Miracle Girls

Miracle Girls
ミラクル★ガールズ (Mirakuru★Gāruzu)
Genre	Magical girl
Manga
Written by	Nami Akimoto
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	Tokyopop
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	6 July 1991 – 6 August 1994
Volumes	9
TV anime
Directed by	Hiroko Tokita, Takashi Anno
Studio	Nippon Animation
Network	Nippon Television
Original run	8 January 1993 – 24 December 1993
Episodes	51 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga Portal

Miracle Girls (ミラクル★ガールズ, Mirakuru★Gāruzu^?) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Nami Akimoto. It was adapted into an anime series by Nippon Animation in 1993. Tokyopop has licensed the manga for English release in North America.

Plot summary

Toni and Mika Morgan are identical twins with special powers. Together, they are able to teleport and communicate telepathically. The athletically challenged Mika begs Toni to switch identities with her for her school's sports day track meet, where she and Toni are teamed with Mika's arch-enemy Jackson Neil, in the relay race. Toni, however, finds herself drawn to Jackson. Toni success in the relay causes the captain of the track team, Chris Kubrick, to try to recruit Mika. So, once again the sisters switch identities. However, the science teacher, Shinichiro Kageura, find out about their psychic powers, and begins to stalk Toni. sensing that Mika (who was really Toni) has been behaving strangely, Jackson visits them at home. There he discovers their secret...

Characters

Main article: List of Miracle Girls characters

Toni Morgan / Tomomi Matsunaga (松永ともみ, Matsunaga Tomomi^?)

• Voiced by: Nariko Fujieda

Twin sister of Mika, Toni is tomboyish and the more athletic of the two. Originally she attends an all-girls school, but transfers to Mika's school after she falls in love with Jackson. Able to communicate telepathically with Mika, and Jackson to a more limited extent. She is able to use more powerful abilities when she is in direct contact with her sister.

Mika Morgan / Mikage Matsunaga (松永みかげ, Matsunaga Mikage^?)

• Voiced by: Noriko Nagai

Twin sister of Toni, Mika is feminine and the more intellectual of the two, though she was introduced to readers right after blowing up her chemistry work. She is in love with Chris. Able to communicate telepathically with Toni, she is able to use more powerful abilities when she is in direct contact with her sister.

Jackson Neil / Yūya Noda (野田侑也, Noda Yūya^?)

• Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi

Member of the track team, Jackson develops a romantic relationship with Toni soon after meeting her, but has a bad relationship with Mika, who hates him intensely.

Chris Kubrick / Hideaki Kurashige (倉茂秀明, Kurashige Hideaki^?)

• Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa

Member of the chemistry club and the track team, Chris is Mika's romantic interest.

Shinichiro Kageura^[1] (影浦進一郎, Kageura Shin'ichirō^?)

• Voiced by: Ken Yamaguchi

A science teacher, Mr. Kageura (also known as Mr. K) is convinced that paranormal abilities exist in the world, and is focused on proving his theories. He has suspicions of Mika and Toni possessing ESP, and will do anything to expose them.

Kōhei Yamagishi (山岸耕平, Yamagishi Kōhei^?)

• Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

Rumiko Daijōji (大乗寺ルミ子, Daijōji Rumiko^?)

• Voiced by: Rei Sakuma

Emma Winston (エマ・ウィンストン, Ema Uinsuton^?)

• Voiced by: Okimoto Fumiyo and Touma Yumi

The lost princess of Diamas, Emma is constantly on the run from would-be killers.

Marie Milgraine Diamas (マリエ, Marī^?)

• Voiced by: Wakana Yamazaki

Princess of Diamas, and twin sister of Emma, Marie is trying to have her sister killed so she can have sole control of the Kingdom.

Mr. X (ミスターX, Misutā X^?)

• Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto

A famous paranormal researcher, Mr. X seeks to control paranormal abilities through science.

Mason Templar / Masaki Takamura (高村マサキ, Takamura Masaki^?)

• Voiced by: Ryo Horikawa

A member of an organisation of ESP'ers, Mason seeks to bring Mika and Toni to their organization.

Risa Sarashina (更科理沙, Sarashina Risa^?)

• Voiced by: Miki Narahashi

Media

Manga

The Miracle Girls manga is licensed for English release by Tokyopop, who released the series from 2000-10-17 until 2003-05-13.^[2] It was licened by Editions Star Comics for Italian released, where it was serialised in Amici. The manga has been released in Spanish by Norma Editorial as Gemelas Milagrosas from December 2004 to June 2006.^[3]

Anime

Main article: List of Miracle Girls episodes

It was adapted into an anime series by Nippon Animation in 1993. The anime was dubbed into Italian by DENEB Film where it was broadcast on Canale 5 from March 1996 and on Italia 1. It was dubbed in Tagalog and broadcast by ABS-CBN, and is also available in Spanish.

The series uses three pieces of theme music. The opening themes of the whole series are performed by GARDEN, with "KISU no Tochuu de Namida ga" as the opening for episodes 1-29, and "Koi no Mirai" as the opening for episodes 30-51. Dio performs the ending theme for all 51 episodes, "Futari ja Nakya Dame na no".

Video Game

A video game adaptation based on Miracle Girls was released for the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo) by Takara on October 22, 1993. The player can choose to play as either Mikage or Tomomi and use candies as weapons to stun enemies and use them as platforms, and when the player clears a level, the player challenges the area boss to a mini-game.

Reception

Adam Arnold of Animefringe magazine praised the series, particularly for the detailed an expressive eyes, and the story "light-hearted and fun to read".^[4]

References

1. ^ Character Profile Page. Miracle Girls Volume 9. Tokyopop.
2. ^ "Miracle Girls". TOKYOPOP. http://www.tokyopop.com/S-1010/. Retrieved 2006-08-10. 
3. ^ (Spanish)"Gemelas Milagrosas". http://www.imancomics.com/listadomanga/series/manga/g/gemelasmilagrosas.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-10. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ Arnold, Adam (January 2002). "Miracle Girls Vol.3". Animefringe. http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/02.01/reviews/4/index.php3. Retrieved 2006-08-10. 

External links

Anime and manga portal

• Miracle Girls at TOKYOPOP. (Archive)
• "Miracle Girls" Nazo no tenkousei at the Internet Movie Database
• Miracle Girls (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Miracle Girls (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia