TSF Showcase 2025-02: Magical Trans

Because after 8 years, the English translation is finally done!

TSF Showcase 2025-02
Magical Trans [Majitora!] by Yutaka Kashii

In the pantheon of TSF manga series, Magical Trans is definitely one of the bigger ones. It’s a series that I saw regularly referenced or mentioned in the late 2010s, eventually growing so popular it even garnered its own Wikipedia page and Fandom-owned fan wiki. I would have tackled it sooner, but the series, which originally ran from December 2015 to January 2019, saw a lot of delays in its fan translation, with several chapters being several months apart. I mean, only two chapters were released in 2024. However, on January 29, 2025, the series was finally fully localized in English, making now an ideal time to do a little retrospective.

Magical Trans centers around Minami Maki, a high school boy who joins a magical girl club in hopes of gawking at some hot cosplay action. But after he joins the club, he realized that the club president is a deranged super genius who created an app that turns people into magical girls. This, naturally, also involves turning boys into girls. I have covered enough magical girl TSF comics across Natalie.TF to have a good idea where things would progress, but rather than feature monsters or world-ending threats, the series is firmly a slice of life affair. One that is far less focused around magical girl antics compared to Minami’s gender exploration as they switch between their male and female forms.

Now, longer slice of life is something that I am usually hesitant to tackle, as I am rarely certain of how much detail I should include when going through the story. Ideally, there will be some meaningful story arcs to base the analysis on, but Magical Trans is a bit trickier. It features a lot of standalone one-off type chapters, but pretty much all of them contain some sprinkle of character development or progression of some manner. So I’m going to make this another long one, and tackle pretty much every chapter.

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Pirikara Piriri Magikaru Kari~!!!

Things begin with protagonist Minami Maki and their childhood friend, Karin Saku, deciding to check out the Magical Girl Club at their school, run by Chiyoko Teruto. With Maki being a standard, sorta androgynous, looking teenage boy. Karin being a cute, childish, girl with twintails and car hairbands, not quite lead magical girl material in my mind, but pretty close. And Chiyoko being a tall beauty with long dark hair, more mature than her years, at least on the surface.

Chiyoko wastes no time before introducing her miracle transformation app to the two prospective club members, going from an ordinary high school girl to Foret Noire. A form with the same hairstyle and physique of her usual self, but with white hair and clad in an elegant purple and white battle dress. (Meaning it’s not noire, as noire means black.) But this transformation is more than just a cosmetic and matter change, as it also gives its targets the superhuman strength as a magical girl. …Just to clarify, Chiyoko did all of this by tapping a button on a smartphone app that she, a teenager developed.

Rather than recognize this as a billion dollar innovation that would destroy so many things throughout the world, Maki and Karin decide to let this madwoman install the app on their phones and transform themselves. With Karin becoming a cutesy cat-themed magical girl who really looks more like a middle schooler, maybe even elementary schooler, than a high schooler. Her magical girl name is also Saku-nyan in case the fact she’s cat-themed wasn’t obvious.

Meanwhile, Maki… looks like a remixed version of Sayaka from Madoka Magica with a few hints of Madoka’s magical girl outfit thrown in. With detached armless sleeves, a big red bow at the back of their head, a top that leaves their ample chest exposed, but not too much. It is an original design, but its inspirations are clear, especially after seeing that the author, Yutaka Kashii, did some Madoka fan art in the past.

Also, before getting too much further, I probably should highlight how I am referring to Minami Maki by their surname throughout this showcase. Their female alter ego does have their own name, Karii, derived from curry, but that’s awfully close to Karin. So, to minimize confusion, I’m just giving Maki the gender ambiguous surname treatment.

Maki’s reaction to this is expectedly animated, though they simmer down after being assured they can revert to their male form whenever they choose to. Making this a completely opt-in transformation that Maki has full control of and can use for their own purposes. The only restrictions being to keep this magical app on the down-low, and that Maki needs to say an embarrassing magical phrase to transform. Because it’s cute, and because Chiyoko thinks it will help Maki develop the heart of a girl. With these conditions before them, Maki and Karin enthusiastically join the Magical Girl Club, or MSB (Mahou Soujou Bu) and the first chapter comes to a close.

Upon returning home, Maki immediately begins playing around with his new turn-into-a-girl app, but their use of it is far more… reserved than many other works I’ve featured. Looking at themself in the mirror, making cute faces, using their new girl voice, seeing that they’re wearing panties with nothing underneath them. All before deciding to visit Karin to try on some clothes, as Maki really wants to “try giggling while wearing girly clothes with lots of frills.” (Just put a pin in that for now.)

The following dress-up scene is the first instance where we really get to gauge the type of person Maki is. They are oblivious to a lot of social cues, how other people perceive them, and tend to believe that if they’re having fun, everybody else should be having fun. The significance of being alone with Karin in her bedroom, stripping in front of her, or wearing her clothes is lost on Maki, who is just happy that they get to wear a dress and go spinny.

Unfortunately, these fun times come to an end when Karin’s mother comes in with snacks and drinks, leading Maki to transform. As their figure grows, they practically burst out of Karin’s dress, and the punchline is that Maki looks ridiculous in such ill-fitting clothes. Karin’s mother, graceful eyeless ara-ara type that she is, leaves the two to their devices, but Maki is left humiliated. …This warrants a brief tangent, as scenes like this, of male Maki in female clothing, do come up throughout the series.

Yeah, getting caught crossdressing is not a fun time…

Scenes like this can easily be read as being anti-crossdressing, or as presenting crossdressing as something laughable or perverted. However, I view these scenes as more of a vehicle to show Maki’s discomfort with failing to conform to the right gender at a given time. Maki, as we will see, is perfectly fine with being seen as female. In fact, they love it. Maki is also comfortable being seen as male, treating it as their default form for most purposes. And Maki is even comfortable being seen as a masculine woman as they use rougher or more male language in their female form.

However, when crossdressing in female clothing while in their male form, Maki perceives themself as a “pervert”. Not because of the crossdressing, but because they are doing a bad job of it. Because they are not passing, or looking as if they are trying to pass. Is that a good belief to uphold? Not really, but Maki is a teenager and this comic was written in 2016. The idea of trans people was known, but non-binary, agender, or more ambiguous expressions were less known.

Moving on, the big takeaway from this is that only the clothes Maki was wearing when transforming change with them. If they put new clothes on, they will remain static. If they transform back while naked, their discarded clothes will also transform back. No idea how that works, but you’re not supposed to think about stuff like that. Just enjoy the cuties!

The next two chapters are mostly semantics, rule explaining, and character building. Characters deciding their magical girl names. Explaining the superpowers they’ll only wind up using a few times throughout the series. And just palling around in the clubroom while expositing. All until Chiyoko offers to take Maki out shopping to “become aware that [they] are a woman.” Karin, as a childhood friend, cannot allow another girl get closer to her obvious crush, and the two promise to go shopping the next day. Which is always one of my favorite types of scenes in a TSF story like this, forcing characters to become fully aware of their proportions and physical form while in an overly gendered environment.

Typically, these scenes are laced with resistance or discomfort from the protagonist, willing to just get whatever or allowing them to be dressed like a doll. However, Maki is really into this idea. Looking over bras with fascination, happily getting measured, and sheepishly asking for help with their first bra. All before walking out in a spiffy pinafore and going to a cake place with Karin. It shows that Maki is positively eager to do girly things. It’s not that Maki always wanted to do things like this, but with the access now available to them, they are more than happy to engage with it, enjoying these new experiences to the fullest. Which… is an idea that probably warrants its own full tangent.

Part 2: Is Maki Trans?

Re-reading this comic, one of the most curious things about it is the way Maki views their gender identity and how they engage with it. Maki is not subjected to a curse or irreversible transformation. They have the ability to freely shift between their male and female form at their leisure and without any meaningful cost. There’s no fairy ka-girling them, no TS syndrome to worry about, they’re not trying to scrounge up enough money for Godlike Beauty DX they don’t transform an hour after rain, none of that guff. They don’t even need their friendly neighborhood Wotch to poof ’em into a girl. They are just a guy with an app that turns them into a girl. It’s simple, though the way that they choose to indulge with it makes their gender a bit harder to crack.

