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 our 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
