Don't be fooled by the frilly magical girl outfits or the cutesy white animal. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica uses the veneer of mahou shoujo to weave a dark tale about the power and peril of having your deepest wishes granted. Add in the emotional manipulation of teenage girls, the mind-aching causality problems of time-travel and the transcendent quality of true friendship and you end up with a story that is much deeper than it appears on the surface.
The highest praise I can give an anime is to say that I want to watch it again after I finish the series. Although the reasons vary from show to show, for Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica the rewatch value is definitely the story. Revelations occur through out, but it's only in the last few episodes that all the pieces fall together. So don't let the innocence of the beginning episodes turn you away. There's more to it, keep watching!
