Magical Girl Site

Magical Girl Site
Front cover of volume 1 featuring Aya Asagiri as a "magical girl"
魔法少女サイト (Mahō Shōjo Saito)
Genre	Magical girl, horror
Manga
Written by	Kentarō Satō
Published by	Akita Shoten
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	Champion Tap! (2013–2017) Weekly Shōnen Champion (2017–)
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	July 4, 2013 – present
Volumes	8
Anime television series
Directed by	Tadahito Matsubayashi
Written by	Takayo Ikami
Music by	Keiji Inai
Studio	production doA
Original network	MBS, TBS, BS-TBS, SBS, ATV, AT-X
Original run	April 6, 2018 – present
Episodes	12

Magical Girl Site (魔法少女サイト, Mahō Shōjo Saito) is a Japanese magical girl horror shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Kentarō Satō. The series is about a tormented withdrawn middle school student named Aya, who gains the ability to become a magical girl through a mysterious website. She soon finds friends that provide her strength in other magical girls like herself, who also got their abilities through other mysterious websites. Aya eventually learns of a dark secret in store for all of humanity that is being planned by the website managers. She makes friends and enemies along the way all while fighting to keep herself, and her friends alive.

The series is a spinoff of Magical Girl Apocalypse, and has been published in Champion Tap! since July 2013. It is also licensed by Seven Seas. An anime television series adaptation by production doA premiered on April 6, 2018.

Plot

Aya Asagiri is a middle school girl who has problems both at school with bullying, and at home from physical abuse by her brother. While browsing online, a website pops up on her computer featuring a creepy-looking person. This person appears to take pity on her, and announces that she has granted Asagiri magical powers. Later at school, she is cornered by bullies, and with nothing to lose fires a gun that had mysteriously appeared in her locker earlier that day at them. The shot causes the bullies to disappear, but to her horror she finds out that they somehow had been hit by a train nearby. Asagiri feels as though she had killed them somehow, and is confused to find herself with longer red hair with eyes that flow with blood. She later finds that she is not alone, when a classmate reveals that she is also a magical girl. Asagiri learns about magical girls, and the power she has acquired, from her new friend who has offered to help her. The two girls, though, can't explain why there is something that looks like a countdown clock on the website, and fear it might be something bad.

Characters

Aya Asagiri (朝霧 彩, Asagiri Aya)

Voiced by: Yuko Ōno

Aya is the main heroine of the story, she is a fourteen year old middle school girl with long black hair. She has had a hard life being bullied at school, and abused at home by her brother wishing multiple times that she were better off dead. Under her skin though she has a gentle kind personality which is shown when she takes care of an abandoned cat that later dies. After she gets her wand (in the shape of a gun), she is reluctant to use it as she doesn't want to kill people anymore. When her own life is in danger though, she finds that she has no choice in order to stay alive. Her wand is a pistol that shoots heart-shaped smoke and teleports the target to the location she had been before. Aya's hair grows longer and turns from black to red when she uses her weapon, and causes blood to flow from her eyes. The emblem on her weapon, and in her eyes when she uses it is a heart. Her special skill is reading, and her advantage is her warm personality. Aya's favorite things include fruit, chocolate, stuffed toys, and meaty foods.

Tsuyuno Yatsumura (奴村 露乃, Yatsumura Tsuyuno)

Voiced by: Himika Akaneya

Tsuyuno is Aya's classmate, and reveals herself to be another magical girl when she saves her from another bully attack. Tsuyuno has also had a traumatic life having had her parents killed in a home invasion when she was a small child. The killer spared her life saying that he would be back for her when she got older. She lived in fear until the same website that later appears for Aya pops up granting her magical powers. She later is able to track her parent's killer down, and take her revenge. After meeting Aya, she offers to help her out comforting her when she gets scared which in turn forms a strong friendship between the two. She tells Aya though that each time they use their magical wands their lifespans are shortened. Tsuyuno can control time with her weapon that looks like a smartphone. The emblem on her weapon, and in her eyes when she uses it is a crescent moon. Her favorite things are vegetables, mobile games, honey, yogurt, cute things and mascot characters.

Rina Shioi (潮井 梨ナ, Shioi Rina)

Voiced by: Aina Suzuki

Rina is a thirteen year old girl who is currently taking on the appearance of Sarina's older sister due to a magical wand in the form a camera. Tsuyuno met Rina online while trying to figure out what the countdown clock on the website meant. Rina was initially collecting information about other magical girls when she disappeared at the same time a magical girl killing spree started. It is later revealed that she is in fact the killer, and has been killing fellow magical girls in order to obtain their wands to stay alive. She informs Tsuyuno, and Aya that she had discovered that the countdown clock is ticking down to the end of humanity. The two are able to subdue Rina, but before she is able to tell her source she lapses into a coma. The doctors who later examine her are perplexed as while she looks youthful, her organs operate at those of a 70 year old. She recovers from her coma thanks to Kosame, and later becomes an ally. Rina's favorite things include pancakes, computers, and avocados Her wand is a hammer. Her emblem is a diamond.

Nijimi Anazawa (穴沢 虹海, Anazawa Nijimi)

Voiced by: Yū Serizawa

Nicknamed Nijimin, she is the most popular idol of the idol group 'Puppy Play'. Aya and Tsuyuno try to meet her based on a Slaughter Note of wands Rina was carrying. Though her normal demeanor is very perky and friendly, when shown a picture of Rina she becomes very upset and homicidal. She wants revenge for her friend Mikado (also a magical girl) who had been murdered by Rina in order to steal her mechanical pencil wand. She later feels betrayed when she learns that Aya and Tsuyuno had been keeping Rina's location a secret from her as she doesn't know that they need Rina's help. Nijimin also falls in love with Aya's brother, though is unaware that he abuses Aya until he steals her wand and uses it to ambush the others though she was able to mortally wound him at the cost of her life. Nijimin can make anyone, including magical girls and site managers, do what she says with her wand, a pair of panties. The emblem on them, and in her eyes when she uses it, is a spade.

Kosame Amagai (雨谷 小雨, Amagai Kosame)

Voiced by: Yumi Hara

Kosame first appears at the end of volume 3 when she heals Rina, reviving her from her coma. She wears an eyepatch over her left eye. Her wand is a snap cutter that gives healing properties, which is used to cut along the inside of her left wrist and the blood slid of the cuts able to heal her comrades. She suffers from a chronic disease and used to practice self-harming. Her emblem is the letter Q on her neck, and received her wand from a different Magical Girl Site, the being on the first page having a female Noh mask type face and wearing a kimono named Hachi.

Sarina Shizukume (雫芽 さりな, Shizukume Sarina)

Voiced by: Haruka Yamazaki

Sarina is the leader of a trio of bullies who have mercilessly tormented Aya since she transferred to their school as she sees her as a weak person. When one of her friends in the trio, Erika dies due to Aya's wand, she is immediately suspicious of her which leads to a threatening confrontation with a box cutter in the girls bathroom at school. Aya is saved by Tsuyuno who uses Sarina's cutter to slit her own throat while time is frozen. Sarina survives the wound and winds up at the same hospital that Rina was taken to. She soon learns that Aya and Tsuyuno were responsible for her injury, and overhears them talking about the existence of magical girls. Sarina later receives a wand from Nana (a magical girl website manager) in the form of a yo-yo with the emblem of a phi (Φ) that has the ability to slice objects in half. She is then sent to complete Rina's mission of collecting wands. Sarina is allegedly killed by Nana in the third manga volume when she asks if being the sole survivor is worth it once the tempest is done. At the end of the fifth manga volume though, it is hinted that she may have survived.

Kaname Asagiri (朝霧 要, Asagiri Kaname)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto

Aya's older brother that abuses her every chance he gets when he's alone, usually by tying her up and punching her until she vomits. It is revealed that he abuses Aya as a stress outlet to deal with their father's high expectations of his son's academic performance, hitting him when he doesn't get perfect marks on tests and other assignments. He later becomes involved with magical girls when he discovers the Magical Girl Site on Aya's browser history and starts working together with Nana. After stealing Nijimi's wand he attacks the rest of the girls while they were on a beach vacation, forcing Asahi to mortally wound Kiyoharu and making Nijimi his servant before killing her.

Nana (漆, Nana, lit. "Seven")

Voiced by: Ryusei Nakao

Nana is a website manager for one of the Magical Girl Sites. She wears a Catholic school jumper with a short sleeved collared shirt underneath, and has pigtails. Her face appears unnatural, and she speaks primarily in riddled rhymes. While she gives out magical wands to new magical girls, she later explains to Rina (later Sarina) that she must now collect all of the magical wands so that the tempest can begin. She sets Rina (later Sarina) off on a quest to collect all of the wands for her saying that there can only be one sole survivor. Both girls were tasked with collecting the wands and killing the other magical girls but both attempts end in failure. Undaunted, Nana later works with the other site managers to try and kill all of the magical girls as they have rebelled against them. Her ability is shooting projectiles from her fingers. She is later revealed to be the seventh of 18 site managers working to bring about a Tempest that will end humanity. The wands she provides have small angel-esque wings and her emblems vary from simple shapes to Greek letters.

