Summary:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PMMM) is an anime with an outer appearance of a cute, "Mahou Shoujo" and hidden under this is a façade that is violently hacked off in Episode 3. PMMM is not just an anime about its shock factor neither is it simply about the deconstruction of the Magical Girl Genres that many are used to. This anime delves far, far deeper than that in its exceptional narrative that is masterfully delivered with its unique visuals and exquisite music.
Story: 100/100
Madoka Magica is the only anime that I just cannot see any plotholes in - with every moment in the show having its own purpose. Attention to detail and foreshadowing is something that this anime is brilliant at and the audience can easily miss out on small dialogues that hint towards what is revealed later on: giving PMMM high rewatch value. It is worth noting that the anime is careful not to reveal too much at one go and decides to slowly unravel these mysteries with perfect execution.
As mentioned before, Episode 3's shock factor is the first trigger for Madoka Magica and is used to grip the viewer to keep watching, as their fascination grows with the sudden departure of Mami.
Episodes 4-9 give the spotlight to Sayaka and acts as a lesson to all: Do not judge a book by its cover. Sayaka's tale of her downfall begins to unravel the mysteries of Magica Girls in this world. The concept of a device that allows the use of magic is not a unique one but the relationship of Soul Gems, Grief Seeds and emotions are extraordinary. The breakdown of Sayaka's character is followed up by a backstory I can only call absolute genius.
As the plot progresses, [Homura's]((/character/38005/homura-akemi) intentions and behaviours are understood by watching a series of timelines of failure and pull at the heartstrings of viewers as we see the hopeless struggles of Homura. Suddenly, everything falls into place, and as we view the events from Homura's perspective with her repeated attempts to save the one who saved her.
PMMM fully creates a world of hope and despair with characters realising the consequences of their whimsical actions. The shocking revelations also help alleviate the show to another tier of wonder as the audience is caught off guard. Furthermore, throughout the duration of the show, the viewers are showered with a plethora of questions: What are Magical Girls? Just what are Homura's motives? How much are we, ourselves, really willing to sacrifice in order to grant our wishes? These questions that are raised potentially make viewers themselves question their very being, and their purpose - I know this is certainly applicable to me.
Characters: 100/100
Though having a small cast, Madoka Magica does not disappoint with each character having their own importance.
"Save Me"
The first magical girl we are introduced to is Mami Tomoe and appears to be the embodiment of the perfect senior to Madoka and Sayaka. Some may argue that Mami is just used as a plot device, in which she was only needed for the shock value in her death. Though I agree with this point to a certain extent, that is not all Mami is. Mami represents all ordinary Magical Girls that had been bought into the system by Kyubey and her significance grows throughout the show as viewers begin to see how blissful innocence is. In the 2nd timeline we see in Homura's backstory, we see the result of Mami finding out the truth as she tries to kill all of the main cast to avoid their transformations into a witch. Mami is, in reality, a mentally unstable girl who just wanted to live, a truly pitiful character.
"I wish that everyone would listen to what Father has to say."
Kyouko Sakura is another character that has a strong impact on the show. From her first introduction to the show, she is presented as a selfish character who acts only for her own benefit. However, by seeing someone make the same mistakes as herself, Kyouko frustratedly repeatedly gives Sayaka warnings and tries to convince her that her form of 'justice' is 'crap'. It is ambiguous as to whether Kyouko is morally good or bad, but such an alignment is unnecessary. Although she is unable to prevent Sayaka's ultimate demise into a witch, she is finally able to understand her own motives better as remembering her own past that caused her family to commit suicide." I beg you, God... If this is how my life ends... Let me see a happy dream, just once"
Her final sacrifice shows the growth of Kyouko and her fast coming of age as she ensures that the girl who reminded her so much of her past self doesn’t have to die alone.
"I want to erase all witches before they are even born. I will erase every single witch in every universe, past, and future with my own hands...I don't care what you call it. All those magical girls who held onto their hopes and fought against witches I don't want to see them cry. I want them to stay smiling until the end. If any rule or law stands in my way I will destroy it. I will rewrite it. That is my prayer. That is my wish. Now grant it, Incubator!"
Madoka Kaname is the main protagonist of the story, though some may argue Homura is (I will be focusing on her later). By now, you must have already realised that the characters of this show cannot simply be judged on the surface level. Madoka is not just the pure, innocent MC that many say she is: Madoka's importance in the story is a lot greater than that. Seeing the story from her point of view mirrors the shock and surprise of the audience to each dramatic event - Mami's death, the encounter with Kyouko, Sayaka's despair ... the list goes on. Madoka is one that would prioritize others over her show as she is willing to become a magical girl for the sake of others. The 14-year-old is curious and to an extent intelligent as well; she questions the motives and reasons behind each Magical Girl that she meets and attempts to befriend them instead of going against them. Madoka is often condemned as being too optimistic in her outlook but it is important to understand that this was the way of thinking that eventually inspired Homura to make her own wish. However, unlike the rest of the cast our MC has no real wish that needs to be granted - hence, has no legitimate reason to become a Mahou Shoujo. Madoka has never been through hardships that Kyouko or Mami have been through and thus, as the narrative progresses it is worth noting that Madoka realises that the problems that she finds cannot simply be solved by a snap of a finger. Perhaps unknowingly, by increasing her knowledge on the very essence of what a magical girl is and that the difficulties faced that cannot simply be fixed with naïve optimism. Once understanding that her actions will affect the fate of the entire world, Madoka gathers her resolve and forms a contract with Kyubey, introducing a clever plan to not just save those in front of her but those of the past too by sacrificing herself to an eternal fate as the Law Of Cycles.
"For all the happiness you wish for someone, someone else gets cursed with equal misery. That's how it works for Magical Girls, and that's how it is for me. I was so stupid, so stupid."
Sayaka is originally been blinded by selfless justice after being inspired by the façade that Mami had put up. Her ideals are brought up constantly each time she encounters Kyouko and preaches that she cannot allow even a single familiar to escape, that she saves people indiscriminately - disgusted at Kyouko's hedonism. However, after receiving an ultimatum from her friend Hitomi, she becomes depressed as she becomes conflicted as to what exactly she should do. Unable to prevent Hitomi from dating her childhood friend that she had so earnestly made a wish for, Sayaka becomes mentally unstable and loses her sense of reality as she begins to wonder why she even became a magical girl in the first place.
"The balance of hope and despair in the world cancels out at zero"
She begins to shut out advice from Homura and Kyouko, even dismissing Madoka's desperate attempts to support her. In episode 8, we are able to witness a final interaction between Sayaka and Kyouko; she apologises for wasting Kyouko's time and mentions that she can't even remember what or who she was fighting for. Her soul gem darkness as Sayaka is consumed with despair and turns into a witch. The character of Sayaka Miki is a personification of one's descent into madness and despair and is truly an exceptionally well-written one.
"I want you to make a contract with me and become a magical girl"
Kyubey acts as the main antagonist in PMMM, however, this does not mean he is evil. Kyubey views his species' actions as justified and the contracts that the magical girls agree to are fair. In order to ensure that the universe's lifespan is extended, using emotional energy collected from the transformation of a magical girl to a witch, Kyubey is a fascinating character who cannot seem to comprehend the nature of human, unable to understand why they cannot simply die for the sake of the universe. The incubator is not your run-of-the-mill adversary and is an indispensable character in the story.
"I will do it over, as many times as it takes. I will re-live the same time over and over, searching for the one way out. I will find the one path that will save you from your fate of boundless despair. Madoka my one and my only friend. If it ... if it's for you, I don't mind being stuck in this endless maze ... for all eternity!"
Homura Akemi is definitely my favourite character of all time. In any anime. Homura is portrayed as a silent beauty that always appears in the nick of time to save Madoka and remains mystifying until Episode 10, where we see Homura's backstory. In the original timeline, Homura was an unconfident, weak, bedridden girl who lacked any friends. After her first day at her new school, Homura stumbled into a witch's labyrinth but was saved by Madoka and Mami. Over the course of the next month and a half, Homura grew closer to Madoka but eventually, the latter exchanged her own life to kill Walpurgisnacht. Unable to accept her death, Homura made a contract with Kyubey.
"I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. But this time, instead of her protecting me, I want to become strong enough to protect her"
Thus, Homura began her loops of near 100 and spent a total of roughly 8 years rewinding time in order to change Madoka's fate. The first thing that attracted me to Homura's character was certainly her backstory of constant agony and suffering in which she saw the person she cared for the most die over and over again. Homura's determination is something that struck me as absolutely remarkable and the viewers get to see this through the 5 different timelines shown. Homura is certainly one of the most suffering characters in anime, ensuring hardships but still, never giving up hope to save the one who saved her. This may seem generic on paper but as we ourselves view the horror of Homura's very own nightmare that she lives in, we are able to sympathize greatly with her. In particular, Timeline 2: where Madoka begs Homura to end her life in order to stop her from becoming a witch.
In terms of design, Homura's dull colour palette may seem like nothing too shabby. Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka, and Madoka all have flamboyant designs that are common in the magical girl genre: though appealing, they are not anything ground-breaking. The genius in Akemi's simple outfit is that captures the essence of her being; for example, she doesn't focus on the luxurious ideals of the other characters in the show nor does she try to be a hero.
Homura is a perfect portrayal of a tragic character and shows how working towards one single goal whilst abandoning everything else may still lead to a path of emptiness. Homura Akemi's own backstory, nature and resolve is the reason why I fell in love with anime.
Visuals: 100/100
Even though Madoka Magica aired in 2011, Shaft's unique animation still holds up to the greats today. The studio's abstract skill and creative use of different shapes and real-life objects is incomparable.
In particular, the witch's labyrinths really stood out to me with the bright explosions of the unknown. Shaft's animation style captures the underlining uneasiness in the first 3 episodes and progressively improves itself as the show progresses to enhance the narrative's beauty.
Audio:100/100
This is the absolute pinnacle of Kajiura as the original soundtrack is able to perfectly encapsulate the darkness of Madoka Magica. In particular, Sayaka Miki's despair is made more dramatic by the somber melancholy of her theme "Decretum". "Sis Puella Magica" is a commonly played theme when revelations are made in the show. The sorrowful nature of the anime is given form as a wistful melody.
The opening theme of PMMM is "Connect" by ClariS and is one with a deeper meaning to it. The opening line "交わした約束忘れないよ" literally translates to "I will never forget the promise I made", with lyrics itself telling the tale of Homura.
There are 3 different ending songs to Madoka Magica but "Magia" by Kalafina stands out in particular to me. It is first played at the end of the 3rd episode, after Mami's death: this electrifying ED introduces a darker side of the Madoka coin.
Enjoyment:100/100
PMMM is a show that I enjoyed to the fullest on the first watch and gets better on every rewatch. Enough said.
Final Thoughts
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is definitely my favourite series of all time with its gripping storyline, top-drawer characters, eye-pleasing visuals with a wonderful complement of Kajiura's somber yet inspiring audio. This show deserves full marks, and absolutely nothing can change my mind on that.
Thank you for reading my review :)
