The Magical Girl Today

I think any American kid around my age remembers Sailor Moon, even if they didn't watch it or weren't a fan. The influence of that anime and the explosion of "magical girl" stories was enough for even the thickest person to get the hint of it's source. And I find that really interesting, how we've created this new genre of Bildungsroman that use the fantasy elements to sneak in these morals and re-tell what many of us have become tired of. The power of allegory will never cease to astound me, nor will how these originals still have influence today. Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, for example, uses a transformation scene that feels identical to the classic "Moon Prism Power!" sequence. My friends and I actually commented on how 90s kids were finally in the animation industry, as this sort of homage feels different from attempts at cashing in on a trend that is popular at the moment -- this feels like a loving tribute, that someone who grew up with the original and wanted to use that to revitalize the required transformations of the story.