incredibly fast-paced and a little anticlimactic, A Magical Girl Retires presents it's central issues with Korean society and the world at large, and then does nothing much at all to come up with a solution, or even say anything much about them except "that really sucks."

was this book a fun read? yeah, kinda. I'm a big magical girl enjoyer, though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, cause I was gonna enjoy imagining these scenes out regardless. also, it's sapphic! so of course I was going to find something worthwhile here.

was this also a little disappointing? yeah, unfortunately. the page count isn't enough to delve into our characters and their thoughts enough to make me feel like I know or care for them, and ironically time flows so so quickly that it all feels over in a flash. it would have benefitted from more scenes of introspection and bonding or clashing between characters.

[TW: SUICIDE]
on a more personal note, the suicide attempt scene at the beginning is. well. I'm not going to say it doesn't reflect lived experiences, because I'm not every single person whose attempted suicide before, but I am one of them, and I'm friends with a considerable number of them. it feels a little undercooked, even with all the faffing about her reasoning for it. 

at least, that's what I thought when I was reading it, but on reflection, actually this is rather well-done. it reflects to me that blasé attitude that sometimes comes with severe depression and suicidal intent: thoughts like "I might as well kill myself now since I'll be a failure later anyways. come to think of it, why didn't I kill myself before?" it's a bit tmi, but I wasn't thinking particularly emotionally when I was attempting either - it was rather clinical. by that time, you've already made your peace. this scene is thus more accurate to my lived experiences than all those silly drama/movie scenes where characters put their head through a noose snorting sobs. even the arguably silly reasoning of "I've too much credit card debt" is accurate - what a mentally healthy person might think is a stupid reason to kill yourself over is something entirely reasonable to someone already considering suicide. they pile on top of each other until you've forgotten the first, most "meaningful" reason, and the reason you're standing there ready to get it over with is because someone you care about called you stupid for having a hobby. I hope Park Seolyeon is doing well.