Madoka Magica Review

Full Review

Pro: Unique Animation, Engaging Storytelling, Good Music.

Con: Some characters need improvement, does not leave you feeling happy.

Final Thoughts: At first I was very skeptical of this show mainly because it is not a happy one. I watch anime to feel good not to fell depressed. Even so, after watching it a few times more and taking time to think about it, Madoka Magica is really one of the best put together anime to come out in a long time, especially story wise. I still cannot give it a personal enjoyment point though mainly because I did not enjoy feeling sad. (Like dude I'm sorry) I can at least give it 3 stars enough to recommend it to anime fans. Give it a watch and draw your own conclusions. However, I implore you to not look at it as a deconstruction of the Magical Girl genre, instead look at it as a Shakespearean tragedy.

Story: The story of Madoka Magica is really what draws you in. In all honestly, it is a bit confusing at times and a little too down in the dumps, but it serves a purpose through and through. The story makes for an engaging tale of a messed up Magical Girl scenario that takes common magical girl elements and plays with them without holding back. It is a lot like the toy torture scene from Toy Story 3. Instead of being in the peaceful butterfly room, our characters in here are being tortured in the Caterpillar room while you are Woody looking in at the scene.You get this kind of reaction a lot.The revelations and reveals of every plot point are a real highlight of the show. The entire episode 10 where we get Homura's back-story is one of the best put together episodes in anime period. So yeah if you want to praise Madoka Magica for anything it would definitely be the story.

Characters: Homura is the best character and Sayaka may be the worst, simply because she is annoying. Madoka serves as our eyes through the entire tragedy so we as the audience are able to identify with her feelings much more. However, Homura is without a doubt my favorite character and you end up rooting for her the most in the end. The characters lack much development because frankly in only 12 episodes they are not given much time too. I was impressed on how much they were able to fit in character-wise even with side characters like Kyoko. They do this weird thing at the end with Madoka that kind of takes our "eyes" out of the equation and the story becomes much more fantasy like. In any case, I really wish I could enjoy all the characters equally, but sadly I don't. This is not so much a character driven show as it is a story driven one.

Art: The art of the show serves as much of a purpose as the story itself. It foreshadows what is yet to come and many of the dark undertones in the story. The character designs are cutesy to serve as a foil to the dark tone the series later takes on. It is the only shaft studio anime that I can get behind for that very reason. It not weird for the sake of being weird. Its weird to serve a point.

Sound: The second ending theme comes into play when the tone of the show dramatically shifts. The song is "Magica" and it serves as an eerie warning of sorts for the climax the series is building up to. I also loved when it was used as a battle theme in the show. The opening "Connect" is one of my absolute favorite openings. It is a bit deceiving and bittersweet perfect for the show. So yeah the music is awesome. Next!

Final Score: 3 stars

Recommendations:

xxxholic/Magic Knight Rayearth/Princess Tutu

#MadokaMagica #review #3stars #winter #2011