is a popular pioneering magical girl manga and

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

that ran in Japan during the 1960s. The manga was drawn and written by Fujio Akatsuka, and was published in '' Ribon'' from 1962 to 1965. It predates the '' Mahōtsukai Sunny'' (whose name became Sally in the ''Mahōtsukai Sally'' anime) manga, printed in 1966. However, that title is the first magical girl anime as ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'' was not broadcast until 1969. The original anime ran for 94 episodes from 1969 to 1970. It was animated by

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

and broadcast by

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...

(then known as NET). It has been remade twice, in 1988 (61 episodes, featuring

Mitsuko Horie is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She was born in Yamato, Kanagawa. She has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Sailor Galaxia in '' Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'' and Remi in the Nippon Animation World Master ...

in the role of Akko-chan and singing the opening and ending themes) and in 1998 (44 episodes). Two movies were produced. ''Himitsu no Akko-chan Movie'' and ''Umi da! Obake da!! Natsu Matsuri'' both released in 1989. It was adapted into a live action film released on September 1, 2012. Currently, an adaptation the series is running as a web manga, ''ひみつのアッコちゃん μ'' (''Himitsu no Akko-Chan μ'', pronounced "myu".) It is written by Hiroshi Izawa, and drawn by Futago Kamikita.

Plot

Atsuko Kagami is a childlike, arrogant elementary school girl who has an affinity for

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

s. One day, her favorite mirror which was given to Akko by her mother (or in some versions, by her father, as a present from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) is broken, and she prefers to bury it in her yard rather than throw it to the trash can. In her dreams, she is contacted by a spirit (or in some cases the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

of the Mirror

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

) who is touched that the girl would treat the mirror so respectfully and not simply throw it away. Akko-chan is then given the gift of a magical mirror and taught enchantments, "tekumaku mayakon, tekumaku mayakon" and "lamipus lamipus lu lu lu lu lu". that will allow her to transform into anything she wishes.

Characters

; :Voiced by Yoshiko Ōta (1969),

(1988),

Wakana Yamazaki is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator who works for Aoni Production. She was born in Yokohama and is best known for her roles as Ran Mouri in ''Detective Conan'', Atsuko "Akko" Kagami in the 1998 version of '' Himitsu no Akko-chan'', ...

(1998),

Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer associated with the voice acting agency Grick. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first voice acting role in the anime television series ''An ...

(2012)

Haruka Ayase is a Japanese actress, model and singer who started her career as a gravure idol in 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. Life and career Early life and education Haruka Ayase was born as Aya Tademaru on March ...

(movie) :The titular protagonist. Atsuko Kagami is often called Akko-chan for short. 鏡アツ子, from the name 加賀美あつ子 but with the family-name part 加賀美, "Kagami", replaced by 鏡. In Japanese, kagami means mirror. She is known as "Stilly," "Caroline," or "Julie" in Western versions of the anime. ; :Voiced by Reiko Senō (1969), Yoshiko Ōta (1988),

Miina Tominaga , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. She is currently attached to Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. Tominaga is best known for her roles in ''Sazae-san'' (as Ka ...

(1998) :Akko's mother. ; :Voiced by

Ichirō Murakoshi was a Japanese narrator and voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was a Waseda University graduate. His real name was . Voice roles Anime *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (role unspecified) *Doraemon (1973 anime) (Nobisuke Nobi) * GeGeGe no Kitaro 1985 ...

(1969),

Banjō Ginga , sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to voice actress Gara Takashima. Known for his deep baritone voice ...

(1988), Ken Yamaguchi (1998) :Akko's father ; :Voiced by

Sumiko Shirakawa was a Japanese actress and voice actress from Shibuya, Tokyo. She was best known for her roles in Sazae-san (as Hiroshi Nakajima), Doraemon (as Hidetoshi Dekisugi from 1980 to 2005) and Space Ace (as Ace). On November 26, 2015, Shirakawa faile ...

(1969),

Kazuko Sugiyama , known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and voice actress who was born in Nagoya and works for Aoni Production. In February 2010, she received a "Merit Award" from the 4th Seiyu Awards. Filmography Anime *Hanako Mori in '' Inakappe ...

(1988), Kikumi Umeda (1998) :Akko's best friend. ; :Voiced by Akiko Tsuboi (1969), Noriko Uemura (1988), Harumi Ikoma (1998) :Moko's younger brother. ; :Voiced by

Junko Hori is a Japanese actress and voice actress represented by Production Baobab. She is known as the voice of the protagonists in 3 Fujiko Fujio works, ''Obake no Q-tarō'', ''Ninja Hattori-kun'', and '' Chimpui''. As a dub artist she is known for the ...

, Mariko Takigawa (1969),

Noriko Tsukase was a Japanese voice actress and chanson singer active during the 1970s and 1980s. Her most popular roles included Spank in ''Ohayō! Spank'', Miss Alphonne in the original '' Cutie Honey'' TV series and Non (as well as Furu-Furu the cat) in ''Maj ...

, Yuko Mita (1988),

Junko Takeuchi is a Japanese actress and voice actress employed by Ogipro The Next Co. Inc. & BQMAP. Taking a well-trod path by many voice actresses, she often voices young male characters with generally very quirky and goofy personalities. One of her most wel ...

(1998) :Kankichi's friend. ; :Voiced by Hiroko Maruyama (1969),

Keiko Yamamoto , born August 7, 1943, is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka Prefecture. Many of her roles have been older women, young boys, or tomboyish young girls. Filmography Anime television series * Akado Suzunosuke – Akadō Suzunosuke * Andersen ...

