I’ve never been into magical girls; it was always too sparkly, too shiny, too pretty, and too “girly” for me. But, if you replace “girly” with “awesome,” then Agents of the Realm is all that and more and it’s only just begun. It definitely helps that the main characters are college students. I’ve long since left university behind, but they are a heck of a lot easier to relate to than (pre-) teens. I just got current last night and I’m looking forward to the next update.So far, it’s a good story with a great in-plot mythology (very important for me). It has nicely developing characters, a great sense of everyday humor, and an art style that is refreshing, but also reminds me of the cartoons I watched when I was younger (early 80s, if you need a point of reference).
Then there’re the colors–perfect. I was never a fan of pink or purple. Way back when, walking down the “girl toys” aisle, you’d get bombarded with every shade and tint of those colors on the visible spectrum, and with the occasional splash of aqua blue, it was oppressive. Though I hear the array has broadened to include other colors, to this day, I can’t help but avoid that aisle. However, in my early 20s, I found a strange compromise that I fell in love with: fuchsia. And this is what agentsoftherealm is for me right now. I’m riding a violaceous mahou shoujo wave and oddly enough, I don’t see myself bailing any time soon.
I almost forgot to mention something very important! The cast is primarily, overwhelmingly non-Caucasian. And within that, there’s so much diversity in skin tone, body shape, facial features… it’s a feast for the eyes of representation. There are some other partially hidden gems in the story, but you really ought to find out for yourself.