One of my favorite things that I’ve written about as a freelance pop culture critic is mahou shoujo, or the magical girl genre. Mahou shoujo is a subgenre of Japanese anime (animation) and manga (Japanese comic books) that involve young girls that use magic, often to fight evil.

Mahou shoujo has a very rich history that dates back to the 1960’s, but the genre would be given new life in the the 1990’s with series like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Sailor Moon is the most popular and influential magical girl series, having inspired magical girl works in Japan and around the world.

As someone who grew up watching Sailor Moon and has been personally impacted by certain magical girl works, I really enjoy writing about the magical girl genre. I’ve written many pieces related to mahou shoujo, particularly its influence on American creators who grew up watching Sailor Moon and other magical girl works.

Now, I’ll do a round-up of some of my favorite mahou shoujo pieces I’ve written so far.

15 Comics Sailor Moon Fans Need To Read (Published by Comic Book Resources)- This comprehensive list features comic books and webcomics influenced by or related to Sailor Moon.

Loving Magical Girls As A Black Non-Binary Person (Wear Your Voice magazine)- This personal piece discusses how my view of magical girls changed once I came to terms with my gender identity and gender expression. It also discusses a need for more magical girl works that are inclusive of transgender and non-binary identites.

Magnifique Noir Shows The Magic of Black Queer Women (Wear Your Voice)- This feature piece shines a spotlight on Briana Lawrence’s magical girl novel Magnifique Noir and comments on how mahou shoujo has influenced Black women creators.

This Magical Girl Video Game Is The Most Fabulous Thing You’ll Play (PRIDE)- This piece is an interview of video game developer Arthur about their magical girl visual novel game Magical Warrior Diamond Heart.

By Returning To Their Roots, Dark Magical Girls Could Provide Hope (Anime Feminist)- My most recent magical girl piece discusses the history of the dark magical girl character archetype and how it could be used in future magical girl works.

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