Charmed: Magic School

by Katy Rex

[Quirky Cat]

3 1/2 stars rounded up

I received a copy of Charmed: The Manga through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I used to be a huge fan of Charmed when I was younger, so when I saw that they were coming out with a manga version, I knew I had to give it a chance!
I should mention though that while it is called Charmed and is described as a story about the Halliwell sisters, they’re really only a small part of the story being told. The main focus is on a new character, Delia and her adjustment to the new school she’s being sent to. The famous sisters do show up, but they’re present for only about a third of the volume, if that.
I think if you were to go into this hoping for a continuation to the TV series then you might find yourself disappointed. However, maybe if you went into it expecting Delia’s story it’d work out better. I certainly hope that’s the case (you can probably guess which situation I ended up in).



Charmed: The Manga was fun and whimsical in a blast from the past sense. I do like the idea of Charmed continuing in manga form, even if I wasn’t completely thrilled with this specific book. It suits the sisters oddly well, don’t you think?
The art style really suited the plot and the sisters’ well. Think about it – they basically acted like anime/manga characters half the time during the show (with their dramatic reactions and arguments) so it’s sort of an intuitive leap, all things considered.
Delia was an interesting character, all things considered. She had all the makings of a typical witch story; dark background, suppressed magic, moving to a new city to control her magic, the works. But those tropes aside, her character development and personality were decent. I think I liked a few of the side characters more, but that’s okay.
I was sad by how little the Halliwell sisters actually seemed to matter in this book. Yes, they were present, and yes one of them is the headmistress of the school…but it still didn’t seem like they were really part of the book. Not in any way that counted. Even the climatic ending, where they rushed in to save the day. You’d think at this point in the series they’d be confident and capable, but instead it read as them being almost…bumbling. It wasn’t a very flattering picture of them.
While I didn’t love it, I will say that I had fun reading it. Some of the side characters were really unique – I think they could hold up a whole series on their own, truth be told. Still, tropes and complaints aside…it was cute. Though maybe I should credit that to nostalgia and the manga influence?


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks