The story of this series starts off like most MG animes. However, unlike many series, the protagonist takes a very backseat role on the action. Actually, the protagonist barely even fights. Its up to the other girls to carry her weight around, but when all they're talking about is the protagonist and she does not do anything of value, the plot suffers. The entire story is practically built around her and since she does nothing of value for more than 3/4 of the series, the plot loses a lot of its meat. It has a good concept where there are consequences to the MGs and their presence, but the characters themselves rob it of its power. The ending is also very anticlimatic.
The art of the series has a sketchy quality, yet the animations are crisp. That being said, the colors and abstract art that comes from the enemies, the 'witches' is blinding and it was hard to follow the action through all the kaleidoscope-like images. Character designs are good, though.
The voice acting matches the characters, and the BGM is strong as well. The opening and ending are good enough.
The biggest fault with this series are its characters. The main girl is a whiny girl who wants to be a MG but...doesn't want to be a MG? Her convicts and beliefs change by the second. She does not seem to get her ducks in a row until the end. Her friends are about as deep as a dried up kiddie pool in summer, with the exception of Mami and Kyubey. One is a MG who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and is doing the best she can. The other is a mastermind. I won't say more for fear of spoilers...Sadly, because of the rest of the cast and how they rely on Madoka to pull her share, they all fail in the end.
Each episode was a test of my conviction to finish this series. I nearly gave up several times and when I finally completed it, I felt as though I got nothing for my effort. I won't recommend this to anyone who wants a series with any notable male characters in it or with any females that give the typical anime girl a good name. The people who may enjoy are those who like this kind of genre no matter what, or those who can see past Madoka's faults.
Overall, this anime is famous for reasons I just can't understand. The horrible cast, weak Madoka-centered plot and bad ending render this show overly hyped and nearly a waste of my time. Watch at your own risk.
