Anime doesn't have the best track record when it comes to its sometimes sordid relationship with teen girls. But Crunchyroll's newest anime darling, URAHARA, is striking back against these tropes of teens in anime with a chic, totally "kawaii" aesthetic.

URAHARA is based on the webcomic turned manga, PARK Harajuku: Crisis Team! by Mugi Tanaka. It's set in the near future in Tokyo's bleeding-edge fashion district, Harajuku, and stars three teen girls — Rito, Mari, and Kotoko. Unlike most other anime in the "fighting girl" sub-genre — even the universally recognizable Sailor Moon — URAHARA focuses on girls being girls, even in a post-apocalyptic alien invasion Tokyo. They have to save their city Harajuku and the world from the extraterrestrials that want to eat landmarks all around the globe.

Teen Vogue chatted with Amica Kubo, URAHARA's director, and Cayla Coats, Editorial Programming Coordinator at Crunchyroll, and both had quite a bit to say about the girls, their environment, and why their friendships are so special.

Teen Vogue: Why did you design the girls to look like girls, instead of young women? Was it pure aesthetics? Or are you making a statement about how underage girls should be portrayed in anime?

Amica Kubo: Teen girls are all cute, or as we say, “kawaii”. But many worry about their differences from others, and can feel a sense of inferiority. I think this makes them very human, so I carefully illustrated those “wrong” parts as key characteristics and the real reasons for their attractiveness. I wanted to positively depict and celebrate the characters just as they are, even when they feel like they are misfits or are not perfect.

URAHARA is written in a way that allows the girls to be themselves. It's an important evolution for how teen girls are presented in anime. It gives the trio the chance to be young and gawky and awkward — you know, like teenagers ought to be. And while we've been inundated with the "mean girl" trope in popular culture, URAHARA highlights the importance of sisterhood and friendship.

TV*: How does URAHARA steer clear of the “mean girls” trope?

AK: I think love is one of many, major themes individuals have in their lives. In URAHARA, creation is the main theme. It is a drama that tells how these girls are facing many questions and struggles, such as what the meaning, purpose, and goal of their creations are. In terms of facing and thinking about the most important thing, person or act for themselves, I believe that viewers who care about love in their relationships or those who are suffering with family issues, for example, can very much relate with the stories we tell in URAHARA.

TV: How do you feel URAHARA’s girls are different from the rest of the all-girl animes out there? In what ways are they approaching sisterhood differently?