What is nice here is the actual production values for the series. The animation is solid, and the art is really out there; the crazy Shinbo style witches really adds a unique flair to the atmosphere of this series, and does add a touch of that "bizarre, crazy" feeling that works so well here. There are the odd quirks to Shinbo's animation style all over the place here, but if you could get over all of that, the artwork was surprisingly fitting for this series. The Hidamari sketch-styled character designs did feel a bit awkward at first, but after a few episodes it's rather easy to adjust to. The music to this series was just as good, with Yuki Kajiura's soundtrack here doing a great job at complementing some of the haunting scenes. I'll admit that it's not her best work, but some of the music adds much more depth to certain scenes here. The music also contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere, and I have to say, the music and animation fits the darker-toned story itself very well.
The story itself does have it's flaws here and there, with a select few pacing issues early on. That pretty much got ironed out by the third or fourth episode, though, and the story just kept piling on the intrigue from there onwards. What was Kyuubey? What were the witches? What is Walpurgis nacht? All the questions that this show kept prompting, in combination with some stunningly haunting scenes and moments, created a compelling plot that was worth following through until the end. The mysteries here all kept the series gripping, always managing to perk curiosity. The finale, in all it's grandiosity, was truly unique and unexpected. The scale at which it happens, and the huge implications of it all, was a pretty epic, bittersweet, yet satisfying finale. Of course, the finale does feel too "convenient" and "happily ever after" in some ways, but I personally feel it is a fitting way to end such a depressing series with a bit of hope.
Now the biggest contributor here, yet also the biggest flaw, would be the characters. There were some pretty well fleshed out characters, such as Kyoko, and Sayaka, but there were also some rather odd twists to some of the cast. For one, while Akemi Homura was indeed one of my favorite characters here, the extremely sudden change in character around episode 9-10 felt very out of place. Yes, I do understand there are good reasons behind why she suddenly changed in personality (or perhaps the better description would be she stopped hiding her real personality), but her sudden change from stoic, cool-headed Akemi to "Madoka, Madoka!" crying Akemi was a huge shift that could have been transitioned into a bit better. What was lacking here was a sense of character development for the two main characters to this series, Akemi and Madoka, whereas Kyoko and Sayaka got much more development as characters. Don't confuse character development with likability here; Akemi and Madoka both turned out to be very memorable characters, it's just that they don't get much of their character development until literally the last two or three episodes.
The big thing that must be noted here is that Kyuubei has to be one of the best villains we have seen in a long time. The way in which his intentions were slowly, but surely, revealed to Madoka and the others just heightened the tremendous impact his presence had in this show. For an evil white furball, Kyuubei was probably the most interesting, attention-captivating character in the entire series. Without his presence, the plot would have probably lost much of it's compelling aspect, so I do have to give credit where credit it due.
All in all, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica redefines the entire magical girl genre in many ways; it took the stereotypical "girls get magical powers" idea, and twists it into a compelling, dark plot that captivated audiences all over the world. It introduces the idea that not all magical girl shows need to be happy, sugary affairs. And in the end, this series introduces a breathtakingly original, very gripping human tale.
Animation/Art: 9.0/10
Music: 8.5/10
Characters: 9.0/10
Story/setting: 8.5/10
Overall Enjoyment: 8.8/10
