Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica

The Magical Girl genre has seen many changes over the decade, the perhaps most well known involving teenage girls transforming into magical superheroines to battle evil, i.e. Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach and the like while some take a turn into the fantasy genre such as the Final Fantasy-like Magic Knight Rayearth. Many of these shows are often filled with cheer while also spreading the message about love and friendship as the colourful band of girls battle evil with the aid of a cute and cuddly mascot character, find romance then go off to meet up for tea and cakes.

However in January 2011, an all new ... anime series surfaced on TV in Japan that and changed Magical Girl anime as we know it. That anime was Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Madoka basically did for the Magical Girl genre what Evangelion did for the mecha genre in that it broke the mold by taking a more darker approach to an already well know genre. The first few episodes start out in the typical cheerfulness of Magical Girl anime, but this is merely a trick to cover up what's to come. After the third episode, the series goes down a much darker path with unsuspecting twists showing that becoming a magical girl is much like a deal with the devil and maitains a foreboding sense of threat. The characters go through so much pain and suffering that you actually feel bad for them.
Even Kyubey, the token magical girl mascot of the show isn't all he seems and has a much more sinister agenda. This is defiantly a whole lot grittier than any Magical Girl anime before it. But this is really what makes it stand out.

Madoka was picked up for a DVD release in the U.S. Valentine's Day 2012 by Aniplex before eventually being released in the U.K. by Manga Entertainment October 29 the same year and was awarded as Neo Magazine's favorite anime of 2012. And it's also become mine.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a fresh new take on the Magical Girl genre with it's overall darker tone. Forget about everything you've seen in Sailor Moon, cause Madoka is NOT your typical Magical Girl anime. Watch it!

Madoka Magica... if there was a list of five most hyped anime of the last ten years, this would definitely make it. Typically I avoid the magical girl genre, its just not my taste, but after seeing Madoka mentioned for the thousandth time in a week I finally relented to my curiosity and watched the short series the day after the last episode aired. Much to my surprise, it wasn't half bad.

The art in this series is heavily stylized, but truly fantastic and bursting with detail. Given as much anime as i watch the fact that I can clearly remember ... scenes months later is a testament to that. Sound quality is excellent and used to good effect.

Characters in the series are likable (or unlikable when appropriate), but most are highly cliche and overflowing with girly angst (to be fair, its a feature of the genre). For the most part they fall neatly into archetypes, but they undergo proper development as the story progresses.

Story-wise, after the first couple episodes warm the series up Madoka stays enjoyable, though like most anime trying to be different it introduces plot elements that are frankly out of place (the big one is hard to mention without spoiling, but Ill just say that in a story that revolves around magic scientific explanations just aren't necessary). Pacing is good, and a handful of twists (some which can be seen coming, but don't get tired) keep things fresh. If you aren't a fan of the genre stick out the first couple episodes, they get progressively better after those.

Overall, its one of the better anime in the last couple years and a treat to watch. Groundbreaking? No. Thought provoking? Slightly. But its fresh enough and crafted with enough care to rise to the top of a genre that till now felt totally played out. At 12 episodes its worth a watch for sure, you probably wont regret the four hours you invest.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, is one of the greatest anime series i have as yet encountered. The plot is simply amazing, the soundtrack is mesmerising, the characters so easy to relate to that it is just phenominal.

But that's not all, because this series takes everything you ever thought you knew about the magical girl genre and gives it to you, then turns your coach into a rotten pumpkin.

The theme of this series is desires, dreams and wishes. Not only how we think we want something, but also how far we're willing to go for that wish, what we're willing ... to do for it, and the consequences behind being given what we want.

Kyuubei, the wish-granter, is one of the most chilling characters i have ever met in the world of fantasy. And you end up empathising completely with Madoka and the other girls as their characters are so wonderfully developed within the series. The artwork is a mixture of cute-ish style and just plain wacked (you have to wonder how exactly some of these artists came up with them) and the soundtrack completes the mood so perfectlythat it all ultimately helps create an endearing and heartbreaking anime series. I've actually downloaded the entire soundtrack i thought it was so cool!

The basic idea is simple; everyone has a desire within their hearts, be it for themselves or another. What this series does is turn the whole concept of this idea and the magical girl genre on its head like you're watching a dark fairytale that you didn't even realise was actually a nightmare until it was too late to turn back.

I fullly recommend this to anybody, because this is not your average run of the mill magical girl series, and it reveals that behind the cutesy-fluff of the genre there is a whole other side to it that no one ever wanted to believe existed. If watching this series doesn't make you shed a tear or get even vaguely watery eyes, then i don't know what will.

A truely enchanting and heartbreaking series that everyone should watch.

I’m going to be completely honest in this review. I was quite hesitant and sceptical about watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica purely because magical girls and all that jazz are usually something that I don’t like to watch. But I am pleased to say that when I did go ahead to watch this anime, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t know what to expect, though I had seen it floating around for quite some time. The first episode past and I was still not convinced on the show but after the second episode was finished, I found myself up to episode 8 just like that and before I ... knew it I had completed the show.

