To be enjoyed both ironically and unironically, 'Magical Diary' is truly the perfect gift for any occasion.

Featuring more animes per second, with only a fraction of the overreaching schmaltz found in second-rate indie competitors like 'To the Moon,' 'Magical Diary' pulls out all the stops and delivers a magical, one-of-a-kind experience that'll have you saying "I actually don't hate this...?" for years to come.

Is there a demonic wizard bishie waiting in your future? Only one way to find out...

'Magical Diary' gets one Steam Thumb way up from this reviewer.

YOU'RE HERMIONE POTTER AND YOU NEED TO DO MAGIC ALL THE TIME
DATE GIRLS IN BOARDING SCHOOL
GET YOUR SOUL NIBBLED ON
OVERCOME ACTUALLY CAPABLE DUNGEONS
PUBLISH YOUR YEARBOOK SO INTERNET STRANGERS CAN SEE YOU NAMED YOUR CHARACTER YURI LESBICIOUSA

A dating sim for the young witch in all of us! Like Harry Potter, with a liberal dose of anime and without all that uptight britishness that makes me kinda hate it. Also a liberal dose of progressive gender and sexuality, which is always a fun one, and racial politics too. (That said, I was a *little* offput by the 'marriage is kind of a year-long thing' plot point, even if it makes sense in context...)

Don't be fooled - this is mostly a dating/life sim. There are 'dungeons', but they're more obtuse and annoying puzzle roadblocks I could honestly do without. Persona 3/4 this ain't. Also, you have to be a girl, though you have a wide range of options for your love life, three straight and two gay, and a wide variety of other non-romance events. Romance is legitimate and well-handled - the opposite of Bioware's efforts. (Oh god, flashbacks to terrible competing english VN Planet Stronghold DDDDDDD:)

Overall, takes itself just seriously enough not to be a broad parody, but not so much that it's hard to get into or requires heavy investment. (The default character's name is Mary Sue, if that tells you anything.) Highly recommended for anyone who's even a little into the idea, and even better, sequels are on the way!

Sadly, the best character is unromanceable, despite her obviously being open to the idea of a relationship with a student and a lady. :C Oh, Professor Potsdam, how I long for some private lessons with you... ;o; (maybe she's married? i dunno.)

At first glance this game seems like it'd be light on substance and predictably simple, but I was surprised by how how well the story and characters were written - they each have a well-developed personality and they deal with issues more complex than just who has a crush on who. The character customization, while not offering a ton of options to change, is a nice feature too. Overall it's a lot of fun!

A competent little fantasy game, although scripting in the puzzle sections limits the enjoyment of replays.