Magical girls are cute, strong, and always ready to save the day. But what happens when the role is thrust upon you and you have no idea what to do or why you’re doing it?
About Magical Karina
Magical Karina is a manga by Coyuri Tono published in English by Kodansha. It stars Karina, a high school student who is going through it. Her grandmother has just passed, and while she hasn’t fully processed it, she still has to go work her part-time job. Walking home after her shift, she encounters a large monster and is saved by some mysterious guy right at the last moment. The guy tells Karina her grandmother was killed by this monster and gives her bracelet that transforms her into a magical girl. Karina defeats the monster and just as she’s talking with the mysterious guy, he’s zapped and dies. Mind you, this is just one day!
The guy, Zen, is kind of alive and starts filling in Karina on the weird events that have been happening. Now Karina has to decide if she wants to involve herself or try to carry on with her life.
My Thoughts
From the beginning, Magical Karina informs us that this is not your typical magical girl story. While we have a cute transformation and outfit, Karina isn’t a fearless heroine just yet. She’s struggling with the grief she feels losing her grandmother and at the same time the guilt she feels at the relief her grandmother had passed. We come to learn that her grandmother possibly had dementia and at the time of her death was not the loving grandmother Karina previously knew. At this moment where Karina gets roped in to helping Zen, she’s very much going through the motions.
I love the idea of a reluctant heroine. It’s not that Karina doesn’t want to help save people or avenge her grandma. It’s more so that she’s in this weird emotional space and hasn’t had time to properly process her feelings. I think any of us faced with a random monster and magical powers would go with it in the moment but then think, “What the hell did I get myself into?”
The lore of these monsters and Zen are completely unknown and right when we start thinking we know where the story is headed, a new layer gets added. Is Zen a good guy? Why does he know all this information and how does he have these magical bracelets? Every question brings up more questions! I like how at every turn Magical Karina subverts expectations. Initially, the story caught me off guard and I wasn’t sure if I liked it. But after rereading it, I caught a lot of things I missed in my first read through. Overall, I enjoyed the loop this story took me on and I’m excited to see what else happens.
Where to Buy Magical Karina 1
Magical Karina 1
Mangaka: Coyuri Tono
Translator: Ryan Holmberg
Letterer: Madeleine Jose
Editor: Charles Marshall
Publisher: Kodansha
Magical Karina 1 is available now.
Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC!
