Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica

Xelrog

If you haven't heard of Madoka Magica, you might have suspected that it was a magical girl show. If you have heard of Madoka Magica, you probably know that it's a deconstruction of the magical girl genre... and a pretty damn grim one, at that. Don't let the happy, bubbly art style and cute little pink-haired main character fool you, because that's exactly what they're made that way to do. This is not the feel-good series you may have been hoping for. __Writing:__ Let's be frank. This series is written such that it's supposed to regularly throw you for a loop. If not for Netflix tagging the show as "dark" and "ominous," I would have been rather surprised by the twists, to say the least. The only reason I was able to consistently predict the story was because I jokingly started expecting the worst possible turn of events and was repeatedly proven right. ...of course, now that I've said that, you'll probably go through the same experience. But, it's still interesting to watch the deconstruction of a genre that's known for being totally feel-good and free of depression by nature. The plot is pretty well-written for the most part, the characters are varied--you'll probably end up liking some and hating others. All in all, a damn strong showing in the writing department. __Art:__ The show's art can be neatly divided into three categories: The characters, the outer world, and the labyrinths. The characters' art style can be a little jarring at first, due to the contrast between the super-moe babyfaced character designs and the dark colors that the plot often calls for, but you get used to it. The characters also have their eyes drawn in such a way that they look perpetually glazed over and "dead," but that's just another artistic quirk. The setting of the outer world and its backdrops are very... surreal... but in a conservative sort of way. The world of Madoka is a very interesting one in its futuristic but totally inconsistent architecture. It's very fun and artistic, priorities clearly placed high above its realism by the designers. If the design of the overworld were an artistic movement, it might be Cubism or Bauhaus. By contrast, the "labyrinth" areas, alternate spaces created by witches in the series, might be called Expressionism or Surrealism. It's in these witch encounters that the animation really shines. The setting changes drastically to a much grittier, more abstract style without defined boundaries, and the fluidity of the character movements doubles for the fight scenes... not a choice I particularly respect in anime production, but admittedly fun to watch in action. __Sound:__ The soundtrack ranges from ordinary to excellent, in my opinion. Most of the music is fairly mundane and not something I would listen to by itself, but every now and again you'll get a track that stands above the others and really brings the series to life for a minute or two--in my case, it's a theme that sounds reminiscent of Susumu Hirasawa's compositions (Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Berserk). I haven't spent any time with the Japanese dub of this series, myself, but the English is passable. Not fantastic, but certainly not bad. Character voices are very stereotypically "moe," a choice made intentionally to mislead viewers on the nature of the show... and one that does bring home the point of how out of place the characters eventually find themselves in the situation they've been placed in. If you like things that are dark and morbid with a strongly-written storyline and a sound ending, Madoka may just be worth your watch. If you like magical girl shows with bubbly heroines and lessons about love and friendship, prepare to be let down. Perhaps my pointing out the show's dark nature has lessened its impact on some of you reading this, but I hope you give it a chance regardless--the plot is a spot above the rest, and the ending is truly memorable.

biogundam

Waring this review may contain spoilers First impressions, so today we are going to be reviewing the critical acclaimed magical girl deconstruction(TM) known as madoka magica which are clearly not an overrated and blotted piece of crap that not even a good art/ animation or soundtrack could save. Story,4/10 So our story begins with main character Madoka Kaname and side character Sayaka Miki are regular middle school girls with regular mundane lives, but all that changes when they encounter Kyuubey, magical creature, and Homura Akemi, the new transfer student. Kyuubey offers them a proposition for the girls to get into his van so he can grant any one of their wishes and in exchange, they will each become magical girls in order to fight beings known as witchs , However, Homura Akemi, a magical girl herself, urges them to reconsider has things are not so stright forward as they seem and to top it all off you have a another magical girl named Mami Tomoe an veteran magical girl who wishes for are duo to get into kyuubey van and desides to also mentor them to give them an idea of what there in for if they make a contract with kyuubey. So madoka magica is a series that starts out like any other magical girl show.you got main character and her friends enjoying life until one day they encounter supernatural monsters and during this encounter, they meet a magical being that will grant them wishes or turn them into magical girls to combat the monsters and they have happy go lucky adventures and friendship power-ups a plenty. But what if I were to tell you that Madoka Magica is not just your tiple happy go lucky magical girl show because it is the fabled deconstration of magical girl genre, tropes, cliches by being dark, depressing and being edgy as fuck. because on the famous ep three one of the magical girls dies and from there onwards more death and despair will follow are cast of characters who maybe regret getting into kyuubey van without understanding the ramifications of there choices. So the question I pose to you all is having these elements adequate to decent storytelling, well to answer your question I would say fuck no. Because Madoka magicla takes the heart and soul of the magical girl genre and then preseeds to completely stomp on it with a heel until whats left is a soulless series that the faceless masses hype it up because its a deconstruction apparently and the premise sounds cool. But being pedantic aside let us get into the real meat of this, So on paper, Madoka Magica has some decent ideas and if the series wanted to go for a more darker, moodier magical girl story then they have hit the nail on the head perfectly with a few elements. Like for examples I will mention, as a magical girl you are basically immortal and your life is tied to your magic use and capacity, if you fall into despair and don't clean your soul gem you turn into a witch and my favourite element is magical girls fighting one another for hunting grounds. If the series was just about that and focused on those elements alone then I would have totally been fine with this series and would have marked it up as a nice one-timer experience that I would want to visit again and appreciate for being different. But the problem big underline problem with this series is that any good idea and concept it has, it completely drops it or forgets about it. Becuase who give a fuck about consistency and decent storytelling, as Madoka magicla devolves into an unnecessary dark, moody edgy magical girl show for the sake of being a dark, moody, edgy magical girl show. Like example killing off 90% of the characters by episode 8 in a 12 episode series or the whole reveal of how kyuubey is this alien who has no emotions and is using the magical girls and witches to gather energy to prevent the whole universe from going boom. Which the series uses as an excuse for over bloated drama about the characters complaining about how life is unfair even though they got there wishes grated that gave them some sort of happiness and their sacrifices are saving the lives of not just humanity as a whole but every race in the entire universe and it gets worse when kyuubey introduces pseudoscience in a supposed magical setting about entropy and emotions = magic wishes, how the fuck that works? another pet peeve that really bothers me is how people count it as this amazing deconstruction of the magical girl genre and I feel that these people don't really know what a deconstruction is or even watched anything from the magical girl genre. To be counted as a deconstruction you have to either be a subversion of popular tropes and cliches or be a critic of it and point out the trappings and pitfalls of that genre. madoka magicia doesn't really subvert or critic the genre in any meaningful way, it uses the whole magical girl element as an excuse for tragedy porn and shock factor. Which isn't really saying much because of it kiddle pool level of themes and theme exploration cause for a series that claims to be about hope and despair and how you should never give up regardless. Its so one sided to the point of silliness as life is never that linear and makes it lose any credibility. Which is encapsulated with the ending of the show being a fucking time resect and Madoka becoming Deus ex Madoka because that's something you can wish for is to become a god? And use that power to fix the universe. Characters,4/10 When it comes to the main character Madoka, she is so bland and her personality can be boiled down to is that she a nice girl and what to help people. She is such marry sue who I find so fucking boring and there isn't really a reason or Introspection of why she is like this. Like usually people who are like this are either people with a strong sense of justice or their people who have gone through such a hard time in life that they don't want others to suffer the same fate. Yet there nothing to really imply she has a strong scene of justice or she had a hard time at life so she basically a bland soulless main character who only saving grace is the fact she the only one who wished for something useful which is to become a god. When it comes to the side charters and the magical girl characters themselves. They are as about as soulless and bland as you can get with the one exception being Sayaka who was the only character who had actually any character instead of bland and vague outlines of personality and motives which helps me slightly care about her. But in the grand scheme of things you cant care about charters you only know for a few episodes, which brings out my biggest problem is how this series handles its characters. Becuase this series kills off most of its cast before you even get to know them or most importantly get any character development which was very much needed as their characters are shallow. When a character dies in this show I view it as oh no another lifeless Puppet died big woop and I don't want to be that uncaring asshole but this show makes it so hard to give a fuck about its characters which also destroys the hook of the story as it's about trying to subvert the usual magical girl conventions. Now when to Kyuubi, he Is probably one of the worse characterisations of a creature that has no emotions and is supposed to be Neutral that I have ever seen in anime to date. Because he basically manipulates these girls and prays on there naivety to make a contact with him, and you argue that he gave them the choice, but that's bullshit because throughout the entire series he hangs around Madoka and Sayaka dropping these passive comments of how it would be great if they became magical girls and doesn't even inform them what they're signing up for with the excuse being that you have to ask, which is also bullshit again because the info dumps whenever the plot tells him to he clearly acting like Jafar here. To add insult to injury he has the gall to criticize humanity for having emotions and reacting in a certain way when he himself has no emotions and wouldn't even understand the concept of emotions so is criticism is just blowing hot air and I would compare it to the idea of describing colours to a blind person. Art,7/10 Art and animation are pretty decent and still hold up today and There are also decent backgrounds and fight scenes are well choreographed. Another plus I would like to say about the backgrounds is that they do a good job at portraying this feeling of loneliness and isolation because a lot of the streets and buildings are barren and it encapsulates this feeling of backing yourself into a corner that you can't escape from it. But one problem I have is that the witch realm is weirdly symbolic. But there isn't really any context behind it or reason why other than arthouse and pretty colours. Because if witches where magical girls then why aren't their realm or forms-based more on there personality or psychology instead of being based on the areas they took residence in. It would have been cool if they did something similar to persona 4 or 5 wherein the tv world or the metaverse realms are based on a more twisted version of someone's personality and psyche, instead of its in a school or hospital and though out the entire thing we are going to bombard you with school and hospital symbolism. When it comes to character designs I quite like them, like the magical girl forms look pretty cool and the witches look very cool as well in there own arthouse way. Sound, 7/10 Opening and ending song are both pretty decent and I would recommend people go and listen to them. Because I feel that fit the series very well like the opening song has this vibe of joy and regret to it and the ending song as this feeling of despair and the hope that there will be a better tomorrow. Considering what happens in the series it fits the series like a glass slipper. Now when it comes to ost wise. I feel that the ost, in general, is lacking a lot of punch and is mainly used for the feels. Which isn't a bad thing per say but I think its a waste to focus on the one emotional style. But that nitpick aside I still feel its worth a listen even if I am not the biggest fan of it. The ost was done and worked on by Yuki Kajiura the godless of ost of music and I feel that this soundtrack is probably the weaker of her works. Sub and dub are pretty decent as voice acting was ok, but I did find the main character voice in dub painful to sit through, but other than that thumbs-ups all around. Enjoyment,5/10 Now I know that I have been rough on this show throughout this entire review, but the only reason I am tough on series like this is that I expect more. When it comes to enjoyment I love as just a one-time experience and nothing else because Madoka magica is like roller coaster to me and once I got off the ride and thought about it my enjoyment went kinda downhill from there and what saddens me is it has some great ideas and there were parts that which truly entertained me but once I got off the ride and seen the series for what it is that was the final nail in the coffin for me enjoyment wise. Overall, 4/10 In conclusion when you strip away the critical acclaim or the massive hype that this series has gathered. What Your pretty much left with a one-timer experience that mostly relies way too much on shock factor which in retrospect kills any rewatch value as the twists only work once. If you like really superficiality dark and edgy shows for pretentious overthinkers and edgelords in training Madoka will be the series for you. But if you're looking for a dark magical girl show with actual plot and charters your better of watching sailor moon or princess tutu

DanielePiantoni

img220(https://media.giphy.com/media/aTIMdJTGfiXjq/giphy.gif) Madoka magica è un anime del 2011 prodotto da Aniplex, stiamo parlando dell'anime più sorprendente che io abbia mai visto e che è entrato di diritto tra i miei preferiti facendomi appassionare al genere mahou shojo. TRAMA: vede le vicende di madoka che con la sua amica entra in contatto con kubi un essere misterioso che propone un contratto, in cambio di un desiderio diventeranno puella magi ovvero ragazze magiche allo scopo di combattere le streghe. Fino a qui e anche dalla copertina dell anime può sembrare il solito incipit e il solito anime che con la forza dell amicizia e il potere del cuore si può far tutto eccetera. Bhe non avete capito nulla, mai ho visto un anime iniziare tutto fiorito e colorato e finire nell'oscurità più totale, in drammi psicologici, legami che sfociano nell'odio e colpi di scena mai visti(se ancora penso all' episodio 10) Verranno presentati personaggi misteriosi che pian piano vedranno in maniera perfetta il loro ruolo. PERSONAGGI: Anche qua 10, pochi ma buoni e tutti ben caratterizzati, mai visto dei plot cosi radicali,anche la protagonista non sembra una protagonista. SPOILER: l' amica di madoka è la migliore insieme alla vera protagonista infatti hanno la crescita migliore una positiva e una negativa, se si include il film sono tutte negative. ANIMAZIONE 10 e lode, lo psicadelico unito al color pastello rilascia una qualità assoluta e colori assurdi che rimangono ogni puntata. AUDIO: 10 e lode , sound track corali gotiche per enfatizzare il cupo dell' anime e op molto bella. COMMENTO:ritengo questo un anime sottovalutato da molti per un motivo: La Copertina, infatti credo bisogna punire severamente chi lha approvata allontanando molti da questo capolavoro in quanto risulta una copertina rosa alla teniamoci per mano verso il tramonto. Esiste una trilogia successiva di film, 2 recap più il terzo finale che a molti è dispiaciuto, invece lho ritenuto un altro fiore all occhiello di come un anime vada fatto finito e concluso senza neanche un difetto, potreste farvi ingannare dall inizio friendly dell'anime ma fidatevi sbagliate di grosso, posso quasi dire che come anime si avvicina all horror per certe tematiche e scene di livello non molto family style. In conclusione è il miglior capolavoro mahou shojo attualmente presente e a livello di plot di anime che partono tutti colorati per finire in una spirale cupa e oscura a livelli assurdi non ha rivali VOTO 10

planetJane

~~~All of my reviews contain __spoilers __for the reviewed material. This is your only warning. ~~~ --------- ~~~Foreward~~~ Here’s a hypothetical for you. Can a series that relies largely on a plot twist--some kind of tonal pivot at the very least--still be compelling if you already know it’s coming? img880(https://i.imgur.com/76gnmhR.png) That’s not actually a hypothetical, of course. This is the perspective I went into *Puella Magi Madoka Magica* with. Eight years late to the party, an inhabitant of a media landscape the series has undeniably helped shape. PMMM is something of a genre sea change point. There is the mahou shoujo genre before *Madoka*, and there is the mahou genre after it, it’d be hard to mistake either for the other. In this way, despite many other easy overdone comparisons, I think *Madoka* is actually most similar to Alan Moore’s *Watchmen*. An outsider perspective on the genre that for good and ill, irreversibly altered what followed in its wake. Every single magical girl series since *Madoka* has had to reckon with it in some way. This is the thread that unites things as disparate as *Flip-Flappers*, *Symphogear*, *Wish Upon The Pleiades*, *Revue Starlight*, later *Precure* seasons, and on and on. Curious that *Madoka* could be argued to be as much a cause as a symptom. Few other than *Magical Girl Site* predecessor *Mahou Shoujo of The End* are remembered today, but PMMM was not the only thing doing “magical girls, but dark” in its era. Why then, has this one grown so tall, and eclipsed the rest, permanently casting a shadow on the genre that both birthed it and that it irrevocably changed? img880(https://i.imgur.com/CsCsKDb.png) Well, that’s the question I went into PMMM hoping to answer. Talking about yourself is bad critical form, but it’s impossible to separate an evaluation of this kind of work from the environment in which it’s watched, and in which it comes out. I was 17 in 2011, and I had absolutely no time for something like *Madoka*. My anime taste at the time was very limited, and I loathed depressing fiction (I’m not fond of it to this day, honestly), and well, you know how teenagers are. I thought that since so many people liked it it must be *overrated*. Caring about things is a form of vulnerability, so pointedly *not* caring about them is an expression of power. I was an asshole as a teenager, and for these reasons and many more, I very loudly Did Not Watch *Madoka*. For years afterward, I was convinced I’d made the right decision. Like *Watchmen*, PMMM has a lot of detractors and fans alike that fail to understand the work in question or blame it for the effects it’s had on its genre. I was in this camp myself for a long time; as I got more and more into both magical girls as an idea and the mahou shoujo genre proper, I came to resent the series for so thoroughly blackening its outlook. I’ve since come to believe that this is unfair. Nobody goes into a show thinking they have something bad on their hands, but conversely, few people know they’re about to drop a classic. But even when I got over *that* I had one last hangup. I reasoned that, well, I know how this story ends. Kyubey turns out to be an eldritch terror with the goal of using magical girls’ souls to stave off entropy. Madoka becomes God and sacrifices herself to save the world. Roll credits. I know that and as I’m typing this, have still never seen an episode of the show. If you’re reading this, you almost certainly know it too. img880(https://i.imgur.com/1JS5tWN.png) So why go into this *now?* So long after most people have settled their feelings and drawn their lines in the sand? Two reasons. For one, *Symphogear*, undeniably a series that is a response on at least some level to *Madoka*, is getting its final season in just a few days. I have a long, running review of that entire franchise that I wish to finish after it concludes. How can I possibly form a truly qualified opinion on it if I have not seen the series it was allegedly made at least in part, to converse with? Honestly that’s a question that applies equally well to many shows that engage with this one, and there are a *lot* of them. The other reason is simpler; to look for more reasons. I *want* to like *Madoka*, and, dear reader, you and I are going to confront this colossus together. So whatever that little number at the bottom of this page ends up being, I am hoping that the 6 hours of my life I’m about to spend will leave me with a greater understanding and appreciation for the genre on the whole than what I had when I started. Let’s begin, shall we? ~~~Puella Magi Madoka Magica ~~~ It seems obvious to say that watching this show while knowing how it ends changes the watching experience. I have no idea what it must’ve been like to be smacked upside the head with the end of the third episode when the show was *airing* must’ve been like. On the other hand, I genuinely envy anyone who can watch part of this early portion of the series without feeling a creeping, stomach-churning sense of dramatic irony. Mami’s dialogue in episode 3 feels like such a heavy telegraph that she’s about to die that I wonder how it was received at the time. To me, it’s clear that the main thing that *Madoka* shares with its parent genre is a certain enormity of emotion. This only makes sense, if “regular” (for lack of a better term) magical girl shows are fueled by the power of love and all other manner of positive feeling, then to make a “dark” one is to examine the flip side of that coin. The power of tainted love, bitterness, fear, all that jazz. An example; what eventually spurs Sayaka to accept Kyubey’s contract is not a desire to help people or anything of the sort. *Her* wish is to fix the hands of her apparent crush, a former violin prodigy who is suffering from the aftermath of an accident, so he can play again. Is this selfish? Absolutely, but it’s also very human. img880(https://i.imgur.com/XO3Sw1i.png) Describing it that way makes it sound somewhat obnoxious, maybe even meanspirited, but unlike its contemporary (and fellow influence on the current crop of dark magical girl anime) *Mahou Shoujo of The End*, nothing about *Madoka* actually *feels* that way at all. Either by intent or by strength of craft is only so relevant, the show does what it does in this area well. Emotions being big of course, does not mean they’re necessarily happy. Over the course of its run, *Madoka*, unsurprisingly, gets pretty damn grim. A lot of this revolves around the character of Kyubey, who, if you’ve been on the internet at all in the past decade, you likely already know as the creature that gives girls the “contracts” that make them become magical girls in the first place. He’s also the main villain, as you likely also know. Kyubey is something that anime villains only occasionally are, which is genuinely top-to-bottom detestable. He’s a wretch, and knowing about his real goal ahead of time, and that he genuinely thinks he’s in the right, somehow makes the whole thing worse. img880(https://i.imgur.com/iCMj5XN.png) *(no but really, fuck this guy)* But even with the rest of the cast--especially the core ensemble of magical girls--emotions run high, and run black. Sayaka’s crush is taken by a close friend, Kyouko’s father killed himself and the rest of her family after learning that his ‘new religion’ was only attracting adherents because of Kyouko’s magic. It goes on like this, and while the scenes about this kind of thing are definitely *well-made*, they’re also a **lot** to handle, and I’d blame pretty much no one for being put off because of them. Then there’s Madoka herself. Madoka is fascinating specifically because she seems like such an ill fit for such a somber series. In a ‘normal’ magical girl show, Madoka’s character would lend itself well to being that of the protagonist. She has a very real belief in the inherent goodness of people, and spends much of the first couple episodes idly dreaming about how great it would be to be a magical girl so she could save everyone. In *this* show, by all rights, that should make her a terrible fit to play the lead role. This is a story where the world is puppeteered by eldritch horrors from beyond the stars. In fact, for much of the series’ run, it seems like Madoka has mostly been relegated to a supporting role in her own series. img880(https://i.imgur.com/cv71dTI.png) *(sometimes literally)* The thing is, even someone with her personality is not immune to being ground down by the kind of situation she’s in. The series is not shy about showing the depths Madoka sinks to over the course of it. This is true for every character to a greater or lesser degree, but with Madoka it feels more intense. Then there is Homura. Is there *ever* Homura. Homura is interesting because the kind of character she is in many ways comes from outside the genre entirely. Homura, as we eventually learn, is a time traveller, jaded by countless repetitions of the same span of time in an endless quest to right a wrong. The tenth episode gives us the details. In it, it’s *her* who occupies the ‘protagonist’ spot in what would be a normal magical girl anime. By the time she meets Madoka and Mami in her original timeline, they’ve already become magical girls. Eventually, they both die, and in desperation, she makes a contract with Kyubey, asking to do it all over. In the next iteration, she joins them as magical girls, but they still ultimately die and in Madoka’s case, become a witch respectively. This repeats. Endlessly, living the same month over and over, until we get to the timeline of the show, her personality drastically changing over time. img880(https://i.imgur.com/XJ3nBER.png) Homura’s story in particular also unfortunately reveals something telling. The show’s greatest narrative strength is its tone, it’s not afraid to go all-in on tragedy. But, because of the nature of the genre it adopts, it’s also its greatest weakness. Episode 10 is the first time I really *felt* the tragedy of the situation as it unfolded. Why? Because for better or worse, the tonal space that PMMM works in is one more aimed at the brain than the heart. Homura’s arc and the consequent dovetail into the finale are something of an exception, here. The show has mountains of symbolism, the narrative is legitimately interesting, and the visuals and soundtrack are superb. *Madoka* has craft and talent for days. What it seems to have trouble with until its final few episodes is *connecting* in the same way that more straightforward magical girl anime do. The things that the girls go through are genuinely awful, but the immediacy of their tragedies is to a point dampened by the surreal horror of their situation. It doesn’t quite feel *real*. Until the last two episodes roll around and offer something of a solution. Famously, the finale of PMMM involves Madoka becoming the apotheosis of hope itself. This is, narratively, the show’s grand statement. Madoka becomes not just *a* magical girl but *every* magical girl. A Christlike figure who exists at the beginning and end of time to absolve the other magical girls of their karma before they can turn into witches. *As a story beat*, it is a good ending to the series. But conceptually? Beyond the bounds of *Madoka* itself, within its wider place in the genre? It’s a little arrogant, isn’t it? What *Madoka* puts forward, and indeed what drew Kyubey and the other Incubators to humanity in the first place, is that it is humanity’s capacity for emotion that makes us so remarkable. Madoka ends up *embodying* one of those emotions, but in the process of doing so, rises above humanity itself. Madoka *disappears*. Despite her attempt to assuage Homura’s fears in-show, the fact remains that from any reasonable point of view, this is a huge sacrifice she’s made for the benefit of everyone. img880(https://i.imgur.com/GERECM9.png) And that, right there, is the one splinter that keeps me from loving this series instead of just respecting it (though I *do* respect it. Much more than I initially expected to, honestly). Even in the show itself, Madoka’s absence is felt keenly in the closing episode. And this is all painted as a grand statement--again, Madoka as not just a magical girl but an avatar, as *every* magical girl. In its last moments, the series offers us this: img880(https://i.imgur.com/GVkxlko.png) It’s again a nice statement in a narrative context. Given the constraints of her universe, the universe Madoka creates is undeniably a better one. The problem though is not on a narrative level, it’s in a broader, meta sense. Madoka *isn’t* every magical girl. There’s Sailor Moon, the countless Pretty Cure teams, Nanoha, the eponymous Sakura of *Cardcaptor Sakura*. There’s countless magical girls from the 80s that predate western awareness of the genre. Beyond traditional genre standards there’s Papika and Cocona, Hibiki Tachibana, Karen Aijo. Hell, there’s even Shoutan Himei, somewhere way out in the weeds. Perhaps looking on with envy. Why the list? To emphasize that despite *Madoka*’s stab at universality, the story it tells is actually a very small one, one mostly about Madoka herself and Homura. On this level, understood just as much as part of the ‘world story’ genre that also includes frequent point-of-comparison *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, *Madoka* makes much more sense. Honestly, taken that way (and consequently much more charitably), it’s a great entry into its genre. However, part of experiencing art is living in the culture it spawned. And as I pointed out near the top of this review (and several real-world days ago for myself), we live in a world that is *thoroughly* post-*Madoka*, and the series’ impact has been largely on the magical girl genre. Has that impact been negative? Well, it’s hard to say. Certainly, as much--if not significantly moreso--than the meaner “it’s magical girls but daaaaaarrk” stuff like *Mahou Shoujo of The End*, *Madoka* has spawned no shortage of imitators and disciples. Curiously though, a lot of those shows hit the sense of universality that *Madoka* aims for better than the series itself does, at least the ones that take the right message away from it. And if *Madoka* has a message, it’s the same as the one found in an old phrase I heard once long ago, that I cannot recall the source of; To everything, even sadness, there is an end. It’s bittersweet and imperfect--much like *Madoka* itself--but in the right circumstance it can brighten your life, and make it feel not so bad. Similarly, while my own feelings on the show are a bit more muted than I might’ve liked, it’d be genuine arrogance to act like I don’t understand *why* it means what it does to so many people. Sometimes you really do just need a reminder that always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. That none of us are ever truly alone. --------

Solaris

WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead. So...where to I start? Puella Magi Madoka Magica is one kind of an anime. You know, you always get these cute magical girls, where they have to fight some malevolent dark force and always emerge victorious with the power of love, or friendship. You'd think it'd be the same for Madoka Magica, but, let me tell you. You are about to witness some great tale. __Story__ Let's start small. We have main protagonist Madoka Kaname having a peaceful life, with friends, family, nothing could go wrong, right? Well, if it weren't for that dream which occurs to her one night - a black haired girl fighting an abominational creature which are refered her as "witches". After waking up and going to school, she realizes that exactly that girl is now in her class. Hearing a help call from a small, cute creature named Kyubey, Madoka and her best friend Sayaka quickly find themselves in the crossfire of that very girl - the mysterious Homura Akemi, which is revealed to be a Magical Girl. After escaping, they find themselves in a witch barrier but soon get saved by another magical girl, Mami Tomoe. Kyubey then offers Sayaka and Madoka a great chance - they get any wish fulfilled, no matter how crazy. In return, they will become Magical Girls and dedicate their life with fighting witches. And so, a new tale is set in motion...which may or may not end into a catastrophe. __Characters__ For one, we have Madoka - the protagonist. A cute and loving pink haired girl which is always upbeat and happy. Shortly after, we have her friend Sayaka Miki, a blue haired, cool and tomboy kind of girl. Homura Akemi is the third character, the mysterious magical girl, who seems to have her reasons for hunting down Kyubey. Mami Tomoe is the fourth girl, a high leveled student at the same school Madoka, Sayaka and Homura go to - and also a magical girl. Last but not least, the fifth girl, later introduced - Kyouko Sakura, a somewhat vicious red haired girl who is naive and wouldn't hold back to kill you if you would get in her way. Kyubey rounds the character line up - a small cat like creature, the one who contracts girls to make them become magical girls and granting their wishes. Of course, there are some important side characters, like Madoka's mother and Hitomi, a friend of Madoka and Sayaka. __Music__ The music is flawless and perfect. It fits for every scene. The opening song is a typical upbeat song with dark lyrics, but hopeful, while the first ending song seems like the chill track you would expect, but changing with Episode 3, the second ending song arrives, which does not know mercy - at all. Dark atmosphere, dark lyrics and orchestral-guitar driven. What else can you ask for? __Art__ The artstyle is...special, to say the least. Sometimes, it feels very weird and derpy, but mostly, it is cool drawn. The anime seems to take a lot of influence from german mythology, which is interesting. The magical girl designs are pretty and how the last scenes of the anime are portrayed is breathtaking. Very well done. __Overall__ Overall, Madoka Magica is one hell of a great anime. It has it's epic moments, it's heartwarming scenes, it's cruel and crazy atmosphere sometimes, but all rounded up, it has that epic feel you are looking for. I suggest you to go and watch it, to get an look for yourself of how the magical girl scene can be deconstructed. The anime is available per DVD, but is also available on Netflix in some countries.

GiantR

I recently rewatched Madoka Magica, so it's up for a review. I’ll be reviewing this as if the movie didn’t exist. Madoka Magica isn't about Madoka, the majority of the show she’s a scared girl with serious self-doubt issues and dangerously low self-esteem. She just like Sayaka is pretending to do, is more than willing to throw her life away for the sake of others. She is an observer in this game of witchhunt, and is constantly prevented from helping. The reality of the situation is that she’s helpless and weak, and she knows it. But the devil on her shoulder keeps telling her that for the small price of her soul, she too can save the world, just like her cool friends are doing. Madoka Magica is a story about expectations and reality, the expectation of becoming a powerful Magical Girl that saves everyone and looks cool doing it, put alongside the reality that the point of becoming one is to eventually become a witch. The expectation that neglecting yourself could help everyone else, but the reality that suffering is only bearable, when you aren’t the one suffering. Sayaka wished for the salvation of Violin boy, but she didn’t really care about him, she only wished to be noticed by him. It’s was only selfless on the surface, and when the reality of it was just a young girl’s selfish desire for love. Kyoko similarly wished for her father’s dreams to be fulfilled, she wanted to live in a world where his teachings were accepted, but cheating your way to the top wasn’t the real goal of her father. And as such her naiveté cost her everything she had. Another way to read Kyoko’s motivations is that she flat out just wanted food and stability in her life, but rationalized it as wanting to help her father. Mami was the only one that didn’t have a “real” choice in becoming a magical girl, it was that or death, and as we saw, death was a preferable alternative to the reality of being one. Kids think that the adults are too stuck in their ways, that they can do it better, the rule of thumb of never using your wish for others is there only because people are selfish and closeminded. But they’ll change the rules, by being truly righteous. And yet, when push comes to shove, they realize that thinking about doing something is a whole other beast than actually doing it. Their childishness comes to the forefront and the choices they’ve made can never be unmade. All of the girls deal with that differently. Sayaka becomes depressed and self-destructive. Homura becomes single-minded in her obsession with Madoka. Mami turns into a murderer at the drop of a hat and Kyoko just wants to see if the rules are really that ironclad, and when that fails, she just surrenders to destiny. The incubators have been around humanity for long enough to know that we can’t handle the truth. So they conveniently left it out when talking about the benefits and responsibilities of magical girls. Say that you are going to be fighting witches, and that the impossible will become possible as long as you sign on the dotted line. Humans tend to fill in the blanks in their head with what they want reality to be. While they never lied, it is still deceptive in nature. Homura was a very sick girl that missed the majority of her childhood, because of an unspecified heart condition. She’s a scared girl with serious self-doubt issues and dangerously low self-esteem, she’s helpless and weak and not particularly book smart and she knows it. She is quite literally in the exact same situation as Madoka is at the start of the show, which is why I copied the paragraph from the top almost verbatim. When her journey is close to an end, she decides to become a Magical girl in hopes of making everything “right” once and for all. Madoka tells her that she should become cool, because her name is cool and Homura takes that a bit too literally, everytime she loops back to the start, she becomes more ruthless, determined and completely detached from the world. She’s seen it all, numerous times even, she doesn’t have the space in her heart to care about more than 1 person. She’s only there because of Madoka, and everyone else is a side character in Madoka’s story. But while there are parallels between her and Madoka, there are also very important differences. Homura is alone, she’s never shown to think about her parents or her friends in her old school, while Madoka has a very healthy relationship with her Mother, and her friends. She has people that have her best interests in mind, and as such she grew up to be “a very good girl”. Madoka, while in some of the loops decides that her becoming a magical girl was a mistake, that’s only because of her internalized inferiority complex, her self-doubt and knowledge that a single person can’t really change everything. But even then she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, while Homura was more than willing to destroy the world as long as Madoka wished it. Homura didn’t really care about the intent of Madoka’s words, she just wanted to “save” her in the only way she knew how. By doing everything herself and if something were to impede her she’d remove it by force. Homura only has space for 1 person, while Madoka’s kindness was infinite, which is where the 2 diverged, and why the outcome was so different in the end of it all. While Madoka couldn’t realistically solve it all on the first attempt, she needed Homura to bring her to the finish line. Homura did the right thing for arguably the wrong reasons. It all comes down to expectations and reality, Homura’s expectations are that if she does it for Madoka, she isn’t the weak willed girl she was at the start, but the reality is that she can’t do it alone and that she never really changed, just hardened. In the end Madoka doesn’t really change much, magical girls still exist, and they still die, the only thing she gives them is relief in death, so that they can die without hatred for the world. She is just the hope that maybe things aren’t so bad and the world isn’t worth destroying. Some side notes. I really did love that Homura took the “be cool” advice so to heart, she even studied math just so that she could flex on her class. The music is obviously amazing, with [Mami’s theme ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIMf1CSAZYc) being my personal standout. When I heard it in episode 10, I quite audibly squued. I still tear a bit when I hear it. Overall the show is close to perfect, it’s one of the most “complete” and self-contained stories ever put to anime. Even if the movie didn’t exist I’d personally be happy with how it ended. But the movie does exist and I’ll write about it when I rewatch it these days. Great show __9.5/10__, everyone should watch it.

Sayaka20

__Disclaimer:__ My opinion on this anime is most likely not the most neutral one as I'm biased towards it for reasons I will explain later on. If you wish to read a 100% neutral review, this one might not be for you. If you're curious what got me into this specific show and why I can only recommend watching it yourself, stick around! Disclaimer 2: I will only cover the first season, aka the first 12 episodes of the anime, not the movie rebellion. Disclaimer 3: There will be spoilers which will be marked with __[spoiler]__. If you don't wish to be spoiled, skipped those marked areas of the review. Enough said, let's get started! _Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PMMM_) reserves a special place in my heart. Not only was it the very first anime I've ever watched and therefore dragged my into wonderful world of anime, it simply is a great show and I'd rewatch it any time. It starts with the small details. The intro is already great to watch, not least due to the great opening song and the way it ends, with the cut onto the picture of all characters standing on that rooftop. It continues with the show at first luring you into a really comfy-feeling anime with cute characters having a great time and enjoying themselves, but that pretence doesn't last for very long. __[spoiler]__ It won't take you many episodes to watch until the first characters will be gone from the anime - maybe your favorite one is one of them (like in my case). Though, that doesn't make the anime any worse - for me, the opposite is the case. The story is very dark compared to most anime of its genre, however it isn't one of those anime that are dark "just to be dark" and have your favorite character die for no reason. The show tells a tragedy, a ballad that makes sense in itself. It is a little bit hard to follow at certain parts, (so re-watching them or thinking about them for a minute or two after watching them is definitely an advice I can give you) but it does make sense in itself and has no potholes (praise the lord this isn't about some certain Isekai anime). The story stays interesting throughout since the development of each character is very well covered and surprising for the most part, so you probably won't find yourself getting bored. As the name of the anime already allows you to guess, Madoka Kaname is the protagonist of this show - and well, she's that for a reason. Obviously, the authors came around with a surprise for her as well, and I can assure you, it's not what you think.. Overall, many great things can be said about this anime. It offers great characters with at least one you will enjoy, so if you're looking for some waifu material, you're at the right address. The art style obviously isn't the most modern one by todays standards, yet I wouldn't call it outdated as it is definitely unique in its own way, which is what makes the characters very cute to look at (that is especially the case for Madoka). img220(https://66.media.tumblr.com/4c97116e27a631918198f8df6c758daa/tumblr_mtidov3ysK1sauq5bo1_400.gif) Music was enjoyable for me as well, though definitely not the best either, don't get me wrong there. Yet unique, anime such as "Release the Spyce" (undoubtedly also one of my favorite anime) simply got it much better. So, recommendation? Hell yea! If you're looking for a mahou shoujo anime and you're not afraid of s bit of darkness, go ahead, you'll like it just like I do! Peace! img220(https://img.fireden.net/v/image/1505/69/1505690601466.jpg)

Vollerei

“Just because you keep trying to do the right thing, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a happy ending.” – Junko Kaname If you’re new to the genre, then you may have yet to understand the pain of finding a good mahou shoujo out there. Look no further! With the studio that provided the amazing Monogatari series, Shaft throws out the window the bland and generic feel of the mahou shoujo genre and turns it into something deeper. I was very surprised at what this turned out to be, and in the end I wasn’t disappointed. Sure, there were a few things that I didn’t agree with. But overall, I couldn’t ignore how well they did in revolutionizing what a mahou shoujo anime is. The varying characters, engaging and exciting storyline, and overall atmosphere of it all made this anime unusually appealing to me. Let’s get on with the review! Art and Animation: 8.9/10 - The art/animation of its time was of high quality for sure. With a studio that’s responsible for the Monogatari series, it excelled in unique camera angles, dramatic lighting, and great character models and expressions. While the fight scenes were nothing too crazy until the end, it had maintained consistency. Some wide-angled shots resulted in a generic character model at times, and there were a couple times in action shots where it got slightly choppy in movement. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the art style is definitely a hit or miss for viewers. It took me a bit to get used to, especially since I’ve never seen such an art style used in anime before. The character designs had still given the classic magical girl vibe that we came for, and had managed to make each of them stand out with their own unique abilities. Storyline and Character Progression: 9.6/10 - This is where things got interesting. I absolutely loved what this anime had to offer with its storyline. Right when I had thought there wasn’t anything else that could possibly happen, I got hit with an even crazier plot twist. The surprisingly dark tones are what made this such a unique mahou shoujo, and it didn’t feel out of place at all. The storyline itself kept you engaged as you discovered more and more information about what it meant to be a magical girl, and the weight of meaning it carried. The characters themselves were quite enjoyable as well, aside from my personal disagreement with Madoka. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t care for Madoka at all, even down to the end. Take away her role as one of the main protagonists, and you get a useless girl who doesn’t really contribute much at all. Still, I fully understand WHY she’s the way she is, but I’ve just never cared for useless or whiny characters in general. Aside from this personal opinion, no real mistakes were made that took away from the quality of the storyline. Everything else was described in clear detail that made it easier for the viewer to understand what exactly was going on. When it came to character progression, it would be more accurate to say that there was more of a “transformation” in character than anything, and I’m not talking about the magical girl transformations either. There was some progression with the characters, but it wasn’t very gradual. It all just, “happened.” Soundtrack and Audio: 8.7/10 - Aside from the crazy good OP, there isn’t anything else really worth mentioning. Musicality wasn’t too heavily incorporated into this anime, so don’t expect any surprises here. The voice actors were of great quality and professional talent, ESPECIALLY Homura, hehe. Whatever music that was played had properly fit the tone of the scene, and nothing felt overused or staled. The sound effects were of decent quality as well, and didn’t sound overly generic either. Overall, this anime had done a little above average in this department. I’m really glad that I was recommended this, thanks @DarklordYuri for letting me know about this series!!! What made this anime one of such high praise was its uniqueness and consistency of quality. It had handled a genre with its own personal touch, and executed each element with its desired effect. I had never thought that mahou shoujo could be turned into something with a deeper and darker storyline than what we’re used to, and to do it so naturally as well is an achievement in itself. Aside from a few minor art/animation slip-ups and just character behavior in general, Madoka Magica finds itself as undeniably the best mahou shoujo I’ve ever seen by a long shot. It has well earned its score of 9.1/10 for its truly unique and exceptional performance. That’s all for now, and as usual, see you in the next one!!!

nflstreet

__Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica__ is one of the most popular anime to the released in the last ten years, and is by far the most popular mahou shoujo (magical girl) anime to be released this millennium. With a spin-off anime, __Magia Record__, currently airing (as of Winter 2020), I feel like a rewatch and review of the work that it is based on should be in order. Before I get started, I should state that the consensus of this anime by the anime community is that _Madoka_ is either good or VERY good. It IS one of the most popular anime in the last decade for a reason. With that out of the way, let’s get into it. -------------------------------------------------------------- ~~~img300(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dj72Wk1X0AAKi_C.jpg:large)~~~ If you could become a magical girl, would you? You get a wish granted for becoming one, so, what wish you want to be granted? A billion dollars? A cool and rich boyfriend? For your friend to overcome an illness? You can wish for anything in the world, all you have to do is become a magical girl in return. Now, being a magical girl is not easy. You have to fight witches that can kill you if you are not careful. You have to kill them too because the ‘grief seeds’ they drop purify your ‘soul gem’, a container that contains your powers as a magical girl. You have to collect these grief seeds, or you will die. You will not have time to hang out with your friends or date after school since you will be spending most of the time patrolling danger areas and fighting witches. If you could become a magical girl, would you? In _Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica_, Madoka Kaname has to answer that question. The first scene of the anime is a dream, where Madoka watches a mysterious black-haired girl fighting a monster that looks impossible to beat. A mysterious cat-like creature watches with Madoka from afar, telling her that the only way she can stop this is by becoming a magical girl. When Madoka goes to school that day, she is stunned that the girl in her dream, named Homura Akemi, turns out to be a new transfer student in her class. Even more stunning, after school, while hanging out with her friend, Sayaka Miki, Madoka hears a voice calling her for help. Madoka goes to an abandoned part of the shopping mall where she is, where she finds the cat-like creature from her dream, named Kyuubey, is wounded due to Homura trying to kill it. After Kyuubey is saved by a magical girl named Mami Tamoe, it is discovered that Homura is also a magical girl. With that in mind, Kyuubey asks Madoka, and Sayaka who is also there, if they want to become magical girls. img1000(https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/13583499_f520.jpg) You have probably heard this a million times before, but _Madoka_ is considered a deconstruction of the ‘magical girl’ anime. While I am not an expert in magical girl anime, I can see where this take comes from. In _Madoka_, being a magical girl is not glamorous or cool like in other magical girl anime. Instead, it is more like a combination of the worst aspects of the mafia and the gig economy: In exchange for a granted wish, you have to start fighting witches regularly. Once you become a magical girl, your life will never be the same. Moving on to the characters--the main five girls in _Madoka_ are perfect for their role. They are not all likable, but that does not matter. They all have simple, yet moving, personalities which will keep you engaged while watching. You will remember all of the five girls’ names years after you watch _Madoka_, due to how rememberable it is. In a medium with so many forgettable anime and characters, _Madoka_ will have a lasting impact on you. img1000(https://animeforums.net/uploads/monthly_2018_04/large.madoka-kaname-puella-magi-madoka-magica-148.jpg.9c325627eadc1cce5efb1c091c67a699.jpg) __Madoka Kaname__, the girl the anime is named after, is the main girl. She is a selfless girl that wants to be a magical girl, but does not know what her wish would be. She does not have any particular talents or skills and believes in everyone. img1000(https://static.zerochan.net/Miki.Sayaka.full.579280.jpg) __Sayaka Miki__, Madoka’s best friend, is a passionate girl that sometimes says/does before she thinks. She is protective of who she cares about and has a hero complex. img1000(https://static.zerochan.net/Akemi.Homura.full.587868.jpg) __Homura Akemi__ is mysterious. She also seems to know everything, being able to predict if and when Madoka will be in trouble. She wants to prevent Madoka from becoming a magical girl at all costs for reasons unknown. img1000(https://static.zerochan.net/Tomoe.Mami.full.558749.jpg) __Mami Tamoe__ is Madoka and Sayaka’s senior. She has all of the qualities of an upperclassman, taking both of them under her wing while she does her magical girl duties. She is the model magical girl. img1000(https://static.zerochan.net/Sakura.Kyouko.full.579279.jpg) __Kyouko Sakura__ is a newcomer to town. Being a realist, she operates as a magical girl in a way that benefits her, rather than Mami’s idealist way of benefiting all of those around her. Often eating something. Being a near-decade on ever since _Madoka_ aired, the shock value that the anime had when it first aired has died down a bit, since most anime fans have seen it at this point. With that being said, _Madoka_ is still an absolute must-watch. Anime that are truly excellent will still move you, even if you know what you are watching is not what it seems (or if you are spoiled). Rewatching _Madoka_ , it still moved me like few anime (or movies and games for that matter) have. It perhaps moved me more than watching it the first time, since I have matured since then. img1000(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/cb/aa/31cbaa0c3e22267f0ea19955edcfab52.jpg) While _Madoka_ is deep, it is not so deep that it comes around as pretentious. Debates about individualism, selflessness, and the emotions that every person carries plays a huge role in _Madoka_ . While it is not difficult to follow, _Madoka_ is still very thought-provoking and relatable. _Madoka_ is many things that I can not explain to you without spoiling it. What I can say is that it is one of the best anime that I have ever watched. With cute art to lure the suckers in, and a well-written story that will grip you emotionally. Stories with _Madoka_’s nature tend to suffer from narrative issues like plot-holes, among other things, but _Madoka_ avoids having any glaring flaws. The only hole that may appear is the one in your soul after finishing _Madoka_ (okay, sorry, that was a bit corny.) Thankfully, there are three theatrical movies (first two that are recaps, and a third one which is an original story), and a spin-off anime (__Magia Record__) to fill that gap. _Madoka_ has had staying power in the anime fandom ever since it aired for a reason. You are missing out on one of the best anime in the last decade if you have not watched it yet. ________________________________________________

Austin500

Simple Synopsis: Puella Magi Madoka Magica is everything but it would seem, as you learn very early on, though it constantly evolves overtime. It starts off as a very easy going show. Madoka, our main Heroine wakes up to a strange dream she had about a girl in the midst of battle. That girl later transfers to her school, in which she goes out of her way to try and be around Madoka, though not giving any proper reason. Later on the 2 friends Madoka and Sayaka end up encountering a creature known as Kyuube, once being called out to. It is at this point they learn of Magical Girls from a Magical Girl named Mami, and the plot is set from there. What I like about it and why I recommend it: Madoka in my opinion, is very special in the fact it has a fantastic plot that evolves over time, no matter how much you think you know, or how much it changes;it just continues to evolve more and more. It's a Psychological show, with hints of horror. The way these elements play out in the story are very incredible and engaging, often leaving you shocked, and intrigued to keep going. The art style is very unique and bubbly/cutesy. Honestly I think it's quite nice and I enjoy it for what it is. Though my favorite part about Madoka Magica had got to be the scenery and atmosphere it creates. Some scenes are handled so well, that they carry more emotion and feeling to their meaning then you'd normally expect. A lot of stuff hits very hard visually, whether it be emotionally or artistically. I often found myself a lot more ''sad'' or ''spooked'' at simple scenes, just as much as I found myself adoring or being captivated by the sheer beauty of them. It's just pure eye candy at points and I loved it very much. The fights are very well done and if you're a fan of action, I assure you'll most likely enjoy watching them. The animation I found to be very nice as well, something else that kept me watching. Good soundtrack, I enjoyed the opening as well as the ending theme, and the BG music, especially during fights. Lastly, and what I consider Madoka Magica's greatest feat;character development. ~!Man if I've EVER seen amazing character development, it'd be this show. Trust me when I say mostly everyone has some major change to them over time, whether it completely changes them, or makes them better. Really, almost no character is the same as they were when you first met them.!~ My only words of advice going into Puella Magi Madoka Magica;whatever you think you know, you really don't.

MidnightSerpent

img(http://i.gzn.jp/img/2013/09/17/madoka-magica-movie-rebellion-trailer/19.png) When I was kid, I was really easy to please. When it came to entertainment, all you’d have to do was show me something from a genre I liked and I’d pretty much be guaranteed to like it. Race cars? Hell yeah. Superpowers? You got it. Magical girls? Kill yourself. But here I am, trying to convince you that a magical girl show is one of mankind’s greatest creations. I first watched Madoka Magica in a time where my tastes were still rapidly developing, and despite the high rating and rave reviews, my expectations were set pretty low. Of course after starting it, I was quickly proven…right. It only took me three episodes to tell myself that there was nothing about this that interested me. And so I dropped it. God, if only I could go back in time and punch myself for that. But at least it didn’t last for long. I kept hearing people call the show “a psychological masterpiece” and always saw it at the top of hardcore elitists’ favorites list, so I eventually decided to grit my teeth and give it another go. And while I’m not completely sure what exactly changed this time around, I actually found the same episodes I had disliked just a couple months ago pretty fascinating. I like to think it’s because this time I was actively considering *why* I hadn’t liked it the first time. I started to think things like “how had I not seen how insane the art here was?”, a sure sign that I had been taking several things that I really did value for granted. Fast forward almost two years later after finishing the show, and I’ve now found countless aspects throughout that I practically worship, ranging from broad universal ideas to the tiniest hidden details. So without further ado, here’s a few of those aspects that I was able to put into words. #[__STORY - 9.8/10__](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM) img(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4317208.jpg) How does the universe work? What makes us human? Can we be happy by simply fulfilling our desires? Are our desires even what we think they are? Gen Urobuchi has built up quite the reputation for crafting complex and captivating stories, and despite being a magical girl show, Madoka Magica is no exception. In his usual pattern of writing, the Urobutcher thoroughly explores the difference between logic and human emotion to shed light into how the world really works. He does this through war in Fate/Zero, through society in Psycho-Pass, and with Madoka, he does this through the entire universe itself. Questions about the fundamental aspects of reality and how it affects us are analyzed in depth, making this Urobuchi’s most existential and thought provoking work I’ve seen to date. And given the guy’s prowess as a writer, that’s basically saying it’s one of the most thought provoking works I’ve ever come across. The show’s world building and magic system are built completely around these themes, with well-defined rules and few to no plot holes despite dealing with complex supernatural elements. Another aspect worth noting is the sheer density of storytelling in the show. Every single moment in its entire 12 episode runtime has its purpose, whether it’s directly advancing the plot, humanizing the characters, exploring its world and ideas, or often all of the above at the same time. One criticism I’d make is that the first few episodes may seem quite slow on the first watch, but on a rewatch you’d find them packed with some of the most brilliant foreshadowing in the medium for all of the story’s crazy shocks and surprises that come later. All of these tightly packed elements build towards a surreal, beautiful ending that effortlessly ties up all of its ideas while leaving room for its insane sequel movie. #[__CHARACTERS - 9.4/10__](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM) img(https://data.whicdn.com/images/61303412/original.jpg) While I’d say its characters are the show’s “weakest” aspect, this is not at all a show with weak aspects. As expected from its short runtime, almost all of the focus is placed on the five main girls and their adorable little pet, Kyubey. Oh, and a villain who I won’t name. In fact, for the sake of being spoiler-free I won’t name anyone while describing them. If you’ve seen the show you should be able to fill in the blanks. And if you haven’t, you now know exactly what you’re gonna do after reading this. Of the five girls, two in particular really stand out as stellar characters: _______ and _______. Both have several layers to their personalities, and their growth throughout the show is fascinating to watch unfold. While not quite as complex, _______ is also very multifaceted and human as a result of her dark past. As for _______, she is quite a bit simpler since her character is largely used as a symbol, but she portrays that symbol very effectively. _______ is admittedly a step down from the others, but she still deconstructs what it really means to be a role model quite well. And of course, how could I forget _______, that adorable little rascal. On the other hand, the main villain, _______, is an incredible foil to the main cast, representing the ultimate incarnation of logic. As a result, this villain’s actions are supported by some of the most justifiable motives I’ve ever seen, to the point where the show starts to question why the villain is the antagonist, what his antagonism shows about humanity, and why we were even made to want to antagonize him in the first place. Lastly for characters are the many witches presented in the show. While their characters are not explicitly told to us, hints of personality are shown through some crazy visual storytelling, which leads me to what I most admire about the entire show: the art. #[__ART - 9.9/10__](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM) img383(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4315074.jpg) img383(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4312708.jpg) img383(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4312602.jpg) img383(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4317265.jpg) They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say it’s worth infinite. Even a simple picture of…say, [a cotton ball with a mustache](https://s1.zerochan.net/Anthony.600.576823.jpg), could probably be talked about and dissected for somewhere around a thousand words before forming some sort of meaning that makes sense, and even then all those words wouldn’t do the picture justice. So imagine just how many words it would take to come even close to interpreting a witch labyrinth in this show, with its hundreds of different seemingly nonsensical animations and images all swirling around in a sea of chaos. If such words even exist, they’d have to capture how these chaotic masses of abstraction can radiate such nightmarish feelings of awe, terror, depression, and insanity. The attention to detail is just unreal, with every movement timed precisely and every single image conveying some symbolic meaning that altogether creates a seemingly living, breathing environment that morphs into representations of certain characters’ deepest feelings. I’m talking the type of stuff that’ll make your English teacher pass out. Hell, the art directors even made an [*entire unique alphabet*](https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Deciphering_the_runes) to hide several hidden messages, literary references, and poems within each labyrinth. To decode these, you have to first match each letter with up to three different symbols per letter depending on the situation, and *then* translate it from German to an actual readable language (sorry Germans). If that isn’t attention to detail, god knows what is. Studio Shaft may be famous for their abstract visual style, filled with vibrant colors, symbolism, and overabundant head tilts. But what they’ve done here with these witch labyrinths might as well be on another dimension from anything I’ve ever seen before, including the rest of their work. Even outside the witch labyrinths the art is incredible. Gorgeous futuristic cityscapes are depicted throughout, which look crisp and clean in a stark contrast to the chaos of the labyrinths. The extreme minimalism often gives off an empty, desolate vibe, almost as if it’s putting up a facade for something deeper within, like a person hiding their emotions behind an expressionless mask. Sunsets are especially beautiful, and wash the entire city in a fiery orange glow. The character designs themselves are pretty unique and cutesy. I didn’t really like them at first, but they warmed up to me over the course of the show and now I find them quite adorable. And like everything else in this show, their clothes, accessories, and mannerisms all carry plenty of symbolic meaning. #[__SOUND - 9.6/10__](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM) img(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4315757.jpg) We all know soundtracks can convey a really wide range of feelings. They can warm your heart, inspire hope, drain away all your happiness till you’re left soulless and crying yourself to sleep…oh wait, I don’t need a soundtrack to do that. But anyways, where Madoka’s music excels the most is in creating those cold chills that make your arm hairs erect; a feeling you might get from watching something like the apocalypse unfold. The greatest example of this is [Magia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xp_3r_nFGs), which also doubles as the ED for most of the episodes in addition to being used as a normal track, and my goosebumps get goosebumps from those heavy electric guitar strokes and ghostly vocals whenever it plays. There are also tracks that are amazing at conveying bittersweetness, like [Decretum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcgEHrwdSO4) and [Sis Puella Magica](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btmSuNcxiIU), by combining somber violin strokes with delicate chimes that pluck at the heartstrings. No matter what kind of tone the show is trying to convey, there’s always a track that fits and amplifies it naturally. Something that makes this soundtrack stand out in particular is the way it’s able to convey meaning, and I’m not talking about through just lyrics. For almost every major character in the show, there’s a theme for them that captures their personalities and development through tone, progression, and even chord structure in [Homura’s case](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_HOKs-1IKk). Apart from the main soundtrack, there are some super trippy sound effects to accompany those trippy visuals. I don’t even know how to describe them, but that should be proof enough of how trippy they are. The [OP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrgpX-_bFqM) is sweet enough, with heartwarming melodies, visuals, and lyrics that are thematically relevant, but I don’t think it’s one of the greatest OPs ever or anything. The main [ED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70MlhVkOxz0) though, which I talked about before, is by far the best I’ve ever heard. And voice acting is on point throughout the entire show, particularly at its emotional highs when those words feel like they pierce right through you. #[__OVERALL ENJOYMENT - 9.8/10__](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM) img(https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancaps-movieimages/4313621.jpg) I could spend all day talking about the unreal emotions this anime has made me feel. I could talk about how it made me tear up 3 times within the span of two minutes just from awe. Or how it made me go numb from pure shock *on a rewatch when I knew exactly what was going to happen*. But I think the best way to convey how I truly feel about this series lies in a question I find myself thinking on a daily basis: >How is it even possible for something so brilliant to exist? Yeah I bet that caught your attention, skimmers. Of course, this isn’t something I immediately thought while watching the first few episodes. It wasn’t even really something I thought after finishing the series, despite loving the hell out of it at that point. It was only after at least a year of thinking, reading, and rewatching in hopes of truly getting a detailed understanding of it where I started to see just how insane of a creation Madoka Magica really is. Not only does it master all the individual aspects above, it seamlessly blends their boundaries so that all these aspects are constantly working together throughout the show. The story isn’t just enhanced by the visuals and music, a large part of it is *told* by them. The characters don’t just exist for plot convenience or to look cool, they all represent key ideas that drive the story’s themes. And every single thing you see, hear, or taste in the show, whether it’s an entire witch labyrinth, a weird camera angle, [a conversation about how girls can’t love girls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI9hgp32-f0), or even just an overabundance of windows in a school building, all of it builds toward a massive overarching message about existence itself that can be applied to every single aspect of our reality. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but that really is what I’ve come to believe after all the time I’ve spent digging into it. And all the enjoyment I got from doing so made all that effort so much more than worth it. I like to think of a piece of media as a cake. At least right now for the sake of this review I do. In Madoka Magica’s case, it would be a cake with simple frosting covering countless different layers that all contribute to the flavor. For each extra layer you eat per bite, the bite tastes exponentially better since each layer helps complement and balance the others out. I often see people on the internet or in real life say they thought Madoka Magica was “pretty good” or just “decent” without being able to come up with a single justifiable reason for thinking that way. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having a different opinion. But to them I ask, if you can’t justify your opinion on something, are you sure you aren’t just eating the frosting by itself, just like I did both literally and metaphorically as a kid? And if that’s the case, what’s stopping you from digging deeper into that cake if you know it’ll taste better that way? Stories are powerful things. For every person in the world, there’s at least one story out there that can significantly change them for the better. After all, stories are able to convey ideas by showing them to us, which can be infinitely more powerful than simple words of advice. Unfortunately, over the years, people seem to have become less and less willing to acknowledge this power, sometimes even going as far as ridiculing the possibility of a mature adult having their worldview changed by movie, TV show, or god forbid, one of those Japanese cartoons. I’d bet a good chunk of people have already consumed a story that could’ve changed them, but weren’t willing to look deep enough to view it as something far more than just a way to pass the time. It all starts with simple ideas or expressions that resonate. After that comes finding out why these ideas resonate, and seeing how they can make you a happier person. With Madoka Magica, its ideas were enough for me to devote a deep and personal interest towards, and before I knew it they had become influences on my life that even today affect the way I imagine things, the way I cope with despair, and the way I see myself in relation to the vast unknown. And Madoka Magica is the type of story that’ll have me exploring these ideas for the rest of my life.

gabrielz8

[ENG] Before starting this video I would like to warn a few things, I'll talk about Madoka Magica and considering that it’s not just an Anime but an experience to be lived, if your innocence and purity are still intact, I have bad, bad news for you... Madoka Magica is an Anime produced in 2011 by Shaft Studios, original work by the so-called Magica Quartet, name of the group consisting of director Akiyuki Shinbou, writer Gen Urobuchi, character design Ume Aoki and producer Atsuhiro Iwakami, in it we follow the life of the Magical Girls in the fight against the evil Witches, especially Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe and Homura Akemi (#bestgirl) Magical Girl is the theme of a work where the main characters are young girls with magical powers, and they use these powers to overcome evil and save the day. Certainly you have seen other works like this, like Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura for example, and this theme became so famous that it even became a subgenre called Mahō Shōjo, and that's how we start with Madoka Magica Everything before watching Madoka follows this subgenre, be it the name itself, the advertising pieces or even the characters themselves, so it conveys the same idea of the others Mahō Shōjo Animes, of being something innocent and pure, so when you press play on the first episode, our innocence and purity are still intact and, in the course of it, that’s exactly what we found We see cute and funny girls, we met Madoka, a sweet girl who always followed the rules and never did anything wrong and Sayaka, who’s her best friend and appears to be a confident and cheerful girl, we even met Homura and Mami, two incredible girls in their respective ways, and later we’re introduced to Kyubey, an unusual red-eyed kitten with the ability to talk to the girls As the episode progresses you learn more about the Magical Girls and what's their mission in this universe, what are the powers of each one and how amazing they are with these powers, and in general it keeps like this, an Anime exploring the Mahō Shōjo theme, of course some parts are a little strange and seem "out of place", but nothing that gets in the way of your experience...and it is from now on that I won't speak any more of the story (no Spoilers) That’s why Madoka Magica isn’t just a Anime, but an experience to be lived, and it is incredible how brave it is in this aspect, not only for mixing genres totally opposite from each other, but for hiding its real "face". We live in a world of advertising, and we often watch something already knowing a good part, or almost all of it, and Madoka Magica was one of the rare examples that I didn't know anything about, I really pressed the play on the first episode without knowing what I was going to watch, and that was something very interesting When I finished watching this Anime, I knew I had seen something memorable, but for the wrong reasons, I wasn't excited or amazed, but empty, or happy or sad, thoughtful or reflective, but empty...completely empty, my feelings were destroyed in each episode, so I stayed for half an hour alone, looking at the horizon and in silence, not knowing what to do and when those feelings would return So I warn you again, if your innocence and purity are still intact, be careful with Madoka Magica...what? Do you think you're ready for this anime? Bellow there is a video link, entitled “I'll Trick You”, which better analyzes the Anime and its premise as a whole, making this review even more accurate (Please turn on the English Sub for it). [PT-BR] Antes de começar essa review gostaria de avisar algumas coisas, eu vou falar sobre Madoka Magica e, considerando que não é uma obra comum e sim uma experiência a ser vivida, se a sua inocência e pureza ainda estiverem intactas, eu tenho uma péssima, péssima notícia para você... Madoka Magica é um Anime produzido em 2011 pelos estúdios Shaft, obra original do chamado Magica Quartet, nome do grupo que consiste do diretor Akiyuki Shinbou, escritor Gen Urobuchi, design de personagem Ume Aoki e do produtor Atsuhiro Iwakami, onde nós acompanhamos de perto a vida das Magical Girls na luta contra as malvadas Witches, em especial Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe e Homura Akemi (#bestgirl). Magical Girl é a temática de uma obra onde as personagens principais são jovem meninas com poderes mágicos, onde elas usam esses poderes para vencer o mal e salvar o dia. Certamente você já assistiu outras obras assim, como Sailor Moon ou Cardcaptor Sakura por exemplo, e essa temática ficou tão famosa que inclusive virou um subgênero chamado Mahō shōjo, e é a partir dai que começamos com Madoka Magica. Tudo antes de assistir a obra segue esse subgênero, seja o próprio nome, as peças publicitárias ou até mesmo as próprias personagens, então isso passa a mesma ideia das outras obras Mahō shōjo, de ser algo inocente e puro, então quando se aperta o play do primeiro episódio, já entramos com essa inocência e pureza intactas e, no decorrer do mesmo, é justamente isso que encontramos. Vemos meninas fofas e engraçadas, conhecemos a Madoka, uma menina doce que sempre seguiu as regras e nunca fez nada de errado e Sayaka, que é a sua melhor amiga e aparenta ser uma menina confiante e alegre, até conhecemos Homura e Mami, duas meninas incríveis em seus respectivos jeitos, e mais tarde somos apresentados ao Kyuubey, um gatinho incomum de olhos vermelhos com a habilidade de falar com as meninas. Com o andamento do episódio você aprende mais sobre as Magical Girls e qual é a razão delas nesse universo, quais os poderes de cada uma e o quão incríveis elas são com esses poderes, e no geral o sentimento é esse, um anime explorando a sua temática de Mahō Shōjo, claro que algumas partes são um pouco estranhas e parecem “fora do lugar”, mas nada que atrapalhe demais a sua experiência...e é a partir de agora que não vou falar mais nada da história (sem Spoilers) Por isso que Madoka Magica não é apenas uma obra, e sim uma experiência a ser vivida, e é incrível como esse Anime é muito corajoso nesse aspecto, não só por misturar gêneros totalmente opostos um do outro, mas de esconder a real face dessa obra. Vivemos em um mundo da publicidade, e com frequência entramos em uma obra já sabendo boa parte, ou quase toda, dela, e Madoka Magica foi um dos raros exemplos que eu não sabia de nada, eu realmente apertei o play do primeiro episódio sem saber o que eu iria assistir, e isso foi algo bem interessante. Quando terminei de assistir esse Anime, sabia que tinha visto algo memorável, mas pelos motivos errados, eu não fiquei animado ou maravilhado, mas sim vazio, nem feliz ou triste, pensativo ou reflexivo, mas vazio...completamente vazio, os meus sentimentos foram destruídos a cada episódio, onde fiquei por meia hora sozinho, olhado para o horizonte e em silencio, sem saber o que fazer e quando esses sentimentos iriam voltar. Por isso que aviso mais uma vez, se a sua inocência e pureza ainda estiverem intactas, tome cuidado com Madoka Magica...o quê? Você acha que está preparado para esse anime? Segue o link do vídeo, intitulado de “Eu vou te Enganar”, que analisa melhor a obra e sua premissa como um todo, tornando essa review ainda mais precisa. [Link of the Video](https://youtu.be/kXQCmMUF2Ns)

QuasiDeus

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. “ ~Alphonse Elric(FMA/FMAB) What makes us alive? What makes us human? Is it our consciousness that allows us to reason from many different standpoints? Or is there something even more abstract and intangible, like the soul? We can all agree that emotions are vital in what makes us feel human and alive, and no matter how much we resent a feeling, we would never want to be empty and devoid of emotions. Our soul/conscience is very important in that manner, and either of these is driven by desire. So in a way, we can say that to desire, is to be human; more so if the desire is irrational and unattainable. Even ascetics who are renowned to be desireless, are in eternal servitude to their desire of being desireless. All our actions are motivated by desire even if most of them go unfulfilled or change shape as we journey towards our end. And wishes come with a price; be it may necessary actions or latency. But sometimes even they won’t be enough due to the laws of the universe and the absurdness of the desire . Though what if we lived in a world where even those wishes were granted? What if wishes in general were all sold to people for an irrevocable price? What form of payment would such a wish demand? *Implication of a spoiler*~!~What if in a way, the cost for our wish is the very thing that made us wish?~!~ Madoka Magica, in a word, is deceptive. It keeps everything simple and elegant through contradictory elements.The plot is dark and gloomy, yet thrives with the ‘pretty’ animation with the befitting score blending them both. The plot is very intricately driven forward in a step by step manner,though making us question the characters-especially Madoka, the main character a lot. But in due time, we understand why it is written in that manner, and why the characters acted the way they did. The story begins with Madoka Kaname, dreaming of a fight in a world that appears very distorted from her own. In her school, she finds the same girl, Akemi Homura, joining her class as a transfer student. Homura tells the befuddled Madoka to be content with her happy life and not risk it for anything else. Later that day, Madoka and her friend Sayaka save Kyubey, an entity that looks like a cat, from Homura and immediately find themself trapped in a bizarre setting. They are saved from it by a magical girl(also their senior), Mami Tomoe. Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka, each a wish, the scope of which is within the limits of their potential, for which in return they both will be turned into magical girls, who need to risk their lives fighting witches(unisex) which distort reality and cause suffering. Mami reveals that Homura is also a magical girl and advises both Sayaka and Madoka to think carefully of the consequences before making a choice, and tells them both to accompany her while hunts down witches and then make an informed decision. The plot then builds upon Madoka understanding more and more of what it means to be a magical girl, and the necessary sacrifices they need to make for their wish. It should be noted that Madoka Magica does a fairly amazing job with often misinterpreted scientific concepts by being concise and superficial, and crafts Kyubey’s ambition and reasoning for his actions,in a very neat manner. The characters in the story are only a handful, but the archetypes they represent are complex, realistic,diverse and are exceptionally developed..Almost every character introduced has an impactful role to play and make us question our own desires and introspect . Madoka Magica does not have a central villain, but conflict is the emotional turmoil almost every character undergoes, where the goodness in the characters only worsens the situation. The animation is really unique for a plot as dark, but amazingly fits and creates an enthralling experience. The color palette is diverse and transitions itself quite well to fit the ambiance as the overall art-style becomes more and more grim to suit the seriousness of the story while maintaining the initial pretty look. It is singularly beautiful in the way it depicts the differences in the domains of the witches, with the art similar to that of Picasso’s. I don’t think I need to say anything about the music. It is after all composed by the legendary Yuki Kajiura. The distinct unintelligible vocals she uses and the generally serene poignancy with a hint of innocence in her tracks perfectly fits the theme and animation of Madoka Magica. I, in fact, watched this anime especially for Yuki Kajiura’s soundtracks-curious on how they would shape the anime. Each track is meticulous in crafting the varying ambience, fitting the animation and the plot, and often being the singularity they both require to meet. The Japanese voice actors had also done a pretty seamless job in conveying the necessary depth and personality to the characters in the anime. Puella Magi Madoka Magica, is overall wholesome, and breaks stereotypes and other standards set by anime of the same genre.This very anime is exemplification to those who don’t give anime a chance, under the notion that it's childish without knowing the dark thematic conflicts it could contains. All the elements in the anime seem to blend in yet seem to also compete with each other to be the most prominently seen.The erratic turns in the plot that contrast the animation, right from the beginning is very appealing to the mind and should be experienced. ~~~~~~

SunlitSonata