The concept and storyline is not like what you would expect from a ‘magical girl’ kind of anime. The theme of Madoka Magica is tragic and grievous, depressing and heart-rending. It follows the lives of a middle school girl Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki who meet Kyuubey who is a ‘mysterious and friendly’ familiar who can grant the girls any wish they would like. All they have to do is make a contract with him and become a Magical Girl. Whilst the idea seems intriguing and fascinating little do they realise that with that power comes severe and serious consequences that would change their lives forever. I don’t want to really give the storyline away to those who are yet to see this anime but just know that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not your light romance/comedy. 

Themes: The main themes in this anime are friendship, nothing is for free, and the manipulation of evil. 
Friendship is key part of this anime as it’s what keep the girls fighting through and battling each witch. But the power of friendship and loyalty is something I noticed occurring repeatedly throughout the show eg. Homura looks out for Madoka and protects her as best she can from becoming a Magical Girl. 
Another theme is the manipulation of evil. Evil twists deeper and deeper into the storyline, Kyuubey as cute and innocent as he may look is quite deceitful and insidious. Since he cannot understand the values and morals that humans carry, he looks upon them as merely useless shells. The only part worth capturing is their souls which he can then make immortal. The lesson the girls learn and come to realise is that nothing is for free. Wishes may be granted but in turn, making someone else happy will create despair and doom for others. Changing destiny, is something that is not to be messed with, as it can alter and destroy all of what they’ve known. I found the story to be quite engaging, interesting, and twisting the usual spin on ‘magical girls’ was a surprising and new experience for me to see.

Art:
I found the artwork of this series to be very simplistic and different. I can’t say that I was a huge fan of the way the characters were drawn but I did enjoy the futuristic settings and environments in which the story is set in. The houses and schools in this anime seem spacious and ultra modern which makes the school setting different from most anime I have seen. The contrast between light and dark colours portray a statement in the ‘Good vs Evil kind of way. Though the colour palate can be quite gloomy and dreary at times, the contrast between their world and the characters clothing and colour scheme is something I seemed to have noticed quite a bit. It makes me feel like the characters are trapped in their world and cannot escape it until they fight off the darkness that is suffocating them.

Characters: The character development was like a journey through an electric storm. Thinking you know what to expect from these characters and then they surprise you with devastating and heart breaking backstories that changed the way I perceived the character. From Kyoko Sakura’s past to Sayaka Miki’s future. Each one is so depressing and some what emotional that it gives a depth into how magic can destroy lives. Through the character of Madoka, I feel like I can relate to how she couldn’t fit in or do anything really extraordinary. She wanted to prove to everyone around her that she could protect others too. Her dejected facade made watching this show interesting because you didn’t know what she was going to do. The characters are each individuals and have their own morals and values of what they believe is right and wrong. I found that the characters in this anime were memorable, my favourite being Kyoko Sakura. Homura Akemi, was the silent badass type which I immediately loved. Sayaka Miki started off alright but gradually disliked her more and more. A character that I absolutely loved was Kyoko Sakura. Her fieriness, her blunt and straight up personality is something that made her stand out in this series. I personally think she is the best character in this series and her backstory is quite tragic and depressing. All the characters take dark and twisted turns, but keeps the story engaging.

Sound: In many aspects, the soundtrack I found was perfectly suited for this anime. The opening theme Connect suited the atmosphere of the show quite well. I wouldn’t say it was my favourite opening or that it is one I found very memorable but it provided a nice touch to the series. I found the second ending theme Magia so perfect for this anime. It really captured the emotions and deep aspects of evil and manipulation that is conveyed in show.

Enjoyment: Overall I think Puella Magi Madoka was worth watching. Everyone is obviously entitled to their own opinion but I can say that this show isn’t for everyone. I enjoyed the pace of this anime and the overall concept of themes behind it. It left me thinking about just how cruel life can get sometimes and the obstacles we have to face in order to live. I would give this anime a 8/10.

Puella Magi Madoka was one of the most talked about shows last season. I initially checked it out because SHAFT (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari, Arakawa Under The Bridge) was behind the project. Let’s just say that I’ve constantly enjoyed most of their work and was willing to look into Puella Magi Madoka Magica despite it being a genre I’ve never really enjoyed.

So what’s there to say about Puella Magi Madoka Magica? A lot apparently. This was a masterfully crafted story that injected new life to a tired genre without completely straying away from it. In a way, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is both a tribute ... and a deconstruction of the magical girl concept.


The show made good use of the 12 episodes it had, they wasted no time and used every episode to progress the story and develop the characters. Every character was important, each one was given sufficient growth and this made the tragic events have a bigger impact on the viewer. With all these important storytelling elements in place accompanied by unique visuals and gorgeous (sometimes heart wrenching) music, Puella Magi Madoka Magica has undoubtedly become one of the most remembered and revered shows of 2011.

I think a lot of people mistakenly compare this to Neon Genesis Evangelion. And honestly? I don’t see a lot of similarities between the two. NGE presented itself as a mecha show that went on to write a completely different genre for itself. Madoka as I stated earlier, is more of a tribute and a deconstruction.

It has more in common with the grim Now and Then, Here and There delivering a story of hope in the backdrop of a despair-filled setting while still being somewhat loyal to the genre. Another commendable feat of this show is that it doesn’t sacrifice it’s plot for the sake of being different, it doesn’t blame anyone in particular for all the misfortune that’s happened and things still make sense if you think about it and the protagonists hardly act out of character.

