Lalabel, the Magical Girl

Plot

A magical girl from another realm, Lalabel tumbles into the human world by accident after crossing paths with Biscus, a thief who makes off with enchanted tools. An elderly couple discovers her and welcomes her into their home. While living among humans, she secretly works to recover the stolen magical items from Biscus, and she records proverbs in her diary to ponder her new experiences and growing insight into human life. In the end, her efforts lead Biscus to change his ways, and both of them lose their magic, becoming fully human.

Characters

Lalabel Tachibana is a magical girl who comes from a world of magic. One night, her magical items stir her awake, and she catches Biscus stealing two magical briefcases. He pulls her to Earth, and she ends up being taken in by the Tachibanas, a kind elderly couple, deciding to remain with them until she can go back home. Biscus Hayashi is a heavy-set thief and the main villain.

He swiped two magical briefcases from the magic realm where Lalabel lived, but when she surprised him, he transported both of them to Earth, misplacing one briefcase along the way. On Earth, he moves in with a ramen stand owner named Ochiba, who is just as greedy and unpleasant as he is. Biscus uses his stolen magic to trick people, all while trying to get his hands on Lalabel’s briefcase. He also owns a gray cat that is as nasty and horrid as he is.

The Tachibanas are Sakuzo and Ume, an elderly couple who welcome Lalabel into their home. Ume is a warm, grandmotherly figure who sewed Lalabel’s signature pink dress. Sakuzo is skeptical and dislikes magic, but after Lalabel rescues him from drowning, he begins to accept her and her powers. He is the one who thinks up the proverbs that Lalabel writes down.

Teruko Takemura, nicknamed Teko, is the Tachibanas’ granddaughter and a friend of Lalabel’s. She lives with her grandparents because her parents work overseas. Toshiko Matsumiya, called Toko, is another friend of Lalabel and Teko. Tsumoro Ochiba serves as Biscus’s sidekick. Tsubomi Yuri is a wealthy girl in the same class as Lalabel, Teko, and Toko.

She acts snobbishly toward Teko and Toko and uses her family’s influence to get what she wants. Lalabel once saved her from being struck by construction vehicles owned by Tsubomi’s father, which were ignoring a sidewalk that Lalabel and her friends used on their way to school.