Dec 10, 2011
I just finished this anime and LOVED IT !! The whole plot and structure of this anime surprised me.
Great story telling, interesting anime styles used. A good mixture of moe and battle action. Such a joy to watch. If you enjoy dreams (yume), wishes (negau), magical girls (Mahou Shoujo), or other world witch realms then this is an anime that you must see.
STORY
The themes and issues explored in the anime are darker than most, but not over powering. You can feel the surreal. The characters look cute, but there is a deeper meaning behind the cuteness which adds great interest.
...
The way the girls fight to defend their friends and beliefs is awe inspiring. Each girl has their own reason for fighting and they must ask Kyubey for the power needed to fight. The characters are memorable and will stay in your mind for a few days after watching this touching and moving story. Homura has her explosions and bombs as her weapon of choice. Sayaka with her cape and sword. Mami with her rifles and guns. Kyōko has her red dress and large pike and chains. Each girl has their own method to attack the bad guys.
Kyoko has a love of junk food, pocky, and apples. Somehow this gets me excited about her character. Most anime have the heros fight and win, and if they get hurt, well in a few episodes later all is healed. Well this anime is more mature and real. Some of the girls do not return after getting seriously injured. The high age restriction for this anime comes from the violence and battle scenes.
Some of the usual anime standards are missing such as the usual trip to the beach, trip to the hot springs, and also missing is the " who is dating who " stuff of regular teen high school anime. Well, really this anime is set in middle school, not high school. The middle school is there in this story but this story is not the normal school drama. There are also no love confessions or love triangles.
Just make it through the first 3 episodes as it may not make enough sense what is going on after just viewing episode 1 and episode 2. The story takes some time to build and comprehend.
When I watched Clannad I loved the depth of the story and knew I was watching something fairly unique in anime. Like Clannad, Mahou Shoujo Madoka is one of those rare stories that makes you excited to see that someone is trying something new, exciting, unique with the plot and story line. This anime moves us forward.
STYLE
For anime style, you know how spongebob (not an anime) uses both cartoon and actual photo images for some episodes? It is a mixed media format. I felt that way watching this anime. Mostly it contains standard animation, but the witch encounters bring in an other worldly, mixed media, innovative style. And it all works so well. I found this anime to be very visually appealing and the illustration is of a very high quality.
SOUND
The soundtrack is a gem, listen to the battle music of Mami or Mami's theme (the proper title is "Credens Justitiam"). Then listen to the song " You should become a magical girl". This song is listed on the sound track as OST-01 You should become a magical girl. It is best to hear the songs as they appear in the anime (not a later re-mix, as a different remix can change the whole song around and will give it a much different feeling).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