As for flaws, the show doesn’t suffer from any major flaw but it might take some time to get used to the art style. Also, while the show did utilize the time it was given, the concept of entropy remains vague and isn’t exactly given a more concrete explanation. Other than that, Madoka remains to be a solid show I’d recommend to anyone. It now has a place in my all time favorites. Whether or not Madoka will leave a legacy in its wake is something only time can tell. It definitely has the makings of a classic, proving that you can still find a gem in this day and age when anime is saturated with mediocrity.

I started watching this anime when it first premiered, but dropped it after the first episode due to time constraints. When it finally finished after the huge delay the tsunami caused, there was such a buzz about it I had to try it. I marathon'ed the whole thing in two days, Easter Weekend, and I was enthralled.

I don't watch much of any Magical Girl anime, but I know enough to know this is a very, very dark take on a lot of the genre's conventions. The 'good guys' are far from protected by main character armor; don't be surprised to see apparently ... major characters start dying, and brutally fast. And when the magical girls fight the 'witches', the evil protagonists they make deals with the creepy-ass 'QB' to battle, the animation turns into a bad acid trip. I never thought cotton balls with Groucho 'staches could be so terrifying. And that's just the one they fight in the first episode.

It's often depressing, and the art style is very distinctive (I find myself staring at the cross-shading in the character's pupils a lot of the time), so some people may get turned off by that. The ending is a bittersweet one and very thematically apropos, not to mention epic as all hell. I love the character designs, especially Mami-san, the old Magical Girl with the oversized breasts, drill hair, perpetual dopey smile and a huge arsenal of flintlock-style guns.

Also, for once, a Magical Girl anime that uses absolutely no stock footage! Hooray for not saving money by playing the exact same transformation sequence every episode.

I recommend Madoka Magica as highly as I can. Full 10/10!

--A Review of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica--


Madoka Magica is put on a pedestal by many as a brilliant decomposure of the Mahou Shoujo genre and for all the credit it's getting it does live up too it.



-Story-

*MINOR SPOILER - DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THE SERIES WITH 0 KNOWLEDGE*
...
The story follows the high school girl Madoka as she lives her everyday life but one day she hears a voice inside of her head calling out for help.
Following the tracks of the voice she meets with a girl called Mami and a cat-like creature called Kyubei and learns about the world of a Mahou Shoujo and how they live and protect the people around the world from witches.
As the story progresses more and more dark secrets reveals themselves.

*MINOR SPOILER END*

I think the main brilliance of Madoka Magica is it's story as it turns into a very enjoyable series but also a very deep and intellectual one who has very dark and real themes which is very contradictory for the Mahou Shoujo genre.

There are some small flaws like how with consideration you realize how stupid all the adults of the world they live in are but no show can be perfect and it's definitely deserving of a very high score.



-Art-

As for the art style of the show I found myself questioning it at the beginning as it's pretty unique and as a standalone I can't say I liked it however due to the general theme of the series I found the art style very fitting and adjustable and somehow it had something special I just can't put my finger on.

I also wanna give credit for the animation of said art style.
My reasoning is that the art style within the witches world and outside of it is substantially different but due to wonderful work they have animated it in such a way that it feels complete and not just like two series stuck on top of each other.

The general animation while having no real excellent points had no major flaws either so generally a very good job with art and animation.



-Sound-

The SFX of Madoka Magica are very good as they fit into their purpose and I can't think of any that sticks out as poor.

As for the music it's brilliant, I found the soundtracks to be after the story the most brilliant part of the series as they swap the OSTs accordingly with the current mood of the story very well and manage to merge the swap of a track into another without being noted unless you're looking for it.

As for the opening it makes you feel happy and hyped for the episode that's coming which is very reoccuring with work from ClariS and that causes this to be an excellent choice for the Madoka series in my opinion and "Connect" as a standalone song is also very good.

The most astonishing thing is the ending though.
"Magia" by Kalafina is one of the anime communities most liked songs and with good reason, it fits well with the dark theme of the anime, it's powerful and it instills some kind of craving in you causing you too want more and more making it the perfect choice for an ending theme and the ending for Madoka Magica especially.



-Characters-

This is the flaw of the series in my opinion.
While the characters and it's development are extremely good this is only true for everyone but Madoka.
Don't get me wrong as Madoka is also a good character and helps the story advance forward but she just gets outshone by the side characters as they all develop extremely interestingly including their personalities, skills, values and so on.

My personal favourite character to watch was Sayaka as she gets so much development and changes so much during the series while my favourite character in general was Kyubei who had such an interesting character development and is quite possibly among the top of his kind in all of anime. (I will avoid saying anything further about the characters as while they put too much focus on the main supporting cast it's still extremely interesting watching them evolve)



-Enjoyment-

I throughly enjoyed Madoka Magica and it's dark theme and I appreciated it's decomposure of the Mahou Shoujo genre and while I think people are putting it on a pedestal way too often I'd still rank it in my top 10 animes ever thus far but I think overall the best way to watch Madoka is to watch it with as little knowledge as possible.



