Line #64 Manga/MagicalGirlSpecOpsAsuka


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mgsoasuka.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Military history is not the same anymore with magical girls around.]]
3
4	->''"It was said that Magical Girls defeated the very last boss whose mission was to wipe out humanity. But... the truth is there are no real endings in this world. Even after that boss was defeated, true peace never returned. We fight on a new battlefield of international crime, indiscriminate terrorism, civil wars, conflict... The Magical Girls' battle isn't over. It never ends."''
5	-->-- '''Asuka Otori'''
6
7	Three years ago, the extradimensional Netherbeasts invaded Earth. The world's military was brought to their knees, finding their weapons powerless against such foes. But, thankfully, a group of five Magical Girls fought off and stopped the invasion, and were hailed as heroes across the world.
8
9	Asuka was the leader of the legendary Magical Five, but fast forward to today and she hasn't used her Magical Girl powers in a long while, wanting no more to do with the whole thing. But circumstances have eventually forced her to wield her power once more...
10
11	''Magical Girls Special Operations Asuka'' (''Mahou Shoujo Tokushuusen Asuka'') is a DarkerAndEdgier MagicalGirl {{manga}} by Fukami Makoto, and also serves as a {{Deconstruction}} by way of realistic outcomes. How would the world fare when Magical Girls and Netherbeasts are common knowledge, as well as their obvious military applications? Do Magical Girls get PTSD?
12
13	The manga was serialized in ''Big Gangan'' from 2015 to 2021 for 69 chapters, and was compiled into 14 volumes. An anime adaptation aired in Winter 2019, which was licensed by Creator/{{Funimation}} for an English release.
14
15	Do not confuse it with the game VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine.
16	----
17	!!''Magical Girl Special Operations Asuka'' provides examples of the following tropes:
18
19	* AbnormalAmmo: In addition to magically-enhanced bullets, M-Squad uses incendiary bullets against enemies.
20	* ArcWords: "An even more terrible war".
21	* AdaptationExpansion:
22	** Sayako's post-traumatic stress is given more focus in the anime, as is Nozomi's love of busts.
23	** Mia's investigation of Jerome's corpse involves a battle with a Voorhees class Netherbeast. In the anime, she also fights a magic terrorist who wants revenge on the US military for killing her family.
24	* AssholeVictim: Chisato's father totally deserved to have his head crushed in the hand of the magical mercenary [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Giess/Geese/Geiss]] with how he abused her; he repeatedly told her that she should've died in the accident that killed his wife, tried to sell her to a brothel and then finally tried to beat her to death (which was interrupted by the aforementioned mercenary).
25	* BadassCreed: The Magical Five's motto: ''"He who laughs last laughs best."''. It's even featured in the opening credits of the anime.
26	* BadassNormal: All of M-Squad's non-magical girl members. They may not possess any magical powers, but are still able to keep up with the magical girls using nothing but their anti-magic weaponry.
27	* BadBoss: For the most part, the magical girls are generally treated in a humane and professional manner by their respective nations' militaries. Even BigBad Brigadier treats her subordinates well. The one glaring exception that plays this straight is [[spoiler: the Russian general staff at the Zavolzhsky Site, who regularly brainwash Tamara using a fantasy-granting device and intend to throw her into as many battles as possible until the day she dies.]]
28	* BeehiveBarrier: All Magical Girls get a barrier that's powerful enough to block off mundane firearms, making them ImmuneToBullets. Only magically-empowered weapons can pierce through such barriers, and as barriers from different Magical Girls will disrupt each other, going into melee is the best way to take a Magical Girl down.
29	* BigDamnHeroes: M-Squad coming to aid Kurumi during her fight with Abigail.
30	* BigApplesauce: The UN assault story arc, when the Babel Brigade launches an all-out attack on UN HQ, devastating downtown New York in the process with a zombie horde in Spanish Harlem and a pair of undead dragons.
