LoliRock Joins the Magical Girls!
"I've got a secret. A LoliRock star. We're on a magic quest!"
I thought I would do something a little different for today's post. I recently discovered LoliRock on Netflix, and I am in love with this show, the animation and design, and all the outfits! Yes, it may be a show that is directed more towards kids and pre-teens, but I enjoy watching it! I mean hey, I also really love Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Barbie movies, and Monster High so... ;) This post will serve as an introduction to the series LoliRock, as well as show you some magical fashion that inspires me from the show! So first..
What is LoliRock?
LoliRock is an animated television series produced by Marathon Media, co-produced by Zodiak Kids, and is in association with Disney Channel. The series is created by Jean-Louis Vandestoc and written by Madellaine Paxson. Zodiak Kids also created the popular show, Totally Spies! (which I love), and they look at LoliRock as kind of a sequel or a new era of Totally Spies! The show was first broadcasted on Disney Channel France in 2014, since it is a French creation, but in 2015 after the first 13 episodes premiered, the show is now broadcasted on Disney Channels across Europe in countries like Spain, Portugal, and Italy. The series was also dubbed in English, and this dubbed version made it's Netflix debut on May 1, 2016. Season 1 has come to a close with 26 episodes, but the show is slated to have a season 2 with another 26 episodes!
What genre is LoliRock?
LoliRock is under the Magical Girl genre, and is heavily inspired by Japanese anime, and one of the most iconic Magical Girl television shows, the immensely popular Sailor Moon. The Magical Girl genre is simply a subgenre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga, in which the main focus is on girls who use magic. Fantasy and magic are a huge component of LoliRock, as seen through the main characters' powers, transformations, and far-away kingdoms on other planets. You can read more about the Magical Girl genre here. Music is also a huge part of LoliRock, as the girls are not only magical heroes on a quest, but also famous pop stars! Music and footage of the girls in concert are included in mostly every episode, and there are five music videos released per season outside of the series. LoliRock is noted as being the first French created television series under the Magical Girl genre.
What does LoliRock mean?
LoliRock is a combination of words as well as the name of the girls' music group. According to the official site here (in French), LoliRock comes from a play on "LOL", the Spanish conjunction "i" meaning "and", and the word "rock" because they are a girl pop-rock band. The show is meant to combine humor, music, and magic in its tone. Also according to the official site, LoliRock's music themes include music, friendship, and bravery. Their influences are Katy Perry, One Direction, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, and Lykke Li. Watch LoliRock's music videos! "Revolution", "Higher", "BFF", "We Are Magic", "Celebrate"
Who are LoliRock?
The main characters of LoliRock are the three members of the musical group and magical princesses- Iris, Talia, and Auriana.
Iris is the main protagonist, and at the beginning of the series she believes that she is just a regular girl who has strange occurrences whenever she sings. She is at first a regular 15 year old girl living in Sunny Bay. She is very talented with a beautiful voice, loves gardening, and has a great desire to help those in need. Her best friend is her childhood friend Nathaniel, who she develops a crush on. After Talia and Auriana find Iris, she discovers that she is the magical princess of the planet and kingdom Ephedia. Before this, she knows she was adopted by her Aunt Ellen, but never knew about her parents. She learns that her parents are the King and Queen of Ephedia, but when Iris was a baby the kingdom was attacked by the evil Gramorr. Gramorr overthrows Iris' parents and takes over the kingdom. To keep Iris safe, the King and Queen send the baby Iris to Earth to grow up believing she is a regular girl. She also learns that she has magical powers. Iris has Crystal Magic and these can come from when she's singing or more commonly by saying spells. She joins the band LoliRock as the lead singer when Talia and Auriana recruit her (their goal and the reason they started LoliRock). Iris' symbol is the heart, she transforms into her magical outfit by her necklace, and her weapon is the scepter of Ephedia. When she transforms, Iris' clothes and hair turn pink.
Talia is a main character of the series, a member of the band LoliRock, and is the princess of the kingdom Xeris located on the planet of Ephedia. She was sent on a mission along with Auriana to find Iris so they can train her in her powers, help her find the Oracle Gems from Iris' mother's crown all around Earth, and after all of that return to Ephedia to defeat Gramorr. She is the most serious out of the trio and the oldest at 16, but she is also very kind and intelligent. She is always very focused on their overall task, but is very loyal to her friends and has a deeply sad side..which I haven't discovered yet since I'm only on like episode 5 out o 26 in the first season! lol :) Before coming to Earth to find Iris, Talia was captured and held prisoner by Gramorr, but escaped. In LoliRock, Talia sings and plays the keytar. Talia's symbol is the diamond, she transforms using her bracelet, and her weapon is the wand of Xeris. When she transforms, her clothes are blue and her hair turns a light blue.
