anime review: mahou shoujo madoka magica

mahou shoujo means magical girl in japanesse. and  there are lots of mahou shoujo anime out there such as Sailormoon, wedding peach, magical girl lyrical nanoha and so on. all focusing on cute/kawaii, super nice girl fighting evil using their magical powers and win each time.  so what is the difference between Madoka Magica and other mahou shoujo anime?

well, let me put it in order according to my opinion

plot:

at the earlier episode we were introduced to madoka and her simple life, friends and family and a new transfer student, Akemi Homura. later she and her friend, Miki sayaka rescued Kyubey and he offers he to become magical girl by a contract. sound simple right? but no. in the later episodes, the harsh reality of being a magical girl is revealed. the life and death and the deeper meaning of the contract. you see to become a magical girl, you need to form a contract with Kyubey and in exchage he will grant any wish the girl wanted. here we will understand that magical girl did not fight to fight witches but they really are fighting for their wishes. even if the wish somewhat come true but they have to pay dearly for it so that the balance of the world is maintained. deeper into the story, you will figure out Homura's intention on killing Kyubey and stopping Madoka from performing the contract with him.

the plot was very intense and have you hooked to it to the very end. and even the ending leave you wish for more.

the art

in anime, the art is what make it distinctive. in madoka magica, at first i thought it used what i called as lazy-animator-style. if was kinda thing that you see in Shin Chan and Lucky Star. even so, it was properly done with the futuristic elements (the world the creator imagine in ten years to come).

but the animator sure blows my mind away during the fighting scene. usually the magical girl will fight the witch in the barrier of labyrinth the witch created. here the art was simply stunning. it was something you would see in an art museum. it really added the chilling effect and also making the whole scene different that usual fighting scenes in anime. 

Sayaka in witch form

kyoko's reflection on her past

the first time being in a barrier

the setting

the time setting was set to be a few years in the future. there are lots of futuristic devices in this anime yet when we look at it we didn't feel awkward, meaning that the creator managed to add the futuristic devices without making it feel like we were watching Sci-fi anime. 

the characters:

in my opinion, the characters were developed wonderfully. we were introduced from one character to another. the character development goes in sync with the plot so well that as long as we understand the plot, we will understand the character and vice-versa.

the ending:

the ending of this anime is somewhat unexpected. it left we with tears in my eyes. it was a beautiful yet tragic ending. it was totally different from any normal mahou shoujo anime i have ever watched. 

overall:

mahou shoujo madoka magica really blew my mind away. i put it on a hold for so many time and when i started watching it i seemed to be cannot stop. it was a much see for anyone who wanted to have a fresh view on anime.

mahou shoujo