31	* BlackAndGrayMorality: Babel Brigade is a terrorist organization dealing in illegal magical weapons and threatening world peace. M-Squad and their allies are fighting them, but they kind of forgot the whole "rule of law" deal somewhere along the line. The rules of engagement are occasionally suspended and they employ [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique magically-enhanced torture]] on captured criminals with no pretense of due process. At one point, an NPA officer likewise says that "people who don't exist have no rights" when discussing someone in their private cells. Asuka mentions at one point that she doesn't expect to be entirely clean of guilt, either.
32	* BookEnds: Asuka repeats her narration at the end of the first episode at the end of Episode 12.
33	* {{Bowdlerise}}: The anime adaption isn't without violence, swearing or sexual themes, but it was toned down compared to the original
34	** The Disas sent Asuka "just" the severed hands of her parents, in the manga, she got their ''severed heads'' mailed to her three weeks after they abducted them.
35	** The scene from the brothel Chisato's father wanted to sell her to was merely suggestive (the prostitutes were just sitting on their customers laps, giving them seductive smiles and embracing them), in the manga they were shown in the act of actually servicing them (they were positioned in a way that didn't show any genitals, though).
36	** In the manga, the rape of the two high school girls in the course of the Disas raid on Naha city is depicted much more unambiguous and detailed than in the animé, where the scene could be also interpreted as Mia Cyrus having managed to save the girls from being raped unlike in the manga.
37	* BornOfMagic: The fairies that create and assist magical girls are referred to in the manga as "''synthetic'' fairies", suggesting they were artificially created rather than born the normal way (they seem to behave like normal people, though, including having free will to do good or evil (e.g. Sacchu called Abigail's fairy a traitor against the Spirit Realm Treaty Organization)).
38	* CastFullOfGay: Nearly every girl in the series is showing some degree of lust towards other girls in some way.
39	* ChekhovsGun: The magical axe "Ilmarinen's Topor," which is first used by the twin Russians Watchman and Chef, is later retrieved for Asuka to land the finishing blow on [[spoiler:Giess]].
40	%%* Change Vs Status Quo: The story is about Magical Five resisting Babel Brigade, terrorist organization, which leader, [[spoiler:Francine]], wants to [[spoiler:make worldwide monarchy with magical girls as the rulers as opposed to the current status quo where they are being exploited as soldiers for the government agencies across the world.]]
41	* ChickMagnet: Asuka turns out to be the lesbian version, with at least fellow Japanese Kurumi, Russian Tamara and extradimensional General Tabira (though she seems to have perverted feelings towards all members of the Magical Five, Asuka bears the brunt of it) pining for her.
42	* ChildSoldiers: A subject that's repeatedly brought up. High school girls are being sent into combat because they're the only ones who can fight the monsters.
43	* ClarkKenting: "[[PerceptionFilter Perception blocking]]" is an explicit magical girl power, protecting their identities while transformed.
44	* ClusterFBomb: After Asuka and Kurumi save Nozomi and leave her with an injury, Abigail spews two F-bombs and goes out to kill them both. Also doubles as AtomicFBomb.
45	* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: Kurumi gives Chisato a torture session after she's captured as a "formality." She knows Chisato has no information to give her; she's just indulging her sadism.]]
46	* LesCollaborateurs: During the war against the Disas, some humans chose to collaborate with them in exchange for superpowers; One such group was called "Ghost Mask". [[spoiler:In the modern day, the Chief of General Staff in Russia is allied with the Babel Brigade, making sure the briefcase from Naha makes its way to them in exchange for help with a situation in Ukraine.]]
47	* CombatBreakdown: [[spoiler:The battle of Asuka against a rampaging Tamara in Chapter 42 devolves from fighting against each other with their full might to losing their weapons, to finally beating each other up in hand-to-hand combat on the ground.]]
48	* CopsNeedTheVigilante: Due to JurisdictionFriction, office politics and an uneven distribution of magical firepower, the cops can't go in to save Nozomi from terrorists, and neither can M-Squad. But they can tell Nozomi's friends Asuka and Kurumi, and then step back as the magical girls go deal with the kidnappers "on their own."
49	* CountryMatters: Asuka calls Abigail this more than once, and given [[AnArmAndALeg what she does]] to her friend, not without reason.