Everyone wants to fix a mistake. Throughout life they are ever constant. You might’ve messed up on the job and gotten fired for the littlest thing, upset someone close you, lost a chance to make a new friend, got out of a bad argument with someone close to you, failed a test, hoped you would’ve planned your time out better, or faced some sort of intense tragedy. While it’s unlikely that anyone has experienced all of these problems, it is likely to think “if only I could”. It’s the second chance, the renewed opportunity that could ignite a spark in someone’s mind. People want to have faith life rolls their way, so why not take the chance, if only once, to make something so much better? Today’s topic, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, one of the most popular anime of the last decade, and the anime that personally got me into full time anime watching, takes that upon itself, explore the reach of intense decision making, taking and the caveats of consequence in a form many are all too familiar with, a bright, vibrant and cutesy Magical Girl series. Although the show’s writing tends to go too far in some places and not far enough in others, the endeavor is largely a success. Spoilers for the entire series in review/analysis: ~~~img220(https://i.makeagif.com/media/9-29-2014/ScxFks.gif) ~~~It starts with 14 year old Madoka Kaname having an apocalyptic yet cryptic dream: a mysterious girl fighting a monster in their ruined city. Madoka lives an ordinary life, until one day, when she meets this mysterious girl in real life, and along with her best friend Sayaka, gets dragged into events beyond their understanding, with them being taught by a veteran warrior named Mami about Magical Girls, and the adorably cute critter Kyubey about having a wish to take. Things might seem simple at first, but in a snap, the straight line changes into an ever growing snowball that puts a lot into the impact of fixing a mistake and consequences to create and result from that. People love to call this show a “deconstruction” because of the fact that it takes the Magical Girl, something that seemed to be a black and white idea, and flips it on its head by having each girl deal with the consequences and fallback of their wishes, and the ignorance of seeing the world in rainbow colored glasses. In some cases, this excuse is basically used as a way to say that it doesn’t fall into the same trappings as what it is subverting, and while occasionally it does, a lot at the beginning and somewhat at the end, the promises and consequences of the idea are examined. While many shows of the Magical Girl genre are known for having atmospheres that are lighthearted, inviting or candy coated, Madoka does a very solid job of building suspense for itself (even when one point is quite literally candy coated). Fear is constructed in three ways, fear of the unknown, fear of the uncanny, and fear of the self. Fear of the Unknown comes from the Witch realms the heroines encounter. Scattered throughout their city, they have a variety of different effects, sometimes can be easy opponents but can at other times appear as tricksters. You never know exactly how these encounters will go down. In addition, the uncanniness of these, as well as different art design choices show how off-putting the experiences are for the lead characters. Fear of Self, however, is the most important, I feel. ~~~img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a9/cb/74/a9cb74c34337947956bd2b8038799d80.gif)~~~ As characters confront, succumb to, or release their inner demons, it produces some of the most effective moments in the series. Within this atmosphere, it is inevitable that shock value would sprout. The show is sometimes criticized for using shock value to make you care about characters for the sake of the lulz, but truly, the shock exists for the sake of propelling existing character drama to highs and lows for real impact. Unlike, say, Aldnoah.Zero, where the shock value lacked purpose and was too quickly swept of consequence much to my irritation, these breaking elements matter enough to mean something. Madoka is very much revolving around its plot to get characters to provoke reactions at certain times, moreso than some of its older contemporaries like Princess Tutu and Utena, which use character writing a lot more to shape their story. In terms of the plot, the pacing is mostly on point and there’s a certain meticulousness to the overall structure that shows it was very adequately planned. There is barely a whiff of filler, everyone and everything that happens has a point to it. When watching the show, and even more on a possible rewatch, you'll notice a lot of different hints and thematic allusions that may pertain to current plot points, and while a viewer may not think too much of them at first, in the long run, their utilization really pays off for the sake of the narrative. The show toys with a lot of interesting concepts, and generally, I got the feeling that it knew what it was doing, when to properly place its events and why they are concepts originally made elusive to the audience. What can be less effective is how these are conveyed, what they sacrifice, and what they do for the world at large. Anyone who watches the show will know that Mami Tomoe, one of the main 5 characters of the series, dies after just 3 episodes of screentime. It is only near the end of that time, right before she perishes, that you gain insight to development/backstory to make her more than what she seems as the big sister mentor archetype. To many, this might feel last minute: those not vulnerable to shock value especially likely won’t feel lost weight. However, it serves the plot greatly. It presents doubt to Madoka through a current scenario and the fact that Sayaka does NOT hear Mami say she was putting up a front assists Sayaka’s arc in ways very much like a play, where she ends up believing in a figure that wasn’t entirely real to begin with. And bringing back Mami in episode 10 reinforces the “front” aspect of Mami’s character even further. This happens as well with two of the biggest reveals in Sayaka’s arc. The purpose of Soul Gems, feels very much like overly specific setup to get certain notions in place, and the second involves Hitomi, Madoka and Sayaka's unaware friend, having a desire to want to go to the next level with the boy whom Sayaka accepted the consequences of being a Magical Girl to save. The fact that it was brought up at such a critical point in the corruption of Sayaka’s character can seem forced at times. However, the strength of the consequences feels very much Shakespearean in its execution. If one recalls the ending of the original Little Mermaid (not the Disney film), or Cassius’s fate at the end of Julius Caesar, you come a similar idea here with Sayaka, albeit with less time for it to grow. Near of the end of the series, Kyubey expositions a ton of information regarding his motivations, entropy, and the past. All done at one time. While you could easily argue this as intentionally disorienting, it still feels like a massive dump of information designed almost specifically for overthinking at the outset. ~~~img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/6064/aae14225e684d2fc070661889542ce09ee9ae034_hq.gif)~~~ Less forgivable is the world itself, in 12 episodes we don’t know much about the setting aside from what’s currently presented as a city with Witch holes in it. How are other incubators working, in different parts of the world? Do all cities have Walpurghis naught level monsters? Why do no characters other than Madoka and Kyoko seem to have parents? Why target these characters specifically? Why make only young girls take these contract? It is believable that young girls would be more emotional, and therefore beneficial to Kyubey’s plan, but that aspect isn’t sufficiently explored to the best of the show’s abilities. Thankfully, what IS sufficiently explored, as well as the major plot events when looking at Madoka, are given the proper handle. These include: the reaction to Mami’s death, the ever growing uncertainty a wish holds, the characterization and growth of Kyoko Sakura, Sayaka’s corruption, Homura Akemi’s fruitless struggle forcing her to try her damndest to manage emotions, and the meaning of the ending. All of these have satisfyingly emotional payoffs, though I’ll elaborate more on that in the characters section. The writing can sometimes have its problems in a lack of elaboration, some convenient setups or speeding through certain developments, but for most of Madoka’s run, the core ideas of the plot are presented very well. ~~~img220(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ArtisticUnluckyGoldenmantledgroundsquirrel-small.gif)~~~ Visually, the show aims to dazzle and surprise. Again, compared to Tutu and Utena, it lacks a continuous visual motif (mainly just seems to be “abstract”), and the shot composition isn’t as strong as Studio SHAFT’s other big series at the time Bakemonogatari, but it still is very much impressive. There’s a very nice contrast between the dullness of ordinary life and the wacky, occasionally very shadowed color schemes of the Witch Realms. Each pops in their own way so people can start debates on which Witch Realm is their favorite. Despite what I said about shots, there are still plenty of effective ones without the constant cutting of Bake. A sundown shot of Madoka consulting Homura in particular was a standout. Animation maintained relative consistency and so did the character designs, at least upon my initial viewing in 2014. Sayaka’s design is probably my favorite, most unique of the costumes and the cape sells the “hero of justice” angle quite a lot. On the downside, some rooms can look a bit basic or undetailed, especially in the mundane segments and the facial design for some of the characters, mainly Madoka herself, might seem a bit silly looking for the show taking itself very seriously later. Witch realms may hurt some people’s’ eyes, though not my own. In general, very nice SHAFT production, really sells their flair. ~~~img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/6477/6f5a4ab337d149c329ce8ace78d796d1d26c38d4_hq.gif)~~~ Similarly, the soundtrack by Yuki Kajira is fantastic even years after creating several more for series such as Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online and ERASED. The epic tune of Sis Puella Magica does marvels to accentuate the suspense in any given moments, and many of the other songs, from the character themes to the background music work just as well to set the dramatically exciting or tragic vibes. The OP “Connect” may seem ordinary, but by the end, it really “connects” the show together. The ED, “Magia”, which enters after episode 3, is definitely one of the best I’ve heard, coupled with very nice imagery that serves as proper foreshadowing for plot to come as well. It really sells the tone to dark drama with heavy consequences. Fantastic stuff. In regards to characters, although in several cases they feel reactive to the plot rather than proactive, or have the foundation of simple traits inherent in the genre, the best of the bunch still have plenty of growth that stems from their existing character arcs, rather than shock value alone. ~~~img220(https://media1.tenor.com/images/55bddfab1c2b2d65d98bb39fe2a0c3da/tenor.gif?itemid=6082888)~~~ Madoka Kaname is tricky to talk about, since she's more interesting in what happens around her than her base personality. On the one hand, the development she goes through is great, experiencing the tragic events and being put in indecision because of her friends, before becoming more courageous and having a resolve what she believes the right choice for the sake of the world. That growth is well done, and seeing all of the tragic events, it is more than understandable she acts the way she does, constantly thinking about what that one big, mistake shattering wish could be. However, while it is very unique that she’s the LAST character in a series named after her to become a magical girl, it doesn’t change the fact that she spends most of the show being told what to do, being force fed exposition, and crying when bad things happen to her friends. Almost too fitting with the Magical Girl image for most of the run, her personality is borderline basic surrounded by much more interesting faces. ~~~img220(https://media4.giphy.com/media/tdUPSjBOLu2Pu/giphy.gif)~~~ Like her best friend, Sayaka Miki. With episodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 focused on her story, she is the character who gets to shine the most, and is unfortunately, the most unfit to deal with fixing a critical mistake. Early on, she seems to be the more identifiable between her and Madoka, being tomboyish and a bit teasing, but none the less caring and very protective of her best friend, a fairly good role model for young girls. When presented with the opportunity “if only I could fix this critical mistake”, one that haunted her since she was young, she takes it up because of how Mami seems to embody the ease of consequences. As I mentioned in the plot section, it is of critical importance that Mami only revealed her personal weakness to Madoka, because Sayaka goes on believing in a symbol that never was, for a want desperately to be a hero. With so much increasing insecurity, combined with the futility of her current form (being a zombie in a shell), Sayaka finds she can't reconcile her fantasies with reality, as her inspiring motto becomes a dark mantra by the absolute. The drop in mental state can be seen through her battling, starting calming and rhythmic before becoming increasingly reckless, brutal and sickeningly sadistic, greatly conveyed with the stylistic visuals. By the end, this inability to deal with flaws believably breaks her when everything surrounding her ethos collapses in front of her. It’s easy to feel like everything has to go your way, and with all of the circumstances Sayaka’s perfectionism entails, it’s heartbreaking to see what she has to go through and yet, important to learn as well. Determination can be made into a weaknesses, and then, acceptance and acknowledgement makes you stronger than any magic power will ever be, and that, thinking of a future other than her own, lets her die in peace in the end. She gets the bulk of screen time, and thankfully, her transition from a inspired heroine to miserable wreck was presented to enough of a degree to be believable tragedy. ~~~img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/3997ea608335bf8180e181cc5a05335f/tumblr_ovfchlNmt61qzxv73o1_r1_540.gifv)~~~ Mami suffers the most from the plot being what drives the characters more than the inverse. She exists to lead Madoka and Sayaka to the world of Magical Girls, but aside from telling Madoka about what ultimately makes her insecure in the end, you learn too little about her to separate her from the “cool big sis mentor” archetype. Aside from constantly ignoring Homura’s advice. Episode 10 helps, but it doesn’t change how little her character got prior to the death that shocked everyone. img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/74/d9/a5/74d9a5e7ce0b40caa7aef5962261ff44.gif) Thankfully, Kyoko Sakura is much better. Although, like Mami, she also has a moment where she basically tells another character her history, it isn’t used just as a sendoff, buit rather a way to contrast her past scenario with Sayaka. It’s not quite nihilism, but her character helps to show what living a continued life betrayed by care would result in, for her sake and others who wouldn’t take it following in her footsteps. Kyoko sticks around, at first as a pretty fun rival character with a unique chain spear weapon, but then becomes someone who ultimately empathizes with Sayaka’s attempted hope when it became too late, even with her view tinted thanks to some plot revelations. The attachment, and resolution, feels very sweet in the end, yet satisfying in how it coalesces overtime. ~~~img220(https://media1.tenor.com/images/c7fd7490f0c84804e24d6a3f73bd6f8e/tenor.gif?itemid=17149755)~~~ By far, the most talked about character of the cast is Homura. Homura....Homura...Homura. Many who watch Madoka will often cite Homura’s story as a highlight and despite it not having as much present time to sink in, her story is equally impactful. As we first know Homura, aside from taking a building to the face, she’s the mysterious stoic veteran type who we slowly see more and more of, to learn of time abilities in epic display. Generally, she remains emotionally detached from actions, even when she wants to move events for her benefit. Basically we don’t think too much of her, aside from her words beginning to slowly ring more true. Then....we get episodes 8 and 10. In the former, we see her approach change from ominous forewarning to crying and begging. It seems sudden, why change her approach, does she care that much? Then...episode 10. A very different picture is painted: A young girl without friends, without purpose, quietly shifting through life until one day when Madoka talks to her. That one interaction, combined with encouragement changes her life. She has friends, a life with purpose, something to look forward to.....until it comes crashing down. A simple thought “if only I could save her”, brings her through time loop after time loop. It seems happy, she gets to be with her friends and becomes capable in the process...but the quest is futile. Every time she tries....failure, failure, failure getting attached to Madoka and friends only to see them die in front of her over and over and over again. The show again shows stubborn determination again sees a weakness and in one loop, she is forced to KILL the friend she loves for her own sake...that shatters it. Don’t let them in, don’t create unnecessary complications, do it for her, hiding all your care. It's not merely an afterthought, but extensively shown without overdoing it. Her characterization sheds a new light on all other encounters with her before, giving the series a wonderful heft of rewatch bonus. Talking to Kyoko? In hope for Sayaka to avoid her fate. Telling Madoka not to accept the contract? Hope she’s never have to see her closest friend die fighting. Seeing death before? Yes, many times indeed. But even then, she still can’t take it. Her breakdowns in episodes 8 and 11 feel even worse knowing the circumstances. There are some things you just can’t conceal, it all has to come out, realizing futility is the ultimate pain. ~~~img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2e/4f/51/2e4f51cfe5a3faca0eacd20ec1b96e66.gif)~~~ The last of the main cast is what we know as Kyubey. In disguise as the cutesy exposition mascot, Kyubey is a character who we don't initially know is an antagonist, someone who appears to be helpful but turns out to be totally cool with leading the girls to their self destruction. His logical demeanor and one focused facial expression contrast well with the volatile emotional reactions of the other characters that follow, and he gives a presence to add to the conversations that isn't directly related to the Magi Quintet, as a communication source to what's outside the immediate situation too. He essentially spurs the drama needed for conflicted character interaction. While over the course of the series, I wanted to kick, burn, strangle and shoot the little cat bunny creature, the way he accomplishes what he does is fairly unique. Almost no conflict that he wants to go his way does he directly take action in. Most of his actions come through half-truths, and spurring on other characters to accomplish certain tasks that benefit his end goal. An end goal for which, he legitimately believes is the best for the universe throughout millennia. Despite the seemingly abrupt and at once moment when he reveals this, the fact that he believed this adds another layer to his character, and to continue an earlier comparison, that anti-villain aspect reminds me of Brutus, also from the Julius Caesar play. Generally he made an interesting source of conflict, and a small bit in the ending even implies he actually got something out of the experience. Aside from these six characters, everyone else is mostly a glorified prop. Except for Madoka’s mother, who honestly has a really solid moment confronting her daughter on the necessity of consequences with a bit of a push, for the sake of helping someone. It’s a very well handled scene, and how it follows helps Madoka’s growing character. For everything else though, you’re mostly following the aforementioned six, four of which having really solid characterization and the other two really helping to sell the themes of the plot in exchange for limited personality and screen time. That said, it’s no Baccano, but for 12 episodes, having at least 3 different characters have full arcs is definitely impressive. Ultimately, one of the biggest takeaways from the show’s writing is that Madoka is a dramatic romance of characters. Underneath the symbolism and plot driving actions is stressing interconnected relationships. Why does Mami die? To show Madoka and Sayaka that Magical Girls can die very easily and it's not what they expected. Mami didn't get enough time to really make much of her character, but she played the important role in the girl's character development. The romance of Homura and Madoka is powerful. Homura is literally driving her mind off the deep end, every time she resets the timeline. The love that Kyoko grows for Sayaka is important for Kyoko's character growth. She learns to open herself up to Sayaka, who has become deranged as a result of her own failing relationships with others. And when Sayaka dies and turns into a witch, Kyoko helps Madoka, not because she really cares too much for Madoka, but because she cares about Sayaka. She's fallen in love with her, and now the only person she opened up to is gone. Which is why she allows herself to die along with giving the Witch Sayaka a sweet release from existence as a lich creature. As the show reaches its conclusion, there exists elements of tragedy to it, but it is ultimately hopeful. Madoka may be gone, but now Homura is carrying the burden of protecting the world, just what Madoka wanted. Continuing the theme of immense consequence, it presents how in spite of making things slightly better with the girls not becoming their own enemies, deathly consequences, satanic deals and the hypnotic allure of these creatures will always exist. The best people can do is try to live life, work through it and carry on both for their sake and the sake of others close to them. In fact, the entire show effectively uses the concept of mistakes quite well through almost every major character. In her personal journey, we see Madoka understand the toils of the present through the fates of those close to her, while having such a responsibility can be a great burden to bear, how death results from the unexpected and the tragedy of not living up to unrealistic expectations. She learns about the past through Kyubey; in understanding how this cycle, as a flawed system, continued for so long overtime, earnest desires to fix things destroying them. Finally, the future, through how Homura’s efforts literally break apart in front of her, the fact that fate seems continuous, and the fact that there’s nothing at the end of the rainbow the way events are transpiring. All of this kept Madoka’s mind in flux, what makes up the best decision she can think of for the sake of all time, even if it has its own consequences, the ease of mistakes would cause less suffering. And that is what Madoka leaves us with............an appreciation, knowing that in a world full of awful, horrible events that hope is possible even under constant strain. That, is what causes Kyubey to put up some questioning regarding the worth of humanity even under such stressful odds. With Madoka, Urobuchi has used elements of fear, tragedy and powerfully struggling romance to craft this intriguing tale off of one simple conceit. Conclusion A bit of background here. This was actually the anime that got me into full time anime watching. Yes, THIS anime. I’d vaguely heard of stuff like DBZ and Naruto but knew they were too long to actually start. It was around a time when I was obsessed with essentially “fractured innocence” storylines, and based on what I’d heard, this show had a lot to hide behind it’s cute and cuddly exterior. Thankfully, in watching the series, it really paid off, enough to see the great potential of anime and invest into hundreds of titles over the years. To say the series was enjoyable and involving would be an understatement. Despite problems when it came to pacing, worldbuilding, and some contrived setups here or there, I really felt I got to know each girl (except Mami) well enough before their demises. Homura's arc was especially well handled and intertwined with Madoka's arc rather well, Sayaka's arc was an interesting tragic hero arc with an understandable sense of emotional progression and the problem coming from her character flaws of not seeing the harsh truth of her situation, and Kyoko and what becomes of her still makes me cringe (in a bittersweet way). Kyubey, while I hate him, was an effective villain in how purely logical he was, the concept building of how magical girls work was creative, and overall, while it was a deconstruction of magical girl stories at first, it became its own thing for other people to appreciate. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not a perfect show, not by any means, and while one could make the argument that being emotionally blinded could cause me to forget about supposed “bigger” problems, I feel like the towering heights the series reached shine bright enough to understate the occasional unsteadiness of its building blocks. With evocative atmosphere, strong character writing when it counted, an interesting take on the idea of understanding past mistakes with heavy consequences, dazzling visuals, an incredible score and a great takeaway message, the show, by itself, stands its ground years later as a beloved popular anime of the past decade.

Yahshuhaz

__~~~Warning spoilers~~~__ Les désirs est un sentiment qui a permis a l'Homme de créer bien nombre de chose mais si je vous disais que tout cela aboutira a la fin du monde ? Dans Madoka l'origine de notre monde provient des ''incubateurs'' une espèce dont Kyuubey fait partis provenant d'un univers différent du notre afin de préserver le sien. Grace a eu, depuis la nuit des temps les désires ont permis au être humains d'avancer mais avec une contre partie pour le moins défavorable qui est la transformation en Puella Magi: elles vendent leur âme pour devenir des êtres plus forts mais en abandonnant leur conditions humaines.. Le Terme Puella Magi a une base latine qui signifie : _Petit fille sorcière_ , les filles sont a leur paroxysme de désire a l'age de Madoka donc leur choix est simple une manipulation finement mené. L'essence des sorcières va permettre a leur univers de survivre. A quoi bon évoluer si ce n'est que servir en bétails pour d'autre personne, on devient une chasseuse pour finir chassé a son tour, c'est une chaine alimentaire horrible ! mais ___~~~Que pensez de la philosophie des incubateurs ?~~~___ Analyse qui montre comment marche l'univers de Madoka car mise a part le début d’animé exponentielle, une grosse philosophie est présente a la fin de l’anime. Les incubateurs voient les Humains comme un combustible car mise a part le coté survis, ils ne possèdent aucune émotion et voir pire, considère cela comme une maladie mentale. La jeune Madoka voient cela comme quelle que chose d'horrible de servir en pâture pour au final disparaitre. Cependant la chaine alimentaire a toujours exister dans notre monde, les animaux finissent dans notre assiettes, les plus faibles humains dans les cas extreme sont marginalisé mais le monde continue de bouger. Pourquoi devront nous voir les incubateurs comme un ennemi ? Ils ont quand même fait évoluer notre monde malgré le terrible terminus derrière. Ce passage de Madoka est excellent et nous rappel que potentiellement l’être humain deviendra lui aussi un combustible pour un autre peuple : L'univers est vaste. ___~~~Contrer le destin en gage d'amitié ~~~___ Le plot twist de Homura a été vraiment bon pour ma part. Le combat contre le destin est la phrase associé pour elle, suivant le parcours quelle a effectuer pour Madoka et cela a été très bien cacher ! J'ai pus peux deviner comment l'anime allais se dérouler et c'est super. Homura aura trimé dans l'anime ( suite a la révélation de ''timeline'' différentes suite a son pouvoir) voyant comment ces fameux désirs aura fait nuire la vie de son amis et les autres Puella comme la scène ou Mami et les autres s'entre tuent pour ne pas subir leur funeste destin. Cependant Madoka va incarner ''l’espoir'' de l'Homme en devenant Omnipotente avec la réécriture des lignes de l'univers. Le passage final de Madoka parlant a Homura montre le statut quelle a obtenu et franchement c'est ouf. Mais n'est-ce pas quelle que chose de pire que la mort ? Elle n'est plus dans son univers. Elle sera condamné a rester seul avec une charge gargantuesque sur les épaules. Son ultime souhait de détruire les sorcières a été réalisé : Plus aucune Puella Magic ne deviendrais des sorcières et verrais leur amulette ( Soul Gems ) détruite une fois que le stade de purification n'est plus possible. Cependant un mal reste présent.. L'anime dégage une folle philosophie sur les désirs, notre impact en tant que humains mais tout cela est vu que en fin d’animé suite a une mise en place longue mais divertissante. _~~~__Une composition pointilleux et qualitatif __~~~_ Les nombreux Seiyuu présent proviennent de _Monogatari series_ : Les voix de Karen,Mayoi,Hitagi,Ougi respectivement doublé par _Eri Kitamura, Emiri Katou, Chiwa Saitou , Kaori Mizuhashi_ sont un comble pour moi car elles jouent leur rôle si bien. Pas étonnant en vu du Directeur qui est _Akiyuki Shinbou_ qui a présidé bon nombre de __Monogatari series__ avec des référence subtile mais qui fait sourire : Pour compléter se cast de folie, les ost m'ont taper l'oreille en me faisant penser fortement a __Kara no Kyoukai __et c'est le cas ! _Yuki Kajiura_ a fais un travail énorme mélangé a un de mes studios Favoris __Shaft__ qui a pus créer un monde si unique et relier a la magie donnant des plans splendide. Ma question pour le prochains film est a quoi s'en tenir ? Les désirs sont devenu une chose beaucoup moins dangereuse car le processus final est différent, cependant il réside toujours un mal dans ce monde.. Les Magiciennes sont toujours présente pourquoi ? J'ai énormément aimé l'anime qui selon moi possède un bon rythme mais viens vraiment changer la donne en fin de série. Le début est bon attention mais la fin créer, en terme d'histoire, tout le charme de l'univers.. Hâte de mon visionnage du film !

SliceGame

# ~~~ __Fuera de edgy, pretenciosa y estrafalaria. Es uno de los mejores Animes de todos los tiempos.__~~~ (Reseña con spoilers mínimos y en __español__) img(https://i.imgur.com/cF4vr1F.jpg) Link de la imagen: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/61545179 Al igual que otros animes pertenecientes a su mismo género, es una serie que se vende a sí misma con una gran cantidad de tipificaciones que uno esperaría ver en el género: - Un séquito de chicas con diseños adorables luchando por el amor y la justicia. - Mascotas mágicas. - Trajes extravagantes. - Secuencias de transformación. - Enemigos que representan la encarnación del mal. A lo largo de los __tres primeros episodios__ se desenvuelve con los clichés mencionados anteriormente y con el añadido de llevar un ritmo soporíferamente lento y con muy poca acción al haber demasiadas explicaciones. Sin embargo, conforme avanza la narrativa, hay un momento que de repente hace _“clack”_. __Inminentemente__ cambia el chip, cambia el tono y cambia la visión que tenemos nosotros con respecto a lo que acontecerá en los próximos episodios. De tal modo que todo lo que en un principio se veía como una amalgama de tópicos con los que infravalorar nuestra visión acerca de la serie. Pasa convertirse en un choque de fuertes contrastes entre lo que parece, lo que uno espera y lo que verdaderamente es. Retroalimentándose de estos clichés prejuiciosos por parte del espectador, para comenzar a sumergirlo poco a poco en una narrativa bastante más oscura, dramática, compleja, y sobretodo, intrigante. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/591782167051239435/810575685248745512/64729495_p0.png) Link de la imagen: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/64729495 __Otros aspectos muy elogiables __con respecto a esta serie son: - __Su OST__, uno de los más bonitos, inmersivos y peculiares que he escuchado en toda en toda la industria. Empleando baladas y cánticos de música New Age con toques clásicos y renacentistas. Logrando evocar atmósferas esotéricas y místicas que logran proyectar las diferentes emociones que se exploran en la serie (Melancolía, misterio, tensión, tristeza, esperanza, etc...) Muy disfrutable tanto en escena como de manera independiente. - __Los personajes__, ofrecen excelentes diseños junto a muy buenos desarrollos e interacciones entre sí. Aportando cada una de ellas una consecuencia importante a la trama. Al ser en mi opinión, el punto fuerte de la historia, revelaré mis pensamientos hacia ellas de manera muy resumida y en spoiler. Pero aconsejo encarecidamente buscar algún que otro análisis por internet: ~!Tomoe Mami y Kyoko Sakura son francamente los personajes más planos de la serie debido a que ambos disponen de muy poco tiempo en escena. Las dos poseen un mayor desarrollo en el manga, pero es una lástima que no se pudiesen explorar mejor sus personalidades debido a la corta duración del Anime. Kaname Madoka es el personaje "necesario" para que el argumento pueda transcurrir. Sin embargo, el por qué ella es la “protagonista” se responde fácilmente al analizar su personalidad, la cual posteriormente condiciona su deseo. En consecuencia, los personajes mejor desarrollados sean Akemi Homura y Miki Sayaka debido a que la historia gira entorno a ellas dos: Son personajes complejos, bien construidos y con códigos de moral que justifican sus acciones en el caso de que logres adquirir empatía hacia ellas.!~ - __Y finalmente__ la animación, que inclusive con un par de "frames cursed" (Meguka), se mantiene constantemente fluida y es una maravillosa degustación artística al adquirir un enfoque bastante más vanguardista: ->Los __fondos que envuelven el mundo "real"__ son grandes paisajes, limpios, brillantes y detallados que terminan transmitiendo una atmósfera de soledad e inquietud al estar exclusivamente abarcados por las 5 protagonistas tras el capítulo 3. ~!Siempre lo interpreté como una forma de retratar lo solas y alienadas que se vuelven las chicas mágicas al aceptar el contrato. Pero al ser un punto tan ambiguo, no se debe de interpretar como un simbolismo firme.!~ ->En contraste, los __escenarios de las brujas y los laberintos__ son mucho más enérgicos, vivos y abstractos. Ofreciendo diversas referencias hacia otras obras de carácter surrealista, sumado a su vinculación simbólica con la bruja. __Paisaje del común:__ img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/591782167051239435/810574858265165905/70251622_p0.jpg) Link de la imagen: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/70251622 __Laberinto de bruja:__ img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/591782167051239435/810574858877534228/madoka.jpg) No obstante, con todo lo que he dicho previamente no quiero dar la imagen de que es un anime perfecto. Posee __tres problemas__ fundamentales los cuales han provocado que algunos consumidores del anime la tachen como una serie edgy y pretenciosa. Esos tres problemas son: - __El ritmo:__ El inicio es muy lento y pausado (En ocasiones hasta aburrido) debido a que se enfocan mucho en hacer de que el espectador comprenda bien como funciona el mundo que envuelve a las chicas mágicas, explicando los mismos conceptos reiteradas veces. Tras el primer tercio del anime, de repente se vuelve súmamente acelerado y chocante, dando lugar a que hayan varios eventos y personajes que no terminen de asimilarse o desarrollarse. - __La dependencia del factor shock:__ Bastante autoexplicativo. Si eres una persona que comienza a ver mádoka porque alguien te dijo _"Esta serie es bastante oscura y profunda"_. No la concebirás del mismo modo que una persona que esperaba ver una serie de chicas mágicas basada en estereotipos y convencionalismos. Buena parte de la magia se pierde al conocer ya acerca de la verdadera naturaleza del Anime. - __El impacto de Madoka en el género de Magical Girls:__ No tiene tanto que ver con el mismo Anime en si. Este punto está escrito más que todo para que se entienda el porqué Madoka es muy alabada o criticada en extremos radicalemente opuestos. Si bien, este no fue el Anime que inventase el género de chicas mágicas con narrativas oscuras, debido a que Princess tutu, Magical Rayeart, Lyrical Nanoha y Minky Momo ya habían introducido este concepto. _(En el caso de Princess Tutu desarolla su oscura narrativa sin la necesidad de depender de una imagen falsa y el factor shock)_ Madoka siempre ha sido la más alabada por el público convencional del Anime, además de generar una tendencia de Animes que si llegan a entrar en la categoría de "edgys" como Magical Girl Site y Magical Raising Proyect. Esto da lugar a que multiples fanáticos que ya perteneciesen al nicho de Magical Girls con primicias oscuras se sintientan "decepcionados". Puesto a que Madoka es promocionado como el mayor exponente del género cuando hay otras series con temáticas parecidas que también poseen grandes transfondos y desarrollos. __(Advertencia: Desde este punto la reseña es altamente personal)__ La razón por la que Madoka se ha llevado un 10/10 inclusive conociendo los errores que tiene es debido a que este fue el anime que más me cautivó. No solo me introdujo al género de chicas mágicas en profundidad. Si no que además, para la época en la que lo vi, el mensaje que interpreté en ella me ayudo a salir de una época difícil: __"Da igual que tan cruel, triste y oscura pueda llegar a ser la vida. Es importante seguir caminando hacia el frente con la esperanza de dar con un futuro mejor."__ No es un mensaje implícito en el anime. Es simplemente la idealizada interpretación que le dí a la lucha de Akemi Homura la primera vez que la vi. Si la hubiese visto en otros tiempos y frente a otras circunstancias muy probablemente no la hubiese marcado con un puntaje perfecto. Pero para bien o para mal, este fue el Anime que marcó un antes y un después en una época de mi vida. Gracias por leer. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/591782167051239435/810576990637654016/31242739_p0.png) Link: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/31242739~~~~~~

moyaiking

~~~this show is like 10 years old there's going to be spoilers~~~ # ~~~Introduction~~~ ___ ___ The art of deceiving has been done countless times throughout stories. Season 2 of Attack On Titan with its reveal, or Vinland Saga being more than a story of revenge. With Attack on Titan, Isayama planned out a story with an amazing and massive strike through S3P2, making the result of almost 50 episodes worth it, or with Vinland Saga with its 24 episodes, expanding each and every character in some way. Even then, the anime for both is still continuing, meaning that it's only the start. Both Isayama and Yukimura planned out a start to amazement and I love their work because of it. Yet, that's the case with a lot of series. The author starts off with only a fraction of what they want the expands it over several chapters or episodes. It's not a bad thing, as we've seen countless amazing moments because of it. However, there is a show that does all of that in just 12 episodes that blew me away. ~~~I finished Madoka Magica today. I loved it. ~~~ # ~~~Synopsis~~~ ___ ___ Madoka Magica shows us the "story of our main character", Madoka. A middle schooler who one day finds this talking, injured cat where a girl known as Homura Akemi is trying to kill it. Protecting the cat from her, Akemi flees and the cat introduces themselves as Kyuubey, explaining that Akemi is a magical girl, and that people like her hunt down witches. But, just like the examples I stated at the start, this is more than just some story. As the show goes on, you learn more and more about everything. How do these witches work, how do our magical girls work, what's a Grief Seed, yet those are all secondary question. Who is Homura Akemi and what exactly is Kyuubey? #~~~Visuals~~~ ___ ___ With a much more deeper meaning, Shaft takes a simple artstyle and expands it to the max. Every enemy the magical girls fight is horrific, using disgusting and monsterous designs in a colorful atmosphere, with the atmosphere always being different depending on the witch they're fighting. It's unsettling and I love it. #~~~Music~~~ ___ ___ ghabgahsjioinusa From one moment, the music can go from a typical and generic highschool ost to making you scared for your girls every time it plays. As I said in the visuals section, combining the music with it, it gives some weaker scenes the extra oomph it needs to make you realize what's going on, which can be heard through the opening and ending. The opening is sung by ClariS, and by looking at the visuals in it and lyrics, it honestly makes it seem like a school romcom, making it seem like Madoka's theme of how she's so pure and innocent. The ending, however, contrasts this a lot. Sung by Magia, this song sounds like a ritual is going on, as you here it every single episode, mostly being after something major has happened in the show. Unlike a lot of rock eds, there is no sad turn happy moment, so by episode 1, you start to realize that maybe this isn't just some magical girl show. Which leads me to my final point and my favorite thing about this show. #~~~Characters,~~~ ___ ___ They're so good. Like a lot of other shows, their initial drive to be a main character (in this case, a magical girl) is basic, and comes from some tragic backstory, Sayaka with wanting to be able to help the boy she has a crush on, or Kyouko wanting to show the world their wrong. Madoka Magica takes these simple drives and turns it against itself through the interactions and story. Everything that happens around our characters, whether is Madoka not knowing what to do to help Sayaka out of a dangerous route, or her being confused of what to do after Mami's demise. Being rare to see in just 12 episodes, each episode expands on every character with every action, big or small. But, #~~~More specifically, Homura Akemi.~~~ ___ ___ She is, without a doubt, one of the best characters in all of anime. Initially coming off as some sort of devil-ish monster who wants to kill Kyubey, as episodes go on and on, you see that she isn't as she comes off as through a variety of points, with the biggest being how she always appears when Madoka is in danger. At first glance, this would seem like plot armor, but for a show in 2011, it is not. As I said earlier when taking about all the characters in general, every episode impacts every character, with Homura always being the main or secondary piece of it all. This show doesn't particularly have a "main character", as all these girls stand out, but if there had to be one, it has to be her. With her magical power being to control time, Homura is from a different timeline. Initially being a shy medical-needs student, she was constantly embarrassed by herself because of it, having the whole transfer student thing only add an extra load onto her. However, Madoka, was the one who helped her be more confident, telling her to be proud of who she is, and even saved her life as she turns out to be a magical girl in that timeline, with the antagonist Kyubey being by her side. It makes Homura go from a shy girl to a happy girl, as she finally has her first friend. But.. When Madoka is on her final breath after failing to defeat the strongest witch, Homura makes a contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl, with the goal of going back in time to save Madoka. This begins the cycle. Every timeline Homura goes to changes her drastically. She fails each and every time to save her, ending in a more horrific way, to the point where the happy Homura slowly breaks down into a more and more stoic, yet anxious person, pushing people away and doing everything by herself. And it fucking hurts. We see a weak girl who became proud of who she was become someone she never was for the sake of someone else, only becoming worse and worse of an individual, all because of Kyubey and his contract of not thinking humans as animals, making you realize that the OP isn't a generic and cheesy-song, but the clueless of Madoka, where as the ED makes you realize the suffering of all of Homura's failed attempts. Every Homura scene after episode 10 constantly gave me goosebumps, telling me that it's no longer a cute show, but a show that makes you reflect. Simple Deception, Masterfully Done. ___ ___ #~~~Conclusion~~~ Madoka Magica is one of the shows I knew was going to surprise me from what I've heard, but I never expected it to do so on such a height. With the exception of my Miru Tights review, I usually write down stuff and plan out more, but this show was so short yet so amazing, that I wanted to wing this review without planning. I'll redo this review before the movie comes out, but for now, I'll keep it here because I fucking love this show. ~~~img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/767809225069166654/836705269786345472/homura.gif)~~~ ___ ___

Railgun

__Obligatory Spoilers Warning__ #__Summary:__ Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PMMM) is an anime with an outer appearance of a cute, "[Mahou Shoujo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_girl)" and hidden under this is a façade that is violently hacked off in Episode 3. PMMM is not just an anime about its shock factor neither is it simply about the deconstruction of the [Magical Girl Genres](https://media3.giphy.com/media/26gBjmGEsrFQlj8g8/giphy.gif) that many are used to. This anime delves far, far deeper than that in its exceptional narrative that is masterfully delivered with its unique visuals and exquisite music. img1000(https://static3.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Madoka-Magica-Main-Cast.jpg) # __Story:__ 100/100 Madoka Magica is the only anime that I just cannot see any plotholes in - with every moment in the show having its own purpose. Attention to detail and foreshadowing is something that this anime is brilliant at and the audience can easily miss out on small dialogues that hint towards what is revealed later on: giving PMMM high rewatch value. It is worth noting that the anime is careful not to reveal too much at one go and decides to slowly unravel these mysteries with perfect execution. As mentioned before, Episode 3's shock factor is the first trigger for Madoka Magica and is used to grip the viewer to keep watching, as their fascination grows with the sudden departure of [Mami](https://anilist.co/character/38194/Mami-Tomoe). Episodes 4-9 give the spotlight to [Sayaka](https://anilist.co/character/38395/Sayaka-Miki) and acts as a lesson to all: _Do not judge a book by its cover_. Sayaka's tale of her downfall begins to unravel the mysteries of Magica Girls in this world. The concept of a device that allows the use of magic is not a unique one but the relationship of [Soul Gems](https://madoka.fandom.com/wiki/Soul_Gems), [Grief Seeds](https://madoka.fandom.com/wiki/Grief_Seed) and emotions are extraordinary. The breakdown of Sayaka's character is followed up by a backstory I can only call absolute genius. As the plot progresses, [Homura's]((https://anilist.co/character/38005/Homura-Akemi) intentions and behaviours are understood by watching a series of timelines of failure and pull at the heartstrings of viewers as we see the hopeless struggles of Homura. Suddenly, everything falls into place, and as we view the events from Homura's perspective with her repeated attempts to save the one who saved her. PMMM fully creates a world of _hope and despair_ with characters realising the consequences of their whimsical actions. The shocking revelations also help alleviate the show to another tier of wonder as the audience is caught off guard. Furthermore, throughout the duration of the show, the viewers are showered with a plethora of questions: What are Magical Girls? Just what are Homura's motives? How much are we, ourselves, really willing to sacrifice in order to grant our wishes? These questions that are raised potentially make viewers themselves question their very being, and their purpose - I know this is certainly applicable to me. img1000(https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-19c4a96e6028f2c4549e6a809b8f43d3) #__Characters:__ 100/100 Though having a small cast, Madoka Magica does not disappoint with each character having their own importance. _"Save Me"_ The first magical girl we are introduced to is Mami Tomoe and appears to be the embodiment of the perfect senior to Madoka and Sayaka. Some may argue that Mami is just used as a plot device, in which she was only needed for the shock value in her death. Though I agree with this point to a certain extent, that is not all Mami is. Mami represents all ordinary Magical Girls that had been bought into the system by Kyubey and her significance grows throughout the show as viewers begin to see how blissful innocence is. In the 2nd timeline we see in Homura's backstory, we see the result of Mami finding out the truth as she tries to kill all of the main cast to avoid their transformations into a witch. Mami is, in reality, a mentally unstable girl who just wanted to live, a truly pitiful character. img1000(https://pa1.narvii.com/6386/2aba5f9f89c4d28347ecb8b4341dee3292fe9d95_hq.gif) _"I wish that everyone would listen to what Father has to say."_ [Kyouko Sakura](https://anilist.co/character/40006/Kyouko-Sakura) is another character that has a strong impact on the show. From her first introduction to the show, she is presented as a selfish character who acts only for her own benefit. However, by seeing someone make the same mistakes as herself, Kyouko frustratedly repeatedly gives Sayaka warnings and tries to convince her that her form of 'justice' is 'crap'. It is ambiguous as to whether Kyouko is morally good or bad, but such an alignment is unnecessary. Although she is unable to prevent Sayaka's ultimate demise into a witch, she is finally able to understand her own motives better as remembering her own past that caused her family to commit suicide. _" I beg you, God... If this is how my life ends... Let me see a happy dream, just once"_ img1000(https://i.imgur.com/PzTPxyx.gif) Her final sacrifice shows the growth of Kyouko and her fast coming of age as she ensures that [the girl who reminded her so much of her past self doesn’t have to die alone.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadokaMagica/comments/86a2yl/spoilers_character_analysis_kyoko_sakura/) _"I want to erase all witches before they are even born. I will erase every single witch in every universe, past, and future with my own hands...I don't care what you call it. All those magical girls who held onto their hopes and fought against witches I don't want to see them cry. I want them to stay smiling until the end. If any rule or law stands in my way I will destroy it. I will rewrite it. That is my prayer. That is my wish. Now grant it, Incubator!"_ [Madoka Kaname](https://anilist.co/character/37832/Madoka-Kaname) is the main protagonist of the story, though some may argue Homura is (I will be focusing on her later). By now, you must have already realised that the characters of this show cannot simply be judged on the surface level. Madoka is not just the pure, innocent MC that many say she is: Madoka's importance in the story is a lot greater than that. Seeing the story from her point of view mirrors the shock and surprise of the audience to each dramatic event - Mami's death, the encounter with Kyouko, Sayaka's despair ... the list goes on. Madoka is one that would prioritize others over her show as she is willing to become a magical girl for the sake of others. The 14-year-old is curious and to an extent intelligent as well; she questions the motives and reasons behind each Magical Girl that she meets and attempts to befriend them instead of going against them. Madoka is often condemned as being too optimistic in her outlook but it is important to understand that this was the way of thinking that eventually inspired Homura to make her own wish. However, unlike the rest of the cast our MC has no real wish that needs to be granted - hence, has no legitimate reason to become a Mahou Shoujo. Madoka has never been through hardships that Kyouko or Mami have been through and thus, as the narrative progresses it is worth noting that Madoka realises that the problems that she finds cannot simply be solved by a snap of a finger. Perhaps unknowingly, by increasing her knowledge on the very essence of what a magical girl is and that the difficulties faced that cannot simply be fixed with naïve optimism. Once understanding that her actions will affect the fate of the entire world, Madoka gathers her resolve and forms a contract with Kyubey, introducing a clever plan to not just save those in front of her but those of the past too by sacrificing herself to an eternal fate as the [Law Of Cycles](https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Law_of_Cycles). img1000(https://i.imgur.com/uAEJcTM.gif) _"For all the happiness you wish for someone, someone else gets cursed with equal misery. That's how it works for Magical Girls, and that's how it is for me. I was so stupid, so stupid."_ Sayaka is originally been blinded by selfless justice after being inspired by the façade that Mami had put up. Her ideals are brought up constantly each time she encounters Kyouko and preaches that she cannot allow even a single familiar to escape, that she saves people indiscriminately - disgusted at Kyouko's hedonism. However, after receiving an ultimatum from her friend Hitomi, she becomes depressed as she becomes conflicted as to what exactly she should do. Unable to prevent Hitomi from dating her childhood friend that she had so earnestly made a wish for, Sayaka becomes mentally unstable and loses her sense of reality as she begins to wonder why she even became a magical girl in the first place. img1000(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/EminentThirstyIndianringneckparakeet-size_restricted.gif) _"The balance of hope and despair in the world cancels out at zero"_ She begins to shut out advice from Homura and Kyouko, even dismissing Madoka's desperate attempts to support her. In episode 8, we are able to witness a final interaction between Sayaka and Kyouko; she apologises for wasting Kyouko's time and mentions that she can't even remember what or who she was fighting for. Her soul gem darkness as Sayaka is consumed with despair and turns into a witch. The character of Sayaka Miki is a personification of one's descent into madness and despair and is truly an exceptionally well-written one. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/9q8N1X3.gif) _"I want you to make a contract with me and become a magical girl"_ Kyubey acts as the main antagonist in PMMM, however, this does not mean he is evil. Kyubey views his species' actions as justified and the contracts that the magical girls agree to are fair. In order to ensure that the universe's lifespan is extended, using emotional energy collected from the transformation of a magical girl to a witch, Kyubey is a fascinating character who cannot seem to comprehend the nature of human, unable to understand why they cannot simply die for the sake of the universe. The incubator is not your run-of-the-mill adversary and is an indispensable character in the story. img1000(https://66.media.tumblr.com/1f84d9883577987a676d727ff98a718d/tumblr_inline_oclgmreSCo1unebwx_500.gif) _"I will do it over, as many times as it takes. I will re-live the same time over and over, searching for the one way out. I will find the one path that will save you from your fate of boundless despair. Madoka my one and my only friend. If it ... if it's for you, I don't mind being stuck in this endless maze ... for all eternity!"_ Homura Akemi is definitely my favourite character of all time. In any anime. Homura is portrayed as a silent beauty that always appears in the nick of time to save Madoka and remains mystifying until Episode 10, where we see Homura's backstory. In the original timeline, Homura was an unconfident, weak, bedridden girl who lacked any friends. After her first day at her new school, Homura stumbled into a witch's labyrinth but was saved by Madoka and Mami. Over the course of the next month and a half, Homura grew closer to Madoka but eventually, the latter exchanged her own life to kill Walpurgisnacht. Unable to accept her death, Homura made a contract with Kyubey. _"I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. But this time, instead of her protecting me, I want to become strong enough to protect her"_ img1000(https://64.media.tumblr.com/3c67fb282af4f7c34c4a6249d7085bf6/tumblr_mnub9mXo071s2v7j5o1_500.gif) Thus, Homura began her loops of near 100 and spent a total of roughly 8 years rewinding time in order to change Madoka's fate. The first thing that attracted me to Homura's character was certainly her backstory of constant agony and suffering in which she saw the person she cared for the most die over and over again. Homura's determination is something that struck me as absolutely remarkable and the viewers get to see this through the 5 different timelines shown. Homura is certainly one of the most suffering characters in anime, ensuring hardships but still, never giving up hope to save the one who saved her. This may seem generic on paper but as we ourselves view the horror of Homura's very own nightmare that she lives in, we are able to sympathize greatly with her. In particular, Timeline 2: where Madoka begs Homura to end her life in order to stop her from becoming a witch. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/3Fgfr6N.gif) In terms of design, Homura's dull colour palette may seem like nothing too shabby. Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka, and Madoka all have flamboyant designs that are common in the magical girl genre: though appealing, they are not anything ground-breaking. The genius in Akemi's simple outfit is that captures the essence of her being; for example, she doesn't focus on the luxurious ideals of the other characters in the show nor does she try to be a hero. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/CFZZJMY.gif) Homura is a perfect portrayal of a tragic character and shows how working towards one single goal whilst abandoning everything else may still lead to a path of emptiness. Homura Akemi's own backstory, nature and resolve is the reason why I fell in love with anime. img1000(https://i.gifer.com/FSo3.gif) #__Visuals:__ 100/100 Even though Madoka Magica aired in 2011, Shaft's unique animation still holds up to the greats today. The studio's abstract skill and creative use of different shapes and real-life objects is incomparable. Img1000(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/1a/e1/e61ae11c5220af960fbfd48d4cc3ec5f.gif) In particular, the witch's labyrinths really stood out to me with the bright explosions of the unknown. Shaft's animation style captures the underlining uneasiness in the first 3 episodes and progressively improves itself as the show progresses to enhance the narrative's beauty. #__Audio:__100/100 This is the absolute pinnacle of [Kajiura](https://anilist.co/staff/100077/Yuki-Kajiura) as the original soundtrack is able to perfectly encapsulate the darkness of Madoka Magica. In particular, Sayaka Miki's despair is made more dramatic by the somber melancholy of her theme "Decretum". "Sis Puella Magica" is a commonly played theme when revelations are made in the show. The sorrowful nature of the anime is given form as a wistful melody. The opening theme of PMMM is "Connect" by [ClariS](https://anilist.co/staff/106746/ClariS-) and is one with a deeper meaning to it. The opening line "交わした約束忘れないよ" literally translates to "I will never forget the promise I made", with lyrics itself telling the tale of Homura. There are 3 different ending songs to Madoka Magica but "Magia" by [Kalafina](https://anilist.co/staff/101975/Kalafina-) stands out in particular to me. It is first played at the end of the 3rd episode, after Mami's death: this electrifying ED introduces a darker side of the Madoka coin. #__Enjoyment:__100/100 PMMM is a show that I enjoyed to the fullest on the first watch and gets better on every rewatch. Enough said. img1000(https://images.puella-magi.net/1/16/EC11.jpg?20110425182934) #__Final Thoughts__ Puella Magi Madoka Magica is definitely my favourite series of all time with its gripping storyline, top-drawer characters, eye-pleasing visuals with a wonderful complement of Kajiura's somber yet inspiring audio. This show deserves full marks, and absolutely nothing can change my mind on that. # __Thank you for reading my review :)__ img1000(https://images.puella-magi.net/1/17/EC12.jpg?20110425183005)

cameeroo

I really like consuming media completely blind at first, since I love being caught off guard while experiencing something, plus it eliminates any expectations I'd have, so I would be able to form my own opinion without being affected by any external factors. And if there's anything that deserves to be experienced blind, it's Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. img700(https://i.imgur.com/S0Nfj3J.jpg) I've seen this anime several times mentioned by other people and fanarts of it all over social media, but I've never bothered touching it or researching about it, admittedly, because of the cutesy art and the premise that I'm aware of, which is: it's about Magical Girls. It's only this year when I've noticed that it's the top recommended anime in the Neon Genesis Evangelion MAL page. I thought it was some ironic joke, but apparently, this anime has "Psychological" in one of its genres. And that's when I finally decided to check this show out. img700(https://i.imgur.com/CsrMzFS.jpg) I was already blown away during the first episode when there's suddenly a shift of art style during the Witch encounter. I'm not sure how to describe it without showing you a video since even screencaps aren't enough, but I think it's similar to the Flowey boss battle in the game Undertale: semi-realistic, collage-style, unsettling imagery partnered with disturbing music and sound effects, which are all totally in contrast to the 2D cell-shaded anime art style we're all familiar of. As you progress to the next episode, you'd notice that no two fight scenes' art styles are the same, which really impressed me since most animes wouldn't go through all that effort. But where it truly shines as a psychological anime is the themes it tackles in every episode, that being a Magical Girl isn't all fun and games. There are lives, including theirs, at stake; there are personal relationships that will be affected; there are consequences in their actions and decisions; there's manipulations and exploitation; there are internal existential struggles; and there are a lot more, so jarring, it's as if the entire anime is an anti-magical girl campaign. On top of all that, it's hard to predict what would happen next, so you'd keep wanting more from the characters, the plot, and the lore. img700(https://i.imgur.com/7TV6F0m.jpg) I think I've said way too much about this, but I could go on forever because this show has a lot more shit to unpack. I used to hesitate whenever someone asks me what my all-time favorite anime is. I mean there are a few that's dear to my heart, but I haven't thought of any of them to rise above among others, until now. I don't know if this is just because of the emotional high I get from recently watching a new show, but this might be my new favorite anime of all time. It just transcends genres, has a unique art style, memorable characters, a well-thought plot, and perfect (for my standards) in every way. Go watch it right now.

NuclearGaming

__I'm bored. I KNOW! I'll do a review of Madoka Magica. That'll be fun.__ Disclaimer: This is an opinion from someone who is extremely biased and very hyperbolic. Take what I say with a grain of salt. Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Another absolute masterpiece outputted by Shaft. Now I love Psychological anime and this is one of the best examples the genre as to offer. Spoilers ahead obviously. This is a review, not a recommendation. ____ Abstract____ Yes I'm using sciencey terms for this part. Madoka Magica in my eyes does absolutely everything pretty much perfectly. Ok maybe not perfectly perfectly, but perfectly enough! First of all the animation is... well Shaft. So it's really good, but you'll feel like you're on drugs. Secondly the sound design is *chefs kiss* perfect. The musical composition hits at just the right moments and really blends with the animation to create the best atmosphere for every scene. Then there's the characters. Wow. The characters are amazing. They have their own character traits, their own fully fledged personalities. They are truly people that you will come to love, or hate *Stares menacingly at Kyuubey*. The plot is also pretty damn good with a nice dose of M.Night Shamalan twists mixed in as it truly becomes that loveable magical girl anime that you definitely should show your kids. So, let's get right to the actual review, shall we? ____Story (10/10)____ Madoka Magica, at least at first, presents itself as an adorable magical girl anime. There's some infighting and some dark undertones, but mostly it's focused on Mami teaching Sayaka and Madoka what it means to be a magical girl, all the while Kyuubey (The magic cat/rabbit thing) tries to pressure Madoka into becoming a magical girl. So that's nice. Then the third episode happens. Yeeeeaaahhh. If you showed your kids this, well done they, along with, most likely, yourself, are now traumatised for life. I'm glad I'd already traumatised myself with Higurashi before this. So yeah after the third episode the show spirals downwards into a really depressing show with even more twists (seriously, fuck Kyuubey) which then leads to Madoka becoming fucking God. Yes. I did say there would be spoilers. You were warned. Now that may sound a bit dismissive, but trust me, the events leading up to the end, and the end itself were really fucking good. What unfurls is an interesting story the likes of which I have never seen in another anime except for Higurashi and Patema Inverted. And what's more is that this isn't even the anime's strongest point. ____Characters (10/10)____ Ok here we go. We're gonna go through every important character and see what makes them so good. Starting with Madoka. Madoka is a fairly quiet and innocent girl who seems to really care about her friends. She's supportive to others but also knows who she can rely on (Mostly cool Mom) when she needs to. She can be a bit indecisive and naive but does step up and make a stand in the last few episodes. She's also being constantly pressured by Kyuubey. Oh she's also the main character. She's probably one of the more normal characters here, but Madoka still has a very likable character. Simple and nice. Next up is Homura Akemi. Mysterious and aloof are the best ways to describe her character at the start. She is relentlessly hunting Kyuubey for reasons unknown and seems determined to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl, no matter the cost. The reasons for this are revealed later of course. Homura acts cold, indifferent and distant from the main cast, but always seems to have a way of stepping in at the perfect moment. Also, unlike Madoka, Homura is determined and decisive. Kyuubey, Fuck Kyuubey. No seriously. Fuck. Kyuubey, He's a fucking bastard. Also very interested in thermodynamics and can transform into his final form: Kyuuberang. Sayaka Miki is Madoka's best friend. Sayaka is strong and reckless, but cares for those she loves greatly. Sayaka is willing to sacrifice anything to save Kyousuke, her crush. Even her own soul. Her contrast to Madoka's personality makes these two truly work together. She is a believer in fighting selflessly and justice, which puts her at odds with some of the other main characters (Most notably Kyouko, who will be covered next). Ultimately, it's this belief that leads to her demise. Kyouko Sakura is a very violent person. Coming from a very harsh background, Kyouko values herself more than anything, which puts her at odds with Sayaka. Kyouko has a will of iron, and is strong enough to back up this will. Also she hates wasting food. Mami Tomoe is, at least on the outside, your typical upper class senpai. She's confident, strong, and always willing to help those weaker than herself. Ultimately though, this is a façade. A façade to hide her fragility and weakness. I really want to make a head joke but that would be getting ahead of myself. Ok I'll leave now. As you can see, these characters all have their own differing personalities, all of which conflict and contrast with each other in splendid ways, creating a cohesive story and really making you feel for the characters. They feel real. Which is more than a lot of shows can say. Even the supporting cast like Cool Mom, or Hitomi (Mrs. steal yo boyfriend) are noticeable and make their impact. This is a living, breathing (Most of the time) cast, where every character has a memorable impact that will stick with you for as long as this anime sticks with you. The characters are by far the strongest part of this anime, and that's saying something. ____Animation and Sound (10/10 for both)____ The animation is very Shaft. It's beautiful and seems to tell a story all by itself (Also gives you the experience of being on acid lmao). Combined with the beautiful sound design and music which knows exactly the tone the scene is going for and hitting it exactly. These two things really make the anime come alive and invest you into the emotions that this show is trying to convey. From start to end, the animation and sound are perfect. ____Enjoyment (10/10)____ Yes this is a subjective section. Guess what? So were the others. Is the anime enjoyable? Well if you've read the rest of the review, you should know that I'm gonna say fuck yeah it is! While seeming slow and typical at first, as soon as that third episode hits the Madoka train has no fucking brakes. This anime will take you on a journey and you will be fucked by it. I think I've said enough so I'll leave it there. ____Conclusion____ Is Madoka worth watching? Yes. Should you watch it right now? Yes. Though if you're reading this review, you probably shoulda watched it anyway. But there are some people who don't care about spoilers, so hopefully this helped. And hey, it's another review to add to Madoka Magica so yeah. Seriously though, Madoka Magica is one of the most amazing anime out there. Masterpiece is really the only way to describe it. In fact, it's not even anime. It's a work of art. And believe me, this belongs in the Louvre. If you can't tell, I really like this anime Overall score: 10/10

EXistential

# ~~~___THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE TV SERIES PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA AND BY EXTENSION MOVIES 1 AND 2___~~~ I need to preface this by saying I have never seen the appeal of magical girls. School girls running around in frilly clothes saving the day and positivity spewing out of their fucking eyeballs. That is the general impression I get from the very idea of this genre, and from my understanding, that's what the majority of these things are. Note that I said the majority. ~~~__PLOT__~~~ _Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica_ follows a group of magical girls as they encounter strife after strife due to their very choice to become said magical girls, alongside the titular character Madoka Kaname. Madoka is approached by Kyubey, a cat-like entity belonging to the Incubator race and the one who draws out the power of magical girls. Being the center of "karmic destiny" and the reason many timelines are null and void, the potential Madoka holds is enough to dramatically alter the universe itself. Despite this power, one seeks to see that it never awakens. A magical girl wielding the ability to repeat time over and over stands in the way of the Incubator from putting Madoka through the curse of the magical girl. This is the tragedy of Homura Akemi. ~~~__EXECUTION__~~~ I first want to bring up the opening and ending animations. Not the songs, the animations. It's this bright, happy, cheerful sequence. Possibly of a timeline before the events of the show. If you're going into this show uneducated, it could be a sign of "So this is where we're going with this zzzzzz". This is even further exemplified by the EDs for Episodes 1 and 2. Despite the warnings in the dialogue of the show, these along with the general fact that nothing goes awry until the end of Episode 3 really sell the idea that this isn't gonna be the dark and depressing shit people make it out-- img440(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/496844005523456000/893367030693126164/unknown.png) Oh....Oh no... Okay so after the whole wholesome act gets dropped (along with Mami), the show gets good. Showing the fate that Mami and many other magical girls have or are currently running towards to the audience front and center makes the threat and dread much more apparent than simply being told. At least in my experience, the debate on whether or not the whole magical girl deal is worth it is just as real with the audience as it is with the characters is the story. This feeling is shared the entire time with the reveal of new information such as the fate of magical girls that survive their fights eventually turning into witches. Another way the question is enrichened is by showing the turmoil of other magical girls in a girl whose life is torn apart by her wish and one struggling to come to terms with what she's become. It's a great way to immerse the audience in a delightfully depressing story such as this. Even early on, the character of Akemi Homura is prominently displayed as a driving force in the story. The first scene of the anime is of Homura fighting the Walpurgisnacht on her own in the timeline proceeding the one that houses the events we see unfold throughout the show. This first time, the audience is made aware of none of what is going through her head or out of her mouth. Was she screaming for help? For Madoka to run? The mystery of Homura persists throughout the entire show and ends with the biggest pay-off in the entire 12 episode run. The crumbs are there for you to put together long before the confirmation, and that, my friend, is how to handle a mystery in your story. ~~~__FINALE__~~~ Now, I'm conflicted on the ending. It's also the reason I call this the Tragedy of Akemi Homura. For all of the effort she pours into saving Madoka Kaname from the fate of a magical girl, the final result is still her failure in that regard. And while one can say that she ended up making Madoka so powerful that she would not succumb to the fate so many others have come to, it also came at the cost of her now eternal existence becoming disconnected from everyone she held near and dear. There is no clear-cut answer on which is a better fate. Despite all of what happens with the resolution of Homura's initial journey, however, her battle carries on. Her duty as a magical girl continues all the same. Akemi Homura, eternally damned to fight even after all is said and done. She may not rest. She may not weaver. Girl can't catch a fucking break, huh? That is the Tragedy of Akemi Homura.

theJokerEvoker

__Scattered Thoughts #3__: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica ####_When my thoughts are too long for the notes section._   Some light spoilers throughout, heavy spoilers are marked, if any. I’ve heard a lot about this anime, mostly praise, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it going in. With such heavily praised shows, I tend to be cautiously optimistic, but with this one, it was something lower than that, mostly due to an unfamiliarity in general with mahou shoujo. And that mentality was reinforced initially: I wasn’t particularly drawn in at the start. By the time the final credits rolled, though, I was ready to call it one word: brilliant.   #__Should you watch?__ Yes. You should.