Kiichirō Misumi (美炭 貴一郎, Misumi Kiichirō)

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Hachi (捌, Hachi, lit. "Eight")

Voiced by: Kizuna AI

Another site manager like Nana, her powers include illusions and a sword like Sayuki . The wands she provides have bat-like wings and her emblems are the Roman alphabet.

Kiyoharu Suirenji (水蓮寺 清春, Suirenji Kiyoharu)

Voiced by: Eriko Matsui

A crossdressing boy who is in the same group as Kosame. She was bullied at her school by the people who learned of her true gender. Her wand is a ring that is able to link directly with a target's sensory system. Her emblem is the letter S.

Asahi Takiguchi (滝口 あさひ, Takiguchi Asahi)

Voiced by: Lynn

A seemingly popular girl that goes to a different school than Kosame's group, but received her stick from the same site. Her wand is a necklace that enables super human speed. Her emblem is the letter H.

Mikari Izumigamine (泉ヶ峰 みかり, Izumigamine Mikari)

Voiced by: Kaede Hondo

An heiress from a seemingly rich family whose life before becoming a magical girl is unknown. She is somewhat haughty and frequently abuses her butler Yamai out of entertainment, usually with her wand, a broomstick that enables flight. Her emblem is the letter V.

Sayuki Ringa (燐賀紗雪, Ringa Sayuki)

Voiced by: M.A.O

Daughter of a yakuza, she possesses great sword fighting and martial arts skills. Her wand is a katana. It is later revealed that she was chosen as the magical girl while she was kidnapped and later murdered her kidnappers with the wand she received. Her emblem is the letter X.

Ni (弐, Ni, lit. "Two")

Voiced by: Aoi Yuuki

Another site manager that has a somewhat warped face with gauze wrapped under his chin. The wands he provides have small skeletal wings and his emblems are Roman numerals.

Alice Maginuma (禍沼 アリス, Maginuma Alice)

Alice is the ally of Sarina, saving her after she was shot by Nana. She is quite knowledgeable about the magical girls, quick in searching the information about the girls who are potentially to be chosen as magical girls. Her wand is a flip phone with the ability to reverse time. Her emblem is the Roman number IV.

Media

Manga

Nine volumes have been released as of March 2018.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 7, 2014	978-4-253-22401-7	February 21, 2017	978-1-626924-76-5
2	September 8, 2014	978-4-253-22402-4	May 2, 2017	978-1-626924-84-0
3	March 6, 2015	978-4-253-22403-1	August 1, 2017	978-1-626925-16-8
4	November 6, 2015	978-4-253-22404-8	November 7, 2017	978-1-626925-80-9
5	April 8, 2016	978-4-253-22405-5	February 13, 2018	978-1-626926-90-5
6	September 8, 2016	978-4-253-22406-2	May 15, 2018	978-1-626927-82-7
7	September 8, 2017	978-4-253-22407-9	September 25, 2018	978-1-626928-97-8
8	January 5, 2018	978-4-253-22408-6	—	—
9	March 8, 2018	978-4-253-22408-6	—	—

Anime

On September 8, 2017, an anime television adaptation was announced on the seventh volume of the manga. The series premiered on April 6, 2018 and is directed by Tadahito Matsubayashi at production doA, with Takayo Ikami writing the scripts. The twelve-episode series premiered on MBS, TBS and BS-TBS. The series will also stream on Amazon Prime Video inside and outside of Japan. Keiji Inai is composing the music. The idol unit i☆Ris performed the opening theme song, changing point, while Haruka Yamazaki performed the ending theme song.

Reception

The English language version of Mahō Shōjo Saito (Magical Girl Site) has received various reviews from critics. Brittany Vincent from Japanator compared the series to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, calling the former "much darker". Vincent said that Magical Girl Site takes away everything someone may find dark about Madoka, and slices it "wide open" with its dark plot.

External links

• Magical Girl Site at Champion Tap! Template:Ja icon
• Magical Girl Site - Anime adaptation Template:Ja icon
• Magical Girl Site (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia