What I've been wanting my whole life.
'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life: Find Your Inner Power, Fight Everyday Evil, and Save the Day with Self-Care' is exactly what it sounds like.
It is a treat for every fan of magical girls. It is all kinds of cute, colourful, Magical GirlTM fangirly and geeky goodness, that shines across the pop culture prism and spectrum. It is fun and lighthearted as well as therapeutic and life-affirming. It is a pocket-sized self-care friend.
Jacque Aye sounds like a wonderful person, and a (magical) girl-friend after my own heart. I want to thank her for creating 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life', and her other passion projects; for making them exist and releasing them out into a world that needs them.
In 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life', Aye writes (and draws) chapters such as 'What's your Magical Girl Power?' (I am Heart and Creativity), 'Choose Your Name' (goddesses, I can't decided - so many I could choose that suit me!), 'Choose Your Weapon' (maybe a pen for me, though I do love a good old traditional magical girl wand, rod or staff - the more girly the better!), 'Finding Your Familiar' (Cats. Always.), 'Your Magical Girl Gang', 'Define Your Monsters' (inner monsters, that is, such as your weaknesses being preyed on, your insecurities, and your triggers), 'Self-Care After Saving the Day', 'The Magical Girl's Beauty Regime' (a nice plus for me, especially nowadays), and 'Finding Love After Fighting Crime'. Aye writes about her own personal experiences throughout, like she really is divulging to a friend and fellow magical girl. Very helpful indeed, especially when she talks about social anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Being a magical girl is not all sweetness and sparkles, after all.
A lot is discussed concerning friendships and healthy relationships overall. It is a self-help book for adults, about adulting, too.
At the beginning, there is a list of 'Magical Girl Requirements (in no particular order)', and every single one of them applies to me personally. So there's that!
Also contains a Magical GirlTM manga segment in the middle of the life guidance counselling.
The Magical Girl Intermissions are helpful, needed, unintrusive and adorbs!
Aye makes many references to 'Sailor Moon' - the biggie, the standard Magical GirlTM influence over the decades, the number one nostalgic starlight and moonlight love, the awakening for pretty much every magical girl - and other Magical GirlTM pop culture properties, such as 'Cardcaptor Sakura', the 'Pretty Cure' anime series', 'Creamy Mami', 'Magic Knight Rayearth', 'Sugar Sugar Rune', and 'Kiki's Delivery Service' (it totally counts for the purposes of the book!). Magical girls are not limited to Japan, far from it, so western Magical GirlTM cartoons get referenced alongside anime, such as 'Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir', 'Winx Club', 'Steven Universe', and 'Bee and Puppycat'. Aye often uses these examples for real life comparatives - for the positive, though she is still boldly critical of the shows a few times, and is aware of their flaws and points them out when she needs to.
Being critical of the things you love is a sign of someone with their head firmly on their shoulders, and their heart on their sleeves and in the right place. It is a sign of someone who cares deeply.
Speaking of, one major flaw I will point out in 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life' itself is a part in the beauty care regime chapter where Aye writes explicitly that it is important and attractive to smile all the time, as that alone will make you happy. It leans towards toxic positivity, and the idea that people who always seem to be smiling are in fact happy and trustworthy, and therefore attractive and worthy; worthy of everyone's attention. It is a shocking oversight on Aye's part, as a practicing therapist.
Another critique: I am surprised 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' isn't referenced in 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life'. I mean, it's become almost as synonymous with magical girls as 'Sailor Moon', and in Aye's 'Magical Girls You Should Know' part of her 'Outro', she lists 'Sleepless Domain' as a recommendation, so it's not like she's averse to the darker Magical GirlTM titles.
Yes, Aye is well versed in even the most obscure Magical GirlTM stuff, including 'MagnifiqueNoir' (aka 'magnifiqueNOIR')! She truly is like my best friend. I would love to be part of her magical girl friendship gang.
However, to go back to her 'Madoka Magica' omission, I feel she missed something else: I would have referenced and recommended 'W.I.T.C.H.', to go with 'Winx Club'.
Magical girls = the power in the feminine. It is one of my core beliefs and philosophies. It is one of the reasons why I have adored magical girls since childhood, and have never "outgrown" them.
They are not silly and childish. They are powerful. They are important.
Aye even includes real life magical girl examples in her book, or they are magical beings according to her interpretation, such as Naomi Osaka, Wangari Maathai, Kizzmekia Corbett, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Serena Williams, Sha'Carri Richardson, Doja Cat, and Toni Morrison. Thank you for bringing these wonderful and inspirational WOC to my attention (including yourself), Jacque Aye!
An extra gold star for pointing out that anyone of any gender can be a magical girl or magical being! And for not assuming that everyone's true love has to be heterosexual. But what about acknowledging asexuality, and aroace people? This is another unfortunate oversight.
I am a magical girl, and thanks to Jacque Aye's 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life: Find Your Inner Power, Fight Everyday Evil, and Save the Day with Self-Care', as well as looking up to so many different magical girls across the globe and the stars and the cosmos, I know I can be proud to be one. To act like one. It makes me happy, and feel I am glowing on the inside and outside.
I want to be feminine and strong. Those two traits are not mutually exclusive. I want to believe in love, care, empathy, and friendship.
I will be coming back to 'The Magical Girl's Guide to Life', always. I adore this beautiful, well written and put together little gem.
Jacque Aye, on the slim chance you are reading this, here are my Magical GirlTM recommendations to you: the 'W.I.T.C.H.' comics, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', 'She-Ra and the Princesses of Power' (read here and here), 'Zodiac Starforce', 'A Magical Girl Retires', 'Flavor Girls', 'Meesh the Bad Demon', 'Magical Boy', 'Magica Riot', 'Hovergirls', 'Save Yourself!', 'Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.', 'Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess', and 'Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe'.
Now to check out 'Adorned by Chi'.
In the name of love and the moon, this magical girl signs off!
Final Score: 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment