Amber Benson

Magical Girls

Maggie Gordon

This review hurts to do as I enjoy all these people, but Magical Girls was not a very enjoyable story. It is about three young women who are fandom besties who are finally getting to meet each other in person, but all of them have secrets that they have been keeping and are nervous to reveal. One, a well-regarded fic author, wants to quit writing and reveal that her work was a parody all along. Another is actually a big name pop star who moonlights as a fan-vid creator who is afraid that her friends will desert her when they learn of her fame. The third is a woman who produces gif-sets and cosplays, though she doesn't seem to be fandom famous like the other two who are BNFs (big name fans). Her secret is that she talks to cats and she has MS. 

It's this third character that brought this story down from two stars to one for me. MS is a big trigger of mine because I have it. Unsurprisingly, I am extraordinarily sensitive to portrayals of MS because they are infrequent and usually terrible. Magical Girls doesn't frame people with MS as on the verge of death, but it sticks closely to a not particularly accurate narrative. This third woman confesses her secret by showing her friends that she walks with a cane and uses a wheelchair sometimes. I really really REALLY hate mobility devices being used as shorthand for MS. For one, the younger you are with MS, the more likely you don't use mobility devices. People only know that I have MS because I am open about having this illness. I struggle with a series of symptoms that are completely invisible. I have used a cane in the past after a bad flare-up, but with the advent of better treatment, the younger an MS patient, the more likely you will not be able to see their illness. It's not that mobility devices are bad or something we should avoid using if needed, but it's basically all the representation MS patients ever get and it sucks. 

Disclosure of a chronic illness is often fraught, but the whole "sometimes I wobble" bit is such an easy, stereotypical way of showing that someone is ill. Brain fog, spasticity, extreme fatigue, and incontinence are all frequent side affects of MS, and people with MS face terrible backlash for them. Magical Girls took the easiest way out and that just doesn't sit right with me. 

I was also super annoyed that the character with MS doesn't seem to be a BNF (at least it was not clear in the narrative), nor is she seemingly as talented as her friends. It's just... a frustrating comparison, even more so when you think their secrets (pop star VS chronic illness?!?). I want representation, but if part of the plot revolves around issues like disclosure and discrimination, let's do it right?

Magical Girls is supposed to be a silly story about fan culture. It feels almost like parody, but it's not actually poking fun at or exploring the ridiculous side of fandom. It's a story about female friendship, which is awesome, but narrative set-up makes it feel like the story wants to be something else. 

If you are a fan of the three authors and their sense of humour, you may very well enjoy this story. It seems to be well-received so far, but unfortunately, my great love for Seanan could not save this one for me.

Magical Girls

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