A Magical Girl Retires

A Magical Girl Retires

Synopsis:

At twenty-nine, a woman finds herself at rock bottom: burdened by debt, unemployed, and grieving the loss of her grandfather. Desperate and feeling hopeless, she’s about to jump off Seoul’s Mapo Bridge to end her suffering. Before she can do so, a girl dressed in white intervenes. This girl, Ah Roa, is a magical girl with the power of clairvoyance. She reveals that the woman is destined to become the Magical Girl of Time, a crucial role that involves helping other magical girls and playing a key part in saving the world.

Review:

In A Magical Girl Retires, award-winning South Korean author Seolyeon Park delves into the deeper reasons behind the magical girl trope. While the genre has often been associated with female characters, Park explores why these characters, who typically possess transformative powers, are predominantly girls. Although magical boys have appeared in the genre (such as Tuxedo Mask and Kaito Sinbad), Park suggests that magical girls often embody a narrative where their supernatural abilities reflect real-life struggles that many girls and women face.

Set in contemporary Seoul, the story begins with a nameless twenty-nine-year-old woman on the brink of suicide. Her dire situation—overwhelmed by debt, joblessness, and recent bereavement—highlights a common, distressing reality that transcends generational labels. The narrative challenges the notion that age is a defining factor in one’s struggles. For instance, Korea’s first magical girl is an elderly woman, and Ah Roa, a working magical girl, is in her late twenties. The focus here is on the universal experience of being overwhelmed by life’s challenges. When Ah Roa appears and reveals the protagonist’s destiny as the Magical Girl of Time, she offers a glimmer of hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

Ah Roa’s clairvoyant abilities lead her to foresee the protagonist’s future role in combating climate change as the Magical Girl of Time. This role is crucial, as the other magical girls—who have formed a union—believe only someone with the power to manipulate time can address the pressing issue of environmental degradation. The protagonist, whose grandfather was a watchmaker, finds this connection to time deeply meaningful and reassuring. The promise of having a significant role and being needed is enough to alter her perspective and prevent her from ending her life.

This ties into the broader theme of why magical girls are often female. In A Magical Girl Retires, Ah Roa exemplifies the role of a magical girl by intervening to save the narrator. However, the narrative also emphasizes that before a magical girl can help others, she must first address her own struggles. The reason magical powers are frequently bestowed upon girls and women is that they are often in vulnerable positions—experiencing systemic neglect and adversity. Translator Anton Hur notes, “In Korea, media reports frequently highlight violence against women and the insufficient repercussions for offenders… Sailor Moon, the most iconic magical girl, positions herself as a champion of justice… Magical girls exist because justice is often lacking.” The magical girl union eagerly awaits the arrival of the Magical Girl of Time, who is believed to have the power to bring about world justice and remedy human-made crises.

But what if she chooses not to fulfill this role? This question challenges the trope of magical girls overcoming insurmountable odds. Traditionally, magical girls rise above their dire situations, but what happens if they refuse or are unable to do so? In Prétear, the antagonist is a “failed” magical girl who succumbs to despair, and Sailor Galaxia from Sailor Moon embodies a similar notion of failure. Park’s approach adds nuance to this concept by exploring the internal conflict of the protagonist, who starts with a deep sense of hopelessness. Although she is positioned as a pivotal savior, her journey is not one of traditional, grand heroism. Instead, her experiences and near-suicidal despair shape how she wields her powers and what her ultimate role becomes. Her conclusion is not marked by self-sacrifice but rather by a quiet, personal resolution. Her powers, ultimately, are hers to control and direct.

A Magical Girl Retires remains hopeful, a hallmark of the magical girl genre. It does not promise that every problem can be solved or that every individual can be saved, but it affirms that magical girls serve as symbols of hope, especially for themselves. The novel recognizes the societal expectation for girls and women to prioritize others, yet it also encourages the idea that true justice and change must come from within and be shaped by personal choice. Ultimately, we all have the potential to be our own heroines, making our own decisions about how to confront and address our struggles.