Gushing Over Magical Girls Manga Review

In a world full of magical girls, there is always bound to be some jealousy, whether it be from wannabe hopefuls or mouth-breathing panty sniffers that just want a simple touch of their purity. That said, what if when given such power you found out your tastes were not admiration but rather an overwhelming desire to embarrass the magical girls? Gushing over Magical Girls from Akihiro Onanoka answers just that, as a young Hiiragi Utena is granted the ability to transform, only to learn that she was chosen to represent evil and that her admiration for magical girls is actually grounded in a perverse desire to humiliate them. Even worse, the more she gives into the desires the more her powers grow and the closer she gets to the prophecy of wiping out all magical girls. What’s a girl to do, when all they want to do is tease and humiliate the figures she once idolized?

*This Review Covers Volume 1

No reader is going to wander into Gushing Over Magical Girls without a rough idea of what to expect. For many, this will be an easy grab for content to add to the library of lewd-related titles on concept alone, yet those wondering whether the book has any depth beyond eroticism will be pleased to know that the series offers more than sexual escapism and fantasy. At the same time, the story is as silly and juvenile as can be expected, it just has some perks that give it added appeal.

Notably, the book excels in character design when it comes to action sequences. The magical girls and their opposing forces have distinct styles and ways of battling resulting in a visually engaging series. In fact, the action and character design trumps the pornographic elements of the story. This makes the book feel more like a competent release in the ‘magical girls genre’, complimented by the odd deviation into adult humor. Depending on what you expect from a title like Gushing Over Magical Girls, this may prove to be a negative, but it does ultimately make for a more cohesive and rewarding read than just repetitiously setting up excuses for shots of fan service.

The first volume teases at some more dark undertones to be expanded upon in future volumes, as Hiiragi’s power grows the more she gives in to temptations of her desire to humiliate, tickle, and mock her enemies. There is also a chance she may be the hero in all this? This is barely hinted at, yet the implication in the first volume at least shows that Akihiro Onanoka is likely to build the story instead of just endlessly coming up with scenarios in which Hiiragi gets the chance to sexually humiliate her foes (though it does seem this will be a constant theme through the work).

Gushing Over Magical Girls is, admittedly, a really silly title that is best suited as a light read for some quick entertainment. However, one thing that does come across in the book is the skill of Akihiro Onanoka as a visual artist and his willingness to put more into the series than is required- to a degree titles like these can get by on name and premise alone. If you are on the path where you are excited by the premise of a title like Gushing Over Magical Girls, you are going to read Gushing Over Magical Girls, yet, it is great to see such an absurd premise treated like a love letter to the genre.

Gushing Over Magical Girls is part of the J-Novel Club, and is currently on the ninth volume. The digital release version is of high quality and the visuals really pop. You can check out a preview for yourself over at the site.