Thus without these emotions, neither of the two would exist. We cannot expect to understood a self that doesnt know what emotions are, we may try to, but fully comprehension will be impossible to achieve. So for this emotionless self, its actions maybe viewed purely by the logic behind those, so cataloging its evilness, is not correct, neither is it wrong, it is a relative opinion, based on our biological predisposition, the core of what means being human.
We are what we are, we cant avoid it, it is how we work, not something that can be changed.
Those who have already seen the anime, will understand what I m referring to.
Characters: 9
The story is what drives this anime, the reason why it is so different from other Mahou Shoujos! The easiest example, more for some than others, its unforeseen impact, from all those gruelsome events that the main cast has to surpass.
All characters in consideration, my 2 favorites are Akemi Homura and Kaname Madoka.
While the major flaw of the anime, was being only 12 episodes long, thus the character development can only go so far... still it was very enjoyable to watch the relationship betweem both my favs flesh out.
It got me teary by the end, but a anime doesnt need to make your shed tears to be that great, so yeah it had various memorable moments.
Miki Sayaka, Sakura Kyouko and Tomoe Mami, out of the 3, not getting into spoilers, each one had its showtime that I much enjoyed, no doubt, but they weren't as developed as the other 2. It is easy to see they weren't the main focus of the anime, but the support.
Special mention for Kyuubey, which also added to the anime.
Every character felt realistic enough, their struggles and decisions felt extremely human to me! The "villain" was also a part of what made all this possible, some hate him, I dont.
I just love it all.
In all and all, I felt I could have enjoyed it a bit more, maybe because this is still a Mahou Shoujo, and while the characters are well built into the time-frame so short, it still has its limits.
"I could fancy with these girls still a bit more."
But a 9 is no doubt, a HIGH score, so while it may seem like a big flaw with all this focus, it really is not, it was simply overshadowed by the rest of what made the series so good for me.
This is a story about "magical girls getting a reality check", something one wouldn't think to see in the Mahou Shoujo genre, hence it is a descontruction of the genre.
It is not all that pretty, fancy, happy-go-lucky slice-of-life stuff, the story pushes the characters, that faced with danger and grief won't behave as perfect humans! They aren't flawless by any means. You wont be seeing the typical one-dimensional behavior.
These characters make mistakes, regret them, learn from it, but that doesnt lead to a "everything is fine now, another barrier surpassed, lets go find more, and surpass it with the power of friendship!!"
If you want, and expect the following to happen, while watching the anime, immediatly get rid of those illusions of yours.
Story: 10
The story is a major point of interest, when one watches a story, "the story is the river, and the characters are its streamflow".
Everything starts like anyother typical Mahou Shoujo, the girls meet the contracter, help him out of trouble, in return the contracter proposes them to became magical girls and other magical girls show up, etc, etc... but if you look well, ever since the first episode, from the first minute, its darkness is there!
It is, lying underneath of the Mahou Shoujo's troupes, you just have to look for it, between the lines.
From the very first dream sequence, the music, the art, the atmosphere, look closer, those imply to something more!
Breaking from the molds that defined the genre for so long, indeed not your cliche sunny scripted story, where the episode finishes with the classic, girls defeating the villains, and going all happy to their homes, living and preparing themselves for the next day of "the rich new cheerful adventures, that awaits them".
Tables will be fliped at a certain moment, sooner in the anime, be prepared for it, there were hints to something more darker.
And let me say I had the opportunity to read/watch worst psychological/horror scenarios, than those at this point. I was prepared.
I knew it would came to this, at a certain point in the story... but it still had that effect of "ohh shit!!, stuff is getting real now", from there on, it gets darker and darker, as plot twists are revealed, horrendous events unfold, as the harsh bitter truth strucks into their minds, human principles are bent and the characters reach breakdown point, going even further beyond, the perfect day-to-day reality crumbles and shatters to dust.
And thus the fate of being a Magical Girl is revealed!
Is there any hope, a glimpse of light in the future reserved for them?
Can the cycle of despair and loliness of a Mahou Shoujo be ended??
Either way you wont be disappointed, Gen Urobochi the writter (which also wrote Fate/Zero), from a dying genre, he created in 12 episodes a fantastic and clever story! There is no short income of surprises adn twists, in a bold approuch, a fresh breath of genious, better than whatever you could expect in this genre nowadays.
A well crafted plot, far more original, surprising and creative, AND at least as twisted when comparing to its other works.
The ruthless destiny awaits.
I love how sick the story turned to be, whenever some twisted event took place I was begging for MOAR! More suffer, more great, unpreddictable, writting.
I was glady fulfilled by the end.
Animation & Sound: 10
The characters designs while being good, were nothing sort of breathtaking, and the facial design being widder, was a bit weird at the beggining, but easily I adapted to it.
Nothing special so far, so why another 10, you may wonder.
Lets start by the dreams sequences, where most of the action happens.
These are that unique and visually different from the common stuff you find on anime.
Each dream sequence is different, from how the enemies and scenario were drew and the angles used, to the colour palette used, ranging from the brighest colours to the darkest ones, now fused with awesome music like "Gradus prohibitus", giving that feel of entering into a dream-like stage, you are like being draw to the dream, to the atmosphere, in a trance-like-behavior, just like the characters, you just fall deeper, "following the dangerous light" that could mark your premature end. "Credens justitiam" for some stylish transformations, and others like my 2 favs, "Sis puella magica!" or "Magia"(the ED true song), for the action scenes that will surprise you in the fluid and creative epicness, it is a blast!
The dreams sequences ARE a psychedelic experience, I was deeply immersed myself in every second of it.
The action also happens outside these dream sequences, and it just as epic and flashy, while the scenarios are more mundane.
Animation, Shaft, I love you even more now!