-Overall-

I tend to be very heavily influenced with my overall scores by enjoyment and as to avoid that I have simply taken the factors of Story, Art, Sound, Character, Enjoyment and Ending and with the help of math arrived at a score of 9,17/10

At the time of this review I have not watched either of the Madoka films and as such I am only using the anime as a reference.

If you did watch Madoka Magica and liked it I'd recommend you check out "Princess Tutu" which is another great decomposure of the Mahou Shoujo genre.

Or the all so famous "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni" as it too has a very dark theme.

Thank you for reading this review and I hope it helped you decide whether or not to watch this series, forgive my grammar mistakes and enjoy the show.

The first reference I had of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was commented in a forum that the best anime of the year, a publication my attention that said "Madoka is the Evangelion of magical girl anime"

I decided to watch it and I fell in love with it and it is certainly one of the best animes I've seen in recent times.

The story begins as several stories about magical girls, appears to be magical and strange named Kyubey and instead of a fighter makes you wish for the goodness and love against the evil witch, or so it seems, but from chapter 3, the plot begins ... to develop in the verdadeas impact on the decision to become a magical girl.

The plot begins to internalize the reasons for each character on that becoming a magical girl and asked the repercussions of desire, fear, family love, loneliness, death, friendship and an ongoing sense of nostalgia and no output to the option of becoming a magical girl to have the same fate after this permeated the picture of a dark air, where music and great animation contrubuyen way to emphasize it.

The music is incredible soundtrack contains beautiful instrumentals while opening (connect by Claris) is a song that opens each chapter and the ending (which Magia by Kalafina appear until the third chapter) really tops each chapter that tone dark.

In short it is an anime that you enjoy a 10/10 which I am anxious to see the end in the third movie!
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La primera referencia que tuve de Puella Magi Madoka Magica fue en un foro que comentaba los mejores animes del año, una publicacion me llamo la atencion la cual decia "Madoka es el evangelion de los anime de chicas magicas"

Decidi verlo y me enamore de el y sin duda es uno de los mejores animes que he visto en los ultimos tiempos.

La historia comienza como varias historias sobre chicas magicas, aparece un ser magico y extraño llamado kyubey y a cambio de un deseo te convierte en luchadora por la bondad y el amor en contra de las malvadas brujas, o al menos eso parece, pero a partir del capitulo 3 la trama comienza a desarrollarse en las verdadeas consecuencias sobre la decision de convertirse en una chica magica.

La trama comienza a interiorizar sobre los motivos de cada personaje sobre el por que convertirse en una chica magica y las repercuciones del deseo pedido, el miedo, el amor familiar, la soledad, la muerte, la amistad y un continuo sentimiento de nostalgia y de que no hay salida a la opcion de convertirse en chica magica para despues tener el mismo destino esta impregnado el anime, de un aire obscuro, donde la musica y la animacion contrubuyen de manera grandiosa a enfatizarlo.

La música es increíble banda sonora contiene hermosas instrumentales durante la apertura (conecte por Claris) es una canción que abre cada capítulo y el final (que aparecen Magia de Kalafina hasta el tercer capítulo) realmente encabeza cada capítulo que el tono oscuro.

En resumen, es un anime que disfruta de un 10/10, que estoy ansioso por ver el final de la tercera película!

[Abridged storyline: Puella Magi Madoka Magica is about a group of young girls who are being persuaded to make a contract with this unusual animal called Kyuubey. Basically, if this contract is made, the girls get their wish fulfilled, and become magical girls for life.]
If you have an obsession with the “magical girl” genre, but want something new and different, I highly recommend this anime.

Pros:
1) This magical-girl show is filled with tragedy and uniqueness. It’s not just about girls who are fighting crime, and bringing justice. There is a high amount of depth in this show. It goes away from the rainbows ... and butterflies of magic.
2) It’s a combination of various genres. It has a bit of sci-fi, action, drama, magic, etc.
3) Though this show only has female main characters, both genders will enjoy it.
4) For a 12 episode series, it answers a lot of questions we are thinking through out the show about the contract, Kyuubey, and the wishes.
5) The ending is bittersweet. The writers did an excellent job of concluding the show even thought it is predictable and pretty unoriginal.
6) The relationship that the main character has with the mom is something that should be done in more anime. We get to hear the wisdom and helpful advice from mother to daughter, and we are able to see why the character is the way she is. I just wish that they showed the other girls parents (where the heck were they?)
7) I have yet to do this, but rewatching the show will not kill the enjoyment. The first episode will actually make more sense after you finish the series.
8) I did not really focus on the songs when I was watching the anime, but it has been mentioned that even the songs (especially opening theme) starts to make sense when the show is in its final episodes. It sounds bright and cheerful, but is it really?
9) The artwork was intriguing. The “other realm”, the background, the fighting sequences was done brilliantly. You might not understand it in the beginning, but like everything else in this anime, the pieces of the puzzle seems to come together by the end of the series (might be a turnoff for some).
10) There was character development. You learn more about the characters that you actually want to know more about.

