 |
   
|
4. Iodine 
It's tamer, mushier, and there isn't an alien in sight, but the Magic User's Club series is in some ways better than the OAV it follows. Everything takes
place in a slightly different timeline, where our heroine, Sae, is pen-pals with an absent magic-using
upperclassman we've never met. All the old characters are back to continue their wacky adventures, but also
get the chance to show a little more depth and cover new territory in their relationships. There's a
notable drop in the hyperactive energy of the OAV that lets the show take its time, using an almost languid
pace and a very light atmosphere. As the school year rolls on, the most interesting of the club members'
hijinks are usually the result of fairly ordinary crises and romantic entanglements. Though there's
still some innuendo and plenty of giddy humor, they
play a far smaller role here and the kids are a good
deal more realistic in their behavior.
There's no noticeable difference in the quality of the visuals between the OAV and series, but the series obviously isn't as ambitious. No complicated battles
with alien robots come about, but there are still some very nice magic sequences that are just as
interesting. The designs are bright and the animation is bouncy, edging the whole project a little closer to
a "magical girl" show. It can be said that the writing is a toned down from the OAV, but it certainly
isn't dumbed down. Club President Takeo's hormonally-influenced fantasies might be reigned in,
but he's still very much the same character and
benefits from the more evenhanded approach. There are
weaknesses in the story, especially in regards to the extravagant finale, but the spirit of the original is
intact, and maybe even improved upon.
|
| 2. Tempy
Starting immediately after the OVA series left off, the Magic
User's Club TV series starts off well enough. The production values have dropped,
but the designs remain the same, and the cast of characters are as enjoyable as
ever. The TV series didn't seem to go anywhere at first, but that wasn't necessarily
a bad thing, since the character antics were so much fun. There's this mysterious
person in the background though, becoming more and more prominent, yet the show
drags along for quite a while without revealing who or what this person is. And
when this person finally steps into the foreground, the show's tone changes noticeably
to a more serious and grimmer one. While additional dramatic elements are very
welcome (the OVA and TV series both have its share of sad and poignant moments),
I must say the way the MTT TV series handled it was bordering on the edge
of unpleasantness, almost mean-spirited. The conclusion was gladly decent though,
and the show does have lots of fun moments. |
| 1. Cross
Scars
The Mahou Tsukai Tai TV series is a 13 part anime that
carries on exactly where its OAV finished off and we continue to see the adventures
of a High School Magic users club. All the highly likable characters from the
original anime are thus transported into the new series, which remains as enjoyable
and fun to watch as the OAV. This is such an endearing series simply because the
characters are so fun to watch and it's the kind of anime that's guaranteed to
cheer you up if you ever feel down. The TV series also improves these characters,
giving them and the relationships between each other, more time to be expanded.
Yet unfortunately the series does fall away slightly in the last two episodes.
In a similar way to the later stages of Slayers Try, MTT TV
moves away from its comic origins onto a more serious tone, which doesn't quite
match with what made the series so enjoyable in the first place. But overall despite
the negligible downturn near the end the Mahou Tsukai Tai series is still
very well worth watching. |
| 
 |