50	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: The "pretty" part is teased during a CPR training episode, where Kurumi "wishes she were" the training mannequin that Asuka was demonstrating on.
51	* CuteIsEvil: Most Disas/Netherbeasts look like cute mascot creatures. Doesn't stop them from sadistically ripping apart humans in all its gory details. Enemy Magical Girls may also count, although they slant a bit more towards being sexy given that their costumes tend to be [[{{Stripperiffic}} even more revealing]] than those of the Magical Five.
52	* DarkIsEvil: The familiar of Asuka and Kurumi looks like a flying mouse with a very long tail, the familiar of Abigail (the evil magical girl using scissors) looks similar to a small ogre.
53	* {{Deconstruction}}: By way of SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Not to mention the protagonist is a ShellShockedVeteran MagicalGirlWarrior.
54	** There is a bustling BlackMarket for extradimensional artifacts and weapons, usually paid by way of living humans to the traders. There are also 'illegally empowered' Magical Girls, as well as magical mercenaries, who usually work as enforcers for the underworld community or as terrorists.
55	** The incredible power of a magical girl has resulted in a large boom in business for human trafficking. Hundreds of little girls sold into slavery can now be contracted into a small army of super soldiers.
56	* DepletedPhlebotinumShells: Magically-enhanced bullets are used by normal soldiers to stand a better chance against Netherbeasts and even rogue Magical Girls.
57	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: Kurumi hums the opening theme [[spoiler: before torturing Chisato.]]
58	* DueToTheDead: Kurumi doesn't like it when people refer to them as 'Magical Five'.
59	-->'''Kurumi:''' "Magical Five?" I hate it when people call us that. [[spoiler: Do you know there used to be eleven of us? Two died on their way to the final battle. And only five of us walked out alive of that battle. It should have been the six who died who are remembered...]]
60	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:After the Battle of New York, Babel is finally destroyed and Francine's plans are stopped, though at the cost of Mia, Francine, Sayoko, and countless people's lives. However, the survivors of the Magical Five manage to go on with their lives. M Squad is disbanded, with Iizuka planning on using the template to build a new magical paramilitary unit. Kurumi finally admits her feelings for Asuka, who reciprocates and they enter a relationship. Peipei continues taking care of the Astrologer and plans on opening her own business. Tamara joins the UN to help lead the second generation magical girls. Asuka discovers she has the power to resurrect the dead, and uses it to revive Sayoko.]]
61	* EliteArmy: The Magical Five, of course. They consist of the world's most powerful magical girls and are humanity's best defense against the Disas.
62	* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous:
63	** The Magical Girl Operations Developmental Unit or M-Squad, an anti-magic special forces unit under the JGSDF's Ground Component Command.
64	** The Magical Operations Response Group, the American Army's anti-magic special forces unit.
65	* ExplosiveLeash: When Indian secret agents abduct the Chinese [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic magical girl scientist]] Dr. Luo Min, they put an explosive vest on him and start the countdown when the Chinese magical girl Peipei attacks their convoy to rescue him to prevent the Chinese from recovering this valuable asset.
66	* FictionalUnitedNations: The UN is the same as ours, but it has a ''Magic'' Security Council (likely to emphasize the parallels between magical girls and nukes that are repeatedly drawn in the comic).
67	* FiveRoundsRapid: The military doesn't quite get the memo that when the enemy has their BeehiveBarrier up, you don't shoot with regular ammo - you need [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells magic bullets]]. With that said, when they do have magical bullets or enhanced artillery, they do use those.
68	* GenderRestrictedAbility: Magical girls, are, as the name says, all female, but there are other forms of related magic that can be wielded by both male (such as the [[TheMafiya Russian mafioso]] Storozh (Russian for "guard"), who commands a water spirit he describes as a real-life version of a [[Myth/RussianMythologyAndTales rusalka]] or his colleague Povar (Russian for "chef"), who wields energy barriers, a magical axe and a magically enhanced handgun) and female (such as "Crescent Moon" Sandino the Colombian magical mercenary) sorcerers.
