Magan & Danai (& Remy & Irina) Review

The first Chinese webcomic to be discussed here on The Lily Garden, Magan He Danai is a slice-of-life story featuring a petite, tempestuous woman and her tall, handsome wife.

I have to be honest and admit I originally thought that the series was a Korean webtoon.  This just goes to show how badly my skill with my secondary language has gone with disuse since I couldn’t recognize that “He” is the common 和. To be fair, I didn’t get to see the title written as 麻杆和大奶 until I started this review. Chinese looks very different compared to Korean and Japanese so I probably would have figured it out if I actually got to see it written as such.

Still, Magan and Danai are undoubtedly Chinese terms. They’re just weird for “names” since Magan (麻杆) basically means “pole/stick” whereas Danai (大奶) is essentially “big boobs.” Said terms are never used within the actual series since the tall, slender one calls the shorter one “baby” / “wifey” (who calls her “stinky” in return). Still, it becomes readily apparent which girl is Magan and Danai since said nicknames are so descriptive.

The fact that Danai constantly refers to Magan as “stinky” sort of establishes her character in a nutshell. She gives Magan tons of tough love and is prone to lashing out due to Magan’s teasing and lighthearted groping/snuggling. Meanwhile, Magan often screws up and will usually end up getting weepy. She’s also rather clingy (which is reflected in her choice to refer to Danai as “baby” or “wifey”).

Each chapter usually has Danai getting angry at Magan before relenting, which leads to fluffiness and warm feelings. Or the comfy stuff happens before Magan goes too far which causes Danai to get upset. The fluff is going to be present in each chapter whether you like or not!

As a result, the dynamic between Danai and Magan is an interesting one. Although Magan is at least a head taller than Danai, it’s clear that Danai is the one who wears the pants in the relationship since Magan is frequently having to beg for forgiveness due to her own misconduct. The two women are definitely lesbian and identify as such, but their interactions could happen in a heterosexual relationship, too, which may make Magan He Danai more “relatable” to readers who aren’t necessarily yuri fans. If one of the girls had to actually be a boy, by the way, I would have to say that Magan would be the whipped, touchy-feely boy. The relationship between Male!Magan and Danai would be similar to the meek protagonist and his tsundere love interest – both are basically like staples in romcom anime/manga. Some may disagree, however, and will insist that Danai could pass as the fussy boy with an explosive temper.

And so their interactions are fluffy and accessible, but opinions will be split in regards to who is truly “best girl.” Some may find Magan to be a bit overly clingy and dependent, while others may consider Danai to be excessively mean whenever Magan messes up. There are only two characters in this Chinese webcomic, so pick your poison.

I want to point out that both Korean webtoons and Chinese webcomics are often in color (as opposed to manga which usually only has a few colored pages at best). There are definitely more differences, but that’s probably the most noticeable one. This basically means the reader gets to see Danai and Magan in full-color in every chapter!

Speaking of the art, the backgrounds are either very detailed or relatively blank. Magan can look either dignified and handsome or goofy and pathetic. Meanwhile, Danai is usually drawn as being cute to a fault. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Things may change considering how the series is still ongoing (and updates/translations of chapters seem sporadic), but the more recent chapters have been exploring/explaining how the two originally met as art students. Magan He Danai initially starts with the two women being in a relationship (and probably married), which is very cute but it had left me curious about their backstory. In other words, I like the current direction of the story since we get to see how these two lovebirds fell for each other. Also being able to see a cool Magan not having lumps on her head or handprints on her face is a welcome sight.

With less than 20 chapters currently translated, Magan He Danai is a quick read (it doesn’t help that some chapters are very short with only 3 or 4 pages). The webcomic is an inoffensive series and is very likely to make you feel like a gushy mess due to the fluff. I do recommend picking it up! The only problem is that there are simply too few chapters so you will probably end up waiting for updates which some people simply hate.

If you want to read a different review for Magan He Danai, then hop over to Irina’s post over here!