I have previously deemed characters as trans or cis throughout TSF showcases, but Maki is a bit tricky, as they are constantly turning themself into a girl and openly enjoying themselves. Hell, the next chapter, chapter 6, has Maki openly say that they like being a girl and don’t need a reason to transform. And later on, we learn that Maki prefers sleeping as a girl, meaning that they probably spend almost half of their day in their female form. They are happy to indulge in their access to this new power, happy to explore who they want to be, but they are not interested in staying this way.

The reasons why are not touched upon beyond obvious implications that being a girl 100% of the time would interfere with school and home life. Though, I would say that Maki appreciates having the ability to turn it off, to switch between these two personas and choose how they see themself and how others see them. Which is to say that I consider them a bigender, genderfluid, or whatever label you prefer. They are someone who likes being both a guy and a girl, and… that’s sick as hell!

While I enjoy a standard TSF story where the protagonist is stuck in a new form, there is also something empowering about a story where characters can feely choose their form at their own will. Where people are not burdened by the restrictions of a fixed body beholden to real-world biological limits and can choose to switch into another form for about as long as they choose.

It’s something that I particularly loved about the TF visual novel Mice Tea. A core element of Ranma ½ that makes it stand out next to most other mainstream TSF works, even to this day. And something that I have been trying to capture with my absurdly long TSF novel, Verde’s Doohickey 2.0. It’s by no means better or worse than a ‘fixed transformation’, but there’s definitely something freeing about seeing someone use TF to achieve a form of plurality that is not as possible in the real world.

…So, is Maki trans? I mean, if you view genderfluid or bigender people as transgender because they change their genders, then yeah. But they’re definitely not a binary transwoman or the like. …Even if their identity is a rather binary.

Part 3: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Girl

Chapter 6 marks the first time the MSB Club actually does something you’d expect of such a club and watch a magical girl anime at Chiyoko’s house. Which leads into a kind of grab bag of noteworthy scenes. Chiyoko and Maki are brought to tears by the beauty of a magical girl show called Pretty Sugar, fully converting Maki onto team magical girls. There are some very much unwanted panty shots from Chiyoko’s 11-year-old sister, because every artist needs to have at least one glaring fault, and too many choose this.

There’s a positively iconic panel where Maki claims to be a “men’s shoe fetishist.” Their magical girl group is completed with the introduction of Opon the fairy, a hand puppet mascot created by Chiyoko who she insists is a real. He is effectively a cat with hearts on his face and also an afro, because afros are cool. And there is a discussion where Chiyoko highlights how she is not really main character material, as she’s too mature. To which Karin suggests that she just age regress herself. This breaks Chiyoko’s brain, and she dismisses her club mates immediately before confiding in her puppet. Yeah, she’s definitely a mad scientist.

Chapter 7, meanwhile, is centered around Maki’s first bathing experience as a girl. It’s something I would have thought they would have tried day one, though Maki is a bit of a simpleton— airhead if you prefer— so they might have just ignored it. Typically, I would expect any TSF bathing scene to be sexual or perverted, with wet naked touching and the like, but Maki? You can say a lot about the guy-girl, but I can’t really call ’em a pervert.

Maki enjoys being a girl and can be giddy in their pursuit of certain things, but they seem to be largely uninterested in doing anything overtly sexual. No masturbation, no sex, and there is an almost childish innocence to how they appreciate a female body. Maki is definitely attracted to women, including themself when presenting as a woman, and they look at acts like public bathing as a fantasy. They enjoy the act of seeing a cute naked girl in the mirror, of being able to see their boobs float in the tub, and even how it feels to wash such longer hair. But they are not necessarily aroused while doing it.

Cuteness is prioritized over anything sexual, and this might actually explain why the series garnered such popularity. Because there is a significant subset who enjoy this cuter end of the TSF spectrum, seeing characters embrace their newfound femininity in a more girlish way. There are definitely more openly sexual moments in Magical Trans, but those tend to be the exceptions and cuteness is the rule.

Anyway, after taking a selfie in their bath towel, Maki’s mother starts calling for them. …Which is something else that I need to emphasize. Unlike nearly every other high schooler protagonist I’ve covered in TSF Showcase, Maki actually lives with their parents. Both a mother and a father, who are oblivious to what their child has been getting up to. I don’t know why, but so many manga/anime series seem resistant to the idea of having the protagonist’s parents be part of their lives. It’s one thing to have a characters’ parents be absent due to work— that is the case for a lot of Japanese teenagers— but most of the time, they may as well not exist. As such, there’s something refreshing about a modern work having the conviction to include them, even if it is only for a few chapters. …Oh, right the comic. Maki waits for his mother to leave, transforms back to normal, confronts their parents, and avoids telling them their secret.

Chapter 8 begins with Karin showing growing concerned over how much time Maki is spending as a girl, and this is a good time to touch on their relationship. Even at this point, it is plainly obvious that Karin has a crush on Maki and wants them to be her boyfriend. The way she focuses on him, insists that they walk home from school together, and how she joined the club alongside them. She has wanted Maki to confess to her for years, though Maki has not caught onto her signal. This was bad enough, but now Maki wants to spend all of their free time as a girl. Karin naturally wants Maki to be happy, yet worries that Maki will be so interested in being a girl, they won’t pursue a relationship with her, no matter how long she waits. Or as she puts it, “at this rate, he’ll… lose grasp on what gender he actually is.”

It’s a reaction that comes partially from a place of concern. Karin is seeing a close friend act differently after something new came into their life, and she worries they are becoming obsessed with it. However, she is also placing her wants over Maki’s, seeking out affirmation from Chiyoko and asking her to disable the app to prevent Maki from turning into a girl anymore. When Maki hears about this, they freak out, explaining that they started sleeping as a girl and that it helped them in multiple ways. Then, in the following few days, they suffer from girl time withdrawals, becoming a lifeless husk before the app is finally re-enabled. Then, with Maki restored to their chipper self, Karin realizes that she was freaking out over nothing. Because no matter if Maki is a boy or a girl, they’re still Maki. Lesson learned!

Chapters 9 and 10 make up a two-parter where Maki is given a female uniform from Chiyoko and makes their debut around the school. Mostly as a means for Maki to do things around the school while in their girl form and not arouse suspicions. A utilitarian choice for sure, but as Maki starts walking down the halls as Karii, they wind up bumping into a male friend of theirs, Naoya. This encounter is interesting, not only as a bit of dual identity balancing, but as Maki’s first time being seen as a woman by someone other than a store attendant. And Naoya is your typical teenage horndog who tries to hide it. He takes not too subtle glares at Maki’s breasts, views her as a girlfriend material after a brief conversation, and is easily persuaded just by getting to touch a bit of titty. And not, like with his hand. Just having it press against his body is enough to make him melt.

For Maki, it gives them firsthand experience of how regular guys treat girls they just met, and they are none too fond of it, exhausted by the prodding, the glances, and the feeling of being objectified. Not enough to spur any revelations within them— remember, they joined a club in order to see cosplayers— but enough for Maki to have a distinctly womanly experience.

This trend is continued in chapter 11, where Maki, Karin, and Chiyoko all go out to a karaoke place. Chiyoko gets to sing magical girl themes, Karin sings love songs, while Maki gets to practice singing with their new voice. A trope that I love to see, but only really works when the characters are voiced. It would have added so much to the scene where Maki plays their recorded male voice while singing in their female voice, doing a duet with themself. An idea that is so brilliant that I’m practically kicking myself for not stealing it! I mean, that just has to be the fantasy for some non-binary folks.

Following this display, we have the necessary public restroom scene, where female Maki does what conservatives want and walk into a male restroom. Only for a man to violently shout at them to leave, leading Karin to escort them to the woman’s room by Karin and give them a tutorial on how to pee like a girl. Taking off their panties, sitting down on the toilet, relaxing, and wiping, before walking away with a sobered look on their face. It’s a simple scene, but one that I always liked for how reserved and realistic it felt. And years later, even after getting bottom surgery, I still think it is. There is something bizarre, if not humbling, about going from shooting pee from a penis to letting it drizzle from a urethra right above the vagina.