69	* GiantMedicalSyringe: Kurumi Mugen is a nurse-themed MagicalGirl who uses a giant syringe as one of her primary weapons. While she is the group's healer, she also doubles as their TortureTechnician and at any given time her syringe could be loaded with anything from truth serums to flesh-melting chemicals.
70	* {{Glamour}}: The Magical Girls' barriers also provide this, obscuring their identity unless they want it to be revealed.
71	* GratuitousRussian:
72	** "Yes, sir!" isn't a simply "Da!/Да!", it's "Yest'!/Есть!".
73	** Tamara's main attack is called "Volshebnyj ognemyot/Волшебный огнемёт" ("magic flamethrower"), but both the Japanese and English dub actor pronounce it so wrong, it's almost impossible to make out without subtitles.
74	** The [[TheMafiya Russian mafia]] group Kasyanov was a member of and that came back in the Ukraine arc is called "Oboroten'/Оборотень" meaning "werewolf".
75	** The M-Squad agent ([[spoiler:Constantine Asimov]]) in Oboroten' is called "Priyatel'/Приятель" ("friend").
76	* HeroicSacrifice: An ordinary police officer [[CarFu rams his car]] into a rampaging Disas in Episode 10, giving Sayako and the injured Nozomi a chance to escape while the creature kills him.
77	* HumanTraffickers: They deal with Otherworld traders for magical artifacts. Four kidnapped humans for a bunch of magical artifacts is a steal for them.
78	* JurisdictionFriction: In the attack on Naha (on Okinawa), the Babel forces try to exploit this when they avoid hitting a US base to avoid drawing the US military into the fighting. This doesn't work; the US and Japan are military allies, and both governments immediately give the go-ahead to their respective forces to work together.
79	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: One of Asuka's classmates jokingly suggests that she's a protagonist from a late-night anime.
80	* LivingBattery: What the Disas wanted to use the humans for if they would've won their at first [[SecretWar covert]] and later overt war against humanity (if the magical girls would've failed to prevent the leader of the Disas from fully manifesting himself in the human realm (according to Kurumi, the fully manifested Disas leader could've kicked the asses of humanity's combined military forces in about 36 hours)).
81	* LotusEaterMachine: In Chapter 37, the [[spoiler: "Sister's Binding" codename turns out to be this, used by the Russian general staff to keep Tamara in line by feeding her fantasies of having a loving older sister.]]
82	* MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction: ChildSoldiers, ShellShockedVeteran, ColdBloodedTorture, BlackAndGreyMorality, basically a textbook example.
83	* MagicalGirlWarrior: With emphasis on 'Warrior'. The girls add military-grade accessories on top of their otherwise girly costumes, such as utility belts, pouches, combat knives, and more.
84	* MaidCafe: M-Squad's HomeBase is disguised as one.
85	* MildlyMilitary: When Mia Cyrus and two CIA [=SAD=] agents are preparing to raid a drug lord's den in Mexico, they casually banter about how a magical girl's superpowers work ''right outside the den's front door''.
86	* MilitaryMoe: Cute, busty magical girls who used to fight a magical war in the army, and now serving in paramilitary special task forces.
87	* MilitarySuperhero: All of the girls used to be part of a special operations squad during the heyday, but in the present, only Mia Cyrus remains affiliated with the US Military. Asuka herself is eventually recruited back into a special task force to deal with Netherworld traffickers.
88	* MostCommonSuperpower: The Magical Girls are all quite busty, with Kurumi perhaps the biggest among them all.
89	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In Chapter 37 at a karaoke bar, Nozomi proposes starting off with a song by [[Music/NamieAmuro "Minae Amuro."]]
90	* NoEnding: For the anime, both in-universe and out-of-universe. Out-of-universe, the show ends with major plot points unresolved and practically holds a sign up stating "Read the Manga to Find Out What Happens Next!". In-universe, episode 12 ends with a monologue about how [[ThisIsReality real life]] has no endings, and that the magical girls must fight on.
