Pixiegate Madoka – Michael Sean LeSueur

This is a brave novella, as brave as Japanese porn. Wait, let me explain that. Japanese porn doesn't deal in shame. It just doesn't exist. You have fantasies about tentacles – good for you, second shelf. You like cartoon characters – excellent, try the whole third floor. Foot fetish – no problem. Into facials – brilliant, but you'll have to be more specific we cater to a lot of different tastes here. Michael's Pixiegate Madoka is the bizarro equivalent. It's brave and uncompromising with no sense of shame or even a hint that you (the reader) won't be into the same things. Everyone's got a perversion – why be embarrassed?

The basic plot is a coming of age tale about Julian Argento. He's a nerdy, masturbating teen boy – interested in Jennifer Lawrence's boobs and getting his end away, in any way possible.

And so, we move onto a Japanese magic school where our hero is placed an a crack “kitchen appliances” squad. All the while, his psycho sister is plotting a evil scheme to kill Julian.

This is a fun and quick read. The action zips along at a fair lick, but I did find some of the Japanese slang a bit confusing. The character's are a bit light, but to be honest I was having so much fun with them that it hardly mattered.

When a new character is introduced Michael proceeds to marks their arrival like a video game – bold, CAPSLOCK, underscored and their signature move underneath! This is a great feature, and nearly always kept me giggling as I read along.

So if you like anime, manga, Japanese culture, video games, and, you know, just plain old cool stuff – check out Michael Sean LeSueur's Pixiegate Madoka! It's fast! It's colourful! And, it's perverted! What more can you ask for?

This was one of my favourite concepts from the 2015/2016 batch of New Bizarro Author Series books. I should have bought this book sooner. I read it in a day or two. And I should have done a damn review by now. So here it is. If a heartfelt anime-infused bizarro story about a gamergater who winds up at a school for magical girls doesn't sell you, this book probably isn't for you.

If the idea does grab you though, the narrative and the execution is done really well. I loved the themes and moral dilemmas present in the story, and how they seemed to occur naturally, rather than telling a story which is all about right and wrong and cramming it down your throat.

As a result of reading this book, I checked out the anime referenced in the title: Gen Urobochi's Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The genre isn't something I usually buy into when looking for anime, but I bought it wholeheartedly, and I'll be damned if it isn't incredible.

I'll also add that any book which can create the pace and imagery of anime series like Kill la Kill or Panty and Stocking while also empowering women and subverting stereotypes at the same time, that's some pretty awesome work right there.

LeSueur's efforts bringing anime aesthetics into bizarro fiction (which I think has a LOT of space left to explore) has inspired me to give a crack at the magical girl anime bizarro sub-sub-subgenre, and has got me excited for where their writing will progress from here.

Pixiegate Madoka – Michael Sean LeSueur

This is a brave novella, as brave as Japanese porn. Wait, let me explain that. Japanese porn doesn't deal in shame. It just doesn't exist. You have fantasies about tentacles – good for you, second shelf. You like cartoon characters – excellent, try the whole third floor. Foot fetish – no problem. Into facials – brilliant, but you'll have to be more specific we cater to a lot of different tastes here. Michael's Pixiegate Madoka is the bizarro equivalent. It's brave and uncompromising with no sense of shame or even a hint that you (the reader) won't be into the same things. Everyone's got a perversion – why be embarrassed?

The basic plot is a coming of age tale about Julian Argento. He's a nerdy, masturbating teen boy – interested in Jennifer Lawrence's boobs and getting his end away, in any way possible.

And so, we move onto a Japanese magic school where our hero is placed an a crack “kitchen appliances” squad. All the while, his psycho sister is plotting a evil scheme to kill Julian.

This is a fun and quick read. The action zips along at a fair lick, but I did find some of the Japanese slang a bit confusing. The character's are a bit light, but to be honest I was having so much fun with them that it hardly mattered.

When a new character is introduced Michael proceeds to marks their arrival like a video game – bold, CAPSLOCK, underscored and their signature move underneath! This is a great feature, and nearly always kept me giggling as I read along.

So if you like anime, manga, Japanese culture, video games, and, you know, just plain old cool stuff – check out Michael Sean LeSueur's Pixiegate Madoka! It's fast! It's colourful! And, it's perverted! What more can you ask for?