Puella Magi Madoka Magica

"Miracles... and magic... are real!" No, they're not. They're definitely not.

“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (or known as just “Madoka Magica”) is an anime series produced by SHAFT. The story follows a group of “magical girls” fighting witches and protecting the city they live in. But, of course, the story really doesn’t reflect the description I just gave. In fact, commercials for the series make it out to be some cute, no-consequences magical girl story, while in reality it is a dark, violent, and excellent “magical girl” genre deconstruction.

Since I quickly called “Madoka Magica” ‘amazing’ in the introduction of this review, one would expect it to have a bundle of things to enjoy. If one has these expectations, they will not be disappointed. First, I have to address the basics. The animation on the format I saw it on (UK Blu-ray) was great. Character design was interesting and the overall presentation screamed “high quality”. However, those who watched the show on its initial TV run would beg to differ. SHAFT finished their animation closely before broadcast, making it slightly rushed. However, on the home video releases, the animation is updated and not rushed at all. Another basic is the sound. This includes the soundtrack and the Japanese voice acting, which are both very well done. The soundtrack fits the individual moments it plays in very well, and the voice acting is filled with well-done emotion. The dialogue also was well done, but it wasn’t anything truly excellent. Though the show does have an English dub, I cannot comment on that at this time.

With the basics out of the way, we can really delve into the show. For one, the story is outstanding. It really keeps the intrigue level high while keeping the twists leveled and the sense there. Speaking of plot twists, this show does have a good amount of them. While these twists could be poorly done and just there for the sake of shock, the show does it well and they all make sense, which makes the twists reminiscent of the extremely well-done twists in “Steins;Gate”. This makes the story one of the most memorable stories in all of entertainment (films, TV shows, etc.) in recent years. Moving on, the next focus is the characters. While some shows have main and side characters along with some ‘filler’ characters (characters just there to be there), “Madoka Magica” does the exact opposite. As many other reviewers before me have pointed out, every character in “Madoka Magica” has a purpose. In other words, they all drive the story. However, just because the characters all serve a purpose, it doesn’t mean all of them are complete. Sadly, this leads us to the negatives of the show.

Though “Madoka Magica” has great positives, it still does have some flaws. For one, Madoka (the main character) isn’t really all that interesting until the last 3-4 episodes or so. While other characters are getting some real backstory and depth, Madoka kind of just watches and reacts to said development. Due to this, it isn’t until the last 3-4 episodes that her character becomes truly enjoyable. I also had another problem regarding a character in the series, which is the character Mami. Mami gets some development in the series, and certainly gets some more in the “Rebellion” sequel movie, but overall she didn’t really have as much development and depth as the other characters.

All in all, “Madoka Magica” is a fantastic show. Though I spent an entire paragraph on the negatives, I’m making them more serious than they need to be. The story is well executed, the animation is great, the soundtrack fits, the voice acting is well done, and the characters all serve a purpose. But above all that, it is a fantastic, unique, and masterful genre deconstruction.

8/10- "Madoka Magica" did what it first set out to do and more. Though the character flaws are there, there really isn’t anything more to dislike about it.