Mahōtsukai Chappy


Mahōtsukai Chappy or Chappy the Witch is an anime series that debuted in TV Asahi in 1972. It is the fifth magical girl anime in history, and the fifth produced by the Toei Animation studio. While the show was fairly popular, it was not as popular as Toei's earlier magical-girl series, and is relatively obscure compared to its predecessors.
In addition to its success in Japan, Chappy has been dubbed into Italian, French, and Spanish and broadcast on TV in Italy and in various Latin American nations such as Mexico, Peru, or Chile. The French dub, made in the early 1990s by AB Productions, was never aired, possibly due to lukewarm reception for earlier majokko series of the same vintage on French television.
A manga adaptation of the story was drawn by Hideo Azuma, who later created his own magical girl series, Nanako SOS, in 1983.
Chappy, along with other Toei magical girls such as Akko-chan, Sally, Cutie Honey, Megu-chan, Lunlun, and Lalabel, is a playable character in the 1999 Sony PlayStation game .
The series was released on DVD in Japan in a box set in December 2005.

Plot

Chappy's story is much like Sally's of Sally the Witch. Chappy, becoming sick of the old customs of her people, left the Land of Magic for the human world. Soon her family sees how much she has in the other realm that they decide to join her in new home. Chappy is known for being the first witch to use a wand. Her special chant is "Abura Mahariku Maharita Kabura". Chappy's closest human friends are tomboy Michiko and girly-girl Shizuko, much like her predecessor Sally's friends Yotchan and Sumire.
In a nod to the ecological concerns of the early 1970s, the series featured one noteworthy episode late in the show's run, written by Shukei Nagasaka, which dealt with issues such as pollution and use of natural resources. The show is also notable for featuring several Disney references, including a reference to the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty in one episode, and for the panda mascot character, Don-chan, introduced to cash in on a panda mini-craze in 1972 Japan.

Cast

Music

Japanese TitleEnglish TitleArtistDescription
Mahôu Tsukai ChappyChappy the WitchShingazu SuriOpening Theme
Don-chan no UtaDon's SongKousei TomitaEnding Theme
Mahou no WarutsuMagical WaltzKumiko OnokiInsert Song

Theme written by Keiko Osonoe and music composed by Hiroshi Tsutsui

Anime staff