Cons:
1) I absolutely did not like how the characters were drawn. The eyes, hair, and the facial structures were not my cup of tea.
2) Although the characters had development, the characters role in the story was obvious. They were very irritating in the beginning, because they were the typical archetypes of any anime.
3) Even though the first episode might have hooked many people to continue the show, for others (like me), it’s only when we’re half way through the anime (approx. episode 5-6) that we start to fully enjoy it.
4) Though I said this anime does not follow the cliché’s of the magical theme shows, there are a lot of unoriginal content; I cannot really mention them because it contains spoilers. Some people might not be emotionally invested in this anime because of it. I think the thing that saved this anime was the fact that it did well in its presentation/execution of the storyline. It made up for those unoriginal moments.

Things you may want to know before you watch this show:
1) There is blood and violence.
2) There is little to zero romance.
3) There is nudity by the end of the series (nothing too explicit or detailed). Actually, it's really nothing.
4) It does emphasize on friendship.
5) The storyline is not shallow; it’s not just about happy people.

I have not seen many anime of this genre (I didn’t even bother watching Sailor Moon when I was little), so I could not completely appreciate the originality of this show. Though I enjoyed it, I believe many others who are familiar with the magical theme will applaud it. I would recommend some people to watch it!
…12 episodes wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

Everything gets 10/10 on this! The pure awesomeness flowing out my TV make me want to watch this again and again. My first impression was regular but when you think about it, this anime has so much packed into each episode. The witches have a unique way of being presented, that at first I hated. But when I noticed why they had done it, I was amazed! They had made them seem foreign to anime itself, only making the witches uglier. Adding on to all this is the pure fact that all the back stories hit on the correct type of mood. Even the fans ... made some pretty good assumptions about each character and their background stories. The fact that it's short is not a bad thing too, its the perfect size. I highly recommend this if you have not already watched it, its poetic, artistic and a total masterpiece!

Spoiler Free!!!

This anime for me was just simply... a Masterpiece (10\10) work . Amazing characters, amazing story, and its genuinely tragic and sad. The animation and art design is beautiful arranging from a nice vibrant area to crazy fast paced area to a deep and physiological, complex exploration of the witches labyrinth. The sound was great in the Japanese version... the English on the other hand is fine the jap. version is just better. I enjoyed every single second I was watching this Masterpiece of an anime and it left such a great impression on me that I have re-watched it 5 times researched ... so much stuff on this anime that I know it like the back of my hand and I cannot recommend this anime enough this is a treat for anime fans everywhere.



But of course NO work of art is completely perfect. So here are the few problems I had with this anime and I will say this before hand they are very small problems that most people would not find distracting in any way and it took me quite a bit of re-viewings to find them now there might be more that I missed even after 5 re-viewings, but that just shows how small and insignificant these problems are to your overall enjoyment. 1) The TV version had a few stretches and mishaps in the animation department mostly dealing with the lighting it was a bit to dark to see things BUT they fixed this on the Blu-Ray and DVD version. 2) I cannot spoil the ending I don't even like telling people what this is even about I just want them to go in dry, but at the end of the series there is just a small bit of too much talking to explain a certain plot point.. but its payoff is brilliance. 3) I don't find this a problem as much as others might this is a very complex anime, and some might not be able to understand it but does a good job at explaining what goes on.


SO overall Story (10\10). Art (10/10) Blue-Ray DVD, (9.5\10) TV broadcast version. Sound (10\10) Jap. (9\10) Dub. Characters (10\10), Enjoyment (10/10), Overall (10\10), A defiant MUST WATCH Anime experience that SHOULD be seen blind SO NO SPOILERS HERE!

(Edit: Re-watched this, and enjoyed it *considerably* more the second time around. I think perhaps I was already in a dark mood when I first encountered this series, and it negatively impacted my viewing somewhat. Make no mistake, I think this is still an unpleasant series to some degree, but its shocking eagerness to tear apart the magical girl genre from the inside out kept a bitter smirk plastered on my face when it wasn't ripping my heart out. I've kept my original review mostly intact below, because I really don't feel like rewriting it, but I've bumped my score for it from an 8 ... up to a 10. This is truly a great series, and I don't think it'll be long before it's held in the same sort of love/hate esteem that people reserve for deconstructor fleet shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion--though I can assure you that this is probably less-flawed than that particular program.)

This is a tough anime review for me to write, and a tough anime for me to assign a score to. I knew going into it that Madoka Magica was going to be a 'dark' take on the magical girl genre, and I was sort of prepared to hate it just based on that. I'm honestly sick of people equating 'dark' with 'good,' and have been for as long as I can remember. (Star Wars Episode III was praised to the high heavens for its 'darkness.' Am I the only one who thought that it was the worst entry in the prequel trilogy?)

And I can safely report that I did not particularly enjoy this anime. Nor did I particularly like it. But I respect its artistry, and am positively in awe of its willingness to mercilessly and logically follow its initial rule-establishing through to its inevitable, bitter (sweet) end. Every episode is a wham episode, without any overt signs of contrivance. I'm not certain that there's an ounce of spare fat in the plot that could be done away with, other than arguably the first two episodes. Still, the first two episodes serve their purpose well--they set the viewer up for a cutsey, nice, slightly post-modern magical girl series before ripping the rug out from underneath you and allowing you to plummet through deeper and deeper horrors.