I mentioned the awesome soundtrack...this was the aspect of the anime where I was mostly pleasent surprised with, when I started to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
I was already expecting the OP, that didnt told me much at first place.
I got more meaning from it, by the end of the series (one moment the dark side of Madoka, the destiny, then it follows up with this happy OP song, the contrast was great), thought the first ED reeks, and that won't change. Couldn't care less...
When you first face reality, it all ends with a bang followed by the true ED theme, Magia by Kalafina, and I have seen hers others workers, song-wise only, I prefer her's Sprinter more, but how Shaft fused the song with the ED visuals, it became one of the most memorable ED's for me, first on my top!
It symbolized the reveal in full splendor, of Puella's true nature, the first I seen it... one of the best moments in the anime!
I was expecting the true ED to be more gore-like, less abstracted, when I heard people talk about it. But it wouldnt be as perfect as it is. It pumped my soul, and it still does, everytime I re-watch a episode.
Further into the void, the unknowed, your life flame burning way, ever more unstable, with each step the determination growns only stronger, which only leads to its self-destruction.
"The light of love you lit in your eyes one day... transcends time,
and surely destroy one dream... of this world and hurries to its ruin.
Swallow down your hesitation.
What is it that you wish for?
On the path of yearning as greedy as this,
will there be a good future?
Like ancient magic... that I dreamed of when I was young,
with the power to slash the darkness,
I want to meet the smiling you.
In these frightened hands of mine,
I have the courage of hand-picked flowers.
My feelings alone are all that I rely upon,
a wish that awaken... the light."
I mentioned I expect more gore before...
Remenbering myself, when I first came in contact with the anime, and people's thoughts about it, I did expect GORE, lots of blood, violence here, girls screaming and dying there, even more than before, when I realised something like Neon Genesis Evangelion was in the reccomendation box!
Dunno, I thought there would be some fanservice to people that like gory scenes... I was glady wrong, it seems I forgot this was Shaft! The way they do it, is less visually agressive, but still that impressive, with all those colors, and stuff I dont want to spoil for you folks.
Nothing could had fit the nature of Mahou Shoujo Madoka more, than how the fulfilled here!
And after reaching the end of this journey, I came to realise, only Shaft could do something like this.
Not really downgrading other studios (they have they strong points too), just the way Shaft has come to animate stuff, it is tricky to explain, but once you see a Shaft animation, you will understand its style, the abstract way to transmite information about the atmosphere and the characters, it is a charm exclusive to Shaft, its trademark.
I have seen better character animations, in terms of fluidity, details and expressiveness, mostly in movies!! That have lots of budget to do so.
This anime probably didnt had that much budget, but with what it had, it was wisely implemented, because nothing felt awkward for me, the action even surprised me positively, along with the different take on Visuals (Shaft TM), the decisions of how to do stuff, everything felt in, improving further the immersion with one of the best OST's for an anime, EVER. Perfect.
Enjoyment:
My first experience with the anime:
"First 2 episodes completed, ok anime, good OST and animation, this is different from everyother Mahou Shoujo, but I cannot quite get it yet... (progressing further) DAMM, the story is really becoming quite something!"
After watching the anime for the first time, I was confused, yes I did enjoyed it alot, and had already came to a conclusion with what I said above.
"Interesting till the end, shocking the viewers for the most part!"
BUT for the enjoyment segment, something was missing, I had to rewatch the anime, to fully grasp my thoughts about it, to clear my mind, put it into words 100 % correct , no exageration or mistake, and here it goes.
Colder reality, sweet despair, was never as sweet, sweeter than all those moe cliche mahou shoujos. Am I evil for enjoying it that much??
I enjoyed the characters and did at some point wanted them to be happy...
So why?
Why did I enjoyed the despair the story is built into so much, and so readily accepted such fate??
Simple. I loved the concept that much!
It still falls onto the Mahou Shoujo genre, but the way it picks on the genre troupes and twists them till you scream, the way it fuses the great animation with godly soundtrack, the twists, the great "villain", the atmosphere!
I can't recall the last time I watched a Mahou Shoujo anime, and that is because with the exception of the classics of my childhood days, most of them seem pretty boring, plain, predictable, not as complex, charming and interesting nowadays, when compared with those I remenbered from my childhood.
With the grown of the mind, I desired for something more convoluted.
In the Magical Girl genre, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the answer to my "Coming of Age" ideology I have come to adquire in my last 6 years.
The ray of light, that shines on the genre, and enlights the vast amount of potential yet to be explored, the deconstruction & reinventation of the Mahou Shoujo genre, saved the genre itself from stagnation!
For such a short anime, great characters, and though it could only go so far in those twelve, the whole originality that the anime breaths of, clicked all the right notes, struck what I wanted for the genre, something that I had not came to release until I came in contact with the anime.
From the slow start, to the finishing line, I deeply enjoyed Madoka and Homura life's story.
I deeply enjoyed the ending, and I'm really eager to see the movies, and at the end, the third movie, the sequel.
Enjoyemnt score :10
It is not every come of tea, I can see some type of people not enjoying it as much, either because of its unique style, or the way it approuchs and twists the troupes of the genre itself.
In the end, considering everything I said, while I dont consider the anime, the best anime ever, it is at the top tier of anime.
Something I would reccomend everyone to give a try and watch, even you if you will come to hate it, it is that different of the norm, that I think it is worth it to do so.
Sadly doing something like this to a genre like that, is not something I expect to see again, it really requires great writing to be achieved...
Every Mahou Shoujo anime contains LOTS of gem and "shinning stuff happening", this is the genre's darkest one, and still, shines brighter than all the other ones lumped together!
Overall: 9,7 = 10
--Don't forget.
Always, somewhere,
someone is fighting for you.
--As long as you remenber her,
you are not alone.