Auriana is a main character in the series, a member of the band LoliRock, and is the princess of the kingdom Volta on the planet Ephedia. She is on a mission with Talia to find and train Iris in her powers, find the Oracle Gems, and return to Ephedia to defeat Gramorr. Along with Talia, they form the band LoliRock to find Iris. Iris loves to sing and her powers mainly come from her voice, so Talia and Auriana hold auditions for a lead singer in hopes of finding Iris (which they obviously did lol). Auriana is 15 years old, and is cheerful, optimistic, a bit of an airhead, and bubbly. She can also be extremely boy-crazy! Even though she may be playful and silly, her friends can always count on her when they are in trouble. In LoliRock, Auriana sings and plays the tambourine. Auriana's symbol is the crescent moon, she transforms using her star shaped ring, and her weapon is the ribbon (more like a whip) of Volta. When she transforms, her clothes and hair turn a bright yellow-orange.
Another character on the "good" side is Nathaniel. He is Iris' childhood and best friend from Sunny Bay as they grew up together. He is 16 years old, and has also developed strong feelings for Iris just like Iris with him. He works as a bartender/waiter at a smoothie bar, and is the first to encourage Iris to go out for the audition for the band LoliRock. He is kind, caring, understanding, supportive, and truly knows Iris' heart. It is alluded to at times in the series that he does know the truth of Iris, Talia, and Auriana's identities, but it is never revealed for certain. He is a recurring character on the series.
Aunt Ellen is also a recurring "good" character in the series. She is Iris' adoptive mother from Sunny Bay, and turns 50 during the series in the episode, "The Birthday". She is kind, loving, friendly, and loves to garden. She has a very strong relationship with Iris, as she is the only mother Iris has ever known. She is very cheerful, but a bit oblivious at times. She doesn't know about Iris' true heritage, or the fact that Iris, Talia, and Auriana have magical powers and are on an important quest.
Missy Robins has been Iris' rival since childhood in Sunny Bay, and her father is the mayor of the town. She is a recurring character in the series, and while she is not in line with Gramorr and his minions, she is a minor antagonist in the series. She is 15 years old, and is seen to possibly also have a crush on Nathaniel. She is always in competition with Iris, and is vain, mean, and spoiled as seen through the episode, "Flower Power". She also doesn't know about Iris, Talia, and Auriana's true identities, quest, or powers.
Gramorr is the main antagonist in the series. He is also known as the Grand Wizard of Chaos. He has betrayed Iris' parents and taken over Ephedia. He needs the royal crown to attain full power, but the crown is protected by a spell. The crown breaks, and he is now trying to find all the fallen Oracle Gems on Earth through his minions, Praxina and Mephisto. He now lives in the Ephedian palace with his black tiger, Banes. He is cruel, power-hungry, and easily irritated, but can also be cowardly. He has the power of the Black Crystal Magic, which he relies heavily on along with his minions.
Praxina and Mephisto are minions to Gramorr, and they are main antagonists in the series, fighting with Iris, Talia, and Auriana directly. They are 17 year old twins, with Praxina being older (which she reminds Mephisto of often). They are both from Ephedia but are sent to Earth by Gramorr to stop Iris, Talia, and Auriana, and find the Oracle Gems. They both have the Dark Crystal Magic- Praxina's gem color is red, and Mephisto's is green. Praxina is determined, mean, clever, beautiful, bossy, and loves to belittle people (including her brother). She can fly and teleport, and is often the one to come up with their plans to defeat the princesses. Mephisto can also fly and teleport, but he is more incompetent than his sister. He is less intelligent than Praxina, is often distracted easily, but can also be very observant at times.
There is also Amaru, who is the pet of Talia and Auriana, but he's a magical creature, so there's not much fashion there. lol He seems like a cat..I guess lol, but he can also transform into a pegasus! Now that we've met the characters (I haven't met them all yet, so these are just the ones I know now lol), let's look at some of their fashions! The best part!! It would be so cool to design for a cartoon show, especially one like this that is more fantasy, superhero, magical, and over the top! :) Enjoy!
For more on LoliRock (spoilers alert!!) look here:
LoliRock season 1 can be watched on Netflix (sorry if you don't have it, you may be able to find episodes or clips on Youtube)!
Have you seen LoliRock? What are your thoughts on the show, are you a fan? Do you want to check it out after reading this post? Let me know! Who is your favorite character? Which is your favorite song? Whose fashion do you like the most? What's your favorite outfit? Do you watch or read other Magical Girl series or just anime in general? Leave me all your thoughts, comments, and opinions in the comments section below!
Thanks for reading! *currently listening to "7 Things" by Miley Cyrus
xoxo~ Ashley
*I do not own any of these fabulous images, they are just being used to inform others of the greatness of LoliRock! :) They were all found using Google images, so please, if you are a creator, let me know if you want me to add your name and/or link for further credit. <3
