Hime-chan no Ribbon is a mahou shoujo series about Nonohara Himeko, an ordinary girl with ordinary problems. She has a crush on a handsome older student in the drama club, but she's hampered by her tomboy image and an extremely energetic spirit that marks her as the opposite of the "feminine ideal" - something that her lovely older sister, Aiko, seems to embody completely. However, she receives an extraordinary gift that has the power to transform her into exactly what she wants to be - a red ribbon that allows her to change herself into the image of any person on earth, for exactly one hour.
Erika, the princess of the Magic World, is the mirror image of Himeko but with the airs, graces, and hairstyle of true royalty. In order to prove her claim to the throne, she has made the magical ribbon and given it to Himeko to test its usefullness. As Himeko tries out the ribbon for a period of one year, Erika is watching (along with the rest of the Magic World) and writing down her observations. In addition, Erika brought Himeko's stuffed lion, Pokota, to life so that he could advise Himeko in her adventures. Given Himeko's impetuous nature, this was probably the smartest thing that Erika did. ;)
The series, with sixty-one episodes and a short production special, is delightful and entertaining mainly because of the wonderful characters. Himeko has a penchant for getting into trouble (which is expected, of course), but how she deals with it and with whom she deals with it provides the most fun. Daichi, a carefree boy who at first (repeatedly) mistakes Himeko for a boy, is the first to realize that there is something unordinary about Himeko, but while his interest in her is triggered by her use of magical powers, it's kept there because of something else. Daichi and Himeko's friendship and its development provide the backbone of the plot of the show, along with the mistakes learned and heartaches felt that always seem to result when Himeko decides to use the ribbon.
Himeko is not required to save the world using her magic ribbon, so perhaps the plot of this series is too tame for some. However, she's a wonderful character to watch because while she's genuinely a good person, she does make rash decisions and careless judgments that she sincerely regrets. In addition, the "filler episodes" of this series are done quite seamlessly, interwoven with a few strands of the original manga plot to make it enjoyable. The animation is a bit old (people often compare it to Marmalade Boy, but all the characters here are in junior high, not high school), but still nice. If you enjoy other "magical girl" series like Kaitou Saint Tail, you should enjoy this one as well.
