The Magical Boys are back! Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! LOVE!

[Almonds]

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! LOVE!​

So it seems the first season had been successful enough to make a second season No complaints here - I loved the previous season. The over-the-top silliness, the over-emphasis of magical girl anime cliches, and the not-so-subtle sarcasm was enough to make me a fan. And the main cast is consisted of pretty boys with feminine traits - what's not to love?

It's disappointing that Binan Koukou is still the only anime to feature magical boys (or if there's another anime with magical boys, please let me know) compared to the vast series of magical girls. The transformation scene in season one had been tagged mostly as shocking - while it has been more or less the norm for a girl to appear in nude during their transformation, a guy appearing with no clothes is still a rare sight on screen. Wearing frilly, colorful outfits and wielding heart-shaped magic sticks was also considered as a huge joke - but that's exactly what magical girls do as well. There's still a long way to go, but there had been subtle changes with how males are portrayed in anime during the past years, and it is certainly allowing more room for new ideas. Uta no Prince-sama had opened the genre for idol groups consisted of pretty boys, and it has since steadily spread its influence. Maybe the 'Magical Boy' genre can earn a place alongside the 'Magical Girl' genre.