Part 4: She’s A Maniacal Girl!

The next major development comes in chapter 12, when the MSB Club gets a visit from a new challenger, a rival, and a character so important I’d call them the secondary protagonist. They are Kaiserk the Maniacal Girl! Also known as Kaitani Zakurow. A twintailed blondie with a dark robe, hair tassels that bend to her will, and a pair of horns to compensate for her short stature. She also claims to be a demon lord, because I guess Maniacal Girl wasn’t a dope enough name, when it is. It is exceptionally dope! It’s a creation of the fan translation I’m reading, but it is such a great term for an evil magical girl. One who chooses to indulge in their own desires, their own thirst for power, not caring about others who they are supposed to defend or support.

Kaiserk makes her bold introduction to the group, appearing before the clubroom and declaring her to be their enemy… which is beneficial to both parties. Chiyoko wanted a villain to fight against since she made this technology, and now she had just that. Someone for her and her magical girls to combat, to prove the power of courage, love, and hope!

…Unfortunately, Magical Trans is not a real magical girl comic, as its fight scenes are so brief and devoid of spectacle that I would say it functionally has zero fight scenes. There’s only one time they even use their super moves to defeat an antagonist. There are just events that look like they could lead into fights, but that never comes. I know it’s because the creator does not want to, or is bad at, drawing fights. But I have seen creators who are not great artists, but they still tried to pull off fight scenes, and the comics are better for them. Something is better than nothing and a bad fight is better than no fight!

Instead, the closest thing to a fight in this encounter is when Maki slaps away one of Kaiserk’s tassel arms. In response, she huffs and leaves, explaining that she will return before showing off her own maniacal girl transformation app. Meaning that we have another teenager who created another app that allows them to gain magical powers? Like, what is powering these apps, girl? Do you have a direct connection to CERN and the LHC? Did they find an AWS server that runs on transdimensional nuclear reactors or something? Point is, Maki and Chiyoko are psyched to have a rival to fight against, and the audience is left to wonder who this new character’s secret identity is.

Now, Kaiserk’s identity is not revealed until chapter 17, so I should refrain from explaining who they are. …But when a writer who has not been given adequate room to plan wants to assign a secret identity to a character, they do so by introducing two characters at the same time. Which is exactly what happens here, as Kaiserk is introduced alongside Akira Asaba, a studious young man who does not want to make friends with his peers. A writer with time would use this as an opportunity to mess with the audience by going against their expectations, but Akira is just Kaiserk. It’s clear in the otherwise uneventful chapter 12 when Akira is introduced, and clear in chapter 14, where he is given room to flaunt their stick-in-the-mud personality around male and female Maki.

On that note, I’m just going to refer to Akira/Kaiserk based on the form they are in and use they/them pronouns regardless of their form. Because, as we’ll see, their gender identity has some depth to it.

We start to see some of this depth in chapter 15, where Kaiserk defeats Chiyoko and Karin in less than a minute and Maki runs to the rescue. Except Maki is already in his female form, wearing a female school uniform, and need to change into their magical girl outfit to do battle. So they change right in front of Kaiserk, and they just cannot handle this sight. Yes, despite having given themself a female body, Kaiserk is incredibly chaste when it comes to nudity or lewdness. It’s something that might strike some readers as confusing, or unnaturally prudish. …But I actually consider this to be incredibly appropriate for a story like this, and pretty relatable.

While I’m Hell-deep into perversion nowadays, back when I was 13 and still getting into the world of TSF, I was incredibly sheepish toward nudity and overly sexual imagery. I would explicitly avoid sites that showed nudity, block off naughty parts of the screen with my hands, enable mature content filters when possibly, and never delve into the realm of capital-P Pornography. So I can confidently say that if 15-year-old me had a smartphone app that turned me into a girl, I would be about as sheepish and unsettled about nudity or touch as Kaiserk here. Though, looking past myself, I think there is a significant portion of trans girls who would react similarly to Kaiserk. Particularly those who have a desire to be seen as female and a fear/disdain of being seen as perverted. This is not me saying that Kaiserk is trans— they’re probably bigender/genderfluid— I’m just saying that their reaction aligns with a very real type of trans person.

Anyway, the non-battle is resolved in a single blow as Kaiserk grabs Maki and drops them down after they start flashing their panty. They chide Maki for failing to offer a challenge, and ultimately depart, claiming they want a real fight more than anything else.

After chapter 16, which is just Maki ordering striped panties and a maid outfit in order to have a nice little photoshoot, Kaiserk returns to the club to show off a new tricks. One, they have the ability to change their clothes instantaneously which… again, another billion-dollar idea that should be patented ASAP. And two, the ability to conjure a magical minion to do their bidding, known as Sonnen. A dark creature born from hatred and resentment… who looks like an early RPG bat rabbit ball thing. A positively adorable marketable plush design who is unable to land a scratch on the MSB Club members, because they’re being cuddled too much. Kaiserk then retreats under the stairwell and reveals their true identity, transforming back into Akira.

Chapter 18 begins with a flashback of Akira developing their app, explaining how they always related more to a demon lord and want to become one in real life. Which is an… interesting perspective to have. In most games and manga and the like, a demon lord is just a generic big bad without much background or back story, who is always defeated in the end. So someone who relates to that must have complex feelings towards the broader world. They may be nihilistic and just want to break things in a blind rage, even if it destroys all life. Which… I get. But the more interesting angle to view this is with the demon lord as an embodiment of change. Something that fights against the status quo and supports an underclass who want to either destroy or change things. Meanwhile, the heroes are just people who try to stop change, preserve the status quo, and fulfill something foretold by dead people and silver-haired men.

Or to put this in more colorful terms, the demon lord is a queer and POC icon who believes in a new future and wants to try new stuff. They’ve seen the old ways of doing things, and it resulted in a lot of discrimination and oppression toward their kind, branding them as demons. While the archetypical Campbellian chosen hero is a damn neoliberal cop who thinks that society has peaked and must be defended, never improved, because human nature and all dat jazz.

Why does Akira resonate with this? Well, I don’t think it’s because they are queer, at least not directly. Akira is presented as a smart, studious kid who even in high school has seen the way the world works and is disenchanted with it. They want something new and different because of this, and think that if they disrupt things, if they were in charge, things would change for the better. Pretty standard teenage fantasy. So, why do they choose to become a cute demon lord? Well, because Akira realized the power of being pretty when they were smitten by seeing female Maki back in chapter 9. This lone glance convinces them that the best way to exploit the hearts of man is to become a demon lord magical girl. A maniacal girl.

…There are many problems with this plan, but the first is that Kaiserk is uncomfortable with their own body. They cannot stand to look at themself naked, let alone erotic pictures seen online, and until then, whatever plans they have are on hold. They try to summon Sonnen to keep them company and make the self-gawking act less awkward, only for the little demon ball to suckle their underage nipples. Which… What? No! Why? Why would you do that, Yutaka Kashii? Don’t make a mascot character sexually assault children!

Part 5: Stuck As A Cute Gal All Summer~!

Chapters 19 and 20 are both minor slice of life diversions. The former being a study date chapter where Kain tries nudging Maki toward confessing, but they’re too much of an airhead to realize Karin is into them. While the latter is a chapter where the gang goes out to bowling. Why bowling? Why not bowling! Bowling with friends is fun, if embarrassing. However, after returning home from bowling, Maki realizes that their app is no longer transforming them back to being a guy, meaning that they are stuck as a woman.

A stuck arc/episode/chapter is a staple for long-running TF works in general, especially when dealing with a character who can flip-flop between sexes, though this one is not really suspenseful. Maki is forced to run away from their own home, grabbing what they can before their mom comes back. However, this is Chiyoko’s app, and she’s willing to pull an all-nighter on tech support for her friend. This leaves Maki to rely on Karin for a place to stay tonight, turning this into the girls slumber party arc/episode/chapter.

