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July 11, 2004

Super Doll Licca-Chan 1&2


I've been so bored waiting for releases (and trying not to finish my precious Hikaru no Go episodes) that I have actually started watching something new/old called Super Doll Licca-Chan. I believe it's based on a wildly popular Japanese version of Barbie, which would make it the Japanese version of Jem. Only Licca is not a pop singer but a fighter-type who protects a little girl called, er, Licca.

To simplify things, doll Licca is Doll Licca and little girl Licca is just Licca. There, all clear now.

The plot is pure lil'shoujo candyfloss. Licca lives in an absurdly big (Barbie's Dream) house with her mother and grandmother. However! A mustachioed character named Scarecrow are after Licca so that they can take over a "Kingdom." This being lil'shoujo, of course, the Scarecrow's minions are more funny than evil, and Doll Licca always shows up at the end to save the day. (An unusual but still fairly predictable twist is that Doll Licca's strength is linked somehow to Licca's grandmother - who has the responsibility of "summoning" Doll Licca - and the old lady ain't getting any younger.) Toss in schoolmates with myriad crushes and a bishounen graduate student who just happens to be studying the very Kingdom that Scarecrow is plotting to take over, and voila! A big entertaining mess.

Super Doll Licca-chan gives off a definite 80's vibe. Everything is in pleasant pastels and fluorescents, and the music is bubblegummy pop - there seems to be only one song commissioned for this series, and it serves triple duty as OP, ED, and battle theme. THe most weirdly fascinating thing about this show is that 11-1/2" Doll Licca starts out in a snappy military-style uniform, but when she transforms to full size to save Licca, she turns into, uh, Punky Brewster's big sister with shaggy pink ponytails and a magic yo-yo.


You'd think it would be the other way around, but this is lil'shoujo after all... Also, the show is oddly... American. I could see it being translated to English with absolutely no problems or edits. The only thing would be to licence the Licca-chan, which wouldn't last long against Barbie.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at July 11, 2004 08:35 AM | Posted to Anime/Manga

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