Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
[魔法少女まどか☆マギカ]
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto
Studio: Shaft
Starring: Aoi Yuki, Chiwa Saito, Eri Kitamura
Episodes: 12
Synopsis:
A pair of ordinary high school students learn about a supernatural threat known as Witches and the magical girls who fight against them. If they choose to become magical girls, a wish will be granted, but at what cost?
Impressions:
I heard some of the buzz when this first came out and had been meaning to get around to watching it for myself. Somehow 15 years passed, but with the new movie out, Abema was promoting the older content, so I finally gave it a shot. Now, I didn't know the details, but I had heard that it was supposed to be some sort of subversion/deconstruction of the mahou shoujo genre, and while that's become fairly common these days, it was more novel at the time. I don't want to go into too many details so as not to spoil the surprise, but once the tone shifts, I thought, "Who wrote this, Gen Urobuchi?" Why, yes. Yes, he did. If you know Urobuchi's reputation, then all the pieces come together rather quickly. There are still a number of twists and turns along the way and it's rather rewarding to see it play out.
I'll admit to not being a huge fan of the character design style, but there's a lot to praise in the overall art direction, particularly the disorienting artstyle shifts in the Witch encounters, and Shaft doesn't disappoint on production values. The music is also pretty good. I especially like the ED, which casts off any saccharine illusions you might have. I'm not quite sure I want to rate the series as a must-have, but it is definitely worth watching.
Rating:Watch It