Copyright © Triangle Staff/Bandai Visual

Although it's never been released in America, many of you may be familiar with the MAHO TSUKAI TAI (I WANNA USE MAGIC!) OVA series chronicling a magic club consisting of five members. And, for those of you who've waited for their adventures to continue, the wait is finally over.
The Magic Club (Mahou Tsukaitai) consists of five members: Takeo, the leader; Aburatsubo, the token gay guy who is in love with Takeo; Sae, the cute girl who has a big heart but not much skill; Akane, the forgetful beautiful one; and Nanaka, the practical one. Together they form the Magic Club, and, wearing their brightly-colored "costumes" complete with witch's hats, they use their magic to benefit their community.
The TV series opens with a brief recap of the OVA series, including how the Magic Club was formed to battle alien invaders, and how at the end of the battle, Sae had managed to turn their cylinder into a giant cherry tree that now stands in the middle of town. Now, the task before them is to move the cherry tree. However, there are a lot of obstacles in their way. Sae is not exactly adept at using magic, and she has lost a lot of confidence. Takeo keeps fantasizing about Sae. Aburatsubo keeps getting annoyed when Takeo pays attention to the girls. Akane has completely forgotten that she was suppposed to help them out, and Nanaka just tries to keep everything together.
The characters are somewhat stereotyped, especially Takeo as the lecherous but mostly harmless guy, and Aburatsubo as the overly effeminate gay guy. But there is a lot of heart in these characters and although they are not the best they are at what they do, they certainly do their best and manage to get results—even if the results are not quite exactly what was intended.
The animation quality is quite high in the early episodes (so far), and the stories are entertaining, if a little on the fluffy side (then again, what were you expecting?) The results of the magic are hilarious, especially in the first episode when the giant cherry tree starts walking through town, being careful not to crush anything. In addition, the interactions between the characters are often very funny. Takeo's lecherous thoughts are always very funny, and Aburatsubo's follow-ups usually are as well.
The opening animation is nice, and the song "I Wanna Do More" is one of the best I've heard in a long time. It's upbeat and fun, and seems to fit the series well. But most importantly, it's a catchy song that will rattle around in your head.
Satoh Junichi (the director of SAILOR MOON and SAILOR MOON R, and the first MAHO series) returns to the helm as director. Konaka Chiaki (LAIN, THE BIG O) is the scriptwriter, and he's done a good job capturing the zany comedy. Character designs are once again handled by Ikuko Ito (character designer for SAILOR MOON S). Many of the people who worked on the OVA series have returned for the TV series, including all of the original voices.
The biggest problem I had with this series was the way it was released. Like so many other new series, it is being released with only one episode on Volume 1. While some may see this as a way to "try out" a new series with less of a financial risk, one episode is usually not enough for a viewer to decide whether or not to continue a series. However, in this case, it actually was. And Volume 2 was just as funny as Volume 1, and it contained three episodes.
One other issue is the DVD menus. Like most Japanese DVDs, the menus really are nothing to speak of. One image, and a very simple functional menu including "play," "scene select," "trailers," and "information" on other releases. There is nothing here to write home about. So if fancy menus are your thing, you'd best look elsewhere.
This series aired on television last summer on WOWOW nonscramble, and it is only thirteen episodes long. Perhaps that is why the quality has remained consistently high. While other series falter later in their runs, MAHOU TSUKAI TAI is still going strong, even halfway through the series. This show has some of the same elements of other great comedy series, like URUSEI YATSURA and the early TENCHI MUYO, and it's definitely living up to its potential. I would be surprised if this one isn't picked up by an American company soon. It's definitely worth watching.

Triangle Staff/Bandai Visual
DVD

Volume 1
BCBA-0270
25 minutes
¥3800

Volume 2
BCBA-0271
71 minutes
¥6000

Available now in Japan
Where to buy