6.024 minSeason 1 • Episode 38
LatestKazuki Mai, an elementary schoolgirl, wanted to be a magician but her skills weren't good enough for her to join her grandparents' Magiccarat troupe. One day she sees a light enter a strange heart-shaped mirror. The light is actually a mirror fairy named Topo, who takes over her favourite stuffed toy, a flying squirrel and gives her a bracelet with the 4 card suits. The bracelet can turn into a bubble wand which transforms Mai into the 18 year old magician Magical Emi, who uses her magic to help people and participate in her grandparents' shows.
Practical Effects
Actual stage magic techniques animated with surprising care
Production
Mirror fairy transformation sequences that defined the genre
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Studio Pierrot's '80s magical girl boom that created the transformation-sequence formula Sailor Moon later perfected. Emi's stage-magician angle was weirdly specific and rarely copied.
The card-suit bracelet design (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) directly influenced later magical girl weapon systems—most fans have no idea this forgotten show pioneered the trope.
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