Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a 12 episode anime based on an original story. It dives into the genre of magical girls but takes a completely different approach than one would expect, and as a result, has one of the most enjoyable and satisfying plot you would've experienced. The anime starts off with a dream, in a city of destruction, Madoka sees a girl fighting a monster and a strange creature next to her, asking if she wants to make the contract and resolve everything. Madoka wakes up and going about her day when a transfer student, Homura, arrives in her class. Madoka meets up with an upper classman who introduce them to the work of magical girls.
While Madoka and her friend Sayaka were out shopping later on, they see the transfer student. A strange catlike creature named Kyubey arrives and it is at this point that the concept of magical girls is revealed and explained. Kyubey is able to grant one wish, any wish, and it will come true. As a result of this, the girl whom made the wish also agrees to a contract with Kyubey and receives magical powers to become a magical girl. Thus, a magical girl is created from wishes and her power is tied to her soul gem. The powers of a magical girl is unique for each person, but they are able to transform into another outfit, one typically associated with the style of magical girls.
Magical girls' greatest power, and their role, is to hunt down witches. Witches are created from curses. They are odd evil creatures responsible for the murders and suicides of the world. Basically, it is the personification of evil. Witches have freaky designs and they create labyrinths which is similar to an illusion or another reality to hide in. Magical girls enter these labyrinths to kill the witches. The witches and the labyrinths are animated using a completely different aesthetic to the rest of the series. This showcases the witches' demented and twisted demeanors, as well as hhammer in the fact that they are completely different types of beings. The source of witches is unknown early on, all we are told is that they need to be eliminated.
Once a witch is defeated, it leaves behind something called grief seeds. As the source of a magical girls' power lies in her soul gem, it gets clouded they more they use their magic. Therefore, they have to use the grief seeds obtained from witches to continually purify their own soul gem. This creates a vicious dependency on tracking down and hunting witches. Further details about the nature of magical girls are slowly revealed, with some devastating realities that have huge implications. These details are large enough such that viewers will continue to think about the implications after the episode. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is unique in that it not only shows the positives of being a magical girl, such as the powers and the bonding of friendship during their adventures, but also the negatives.
The series demonstrates the people having these powers also faces danger, falling in anguish and suffering. From unexpected deaths to what each character had to give up to be what they are, it is much more serious than expected. The series has such heavy and dark themes, it is surprising at how strong it plays with your emotions. Considering the aesthetics of the animation, this was unexpected and can come to blindside you. While the first two episodes were slow as it was just Madoka and her friends deciding whether to become a magical girl or not, and checking out what it entails, the third episode starts pushing the plot forward a lot, especially with that episode's ending.
As the episodes go on, the stakes become higher and when the final truth about magical girls and their powers come to light, the atmosphere takes a sad and despairing tone, affecting each characters' daily lives. The ending will take a bit of time to process but it makes sense and seems like a good solution to all the issues brought up over the series. Considering everything, you couldn't expect a super happy ending and what we got fits in neatly to the series' lore and style. It is a somewhat bittersweet ending but everything lines up once you think it through, and it seems like the final piece of the puzzle has clicked into place. Given some thought, the ending is satisfying and works well.
Lastly, the soundtrack is surprisingly good, especially the music when it comes to fighting the witches. A special note when "And I'm Home" plays at the end of Episode 9, it was literally heartbreaking. The writers and animators have done a tremendous job at timing that perfectly. Overall, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is absolutely deserving of the praise given to it. It presents a unique and cleverly written plot, filled with plot twists that keep you wanting to watch the next episode time after time. Do not let the animation style fool you, this is a deep and complex plot htat's told well and makes it easy to understand and contemplate. It expertly plays with its concepts and brings a fantastically distinctive approach to the genre.
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