91	* NoSell: With the use of magical girls/items by criminals, terrorists and mercenaries, ordinary police officers, soldiers and intelligence agents are useless against them unless they have magically enhanced weapons, ammo and items.
92	* NoSuchAgency: The NPA's counterterrorism unit [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial doesn't exist]]. They certainly don't have secret cells where they torture terrorists for intelligence. Akinori's job is just boring desk work, not interrogating prisoners who totally aren't in custody.
93	* {{Orichalcum}}: A magical metal that is used in e.g. bullets against Disas or rogue magical users.
94	* PersonOfMassDestruction: Every Magical Girl is essentially this, with their abilities so far beyond what any human can achieve, even a Tier-1 special forces operator can't come close to matching their physical strength alone. [[spoiler: When Tamara is kidnapped by the Babel Brigade, the Russian military goes on extreme alert, shuts down all major airports in the country, sets up roadblocks on every major highway, deploys special forces to find her, and early-warning aircraft are scrambled to immediately patrol the borders and prepare to shoot down any suspicious craft. Iizuka comments they're acting as if a nuclear missile has gone missing.]]
95	* PoliceAreUseless: Not entirely, but when Nozomi is captured and tortured, Commissioner Miura Sena refuses to mobilize anyone, as the only possible outcomes under the current circumstances would damage the police's reputation. However, she ''does'' tell him that M Squad could hypothetically be called to help (leading to such a thing happening).
96	** In an ordinary battle, the ordinary officer tends to get killed easily.
97	* RapePillageAndBurn: When Babel Library forces attack the military compound in Naha, they let Disas troops pillage the city of Naha as a diversion and during this raid two of the foot soldiers (who look like goblins, making this scene a possible ShoutOut to Literature/GoblinSlayer) rape two high school girls they come across.
98	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Some of the story arcs are based on contemporary events such as the perennial [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Civil_War Somali Civil War]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Donbass War in Donbass]].
99	* RousingSpeech: Invoked. While Asuka is talking to [[spoiler:Leyla]], [[ShutUpHannibal verbally putting her in her place]] in Chapter 52, Iizuka realizes that what she is saying can inspire the allied forces, and has Shima patch in her comms to the rest of the troops so they can hear it, too.
100	-->'''Asuka:''' [[KneelBeforeZod Prostrate?]] Seriously, I'm sick of how stupid you lot are. [[spoiler:The revival of the Disas Beast]]... so that's what the Babel Brigade was after. [[SarcasmMode Well, you did a splendid job.]] "His defeat must have been some sort of mistake"?... How naïve. Certainly, [[spoiler:New York]] has been met with impending danger. However, we have the five magical girls who had once destroyed the Disas Beast, [[HeroesUnlimited the second generation magical girls]], [[MugglesDoItBetter and special forces trained in magical warfare]]. You're in awfully good spirits considering all you did was [[spoiler:resurrect your decapitated king. And you were the ones who attacked us and lost in the first place]]. [[MyParentsAreDead We have suffered many losses.]] Everyone fought to protect the things dear to them, but even then, there were many things that slipped through our fingers. But as a result... we've become stronger than you. Humans are strongest when they get back up after being beaten down. You will be defeated once again, and once again we will endure hardship. ''Even then, we will emerge victorious!''
101	* SecretPolice: The NPA's [[NoSuchAgency nonexistent]] special unit both qualify. They're militarized police units focusing on magical weapons trafficking and counterterrorism, and are above the law in their actions, with full license to use torture (including magical and sexual torture, in M-Squad's case) to extract information from suspects, or to execute targets without trial.
102	* SexualExtortion: PlayedForLaughs when Francine jokingly orders Asuka (her subordinate) into her bed. Asuka just tells her where to stick it.
103	-->'''Francine:''' A perk of being in charge. Asuka, come to my bedroom tonight. That's an order!\
104	'''Asuka:''' [[NoJustNoReaction That's a no.]]\
105	'''[[{{Yandere}} Kurumi]]:''' That's right. [[NoodleIncident She already told you before]]!
