something that i love about this series is that coco is not innately talented when it comes to magic. although she's technically the "chosen one," that doesn't come from the idea that she has some kind of special power—in fact, she's not particularly good at casting because she's a beginner! her circles aren't perfect and the proportions are often wonky; she's starting later than her peers and has to play catch up. when magic in this world is an allegory to art and artists, i think it's a great idea to have the main character not be talented in that respect. it promotes the idea that anyone can do it and it's not too late to learn. in fact, you can still create art that moves someone even if you don't have a perfect grasp on fundamentals.
and even that aside: it's refreshing to see a main character who isn't given a special power and i see no inclination from the text that coco will get something like that (the story is rooted towards realism anyway, but i digress). i don't think this kind of trope is inherently bad, but when the message is "anybody can do it," it can certainly muddy that up when the reveal turns out to be, "this character was actually Special all along!" i saw this type of criticism levied at a certain hero anime (which i'm not invoking out of respect), where instead of working within the parameters of a powerless hero with their own strengths to compensate, they're given one of the greatest powers in the world. obviously there's a history with it and a story can be told regardless. it's not even the first of its kind! but isn't it a little disappointing to be told that that sort of greatness is impossible for your average person?
instead, what makes coco special are her values and unique experience. her strength in casting, straight lines, is due to her helping her mother, a seamstress. and just like with art, your experiences help shape the way you make art and the things you focus on. coco is incredibly kind and has a strong belief that magic should be used to make others happy, because magic has always filled her with joy. all of this culminates in how she uses magic and how she might bend the rules in favor of helping others. it's things like finding a way to accommodate tartah's silverwash; all of witch society had given up on him and told him he could never become a witch with his disability, but not coco. because magic is about turning things you can't into something you can.
