[book] PureHearts 01: Won't Find Out Until It's Too Late

Globally, at any given moment, and as near as we can figure, there are around 25,000 magical girls in the world. Not evenly distributed, of course. Some parts of the world have comparatively high numbers of magical girls, others have almost none. Local reactions to magical girls also vary considerably. In Italy, for example, magical girls often enjoy enthusiastic support from local communities, but remain unrecognised by the government. In contrast the Chinese government requires the registration of all magical girls. Failing to register is a crime, as is failing to report shadow activity. All magical girls are employees of the Ministry of Public Security, attached to Public Security Bureaus in their area. There's a uniform and a training program, although details are not publicly available. Culturally, magical girls are treated equivalently to police by the public, and are shown as such in promotional materials.

In Russia those few girls who could be called magical are treated like superhero celebrities, often becoming mascots of their home cities. Of course there is a heavy expectation that they will fulfil their patriotic duty, both in fighting shadows and in supporting those who support them.

In the UK magical girls are commonly viewed as a bad joke, largely due to an initial backlash from the government and tabloid negativity. Nevertheless they often receive a quiet sort of support from their local communities, with Wales in particular being notable both for its high concentration of magical girls and the respectful (if private) celebration they receive.

America famously has no magical girls, although the truth is that there are a few dozen to be found there, mostly near the northern and southern borders. Many Americans don't believe that shadows or magical girls even exist, others point to the lack of shadow activity as proof that America is special and protected.

Japan, unsurprisingly enough, has an entire magical girl industry, although the colourful public image hides the solitary and guarded reality; for those still in school, as most magical girls are, there is the expectation that you will carry on with your normal life and keep the fact that you are a magical girl private. Despite what is shown on television, and the popularity of idol groups like Magical! Heartbeat Factory (whose members are all allegedly former magical girls), most magical girls in Japan rarely encounter others of their nature, and almost never form teams.

In Australia magical girls are usually attached to local police, with programs for military involvement being trialled in particular hot spots like Toowoomba and Ballarat. Australia is notable for committing more money to magical girl research than any other country, although some have pointed to this as a major reason the former government lost the election; big spending, no results.

Then there's New Zealand, where the government was quick to classify shadows as a natural disaster but then couldn't decide which core division should be responsible. Instead they've been passed around a couple of different state service organisations, at first Fire & Emergency NZ, then the Earthquake Commission had them for a while for some reason, then they got kicked over to a crown agent, the Environmental Protection Agency working under the Ministry For The Environment. Funding for magical girls, such as it is, is taken from the Waste Minimisation Fund. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense but that's where we are, here in Aotearoa, where we're punching above our weight in both shadow activity and magical girls. Up in Taupō they've got a dozen MGs, huge representation for a population of only 25k. Another per capita win for mighty little New Zealand, eh? Down in the South Island there aren't quite as many shadows around, so not as many magical girls either, but here in sunny Nelson we've got our fair share of both. Lately more and more it seems, enough to have two magical girl clubs around the CBD and another one out Richmond way. Probably a bit far for you though, you think? So I'd go with either the Magical Witches, they're based around the Brook, or, yep, here we go. The PureHearts. They're pretty new, three members currently, bit of a mixed bag but open to new applicants. They meet in the sports room by Neale Park every Saturday.

Worth a look, maybe?