Puella Magi Madoka Magica initially appears to be a standard Magical Girl anime, in which in exchange for a wish, the girls are able to fight against witches. However, nothing is quite how it seems, and the price of their wishes and the power to save innocent lives is far steeper than the girls imagine. The concept is quite well-executed, and presents an intriguing twist on Magical Girl anime. It defies many of the tropes associated with the genre, but on occasion, seems to be insulting said tropes (one character is killed off immediately after- and implied to be as a result of- learning that she is no longer fighting alone). Some of the deconstruction is partly due to how being a magical girl is set up in this series' universe.
The characters are quite likable and human. They are capable of kindness, but also of making mistakes or decisions for the wrong reasons, which tends to have a considerable cost to themselves and those around them. While they are less rational than many of the similarly-aged protagonists of other anime, and some of their decisions can be quite frustrating to watch when simpler and more reasonable alternatives exist, this arguably makes them more realistic. In that sense, the main character herself, while driving the plot, is ineffectual for most of the series, so people hoping for a more successful or proactive heroine may be disappointed.
The witches have interesting designs, albeit somewhat jarring at first compared to the animation style of the rest of the series. Unfortunately, the battles are often fairly one-sided, mostly for the girls and, in a few rare cases, for the witches, which limits the suspense. It might have been nice to see more variety in the magical girls' powers, although Homura put her ability to stop time to effective and creative use, making her fights fun to watch.
The plot of the show is initially fairly innocuous, but quickly becomes very dark and people die. Things frequently get worse for long stretches of time without any positive developments. Some of those developments could have been averted by some characters making better decisions, including being more open (although one character is trying to cover a hidden agenda), though, which can draw the ire of viewers.
In general, Madoka Magica is well worth viewing for those willing to go for a darker and less conventional approach to magical girls.
An entertaining new take on magical girls
Puella Magi Madoka Magica initially appears to be a standard Magical Girl anime, in which in exchange for a wish, the girls are able to fight against witches. However, nothing is quite how it seems, and the price of their wishes and the power to save innocent lives is far steeper than the girls imagine. The concept is quite well-executed, and presents an intriguing twist on Magical Girl anime. It defies many of the tropes associated with the genre, but on occasion, seems to be insulting said tropes (one character is killed off immediately after- and implied to be as a result of- learning that she is no longer fighting alone). Some of the deconstruction is partly due to how being a magical girl is set up in this series' universe.
The characters are quite likable and human. They are capable of kindness, but also of making mistakes or decisions for the wrong reasons, which tends to have a considerable cost to themselves and those around them. While they are less rational than many of the similarly-aged protagonists of other anime, and some of their decisions can be quite frustrating to watch when simpler and more reasonable alternatives exist, this arguably makes them more realistic. In that sense, the main character herself, while driving the plot, is ineffectual for most of the series, so people hoping for a more successful or proactive heroine may be disappointed.
The witches have interesting designs, albeit somewhat jarring at first compared to the animation style of the rest of the series. Unfortunately, the battles are often fairly one-sided, mostly for the girls and, in a few rare cases, for the witches, which limits the suspense. It might have been nice to see more variety in the magical girls' powers, although Homura put her ability to stop time to effective and creative use, making her fights fun to watch.
The plot of the show is initially fairly innocuous, but quickly becomes very dark and people die. Things frequently get worse for long stretches of time without any positive developments. Some of those developments could have been averted by some characters making better decisions, including being more open (although one character is trying to cover a hidden agenda), though, which can draw the ire of viewers.
In general, Madoka Magica is well worth viewing for those willing to go for a darker and less conventional approach to magical girls.