Magical girl, or mahou shoujo, anime is a much-beloved genre that’s, well, magical. The transformations, the outfits, the vanquishing of whatever evil dares show its face this week with the power of friendship and inner strength; the variety of gimmicks are just as endless as they are charming. From its early black-and-white television days in 1966, with Sally the Witch considered the first in the genre to modern audiences still Gushing Over Magical Girls, the love for the genre remains just as strong as its girl power.

Even with such a wholesome, adorable genre, the magical girl fandom can have its own heated contentions. What makes a magical girl? Why is Sally the Witch considered a magical girl but other anime featuring witches aren’t? Why are magical girl transformations competing with the screams in Dragon Ball on how long they can be drawn out? We send a special shout-out to the YouTube channel doreimani for her insight into some of these heated magical girl questions. Regardless of the subjectivity surrounding the genre, if an anime features a girl who’s magical, we’re going to reveal what the best ones are.