Mahōtsukai Chappy

Mahōtsukai Chappy or Chappy the Witch (魔法使いチャッピー) (shortly known as Chappy) is an anime series that debuted in TV Asahi (formerly known as NET, or Nihon Educational Television) in 1972. It is the fifth magical girl anime in history (the sixth if one counts Osamu Tezuka's Marvelous Melmo), and the fifth produced by the Toei Animation studio.[1] 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.

Mahou Tsukai Chappy
Chappy (girl on the left) and friends
魔法使いチャッピー
GenreMagical girl
Anime television series
Directed byYugo Serikawa
Hiroshi Ikeda (2 episodes), etc.
Written byShun'ichi Yukimuro (1 episode)
Masaki Tsuji (head writer)
StudioToei Animation
Saperstein Film Co. (USA, 1972–1979)
Light Beam Productions (USA, 1980–1986)
Marvel Productions Ltd. (USA, 1981–1986)
Saban Productions (USA, 1984–1986)
RAI (Italy)
Original networkNET
Original run April 3, 1972 (1972-04-03) – December 2, 1972 (1972-12-02) (Japan)
December 30, 1986 (1986-12-30) (USA and Italy)
Episodes770 (39 aired in Japan)
Anime film
Directed byYugo Serikawa
Hiroshi Ikeda
StudioToei Animation
Saperstein Film Co. (USA)
RAI (Italy)
Licensed by
(DVD)
ReleasedNovember 10, 1977 (1977-11-10) (USA)
August 31, 1978 (1978-08-31) (Italy)
Runtime100 minutes

In addition to its success in Japan, Chappy has been dubbed into Italian, French and Spanish and broadcast on TV in Italy and various Latin American nations such as Mexico, Peru, Chile and Guatemala. 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 (such as Mahou no Mako-chan and Majokko Megu-chan) 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's magical girls such as Akko-chan, Sally, Cutie Honey, Megu-chan, Lunlun, and Lalabel, is a playable character in the 1999 Sony PlayStation game Majokko Daisakusen: Little Witching Mischiefs.

The series was released in a box set in Japan on DVD by ICF Co., Ltd. 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.[2] Chappy is known for being the first witch to use a wand (actually a magical baton, given to her by her grandfather). 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 (which also informed Hayao Miyazaki's Panda! Go Panda!).

Cast (original version)

Characters
  • Chappy: A little witch who becomes bored of the Magic World, and escapes to Earth. She uses magic with her grandfather's baton.
  • Jun: Chappy's little brother. He is able to transform into different animals. He always wants to ride Don-chan's magical car.
  • Don-chan: A talking red panda who rides around in a magical car.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Hans Charles Grimm and Aesop Et Cetera: Chappy and Jun's parents. They decide to live in the human world.
  • Grandpa: Chappy and Jun's grandfather. He is constantly yelling at his son. He cares deeply for Chappy.
  • Obaba: The oldest witch. She is a type of guardian to Chappy's family, but has no blood relation to them.
  • Michiko: Chappy's first friend on Earth. A hot-headed tomboy, she keeps her two little brothers in line. Her father owns a dry cleaning business.
  • Ipei and Nihei: Michiko's two little brothers. They are both trouble makers, and are close with Jun.
  • Shizuko: The local girly-girl. She is one of Chappy's classmates, and close friends.
  • The Galaxy Triplets (Monique, Jupiter and Jennifer): Three of Chappy's close friends who are Hollywood stars. The main difference is that Monique has ruby hair, Jupiter has sapphire hair, and Jennifer has amethyst hair.

Episode list (original version)
No. Title
1 The Magical Family Is Here
2 My Friend Is a Monster
3 What Is, Daddy?
4 Comparing the Nature of Man
5 Don-chan's Sister
6 Reclaim Mommy
7 500m to Glory
8 Cannot Return to the Magical World
9 The Targeted Baton
10 Phantom D51
11 Three Wishes
12 Compare the Wishes of Grandma
13 Daddy's Diary
14 Ghost Disturbance in the Hostel
15 My Favorite Principal for the Day
16 Girl from the Magical Hill
17 Thank you, Daddy
18 Adventure on the Isolated Island
19 Baby-napper
20 Hello, Phoenix
21 Homerun Leader
22 The Dolphin Paradise
23 The Festival
24 The Demon that Run Away
25 Don's Rainbow
26 The Bicycle that Flies into the Sky
27 Don Flood
28 Independence! Waste Park
29 Prince of the Animals
30 Please Wait, Otamgetter!
31 The Distinguished Granny
32 Yearning of Kyoto
33 Apple Village, Apple Apple Showdown
34 Come Out for the Sword Fight
35 Money and Friendship
36 Jump! The Ultra Revolution
37 Farewell, Yukinko
38 Thinking of Christmas
39 Where Are You Going, Chappy?

