Story
It would be very, very bad for this show to be spoiled ahead because of some plot twists, which, although do not boast of unique and well-formulated concepts, are still enough for viewers to love and enjoy the show. I definitely would not argue that the storyline was perfect; in fact I had to endure the temptation of dropping the show at first, because it initially felt like everything was going nowhere and the 8+ rating the anime has garnered seemed like a big joke. The story needed viewers who are patient enough to know more of the questions raised, whether implicitly or explicitly in the entire storyline. I'll just give a bunch of pros and cons of the story which I noticed other reviews have made, and honestly that was pretty effective in pointing out the good and bad things about the show (because that's what it does, duh) but anyway.
PROS
1. The story was well executed and it was clear that a considerable amount of effort was put into it. Enough mystery was emphasized to keep the viewers hooked and wanting to arrive at the answers; this was achieved by continuously raising questions, whether explicitly or implicitly, and, I feel, by providing incomplete conclusions at the end of every episode to make the viewers feel like, damn it, I want to know what happens next.
2. Events raised in earlier parts of the episodes were significant in how they would influence the succeeding episodes, making it fluid and logical, and not made for what a great maker of reviews liked to call, plot conveniences.
3. There were somewhat logical explanations for some details of the plot, like why one character was overpowered or why this event leads to this event, making the story conveniently believable.
4. Overall there was enough reason to commend the story; it's not really unique or grand, but it was well-presented.
CONS
1. There was a really slow build-up of the story at the start; as what I have mentioned, I almost wanted to drop the anime because of "what should I feel about this anime" syndrome I have been suffering with anime with slow story development. I felt like it could have been better if the anime had hinted at the bigger picture at the earlier parts of the story to make the mystery feel like it was leading into a bigger sense.
2. Along with the slow build-up of the story is the sudden burst of information on a limited amount of time to explain important parts of the story *cough, spoiler alert, cough*. I think that was in one particular episode nearing the end where explanations for why this and why that were presented. That one episode was exceptionally amazing, but since it wasn't hinted at the earlier parts of the anime, it felt like everything was pumped up in one episode and almost felt like it was not as related as it actually is to the entire story. The concept that was presented was actually not mentioned in the previous episode but for a legitimate reason that it would ruin the suspense and the plot twist and entire good behind the show. I wish it could have been fleshed a bit or hinted a little in the first episode or so.
Characters
Honestly, I thought that Madoka, the MC, by the way, if it's not THAT obvious, was annoying for almost the entire show - before the explanations or resolutions came to play. She's one of those characters we see in anime that are way too helpless, way too kind and shit like that, without any real character development (initially, at the least). She loves her friends so much, she wants to be friends with everyone, but she's way too helpless to protect them. Yeah, some would say that it's because she was literally helpless at the start - shit, I am almost close to spoilers - but I think the helplessness of Madoka was way more than the literal interpretation; she has that helpless will and personality. She wants to stop her friends from fighting, but instead she watches from the sidelines and wait for some savior to come and then rush to join the scene. I felt like the main character she was supposed to be wasn't really a significant role to some extent and just existed just to link the pieces of mystery together. The good thing about Madoka is that this helplessness allows her to sympathize the feelings of the average reasonable viewer - always hesitant to distinguish the right thing to do and the wrong one, always having the desire to set things right that will not compromise another, but lacking the will to do it because of the fear that it might not lead to the right path. That characterization of Madoka is essential for me, because it allows an avenue for doubt and hesitation, which makes the mystery even more worthwhile. The annoying thing though is that this personality makes Madoka do nothing in the end, which is dangerous for a main character, to be stagnant and passive. By the way the transformation of Madoka aka her character development in the end (fck spoilers) was really amazing and it was the kind of resolution that brings satisfaction to the otherwise plain and helpless Kaname Madoka.
The other characters have pretty solid personality, the MC's mother Junko was ever-motherly and was significant in being a guiding figure, not to mention being a badass at some point. Miki Sayaka was the character wanting to be a hero (or heroine, whatever), that strong and fierce personality was what could be the solid character for the MC *typical shounen alert* who although is very stubborn, still has the somewhat badass personality. I just felt that the friendship of Madoka and Sayaka should have more emphasis and it was not touched particularly by the anime. Kyouko Sakura was not really presented well. I felt like her motives and personal beliefs weren't characterized clearly, so it wasn't clear why in the end she became a supporting character and ended up cooperating with the team. However I felt that it was pretty good to have her backstory brought up in order to put emphasis on her as an important supporting character, as well as to provide explanations why she acts tough and independent. Tomoe Mami was solid and brought up a good introductory atmosphere in the story, although her character was not fleshed out well. I wished there were some parts about her that were explained better *spoiler alert*. Kyuubey is an interesting character. At first I feel really annoyed with how "robotic and emotionless" he acts, but seeing the explanations for his actions makes me really wonder about my existence. Lol. Akemi Homura, which is my MVP in this anime, is just damn amazing. The character development, or should I say, the revelation of how her character came to be is carefully presented, is logical, and spawned the entire existence of an anime so good it would definitely count as one of my favorites. The character was not your know-it-all and overpowered MC without any real personality (like Kirito). She has her weaknesses, she has her character motivations, and her actions and feelings are as realistic as it could actually be. Overall, there were interesting characters presented, though real character development, which is not a presentation of how the character came to be but a development of the current personality of the character through events faced, was not really presented.
Art and Sound
Honestly, I don't really care about the art and sound; you might as well say that I have very low standards on that matter. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica did probably okay with the art, although it faltered a bit short compared to other artstyles of other anime. It was annoying too that Madoka had a somewhat extra line drawn on the edge of her face that makes her look more of a drawing and less realistic, I don't know if that was part of the artistic portrayal. The villains too were animated interestingly and seemed like an abstract piece of art, which was nonetheless visually acceptable to me. The art styles of the different magical girls were somewhat generic, although it felt amazing to see the diversities in their special abilities matched with their outfits. I just felt that the outfits did not become impactful to actually say that they undergo transformation; it did not really make a difference. In terms of sound, I find the opening soundtrack pleasing to my ears, I won't say that it's good, because it's not my thing to distinguish good music from not. That's all I have to say about the sound.
Overall Enjoyment
The concept that was going to be presented in the anime was not unique, I'd say. What I liked about the anime is that the concept they presented was successfully delivered to the audience. Moreover, deeper themes, more than the fact of being magical girls that save people from witches, were explored. Like even if how simple a premise that you will gain a wish, aside from your magical powers, in exchange for lifetime service fighting evil may seem, things like that are much more complicated. It may seem like a take-it-all deal, the characters realized that there's something much more to that. I also liked that even if the show was supposed to show magical girls doing magical stuff, the anime was able to bring forth an atmosphere of sadness and despair, which definitely proves that things are not always as they seem. In general, the show was amazing while being clear and understandable at the same time.
Magic brings power and happiness, they say. But in Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, magic brings more than such, and it is up to the magical girls to understand despair and the true meaning of sacrifice.
