Note: This review will not address any comparisons between the original She-Ra and the Netflix reboot
I’m in love. With Adora, with Bow, with Mermista, with Catra. But most of all, I’m in love with everything that is Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
It’s not an exaggeration when I say that She-Ra is one of the best things to happen in 2018. And perhaps my favorite thing of all is that I never saw it coming.
Netflix’s show is a reboot of the 1985 classic. It follows Adora as she discovers she’s actually a superhero princess with a magic sword and super-strength powers.
The whole show is actually about badass superhero princesses, not just Adora. These girls are everything the Disney princesses aren’t: fierce, independent warriors who don’t need men to defend them. They’re also curvy, short, tall, muscular, chubby, black, white, brown, and everything in between. In a word, they’re perfection.
She-Ra couldn’t have come at a better time. It was released earlier this month, at the end of a torturous year full of sexual assaults, healthcare battles, gun violence, and Nazi uprisings.
But unlike many other shows, which have made passing references to Trump (even Supernatural got one in!), She-Ra exists in a perfect bubble.
She-Ra is the epitome of innocence and bliss. It’s a place of pure joy where the good guys always win and where even the villains are likable. It’s a place where women can accomplish anything they want as long as they have their friends by their side.
During my first viewing of She-Ra (I’m currently on my second!), I literally became giddy with happiness. I didn’t realize how much I needed a show like She-Ra in my life until I had it.
Watching these badass babes realize their strength and embrace each other’s talents was like watching my greatest dream come true.
But that’s not the only wonderful part of She-Ra. Prior to the show’s release, the creators promised that the show would be LGBTQ+ friendly, and boy is it ever. There are so many subtle moments, from Adora and Catra’s dance at the princess ball to Adora and Glimmer’s cuddle at Mystacor. The love between the girls on the show constantly walks the line between friendship and romance.
And on top of all of that, the show is actually funny as hell. The voice actors are amazing and you may actually recognize a few: Marcus Scribner (Black-ish) as Bow, Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Mermista, Lauren Ash (Superstore) as Scorpia, and AJ Michalka (of duo Aly & AJ) as Catra, to name a few.
Etheria has become my new favorite escape from the never-ending news cycle of pain. And in a world so full of violence and hate, having a little place of peace is something everyone could use right now, even if it’s only fiction.
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Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
