What can I say - I'm a Magical GirlTM fan who is easily enticed by cute covers. Guilty as charged.
I bought and read 'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' despite knowing virtually nothing about the classic eighties anime it's based on, 'Creamy Mami'. Basically it's like a Magical GirlTM's 'Jem and the Holograms' for very young children? 'Hannah Montana' and 'Full Moon o Sagashite' with 'Kamichama Karin' sprinkles? The original, proto-'Mink' by Megumi Tachikawa?But it turns out the new manga is accessible enough for a newbie like me. Its premise of a Magical GirlTM story told from the POV of an oblivious, nonmagical rival girl is very interesting, to say the least. That angle of the narrative is executed well, in my opinion.
The titular "spoiled princess" is Megumi Ayase. Though she isn't really spoiled at all. Nor is she much of an antagonist. The manga aims, hopefully, to elicit sympathy for Megumi, as she's a victim of the entertainment industry's systematic misogyny.
One example within the capitalist, corporate, marketing hell, that's relevant here: the music and idol industry. It is constantly churning up young girls for their attractiveness to the public (talent is a bonus, but still optional, and safe, forgettable, regurgitated mediocrity rules). It profits off these girls, exploits them, burns them out, and then callously discards them as soon as they inevitably become "too old" and have lost their spark. Or magic.
A new girl catches the attention of the male higher-ups - the men with the power, the power to make and break starlets - and that's the end of the previous girl (now a woman, older, wiser, jaded, exhausted, and breaking through no fault of her own) and her career, and the vicious cycle keeps going. Heaven forbid it is outright abusive, though tragically that is often the case for these female celebrities.
The music industry is especially ruthless in its misogyny. 'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' gives us a glimpse into that horrible business and how it works.
Honestly I hate the studio manager/president character. I don't know if he's as bad in the anime, but here he is terrible, no matter how young and good-looking he is (I won't even bother remembering his name).
Megumi, you seriously shouldn't bother with him and his studio anymore. I know you're childhood friends and you built the studio "together", but that's now water under the bridge. He clearly doesn't care for you anymore - he even flat out states it more than once, and to your face. He laughs at your struggles and suffering. He only cares about money and exploiting young girls for all they're worth. He is a bona fide creep, too. He literally tells a little girl on the street how beautiful she'll be when she's older.
The president deserves every neck-turning slap Megumi smites him with.
Everything Megumi does in the manga, where she is the put-upon, threatened protagonist, is out of desperation, to save her career, and continue to be appreciated and validated for her talents. She will not be cast aside and forgotten about. She wants to remain relevant, and she still has her own special brand of magic within her.
'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' definitely could have been more critical and damning of the music industry and idol culture, and given less panel time to the awful studio president, who deserves to get #metoo'd so badly. But as is, it is a cute, interesting story, with a dynamic and sympathetic "antagonist"-as-protagonist. Some of its twists and turns are funny and clever. Its magic, sparkles and cuteness are not always overt - it's mostly grounded for a Magical GirlTM story - but they're there.
I'll end on a couple of quotes from the mangaka, Emi Mitsuki, in the Afterword; the second of which says a lot about the manga and its purpose:
'Creamy Mami has always been a sanctuary for me! My eternal place of hope!! [...] I remember Megumi being such a scary character. BUT! [...] Once I grew up, I saw her differently. She struck me as an admirable person who worked incredibly hard and yet was struggling. That's what made me want to portray the good parts of her that I couldn't understand as a child.'
'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' is an appealing, intriguing, entertaining little novelty, to add to my Milky Way galaxy-wide Magical GirlTM collection.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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