Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I normally read up on a series before I buy it, but I lucked into this one without doing any research at all, and I'm so glad that I did. I'm a 42 year old male, so you might think I'm outside the demographic for this show, and so did I. I've been collecting anime since 1988, but I've never been into Magical Girl anime. I loved Tenchi Muyo, so I was able to stomach some Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the genre, but it's really not my thing. I only watched this because Christine Cabanos, the English voice actress for the main character was going to be at a local anime convention and I wanted to be familiar with her work before meeting her. I did absolutely no research whatsoever. After watching the first two episodes, it was headed in exactly the direction I expected it to be going, and I wasn't too excited to hit play on episode three, but I'm so glad that I did. The first two episodes aren't all that interesting to watch, but believe me, you will enjoy them a lot more when you re-watch them, and you will. Once you finish episode ten and realize just what has been going on, a re-watch is practically mandatory.

It is absolutely imperative to avoid spoilers, but you do need to know one thing: Give it at least three episodes. The end of episode three marks a major turning point. To say that the plot gets serious at that point is an understatement. Everything changes; the story loses its frivolous nature, the art, settings and even the music change to suit the new dramatic nature of the plot, and it's at this point that you should make your judgment on whether or not to finish the series. Don't get me wrong, this is a Magical Girl anime to the end, but if you are a fan of extremely well written stories, and I mean on the level of Shakespeare, Goethe, and classical Greek legend, then this is for you, regardless of whether or not you like Magical Girls.

Lets break it down:

ART: 8/10 I've seen better animated shows. Especially close-ups on the character's faces leave something to be desired, but still, this animation is above average. The use of backgrounds and lighting to set the mood for the scene is done with masterful skill. The use of a completely different art style to set the witch labyrinths apart from the real world is jarring at first, but you can't deny it IS effective. Every image is meaningful.

STORY: 10/10 This is the real selling point of the anime. I have never come across a better written show, bar none. Again, I'm not going to give anything away, so I'm just going to ask you to trust me here. I can say that if you have heard that this is a deconstruction of the genre, then you heard right. It asks questions that other shows in the genre don't ask, and plays out the consequences of the character's actions and choices in a fully serious manner. However, its more than that. It borrows heavily from the classics to give a surprisingly deep and well thought out story.

MUSIC: 10/10 If you have never really paid attention to Japanese composers, this show may change that. The music is absolutely perfect. Where the show wants to be light and uplifting the music does that quite well. Where the music really shines is in the dramatic scenes and the action where the music can set the tone for a scene equally well, if not more so, than the visuals. Previously, my favorite anime composer was Yoko Kanno, but after watching this, Yuki Kajiura is now top of my list and not likely to ever be deposed.

THE DUB: 8/10 Some other reviewers have given Christine Cabanos a bad rap, but I don't agree. She does a good job here as the main character Madoka. The role was demanding, with a LOT of emotion, and I think she delivered that emotion believably. Christina Vee does an outstanding job as Homura. Her character is almost the opposite of Madoka, with little emotion (at least in the first half of the series) and an intensity that doesn't really suit a middle school student, but once you have seen the full series, you will understand that this is exactly what her character called for.

OVERALL: 9/10 If you are looking for a light, fun piece of entertainment, then this may not be for you. I wouldn't recommend this for younger audiences either. It really is written for a more mature, discerning, intelligent audience, and may even be off- putting, if not inappropriate for young viewers. Hint: Parents, don't buy this for your eight year old daughter. Now, by inappropriate, I don't mean it has a lot of blood, gore, and sex. In fact it has no sex, only the briefest nudity (like during transformation sequences, as is typical for Magical Girl anime), and although it does have violence, it isn't all that bloody and definitely not gory. Still, the story deals with very serious material, and the realities of being a Magical Girl are atypical of the genre to say the least. This is a deconstruction of the Magical Girl genre in a similar sense that Unbreakable was a deconstruction of the Super Hero genre.

If, on the other hand, you grew up with Sailor Moon and would like someone to write a Magical Girl story for your now older and more refined tastes, with a story that will change the way you look at the genre, then get this. If you just like well written stories, that don't pull any punches and make you feel like you've been on an emotional roller coaster by the end, then this is definitely for you.

I started watching this knowing nothing except that it was a 'dark' magical girl series. I've never seen any of the magical girl stuff (unless Claymore counts?) so I had no idea of how it was using/subverting the usual tropes. Still, it was pretty amazing... and very dark. By the time I got to the 9th episode I was feeling pretty distraught over the fates of all the characters and how awful the whole system was.

One thing that particularly stood out for me was the animation and the various styles to represent the bizarre Witches and the Labyrinths they create. While the main characters usually remain in regular anime mode everything else becomes a wild collage of symbols and strange creatures that symbolize the Witch and her obsessions. Each one seems to be a mysterious story unto itself.

Don't let the cutesy character designs fool you though... this isn't for kids, both because it's so disturbing and also because I don't think they'd really understand it once the true nature of the magical girls starts to come out.

This anime I truly believe is a masterpiece, however, it does not receive the review it deserves based on one misguided fact: that this is a series for children.

Madoka Magica, is dark in its themes, it struggles with the definition of good and evil, right and wrong and even the existence of the human soul. It takes on tough issues and sadly these are thrust onto young pure-hearted girls, but their reactions are what give a main strength to the series. Though they are too young to deal with things that even adults run from that leads to an incredible amount of admiration from older audiences.

However, though I said the series has dark themes, do not be mislead into thinking that it is not visually appealing, because it is. Oh god, it is.

Adorable characters, wonderful weapons, skillful imagery as well as the battle scenes, even the bad guys we're meant to hate, draw us into masterpieces of art. The visual stimulus here is incredible and undoubtedly one of its major draw-cards.

The story is skilfully done too, two young girls on the cusp of adulthood, open-minded and willing to do whatever they can to make the world a better place. But very soon they realise that 'give' results in 'take' and this new world they enter will give them a great gift, the power to fulfil any wish they desire, but in receiving the power to save the universe there is more sacrifice than they bargained for.

If you like good looking animation, done up cute, and something that really draws you inside a well-constructed world - then give this a go! I recommend this to every single 16+ girl and guy that likes a bit of good-looking mind-bendiness. Younger audiences I give them caution, it's a great show, nothing sinister, however it deals with issues that the characters should not have to deal with in reality. There's a bit of psychology here that young audiences might not only find difficulty with understanding, but may find confronting.

All in all - Ah - may - zing!!!

The packaging is definitely off brand for the series. The cover art and opening music theme portray a series that looks like it'll focus on teen romance and relationship drama. And magic i guess. The show then becomes a journey into fantasy/sci-fi and fatalistic existentialism. The art is interesting, as various scenes into the witches' territories are a bit psychedelic. The story was a bit loose and jumbled, but it evolved with enough interesting concepts of mankind's place on earth and in the universe that it kept me sufficiently entertained through the end.

If you're expecting this series to be the greatest series ever or a masterpiece due to the other reviews, well, don't raise your expectations too much. I guess it might be, depending on your taste, but if it isn't, well, you can always throw Death Note or Food Wars on standby.

I finished watching this recently but literally, it was such an emotional rollercoaster! I would never expect an anime that has the magical girl genre to be so dark! So far, I haven't seen good magical girl series but boy, this is up my street!

Definitely give this one a watch folks if you need a "wow" moment or even a cry, it is sad ! Enough said lol...