect the city from monsters, but are treated like pop star celebrities, complete with interviews, merchandising and plenty of gossip. Being a Magical Girl has a high injury risk, but - as a cheerful poster claims - [[DisturbingStatistic registered ones have a 70% lower risk of severe injury or death]]. The FirstEpisodeTwist, where three {{Decoy Protagonist}}s get wiped out by a powerful monster leaving [[SoleSurvivor the one non-depowered survivor]] to pick up the pieces, is the current page image.
112	* ''Who Decided That Blues Had To Be Cool?'', published on Pixiv, is not at all dark, but is very much a DeconstructiveParody with a heroine who wants to be a magical girl, but makes the role a lot more straining than it should be because she is WrongGenreSavvy, believing that since she is blue-themed and paired with a pink-themed girl, she must fulfil the CoolBigSis role of the pair when she is temperamentally unsuited. It also treats the occupation in general like a job, with plenty of stress, conflicts with civilian life and an opaque employer.
113	* Tokimekiwaku's ''Magical Girl'' setting takes place in a world that's largely neutralized the process of becoming a magical girl (all of the current ones only had to sign a questionnaire on the internet), which greatly lowered the barriers of the age, gender, theme, and morality of all those who accepted the call. Co-protagonist Pomf makes an active effort to protect her domain, as does the {{Occidental Otaku}} Gitchi, but she herself displays few characteristics of a "main" magical girl and is rather cold to [[MoralityPet everyone except her girlfriend Gekka]], while most of the cast are only in it for themselves or make trouble with their newfound powers. The few magical girls that remain on the childlike and idealistic side, the aforementioned Gitchi and Baxter, are considered [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids naive at best]] by Pomf.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Web Original]]
117	* ''Literature/SailorNothing'' is a ''Franchise/SailorMoon''-inspired original story that predates this genre by nearly a decade. The main character, Himei, has spent the last five years as Sailor Salvation. She originally JumpedAtTheCall but has since learned to hate being a MagicalGirlWarrior. Her social life has taken a hit because she can't juggle her double-life, she's a ShellShockedVeteran after her years of fighting the Yamiko, and it feels like a HopelessWar because she just fights [[MonsterOfTheWeek minor enemies]] all the time.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Western Animation]]
121	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': A major deconstruction of TheEighties version of the show. Adora has to deal with a major GuiltComplex due to both old and new friends fighting [[spoiler:and she has to destroy the She-Ra power due to the fact it was created by OmnicidalManiacs]], Glimmer is extremely insecure about her capabilities [[spoiler:and when her mother dies she has to become Queen, resulting in a TookALevelInJerkass that made things worse for everyone. The princesses are unknowingly not magical but powered by Magitek that was designed by ANaziByAnyOtherName.]] The Horde is a very morally blended group [[spoiler:with Hordak being a failing clone just trying to earn his validation from Horde Prime.]] Catra's ambition does more harm than good to her and her obsession with Adora's defection [[spoiler:Leads to her nearly destroying the universe in a SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum that results in most of the Horde defecting when she pulls TheStarscream. Season 4 ends with Etheria in the grasps of the GreaterScopeVillain, Adora powerless, and Glimmer and Catra prisoners of said villain.]]
122	** Season 5 reconstructs this, in that Adora having become a MartyrWithoutACause has made her [[spoiler:New She-Ra form unstable until she and Catra admit they love each other.]] Glimmer finds atonement for her season 4 mistakes, [[spoiler:While Catra gets a MoralityPet that helps her overcome her trauma (It helps that the cause of all of her and Adora's flaws, Shadow Weaver, committed RedemptionEqualsDeath), thus becoming a hero. The series ends with Horde Prime destroyed, Etheria's magic completely restored, and everyone comes out of the war with a [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]].]]
123	* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'':
124	** Star Butterfly, of the dimension Mewni, starts the series as a [[GenkiGirl fun-loving]], if [[BrattyTeenageDaughter irresponsible]] girl who would rather use her family's Royal Magic Wand to beat up Monsters than to take her royal duties seriously. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that all the Monsters that are supposedly menaces to Mewmans have been the victims of {{Fantastic Racism}} for centuries; a far cry from other examples of {{Monster Of The Week}}. From there, the history of Mewni is shown to be filled with violent war, death (with one of the main antagonists being responsible for [[HeroKiller assassinating Star's grandmother]]), cover-ups, propaganda, and corruption. And even as Star makes it her mission to [[CharacterDevelopment bring Mewmans and Monsters together again]], it definitely doesn't happen overnight, as she had hoped.
125	** Within the show itself, there's also Mina Loveberry, who's an obvious SailorSenshiSendUp but [[CorruptedCharacterCopy with darker undertones to her character]]. On the one hand, she's considered one of [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Mewni's greatest warriors]], having defended the land from Mewni's enemies for centuries. On the other hand, she's the result of a SuperSoldier project created by a [[FantasticRacism dangerously genocidal]] [[OldMaster past queen of Mewni]], and the unstable spells used in the project (combined with PTSD and her being [[Really700YearsOld much older than she looks]]) have left her [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity batshit insane]].
126	** [[spoiler:The deconstruction reaches new heights in the finale when Star comes to the conclusion that the main reason the world is a CrapsaccharineWorld is ''because'' of magic. Magic brought Mewmans to Mewni (beginning the monster war), the Magic High Commission ([[WhoWatchesTheWatchmen who have been abusing their authority for centuries]]), the rise of the Butterfly Family (Which gave Ludo Avarius' ancestors power as well as continue the CycleOfRevenge), and also Mina Loveberry (Who ended up gaining an army of Mewmans turned into Solarians ''exactly'' like her). So she spends the last episode making sure TheMagicGoesAway so that the innocents the Solarians are hurting can be saved.]]
127	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': The titular character starts out as an innocent, naive boy who happens to have three super-powered women called The Crystal Gems as his primary guardians, and powers he inherited from his late mother, [[RoseHairedSweetie Rose Quartz]]. However, things slowly begin to change as Steven starts taking a more active role in the Gems' missions. Over the series, the Crystal Gems are all shown to have their own flaws that [[InnocentlyInsensitive are capable of hurting those around them]], and Rose Quartz is revealed to [[BrokenPedestal not be the perfect warrior]] she is initially built up to be. Steven himself ends up going through a [[HeroicBSOD large amount of trauma]] due to the battles he takes part in, and he begins to develop an inferiority complex due to everyone comparing him to his late mother and [[SinsOfTheFather expecting him to fix her mistakes]]. Despite all this, Steven never stops being an {{All Loving Hero}} who will only resort to fighting back if he sees absolutely no other option.
128	** ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' Deconstructed further as a older Steven realizes that he spent so much time fixing everyone else's issues that once everyone is happy, he has no idea what to do with himself. He needs to be needed, seeing everyone moving on with their lives just makes him miserable. The series explore the mental and physical trauma Steven endured over the first series. It explores how dysfunctional the human side of his life is without any basic structure like socializing with kids his age in school or regular visits to a doctor because Greg tried too hard to contrast his parenting from his strict-bordering-abusive upbringing. The series ends with Steven being brought back from a breakdown and seeing a therapist as he tries to build a life outside of solely helping others.
129	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction