Have a hobby? Why not try a magical girl series that features it!
Dancing
Fresh Precure
The girls of Fresh Pretty Cure love to dance! During the show, they learn a number of routines, put on shows, and compete. While it’s not part of their magical girl theme, it does contribute to their teamwork, friendship, and fighting skills.
Princess Tutu (Pictured)
If you love ballet, Princess Tutu has plenty of it, as a young duck becomes a human girl in order to fullfill a lifelong dream - one that takes her to the dancing stage. There’s dance classes, competitions, and plenty of famous ballet music scores.
Balala: Miracle Dance (Chinese series)
Despite the title, there’s not many dancing references. The girls take lessons which include music and dance, and there are dance-related references and slapstick comedy.
The team are passionate musicians, and their instruments are part of their weapons and attacks, and included in their Cure titles. There are music lessons, scores, and discussions.
Balala: Finding Melody (Chinese series)
A skilled fairy musician vanishes, and her sister joins a team of other fairies in order to rescue her - and other musicians - from evil, only things aren’t quite what they seem. Their weapons and spells relate to musical instruments, and there’s various music-related filler episodes and a few performances.
AKB0048 (Pictured)
In a dystopic future, an idol group - based on and voiced by a real idol group - use their music to fight off evil and make magic to bring joy. There’s singing routines, dance lessons, and plenty of performances. But there’s also serious action and real stakes!
Magic Angel Creamy Mami
Considered the original Idol and Magical Girl anime, in this series a young girl gains magic for the (initial) sole purpose of becoming a famous idol singer. However, things go a little sideways when rivals, reality, and romance all collide and interfere with her double life!
Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
A singing mermaid becomes human. And everything escalates from there! There’s romance, friendship, singing, and tons of slice-of-life moments as she figures out her new situation.
Show By Rock
Some debate whether or not this show is just an unusual idol series, but given they fight evil with their beats, we think it belongs on this list. A normal girl finds herself in an unusual chibi universe where the power of music defeats evil - but every band fights for themselves!
In KiraPre, the transformations, names, and powers of the Magical Girls - known as Pretty Cure or Cures - are all baking themed! Their daily lives revolve around a patisserie shop, and all the slice-of-life and character arcs are somehow food related. There’s even baking lessons and tips for real life throughout!
Don’t worry, you don’t need to have seen any other Precure series to enjoy this one!
Sometimes, it’s accused of being a rip of the next series, though they’re ultimately quite different (We’ve got an article explaining their similarities and differences HERE)
Their names are all food-themed, and the whole team works undercover as cafe waitresses. There’s very little actual baking or cooking, but there are plenty of food scenes and food-themed jokes.
The protagonists are given the genetics of endangered animals, and some characters fled their a world destroyed by the bad habits of their own people. The environmentalist angle isn't in-your-face, but rather peppered throughout with character’s backstories, motivations, romances, and small character arcs.
Tsubomi loves flowers and gardens, and she’s either teaching others or learning from her Grandmother. All of the flowers featured are real! The theme also carries over into the magical aspect, with people’s heart-flowers being stolen by the villains, and with the girls’ outfits, attacks, and names all being flower related.
Yes Precure 5 GOGO
(Pictured)
GOGO has a flower theme, and while it’s more aesthetic than educational, it does impact their weapons, attacks, designs, and two members of the cast have an interest in floristry and gardening. This is a sequel season though, so you should watch YES Precure 5 first.
Fashion
Heartcatch Precure
(Pictured)
Despite being on another list, Heartcatch also heavily features fashion design. The main duo spend much of their time making, designing, and learning about clothing. The character arcs of most of the cast in some way are triggered by or include fashion.
Happiness Charge Precure
The girls’ devices and a small amount of the episode arcs feature fashion themes, and their transformations and attacks include multiple outfit changes.
Urahara
A group of friends are opening their alternative fashion store in the street style district of Urahara, Japan - but they didn’t count on creativity and culture-eating evil aliens trying to stop them! The three must join forces with a helpful alien if they’re ever to open up shop, but nothing is quite what it seems in this series. If you have an interest in Japanese street style, you’ll definitely love the various outfits and references this show brings.
Houkago No Pleiades / Wish Upon The Pleiades (Pictured)
If you’re looking for utterly gorgeous art, scientifically accurate depictions of stars and space, a handful of time travel and a healthy amount of alternative universes - topped off with some majorly cute romance - then this is a series you’ll absolutely adore. And despite all that, it’s still very much in the vein of classic magical girls!
Star Twinkle Precure
If you’re after a much more childlike interpretation of the universe, you’re looking for STP. The series follows space-obsessed and highly imaginative Hikaru, who meets an alien, and finds herself the leader of an unlikely group of girls who are tasked with saving the Zodiac Princesses. It’s very cute, not remotely scientific, and though it does have some serious moments, it’s quite lighthearted. It also has quite a lot of action, and no explicit romance.
What other hobbies would you like to see in the future?
i wanna see a magical girl anime with figure skating!!!