It sounds unpleasant--and I'm not going to lie, it sort of is. But it's also brave storytelling, anchored by fairly-well developed characters and a pervading sense of dread and tragedy that actually feels like proper tragedy--not just drama gussied up with heightened emotions and forced sorrow. And yes yes, it subverts this, that, and the other. Because we all dearly love our subverting, here.

The story revolves around Madoka and her friends, and their encounter with Kyubey, a weird cat-thing who tries to get them to become magic girls. Magic girls pay a steep price, hunting 'witches' who torment the general populace and drive individuals to suicide. The up-side to it for the girls, well, in addition to being magic girls, is that Kyubey will grant a wish of theirs. Of course, it's very quickly revealed that not all is as it seems, and things go to hell *very* quickly.

So, there's that. As for the art--well, the character designs don't do much for me--the ultra cute style never does. Unfortunately it also occasionally looks cheap, on top of that. The witches and the labyrinths, on the other hand... You know what? Just go watch this show. I'm no art major, and I lack the vocabulary necessary to explain to you just how awe-inspiring the art design is when the girls find themselves in a witch's labyrinth, each of which is its own unique place.

On the whole I'd say this is a series very much worth watching, even if it ultimately may be easier to admire than it is to like.

Just to balance out all the blazingly positive reviews, the show definitely was quite unique - which isn't per definition a good thing) and the plot did come together well enough, but in no way did it get past the "fair" level. It was enjoyable enough to keep watching, but at the end I was expecting some kind of grand finale which didn't deliver. Still, I do give them credit for giving a *very* basic explanation for the magic girl phenomenon rather than none at all, like most shows do, but still it lacked in my humble opinion in the two most important departments; story ... and characters. Really, the only thing it absolutely excelled in was uniqueness without a too bad story, which for most avid anime fans might be enough reason to love it as much as they do, I guess. Either way, if you need an in depth review, there enough of those on the site, but I just wanted to show a glimpse of the other side of the anime.

Oh and, as far as the art goes, yeah, sure, it might be totally intentional and totally unique, but that still doesn't make it beautiful or anything. That's exactly the same thing that often happens with modern art. Oh well, just wanted to add that to explain the 5 I gave to the art.

Madoka Magica is hardly the first dark Magical Girl series. Before, there was Princess Tutu, and before that was Revolutionary Girl Utena. But I think Madoka Magica can overtake them both in a mere 12 episodes, showing just how painful the life of a magical girl can be. The series could change the Magical Girl genre as a whole.

Studio SHAFT's first original work has proved to be nothing short of a masterpiece and I regret not watching it sooner. Yes, the art has occasionally slipped into "Meduca Meguca" style at times, but for the most part it's not noticeable and doesn't take away from the ... experience. And of course, there are some truly surreal sequences. It's a Studio SHAFT series. They are required by law to have fans questioning whether or not they were on drugs when they were animating.

The characters are fantastic. You just want to reach into the screen and give them hugs. I'd say more about them, but I'd be giving away spoilers, ones that would be best seen for yourself. Make sure you're sitting down, though. This series churns out Wham Episodes like butter.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a fantastic series that I highly recommend. For those who are skeptical of the Magical Girl genre, I'd suggest watching the first 3 episodes at least. Trust me, it's not nearly as innocent as it looks.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica was one of those series that I had always heard people talk about, but never really knew anything about it or had any interest in watching it. Now that I've finally gotten around to it, I feel like an idiot for taking so long.

I went into this series knowing without any idea what it was going to be. All I knew was that there were girls who had magic powers and frilly costumes. I assumed it was going to be some cheesy fantasy story--not that I wasn't expecting to like it. Madoka managed to defy every single expectation I had, to ... the point that I can only assume that that was exactly what it was aiming for.

It's hard to say what made this series so fantastic without spoiling anything, so I'll just talk about this as generally as possible. Every aspect of this series was excellent. I was not expecting a show about magical girls to make me think as much as it did. The art style of the witch labyrinths was so surreal and creepy, definitely making up for the visuals of the normal world which were good but not great. Everything I'm saying right now is stupid because there is a lot more that I want to say but I don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't seen it.

My point being: watch this series. Whether or not the magical girl thing seems like something you're interested in, I can't recommend this strongly enough. Madoka is the only series I have ever felt comfortable giving a perfect 10/10 rating. To be perfectly honest, it's not a genre that I'm particularly interested in, and I'm not sure if I'll ever come back and watch it again. Regardless, I'm glad I watched it. If you like the mahou shoujo genre, watch Madoka. If you don't, watch Madoka anyway.

No spoilers.

Madoka Magica is a very surprising series. At first glance it seems like a shallow magical girl straight-to-DVD sort of thing. Even slice of life, at first. While such a thing has it's own merits, it doesn't sound very thrilling on the surface. But Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (hereafter MSMM) isn't famous for what's on the surface. The series will pick you up in the first episode and you won't be able to stop until the final.

Story: 10/10

Initially, things seem sort of vague and rushed. You're rather abruptly introduced to some of the fundamental plot elements, which would normally prevent this series from getting ... a 10/10 in this category, at least from me. Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that it only gets better. I loved everything about this story, and I'd be willing to bet that you will, too.