106	* ShoutOut:
107	** In episode 4, the [[Manga/CardCaptorSakura Kero-chan]] {{Expy}} pauses the action to deliver some (totally unnecessary) exposition on Magical Truth Serum, just like Kero-chan himself at the end of many ''Cardcaptor Sakura'' episodes.
108	** The classes of Disas are shout outs to horror movies: Franchise/{{Halloween}}, [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Voorhees]], {{Film/Gremlin\|s}} and [[Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} Cenobite]].
109	** In episode 12, while filling out a mountain of paperwork, Asuka quips [[Film/TheShining "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."]]
110	** Episode 12 has Kurumi make a reference to ''Film/RedScorpion'' [[spoiler:before torturing Chisato]], stating that it's her favorite movie and she often watches the torture scene from that movie.
111	** In Volume 10, the entire arc to rescue Tamara is called [[Film/SavingPrivateRyan Saving Phoenix Tamara.]]
112	** Sacchu told Chisato and Giess to [[Film/SuddenImpact "go ahead make my day"]] in episode 10.
113	** Two Disas looking like goblins raping two high school girls during the raid on Naha could be understood as a reference to Literature/GoblinSlayer.
114	* StarterVillain: Episode 1 climaxes with Asuka confronting Kim Kanth, the leader of the East Asia United Front terrorist organization. [[CurbStompBattle He and his goons don't last long]].
115	* SuperRegistrationAct: Japan adopts the "Response to Magic-Related Incidents Act" as a way for legislation to be used if hostile monsters/magical girls/magic mercenaries and terrorists attack Japan.
116	* SWATTeam: An anti-firearms squad[[note]]It's a SWAT-type unit in a riot police unit under modern Japanese law enforcement structure.[[/note]] escorts Kim when their armored bus transport is ambushed and taken out.
117	* SuperhumanTrafficking: The result of hundreds to thousands of young girls trafficked every day combined with their ability to become magical girls.
118	* SurveillanceDrone: They are used by both legitimate (army, police) and criminal organizations frequently.
119	* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Asuka may want to leave the business of being a Magical Girl behind her, but the combination of insistence from her JSDF contacts (including fellow Magical Girl Kurumi) and [[ThoseTwoGuys her two Muggle friends]] finding themselves embroiled in deadly magical terrorism-related situations makes her reluctantly reconsider.
120	* TheFellowshipHasEnded: After defeating the Disas three years ago, the members of the Magical Five decide to go their separate ways, with only Asuka and Kurumi remaining in the same country. However, they still reunite when the situation calls for it, such as the battle at Naha.
121	* TheSiege: The JGSDF Naha Garrison is under siege under a Babel Brigade terror attack, led by Giess. [[spoiler:It's only mean to distract JGSDF and US military forces in order to get to Tabira and secure her magical artifact.]]
122	* ThemeNaming: The different classes of Disas/Netherbeasts tend to have names that are {{Shout Out}}s to horror film franchises, such as Franchise/{{Halloween}}, [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Voorhees]], {{Film/Gremlin\|s}} and [[Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} Cenobite]].
123	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played straight and averted. We don't see ''anyone'' giving the Magical Five psychiatric care for their PTSD, but Kurumi does heal ''Nozomi's'' PTSD (through neurosurgery rather than psychotherapy, in her case, and it needed to be done before the events were stuck in her long-term memory).
124	* ToplessnessFromTheBack: In Episode 9, a girl on the beach is shown sunbathing topless.
125	* TortureAlwaysWorks: When the protagonists use it, anyway, although it's usually just one-half of the equation - Kim Kanth was shot up with drugs/truth serum, while Nazani was injected with a cocktail of magical sense-heightening drugs [[spoiler:by Kurumi]].
126	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Peipei couldn't save the abducted Chinese scientist from being blown up by an explosive vest placed on him by Indian agents, but did save his daughter he had with him, but witnessing her father being blown up right before her eyes caused her to lose her memories. Peipei seems to purposely not help her in recovering her memories because that'd bring back the trauma.

Context Manga / MagicalGirlSpecOpsAsuka