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__Story: 10/10__ The start of Madoka is rather unassuming. It mostly chugs along, and it failed to get me very interested in its plot or characters, sometimes even bordering on frustrating in various ways. To make matters worse, the “infamous twist” was unfortunately lost on me by virtue of everyone and their mother knowing about it—I spent time deciding on death flags instead of being invested. That changed, however, when the real core of the world building kicked in. Suddenly, Madoka became a serious introspective look into utilitarianism and deontology, the natures of hope and despair, and even philosophical issues relating indirectly to humans and AI. Although the show doesn’t end up giving definite answers to most of these questions—and they shouldn’t be expected to, it’s not like the solutions are easy—their presentation in a story that is simple on the surface is what is impressive. More importantly for the personal side, this surprising thematic depth is what ended up drawing me in, and it’s a big part of why I’m writing these words of praise. And that’s just the larger philosophy and themes—the actual mechanics of the Madoka universe are also incredibly interesting, bolstered by a drip-feeding of info through excellent storytelling that doesn’t fall into the trap of revealing too much at a time. Sure, maybe the attempt at science was stupid (which, yeah, it was, but at least it wasn’t too egregious) or maybe some parts of the story were a bit too cheesy, but the eventual finale is just too genius for these to detract much. The ending episodes beautifully tie together the plot threads, in-universe mechanics, and key themes in a wonderfully gratifying resolution that genuinely made me believe all was right with the world, if only for a little bit.

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__Characters: 9/10__ To be frank, I wasn’t sold on most, if not all, of the main cast at the start. Even as the first real conflicts began developing, I remained frustrated at the characters’ consistent naivety and stubbornness, and it often felt like these conflicts were unnecessarily induced simply due to these silly character flaws. I eventually did rationalize that I should probably cut 14-year-olds some slack, but that still didn’t do much to convince me that I should care about these otherwise flat characters. It was only when motivations and genuine personal turmoil started coming to light that the show began to redeem these characters, and while these redemptions didn’t necessarily bring the characters to a perfect status, it was enough for me to get properly invested. Although I would say that the story itself carried the show more than the characters, I still nevertheless ended up liking the cast. And yes, even the manipulative everyone-knows-who.

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__Visuals: 10/10__ The overall art style and animation was quite good, but the witches and the witch dimension are a completely different level. That whole style was just, for lack of a better description, insanely cool. Moreover, there was also some great visual storytelling work throughout the show, complete with fantastic usage of shadow and contrast, as well as sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle nods to recurring motifs and symbols. The only real nitpick I’d raise about the visuals is that the fight choreography was kinda meh, but everything else more than makes up for it, enough to nudge it to 10.

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__Audio: 9/10__ I’m a tad conflicted on this one. On one hand, right from episode 1, Kajiura Yuki got me immediately checking the staff page to confirm my suspicions on music composition with the amount of epic-ness exuding from the soundtrack, which, paired with meticulous sound design in parts, makes for some truly wonderful moments. (Classical music is also a nice bonus.) On the other hand, some sound design choices were a bit awkward, and a few pieces from the soundtrack were bordering on overused. While as a whole, the music and audio were excellent, I don’t think I can quite tip it over to a masterpiece-level.

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__Enjoyment: 9/10__ From basic and boring to beautiful and brilliant. The latter portion is undoubtedly a 10. But to be completely fair, the start of the show dampens the enjoyment score a tad, so Madoka earns a 9 from me. It’s close, though. #__Overall__: 9.4/10

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####If you’re curious on how I rate, I have a short explanation on my [profile](https://anilist.co/user/theJokerEvoker/), or a much longer, more thorough write-up [here](https://anilist.co/activity/304793531). ####I’m always open to debate and discussion, so feel free to message me on AL or Discord (PocketJoker#7740) if you want to agree or disagree.

Drivmarcos

Puela Magic Madoka Magica __Introdução__ Vamos começar entendendo como eu conheci esse anime, na verdade eu só descobri ele, nem lembro se foi por recomendação ou não, mas eu já era fã de Mahou Shoujo, mas não esperava pelo que esse anime fosse. Ao terminar, também me tornei fã de Madoka Magica, mesmo que não fosse aquele tipo de fã obcecado. __Animação__ É interessante que a Shaft trouxe esse conceito mt interessante pra madoka magica, algo bem parecido com o que acontece em Monogatari, cenários bem inusitados e closes de fundo bem interessantes e detalhados, aquele tipo de cidade que não parece com nada do que existe na vida real, mas o que mais chama a atenção é o Mundo das Bruxas, ou as barreiras, que as bruxas criam para se proteger. Esse é o grande cenário diferenciado, pelo traço e animação, mais estática e com desenho simples, como uma realidade distorcida, e é isso mesmo que passa, um ambiente estranho e medonho. Temos também uma boa sequencia de animação entre os personagens, gerando grandes cenas e boas experiencias com os episódios, além de um aconchego em cenas de lugares mais tranquilos e a aparência de uma realidade totalmente diferente da nossa. __Enredo __ O enredo central é muito simples, temos no mundo as bruxas, seres mágicos malignos que geram tragedias e infortúnios as pessoas normais, assim se alimentando das almas delas. Para proteger as pessoas desse mal, temos as Garotas Magicas, que através de um ser misterioso, o Kyubey, combatem as bruxas em troca de ter qualquer desejo realizado, sim, QUALQUER DESEJO. Temos a protagonista que é jogada no meio dessa realidade totalmente diferente da vida comum dela, e tem que lidar com a perda e tudo o que acontece com ela e as outras garotas magicas a sua volta. Todas sendo bombardeadas por choques de realidade e a quebra de suas esperanças, como a revelação de que as bruxas nascem das próprias garotas magicas, após perderem completamente a esperança e sucumbirem ao desespero completo. Na verdade o enredo esta muito ligado a o que é a verdade sobre esse mundo, que trarei uma teoria depois, mas com toda a decepção, mentiras e tragédias, a protagonista, Madoka, é forçada a pedir um desejo, que é o de extinguir todas as bruxas da história, e assim reescreve o universo com seu desejo, para salvar as garotas magicas de um fim trágico. __Personagens__ Madoka Kaname A própria protagonista é so uma garota simples, e muito pura e boa, com os choques da realidade, ela se sacrifica pelo seu desejo de salvar as garotas magicas, torna assim uma personagem muito amigável e que é cativante. A forma que ela lida com os fatos demonstra força e controle, mesmo em momentos trágicos. Akemi Homura Ela é apresentada como a antagonista, e inicialmente parece apenas uma personagem rasa que aparece para contrariar a madoka, mas o próprio anime mostra que esse personagem tem um incrível desenvolvimento, ela inclusive é minha personagem favorita pois se mostra extremamente interessante e bem desenvolvida, a historia e jornada dela é especialmente comovente e que instiga a repensar a sua impressão sobre ela. O fato dela buscar salvar sua amiga coloca um grande cargo emocional em sua jornada, e recupera o significado de suas ações, implícitas nos primeiros episódios. Outros Personagens Não vou expecificar as outras garotas magicas, mas podemos falar um pouco, como a Mami, que morreu de uma forma abrupta e espantosa, foi inclusive um choque pra mim a cena de morte dela, algo que me deixou horrorizado, mostra a seriedade da trama. A Sayaka é a amiga da madoka, e seu desejo e futuro infortúnio seria a paixão por um garoto, que futuramente seria o motivo dela ser transformada em bruxa, um jeito genial de revelar ao publico essa bomba para o enredo, já que isso mudaria o andamento da historia como um todo. A sakura Kyouko certamente traz uma realidade triste por traz de seu passado, o seu desejo destruiu sua família e só ela sobrou, assim trazendo um sentimento egoísta de solidão e interesses. Isso traz uma reflexão sobre a relação do que desejamos e as consequências disso, ela mesmo que desejou o bem para sua família, destruiu com a descoberta disso. __A Teoria de Tudo__ Agora vem a minha teoria do que esta acontecendo com Puella Magic Madoka Magica, que formulei pensando em explicar todos os aspectos dessa confusa historia, pode não parecer útil numa review, mas pode te ajudar a entender melhor a finalidade da obra. Vamos iniciar introduzindo o conceito de __Entropia__. Entropia pode ser muitas coisas, o próprio conceito pode ser confuso, mas tem base nas leis da termodinâmica, dado como “A entropia é o grau de desordem de um sistema”, em uma definição simples, a entropia mede o grau de ordem e desordem de um sistema, onde a Baixa entropia é quando temos um sistema de moléculas organizado, como um cubo de gelo, e a Alta entropia é quando as moléculas estão completamente desorganizadas, e que vai de encontro a primeira lei. Entenda a entropia como a desordem do sistema, que alcança seu máximo com o Equilíbrio Térmico (1° lei), assim, podemos também entender que quanto mais diferença de temperatura, ou de ENERGIA, menor a entropia, e quando há equilíbrio térmico, não há transformação de energia (Lavousier) e com isso alta entropia. Por fim pegamos a lei que vai ser muito importante, a segunda lei, que diz que “Em um sistema termicamente isolado, a entropia é constante ou SEMPRE aumenta”, e essa lei vai fazer toda a diferença, pois se usarmos certos conceitos, o universo todo como um é um sistema isolado, o que faz a entropia atuar supremamente, e gera teorias como o big bang e o big rip, e ate paradoxos como o cérebro de boltzmann (pesquise depois). O Big Rip vale a pena colocar para entender aqui: ele é a morte térmica do Universo, entenda, se houver o big rip, o universo entra em equilíbrio térmico, ou seja não há transformação de energia, que é no caso, formação de estrelas, planetas, células, sintetização de proteínas, no geral, é como se o universo deixasse de existir, apenas como um grande bloco de pedra que não faz nada. Tudo o que fazemos se resume a transformação de energia, desde a elétrica que usamos em toda nossa civilização, até a formação das células e estruturas vivas, e até a própria matéria, que é a famosa equação de Einstein E=mc2 O big rip está preso a entropia pois a ideia é que no surgimento do universo (Big Bang), a matéria estava totalmente organizada, em um único ponto, e se expandiu e continua se expandindo, quanto mais se expande, a desordem aumenta (entropia) e a temperatura diminui, hoje estamos em uma fase do universo onde o ser vivo pode manipular a matéria e a energia, mas não converte-la totalmente, podemos transformar matéria em energia mas não o contrário ainda. Agora vamos entrar no universo do anime: pelo que entendemos do que o Kyubey revela, ele é um componente de uma civilização evoluída (alien), o que já seria bem doido. Não sabemos se ele é apenas uma invenção dessa civilização ou um componente dela (como o humano é da nossa civilização). Esta sociedade já sabia o que seria do fim do universo, que no caso chamamos hoje de o Big Rip ; que seria a morte do universo por equilíbrio térmico, e eles, para evitarem ou retardarem essa morte, e assim continuarem existindo, precisavam de uma nova fonte de energia, algo que não sofresse da entropia, e por consequência, algo que deveria ser de fora do universo. Mas o que seria algo fora do universo? Por definição, universo seria tudo o que existe, então o que poderia existir de fora que entrou? A resposta encontrada foi a alma, mais precisamente os desequilíbrios dela, as emoções. De alguma forma conseguiam converter emoções em energia, assim praticamente criando energia e quebrando o sistema termicamente isolado. Não entrarei na origem da alma e porque ela seria de fora do universo, o que precisamos aqui é a ideia de que ela apenas veio de fora, ou algo que não foi originário no universo. Com essa tecnologia, só precisavam de emoções, mas eles mesmos não tinham, então partiram pelo universo a procura de algum ser vivo que tivesse, no caso nós. Então agora precisavam gerar emoções fortes e grandes, e uma forma de capta-las, para isso ajudaram na evolução da civilização humana, nos tratando literalmente como GADO. Para sintetizar essa energia, usavam a joia da alma, que era condensar a alma em um dispositivo inteiramente ideal, mas que precisava de algo forte para mante-la ali. É aqui que entra o desejo, quando se tem um desejo, enquanto não se arrepender dele, ele seria uma base forte, algo em que a pessoa se apoiaria para continuar lutando, e isso mantem a joia da alma inteira. Agora vamos sintetizar, a energia que eles precisam é a energia das emoções, mais precisamente da tristeza ou infortúnio. Para isso eles condensam o que cria essas emoções (alma) em um dispositivo que idealmente seria o motivo da garota magica lutar (desejo). Quanto mais tristeza e decepção a garota magica tem, mais a joia fica turva, que é a energia que eles precisam extrair, não é exatamente o consumo de magia, mas o sentimento e tudo o que rodeia a batalha da garota magica contra a bruxa, que pode rodear a decepção, mas sempre está ali a memoria do desejo, como a motivação dela para continuar. Aqui você entende as bruxas, quando as garotas magicas desistem do seu desejo e se arrependem, a joia que já tinha muita energia do infortúnio, agora sem algo para sustenta-la, colapsa e libera essa energia, que é coletada em parte pelo encubador, e parte cria o limiar da bruxa e seu poder. Quando se mata uma bruxa, resta a greef seed, uma semente de bruxa, que era o resto de seu desejo e sua joia da alma, toda vez que uma garota pega uma, drena a energia do infortúnio para a seed, tentando evitar sua própria morte, e assim também dando a seed ao encubador quando está cheia, assim ele coleta sua energia. Mas então quem aceitaria esse destino? Pense bem, é qualquer desejo, o que você quiser ou sonhar, riqueza, felicidade, tudo ao alcance de suas mãos. Na verdade, destino é algo super importante aqui, pois define a quantidade de magia de uma garota magica, que é simplesmente definido como: se a garota vai aceitar a proposta do kyubey, a famosa barganha de fausto, vender sua alma em troca de qualquer coisa que quiser. Isso implica em uma chance, baixa ou alta da garota aceitar, mas incerta, e isso adiciona magia a sua existência e aumenta seu desejo. É bem simples, quanto mais certeza uma garota aceitaria a barganha, mais poder ela tem, e maior pode ser seu desejo ou mais poderoso é, e mais poder tem a bruxa que seria criada posteriormente, como um paradoxo. __Explicando o enredo__ Espero que você tenha entendido a teoria de tudo, tentei fazer o mais explicado possível do que eu teorizei. Agora vamos ao enredo, todas elas tinham um desejo; Miki Sayaka (curar seu crush), sakura Kyouko( ajudar seu pai e sua família), e por ai vai, isso foi a adição de magia delas, a bruxa de walpurgis provavelmente teve um grande desejo, mas nunca saberemos o que seria. A historia da homura agora começa a fazer sentido, na primeira vez, ela não tinha feito pedido nenhum e apenas acompanhava as outras, como a madoka, só que no final, o desejo dela foi ter uma nova chance, para poder salvar suas amigas, e isso implica no seu poder diretamente, a manipulação temporal, lembra do desejo? “quero poder ter uma nova chance, ate que eu consiga salva-las”, por isso a manipulação temporal, para que o próprio desejo pudesse se cumprir, assim ela cria o MAIOR PARADOXO DO ANIME TODO. Não sabemos quantas vezes ela voltou no tempo, mas, pra quem assistiu Steins Gate vai se lembrar, a linha do tempo é como uma corda, um trançado de fios temporais, todos ligeiramente diferentes, mas indo pra uma mesma direção, e para conseguir um novo destino (como o Okabe ao salvar sua amiga da morte) você precisa de uma linha do tempo distópica, algo com uma probabilidade de 1% de acontecer, e é isso o que a homura procura, mas ao viajar no tempo varias vezes, ela começa a confirmar o desejo da madoka, aumentando assim sua chance de se tornar uma garota magica e seu poder aumentar cada vez mais, pois a madoka era seu alvo, o alvo do desejo, por isso só ela sofre do paradoxo. Pense que toda aquela corda de linhas do tempo, ao sofrer dessas viagens, tivesse dado um nó em volta da madoka, quase garantindo seu poder extremo, tudo por culpa da própria homura, o que nos leva a linha do tempo atual, onde a homura tenta se passar por vilã para impedir que isso aconteça. __O Proposito__ Agora a madoka entendeu o que aconteceu, ao contrario da homura e de todas as garotas da historia, ela entendeu tudo o que estava acontecendo e que ela tinha poder para mudar isso, por isso seu desejo foi “ que todas as garotas magicas do passado, presente e futuro não se transformem em bruxas, e eu mesma buscarei consertar isso”. Ate aqui nada demais, so que isso mudaria toda a linha do tempo, por isso todo o universo teve que surgir novamente, para comportar o poder do desejo dela, assim a madoka deixa o material para se tornar um conceito, a lei das garotas magicas, quando chega o fim, a joia se quebra e a garota é coletada pela madoka para não sofrer como uma bruxa. O interessante aqui é que ela precisa atuar atemporalmente, para que a lei funcione e seu desejo seja comprido, ou seja, um novo paradoxo que não deixa as bruxas surgirem e mantem tudo novamente funcionando desde o inicio, inclusive a entropia. A homura, por causa de seu poder, não estava ligada ao tempo, por isso ela é a única que se lembra do que aconteceu, e assim tudo termina bem.............................................................será? __Filme Hangyaku no Monogatari__ No filme nos temos o que parecia uma outra linha do tempo, no final do anime foi mostrado que tudo mudou, e ate os inimigos são outros, os spectros. Mas agora tudo parece igual, como um sonho da homura no antigo mundo, não vou falar muito sobre, mas é como uma matrix, os incubadores prenderam ela em um lugar isolado da lei das garotas magicas, para testar se o que ela tinha falado é verdade, não falarei o final, deixo pra vocês se emocionarem bastante, mas ressalto, isso vai ser de extrema importância, pois quebra totalmente a historia principal. __Conclusão__ Puella Magi Madoka Magica é um anime muito estranho, realmente te pega facilmente e te cativa a conhecer e descobrir. O drama das personagens realmente te emociona e todo o raciocínio por traz gera uma reflexão, desde o que desejamos ate as consequências dele. É com certeza um dos meus animes favoritos e eu recomendo muito, a própria Madoka é incrivelmente interessante, como se fosse a gente, o próprio observador, tentando digerir tudo o que esta acontecendo e o que fazer.

