A Magical Girl Retires

A Magical Girl Retires / Park Seolyeon
trans. from the Korean by Anton Hur
NY: HarperVia, 2024, c2022.
147 p.

Someone mentioned this on IG and I thought it sounded fun - and my library had it as an ebook! So I read it :) 

It was okay - a little short with a bit of an abrupt conclusion, but still a fun read. It's steeped in a timely setting: the main character, a 29 year old woman, has lost her job during the pandemic and is facing mounting credit card debt and climate anxiety. She decides to jump off a bridge in Seoul. 

But her guardian angel rescues her -- actually it's Ah Roa, a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. Usually magical girls are discovered much younger, but our heroine might just be a late bloomer, and the GOAT. 

As her life is upended and she begins to meet other magical girls and learn the tricks of the trade, she's faced with an end-of-the-world scenario that she manages to deal with almost accidentally, driven by her fear of Ah Roa's imminent destruction (there's a little side romantic theme going on there too). And she discovers her particular talent at the vital moment. But also wonders if she really wants these powers or not. 

As noted, the ending is a bit sudden or abrupt, at least to me. I wasn't positive I fully understood her powers. But the overarching story is entertaining and creative, and brings up lots of serious topics in an engaging and frothy way. A short but rewarding read.