Cringe is dead, they say, so to introduce people to my incredible, immaculate taste in fiction, I'm going to semi-regularly talk about some shows, books, anime and whatnot that I think deserve a bigger audience.
Today: Fairy Ranmaru
It's a Magical Boy anime, combining ripped-from-the-headlines story beats with Buddhism and kink. It's a lot and a bit unfocused, but the staff put their heart, soul and passion into creating something that's sincere, horny and undeniably queer.
And yes, the boys have henshin sequences.
All in all, Fairy Ranmaru tried to juggle a bit too much for 12 episodes, and Ranmaru's storyline of gay rage suffered the most from it, next to two of the boys getting completely sidelined, all three being somewhat overshadowed by Uruu's story of overcoming childhood trauma and repression. But it did give us Uruu (see henshin sequence above), and he's a glorious, dramatic mess (also personal gender goals). It also manages to use kink and sexuality for sensitive character-writing.
People go on and on about wanting more messy queer stories. Well, at least in my circles, they do. So, here's one that (mostly) succeeds in not vilifying people for lashing out in pain when struggling against society's restrictions.
It is also extremely camp. Maybe too camp for some.
Anyway, last but not least, here's the ED.