While appearing to be part of the superhero genre, the latest conflict in SHY – currently streaming on Crunchyroll – is patterned after traditional Magical Girl anime. It’s both an interesting move and an excellent way of standing out among its peers.
Teru Momijiyama anxious nature might not make her typical superhero material, but it’s also perfectly in line with what makes a good Magical Girl. By presenting one story as another – and vice versa – SHY taps into two very different audiences without scaring either off. With superhero stories growing in popularity, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air that keeps it from feeling mandated to follow formula.
SHY Emphasizes Action & Emotion
Within two episodes, Shy has handled the basic duties of heroines from both genres: saving babies from burning buildings and rescuing corrupted classmates from their emotional turmoils. In fact, many of SHY’s stylistic choices make sense from a Magical Girl lens; her issues with self-confidence, transformations based on a trinket, and even the talking animal companion are hallmarks of the genre. Even the new villain, who preys on victims’ emotional vulnerabilities to turn them into monsters-of-the-week, is a stark change of pace given the likes of Tiger and Bunny or My Hero Academia, which focuses on physical brawls.
This isn’t to say that SHY is only wearing the superhero genre as a disguise. The first two episodes also show Teru saving Iko Koshikawa both physically and mentally. The presence of a greater group of heroes and villains, all with their own powers, also promises straight combat. Teru’s position as a hybrid heroine, however, only makes her more unique, and her empathy more valuable. With villains armed with tools from both genres, it falls to her to fight evil hand-to-hand and save victims with a heart-to-heart. That Iko was saved in this fashion only shows it works in SHY.
Heroism exists on a spectrum. Between superheroes and Magical Girls also exists Tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider, which also employs similar Magical Girl-esque imagery – transformations and trinkets – to battle monsters hand to hand. SHY thus can also comfortably exist in the space, while catering to a larger audience. As a Magical Girl, Teru will provide an emotional element that helps enhance the stakes, but when the drama turns to drudgery, the superhero elements can help inject some excitement with flashier abilities. In this way, SHY is able to take the best of both worlds, while avoiding retreading familiar old ground.
SHY is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