Art: 8/10

The animators for this series were boldly creative in their representation of the normal world, the warped, lethally bizarre labyrinths that witches inhabit, and the characters. There's a sort of endearing moe motif in the girls, which draws the watcher into caring for them. However, where this series really shines is in the scenery. The represented Japan is futuristic and sterile, in sharp contrast to the maddening, colorful worlds in which the magical girls combat their enemies. The art shift can be jarring, but I think that it's for the best.

Sound: 6/10

MSMM isn't exactly a star example of stunning audio in anime, but this isn't a deal breaker considering the stunning quality of nearly every other aspect of the show. Overall, the OST and dub are average, neither adding to or diminishing the effect of the series.

Character: 10/10

This is another area in which MSMM shatters expectations. The majority of magical girl genre characters are, well, just little girls with magic powers. There's not much to them. MSMM takes the trope of the cheery, ever-capable magical girl and smashes it to bits. The characters are complex and their motivations make sense, after a bit of exposition. Again, it's not easy to elaborate on what exactly makes MSMM stand out in the character department without spoiling some major plot points, so unfortunately I can't flesh this category out much more.

Enjoyment/Overall: 8/10 - 9/10

MSMM is, surprisingly, one of my top 20 favorite anime, after having watched it. This series is filled to the brim with almost all of my favorite situations and subject matter. As expected of Gen Urobuchi, you're in for it in the emotional department if you decide to watch this show. To anyone looking for feels and stunning characters, this is a show for you.

So, Madoka Magica, eh? Well, Madoka is a SEEMINGLY lighthearted, girl-ish mahou shoujo show, and normally I wouldn't touch shows like that with a 10 foot pole, as the genre just doesn't appeal to me.
What made me watch it? Well the thing that made me watch it a while ago is the anime community simply exploding and praising the hell out of it.. Were they right? YES, YES THEY WERE!

Story: 9-10/10
Here we have the story of Madoka, a normal highschool girl with a normal family, and OH MY DEAR GAWD NO DECEASED PARENT(S), who meets a strange-looking-animal-thing, Kyuubey, that wants her to sign ... a contract with him and become a magical girl, yay. So far, so good, but as Madoka gets thrown in this unexplored world of magical girls and witches she begins to understand things she has never thought of before.

Art: 9/10
The art of this show is great as it perfectly presents the world you are getting into and from the first moment of episode 1 you know that this show, is in fact NOT your typical mahou shoujo show, thanks to it.

Sound: 10/10
The soundtrack deserves a solid 10/10 as it is completely beautiful. Plus it's done by Yuki Kajiura, whoose soundtracks are always amazing /see Fate/Zero, Kara no Kyoukai,Pandora Hearts and every anime she has ever made the OST for/

Characters: 9/10
I can't go explaining everything about the characters in-depth without spoilers, but let me tell you this... YOU WILL REMEMBER SOME OF THOSE CHARACTERS FOR LIFE.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I greatly enjoyed this show, as it was a nice surprise and I simply wasn't expecting what I saw. So if you are turned-off by the genre and the seemingly cutesy girls anime, then just give this genre-breaking masterpiece a try to change your opinion.

dark_cookie

Don't let appearances fool you on this one, you'll be missing out. Big time.

'm a guy and from the appearance of this show it should be the kind of thing that would be sheer torture to sit through. The box is very pink looking and it belongs to a sub-genre referred to as "Magical-Girls".

This show should be awful and un-watchable, the sort of thing a guy would run from watching.

Now the reality of this series is that is is genuinely AMAZING. Buy this series, do it now, you will not be sorry. To anyone that enjoys skilful story telling, gorgeous animation and wonderful music, you ... will love this. There is intelligence and depth to spare in it's characters and the themes explored here. Almost every episode comes with a "LOST" type twist/revelation, though unlike that live-action series when the twists and revelations come they are GENUINE and MEANINGFUL and actually have an emotional resonance with the viewer.

The last third of the series becomes awesomely cosmic and mind-bending and the manner in which the story is resolved both happy and bitter-sweet. When you watch the series through a second time (knowing the ending/outcome) you will notice numerous hints and touches layered into the narrative that you didn't catch the first time.

I would tell anyone to watch this ASAP, the only down-side to getting it is that you will no longer be able to knock "Magical-Girl" shows any more.

It's the most underrated anime I've watched to date. Also the anime adaptation is MUCH better than the manga.

-- This part is completely spoiler-free --

Madoka magica on the surface looks like a slice-of-life anime with cute anime girls who turn into magical girls to save other people. This perception you have watching the start of the anime is slowly and gradually dismantled until towards the end feel like the anime is more about a curse than magical powers. With each episode the story only gets better and better, every episode adding new depth to the story. Irrelevant backstories or new characters or uninteresting plotlines that ... may bore the viewer are not added. The pacing is perfect for a 12 episode anime.

Each character in the anime is important because there are very few characters shown. Throughout the show we see different characters evolve. Some lose themselves where others regain their old selves. With every action that a character does your opinion of them changes. Mystery looms around certain characters and slowly we're exposed to the dark secret behind the concept of magical girls. As these secrets are revealed and manifest themselves, they have real consequences on the girls' lives. Not only as magical girls, but as human beings.

