The author and illustrator, Keito Gaku, is a trans man telling the story about a trans male high school boy named Ryo.

The manga is about Ryo creating a fashion brand with a boisterous cis guy Jun, who becomes a good friend & ally.

The manga has stunning artwork partly inspired by both graffiti and fashion, which are Ryo's passions.

The book has honest discussions and depictions of gender identity and the triumphs and struggles that come with expressing it. Although Ryo faces misgendering and transmisia due to not being out for half the series, he also gradually affirms himself through graffiti, fashion design, and people who becomes allies.

Through a gender queer character named Wing, the book also discusses how gender identity and sexual orientation can change over time and how that can clash with other people's view of you.

I related to this series as a non-binary femme who sometimes expresses their gender through clothing. There is one particular Boys Run The Riot t-shirt design from Vol. 4 that I would love to own.

Vanitas learns there is more to him than darkness by defecting from Xehanort and joining up with Sora, Riku, Kairi and the others

Young Xehanort and Replica Riku also defect and get into shenanigans with Sora and the gang

Kairi becomes an even more well written character by learning more her orientation (yay for asexuality rep) while being in a polyamorous relationship with both Riku and Sora. She also fights and does it well.

Sora's mental health journey continues and we see how his darkness impacts his magic and fighting abilities.

More world exploring shenanigans

The characters are:

Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Haruka Tenou from Sailor Moon

Haruhi Fujoka from Ouran High School Host Club

Cure Chocolat from Kira Kira Precure A La Mode

Anyway, Love Between Fairy & Devil is the most beautiful Chinese fantasy drama I've seen to date. The theme of love and how far would you go for a romantic partner, family member, friend, and mentor was so powerful.

Orchid & Dongfeng don't just fall for each other as a fairy & demon; they help each other be better people. It's not just them they help either; my favorite character was Jelli, who learned that there was more to life than money & treasures and that she deserved to be loved no matter what.

Besides the theme of love and the characters, the costumes, visuals, and music were fantastic. One of the most memorable scenes was definitely the cloud whale scene & I really like Dongfeng's Moon Tribe costumes most.

Finally, I really appreciated how they told such a satisfying story in less than 40 episodes. I've seen longer Chinese fantasy dramas either end in a cliffhanger to set up a new season or disappoint me at the end of 60 or so episodes.

The premise is creative: Juan's boyfriend Kikyou is a magical boy named Fragrant Rose. Juan is worried that Kikyou is taking on too much by himself, esp. since Kikyou has protected him since elementary school. Juan is unsure how to give back, but can he find the strength to do so anyway?

Juan and Kikyou are main characters worth rooting for because they love and care for each other very much. Also, Juan gets braver as the story progresses and Kikyou is brave when Juan can't be.

Both Juan and Kiyou are unabashedly magical girl genre fans, soft, and emotional when they need and want to be, even if other people make fun of them.

The artwork is vibrant and cute

I read the whole thing in two days & loved it. Here's why you should buy & read it:

* hero/villain sapphic romance going from enemies to lovers

*dark fairytale storyline with a happy ending

*strong magical girl anime influence, esp. Revolutionary Girl Utena

*great character designs with fantastic outfits

*energetic, beautiful art that coveys action and emotion