Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Say that 5 times really fast) is a masterpiece produced by SHAFT (Those crazy people behind the Monogatari series) and Aniplex (Persona 4: The Animation, Rurouni Kenshin, and Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood) that revolves around a girl named Madoka whom, after a dream, is given the opportunity to become a magical girl through a mysterious being known as "Kyubey". There is a catch, however; they must make a wish, and whatever that wish is, it will inevitably cause despair. The girls must battle beings called "Witches" and gain powers and the means to do so. However, there is more to this than what the mysterious "Kyubey" lets on...
The art and animation are amazing. The labyrinths where the Witches reside are a combination of acid trip-inducing "wtf" and abstract art combined in an art & animation department's Hell. The fights are beautifully-presented and even the out-of-battle regular stuff is pretty incredible. The girls have their own designs, nothing feels under-designed and really, the show looks great. The only weakness are the thick lines that appear in some scenes (most prominent around the lower half of the girls' heads) that make it look like a manga being animated. Honestly, I thought it added to the charm of the series.
The music is pretty enjoyable and blends well with whatever scene is going on. The opening ("Connect" by ClariS) is energetic and fills the viewer with hype for the episode, even if the entire series is depressing as a whole. Tracks such as "Decretum" (by Yuki Kajiura) and "Surgem Identidem" are beautiful scores that keep delivering where the scenes seem to fall short (I mean, a story this well-crafted can't have any real flaws to it, so the music puts it over the 100% maximum). Honestly, the anime and the movie Rebellion have some pretty incredible music on them.
Now, for the characters. What can I say? Each character is well-written and there aren't any real parts that stuck out to me. Kyubey is secretive and while not deceptive, doesn't tell the whole truth. Madoka is innocent, joyful, and perhaps the most kind-hearted while Mami is strong-willed and tries to encourage the other girls to make their wishes wisely. Homura comes off as a bit of a bitch at first, but you warm up to her when the tragedy of her character is revealed, if not earlier when she becomes a bit more agreeable. Sayaka is kind-hearted like Madoka, but also a bit selfish and tragic in her own way, though not without reason. Finally, Kyouko is probably the least-developed and even then, her brash, almost fiendish behavior hides its own tragedy. The cruel persona she puts forward only makes her more sympathetic.
Honestly, it's a great series that CAN be depressing, but makes up for it with having a story and characters that are endearing, while the music, animation, and art style are absolutely amazing. For such a short series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica finds a way to say "Hey, a story can be short AND incredible". If ever you're bored and haven't seen it, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
