[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_otasuke_miko_miko_chan.jpg]]

An amusing deconstruction of the MagicalGirl genre, ''Otasuke Miko Miko-chan'' (''Rescue Maiden Miko'') is a manga by Hiroiichi, which ran in ''[=WAaI=]!'' from 2011 to 2014. It follows the (mis)adventures of Ayumu Mikoshiba, as he helps (however unwillingly) revive his family's shrine by becoming the latest Miko-chan, fighting crime, advertising their business, and helping sell official Miko-chan merchandise.

No, you did not read that wrong: Ayumu is a '''he'''.

The series focuses mostly on Ayumu's gender-identity crisis, stuck between feeling confident and cute as a girl, and the fact that he is actually a cross-dressing guy.

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!! The series provides examples of:

* CutShort: Volume 2 ends with the cast planning on a summer trip and the romantic story about to get going, and the author even hints at a Volume 3 at the end, but sadly nothing has been released since then.
* DeconstructiveParody: The manga is very, very fond of playing with the conventions of the MagicalGirl genre. The most obvious ways are how Ayumu as Miko-chan is used primarily to sell merchandise and advertise the shrine, that his magical familiar is more of a manager than anything else, and that he is a reluctant cross-dresser.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: Ayumu's curse. Not that anyone besides him really minds, though. Later chapters give us [[spoiler:Rei]].
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Ayumu, of course. More so when he cross-dresses.
* {{Fanservice}}: Covers almost always feature Ayumu in an outfit he will (probably) never wear in the actual manga.
* FantasticComedy: While Fuu-chan and the transformation into Miko-chan is most definitely magical, Ayumu has no magical powers.
* FrenchMaidOutfit: One of the many get-ups Ayumu is forced into.
* GenderBlenderName: The WholesomeCrossdresser is appropriately named Ayumu, a gender-neutral name.
* TheGlomp: Wakaba performs this frequently on Ayumu, among other things.
* ImagineSpot: Wakaba is infamous for this--[[{{Fanservice}} not that the fans mind.]]
* JustHereForGodzilla: In-universe and played straight. For the former, the Maid Club failed ''quickly'' when the guys who were only in it to hang out with Ayumu found out that he wasn't a regular attraction. For the latter: the [[WholesomeCrossdresser concept of the manga itself]], really.
* LegacyCharacter: The identity of Miko-chan has been taken up by the girls of the Mikoshiba family for generations--until Ayumu, of course, for obvious reasons.
* LovableSexManiac: Wakaba Kumura, who shamelessly molests Ayumu whenever she gets the chance, dresses him up in all sorts of revealing outfits for her own viewing pleasure, and calls him her "wife."
--> '''Wakaba Kumura:''' Wh-What are you saying?! Publicly exposing my Ayumu-kyun in a maid uniform is absolutely... (ImagineSpot) let's do it!
* MagicalGirl: Gleefully deconstructs the genre in a (mostly) mundane setting.
* MagicWand: Subverted in that it's not actually magical and just serves as more official Miko-chan merchandise. It ''does'' have its uses as a blunt weapon, though.
* {{Mascot}}: Miko-chan, for the Mikoshiba shrine. Has her own website and line of officially licensed merchandise, available at said shrine.
* MeaningfulName: Appropriately, the family that runs the shrine are the '''Miko'''shibas.
* MentorMascot: Fuu-Chan, who also serves as the current Miko-chan's manager.
* TheMerch: One of the purposes of Miko-chan is to sell merch based on the character.
* {{Miko}}: Unsurprisingly, Miko-chan is a MagicalGirl based off of shrine maidens. She is more of a mascot than anything else, though.
* MiniDressOfPower: Miko-chan's outfit. It doesn't seem to have any actual magical powers aside from making Ayumu more confident and bold than he usually is--which is to say, not at all.
* NoEnding: The final chapter is just a random BeachEpisode with no real resolution to anything.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Wakaba, the Dressing Club manager, and Rei.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Ayumu was one, and still very much is one, between being shamelessly used by his friends for their more questionable purposes, and being Miko-chan.
* {{Otaku}}: Rei is a lighthearted parody.
* PunchClockHero: Ayumu only ever becomes Miko-chan to advertise the shrine and her merchandise, or do "heroic" duties like stalking his friend to find out what's bothering him.
* PuniPlush
* SliceOfLife: Ayumu fights crime ''exactly'' once. Even then, it was by chance. The rest of the manga focuses on his gender-identity crisis, secret identity as Miko-chan, and his very eager and more than a little perverted friends.
* TheStoic: Souichi Makita is rarely, if ever, affected by the weirdness and perversion that constantly happens to Ayumu. The sole exception is whenever he (Ayumu) is cross-dressing.
* TransformationSequence: Mandatory, really.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Ayumu is shown to be extremely confident when cross-dressing, much to his dismay. Later on, we have [[spoiler:Rei]], who ''very'' much enjoys it.

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