Here’s my review of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica… of the 200 or so that are out there.
The anime is rated by the MAL criteria in the bottom of this review. Because countless top-rated reviews have already provided this information exhaustively, I believe my opinion about why “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is worth the watch” would be more interesting than reading the same information over and over.
Why “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica?” (Top 3 reasons)
1) Gen Urobuchi: He was the writer for many highly rated anime out there: Fate/Zero, Black Lagoon, Psycho-Pass, and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. If you’re like me, watching a memorable anime motivates
...
me to look out for more works done by the same writer. Therefore, I recommend this anime if you have already watched and liked any of the anime listed above.
2) The Tip of the Iceberg: There was more depth to this anime than meets the eye. At first, I was completely bewildered by the ending of this anime. The episodes that came beforehand were fine, but out of all the anime that I watched, the ending of this anime did not seem to add up at all -- I felt that there were so many questions left unanswered and that the last episode was unsuccessfully trying to cram everything into one episode.
I was terribly mistaken.
I was so used to explanations being spoon-fed to me that it never occurred to me to think for once. I eventually resorted to researching, after coming up with my own theories and explanations. In the end, I realized how brilliant the ending actually was and everything made so much more sense. No doubt, I still had questions and I still found inconsistencies (I’d be more than willing to discuss with anyone), but Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica managed to do a better job of closing off the anime than I first thought. The challenge of trying to understand the writer’s intentions was somewhat of a first for me, since most anime have simple plot lines and somewhat predictable endings. Therefore, I recommend this anime if you like an anime that makes you think.
3) “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I have to mention this aspect of the anime, even if everyone else has already written about it. The surprisingly dark twist on the idea of a “magic girl” is what initially drew me into the series. The contract that the girls make to become “magic girls” is actually quite deceptive. On the surface, the deal is as good as it sounds. The girls can have one wish granted, as long as they risk their lives to fighting off witches. Since the girls receive awesome magic powers in addition to getting their individual wishes granted, this deal sounds like a “win-win” situation for the girls, right? Not really. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that this anime is very dark and somewhat depressing even. I recommend this anime for anyone who is jaded from the typical “magic girl” anime.
Story: 9/10
The anime focuses on the life of the young schoolgirl Kaname Madoka. She is shy, humble, and most all, kind-hearted to a fault. She lives with a loving family and a group of friends that she treasures equally as much. She’s not particularly talented at anything, a fact that initially draws her into becoming a “magical girl,” because she believes even she can do something to protect her loved ones. Not much else can be said without spoiling the first two episodes or so, but basically the world is filled with “magical girls” that hunt witches that curse human beings into committing suicide or other unworldly deaths. The anime focuses on the decision of becoming a “magical girl” and explores the various consequences that come along with it. The dark twist that the anime takes on the “magical girls” trope, the tense emotions, and the plot twist elements are what gives this story a 9.
Art: 7/10
I would rate the art higher only because of the unique style of animation when the girls fight witches. The witches are depicted as moving pieces of abstract art, as well as the world in which they occupy. This emphasizes the distortion of the witch’s moral values as well as their chaotic and inhuman state of mind. The art used to depict these witches and their worlds are beautifully tragic, and you’ll see why as you keep watching. This choice of animation will always remain in my memories as one of the best.
Personally, I’m not a fan of how the characters are depicted. I feel that the “magical girl” costumes were too generic and simple (not to mention how they were mostly single-colored). The facial features of the girls seem way to simplistic for my taste, because they make all the characters look way too young. In addition, the animation that girls go through as they “transform” into the “magical girl” clothes seem very unnecessary, because these animations were very short, inconsistent, and hardly memorable. Besides the character depiction, however, the fighting animation is very fluid and well-done. What I dislike about the character’s features is counteracted by the many epic fights that occur throughout the series.
I can’t say much about the scenery, but I can say that there are many dark colored backgrounds. The glaze of gray and black adds to the darkness of the situation and goes with the intense mood of the anime.
Music: 8/10
What struck me about the soundtrack of this anime was how epic and well-made it was. The ending song “Magia” is very dark and intense. There are not many cheery type of music, and most of them help to amplify the tension and the atmosphere of the situation.
Characters: 7/10
The anime focuses mainly on five characters, but 12 episodes are not quite enough to develop all of them (I felt as though some characters were neglected). The viewers are introduced to the background of the characters and their motivations to becoming “magical girls,” motivations that are very much relatable and understandable. There will definitely be some characters you will be emotionally attached to by the end of this anime. Despite the short amount of episodes, however, this anime did a decent job of developing these characters.
Overall, I enjoyed this series a lot and it’s not an exaggeration to say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole marathon of watching this series.
9/10
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Jul 30, 2013
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
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Here’s my review of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica… of the 200 or so that are out there.
The anime is rated by the MAL criteria in the bottom of this review. Because countless top-rated reviews have already provided this information exhaustively, I believe my opinion about why “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is worth the watch” would be more interesting than reading the same information over and over. Why “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica?” (Top 3 reasons) 1) Gen Urobuchi: He was the writer for many highly rated anime out there: Fate/Zero, Black Lagoon, Psycho-Pass, and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. If you’re like me, watching a memorable anime motivates ... 
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