is a Japanese magical girl/military manga series written by Makoto Fukami and illustrated by Seigo Tokiya. Naoya Tamura is the series' military advisor. It was serialized in Square Enix's seinen manga magazine Monthly Big Gangan from June 2015 to February 2021, with its chapters collected in fourteen tankōbon volumes. The series is published in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.
An anime television series adaptation by Liden Films aired from January to March 2019; the anime series is licensed in North America under Crunchyroll-Funimation partnership.
Plot
When a dangerous race of beasts known as the Disas attacked, spirits from another world formed an alliance with Earth and granted certain girls the power to become magical girls to fight against them. Three years after the war against the Disas, one of the magical girls, Asuka Otori, is trying to return to living a normal life. However, Disas Bears reappear from an unknown source, leading Asuka to come out of retirement and join a squadron of magical girls to fight this new threat.
Characters
Magical Five
Originally, a squadron of 11 magical girls which took part in the war with the Disas. The Legendary Five represents the survivors of that war. The squad's motto was: "Who laughs last, laughs best..."
The former leader of the magical girls who fought against the Disas three years ago. She tries to live a normal life to get over her trauma of the war, including her parents' death at the hands of the Disas, but is dragged back into the fray by the new threat. Her magical device is a karambit which can be extended to a sword that can cut through any magical defense at the cost of a lot of magic power.
Asuka's close friend who is attached to the General Research Division #2 as a Magical Warfare Research Officer. She is able to heal wounds and use a giant syringe to poison enemies. She holds a strong attachment to Asuka who saved her from severe bullying, to the point of unstable obsession, which she mostly keeps to herself while trying to win over Asuka in an acceptable way. She hates the team's moniker of "Magical Five" as it means the public fails to realize that the team was once much bigger and the "Magical Five" are only the survivors of the war. Despite her title as a "Medic," she is also an interrogation specialist well-versed in the practice of torture.
An American Sergeant Major with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), who works alongside military intelligence agents ISA Aaron and ISA Julia. She is so far the only magical girl who revealed her identity to the public. Her magical device is a derringer, which can turn into different guns. She is at odds with Tamara for being too serious, referring to her as "Rusky".
A Russian who specializes in wide-area suppression, she has a magical lighter that can turn into a flamethrower, thus her "Phoenix" moniker. She is at odds with Mia for being too laid back, calling her "Texas girl". She serves as a magical girl because of her sister, later revealed to be an illusion the Russian general staff at the Zavolzhsky weapons testing site use with a fantasy-granting device to brainwash Tamara with the intent to use her until she dies in battle.
China's Two Headed Dragon, a Chinese who fights using magical nunchaku and is currently keeping a low profile. She is now a freelance mercenary living in Thailand and has changed her appearance through plastic surgery. She is aware of the recent events and laments that she could not fight alongside her teammates, but has no intention of joining them.
A mouse-class fairy who works alongside Asuka and the other magical girls. Sacchuu can link senses with other magical girls and analyze enemies. His primary weapon is spiked brass knuckles but has also used a pistol and grenades.
Asuka's former commander and a Magical Girl from France. She was killed during the War with the Disas; passing on leadership to Asuka before succumbing to her injuries.
Babel Brigade
A mysterious organization and terrorist cell who have allied with the Disas against humanity. At least two are illegal magical girls in the organization.
A masked Magical Girl and the leader of the Babel Brigade terrorist cell. She is regularly called Queen by her subordinates. She has a resemblance to someone Asuka knows. It is later revealed that it was Francine, who had somehow survived. She is killed in a suicide attack by Mia Cyrus. /