Episode list (US version)

First stage (1972–1977)
No. Overall No. in Stage Title
1 1 The Magical Family Is Here
2 2 My Friend Is a Monster
3 3 What Is, Daddy?
4 4 Comparing the Nature of Man
5 5 Don-chan's Sister
6 6 Reclaim Mommy
7 7 500m to Glory
8 8 Cannot Return to the Magical World
9 9 The Targeted Baton
10 10 Phantom D51
11 11 Three Wishes
12 12 Compare the Wishes of Grandma
13 13 Daddy's Diary
14 14 Ghost Disturbance in the Hostel
15 15 My Favorite Principal for the Day
16 16 Girl from the Magical Hill
17 17 Thank you, Daddy
18 18 Adventure on the Isolated Island
19 19 Baby-napper
20 20 Hello, Phoenix
21 21 Homerun Leader
22 22 The Dolphin Paradise
23 23 The Festival
24 24 The Demon that Run Away
25 25 Don's Rainbow
26 26 The Bicycle that Flies into the Sky
27 27 Don Flood
28 28 Independence! Waste Park
29 29 Prince of the Animals
30 30 Please Wait, Otamgetter!
31 31 The Distinguished Granny
32 32 Yearning of Kyoto
33 33 Apple Village, Apple Apple Showdown
34 34 Come Out for the Sword Fight
35 35 Money and Friendship
36 36 Jump! The Ultra Revolution
37 37 Farewell, Yukinko
38 38 Thinking of Christmas
39 39 Where Are You Going, Chappy?
40 40 How Chappy became a Hollywood Star
41 41 Ani-tromatic
42 42 Chappy's Romance
43 43 The Time Machine and the Big Bang
44 44 Don-chan's Magic Tales (Part 1)
45 45 Don-chan's Magic Tales (Part 2)
46 46 Jun the stuntboy
47 47 It's Disguise Time!
48 48 The Doomsday Maze
49 49 Influence in the Franco-Belgian Comic (Part 1)
50 50 Influence in the Franco-Belgian Comic (Part 2)
51 51 Atomic Sulphate
52 52 The Other Side of the Door
53 53 Jun and the Dino Riders (Part 1)
54 54 Jun and the Dino Riders (Part 2)
55 55 California... Or Bust!
56 56 The Magical Rainbow
57 57 What's Up, Doc?
58 58 Ghost Chappy
59 59 Cleopatra
60 60 Chappy Meets Newton
61 61 Drip, Drip, Drippy
62 62 Flying Carpet Caper
63 63 The Terror Castle
64 64 Olympics!
65 65 Radio Broadcast
66 66 Dial 'C' for Chappy
67 67 Stuffed
68 68 How to Sleep
69 69 U.F.O. (Part 1)
70 70 U.F.O. (Part 2)
71 71 The Copycat Machine
72 72 100 Miles of Subterranean Trip

Music (Original Version)
Japanese Title English Title Artist Description
Mahō Tsukai Chappy Chappy the Witch Shingazu Suri Opening Theme
Don-chan no Uta Don-chan's Song[3] Kousei Tomita Ending Theme
Mahou no Warutsu Magical Waltz Kumiko Onoki Insert Song (Final Episode)

Music (US Version)

Opening Themes
Title Starting date Starting episode Ending date Ending episode
Chappy the Witch April 3, 1972 Episode 1 November 6, 1977 Episode 408
The Magical Stone February 4, 1978 Episode 409 December 15, 1980 Episode 533
Way to the Moon March 15, 1981 Episode 534 December 30, 1986 Episode 770

Ending Themes
Title Starting date Starting episode Ending date Ending episode
Don-chan's Song[3] April 3, 1972 Episode 1 November 6, 1977 Episode 408
Galactic Girls' Song February 4, 1978 Episode 409 December 15, 1980 Episode 533
It's Full of Stars March 15, 1981 Episode 534 December 30, 1986 Episode 770


Theme written by Keiko Osonoe and music composed by Hiroshi Tsutsui[4]

Anime staff
  • Planning: Takashi Iijima, Shinichi Miyazaki (NET)
  • Production Supervisor: Masaharu Eto
  • Episode Direction: Yugo Serikawa, Mineo Kachita, Hiroshi Ikeda, Katsutoshi Sasaki, Masayuki Akihi, Osamu Kasai, Yoshihiro Kaneko, Tsunekiyo Otani, Takashi Kuoka, Hiromi Yamamoto, Tomoharu Katsumata, Kiyoshi Tanaka, Bondo Eiju, Minoru Okazaki, Nobuo Onuki, Hideo Furusawa, Kazuya Miyazaki
  • Script: Masaki Tsuji, Saburo Taki, Shunichi Yukimuro, Noboru Shiroyama, Jiro Yoshino, Kuniaki Oshikawa, Koji Natsume, Shukei Nagasaka
  • Animation Direction: Shinya Takahashi, Takao Hanata, Bondo Eiju, Shingo Araki, Katsuya Oda, Teruo Hosoda, Takashi Abe, Teruo Kogure, Takao Kozai, Eiji Uemura, Minoru Tajima, Hideo Furusawa, Fumio Eto
  • Art Director: Makoto Yamazaki, Saburo Yokoi, Eiji Ito, Mataharu Urata, Shigeyoshi Endo
  • Music: Hiroshi Tsutsui

References
  1. Estrada, Cecil (2002), "Which Witch is Which?", Questor Magazine, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines: LC Worldwide Questor Corp. (published December 2002), vol. 3, no. 11, p. 6
  2. IMDB
  3. Anime Lyrics
  4. Mahou Tsukai Chappy Soundtrack
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