A Magical Girl Story Set in Japan or America?

[Rellawing]

I'm curious about what people think of the concept of a magical girl story set in America, not that some haven't done that already.

 

[K5Rakitan]

What matters is putting passion into your writing, and writing about a place you love helps.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Give em guns and make them drug addicts in 'murica.

 

[Jailbreak571]

...
Depends.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Send em to Zimbabwe. Have them fight ancient spirit animals to protect the local towns. Still make them from Japan or America. Hell, why not both?

 

[georgelee5786]

Send em to Zimbabwe. Have them fight ancient spirit animals to protect the local towns. Still make them from Japan or America. Hell, why not both?

"I was born in two places at once, and I'm now fighting spirits in Zimbabwe?!" -the book title

 

[J_Chemist]

I want a Magical Girl story in South America.

Make her a spicy latina who's magical wand is a chancla.

 

[HappyVainGlory]

It'd be really interesting. Especially if it's an optimistic and idealistic magical girl MC while everyone else is jaded and distrustful by virtue of being American. Not sure if it'd be a fun write though...

 

[Rellawing]

Give em guns and make them drug addicts in 'murica.

You aren't wrong. XD

@HappyVainGlory

It'd be really interesting. Especially if it's an optimistic and idealistic magical girl MC while everyone else is jaded and distrustful by virtue of being American. Not sure if it'd be a fun write though...

No mopey protagonist? XD

@Paul_Tromba

Send em to Zimbabwe. Have them fight ancient spirit animals to protect the local towns. Still make them from Japan or America. Hell, why not both?

@J_Chemist

I want a Magical Girl story in South America.

Make her a spicy latina who's magical wand is a chancla.

Interesting ideas here, but I don't know what life is like in those places or have any idea of how they think.

@K5Rakitan

What matters is putting passion into your writing, and writing about a place you love helps.

Very right. While I feel privileged to have been born in America, Japan will always have a special place in my heart... so you're definitely guiding me towards the Japanese route.

 

[K_Jira]

Personally, the term magical girl already got too attached to japan for me. When outside of japan they automatically become regular witches/wizards/magician/etc. They all dabble in magic though so...

 

[beast_regards]

Aren't all Magical Girls exiled to Australia after they turn 18?

 

[RaizarP]

I'm curious about what people think of the concept of a magical girl story set in America, not that some haven't done that already.

I wanted to ask why nationality matters when the setting is on Earth. We can send Japanese Magical Girl to America and let her feel how hell let loose

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Honestly I find stories that make up their own world’s the most interesting. You don’t see it often for modern settings but it exists stories like one punch man do it, but if you really want to set it in this world I recommend setting it in whatever you can portray more accurately. I find it off putting reading stories that take place in Japan written by Europeans and Americans etc that just feel off because they feel pressured to set their story there because of the genre.

 

[P00H]

Ideas are cheap and plenty. 99% of them are also not original. It's what you do with your ideas that makes or breaks your story. So don't sweat about where or which idea is cooler. Write them cool! Make the characters cool! That's the key.

 

[Rellawing]

Honestly I find stories that make up their own world’s the most interesting. You don’t see it often for modern settings but it exists stories like one punch man do it, but if you really want to set it in this world I recommend setting it in whatever you can portray more accurately. I find it off putting reading stories that take place in Japan written by Europeans and Americans etc that just feel off because they feel pressured to set their story there because of the genre.

I like that idea. There's no reason why I can't make up a blend of Japan and America like Big Hero 6 does.

@Smuts

Make the characters cool! That's the key.

Good idea too, but cool is in the eye and mind of the beholder. Making characters with universal appeal isn't so easy.

@RaizarP

I wanted to ask why nationality matters when the setting is on Earth. We can send Japanese Magical Girl to America and let her feel how hell let loose

It does matter. The locale affects places the character can go, the things they can do, the things the characters will eat. It even somewhat affects how people behave and what they say. It's a good thing that Anime has a universal appeal, though. Even though it's almost always set in Japan and we're exposed to its culture over time as a result, it still goes through a filter. That's the universal appeal. The characters behave in a way that we all get and like. (Most of us. XD)

 

[RaizarP]

It does matter. The locale affects places the character can go, the things they can do, the things the characters will eat. It even somewhat affects how people behave and what they say.

I mean, even if the Magical Girl is from Japan, what made them unable to go to America? We can use different nation as an entire arc entirely and see how Magical Girl from Japan converse with those from America