The music in the show is perfectly used. From the fight scenes to the transformation sequences to the emotional moments and even that mysterious / brooding music played when we're around a certain character. The second ED of this anime is very on point for setting the tone for the later parts of the anime. But the OP is also pretty good. More on that in the spoilers section.

The animation style used in this anime is very clever. The cute broad faces on one hand deceives the viewer into thinking that it's just another clichéd magical girls anime. On the other it makes displaying the characters' emotions much easier. With just a flicker of their eyebrows you can achieve the same effect as full face contortion in another anime. The nihilistic backgrounds and the limited view we're allowed to see as an audience adds to the creepiness. The witches are very uniquely designed with some of them looking overly realistic compared to their backgrounds where others look like they came straight from hell.

-- SPOILERS --

This is the part where I discuss why I thought this anime out of the 100 anime that I've watched, was one of the few masterpieces.

Story:
Things really take off after the third episode when, if you didn't know before, you know for sure now that this isn't some innocent slice-of-life anime. The anime doesn't bother with adding irrelevant backstories. When Mami dies in the third episode, we're not given any flashbacks to create some cheap backstory after the fact. Yet the impact of her death is felt much later because of how she was the ideal magical girl that Madoka and Sayaka looked up to. After the third episode we get a completely different ED which is very haunting and compliments the atmosphere of the anime after episode 3 really well. The only time where we get the old ED back probably is the episode where Sayaka dies. The new ED signifies the despair felt when magical girls turn into witches, where the OP is the hope when they're still just magical girls. This has sort of a balancing effect which is something that we see a lot in this anime.

Entropy is a concept that is discussed in the anime where basically all energy that ever is created is lost in the form of heat. Every magical girl starts off with a wish and then slowly gives in to despair until she ends with a curse and turns into a witch and will kill as many people as she's helped. "Miracles don't come for free, if you wish for hope, an equal amount of despair will rain upon you as well". The cat like creature called Kyuubey that we come across is from some tier V civilisation where they're so advanced that they can store energy created from the emotions of magical girls when they turn into witches, thus creating 'new' energy which helps them survive on the long run. However, Madoka is a special case where her friend Hamura goes back in time to save her over and over again until there is so much karmatic energy stored in her that she can use her wish even to change the laws of the universe. That is because she never had that much energy in her to begin with and Hamura's time travel made it so if Madoka ever turns into a magical girl, she would bend the laws of the universe.

The time travel in this anime is the one that makes the most sense and is most plausible. When Hamura time travels, she goes back into her old body and does not create any other timeline. No paradoxes, no timelines, just good old fashioned time travel that doesn't need any wild theories or assumptions to work.

As a viewer, you may not care about entropy or time travel or balancing-out effects, but when they're handled this well you can't help but praise it.

The character development in this anime was very good. We see Sayaka, who saved a certain boy with her wish, but couldn't love him because her body had turned into an empty shell with her soul left in the 'Soul Gem'. She slowly fell into the depths of despair until she turned into a witch. On the other hand, Kyouko saw her past self in Sayaka, and how she used to believe in stories of justice. Just as grief and despair engulfed Sayaka, hope and virtue lifted Kyouko.

The story doesn't forget about it's characters, with Sayaka being given full closure towards the end, instead of Hamura and Madoka completely taking over the show.

When I watch an anime and call it a "masterpiece", it's usually an anime that had many different areas perfectly done. This anime had it all. It combined action, romance, slice-of-life, horror, mystery, magic, adventure and friendship all into one perfect blend. This anime was like the perfect meal. It had all my favourite textures and flavours in it. It was succulent, it was crunchy, it was spicy, it was sour and sweet and salty and it was perfectly presented.

Madoka Magica is that type of show you won't expect to be good. On the surface it looks like a bland magical girl show with cute girls doing cute things. Oh since its a magical girl fight they have to have some enemy right? In this case they are fighting versus so called witches which when defeated drops "grief seeds" that magical girls need to replenish their "soul gems". But the main heroine Madoka and her friends quickly realize being a magical girl isn't all fun in games.

Story: 10
I was going blind into this. My expectations were low except for the fact i heard ... it was way more than a magical girl show. The first couple of episodes might throw you off a bit, but when i finished episode 3 i was completely hooked. If you are going to watch this anime you MUST watch beyond episode 3 atleast to get the real feel of the anime.

Art: 7
The animation looks great from time to time, but can be a little rough and outdated at times. I personaly didn't like the animation style they used for the witch battles either.

Sound: 10
The opening theme might be a bit missleading, but it has become one of my favorite openings of all time. The ending themes are great aswell, along with the OST's used for the dramatic situations.

Character: 9
At first all of the cast may seem bland at first, but after watching the scenes they explain how things came to be, you quickly realize why they act the way they do, Homura especially.

Enjoyment: 10
Holy moly this anime is unlike anything i have ever seen before. All the different plot twists took me by suprise and in the end everything made sense. I really recommend this anime.

Overall: 10
This anime is a complete must watch for all and any anime fans. The story comes great together at the end and i personaly like this ending above the one in the Rebellion movie. If you decide to watch this please go blind into watching it, and have some moe prepared for when you get depression afterwards.