She-Ra and the Princesses of Power follows Adora, an orphan raised by the Horde. This evil army is led by Hordak, who rules the planet Etheria with an iron fist. One day, after getting lost in the woods, Adora finds a magic sword that transforms her into the titular Princess of Power, She-Ra. After realizing the suffering that the Horde has inflicted on Etheria and its inhabitants, Adora joins the Resistance in the fight against the Horde through rebuilding the Princess Alliance, a group of other magical girls that once all opposed Hordak. Adora’s newfound allegiance to the Resistance pits her against her former best friend Catra, whose sense of abandonment, malicious ambitions, and the disappearance of her former friend enables her to rise in the ranks of the Horde to become the new heroine’s mortal enemy.

Genre: Action/Adventure, Magical Girl, Science Fantasy, Children’s Cartoon
Where to Watch: Netflix
Rating: 5/5 stars

I love cartoons, especially ones that feature cute characters like magical girls. I was a child of the 80s and obsessed over many of the big “merchandise cartoons” that were designed to sell toys, like Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, and Lovely Lady Locks. But I never watched the original She-Ra.

Why not? It just never appealed to me. The characters looked too old and “sexy”, like they were designed for boys, especially since I knew it was a spin-off of the He-Man series (which I didn’t watch, either). I didn’t have any friends who watched it or collected the toys, so there was no one encouraging me to check it out. I may have given it a try at some point, but I don’t remember ever liking it.

But the moment I saw the new designs for She-Ra, I knew it was going to be right up my alley.

She’s cute and she’s strong. The other princesses show a great range of diversity, from skin colors and body types to the variety of outfits and abilities they have. I don’t have any nostalgia for the originals, so I can’t really weigh in on that controversy, but I love these new character designs. I think they have a modern look for kids today and reflect some of the diversity of our own society. They’re so appealing that if there were dolls available today, I would be out buying them right now.

And you guys, they’re so very, very gay.

If you know one thing about me, it’s that I love LGBT characters. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is exploding with rainbows and queerness. I can’t help but squeal over how adorable the whole thing is.

Also, a flying unicorn! Awesome voice actors! Hilarious jokes! Emotional arcs that will make you laugh and cry! Sparkles!

I realize this isn’t a very objective review, but I don’t care. I love She-Ra. My only complaint is that the second season only felt like a half, because of the smaller amount of episodes and the fact that it just ends without a real finale. I really hope Netflix doesn’t make us wait another year before giving us more episodes.

I recommend She-Ra to anyone who loves magical girl cartoons but especially Sailor Moon, Madoka Magica, and Steven Universe. If you’re looking for a copy of the original 80s show, this isn’t that. But you might still enjoy it as something totally new.