Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
tabbycatcarnival
Overrated, edgy, and misogynist tryhard take on the magical girl genre.
So the initial premise and worldbuilding is good and interesting and the aesthetic, art, and music direction certainly helps make this world memorable.
However once certain developments pass you begin to see the edgy writer Gen Urobuchi's obsession with meaningless misery. For instance, one of the "plot twists" is just these middle schoolers reacting drastically negative as to the location of their soul, a metaphysical concept they have never thought about once in their majority-atheist-country, middle-schooler lives. On top of all of this is the reason why only girls are selected to be magical warriors, which is an extremely misogynist take that amounts to "girls are emotional lol" which stands out in an anime that…
Read at the sourcedefunctmaluser
I feel like I'm in the minority here on MAL, and that's kinda depressing. Madoka Magica by and large is one of those programmes which receives no shortage of praise that I simply can't agree with one way or the other. I wouldn't mind it so much were it not for the fact that any sort of valid criticism or complaints anyone has with this series is instantly lost in a sea of downvotes and angry rants made by rabid fans who're breathing heavily whilst typing on their keyboards rapidly. Regardless, I'll make a feeble attempt at getting my voice heard. Will it work? Probably not, but it's still worth a try.
What really baffles me is how Madoka Magica is a moe drama along the lines of Elfen Lied and yet people praise Madoka ad nauseum whilst talking shit about Elfen Lied at every available oppor…
Read at the sourcePoeticJustice
Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Goethe. Voltaire. William Shakespeare. Charles Dickens. Oscar Wilde. These are some of the most critically acclaimed and influential authors the world has ever seen. They have written texts that have shaped way we perceive the world. They have introduced ideas and philosophies that were previously unimaginable, and as a result left a deep imprint on the Western and Eastern worlds. But alas, none of them compare to Urobuchi Gen's magnum opus, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. Never before was there such a profound piece of art on this level of brilliance. By comparison, all of the other authors mentioned seem like amateur fanfiction writers. I had a hard time writing that with a straight face, but anyway onto the review.
Madoka Shoujo Madoka Magica is a supposed, "deconstruct…
Read at the sourceEastunder
We all have things in life that we treasure and hold close, whether it be friends, family, possessions, dreams, or just life itself. We tell ourselves that we will do everything in our power to preserve them, that we would never risk betting and losing them. But what, one day, you were given the opportunity to be granted a wish? A miracle, with no limits, that could give you something that you always wanted. Would you be willing to risk losing everything, the things you treasure, your humanity, and even your life, to have that one wish granted? If you would, would you regret it, would you curse it, or would you fight to protect it? Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, whichever you prefer, centers around these questions and gives us an outlandish tale of love and frien…
Read at the sourceSavepoints
"It sucks, but you can't reach a happy ending just by doing what's right all the time." - Kaname Junko
Now, there are already quite a few reviews of this anime out there (and more to come, most likely) but since all of them differ in some way, I might as well write mine too. However, the first thing I’ll tell you is that if you haven’t seen this show (or had it spoiled for you), and you have any intention whatsoever to actually watch it, then my tip would be to actually not read too much about the series before watching it...
Now then, let’s get down to it... I was very much on the fence (and still am) about some of these scores, and whether they should actually be a 9 or 10, so take it with an additional pinch of salt (and remember, a perfect score does not mean it’s all perfect).
Stor…
Read at the sourceKalypze
What does it take for a series to become a masterpiece? Take a look at Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, and you might find the answer to that question.
I'll start this review by pointing out that I was not expecting much from this show. I didn't really want to watch it, either. The Mahou Shoujo genre has never interested me, so when a friend of mine, who in the past suggested things like Mirai Nikki, Deadman Wonderland, Death Note and Psycho-Pass to me, told me to watch Madoka Magica, I thought he was kidding and I ignored the series for a while. Once a month had passed, my friend insisted, and I ended up watching the first episode with my sister.
Throwing all my prejucide aside, I sat quietly and watched the first episode. I found it oddly entertaining, so I proceeded to watch the 2nd episod…
Read at the sourceIronBerserk
Madoka Magica is a smart and yet cursed show. Many including myself have applauded the show for being a brilliant take and twist on the magical girl genre, a genre that is usually meant to be an inspiration to kids. Madoka Magica changes this concept of Magical Girls by making it realistic. Fighting monsters (or witches in this case) would be a dangerous task in our reality and that is the case in point Madoka Magica tries to bring forward. A great idea on the part of the creators but unfortunately some great ideas can only go too far and the story suffers a bit as a result.
Thankfully, it is the characters that are the best part of the anime. Sayaka, Homura, Mami, and Kyoko are all fascinating to watch and each have their own layered characterization and moral philosophical themes that d…
Read at the sourceJovoo
From all the trailers and ads that Aniplex and Shaft released for Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica, it seemed that it would be your typical magic girl show, a show along the lines of Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. However, this had to be purposely orchestrated, as the show is nothing like that and it is clear from it's marketing that Aniplex wanted to surprise people with it, and they did a hell of a job.
This anime takes everything you know and love/hate about the magical girl genre and flips it 180. The plot starts off with your typical 'Magical Girl' traits and cliches, but soon takes a turn for the dire. This anime's story is dark, really dark. It tackles issues and questions that should, but never really do, arise in other magical girl anime. Though previous magical girl anime have had…
Read at the sourceMoebeam
In all honesty, I entered this series with optimistic skepticism, for as a general principle, I tend not to like highly rated anime. Far too often, I see a story with a great concept that misses several key opportunities to expand the plot [Angel Beats], or perhaps one whose characters simply don't seem particularly real to me [Hanasaku Iroha--at least, the first 4 episodes I watched before subsequently dropping the series]. To say the least, I expected this to be one of the same kinds of anime.
Boy, was I wrong.
Most reading this will know the story. Reading other reviews will reveal that this is an anime that makes one think it will turn out one way, only to violently and, sometimes, unexpectedly switch gears. Since that has been hashed out so much, I'll skip that and cut straight to t…
Read at the sourceihateeveryone
You know, I really can't stand it when an anime gets a lot of hype. Not only is most of the hype unnecessary and coming from crazed otaku's, but half the time that leads me to having high expectations and I'm almost always let down. Not to mention overhyped anime is usually the type to attract the harshest of critics and haters, ready to bash on it. So when I first started "Madoka Magica," I was pretty much ready to be annoyed by the so-called "dark themes" and went into it with the idea that it was just another anime that can appeal to everyone.
Let's just say that it deconstructed that whole idea just as well as it did the magical girl genre.
By now you probably know that "Madoka Magica" starts off just as any other magical girl anime, but then twists into something darker. You should…
Read at the sourceDraconisMarch
Forget everything you thought you knew about the magical girl genre, because Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (or MSMM as I'll call it from here on for simplicity) is here to turn the genre upside down.
At its core, MSMM is a--like its title says--mahou shoujo. But it's what the series does with the genre that makes it something truly marvelous; the magic is in the execution. In the beginning, it may seem like any other, set up to be generally innocent, light-hearted, nonchalant, and fun; but by the time ED begins at the end of episode 3, the monster will be revealed for what it truly is, and its true nature will be fully in the light.
I imagine MSMM's story like a tightly-woven rope kept perfectly taut: There are multiple sub-stories and issues going on at the same time, but they stay so clos…
Read at the sourceGhostalker
It's been a long while since I watched and completed a magical girl series. So when I first read about SHAFT's first original anime production entitled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" I was a bit skeptical at first, seeing how I usually don't watched the genre but at the same time curious on how SHAFT and Shinbou Akiyuki will gonna make one with their very unique visual style that defines SHAFT animated works. After watching their previous magical and supernatural series like Bakemonogatari, Dance in The Vampire Bund, Negima, and Natsu no Arashi, I'm convinced that I should at least try the series.
It’s a magical girl series by definition that for quite some time I’ve been avoiding because frilly clothes and magic wands is not something a young adult should be watching or so I believe. But a…
Read at the sourceArchaeon
It's long been the case that specific genres of anime are often intensely focused on certain genders and age groups, and this fact is most apparent when one considers the mahou shoujo category. From Sailor Moon and Tokyo Mew Mew to Pretty Cure and Shugo Chara, the titles on offer that feature the exploits of one or more magical girls all seem to have several things in common - cute characters, cute outfits, cute sidekicks, "cute" costume changes, twinkly/sparkly/sugary atmospheres, and a penchant for appealing to the sensibilities of 7 to 14 year old girls.
Then there are the anomalous titles that deviate from the tried and tested approach as they attempt to broaden the horizons of the genre, the most successful example being Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. The franchise gave audiences a cha…
Read at the sourceKaminaKai
“As much as I wished for the happiness of one, someone else must be equally cursed. That’s how the story of a magical girl goes…”
I finally understand why one should not judge a book by its cover. To be honest, I never liked the design of the characters in Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica and I’m sure there are those out there (like me) who may be skeptical with this show due to that fact alone. I mean … doesn’t the swollen, flattened, wide, and overblown faces turn you off? It sure did for me. But boy, I cannot describe how glad I am now after marathoning Madoka★Magica in two days (despite all the assignments, projects, and exam deadlines)!
So what can you expect out of this show? Certainly not the typical magical girl story one would be expecting. Taking place in a futuristic world, the stor…
Read at the sourceryu2k2
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica wants be an outstanding show, something that wasn't delivered before, but fails at this feat in pretty much all departments of animation.
It's commonly conceived as a deconstruction of the mahou shoujo genre. However Madoka Magica merely twists some aspects of the mahou shoujo genre to give them a dark edge, but does not critically point out any potential flaws of the genre to make its audience question the genre's substance.
Starting off with the most obvious aspect, the visuals, Madoka Magica presents us with a lot of dark alleys and conversations without much animations going on. The few battles going on during the show do provide us with some rather good animations, although the many immersion breaking paper cut-outs are rather forgettable in those scenes.…
Read at the source5camp
Madoka Magica is a story of Hope, Friendship, Despair, Evil Fluffy Magical Creatures, Cotton Balls with Moustaches and Parasailing Men in Orange Jumpsuits.It's also the best damn anime Japan has put out in a rather long time.
I hesitate to use the word ‘subversion’ when describing Madoka Magica, as it’s a word thrown around by many, not understanding what it is Madoka is subverting in the first place. What I see is a group of girls, who otherwise would spend their time eating cake, being cute and generally being insufferably nice to each other, having great powers given to them and then made to suffer because of it. This power is that of having their wish granted in exchange for being a magical girl, something other magical girl anime, and anime stories in general,…
Read at the sourceEternalWinds
People may praise this anime to the skies but I think otherwise. I first watched this show like a typical magic girl action anime with very low expectations (due too the nanoha similarities at the beginning). I wont try to spoil anything for you but the show starts to make drastic turns and got me excited for a couple of episodes but the excitement dies later on. I didn’t like how utterly by the book it was at its presentation and story. It starts of like a typical magic girl anime. Episodes latter its not, but oh wait it resembles a typical tragic anime from 90s-early 2000s. Everything just rolls along perfectly and foreshadowed predictably that it isn’t a surprise to find people predicting the events that’s going to happen.
I wasn’t expecting something totally original and unpredictable…
Read at the sourceCobbles
Madoka! An anime that has gotten tons of hype before its initial airing, even more hype once it started, and said hype went through multiple figurative roofs after everyone had watched the first three episodes. Truly this anime has become a phenomena and its just as interesting to watch everyone clamor around it as much as watching the show itself. A little context first though, a while back everyone was whispering about a possible Shaft Mahou Shoujo project with Akiyuki Shinbou attached as the director. In of itself, it wasn't too eyebrow-raising asides from the fact that Shinbou had directed the first season of Nanoha (another Mahou Shoujo series that subverts a lot of the genre's tropes). Nope nobody was really interested until it was revealed that Gen Urobuchi was doing the writing and…
Read at the sourceBalibuli
Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica managed to do what I thought was impossible - took over the position of my favorite TV anime series from the first Suzumiya Haruhi series, while still airing. And my rating of was only rising with every subsequent episode.
Even though the story starts like any typical magical girl anime, you can clearly see it is going to be different from the very beginning - it is the girls' choice, not fate, to go on the path of magic. Being a magical girl is rather a cold business deal rather than a divine blessing. And magic is not a perfect cure for everything - using it can cause a strong and hard-to-predict backlash. All that is there as early as in the first two episodes. And then episode 3 happens, and while trying not to spoil the story, I must say that all hope of thi…
Read at the sourceDetective
I am the juice of my acid.
SHAFT is my body, and drugs are my blood.
I have created over a thousand seizures.
Unknown to DVD sales.
Nor known to stream on time.
Have withstood food to create many anime.
Yet, those hands will never hold money.
So as I pray, “UNLIMITED SHAFT WORKS”
-a rewrite inspired by those thousand freaking awesome muskets shooting at moustachioed dandelions during the end sequence of the first episode. You have just stumbled upon the ultimate Mahou Shoujo, one that doesn't care if it's morally ambiguous or not, one with no stock footage, and one where the magic used substitutes candy for bloodbaths.
Story: Magical Girl overtones combined with the trance-like aesthetics of SHAFT and the glorious character designs by a small green man who lives on top of an all-girls Ja…
Read at the source