Name: Hannah Bateman's review of A Magical Girl Retires by Seolyeon Park
Item: A Magical Girl Retires
Rating: 3
Author: Hannah Bateman

Seolyeon Park

A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt in this delightful, witty, and wildly imaginative ode to magical girl manga. Twenty-nine, depressed, and drowning in credit card debt after losing her job during the pandemic, a millennial woman decides to end her troubles by jumping off Seoul's Mapo Bridge. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a girl dressed all in white--her guardian angel. Ah Roa is a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. And Park Seolyeon's protagonist just may be that special someone. But the young woman's initial excitement turns to frustration when she learns being a magical girl in real life is much different than how it's portrayed in stories. It isn't just destiny--it's work. Magical girls go to job fairs, join trade unions, attend classes. And for this magical girl there are no special powers and no great perks, and despite being magical, she still battles with low self-esteem. Her magic wand . . . is a credit card--which she must use to defeat a terrifying threat that isn't a monster or an intergalactic war. It's global climate change. Because magical girls need to think about sustainability, too. Park Seolyeon reimagines classic fantasy tropes in a novel that explores real-world challenges that are both deeply personal and universal: the search for meaning and the desire to do good in a world that feels like it's ending. A fun, fast-paced, and enchanting narrative that sparkles thanks to award-nominated translator Anton Hur, A Magical Girl Retires reminds us that we are all magical girls--that fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight can be anyone's game. Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur

A Magical Girl Retires

I know I seemed very upset yesterday and that I made some mistakes, but I don't think finding you was a mistake. I don't have even the tiniest doubt about it.

Andy

"But the Pegasus and dragons have nothing to learn from sparrows."

Hannah Bateman

Like, it has a really interesting world, but it's just so fast paced, I just wished I got to know the characters a bit better, it feels not a race to fight the catastrophe or whatevs but a race to meet the publishing deadline

Also although the illustrations are gorgeous I'm not a big fan of having the text framed every new chapter, those pages feel suffocating to read

Manis

Like, it has a really interesting world, but it's just so fast paced, I just wished I got to know the characters a bit better, it feels not a race to fight the catastrophe or whatevs but a race to meet the publishing deadline

Also although the illustrations are gorgeous I'm not a big fan of having the text framed every new chapter, those pages feel suffocating to read

It was like, fine? I wish it was a little longer/explored more of the concepts but it was overall enjoyable. A light read despite the opening on attempted suicide

While a creative take on the whole "magical girl" thing, it is definitely a light read. It doesn't go into too much depth on any of the social/environmental/economic issues that it touches on and relies on the prior knowledge of the "magical girl" but is still entertaining and I would definitely recommend it as a way to spend a summer day.

Laoise Giblin

i want to see a full manhwa version of this by kim sanho

𓆏

Had typed a review, then it refreshed and my review was gone. I’m not retyping it for the good reason that I don’t remember what I said.

Romy

I read this book in 2-3 hours, and I honestly want to reread it again to soak it all up. It was written so simply but it felt like there was so much meaning hidden under each moment. It was able to examine so much in 150 pages: every action having a trade-off, complexities of power, what should matter, and where time is running out.

Our protagonist may not be the one that everyone was looking for, but she HAD to be found and she needed to discover her potential - it's never too late for you to too. 

It's also made me wonder if I've gone into the wrong career field again HAHA. (Especially the convenience store shift scene).

Ashley Denktas

I read this book in 2-3 hours, and I honestly want to reread it again to soak it all up. It was written so simply but it felt like there was so much meaning hidden under each moment. It was able to examine so much in 150 pages: every action having a trade-off, complexities of power, what should matter, and where time is running out.

Our protagonist may not be the one that everyone was looking for, but she HAD to be found and she needed to discover her potential - it's never too late for you to too. 

It's also made me wonder if I've gone into the wrong career field again HAHA. (Especially the convenience store shift scene).

I think this novel's heart is in the right place in addressing the ever increasing weight of a sense of listlessness and lack of direction in the current generation and particularly among young women, particularly in high-stress societies. But I wish it had done more to develop and - dare I say a dirty word - <i>subvert</i> its themes and the ideas of magical girls. The kind of thing NGE did for its generation and mechas.

A fast paced, witty dive into the world of Magical Girls set in our world. 

What would you when your life sucks and then you discover you might be a Magical Girl……

Rabia Sitabi

A fast paced, witty dive into the world of Magical Girls set in our world. 

What would you when your life sucks and then you discover you might be a Magical Girl……



Beautiful and hopeful and an incredible take on magical girls and the price women pay. 

Hannah Bateman &
A Magical Girl Retires by Seolyeon Park

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Hannah Bateman &A Magical Girl Retires by Seolyeon Park

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Hannah Bateman &
A Magical Girl Retires by Seolyeon Park