Unfortunately, not much really happens beyond some light progression with Maki and Karin’s relationship as Karin tries to accommodate Maki. Along with the reveal that while Maki wants to turn back to normal, they would be content with living as a girl, and that Karin would fully support them if they were stuck like this. This could be read as some threshold for the characters, or that Maki is accepting their female form as their primary one… but I view this more as two teenagers thinking over hypotheticals as they get ready for bed.

Following some morning antics, Maki’s transformation is undone while they are changing, leading into another ‘perverted bad crossdressing scene’ to celebrate the return of male Maki. At school, Chiyoko explains this was due to a timer function being enabled by accident, and the cast… goes on with their lives again. It’s not a bad arc, though there definitely is more that could have been done with this concept. It’s a stuck chapter that lasts for, what, 16 hours? The solution is always known. And there really isn’t much new that Maki experiences. They’ve already been to Karin’s room as a girl, already slept as a girl, and already interacted with Karin’s mother as a girl. It would be more interesting to have this last for a longer stretch of time. If we saw fem-Maki interact with their parents, posing as their own girlfriend, or the presence of a nebulous something to increase the stakes.

As this four chapter arc ends, chapter 25 has another run-in with Kaiserk, who wants the trio of magical girls to demonstrate their abilities for once, as they’ve gotten dogged on since chapter 13. Chiyoko takes this opportunity for the three to combine their powers of courage, love, and hope to create… a living rendition of their mascot character, Opon, the afro kitty. …You got that right! Kaiserk turned hatred into a living entity, but Chiyoko figured out how to forget life through the power of dreams! Opon’s presence stuns Kaiserk, who summons Sommen again to fight this novelty cat critter… and the two fleshy plushies just wind up playing together. With that new avenue proven to be a stalemate, Kaiserk then does what they do and grabs Chiyoko with their tassel arms, emerging victorious yet again. Because it’s a gag at this point.

Chapter 26 is just an excuse to get Maki in a sailor fuku and Karin in a maid outfit. Chapter 27 sees Akira realize that magical girls get naked when they transform, deeming such a thing immodest. (Even though the light obscures their nipples and slit.) While chapter 28 kicks off the summer arc, as the gang decide that they should get new swimsuits so they can hit the beach in style. Because that’s a slice of life manga staple. …And just an anime/manga staple too.

Maki and Karin go shopping for swimsuits together, where Maki fails to read Karin’s signals that she wants complements and to be more than friends, the airhead. Maki makes a fool of themself at the beach, because they don’t know how to swim, but don’t want to learn, as girls who can’t swim are “actually pretty moe.” Kaiserk shows up partway through, trying to hone their confidence and comfort with their female body, only to immediately get roped into joining Maki ‘n’ friends. There’s an obligatory sunscreen scene where Kaiserk needs to rub their hands across Maki’s bare back that ends in a tit slip and a bloody nose. And, of course, an obligatory watermelon bashing scene.

Strangely enough, this summer arc is mostly centered on Kaiserk and their relationship to the magical girls. It’s the first time Kaiserk runs into Karin and Chiyoko when they’re in their standard forms and the first time they are presenting to the main cast as a regular girl, rather than the maniacal girl, using the alias Kaitani Zakurow. Admittedly, Kaiserk should be able to determine that Karin and Chiyoko are Saku-nyan and Foret Noire, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that arc gives the four main characters an excuse to all hang out together, without even the veneer of animosity, just being a bunch of gal pals at the beach. …At least until Kaiserk realizes they need to go to the restroom, and Chiyoko escorts them there. With no way to run or refuse, Kaiserk does the deed, and is left mortified, unable to sleep the following night. But I’m really not sure how, unless they really are so prudish that they cannot bear to listen to the sound of urine drizzling out of a vagina.

In Kaiserk’s defense, I would probably be mortified if I had to use one of those traditional Japanese toilets, just in general.

Chapter 32 is just Maki screwing around with their hairstyle, trying to wrap it into a ponytail, before walking around the school and running into Naoya again. He is still a horndog who thinks that a girl being friendly to him means she’s really into him. When, really, Maki just came to him in order to get a complement regarding their new ponytail.

Chapters 33 to 35 kick off what I call a misunderstanding arc, something that I really have no patience for when they appear in… anything, really. It is a very real and common conflict that people encounter constantly due to social stigmas, preconceptions, and an incomplete distribution of information. However, it is also an annoying conflict that stems from people being gullible, jumping to conclusions, and not asking questions. The answer to this conflict is to be direct with others and ask questions, but that is rarely what characters do, because then there would not be a story. …Which I believe is a good thing, as miscommunications like this are often not stories as much as they are roadblocks that get in the way of stories.

As for the arc itself, let me try to break it down real quick. It’s summer break, Maki wants to do something with their friends, except everybody is busy except for Chiyoko, so the two of them head out to a café doing a promotion for a magical girl series. It, like so many other scenes in this series, is a cute little exchange between the two. Chiyoko gets to be creepy nerdy as she begs Maki for his promotional coaster. Maki gets to weigh the freedom and easy of being a guy versus the cuteness of doing things as a girl as the weather gets too hot for a ‘”stuffy bra.” And the two head out afterwards to enjoy this carefree summer day.

However, as they are enjoying themselves, Karin happens to see them in the café window and starts extrapolating this to mean that the two must be on a date of some sort. Especially after Chiyoko falls into Maki’s arms. Rather than assuming that Chiyoko just tripped— she did— Karin spends the next day depressed, gets a pep talk from her mother, and then spends a whole chapter confronting Maki about this. Maki’s way of explaining their side of these events is cute, and this further illustrates Karin’s romantic interest in Maki, but the journey to this conclusion is more frustrating than fun.

Part 6: Magic Powers, New Faces, and Maid Mayhem!

After getting routinely trounced by Kaiserk, chapter 36 sees the three magical girls finally embark on their first ever training session. …Over halfway through the series. Again, this is why I don’t consider Magical Trans to be a real magical girl manga. Because it takes so long before the characters even get access to their powers. Or special skills as Chiyoko describes them, and they… run the gamut.

Chiyoko gave Karin the ability to summon ethereal kitty paws used to smack baddies or protect her allies. Because, again, she is the cat-themed one. Maki gets… fireballs, just like Natsuru from Kämpfer, and they use them even less than Natsuru does. Why fireballs? Because Maki’s name, Karii Maki, is a curry pun, and they are shooting out spicy curry. Very clever. While Chiyoko has the power of… choco yarn, because she is Chi-yoko. Choco-yoko? Yeah, this one is a bit of a stretch. She fires a collection chocolate rope strands that wrap the target into a cocoon where the overwhelming scent of chocolate purifies their body of evil. …Why do I get the feeling that the author originally wanted this power to be more bondage themed, but the editor told them no?

The three test out their skills in a magically shielded room, using Opon as a training dummy, who is able to shake off every attack like it’s nothing. Because it turns out Opon is stronger than the three of them combined. This is meant to be a joke, but I think might make these three, categorically, among the worst magical girls. They don’t fight evil. They don’t know how to use their powers. And their goofy animal mascot sidekick is far stronger than them. Hell, the three cannot even land a single hit on Opon after an hour of training. Well, until Chiyoko sneakily grabs his leg, allowing the three of them to hit him all at once. Thus sealing him in a floating mass of fire, cat energy, and chocolate before emerging from it as… a little girl?

Yeah! They hit their mascot character with so much magical energy that they turn him into a little girl. One with the poofiest ponytail mankind has ever achieved, a heart-shaped tail, and nothing covering them other than a collar or chocolate. …Okay, maybe the editors weren’t looking over what Yutaka Kashii was doing, because this comic is just shoving 10-year-old girl butt into my face here.

I don’t care if it’s permissable, Imma censor this child-ass!

The three club mates quickly determine that Opon’s transformation was caused by an influx of magical girl energy, but he should go back to normal when that energy is expired. To which I have to ask the writer… why? Why not just keep them this way and expand the roster, rather than sending Opon back into a toybox to be summoned when he’s needed in 25 chapters? Turning Opon into a human would be a great way to expand the size of the team that feels natural. Sure, they would now have to explain Opon’s existence, get him fed, clothed, and educated to the ways of humans. But I view that as a medium for more silly antics and room for the characters to grow as they gain a pseudo-sibling to look over. Maki and Karin could be Opon’s mommies! Instead, the magical girls just try fighting the power out of Opon, and swiftly get wiped by him.

If I seem particularly miffed about this creative choice, it’s because the very next chapter, chapter 38, serves as the introduction of a new main character, Yui Furumi. A blonde rich girl with a kind heart who adores magical girls and is stunned to see that Chiyoko managed to make magical girls real! She promptly joins the club a few pages after seeing this, but claims she does not want to be a magical girl. Instead, she just wants to be the club’s manager. A move that… I just don’t like on any level.

First off, Yui just discovered that this crazy lady made real life magical girls. I understand someone admiring magical girls but not wanting to be one, but if the power is just a button press away, the only reason not to try it out is fear or stupidity. Secondly, manage what? The MSB Club does not need a manager. This isn’t like a sports team where people and equipment need to be transported for days-long events and someone needs to order food after a big game. They just hang around, run into Kaiserk from time to time, and occasionally meet outside of school. Yui just wants to feel important by assigning her a role like this and being in proximity to people with great skills. …Huh. I guess she really is a rich girl.

While the gang is still giving Yui the rundown on their little operation, Kaiserk shows up again to test their muster by attacking Yui. Only for Maki to protect her and explains he is not a magical girl. Which flusters Kaiserk and causes them to flee once more. They don’t tell even tell Kaiserk about their special skills, but they do tell her about their new Twitter handle, where they are posing ‘cosplay photos.’

…And this is the point in the series where I really feel the need to question the direction of Magical Trans.

In reading a lot of manga over the years, I have noticed a pattern in longer running series where the creators lose sight of where the story should go and how it should develop. Rather than progress things, introduce change to the status quo, they simply add more characters, more sources of comedy, intrigue, or tension, while de-emphasizing the plot. This most commonly affects slice of life works, because the plot is so minimal and episodic, and Magical Trans is no exception. While much of the remainder of the series is a good, fun time, there’s also a palpable feeling that there is no plan, no end goal. To illustrate my point, let me power through the next few chapters.

Chapter 41 is dedicated to the introduction of Yui’s bodyguard, personal assistant, stalker of friends, and most importantly, maid, Ren Shutou. She’s honor bound to Yui, if not obsessive, and often has a creepy, slightly unnerving air to her that has prevented Yui from amassing friends in the past. She’s a fine enough character, but her primary contribution is adding more maids to this comic.

Chapter 42 is just an excuse to get fem-Maki and Kaiserk in sports bloomers.

Chapter 43 introduces Sakura Asaba, Akira’s older sister who occasionally pops up in Akira’s house throughout the rest of the comic, and she immediately learns of her brother’s alternate identity when walking in on them. I know I just said that late character introductions are a problem with this broader genre, but Sakura is a genuinely great addition. She is a lot more impulsive and playful than her more methodical brother— an office lady who likes to down a couple cans of beer after work. She serves as another character for Akira to confide in and interact with as Kaiserk. And after getting briefed on the story up until now, Sakura starts treating Kaiserk as the little sister she never had.

It’s all really hecking cute. It further de-powers and humiliates Kaiserk, as demon lord or not, Sakura is still their big sister and they must respect her. Sakura is a marvelous teaser who knows just how to push her experimental brother’s buttons by highlighting how adorable they are. And while there is some tension and animosity between the two, Sakura ultimately tries to help Kaiserk buy their first bra and a few new outfits. It’s in line with the central theme and ethos of the story, directly builds upon an established character, and is just a fun TSF escapade.

Chapter 45 focuses on Chiyoko’s little sister struggling to study for a math test. Chiyoko ultimately helps them study, but also prepares an impossibly terribly dubious meal for breakfast. All we learn about Chiyoko is that she cares for her sister and is a bad cook, and her being a bad cook is a tired trope that just does not make sense. Anybody can make a basic meal. Nobody has the power to turn fried eggs into a meal so bad that it triggers an injection of adrenaline in someone’s brain.

Chapter 46 is the school maid café chapter. Going in, I would expect it to just be a chapter where fem-Maki, Karin, and Chiyoko all galivant around in maid outfits, but that’s actually being reserved for later. Instead, Maki is prohibited from transforming and needs to crossdress as a maid. At first, they put little effort in it, but as they see Akira walk around, with a wig and makeup— applied by Sakura of course— Maki starts getting jealous. If the name of the game is being cute, they want to be as cute as possible, boy mode or girl mode! So they ask Karin to apply some makeup and a wig onto them, and they do their best to be the best maid they can be.

It’s only a 14 page chapter, gets a bit bogged down in dual identity antics with Akira and Ren being the de facto best maid, but it is a noteworthy chapter. Because this is the one time when crossdressing is presented as something not icky or perverted, but something fun and recreational, something that male-bodied characters can do and succeed in by putting in the needed effort. It’s like the author looked at how crossdressing was presented in prior chapters, recognized how negative it was, and wanted to put a more positive spin on it. Which I appreciate. Growth is cool!

Part 7: What’s My Age Again? Who Am I? Why Am I A Girl?

Do you remember how, way back in chapter 6, Karin suggested that Chiyoko use her magic TF app to make herself younger so she is a more typical magical girl protagonist? Welp, she did it. The madwoman released a patch for her app that added an age slider, allowing the MSB Club to shift their ages up or down by ten years. And… I have such mixed feelings about its inclusion.

The reasons I like it are simple. One, it’s adorable. The characters, just in their regular forms, are pretty already a bunch of high-class cuties, but the cuteness factor is shot way up when characters turn themselves into little mischievous 5-year-old munchkins. Two, this is a new type of transformation in what is largely a transformation story. They can indulge in the joy of small innocent children that people usually treat with a light hand, allowing them to use this lenience to their own benefit as they engage in pleasure without shame or restraint. Or they could become twenty-something adults with the freedom to do anything, go anywhere, without raising any concern.

As for why I don’t like this, the reasons are a bit more nuanced. One, this is losing the plot. This is a story about two guys who becomes (magical) girls and two girls who become magical girls. They are also teenagers, dealing with teenager issues and teenager lives, most of which involve hanging out at a high school. Where in that equation does age regression come into play? What is the point of this other than to have a bunch of cute girls running around, because little girls are cute? Two, the author of this work is a bit too comfortable drawing underaged characters in suggestive situations for me to think they should have this power. Now, they fortunately don’t abuse it. There is nothing sexual in these chapters. Though, that did not make me any less anxious while reading it.

Three, age progression/regression, on its own, is far from the most interesting TF around. Assuming people live a full life, they get to experience what it is like to be a toddler and what it is like to be a geriatric. The only fantastical element of it is that you can go backwards or you can accelerate it by a factor of millions. I love age change as part of a more extensive transformation, like turning into a different older/younger person, but on its own? Meh. It’s in the same tier as vanilla weight gain and muscle growth in my book. Good components, but on their own, they aren’t fully capturing the fantasy element that I consider intrinsic to something being TF. (I still think that TF should stand for Transformation Fantasy, fight me in the comments if you disagree!)

Anyway, chapter 47 actually begins with Chiyoko demonstrating her new age regression mode by cosplaying as her favorite magical girl, Pretty Sugar, nailing the look perfectly. She introduces this new feature to Maki and Karin, where Maki immediately uses the app to turn into a little girl, complete with a smaller outfit and everything. With childish youth restored, Maki then proceeds to run around the school without a care in the world, marveling about how big and cool everything is. Meanwhile, Karin experiments with the other end of the setting, seeing what her adult self will look like… and gets upset about her cup size. Yep! That’s always a hallmark sign that a manga is being written by a man…

They goof around with the settings some more, Karin fantasizes about having children with Maki, and then Yui and Kaiserk show up as they wanton do. Yui, like usual, is just kinda there, while Kaiserk decides to age regress themself to be on even footing… before losing their composure and running with their twintails between their legs. It’s all endearingly silly and funny, but at this point, you’ve probably noticed how formulaic these Kaiserk clubroom scenes tend to be. The series figured out something that worked and was funny, and while it plays with different justifications or rationales, the end result is the same. Kaiser walks in, makes a big to do about testing the magical girls, and then runs away after getting embarrassed. This is far less repetitive when the location changes, even if the mechanics largely remain the same.

