A Magical Girl Retires A Novel

Magical Girls facing existential dread, joining unions and being celebrities (of a kind) is an absolutely great concept and the whole story was a completely unique one in the genre. Well written characters, modernized Magical Girls with well thought out powers, a sapphic undertone and a fast paced plot made this book absolutely perfect! Definitely a highlight from this year and so far my favorite book of 2024!

This is a very sweet and short story about a magical girl who´s told, that she´s the one to save the world. With themes of Climate Change, a little speck of romance and Illustrations adorning every chapter; this korean Novel is a hidden gem!

english version below. Das süße Cover und die Illustrationen im Buch verleihen der Geschichte eine magische Note, während der Inhalt die Lesenden mit der ernüchternden Realität unserer Welt konfrontiert. Mühelos fliessen Themen wie der Klimawandel, die Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf die psychische Gesundheit und die Wirtschaftslage sowie Feminismus in diese Magical Girls Geschichte ein. Erzählt werden Ausschnitte aus dem Leben der namenlosen Protagonistin, wodurch ein schnelles Pacing entsteht. Der Plot würde als animierte Serie mit Glitzer und magischen Verwandlungen funktionieren, die Autorin legt den Fokus jedoch auf persönliche und gleichzeitig universell nachvollziehbaren Herausforderungen des Alltags. Das Buch hat mich zum Nachdenken animiert und beschäftigt mich auch zwei Wochen nach Leseschluss noch sehr. Ich liebe Magical Girls Geschichten und dieses Buch hat mich positiv überrascht. Daher kann ich “A Magical Girl Retires” nur empfehlen. --- The cute cover and illustrations in the book lend the story a magical touch, while the content confronts readers with the sobering reality of our world. Topics such as climate change, the impact of the pandemic on mental health and the economic situation, and feminism flow effortlessly into this magical girls story. Excerpts from the life of a nameless protagonist are recounted, creating a fast pace. The plot would work as an animated series with glitter and magical transformations, but the author focuses on deeply personal and universally relatable challenges of everyday life. The book made me think and is still very much on my mind two weeks after I finished reading it. I am pleasantly surprised. Therefore, I can only recommend "A Magical Girl Retires".

"(in this book) Magical girls exist because justice does not." - a note from the translator what a strange, short book. it was indeed fast-paced like a manga/manhwa. some metophors were creative if not even funny but this book thematize suicide attempt, domestic abuse, climat change, identity awareness, etc. in a subtle but significant way.