Magical Girl Dandelion, Vol. 1

by 水帆かえる

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga

160 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Jayla (Tyler Durden's Girl, HAPPY BMH!)]

pre-read ⋆˚🪄🌼｡
OH SHIT, MAGICAL GIRL DANDELION IS COMING OUT SOON?
please wake me up on march 3rd.

[Jack Goff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love a good magical girl story! My first anime ever, like a lot of people, was Sailor Moon so I always get super nostalgic whenever I get to read a magical girl manga. This one takes place in a world where magical girls are known by the population and are managed by a large group. Our main character was given a magical aptitude test before and scored low, but suddenly awakens to her full potential and becomes a full fledged magical girl! The only problem is that the best friend she’s had since childhood is a fiend, one of the creatures that magical girls are sworn to defeat.

First of all, cover? Gorgeous. The character designs are what drew me to the manga first. I love a good shadow wielding character, especially when they are paired with a character with a bright, sunny palette. The story is fun, the characters are great. I think my only complaint is that while the two main characters are very fleshed out, the side characters kind of fall by the wayside a little. There’s one scene where our heroine is protecting her friends from a threat and during the course of the scene that follows, I forgot her friends were even there until later when it was brought up again.

That being said, this is just the first volume. I’m sure the other characters will get a bit more fleshing out as the story goes on. I was really excited to get the DRC for this one. I was reading the free chapters as they were coming out for a while there, and I immediately requested this one when I saw it pop up. Thanks to Netgalley and VIZ Media for the DRC!!

[♡ zuly ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pleasantly surprised me. Tanpopo is a girl who was saved by a fiend in her childhood, that has since continued to watch over her. The only issue is, now that she's older, she's grown into a magical girl, whose main objective is to defeat said fiends. I expected this to read a bit more traditionally shoujo, and was surprised by how dark it got at points (I'm not upset about it though!). I really enjoyed the art direction and storytelling, and am looking forward to continuing to watch the complicated relationship between these two develop.
Thank you to Netgalley and Viz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jacob Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It reads like a shonen magical girl story, which I don't know if I've seen before. The art style is beautiful and crisp. The action flows so well from panel to panel, and I never feel confused about what is going on. The more I think about this story, the more I loved it. I for sure will get a copy of this book for my local library!

[Cee]

I cannot tell you how excited I am to read this.

[Chris Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

S/O and TY to Netgalley and the publisher Viz media for the earc of this title.

I love magical girl stories and at first glance this seemed a generic entry into the genre but I liked the unique relationship between the main character, Tanpopo/Magical Girl Dandelion, and her guardian Fiend, Shade and that makes this story stand out. I’d definitely read a second volume of this as the three chapters presented in the first volume were just a taste and did a good job setting up the conflict that’s going to drive the plot forward.

I’d recommend this to readers who like magical girl transformations, symbiotic relationships, and conflicting moralities.

3.75/5 stars.