An example of this can be seen in chapter 50, where five main characters attend a festival with a cosplay event run by Yui’s family. Kaiserk was dragged along, does not want to be here, yet after a pretty girl like Yui begs them to cooperate, they comply, but have difficulties being in a women’s changing room. The sights of women in their underwear, the attention from Yui, the fear of being caught, it leads Kaiserk to shut their eyes, grab the first cosplay they find, and walk out dressed in what is basically a battle bikini.

Their embarrassment is plain just looking on their face, and they are just thrown into despair when Sakura, drunk on festival beer, starts doting over them. Simple, effective, funny, every other character gets to don a basic cosplay for good measure, and it really feels like they are all becoming one big friend group, rather than any sort of ‘rivals.’

Chapter 51 is the second date chapter in the series, this one attempting to build upon a romance between male Maki and Yui. It’s cute, seeing Maki take this sheltered rich girl on an ordinary date to get McMoe’s, play a crane game, catch a movie, and walk the streets. But aside from a brief run-in with Akira, it really feels like any other slice of life date chapter with a common protagonist and a rich girl. We don’t really get to know much about Yui, as everything there is to know about her is written on the tin. Due to when she was introduced and the role she plays, she simply lacks the development of Chiyoko or Karin, let alone Maki or Kaiserk. Yet, for whatever reason, the series keeps trying to make her out to be a bigger character, even with only 14 chapters left.

On that note, chapter 52 and 53 are the amnesia chapters, where Kaiserk finds themself wandering around the school with no memory of who they are or where they live. All they know is that they recognize the MSB Club sign and felt like they should be there. The gang tells them everything, trying to help jog their memory, yet Kaiserk does not remember anything. This is when Yui uses her rich girl powers to offer Kaiserk a place to stay for the night, her extravagant western-style mansion. An obscenely lavish locale complete with a troupe of maids, mandatory dresses for dinner, and high-class meals prepared by a dedicated chef.

During all of this, Kaiserk is still frazzled and surprised, though they are far more accepting of things being thrown their way. They wear a fancy dress with no objection, have no gripes being seen as a lady by observant caretakers, but they lose their cool when it is time for the communal bathing. Kaiserk feels embarrassed, but with no memory of ever being a guy, they cannot parse why. However, Yui treat them with nothing but kindness, washing their hair and back while talking about how she wants the two to be friends. Despite their dark appearance, Yui thinks that Kaiserk has a good and honest side to them, and she wants to see that side. She wants to help them however she can.

It’s a level of openness and kindness that strikes Kaiserk at the core of their being, and they reciprocates it. They accept each other’s offer for friendship, bathe together, agree to sleep in the same bed, and everything seems like they’re going to be best of friends going forward. …At least until Kaiserk remembers they have a phone, opens up their transformation app, and turns off the “Shame Erasure” mode. This causes them to recall everything. Particularly how they were trying to suppress the embarrassment they constantly ran into and become someone more confident, hoping they could transform their mind.

In practice though, they suppressed all their memories, giving themself amnesia. And now that their memories are restored, they must reconcile with everything they did this past night. The kindness Yui showed them, the way they acted around her, and… the bath that they shared. Kaiserk tries to flee, but they cannot just deny Yui the same kindness she showed them, so, with butterflies fluttering up a storm in their tummy, they try to sleep in the same bed as Yui.

Normally, I am not a fan of amnesia chapters like this, but this one? This one really does add a lot to Kaiserk’s character, and feel like a major turning point with them. They have a unique experience, they resonate with it, they learn, and they grow in the end. Whatever animosity that they felt toward the MSB Club is truly just performative after this.

That being said, I do take umbrage with the fact that the character on the other end of this experience is Yui, as I still think that Yui does not add enough to the story to warrant her inclusion. Most roles she plays could be fulfilled by the other three members of MSB, and I think that giving them her roles would only make for a tighter and more fulfilling cast of characters. Which is important, as there are only so many chapters and only so many storylines to work with.

On that note, chapter 54 is the second and last implementation of age manipulation in the series, where Maki goes to a child play place as a 20-something woman while Karin is regressed down to a 5-year-old. And I just love this. Maki is so into the idea of playing the role of a mom and treating their best friend like their daughter. They make sure to have some mom talk with a real mother, hold up Karin to give her a hug, and even take her out to a family restaurant to eat a kid’s meal. It’s exactly the type of light, fun antics that I want to see from a story like this with an age changing app!

Part 8: Prelude to Finale

It’s the final volume, time for the story to start wrapping up, and the way that Magical Trans concludes is… uneven, let’s say. There’s a clear effort to try to address what loose ends remain and bring characters to a satisfying conclusion, but it does not nail the landing in spaces where it really needed to. Fortunately, the first chapter, chapter 55, is not one of these.

Yui is celebrating holding a 16th birthday party and she invited all her friends. Karin, Chiyoko, fem-Maki… and also Kaiserk. Which is a problem. You see, Kaiserk still does not know Karin and Chiyoko’s identities, as aside from the one beach chapter, they only ever saw them in their magical girl forms. Meaning that Yui, the manager of the Magical Girl Club, accidentally revealed their secret identities. Oops.

However, Kaiserk is a bit past caring about that at this point, and instead tries to enjoy this party for what it is, giving Yui a present. …At least until Maki mocks them for being such a nice demon lord. Peeved and surprisingly willing to crash their friend’s party, Kaiserk then switches to their maniacal girl clothing, the rest of the MSB gang transforms, and the sight of such a lewd scene gives Kaiserk heartburn. …Yes, really. Kaiserk has been honing their tolerance for lewdness for 40 damn chapters, yet they still cannot take a suggestive magical girl transformation sequence. It leaves them so embarrassed that they call forth Sonnen again. Except Sonnen is a bit different this time.

He went from an early game RPG mob to a mid-game one, with jagged teeth, clawed hands, and eyes of a predator. All because Ren, Yui’s maid, is full of hatred over someone who ate her pudding cup. Which, one, should not matter. The Furumi family should provide its maids with as much pudding as they desire. Two, sounds like something straight outta a Neptunia game. And three, makes Ren look like a psycho. It’s just an 120 yen pudding cup, girl! Maids are not supposed to be this vengeful over something so trite! You have people to poison, girl.

Fortunately for the MBS girls, they are able to swiftly dispatch this demon ball. Smacking him with giant ethereal cat paws before finishing him off with a chocolate cocoon of purity. It takes place over a whopping two pages, and is the closest thing to a fight scene in the series. …No, I’m not exaggerating.

When faced with this minor roadblock, Kaiserk gives up, letting MSB walk away as the victors today, and the gang eats birthday cake. Fully and finally marking the end of their supposed rivalry as, at this point, they are just friends. No matter what Kaiserk says.

Chapter 56 sees Akira, inspired by the reveal that Saku-nyan is Karin and Foret Noire is Chiyoko, search for Karii Maki’s alternate identity. A fair enough idea… that almost immediately gets sidetracked when Ren catches them spying on the clubroom and prevents them from snooping. There is enough zaniness to keep the chapter funny, but the more I think about it, the weirder this whole concept is. Like… how is Akira not able to ask a teacher to check a club’s records and figure out which student is in what club? It’s not personal information, especially when sports clubs are so well known as schools, and wouldn’t that help advertise clubs in a way? Actually, why is now the first time Akira staking out the room? Why not just monitor who goes into it? Wait, no, does Akira have any plan on what to do with this information?

