Miho-Chan

Kagaya Hime Miho-Chan is an open source character created by Simon Kirby in 2005 (crediting the fictional Fujimura Studios) and published online through various websites. The character has appeared in various forms, including pencil sketches, comic strips, CG illustrations and animated gifs. The majority of the strips are rendered in Photoshop and are clearly inspired by early 60s Japanese cartoons. The character itself is a tribute to early magic girl series such as Mahou Tsukai Sally, Marvelous Melmo, or Himitsu no Akko-chan.

General premise
Radiant Princess Miho follows the tale of Yomeno Miho, a magical princess of the Radiant Kingdom. Bored with court life, Miho-chan runs away to Earth, where she is quickly 'adopted' by a pair of girls her own age. Possessing the usual array of sorcerous abilities, Miho decides to protect her new home from the various witches, demons and giant monsters which periodically threaten humanity in Japanese cartoons.

Her career is cut short when her parents, King Raijin and Queen Mommo, track her down to Miyazakidai Elementary School. After scolding Miho for running away, they agree to let her stay on Earth for one year - on the condition that she live as a mortal child and only ever use her powers for emergencies.

Happy to remain with her new friends, Miho settles down to the kind of life-style normal for a young mahou shoujo - attending school, making friends, falling in love, battling supernatural menaces etc (business as usual, in other words).

Primary cast
Yumeno Miho-Hime: Miho-chan, Princess of the Radiant Kingdom and heir to the Eternal Crown. While basically kind, sweet and generous by nature, her impulsive personality frequently leads her into trouble. Despite her vast magical powers, Miho often miscasts her spells, leading to minor disasters.

Tanaka Hiroko: Hiroko-chan, Miho's best friend, a gabby tomboy in the best Japanese tradition. Frequently sent home from school for chronic misbehavior, drives her parents crazy with her incessant chatter.

Yasuda Kyoko: Kyoko-chan, Miho's other best friend, the group's resident pretty girl. Cute, lovable and 'genki,' but not exactly overburdened with brains. Turns handsprings whenever happy or excited; often scolded for consistently bad grades.

Miss Yamada: Keiko-Sensei, the girls' homeroom teacher. Archetype Japanese educator; kind and fair, but tough when necessary. Acts in loco parentis for Miho and her friends.

Tomoko-San: Miho's live-in housekeeper, former Palace Cook to the Royal Family. A powerful sorceress in her own right, she was sent to Earth to keep an eye on Miho-Chan. Despite her technically subordinant position, Tomoko refuses to take any of Miho's backchat.