"Magical girl" titles can loosely be grouped into "helpers" and "fighters." The latter makes up the super heroes of the bunch. The former, where the heroine's powers deal with less villainous troubles, is where Mahou no Stage (Magic Stage) Fancy Lala falls. It's awash in the old cliches, and still it works.

It's heroine is third grader Shinohara Miho, a skilled sketcher who dreams of being a comic artist or a pop star. When she acquires the power to transform into a teen that gets pulled into the entertainment world, she gains a chance for the crowd's adoration and the attention of the male idol she's ga-ga over. Can she handle her wish?

After eight episodes I'm finding this as enjoyable as it is cute and funny. Lala has believable stories and a promising story arc set off by mysteries established since episode 1. In fact, the only real low spot is the dinasaur-like "advisor companions," Pigu and Mogu, with too much screen time to do cute comic routines. Otherwise, it's a worthy addition to the generic world of magical girls.