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"Magical Boy"
3 years ago
General
So, on a more positive matter, and in line with this being Pride Month, I would like to share something I found recently.
A few days ago, while shopping, I found a graphic novel called "Magical Boy: Vol. 1" by The Kao. Curious, I picked it up, and recently just finished it.
The premise: Max Owen is a trans male, who on his sixteenth birthday, tries to come out to his parents. That same day, he learns that his maternal line (every woman on his mother's side of the family), is descended from a goddess of Light who defeated an evil being long ago, and that said descendants are a long line of "Magical Girls" that fight monsters and try to keep the evil sealed away. It also turns out that the monsters have returned, and it is now Max's turn to fight them as a "Magical Girl," much to his annoyance and frustration as he just wants to be a normal boy.
Overall, I found the story to be entertaining. There's some comedy (such as making fun of magical girl trope), some drama (especially between Max, who wants to be accepted as he is and just be a boy, and his mother, who wants him to be a great hero magical girl, which requires embracing and embodying all things feminine), and some touching moments. While I don't think it's a "theme," there does tend to be a trend where people are happier if they are allowed to be themselves and accepted as they are rather than trying to be what is expected of them.
Being cis, I can't well say how it does with the LGBT representation. Even the author and artist points out that Max's experiences with coming out are not universal for all trans males. However, I do catch some of the issues that trans people may face, such as: dead naming; being mistaken for the wrong gender despite efforts to present otherwise; and some persecution due to religious beliefs.
My one complaint with the book is sometimes the panel layout can be confusing. There are a few places where image panels and speech bubbles make it hard to know what order things are being said.
Otherwise, it's pretty entertaining, and might be worth picking up.
I should warn anyone interested, however, that the first book ends on a cliffhanger, and the second is not out yet. In fact, it is not due to be released until September. So, while I will encourage people to pick it up and help express a public interest in LGBT+ works, I would also understand if people wanted to wait and hopefully read the entire thing beginning to end.
Which reminds me: the story itself is complete. The entire series is on Tapas Web Comics. The prologue and first few chapters are available to the public, but the rest is locked and looks to require an account and subscription to read. So, if you would rather do that instead, it's an option.
Regardless of which you decide to do, I think that it is at least worth looking into. Hopefully some of you out there will enjoy it.
A few days ago, while shopping, I found a graphic novel called "Magical Boy: Vol. 1" by The Kao. Curious, I picked it up, and recently just finished it.
The premise: Max Owen is a trans male, who on his sixteenth birthday, tries to come out to his parents. That same day, he learns that his maternal line (every woman on his mother's side of the family), is descended from a goddess of Light who defeated an evil being long ago, and that said descendants are a long line of "Magical Girls" that fight monsters and try to keep the evil sealed away. It also turns out that the monsters have returned, and it is now Max's turn to fight them as a "Magical Girl," much to his annoyance and frustration as he just wants to be a normal boy.
Overall, I found the story to be entertaining. There's some comedy (such as making fun of magical girl trope), some drama (especially between Max, who wants to be accepted as he is and just be a boy, and his mother, who wants him to be a great hero magical girl, which requires embracing and embodying all things feminine), and some touching moments. While I don't think it's a "theme," there does tend to be a trend where people are happier if they are allowed to be themselves and accepted as they are rather than trying to be what is expected of them.
Being cis, I can't well say how it does with the LGBT representation. Even the author and artist points out that Max's experiences with coming out are not universal for all trans males. However, I do catch some of the issues that trans people may face, such as: dead naming; being mistaken for the wrong gender despite efforts to present otherwise; and some persecution due to religious beliefs.
My one complaint with the book is sometimes the panel layout can be confusing. There are a few places where image panels and speech bubbles make it hard to know what order things are being said.
Otherwise, it's pretty entertaining, and might be worth picking up.
I should warn anyone interested, however, that the first book ends on a cliffhanger, and the second is not out yet. In fact, it is not due to be released until September. So, while I will encourage people to pick it up and help express a public interest in LGBT+ works, I would also understand if people wanted to wait and hopefully read the entire thing beginning to end.
Which reminds me: the story itself is complete. The entire series is on Tapas Web Comics. The prologue and first few chapters are available to the public, but the rest is locked and looks to require an account and subscription to read. So, if you would rather do that instead, it's an option.
Regardless of which you decide to do, I think that it is at least worth looking into. Hopefully some of you out there will enjoy it.
