Madoka magica is one of those shows that come along once every decade or so and changes everything about their respective genre and the way people view that genre.
Like Evangelion did in the 1990s, Madoka manages to take a popular genre in anime and flip it on its head with a surprisingly thrilling, tightly written, psychological, dark show about what it means to be a magical girl.
Now I've seen this anime twice and I got a different experience both times so I will be saying why this show is great and comparing through different viewings as to why it works and how my
...
experience changed whilst seeing it a second time. What were those changes? Lets find out shall we?
Plot: Now many know that Madoka magica was falsely advertised as cute, innocent magical girl show. This was to trick people into lowering their defences so that they would be shocked by the quick change in tone from fun and care-free into a dark, physcological thriller.
Now watching it for the first time, the show is exciting, gripping and shocking and is great fun to watch. However after watching a second time I found that the shock value wore off and it turns into quite a simple show and I got the gist of it in one viewing. The ending may need a re-watch but thats it.
Now I gave the show a 9 so obviously its not a big problem I had as I loved other parts of the show. It is great to re-watch it to notice the subtler writing and dialogue that is placed throughout the series and to see it come back in future episodes which you may have missed the first time round but it was just something I noticed and was a bit noticeable and needed to be pointed out.
Characters: Now I'm only going to talk about the 5 main girls because to talk about other minor characters like Kyousuke, Hitomi and Kyubey and explain why I liked or disliked them and what did or didn't work with them would be a bit spoilery and I would not want to ruin the experience for newcomers.
My opinion of the characters did change on a second viewing.
Madoka: My opinion of her has not changed at all in both viewings. Quite honestly as a main protagonist she fails completely. A main character is someone who the story focuses on and someone who has direct influence on the plot thats going on around them. Madoka, herself, has no involvement what so ever in the plot and for 11 episodes just sits back and watches whilst the other girls change and get involved in the story. Madoka just cries and watches and doesn't get involved until the final episode, which is ironic as her only involvement is proabably the most significant event in the story.
Of course this could be another hint of the subtle writing and the fact that Madoka is not really the main protagonist but I can't explain that as that would be spoilery again.
Mami: She is probably my least favourite magical girl. Now people say thats just because shes not in it as much. I think thats a crap excuse as for example Kaworu from Evangelion is a hugely popular character and appeared in 2 episodes of evangelion. On my first viewing I liked Mami but as I watched the second time I realised she has no real personality and I didnt really care about her. Her motive was unclear and she could have used a bit more screen time. This is a reason why this show should have been longer but I'll talk about that later.
Sayaka: Easily the most well written out of the main girls. Her arc is very interesting considering I thoguht she was going to be the cliche best friend of the main character but she really was not. Now on first viewing I didn't like her and thought her problems were petty and childish. But on second viewing I couldn't help but feel bad for her and whenever I watch the show again, her arc always hurts to watch.
Kyoko: I really liked her personality. Her interactions with the characters were different and fresh in particular with Sayaka. On second viewing I realised that her backstory was really rushed. I mean she says her entire backstory in one speech in one episode. They could have used maybe one or two more episodes to really tighten up the character work a little bit but I liked her, she was a fresh presence on screen.
Homura: Can't say too much about her as that would spoil the whole story but I found her backstory to be interesting. The segway into her revealing her backstory felt a bit quick and could have used more time to make the transition more smooth. But I liked her none the less.
Art: Studio Shaft must have the largest bank reserves of any anime company in the world. This show is very distinct in look and is gorgeous to look at. It looked like Shaft were just masturbating on screen. It was just so gorgeous, some of the best I have ever seen, very fluid. Mami's costume design was my favourite. I loved the design of the witches, it was just so original and not what I was expecting. It really helped give the show a sense of identity.
Sound: Yuki Kajirua does a fantastic job here as well. The pieces she chose fit very well with the narrative whether it was the cute opening which misled people into believing the show was something different than what it actually was to the haunting theme when fighting the witches or the sad character themes.
Whenever I hear "Decretum" I just have all the emotions come back to me and I go damn that is hauntingly beautiful despite it being only 1:49 long. It reminded me of a Hans Christian Andersen story and the kind of music I would want to hear in my head if I read his stories, in particular the little mermaid which madoka magica takes a lot of influence from.
The second end credits, Magia, not only highlights the show's real tone but emphasises the subtle writing and foreshadowing that you would miss on your first or even second viewing. Let me explain:
In the credits Madoka passes Sayaka who is ignoring her and looking down in sadness. Foreshadowing her arc in episodes 5-8.
Then Madoka passes Kyoko who doesnt move or look at her at all. Hinting at her loneliness and having no one which is explored in episode 7.
Then she passes Mami who is on the floor looking in an earnest pose for Madoka. Showing her loneliness and wanting a friend which is explored in episode 2.
And then she passes Homura who turns around and tries to reach out to Madoka but fails to. Foreshadowing her story in episode 10. Then Madoka proceeds to run to what I guess is her wish.
Just more subtle writing which makes me love the show even more.
Enjoyment: I had a blast watching Madoka magica for its shocking and gripping story and emotional content. Even though this shock wore off on second viewing, it got me to notice the subtle hints that were placed in each episode to foreshadow either an event in a characters arc or backstory or personality. It made me appreciate the writing more.
* I also didn't like how they changed the main character so suddenly (episodes 10-12), it came out of nowhere and if Madoka magica was a bit longer, it could have meant for a smoother transition. A nitpick quite honestly.*
Overall: Madoka magica is great. Despite there being some character stories that felt rushed and some characters who were just there for plot devices, i.e. Hitomi and Kyousuke, this show is a true accomplishment in what you can do in only 12 episodes and is one of my favourite anime and I look forward to re-watching very soon.
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May 12, 2015
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Madoka magica is one of those shows that come along once every decade or so and changes everything about their respective genre and the way people view that genre.
Like Evangelion did in the 1990s, Madoka manages to take a popular genre in anime and flip it on its head with a surprisingly thrilling, tightly written, psychological, dark show about what it means to be a magical girl. Now I've seen this anime twice and I got a different experience both times so I will be saying why this show is great and comparing through different viewings as to why it works and how my ... 
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