Magical Girl Raising Project
MGRP tends to get overlooked as pure edge, but it's a series I'm very fond of. I like a lot of the designs, and the idea of each girl having one power is neat and well-executed. I collect the translated novels, and my copy of the first book, from when I was thirteen, is very well-loved. What I mean to say is, I'm a fan. Most people are familiar with the first arc due to its anime adaptation, but that's actually just the tip of this bloody iceberg. MGRP Restart is getting an anime too, and I'm really looking forward to. MGRP takes place in a reality where magical girls are real, and any magical girl anime is based off the real girls. They're meant to do good in the name of the Magical Kingdom, but some rouge magical girls force our heroes to participate in sadistic deathgames. In places, MGRP is a little rough, but that's part of the charm. Every novel is guaranteed to bring an interesting story and a bunch of new girls, and if you're okay with a bit of gore, I'd reccomend the journey! Now onto our first bundle of girls, from the classic deathgame...
With the power to hear people's distressed thoughts, which helps her to aid people around her neighbourhood classic magical girl style, Snow White is the main character of the series. She's a magical girl fangirl and a sweetie pie. Her design does the job and does it adorably. The juiced-up school uniform is simple and pleasant, and you find out she based it off a uniform from a popular manga she liked, which is a nice detail. I definitely prefer her "platinum blonde" hair from the novel. It does seem they made it pink in the anime just to draw in Madoka fans, and even though the pink is just as cute and stands out visually for the anime's dark setting, that's kind of a cheap choice...
La Pucelle assigns herself as Snow White's knight, as the two were childhood friends. There are some debates about her gender, since her civilian form is described as a boy, but in this case I would say she comes across as a trans girl. Her design is meant to be very classic RPG swordfighter, and she comes across as a better version of Momoko from Magireco. La Pucelle's got the dragon tail and horns to spruce her up from being purely generica, and with her character, the slight horniness here at least makes sense. I like that her whole thing is sort of a parody of those unpractical armour girl designs in some video games, and the reptilian eyes and grey hair are pretty.
Ripple's design has never made sense to me, because she's a very serious, jaded person who has been sexually assaulted in the past. Even when Ripple was just her mobile game persona, there is nothing in her characterisation to suggest she'd choose an outfit like this. It's a shame because the ninja theme is a nice idea, and would have suited her were it less leerily done.
Simple witch design. She's cute, and she's a very likable character, serving as Ripple's mentor/big sisterly figure. The functions of her broomstick, which can turn almost into a motorbike, is what stands out as extra special. It even makes character sense, because in her civilian life Top Speed is a former biker gang leader.
I don't really need to say it...everyone loves Nemurin, and no wonder. By day she's a NEET, but in her dreams she uses her magic to protect people from nightmares. I adore her costume. The print on her PJs is adorable, her gradient hair gives her that touch of a magical girl look, and her little cloud buddies are supercuteee.
The 'sexy nun' thing will always be stupid and morally wrong, and even then this is a pretty plain design. It reflects an RPG trope, and it sort of reflects Nna with her obsession with being a good person (even when she's being manipulative about it--she gets disproportionate fan flack for this, but she's arguably one of the most realistic and sympathetic characters, I'd say, and not a bad person), but I just can't deal with the fit T.T Nana's got a thing for princesses and princes, so why not make her a princess, instead? Still, her civilian form is one of my favourite characters, she gets points for being a lesbian, and I like that she's chubbier and has such a soft, delicate girly style. Deserved better!!
See, Nana gets so much hate, but if I had a bisexual masc girlfriend who was REALLY into my chubbiness, I'd be doing slightly morally questionable things for her too. Weiss is super hot both in and out of her magical girl form. She has an uncluttered, simple jacket, but even with the simplicity it conveys her prince theme, looks great, and makes sense for how she'd design her persona. The piercing is a nice touch.
I'm a big Ruler apologist...whenever there's a character you're meant to hate, I just can't hate them. I like the concept of a magical girl dressed as a king, and this design is a nice execution. Simple and effective, and I love the hair. That shade of lavender is beautiful! So are the big ornaments.
Aghh...see, this is a cute design if you ignore the fact it's somehow meant to be sexy even though Swim Swim is a) killing all your faves and b) (more importantly) an 8-year-old in an adult's body. I've always thought she must have a slightly older mindset as Swim Swim, but that doesn't justify the leery design and the emphasis placed on her chest in the writing. Otherwise, I would like this look...the random elements make sense as an in-game icon, as if she just mashed together whatever looked cool, and the name fits what a non-English speaker might think sounds cute.
Tama is a cutie. Her name is just her civilian name, which checks--a lot of people probably WOULD enter that for their in-game persona--and her power is to instantly dig a hole by just touching a spot, which is unique and used interestingly in the story. Her palette is pleasant, her resemblance to her civilian form stands out and makes sense for her, and the dalmatian-like polka dots are so sweet. I also love the detail that she keeps trying to actually act like a dog, eg rubbing against Ruler and everyone finds it weird and creepy. Funny.
A unique enough take on angels. There's not enough difference to review Minael and Yunael separately, so I'll just say I like their look, especially the speech bubble haloes.
Not my kind of thing, and I think a cowboy magical girl could have been cooler, but it works. Most of all it makes sense for Mary's civilian form and how she'd design her sona. The buzzsaw earrings are the nicest part.
This is an awesome look. The backpack jet booster and the metallic hair!! They could have easily just made a generic anime girl and called her a robot, so I appreciate this commitment to the concept. It exhibits how far the transformation can change a person, and it's a nice spin that the girl in the costume didn't actually design this character; she was housesitting and agreed to grind for the owner.
Very solid villain design, with a sort of creepy vampire edge but nothing over the top. She's supposed to be a forest elf, who controls sound and is always playing the violin. The slight androdgyny is really nice, and lines up with a lot of depictions of fantasy elves.
I feel Alice is one of those characters where the creator REALLY wants you to like them so they make them as innocent and slightly woobified as possible, but in this case I don't mind, because it works. Hardgore Alice has regenerative powers, a funny but also genuinely good name, a deadpan demeanor and a devotion to Snow White which comes from Snow White finding the civilian Alice's lost key, thus inadvertently preventing her sucicide. The dark Alice in Wonderland design is exactly what a teen girl would choose for herself, I feel, and I always felt her power reflected her transition from suicidal to hopeful and unwilling to die. I like that she acts sort of like a zombie and has a more physically ill look than the other girls. Her stuffed bunny is adorable.