Anyway, chapter 57 is where the final arc gets started as the MSB Club is contacted by a club from a neighboring school. The Magical Girl Enjoyer Club. Yui, as club manager, offers to meet with a representative from this club in a park, while Maki waits on the sidelines for… no clearly stated reason, other than observe the meeting from the sidelines. Akira joins them in this impromptu stalking session, and the two listen in as a hooded girl named Koko shows Yui her magical girl staff. A ‘prop’ that causes both Yui and Ren to fall unconscious.

Koko then grabs Yui’s unconscious body and starts hoofing it, running through the park and down the streets with a 40 kilogram cutie in tow while Maki and Akira give chase. They try their best, but neither do much cardio and are left with little choice but to transform… while running right next to each other. I just love this scene. They realize each other’s alternate identity at the same moment. They pause for a second, shocked that they could possibly be a magical girl, their minds swirling as past events are recontextualized. But a second later, they remember their mission and continue on. The revelation has an impact on the two of them, but neither dwell on it, seek to blame the other, because at this moment, secrets don’t matter. They’ve got a friend to save, damn it!

Their chase takes them to the roof of the neighboring school, where Koko takes off her hoodie to reveal herself as a magical girl named… Shiny Coco. She explains that she, much like Chiyoko and Akira, created her own magical girl TF app and wanted to be the world’s first real life magical girl, but then she saw that others did the same. That there was another club’s worth of magical girls, already established, with powers they shared across social media. Koko simply cannot allow someone else in this world to bear the title of magical girl, and she kidnapped Yui as a way to lure them into her territory, so she can crush them. So she can destroy their spirits and force them to surrender the mantle of magical girl. Thus making her the only magical girl, the best magical girl, and she who humanity must depend on for justice!

…Except it turns out that Yui isn’t a magical girl, Kaiserk is not a magical girl, but a maniacal girl, and Maki is just one member of the MSB Club. So Koko discards her plans and instead turns this into a declaration of war. She then leaps off the roof of the high school, which I thought was something you weren’t supposed to show in modern manga, but… guess I was wrong! With this threat known, Maki, Kaiserk, and Yui all discuss this new enemy of theirs, planning on establishing a truce to defeat her, but Kaiserk is still in their anti-hero arc, so they leap off the roof too. Thus leading Maki to believe there is no way off of this roof without leaping down, with Yui in tow.

Now that the two central protagonists have shared their secrets, chapter 59 sees the two of them finally hang out for some quality girl time. Something that has been teased since the first chapter was the idea of Maki going to the female baths, but the series has never shown them pursue this desire. This is not because Maki had a change of heart, but because they feel they cannot facilitate their ideal über moe bathing experience. Karin won’t go with them and they won’t be able to get cozy with strangers. I would say that something is better than nothing and Maki should just go for it, but with the reveal that Kaiserk and Akira are the same person, Maki asks them to share a bath. Akira would refuse, but Maki knows their secret, and Akira would die of embarrassment if Yui knew they are ‘really a boy’.

The bath scene is, as expected, adorable. Maki is carefree and eager to make the most of this new experience. Kaiserk desperately tries to maintain their composure as they see Maki flaunt their girly bits all around. And as Maki tries to make their fantasy into reality, Kaiserk gets a big wet face full of boobs, knocking them out. When they come to, they’re in Maki’s bed to getting fanned, wearing Maki’s oversized clothes, including their striped panties. It’s great, I love it, but this chapter touches upon a problem that has been building up as I analyze this comic. A lot of the time, the chapters are just too darn short, with chapters regularly running for only about 15 pages. A figure that involves the full color chapter cover along with a page with a single panel that caps off most chapter.

When reading the chapter back-to-back, this makes for an experience fast-paced and frantic enough to keep the reader engaged. But stopping and analyzing the series, I have been digging for additional things to highlight. A short length is not a bad thing in a comic, and I have covered plenty that have made exceptional use of their length without feeling lacking. However, Magical Trans does not quite hit the mark. It lacks the same frantic energy and focus of something like… Osananajimi wa Onnanoko ni Naare. It has a bit too much going on, too much that needs to be broken down and explained, and that hampers the series’ ability to function as more of a madcap comedy. Conversely, the talking and hanging around of the characters gives the series a more easygoing tone, but that’s something that requires more downtime than what the series has to offer.

Now, this nebulous balance is really hard to gauge, maintain, and produce, especially on a regular schedule with recurring deadlines. I am not saying that Magical Trans is bad for not achieving this ideal. I’m just saying it’s neither here nor there per my purview. It does a lot of things I love, delivers buckets on by having not one but two bigender/genderfluid TSF protagonists. Both of whom stand as unique examples among the 100-ish other works I have showcased over the past two years. It has a creativity and vision that I find to be damn inspiring, but the execution? It’s not always there, mate.

And with that bit of foreshadowing, let’s delve into the ending of Magical Trans.

Part 9: Coco and the Anti-Climax

Chapter 60 is where the scenario around the finale is established, with the reappearance of Shiny Coco, or rather her human form, Regular Koko. As she introduces her usual self to all the members, she realizes that Chiyoko used to be her childhood friend. One whom she bonded with through their mutual love of magical girls. However, like so many Japanese kids in manga/anime, the two grew distant as they went to different schools. Chiyoko is happy to meet this old friend, hoping to settle this with words, but Koko enters psycho-mode as she declares her vengeance!

Koko refuses to explain what for, but she proceeds to make the next few days of Chiyoko’s life a bullying hell. Getting her school shoes wet, writing nasty things in her notebook, delivering pizzas she needs to pay for— just like InSonicNia! For these transgressions, Chiyoko schedules a battle between the MSB Club and Koko to occur in five days.

…Meaning that chapter 61 is not the final battle, but rather a second Maki and Kaiserk team-up episode where they head to Akira’s house, meet up with Sakura, hang out, and get shoved into maid outfits, because maids are cute ‘n’ cool! It’s as precious as it sounds, and really demonstrates how Maki manages their dual identities. If they are a girl, they are more than happy to do anything girl related, and think that Kaiserk should too. After all, not many ‘guys’ get this kind of opportunity, and being cute, being silly, and posing for photos is just fun. And while Kaiserk does not quite go as far as Maki, they do go along with it, accepting that, at least for the moment, they are a pretty girl.

Then we get to chapter 62 and 63, the two-part finale, and structurally, it gets a lot right. The heroes approach Koko and she rushes at them, enraged at how Chiyoko cannot remember her past sins. They clash and, through the power of friendship, the MSB gang triumph. Koko is brought to her knees, Chiyoko declares her and her allies the victor, but Koko is a tried and true magical girl who awakens an ascended form, becoming Glittery Angel Coco and she uses her power to wipe the floor with her opponents. She flaunts over them, eager to dispose of their club and powers, only for Kaiserk to show up. For Kaiserk is the only one who can defeat the MSB Club, and all who stand in their way are their enemy. The club has never actually defeated Kaiserk before, so their true powers are unknown, and with some serious stakes on the line, who knows what they are capable of.

Alas, Kaiserk’s efforts prove too little. Their clawed tassels are frayed, and they are too wounded to stand. Koko laughs, stating that justice has triumphed here today, and the club mates is too weakened to try fighting her in this state. It seems like they have truly and fully lost… until Maki remembers their secret weapon. With their powers combined, they manifest Opon into being once more, birthing him anew from a chocolate cocoon. They don the robes of Kaiserk, merging their powers together, and with this boosted strength, they defeat Koko with a triumphant bonk.

…And if that sounds dope, sick, fly, crunk, ill, or otherwise kewl, then you’ve been DOOPED! Because what I coyly omitted in that summary is that there are no fight scenes in this final battle. I warned you in advance, but this battle is basically everything but the fights. When fighting begins, things cut to the aftermath, and this cycle continues four times in two chapters. I am not willing to say that ‘it’s okay, as this series is not trying to be a battle manga.’ That’s a load of poopy and poppycock! I covered several series that are not action series, yet manage to have some good-ass action thrown in them, because it makes the story better. When you cut out dramatic, tense, visually dynamic scenes from a series, you make it worse. And the way this is written, scenes were just cut.

No, I did not cut any panels or pages.

