Why read Magical Boy, Volume 1?

Book cover of Magical Boy, Volume 1

Book description

A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring
Max - a trans high school student who has to save the world
as a Magical Girl ... as a boy!
Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average
trans man trying to get through high school as himself. But on…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Magical Boy, Volume 1 as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

SJ Sindu

Author

I’ve loved the magical girl genre for a long time, ever since I first watched Sailor Moon when I was eight years old. This great duology for teens flips the genre on its head with a trans boy as its protagonist and wonderfully explores the nuances of what it means to be a hero. And it’s quite funny, too.

From SJ's list on The most diverse graphic novels with magic for teens and tweens.

Emmarie Bee

Author

I thought that this book was such a fun way to turn the “magical girl” trope on its head by taking a trans boy, Max, and having him discover he’s the descendant of a long line of magical girls. You can’t set up that premise and not expect some shenanigans.

I’ve always loved the “magical girl” genre, and it all felt very “Sailor Moon” to me. I felt a lot for Max, considering my own personal issues with trying to get my family to understand my gender. It’s a complicated thing, and adding magical girl powers into the mix? I’ll…

From Emmarie's list on The best LGBTQ+ manga/graphic novels for teens.