The last night of Claire Ryland’s old life in the closet was pretty normal, aside from the alley fight with interdimensional monsters. Fortunately, the drummer of her favorite local band transformed into a magical girl and saved her.
Then Claire became a magical girl as well. Things got a little complicated after that.
Now Claire is juggling two new living as a girl and as a member of Portland’s super-secret supernatural defense squad, the hard-rocking magical girls known as … Magica Riot!
The story of a young transgender woman who’s discovering herself at the same time she’s learning how to be a magical girl, Magica Riot is an action-filled musical adventure inspired by classic magical girl anime, tokusatsu shows, and the vibe of the American Pacific Northwest. Featuring a cast of LGBTQ+ magical girls, mysterious monsters, and villains that are more than they appear to be, Magica Riot shows that finding your true self is the first step toward saving the world.
The debut work in the Maidensong Magica universe of magical girl stories!
As a response to the absolute horrors of the past few years, we’ve seen a rise in cozy fantasy and other cozy-adjacent subgenres. While some people find comfort in cozy, others find comfort in noblebright fantasy and hopepunk. I’m not sure if Magica Riot by Kara Buchanan fits hopepunk, but I can say that it’s fun, bright, colourful, and girly; the perfect balm to reality. It’s also unapologetically queer and trans.
Magica Riot is the story of Claire. When watching her favourite rock band one night, she’s accidentally caught up in a scuffle and discovers that Magica Riot are actually a group of magical girls who use the power of their musical instruments to fight bad guys. What’s more, Claire discovers that she’s ALSO a magical girl, and this leads to her not only joining the band as a new member, but also discovering something else true about herself–she’s also a trans woman.
Now, I’m actually tearing up as I write that line, because this story is a powerful tale of identity. She doesn’t begin the story aware of her transness. Her awakening at the beginning sets her off on a journey as a new member of the band and as a trans woman. She has a lot she needs to learn about herself, music, and fighting bad guys! Anyone would be under a lot of pressure and stress dealing with that. But as she’s finding her place in this new world, the band also have problems of their own, including a threat to the city after one of their old band mates was killed.
The story is set in contemporary Portland, Oregon, featuring landmarks that my British arse isn’t familiar with, but the city vibe is captured perfectly. The band members are a cool queer and trans-friendly group of women that work together by disguising their monster-fighting missions with their performances. They each wear colour-coded outfits that capture the essence of magical girl anime and Saturday morning cartoons. They remind me of Sailor Moon, The Powerpuff Girls, and also KPop Demon Hunters. To me, KPop Demon Hunters feels more relevant due to the musical performances masking their real identity of monster-slaying, and also what I loved most about KPop Demon Hunters – and what I love here – is that both are also unapologetically feminine, and the world absolutely needs more of that!
My favourite character, however, is the non-binary Hikari, who is a SEGA Dreamcast fan, and therefore gets me.
While this story does touch on serious themes like self-discovery, identity, and loss, it’s also full of queer and trans joy, of embracing change and forging new relationships. It’s also damn fun, with musical battles and adventure. In a time where trans folk need all the support we can get, books like Magica Riot remind us of the love and happiness of being who we are. That it’s not all doom and gloom. Maybe Magica Riot fits hopepunk after all, because there is nothing more punk than being trans.
Naturally, I would recommend this book to those who need some trans joy right now, and who also love magical girls and need a story about girls kicking ass. But also, I’d recommend it to those readers who want a little happiness in their lives, who are looking for a read that’s different and joyous. Maybe it’ll awaken something in you. Maybe it won’t. But you’ll have a fun time.
Final Words
Magica Riot is a fun contemporary fantasy about about a magical girl band that’s packed with action and trans joy.