As a writer, you are NOT supposed to skim over the cool part. As an artist, it is your job to show the coolest part. And Yutaka Kashii just did not do his job here. The chapter is fundamentally incomplete without these fight scenes.

Anyway, in the aftermath of the battle, Coco breaks down in tears, acknowledging that she is the villain after all before explaining her backstory. She always used to play magical girls with Chiyoko, but Chiyoko was a crummy child who never let Koko play the hero. It’s something that Chiyoko just did not remember because she was probably, like, 5-years-old. When faced with this past transgression, Chiyoko apologizes to Koko for her past behavior, offering her a hand in kindness and to become part of their Magical Girl Club. Koko, like any true lover of the genre, accepts this kindness, and apologizes for this sorted affair. …Before getting into a fight with Chiyoko over who gets to be the leader. How predictable.

Chapter 64 is a particularly frustrating chapter for a few reasons. It is the first vanilla Maki and Karin chapter in quite some time, and is meant to be the end of their character arc, seeing the two go out to a theme park together. With Maki making sure to attend as their default male self. A form he only assumes for maybe a third of the series. However, the relationship between Karin and Maki has been largely de-emphasized since Yui made her appearance, taking up valuable space, and the only big Maki and Karin scenes/chapters involved them playing with the age adjustment setting. Seriously, just looking at how rarely I mentioned Karin in the past few sections really paints a less than favorable picture.

This is already not a great spot for the best friend character to be in, but I think that a good date chapter could have made up for this. Unfortunately, this one manages to really strike a chord with me by encapsulating tropes I have precious little tolerance for.

Karin specifically requests to go to a theme park with Maki, nobody else,. When they arrive, Karin is ecstatic, and pulls Maki in every direction. They ride the rides, including the most romantic Ferris wheel, and are left sitting side by side at a bench. Maki reflects on the day, happy to spend time with Karin like this, and she has the perfect opportunity to finally confess her obvious love of them. Her mind falters, she stumbles over her words, but she manages to eke out a difficult to translate line that changes meaning depending on context. To her, it is a confession of love. To Maki, it is her saying she really wants a churro. And this… this just sucks.

Generally speaking, I have no patience for this kind of romance, where a character struggles to voice their affection and find love, needing to wait for the right moment. The right context. A time where it would be romantic. Where the confession becomes cinematic. In stories, this just elongates the period of unrequited love, the yearning, rather than indulging in the main part of romance, the act of being in mutual love.

I can understand being timid or having trepidations about speaking out and changing something about one’s life— I’m trans after all. However, that experience taught me of how important it is to be proactive with one’s life, be open about their desires. You cannot wait on the sidelines in for the right moment. Yes, there are bad times to bring something up, but perfect times are just a narrative contrivance that does not exist in reality. Be bold about what you want, and make your desires clear. Especially when around somebody as oblivious as Maki.

Actually, in case I was being too subtle, let me just go out and say this.

YOU! The person reading this! What is there in your life that you want to do but haven’t done yet? You want to confess to someone? Start that big project you’ve been thinking of for three years? Deal with that identity kerfuffle you have been musing over since you were 12? Visit someplace? Get started on that new hobby? Well, procrastinating isn’t gonna get you anywhere. Get off your ass, close this tab— because I’m basically done— and just DO IT! You only have one life, and anybody worth listening to will tell you it’s better to do something and screw up than to regret not doing something.

DON’T BE LIKE KARIN!!!

Back to the manga, chapter 65 is largely just a final look at the characters and a wrap up, set a few months after the last chapter. Karin never managed to confess to Maki. Naoya is still around and being a horndog obsessed with Karii Maki. The MSB Club gets together for a special meal party hosted by Yui and Ren to celebrate the end of the school year, along with honorary club member Kaiserk. Koko comes in to join the festivities, where she’s still as argumentative as ever. And when all is aid and done, when one school year is ending and the other begins two new prospective club members come through the doors. A cute girl and a spiky haired guy who wants to gawk at some cosplay.

With a knowing nod, the gang welcomes these two to the Magical Girl Club, and the series comes to an end. Not with a definitive conclusion, but an assurance that the fun times keep on rolling. …Which I guess is good enough for an ending.

While there are good moments and events that feel warranted or deserved for the series’ conclusion, other plot beats leave much to be desired. It’s far from a confusing mess, but also far from feeling like the author fully knew what they were going for, or simply lacked the time, passion, or creativity needed to wrap everything up with a nice little bow. It both feels like ideas were running thin to fill in the last few chapters, and that there was not enough time to really dig into things. Things could have been better, and after waiting so many years for the English translation to be published, it’s disappointing. But I will give it this. It’s an ending.

Part 10: The Straight Dope

So, is Magical Trans good? I’m going to say yes. I have many criticisms and grievances with how the story progressed and balanced itself. How repetitive certain chapters are. How it balanced new characters introductions in the latter half. Even the order certain chapters were arranged in terms of a long-term story. And lots more. However, when it gets something right, it is good, if not excellent.

I know I kept calling the comic cute and adorable throughout this showcase, but that’s because it… is. While the artwork is not that remarkable, it is expressive, vibrant, and has something cute to look at on almost every page. The minor conflicts and silly scenarios the characters get into are simple, but are approached with enough playfulness to keep them engaging. There’s little plot, little tension, and that means much of the story just watching the Magical Girl Club hang out and be friends together, and while that sounds boring, it has a certain personality, a vibe, that I find to be deeply endearing. And despite getting distracted at points, the series remembers the importance of gender play. Of letting its protagonists make the most of their abilities and let them broaden who they want to be.

On that note, I think that Maki and Kaiserk are some truly excellent TSF protagonists. They are eager and happy to transform into girls, often just doing it to make things a touch more fun, but have such different ways of viewing their transformation. Maki is enthralled by this new facet of themself, eager to dive head first into the girl world before them. Whether it be donning dresses, hitting up female-coded spaces, or just hanging around with their gal pals as a gal. While Kaiserk is reluctant, but in a very sheepish sexually reserved way. Not strictly afraid of the female form, but their male upbringing has left them overly chaste when it comes to female body. They try to grow, to combat the embarrassment they feel, and as they spend time in this new form, express themself in more animated ways, they grow into a more well-rounded person.

Maki and Kaiser are opposite ends of a spectrum, but both stances are understandable and… I just adore the dynamic they have. Both as an avid fan of TSF and the ways character react to a fantastical gender transformation. And as somebody whose gender identity mutated throughout their life. It’s two people discovering who they are and who they can be through playing with magical powers, and rather than decide on being one static thing, they choose to be two.

Still, that’s it though, right? Yutaka Kashii made this comic and went on to do whatever? Well… no! Yutaka Kashii is actually an avid creator of TSF comics, and while Magical Trans is his biggest, he has produced several others.

The first of which was actually Mahou Shoujo Bu e Youkoso!, a prototype of sorts for Magical Trans, and one that is currently being translated. Based on the first three chapters though, it really is just a prototype. Certain scenes are just less pointed versions of ones seen in Magical Trans, and while some characterizations differ, it is mostly interesting as an artifact of the creative process. Also, the new two characters in chapter 65 are actually the prototype versions of Maki and Karin from this manga. Which is absolutely something I would pull.

There is also Otoko Tomodachi Girl, or Bro Girl, a 16 chapter comic about a boy who attends a clinical trial and turns into a girl for a year. A far more focused and romance centered story that lacks the same genderfluidity as Kashii’s prior work, but is still a fun time. The same may be true for works like Don’t Think That I’ll Be Cute Forever!, an iseaki TSF story. Or the ongoing Simply One Hell of a Fiancée, the obligatory femme-presenting male succubus TSF story, but without the icky sex. However, neither are fully translated, so I’ll pass on them for now.

I really need to give Yutaka Kashii props for continuing with this genre like this, as it’s rare for a non-erotic comic artist to make this genre their specialty. I’d love to give more of their works a showcase, when they are done and translated, but for now, I’m just glad to finally see how Magical Trans ends.

…And I am sorry that these things keep being so long. I try to be punctual, but if I am going to talk about something like this. I’d rather say everything I have to say than leave something by the wayside.

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