Oh dear god. I'm watching a show for toddlers. I am a creepy guy sitting in the dark watching a show about magic girls.
Main character Madoka lives in the near future, in a nearly utopian and flowery world with an art style to match. The only problem is that occasionally evil witches invade reality and it's up to Puella Magi- magic girls, to stop them. This paper thin premise is an entire genre in anime. Aimed at young girls, these stories are feel-good adventures in hope and friendship that will be familiar to anyone who's seen Sailor Moon or Card Captor Sakura. I grit my teeth, determined to survive at least the first episode. The generic set-up was built, a magical mascot character offering to grant Madoka a wish in exchange for giving her magical powers to fight witches. The mysterious anti hero Magi, the best friend's secret motivation, the main character's desire to protect her friends, all these cliches reared their tired heads. Then the witch appeared, and I suddenly began to doubt my initial reactions.
The realm that the witches inhabit is an amazing world of paper cutouts, patterns, and flashing colors that come together in to create alien, and even slightly disturbing imagery. Shaft shows it's usual surreal approach as the fight begins, with some surprisingly well animated shots that well surpass the usual "blast him with my hope ray" fights of the genre. From there, the twist continues into the plot, ending the episode without the three best friends becoming magi together, as the genre would suggest. From there, the story grows and branches out, casting doubt on the well established troupes and turning the Magical Girl story into both an inspection of itself and meditation on what it means to protect and sacrifice.
The further in you get, the more twisted things become. People die and it makes the characters sad, but it also makes them terrified, sick, selfish, sadistic, and really gives an impact to the loss of animated life. People's intentions are skewed as they all try to do the right thing. What Magi Madoka does better than most other shows is dealing with character's motivations. Each character is well defined and three-dimensional. Instead of definite right and wrong, each character does the best they can to make the world a better place. While they clash with opposite goals, its easy to sympathize with the reasoning of each, eventually leading to the depressing understanding that there is no right answer. By now the "fight for justice and love" ideal from other Magical Girl shows has been blown away, replaced by a realistic interpretation of the world. Things get worse for everyone as the series continue, the choice of whether to become a Magi and what to wish for called into question as moral issues. This was very enjoyable, as it brought up issues totally ignored by modern media; No one is actually evil, everyone is doing what they think is best.
Kalafina provides the music (they did Kara no Kyoukai too) which creates a rich and mysterious base for the madness happening on screen. Watching Shaft warp and distort the world with their animation and art is entrancing and memorable, witch battles are unique and enjoyable. The series is short and succinct, so there's no filler nonsense and each episode is important. The story and characters are well handled and deep, and the whole show provides a fascinating spin on a bland genre, as well as making you consider the way you act and how the world works. It's rare to see a concept as well realized as this. I'd call the show frustratingly good, since nearly every aspect is solid, but it still a show about pastel-colored little girls and their emotions.
I recommend Puella Magi Madoka Magica to:
Anyone who watched any Magical Girl type show as a kid.
Someone well versed in anime looking for something new.
I do not recommend it to:
Any newcomer to anime, you will be turned off by the cutesy are and won't appreciate how much in shakes up the medium.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica- 8/10
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