apokos7

~~~__Before the Introduction__~~~ After sudden inspiration struck and I decided to start writing anime and manga reviews in an effort to externalize my thoughts, broaden my horizons and re-examine my approach on what storytelling means to me, I also faced a serious dilemma. First impressions are important, so what would the first title I would delve into be? I figured it should be one representative of my preferences and Madoka was not one of the first few that came to mind. Not that I did not like the series, mind you, but I had only ever watched it once and that was half a decade ago so details regarding precise events or how they unfolded eluded me. So I first thought I would go with something I had fresh in mind and could expand on easier. Yet after all those years and some hundreds of anime entries later, Madoka still remained consiously as one of the most shockingly good experiences I have ever consumed. I first scored my list and filled my favorites about a year ago. Up to that point I used to simply storm through different series and earn experience by trying various things. When I finally felt that it was about time I gave form to all those years of experience and have a more active approach as a consumer, I found myself in a pickle. I could not confidently rank the stories I distinguished as excellent and as ones that had influenced me. I would shuffle series in and out of my top twenty or change their order almost daily. Thus began a more active rewatching phase and by the time my need to start reviewing sparked, Madoka was probably the only series I strongly meant to revisit but still had not done so. My previous dilemma had now more or less solved itself. I would do my long-awaited rewatch, Madoka would be the freshest thing I would have in mind, and if I was lucky enough and the series was as good as I remembered it, I would be able to properly expand on it and create a proper piece of text. Well, the rewatch more than exceeded my expectations so I hope you will find interest in what I have to touch upon. For more on my approach you may visit my profile regarding my overall view on anime and, if it was not obvious by now, my reviews are going to be heavily personalized and probably a little differently structured than usual, as I view separation by story and characters, for example, next to impossible seeing how interwoven the two are. Hand in hand with my analysis on the elements that make the series what it is you'll find my view on them, at times separate and at others entangled. Oh, there will be spoilers as my purpose is not to convince anyone to watch this but express my own experience with the anime. So without digressing any further, pick up your ribbons and make sure they are the flashy ones, because we are going for a deep dive into the series. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/63Z3QiH.gif)~~~ ~~~__Introduction__~~~ Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is an original magical girls anime, a psychological thriller, a dark tragedy, a coming of age story through a game of deception, all prime categories its conceptual father and writer Urobuchi Gen is known for greatly executing. This series serves as his magnum opus, the one where he could unleash his formula in the best way possible and provide a perfectly grim experience. And despite the above, the anime is a beacon of hope, a story of a positive emotional force of good overcoming grief and adversity, and of providing support against despair and sorrow, as well as an ascension to godhood. And it begins with a dream. ~~~__Opening Statement and Strange Encounters__~~~ City scale destruction, a black haired girl unsuccessfully yet determinedly trying to overcome it, and the promise of an adorably designed kitty cat offering magical powers. Kaname Madoka is a perfectly normal sweet young girl, growing up in a peaceful and loving family, having good relationships with her friends, and being part of a functional class with a teacher who is just a little too out there. She is inherently good willed, strikes as more of a passive person and maybe a bit gullible. And then a certain black haired girl, named Akemi Homura, transfers to her class and seems vaguely familiar to Madoka. Homura herself is distant, smart, athletic and beautiful, yet strangely fixated on our pink haired protagonist. With a mysterious and cryptic air she offers seemingly incomprehensible advice. Her personality and the way she carries herself leaves a bad impression to Madoka's friend, the stormy tempered blue haired Miki Sayaka. What follows is a series of encounters. Madoka hears a cry for help and she responds only to find an injured cat-like creature we have already met before. Its assailant is none other than Homura, but Madoka wants to save the cat named Kyuubey. Assault from a third party, an unknown being, will end with Madoka and Sayaka saved by a blond magical girl, Tomoe Mami, a senpai to the girls. Mami and Homura exchange unpleasantries and Kyuubey offers the pink and blue haired girls to follow the path of magical girls. The series' opening statement is that of a pretty normal pilot episode introducing the main concept and key players, except there is already a different feel about it. It is not only the unique art direction and stylistic choices in presentation that could not be possibly emulated by others making Madoka the best and most consistent anime studio Shaft and celebrated director Shinbou Akiyuki has to offer. It is more of a gut feeling, that of the air of secrecy surrounding the black haired girl, and the mysterious expressions she adopts. Everyone is heavily expressive, yet not in an over the top manner that could hinder the experience. You can feel that nothing is being wasted here, be it dialogue, or a plot choice. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/fO45bTH.gif)~~~ ~~~__The Graceful Shooter, Wishes and Curses, Witch Hunt__~~~ And then Madoka wakes up from her weird dream. Only this time she realizes it was reality, as Kyuubey is firmly there. In the span of the events that follow, we become more familiar with how the fantasy element in this series is set up and functions, through the two girls' interactions with Mami. In exchange for a wish, any wish, Kyuubey grants the magical girls their abilities and a Soul Gem, the source of their power. On the other side, the previous adversary is identified as a Witch and instead of wishes it is an existence born from curses. An antithesis between hope and despair. A large part of everyone's interest then revolves around the concept of wishes and what it means to hold one. They are associated with misfortune and something people take refuge in only when they have lost something. A philosophical piece of dialogue on what it means to make a wish for the sake of someone else also takes place, and our girls having lived blessed and carefree lives so far, find it difficult to settle on something. I find this part of the anime to be both one of the most important and interesting it has to offer. All of its progression, be it plot or characters, revolves around the concept of wishes, what it means to hold one big enough to offer your entire sense of self for it, and what such a path entails. Mami takes the part of a role model and has the two girls escort her on her Witch hunt. She hopes to educate them and make their transition to their role one as smooth as possible. Sayaka driven by enthusiasm immediately takes a liking to her while her annoyance towards Homura deepens. On the other hand Madoka retains a neutral stance regarding Homura, part of what I discern as a passive, analytical and intelligent thought process. The blond senpai has always waged war alone so far, is skillful and efficient in keeping the girls from harm's way and is in control over the Witch's most deadly traps. She brushes off Homura's warning of recklessness in her actions, however she does not glorify her role as a magical girl and recognises the grief it entails. Her non-reactive mask will crumble at the sound of Madoka's words, when the latter will take pride in the concept of fighting to save and help people and reassures Mami that she is no longer alone. That moment of decompression of her piled up tension will also be her downfall. Mami lowers her guard, is now overconfident in the face of promised assistance, tries to wrap things up quickly to celebrate and cannot anticipate an attack she could properly face against based on evidence from her previous fight. That is the big, first, well-known turning point of the series where the grimdark feeling hiding throughout in small doses became evident and tragedy ensued. The change of the ending theme song from a joyful tune to a dark melody by Kajiura Yuki and performed by Kalafina is the cherry on top to one of anime's most iconic twists and tonal swifts. While Mami is often pushed aside as an underutilized character, I find immense genius in her role to the story. Everything that will be expanded upon throughout the series, namely a magical girl's role, journey and tragic standing, is brilliantly compressed in a characteristic first sample via Mami. The way her demise played out and the catalyst for it is also an interesting thing to praise. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/SU1N6lF.gif)~~~ ~~~__End of the Dream__~~~ Madoka faces tragedy through grief, she cries and tries to distance herself from the world she momentarily came to know. Symbolically, she leaves the notebook in which she sketched her future costume to Mami's apartment. She also stumbles upon Homura and informs her of the distance she will take from that world, even if it will always be a part of her and that she will never forget the magical girls she came to know. Unfortunately by the time the day ends she finds herself involved with another Witch case. On the other hand there is Sayaka who has another difficult situation to face with her childhood friend and romantic interest and the injury he has sustained. That will push her to the brink and she will finally decide to use her wish for his sake as she emerges as the new magical girl to save Madoka. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/LOVSs4B.gif)~~~ ~~~__Truth Revealed, The Tears of a Mermaid, Diverging Tracks__~~~ From this point on it is a descent down a broken psyche. The enitre middle part of the story unfolds in parallel to Sayaka's trip as a magical girl. At first she feels refreshed at having her wish granted and her wish attained. She summons all of her courage and is still willing to follow after Mami's example and continue her work. Contrary to that, she admits her fears to Madoka and asks her to accompany her for emotional support. During their patrol and their taking down Witch's familiars, the red themed Sakura Kyouko, who is after Mami's former territory, makes her appearance and contrasts Sayaka's course of action. Kyouko's more cynical approach in fighting Witches and the entire way she carries herself rub Sayaka the wrong way. The meeting of the two immediately strikes as one between complete opposites. No two people could seemingly be so different. Kyouko is an extremely important piece of Sayaka's character arc without whom the entire middle section of the story would have felt hollow and lacking. The contrast between red and blue will escalate further when Kyouko takes a jab at Sayaka's choice of a wish for someone else's sake, even bringing Mami's teachings as part of her argument. Sayaka who takes immense pride in her late senpai's way of life is now furious and fails to see clearly despite both Homura and Madoka's attempts to diffuse the situation. Madoka's final attempt to help her friend will bring forth a second tragic revelation, one of the true nature of a magical girl's body being a marionette to control, and of the truth behind the Soul Gem as a vessel of the soul. In light of the former revelation Sayaka experiences an emotional outburst. Unexpectedly, Kyouko is the one who knocks her door and reveals her own origin in an effort to sympathise with her and help her escape from the dead end she feels trapped in. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/Wz8to5x.gif)~~~ The most interesting thing to extract from here, is the red haired girl's own sense of justice she held when she started her journey. Similarly, she used her wish for another's sake and the end result was disastrous and brought misfortune for everyone. Moving forward Kyouko evolved to a more self-centered existence and her current approach towards defeating Witches reflects that. With her own experience built up and a common starting ground with Sayaka, she relives her former naivete and tries to prevent Sayaka from falling down deeper by repeating the same mistake. On the other side, Sayaka rejects Kyouko, remaining persistent and unmoving regarding her choice and dismissing the red haired girl's change of stance as one of giving up. At this point I consider their relationship to be the most grounded and most effortlessly relatable, thematically. Experience shapes perception and that leads to a gap with one's former self. Stuborness on staying upon the honorable path against feeling complacent with an easier and comfier approach. A tragic endless cycle of repetition. Who one was and who one will be. Part of the same path yet a cycle unable to be broken. At the climax of her character arc Sayaka cuts off all of her pain receptors and loses herself in madness. No longer playing by the rules she ignores the Grief Seeds dropped by Witches, used by magical girls to purify their Soul Gems and replenish their magical energy. She even snaps at Madoka for not having made a wish for the sake of others as she had, in spite of the latter's unparalleled potential, and refuses to use magic for her own sake in the slightest. She adopts an unmoving stance regarding a scale of balance that evens out humanitarian acts of salvation with the despair befalling the magical girls themselves as a result. What seems to be a dogmatic conclusion that stems from an unstable mind, is tragically closer to the truth than anything. Sayaka's grief and sorrow max out and an enormous burst of energy is released. The ultimate twist. The enemy they have been fighting is none other than magical girls themselves and Sayaka, her final traces of hope evaporated, has now turned into one. At the same time, Kyouko's part in the series draws to a close, concluding the middle act's thematic. No matter how improbable an action, she adopts belief for one last time hoping for a vague miracle from an outside, higher source. Simply relying on trust and her wish to save Sayaka as honorably just, her character has also come full circle, with red and blue now vanishing and the only magical girl left being Homura. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/juonI9o.gif)~~~ ~~~__Promise and The Solitary Destroyer__~~~ A shy braided black haired girl with eyes filled with fear is transferred into Madoka's class. A pink haired archer, Madoka, alongside her mentor Mami saves her, and brings her into the life of magical girls only for Homura to witness Madoka's demise during the Walpurgisnacht. Because of her broken psychology over her savior's dead body, Kyuubey extracts her wish, to redo her first encounter with Madoka and protect her. Homura is transferred into Madoka's class. Now the magical girls number three, yet other than her time manipulation she remains weak and tries aquiring means to fight. They triumph over the Walpurgisnacht but Madoka turns into a Witch. Time loop. Homura's warnings about the Witches' identities fall on deaf ears. Still, Madoka and Homura win against the Walpurgisnacht once more, Madoka asks Homura to prevent her from becoming a magical girl in the next loop, and to kill her before she becomes a Witch. Through endless repetition the ultimate defender is born. Her entire being in service of Madoka in an effort to prevent her from agreeing to the contract. Alone she faces the Walpurgisnacht and fails, and Madoka being witness to that becomes a magical girl and in turn the greatest Witch to ever be, unleashing single handedly the quota required by the Incubators. It's the exact same scene the series started with, only expanded. Finally, we are in the current timeline and all of the mysterious elements from the beginning of the series can be explained. Every single expression, phrase, action and achievement Homura has demonstrated during the previous events can be geniously traced back into her time loops. And that's one of the prominent elements that brings to the series such a high rewatchability value. One can loop back into previous episodes himself, compare every time Homura appears on screen with the black haired girl's own time loops, and let the progress of her approach and eventual twisting of her psyche sink in. The black haired girl's development is not the only point to extract from here, though. The inevitability surrounding the rest of the cast's actions is clearly featured. Sayaka's recklessness and refusal to acknowledge the identity of Witches, even her unfortunate end is the same, Mami's fragile psyche that breaks down when her ideal crumbles, and most importantly Madoka's high aptitude as a force of good and her willingness to help people. But there is also another interesting point to note, as Madoka first appeared unable to win against the Walpurgisnacht, yet she gradually becomes an unstoppable force as the loops pile up. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/vxFoG7P.gif)~~~ ~~~__Cause and Effect__~~~ Homura's lonely crusade through countless timelines for the sake of just one person has brought an unforeseen result. She has strengthened the karmic destiny of Kaname Madoka by using her as the epicenter of the convergence of said timelines. Her eventual enormous potential as a magical girl is a result of that. Before the Walpurgisnacht commences, Madoka is informed of Homura's journey and the futility of the latter's actions as she tries to save her, because of the paradox of hope being unable to lead to salvation. Since the loop itself has become Homura's hope, the only way for her journey to end is through despair and by turning into a Witch. A paradox stemming from their very existence and one all magical girls throughout history have gone through. ~~~__The Single Miracle__~~~ And then Madoka decides. For one final time. Having the full picture she can now make the right choice. And as a final test she gets approval in the form of unwavering certainty when faced with her mother's questions. Her family's influence is an element I greatly respect in this series. In all the important points throughout the story, they are there offering support and guidance without trying to impose their values forcibly or restrain their daughter's growth. Madoka is loved and protected and she is aware of and extracts power from it. Madoka turns Homura's journey into null once more. She accepts the magical girl contract as she did in every other timeline but what is the answer as to what her wish will be? What will manage to terminate the loop and lead to salvation? That will be for Madoka to erase every Witch before they are born. To erase every single Witch in every universe, past and future herself. A cheat against the laws of causality. And Madoka can do that, precisely because of the karmic destiny woven into her being. In every sense of the word she ascends into godhood, not that she cares, all in order to protect the happiness of every fighting magical girl. ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/fItbzsG.gif)~~~ Symbolically, Mami gives Madoka the notebook with her costume design back and explains her wish's repercussions. She has to cast away her individuality, ascend as a concept to a higher plane. But Madoka understands that. She opts to be a bringer of hope, or even better, hope itself, to anyone who will say otherwise, holding unwavering determination. She bears the burden for all the despair and hatred in all of time and space as she deals away with the concept of Witches, leading to the universe being remade according to her wishes. Her existance is that of a cycle with no beginning or end. Excluded from the universe, an omnipresent being, never alone, yet forever forgotten by everyone. But now Madoka is aware of Homura's efforts, she rewards her for her difficult journey as she expresses gratitude for the devotion of her best friend. The sole being that will remember Madoka is the black haired temporal manipulator, having completed her objective yet forever unable to taste the fruits of her labor since at that very moment they have to part ways. Only the flashy ribbons remain in her possession as a memento. There is also the goddess' baby brother who also miraculously remembers his sister. ~~~__The Endless War__~~~ The magical girl system in not made void, but now works with new rules. Soul Gems disappear after purification is no longer an option, Witches are no more and magical girls that have reached the end of their journey follow the Way of the Cycle. Curses remain but the threat has changed form, now called Wraiths. The cycle of hatred and sadness is still there, and Homura the lone warrior picks up her new weapon in the form of a bow and continues fighting. ~~~ >Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember her, you are not alone. ~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/PFqrbNV.gif)~~~ ~~~__Is This Series Perfect?__~~~ Nothing ever is. Adversity exists, is part of life, and regularly present in it. However, a successful tragedy is not one that drowns itself in its grimdark aura of the aforementioned reality but one that manages to walk the extra mile and provide light at the end of darkness. Said light does not have to be a perfectly happy ending, only a message of hope, something to grasp and be able to fight through problems as they constantly shift and change form. That is what makes Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Urobuchi Gen's writing masterpiece and a work for the ages. Madoka only managed to save the magical girls from their tragic conclusion and provided warmth and a place of comfort as a reward for their services. There will still be a need of them and they will be fighting against a different form of evil, only now they do not have to despair and grieve over the hopelessness of their situation. The series features topics closely related to its main thematic and explores them holistically leaving no room for argument for lack of a proper point of view or explanation thereof. What makes this possible is the coexistence of both logic and emotion in the main characters as well as the antagonist. Incubators are presented as the perfectly logical extraterrestrial race taking action for the universe's longevity. While they form a source of immense sorrow for the magical girls, they are not evil. In fact their existence is closely tied to the world's history and achievements. And that is why few works of fiction can hope to offer a complete experience on a level as high as this one. A multifaceted approach with hope at its center. Every part of the script is essential and no screentime is wasted, while the big picture is cleverly being hidden and the revelations are perfectly timed and strike hard even on a rewatch. Despite being a series with grand thematics such as alternate universes, time manipulation, one of cosmic proportions and gods, what shines is the relatable drama and worries of the characters. The main cast is explored in a full manner and everyone's role is completed satisfyingly, be it big or small, while written through a realistic prism as far as their psychological journey goes. The art department has done wonders. Everything is expressed fluidly through direction, in an engaging manner. It enhances an already good story and deserves a special nod to the Witch's labyrinths for the unique artistic experiences that they are. The series is comprised of one of my favorite OSTs of all time, which is used throughout the anime masterfully, conveying the proper emotion in each scene without fail. The opening and ending theme songs capture the essence of the series greatly. ~~~__Closing Thoughts__~~~ With every other thread untangled, only Homura's crusade is seen to still be in progress, and will be explored in the sequel movie which I will also cover sometime during the upcoming days. Many thanks to everyone who gave a part of their time reading this. I hope you managed to find this review helpful in any way and that Madoka's Arrow of Light reached your heart the same way it did mine.

SpiritChaser

Lately I've been watching old anime I had forgotten about. I would encourage the same for you. I think that, sometimes, one can't really appreciate a series or film when they are too young, and that they could always see it in a different and hopefully better light years later. It took me several years to really appreciate Paranoia Agent, and now it's Madoka Magica's turn. It feels as if I was no longer the person I was when I first watched this. Age is a hard thing to think about. Even now I feel I should have started doing anime analysis so much sooner. Still, I think I started at the best time; I would have known even less what I was doing back then, and I have finally reached the most productive point in my life now. Despite this, I confess I still get distracted too easily many times. With every rewatch, Madoka Magica got closer to my heart, and I saw something new about the pain of the characters each time. I found this peculiar, though wonderful. Because as dark as Madoka Magica is, it shows you hope in the end, even if you lose your very best friend. With Sayaka, I felt a connection with the emptiness and frustration of her emotions. To let loose and get carried away to the point you lose yourself. To lose the one you love despite having a chance, because you've become crushed by what you have become. In the end, I sympathized with her because she managed to realize the error in her ways, and show some redemption in eventually coming to accept her misfortunes before parting ways. As I tried to look critically at Homura, I thought I had her figured out and was right mostly because there were more than enough hints to make it obvious. Once it is revealed about her past, it makes all the little pieces of hints I saw from the earlier episodes fit together. Her pain became understandable, and all more tragic. It felt so much more painful on the rewatch, because now the viewers know for certain where her oddness and mysterious pain is coming from. Mami, of course, is involved with what shocked the viewers back in the day. I looked at the archives on the day that episode aired, and the reactions were explosive, as one would imagine. The staff, however, were not finished yet, and showed her later in the series, just to the horror of the viewers that she'd mentally break down and become homicidal, at least because she probably felt it was for the better of the girls then to live on as these hollow shells they call magical girls. I don't know too much about the magical girl genre. As a result, I thought this was what they were all like. Sure, this isn't the only dark type of magical girl series, though this one is really known for getting darker and darker, as it famously drove this hard into the viewers. As the episodes brutalized me, I wondered where Madoka, and her wish would fit into all this. I thought it was clear that she'd be the positive, and optimistic message to pull Homura and the viewers out of their misery, and she was the one to do that. I feel hopeful despite what happened, and will be immediately watching Rebellion after finishing this video. I was considering watching Rebellion and including that content into this video. On the other hand, I have to try to not burn myself out. An artist I know told us that he tried too do too many things as a musician and revolutionary. As a result, they were putting out a lot of material, but never excelled in any of it because it was too much. I don't want to make that mistake. If this series taught my one thing at first, it was that I would not want to be a magical girl, if given the choice, as in Estab Life, as an example. If it brought me another thought, it's that even while knowing all this, individuals, such as those, as Kyuubey said, would sometimes, and rarely, still use these powers to become revolutionaries, and to change humanity by advancing civilization with their powers before their unfortunate end as this magical girl. On the contrary, I don't want to be a coward. To also help inspire me, Madoka would come to exist. She used her powers not just for the betterment of humanity, but for the betterment of magical girls. As dark, brutal, and hopeless as something like this series may seem, it shows that there will always be someone who has hope, and passion for us, that will find a way to subvert what was thought to be impossible, and find a way to help advance us to the next level. Impossible is a word that at most just holds us back. To Madoka, she knows the true meaning of being a revolutionary, to not leave anybody behind, and that it is the most honorable way to be live. She knows well, that we can't live on our own. We are all fish of the same pond. If the pond goes, we go. We can't pretend we can escape and live our own lives in peace, because this peace will run out, it always does. Looking at it this way, the way the staff tried communicating this hope, I would instead decide to not be a coward, and would now pick up the wand, if I had the choice to. Such as in Texhnolyze, this is a dark series, that at the end, and at best, inspires.