Fancy Lala


Fancy Lala, known in Japan as Fancy Lala, the Magic Stage is a magical girl anime series produced by Studio Pierrot in 1998, following an OVA released in 1988. A two-volume manga adaptation by Rurika Kasuga ran in Ribon. The original designs were created by Akemi Takada, who worked on many of the 80s' Studio Pierrot series. The anime series has been licensed for English release by Bandai Entertainment.

Plot summary

One day, a 9-year-old girl Miho Shinohara is given two stuffed dinosaurs by a stranger. The stuffed dinosaurs come to life and present her with a magic sketchbook and pen. Within limits, and subject to varying degrees of control, she can draw in the sketchbook and bring the drawings to life. Miho can also transform into a teenage girl, whom she names Fancy Lala. Fancy Lala is scouted by Yumi Haneishi, the president of the talent agency Lyrical Productions, and begins the long road to stardom.

Characters

Main cast

; Miho Shinohara / Fancy Lala
; Mogu
; Pigu
; Mystery Man
; Hiroya Aikawa
; Yumi Haneishi
; Ririka Kawaguchi
; Taro Yoshida
; Miki Yumeno

Supporting cast

; Katsunoshin Asaka
; Emiko Kanno
; Komiyama
; Anna Nozaki
; Chisa Shinohara
; Mamiko Shinohara
; Yoichiro Shinohara
; Yoshio
; Akiru Yuuki

Production

Fancy Lala is a complete remake of an earlier Studio Pierrot OVA titled Harbor Light Story Fashion Lala Yori. It was also influenced by Mahō no Tenshi Creamy Mami, the story of a ten-year-old Japanese girl granted the power to transform who also became an idol.

''Harbor Light Story Fashion Lala Yori''

The original OVA was very different than the final series, being a retelling of Cinderella. In it, the heroine, Miho, a little girl who dreams of being a fashion designer, lives with her aunt and three cousins while her father is away on business. The aunt, who runs a dress shop, exploits Miho's dependence and makes her perform deliveries on her bike, while spoiling her own daughters. Of the three, the two oldest are cruel and mock Miho's dreams, but the youngest is nice to her. A local disco is holding a contest to find the next "Disco Queen." Miho is too young to enter, but decides to design a dress for her cousin. When the aunt finds out, she rips up the dress. After everyone leaves, two fairies take pity on Miho and transform her into "Fashion Lala," a sixteen-year-old blonde, so she can enter the contest herself. While performing, Miho's outfit changes into her previous designs, and it seems that she wins. At the end, she returns to a happy life with her father.
The heroine being named Miho and the two fairies, as well as the concept of an "evil cousin", were the only things retained for the final series.

Episode list

Episode #TitleTransformation OutfitOriginal Airdate
1"Miho's Spectacular Transformation"
｢みほ、華麗なる変身!｣ 		April 5, 1998
2"Lala's Debut in Harajuku"
｢ララの原宿デビュー!｣ 		April 12, 1998
3"The Heart-Pounding TV Appearance!"
｢どきどきテレビ出演!｣ 		April 19, 1998
4"A Double Date on Sunday!"
｢ダブルデートの日曜日｣ 		April 26, 1998
5"A Busy Day for Miho and Lala!"
｢みほとララの多忙な一日｣ 		May 3, 1998
6"Lala's a Rival?"
｢ララはライバル?｣ 		May 10, 1998
7"The Terrifying Care Duty for Mokko"
｢恐怖のモッコ当番｣ 		May 17, 1998
8"Kitten Lilu and the Secret of the Magic!"
｢チビ猫リルと魔法のひみつ｣ 		May 24, 1998
9"There's No Way I Can Be a Singer!"
｢歌手になんてなれない!｣ 		May 31, 1998
10"The CD Release Campaign Disaster!"
｢すったもんだのキャンペーン｣ 		mermaid suit, fortune tellers outfitJune 7, 1998
11"The Spectacular Pinch Hitter!"
｢華麗なるピンチヒッター｣ 		June 14, 1998
12"Who Are You?"
｢あなたはだあれ?｣ 		June 21, 1998
13"The Lala and Hiroya Scandal!"
｢ララとひろやのスキャンダル｣ 		June 28, 1998
14"Miho in Toyland!"
｢おもちゃの国のみほ｣ 		July 5, 1998
15"The Dream Will Never End"
｢その夢は終わらない｣ 		July 12, 1998
16"Miho's First Journey Alone!"
｢みほの最初の一人旅｣ 		July 19, 1998
17"The Day the Water Imp Appeared!"
｢カッパが出てきた日｣ 		July 26, 1998
18"Lala is a Cupid!"
｢ララは恋のキューピッド｣ 		August 2, 1998
19"Something Chisa Left Behind"
｢お姉ちゃんの忘れ物｣ 		August 9, 1998
20"Together With Mom?!"
｢お母さんと一緒?!｣ 		August 16, 1998
21"Mr. Asaka's Girlfriend?!"
｢朝霞先生の恋人?｣ 		August 23, 1998
22"The Scoop! Lala's Identity Revealed!"
｢スクープ!ララの正体｣ 		August 30, 1998
23"My Sister's Boyfriend"
｢お姉ちゃんのボーイフレンド｣ 		September 6, 1998
24"Lala's First Concert"
｢ララのファーストコンサート｣ 		September 13, 1998
25"Lala Has Vanished!"
｢消えてしまったララ｣ 		September 20, 1998
26"I Love You All!"
｢みんな大好き!｣ 		September 27, 1998

Impact and influence

Although Fancy Lala did not achieve huge success upon release in Japan, some of its influence can be seen in later series that also failed to achieve massive success. Examples of these would be Chance Pop Session and the more successful Full Moon o Sagashite.

Internationalization

Fancy Lala was licensed by Bandai Entertainment for English release in 2001, and dubbed at Blue Water Studios. The series has been released on DVD, but is only distributed in region 1 outside Japan. The series was also aired across Animax's various international networks worldwide, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
A Filipino dubbed version was also broadcast over ABC 5 in the Philippines. It was also licensed and dubbed for Italian release by Merak Film. The manga is also available in Italian. In Portugal, Fancy Lala was licensed to Canal Panda, who dubbed it into Portuguese and broadcast it from 2003 to the end of 2004.