You may look at the title of this article and scratch your head in confusion. Magic Realism? Surely that’s a contradiction in and of itself, right? An oxymoron of genre. If you’re not already familiar with the genre then you may be surprised at how much of it you’ve already experienced. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting if we took a look at the genre of Magic Realism, what it consists of and a few examples.
So what exactly is Magic Realism? Basically, it refers to a story which takes place in a realistic setting but which has a magical or supernatural component(s) that set it apart from a work entirely grounded in reality. Usually, but not always, these elements are left unexplained with the characters trying to deal with the effects rather than figuring out the cause. While the term was first coined by German art critic Franz Roh in 1925, there are numerous examples of works predating this that could easily be considered part of the genre. As with any genre, there is some debate as to which titles fit the criteria of Magic Realism and which ones go too far/not far enough so please be aware of this throughout this article.
I intend to look at the genre through the mediums I usually cover but I’d be remiss if I did not cover live-action films as that is probably where a lot of people would be most familiar with the genre. When I have to explain what Magic Realism is to people, the example I often go to is The Green Mile. The world of The Green Mile is very realistic excluding the main story element, that being the character of John Coffey and his ability to heal and resurrect others. Besides that, other films that I’ve seen referred to as Magic Realism are Groundhog Day, It’s a Wonderful Life, Big, Midnight in Paris etc., all stories that revolve around a bit of fantasy or magic in a setting that would otherwise be realistic.
Magic Realism is very popular across numerous countries and Japan is an excellent example due to its wealth of entertainment media. Interestingly, a manga that I hadn’t thought about as Magic Realism before but can certainly see the argument being made for it is Death Note. The series itself is so grounded in realism when it comes to drama, mystery and deduction that it’s easy to forget that the titular Death Note is supernatural. The one part that leaves room for doubt is the fact that the Death Note’s origins are explained almost immediately and with great detail, something which contrasts greatly with many other Magic Realism works. Other examples of anime and manga which are often referred to as Magic Realism would be Paranoia Agent, Wolf Children, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, various Osamu Tezuka series and short stories etc.
Video games are also no strangers to Magic Realism as they are easily positioned to incorporate elements of fantasy or supernatural elements in otherwise realistic settings. A game that I often think about when it comes to this would be Stardew Valley which features many realistic elements such as the need to develop and expand your farm, develop friendship and perhaps romance with the local townsfolk and supplement your income with hobbies such as fishing, crafting etc. However, there are numerous fantasy elements that are treated as relatively normal parts of everyday life. The appearance of your grandfather’s ghost to judge how successful you’ve been, the presence of monsters such as slimes, skeletons, mummies amongst many others in the mines, the ability to incubate and raise dinosaurs on the farm etc. This lends Stardew Valley an unusual, almost fairytale like, atmosphere which I and many others find endearing. Additionally, other Magic Realism games that stand out to me would be Life is Strange, Ace Attorney or even something like The Sims.
Magic Realism may seem bizarre when you first hear of it so it’s amazing to see how prominent it is within fiction in general. Let me know your thoughts on the genre of Magic Realism, what you think defines it opposed to other genres, what some of the best examples of it you’ve come across and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.