(1988 and 1998) :A young girl who likes to spy on Akko. ; :Voiced by Hiroshi Ōtake (1969),

Yoku Shioya is a Japanese actor and voice actor debuting in ''Triton of the Sea'' (1972). He has done some voice directing in such anime as '' Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls Ryota Miyagi in Slam Dunk and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.'' His real name is Tsuba ...

(1988),

Takuma Suzuki is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce. Selected voice roles *Major Leads are in Bold. Anime television series *''Daa! Daa! Daa!'' – Yuu Kouzuki *''Cromartie High School'' – Shinjiro Hayashida *''Digimon Adventure'' � ...

(1998) :A hefty boy and rival to Akko. He has a secret crush on her. ; :Voiced by Sachiko Chijimatsu (1969), Michiko Hirai (1969, episodes 56 and 61), Katsue Miwa (1988), Satomi Korogi (1998) :Taisho's younger brother. ; :Voiced by

(1969), Michitaka Kobayashi (1988), Yoshihiko Akida (1998) :Henchman of Taisho. ; :Voiced by Kōko Kagawa,

, Mariko Takigawa (1969),

, Chie Sato (1988),

Yasuhiro Takato Yasuhiro Takato ( ja, 高戸靖広, Takato Yasuhiro, born January 23, 1968 in Okayama) is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. Filmography Television animation *'' Sailor Moon'' (1992) - Artemis *'' Ping-Pong Club'' (1995) - ...

(1998) :Henchman of Taisho. ; :Voiced by Sachiko Chijimatsu, Kōko Kagawa (1969), Naoko Watanabe (1988),

Ai Nagano is a Japanese voice actress. She has been voice-acting since 1997 that worked for Toei Academy. Ai is known for her role in '' Cutey Honey Flash'' as Honey Kisaragi, which was her debut role. She also voice Komachi Akimoto/Cure Mint in ''Yes! ...

(1998) :Akko's cat. ; :Voiced by Ichiro Murakoshi, Hiroshi Otake (1969),

Masaharu Sato Masaharu (written: , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese writer *, Japanese singer-songwriter, musician and actor *, Japanese general *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese ''dai ...

(1988),

(1998) :Taisho's cat. ; :Voiced by Osamu Ichikawa (1969),

(1988),

Hiroki Takahashi is a common masculine Japanese given name. It can be written in many ways. In the following lists, the kanji in parentheses are the individual's way of writing the name Hiroki. Possible writings Hiroki can be written using different kanji charac ...

(1998) :Homeroom teacher of Akko and Moko. ; :Voiced by

Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:20:00 in 2001. Biography Tak ...

, Kōko Kagawa (1969), Kyoko Irokawa (1988),

(1998) :English teacher. ; :Voiced by Reiko Senoo, Kōko Kagawa (1969),

Eiko Masuyama is a Japanese actress and narrator. She works for Aoni Production. She is most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine ('' Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi ('' Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama ('' Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masuya ...

(1988),

(1998) :A queen from the distant "Magic Country". She provides Akko with the compact mirror.

Exclusive to 1969 Anime

;Narrator :Voiced by Shun Yashiro : ; :Voiced by Shun Yashiro :A talking parrot.

Exclusive to 1988 Anime

; :Voiced by Shigeru Nakahara :Prince of Mirror Country ; :Voiced by

Kazumi Tanaka Kazumi ( ja, カズミ, かずみ) is a Japanese given name that can be given to either sex. Possible writings *和美, "peace, beauty" *一巳, "one, sign of the snake" *一美, "one, beauty" *一実, "one, truth" *和海, "peace, sea" *数魅, ...

:Elderly servant of Kio ; :Voiced by

:A strange man who shows up randomly.

Exclusive to 1998 Anime

; :Voiced by

:A penguin who joins Akko and friends.

Exclusive to 2012 Movie

; :Voiced by

Masaki Okada is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his roles as Sekime Kyogo in the drama ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'' and as Takuma Kakinouchi in the 2009 film '' I Give My First Love to You''. Filmography Films * ''The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck ...

Foreign distribution

The only media in the franchise to be officially translated into English is the 1980s run of the manga, translated as ''Akko-Chan's Got a Secret!'' The series briefly aired in its original Japanese on California channel

KWHY-TV KWHY-TV (channel 22) is a Spanish-language independent television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by Meruelo Broadcasting alongside Garden Grove–licensed KBEH (channel 63); the two stations share RF channel 4 u ...

in the mid 1970s as Akko Chan's Secret. Otherwise largely unknown in the English-speaking world, ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'' enjoyed a good deal of success when it was exported to the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an market in the 1980s. All three ''Akko-chan'' series have been screened on TV in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. * ''Lo specchio magico'' (Italian, first series)'' * ''Caroline'' (French, second series; pronounced "Cah-ro-LEHN") * ''Los secretos de Julie'' (Spanish language version shown in Latin America, first series) * ''El Secreto de Akko'' (Spanish version shown in Spain, third series) * ''Un mondo di magia'' (Italian, second series) * ''Stilly e lo specchio magico'' (Italian, third series): In series three, as in series one, "Stilly" is the Italian name for Akko-chan. * ''Czarodziejskie zwierciadełko'' (Polish, first series)

References

External links

Toei Animation's ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'' page
(Japanese) *

(Japanese) * The first anime series * The 2012 film {{Toei Animation films 1980s 1962 manga 1965 comics endings 1969 anime television series debuts 1970 Japanese television series endings 1988 anime television series debuts 1989 Japanese television series endings 1998 anime television series debuts 1999 Japanese television series endings Comedy anime and manga Fuji TV original programming Fujio Akatsuka Japanese children's television series Live-action films based on manga Magical girl anime and manga Manga adapted into films Romance anime and manga Fiction about shapeshifting Shōjo manga Toei Animation films Toei Animation television TV Asahi original programming Japanese comedy films Japanese romance films