In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the fifth entry, they’re checking out A Magical Girl’s Guide to Adulting.
A Magical Girl’s Guide To Adulting
Creator: Patrick McCabe
Writer: McCabe
Artist: McCabe
Genre: Slice-of-life, Comedy
Platform: WEBTOON
Rating: Young Adult
At 14, Molly saved the world. But what is a magical girl to do after she literally peaked in Middle School? Follow the harrowing adventures of 27-year-old Molly as she fumbles through relationships, jobs, and depression while facing her most daunting challenge yet: being an adult.
As a lifelong fan of the magical girl genre, one premise that I have enjoyed seeing explored is either adult magical girls or former magical girls living a normal life. Admittedly, I am still new to the latter but Patrick McCabe‘s Webtoon A Magical Girl’s Guide To Adulting ended up being up my alley.
One reason for this is how it authentically depicts depression experienced by those who failed to live up to high expectations. Molly, the protagonist, is shown living a monotonous life with a retail job she hates, no romantic prospects, and a group of friends with whom she is on somewhat shaky terms. This monotony is enhanced by the artwork, which is mostly in black-and-white with spots of color. For those who have depression, this can be interpreted as how the world literally looks dull with the exception of certain bright spots.
Interestingly enough, the only time there is full color artwork is when flashbacks to Molly’s magical girl past are shown. It enhances the bright, optimistic outlook that she and the other characters had years ago when they first saved the world and all got along well. It also provides a contrast to the present day that sometimes sets up surprises in the narrative.
Besides the artwork and the depiction of depression, I enjoyed how humor balances everything out. One of the first pages that made me chuckle was when Molly reminisces about her “perfect love story” with her soulmate Jack with a friend before adding, “So it turns out he was gay.” The way this reveal was set up is especially funny if you are familiar with the “destined lover” trope in seen in magical girl anime such as Sailor Moon.
In fact, the humor works well because it shows that little things and fond memories that make you happy or laugh can help you cope with depression. A page that demonstrates this well is when Molly orders a whole large pizza just for herself, refusing to share it with her friend Harry, another former magical girl who is genderqueer.
Moreover, the character dynamics tie everything together. Since most of them are former magical girls that helped Molly save the world, it is interesting to see where they all end up in adulthood. Besides Molly, another favorite character is Zelda, a Black gay girl who is deeply hurt by how Kara, Zelda’s old crush, ghosted her.
The romantic and interpersonal tension between them is huge and seeing them go back and forth with their feelings demonstrates how complicated adult friendships and unrequited crushes are. I also liked Harry, who works at a bookstore doing as little as possible while being a little snarky with customers.
A final aspect of the comic that I enjoyed was how some of the characters have shown that they still have their powers even though they aren’t fighting bad guys anymore. The main character, Molly, is the one that has done this the most, hilariously tapping into her powers in order to kill a mouse in her apartment.
All in all, A Magical Girl’s Guide To Adulting shows that life can be okay even if it doesn’t go how you expect. Molly and her friends have normal lives as adults and have to figure how to deal with the messiness that comes with that so they can find happiness. If you are an adult magical girl fan who wants some slice-of-life with a little magic mixed in, check this comic out.
A Magical Girl’s Guide to Adulting is currently available to read on WEBTOON.
Keep up with every entry in K-Comics Beat’s Magic From The Margins column by clicking here.
