STORY:
Gen Urobuchi, you bastard.
I could not fathom the reasons for his writing being despised by people. He's probably one of the best anime writers I've ever known. Indeed, he tends to go for dark, moody, angst storylines in his works, but is a valid reason for hating his writing?
Anyway, like most of his previous masterpieces, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is also greatly influenced by his writing style. DO NOT be cheated by the merry, whimsical tone you see in the first and second episodes, it's a trap well-done to engross you to watch further.
I must say that I'm glad to fall into the 'trap'. As I watched more and more, I couldn't help but applaud Urobuchi's ingenuity. Puella Magi Madoka Magica has truly, a well-devised plot with perfect pacing. Though the many Faust symbolisms utilized may confuse you a bit, but overall, it's a great story that incorporates the elements constituting a successful show.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica had made me excited (Homura's appearance), astonished (TIRO FINALE), shocked (Charlotte), sorrowful (almost everything), go into 'what-the-hell-am-I-watching' (Episode 10) and eventually, it still managed to put a smile on my face. That's what a successful story should be. I could not expect any better from Urobuchi.
On a side note, do not treat this as your ordinary Mahou Shoujo genre show. Urobuchi had twisted this so that it's more like Neon Genesis Evangelion, focusing more on the psychology part.
ART:
Now here's where I don't like Puella Magi Madoka Magica a bit. Like many other people, the character designs initially scared me off a bit. I mean, are those human beings? Flat, big faces with a disproportionate body. What the hell.
Despite this, I like the animation of the show overall. It's smooth in general and like many of SHAFT's works, I absolutely loved the imaginative, conspicuous style adapted in the Witches' scenes. Good job, SHAFT.
SOUND:
In addition to its excellent plot and art, Puella Magi Madoka Magica also boasts an awesome soundtrack. The OP, "Connect" fits the overall depressive, melancholic mood of the series well, more so for the ED, "Magia" by Kalafina. In fact, I like the ED more than the OP.
On the other hand, the background music was done by Yuki Kajiura, another great anime OST composer (the first one was Shiro Sagisu). Judging from her previous works, you would expect a great job from her, and I assure that you won't be disappointed. The background music were done very well, and I'm more impressive by the fact that the quality remains high for all the tracks. The orchestral pieces were particularly outstanding, they managed to emphasize the grandeur of the show.
CHARACTER:
I could not imagine how much time did Urobuchi put into crafting the characters. EVERY MAIN CHARACTER, and yes, EACH OF THEM had a unique personality of their own, which blends with the personalities of other people well. And ugh, each of them had such a sad backstory that you could not help but weep at their respective fates. All the characters also had a fair amount of screentime, including even Madoka's mother, who played a very important role in the final few episodes.
OVERALL:
If you had heard from other people that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the "anime of the year", you are not hearing anything wrong. For an anime that received a godlike 12 awards in the 1st Newtype Anime Awards and whose DVD/BD sales were one of the best ever, it certainly lived up to its reputation. Now I do hope that I would see another anime that can be on par with it. Better if it were to top it.
