The Ups and Downs of Being a Magical Girl
Whether you make a contract, find an old dusty book with some cards in it or maybe you’re just born into it, being a Magical Girl can be hard work. It can also be very rewarding, but hard work. I’ve been fighting my fair share of magical enemies for about a year now, so here’s my list of pros and cons for being an adorably dressed Magical Girl!
Pros
Costume
Every Magical Girl has to look her best and display a unique look! The classic sailor fuku can be a great choice with a few small additions, but I prefer something a bit more… poofy. 
Every Magical Girl costume should have the following: Ribbons, petticoat, ribbons, bows and ribbons. Ribbons on your head, ribbons on your dress, ribbons on your socks and ribbons on your shoes.
Also, feel free to accessorise with cute trinkets like wings, crowns, more ribbons or even animal ears!
No matter what, you’re going to look kawaii and fly.
Familiar
No Magical Girl is complete without her animal companion! Make sure to pick something cute that can be easily recognised as your mascot. You can choose from real 
animals such as cats, mice or rabbits! The cuter and fluffier the better. For the more adventurous Mahou Shoujos, you can pick a mascot that doesn’t exist! This can be a hybrid of existing animals or just something totally random, like a pink fluffball with wings! Also, be sure to teach them to talk.
Karma
If you’re going to be beating up bad guys on a day in, day out basis, that’s gotta get you some good karma points! Nothing feels better than defending innocent civilians and although you’ll be tired, bruised and maybe emotionally damaged after your fights, you’ll feel great that you made a difference!
Magic
The whole basis of being a Magical Girl! Along with your costume and talking familiar, you get to wield some sweet magic! This is often cast using some cute accessory. See that tiara? Now it shoots lasers! Your ribbons? Magic whips. Your cute staff? Flying broom. Utilize your costume and accessories to the best of your magic abilities!
Cons
Costume
Having an elaborate costume is great, and getting into it is a piece of cake since you have your own transformation sequence, but that’s really embarassing in public. Imagine being out with your friends and suddenly you feel sparkles start to fly around you. There’s crime nearby, and you’re needed! Suddenly, you’re blinding the whole shopping centre with your amazing dance moves and posing, combined with searing pink light. Also, where do your clothes go?
Contracts
Depending on how you became a Magical Girl, there are many ways you’re contractually obligated to do your duty. Want to go on a date with the tall, mysterious boy? Nope, you’ve got magical crime fighting tonight. These range from physical contracts to birth rights. No matter what, somebody is going to be breathing down your neck about this stuff.
Balance
Chances are if you’re a magical girl, you’re somewhere between the ages of 12-17. For some reason, these are prime ages for Magical Girls. My logical is that once you hit eighteen, you’re not cute enough to do it anymore, so they politely let you go. Now, here’s where life gets difficult. You need to balance magical crime fighting, school, friends, homework, family life AND maybe a part-time job. It’s exhausting. If you’re thinking about making a contract, do give your timetable a look first, because you don’t want to wear yourself too thin.
Injury
One of the most obvious cons is getting hurt. It’s not all sparkles and kawaii, missy, being a Mahou Shoujo can be dangerous. You can be sent to void realms, have your friends kidnapped, break a nail or break a leg! These enemies aren’t going to go easy on you because you’re young and cute! To them, you look frail and easily defeatable, so make sure to never hold back and fight with all you’ve got!
Now that you know the ins out outs of magical crime fighting, I hope you’ll take it all on board. Good look to all future Magical Girls and keep being kawaii!
