Girl, You're Magical! (Reviewing Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Good morning, good afternoon, good whatever-the-time-it-is.
How have you been? Good, good.
I've been fine, thank you for asking.
As having all this new writing space feels all too new to me, I'll write these thoughts and opinions in a similar to how I used to tweet them...
Anyway, shall we get started? I'll try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica follows the story of middle school student, Madoka Kaname, and her friend, Sayaka Miki, after their encounter with a mysterious cat-like being named Kyubey. This feline creature then offers the girls a contract in which they may have any wish granted in exchange for being set with the task of exterminating witches along with magical powers needed to combat them. It seems like an unbelievable offer at first, but they then meet Homura Akemi, another magical girl who tries to stop Madoka making the contract at whatever costs, and Mami Tomoe, a veteran who shows them the responsibility that comes along with being a magical girl, making it all become too real.

He wants some milk, and your soul!

Truth be told, I had no idea what to expect. Looking at the depictions of the anime, such as the flashy title card type image on the top right, one would assume it to be some cutesy, happy, shoujo kind of anime. But then you see this image coupled alongside some freaky looking... cat(?) thing, it raises some questions and intrigue.

Like I've done on twitter (shameless self advertising here:twitter.com/KaaroKaaro), I'll start with what I liked:

That big cute smiley thing is a witch...
Weird, right?

I don't think I've watched something like PMMM before. How something so cute looking can harbor such a sad underlying presence is beyond me. The art style was so bright and refreshing, and then it suddenly turned suspicious and dark. I particularly enjoyed having the chilling soundtrack which backed many scenes, giving what seemed like normal interactions, such as Madoka and Homura's first conversation, an unnerving hostility.

I was also very intrigued by the issues I felt the story brought up (eg, Is giving your life away worth making your greatest wish come true?), as well as the moral developments the characters faced in light of such issues.

I've always pictured magic in the form of spells and enchantments, but PMMM did not seem to follow that rule. Each magical girl, as one

Rabbit out a hat? Nah, I prefer guns.
Lots, and lots of guns.

would expect, had their own personal array of abilities. There was no need for special words to activate their skills- which made the flow of the action feel more lively and explosive. That kind of action is always more fun to watch in my opinion.

Character wise, I found most of them very likable. Homura was my personal favourite of the magical girls: mysterious, strong willed and tries to decide her own fate, no matter the cost. And then there is something about creepy characters that just make you love them (looking at you Kyubey).

*Kyubey Death Stare*

Moving on to what I did not really like...

Potentially might have been
able to cry a river.

Honestly, I found it very difficult to like the protagonist of Madoka Kaname. I fully well know that she is the lead role and I should be cheering her throughout, but that job as a viewer of the anime is made so much harder when the character cries throughout. Unlike the other characters, Madoka does not seem to have any form of tragic drama/back story, which does make her feel boring, but also the most realistic. 

Her character does grow tremendously, but it is very late in the anime- perhaps, for me, it was too late.

This may have been due to how I watched the series (I watched all 12 episodes in one sitting), but the "novelty" of something suddenly changing the pace of the story became repetitive. After the third or forth time, I felt like was waiting for the next sad thing to happen in the episode. Don't get me wrong, I was still moved during many events( eg. when the girls discovered the true nature of becoming zombi-*cough* -I mean- magical girls), but not as much as I would hope to have been.

To sum up, the story as a whole was very enjoyable and I felt the combining of a cute art style with such deep dark story was very different from what I have previously experienced. It gave a "sucker-punch" feeling- like the rug was being pulled from under me on many occasions. 

However, I did not feel as moved as I think I should have been- having so many new revelations and realizations occurring, I felt it almost become predictable. That being said, if I had watched the series at a slower rate (as opposed to all in one go), that issue may have been avoided.

Hmm...Rating? Should I give a rating? That's what I normally do on my twitter page...

I give Puella Magi Madoka Magica a rating of 7/10 death stares into your soul. You should definitely check it out.

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That's my first ever official review-like thing on this first blog-like thing of mine! *round of applause*

How was it? I'd love some feedback on how I can improve in the comments down below. 

Also, why not suggest an anime for me to watch while your at it (preferably something with less than 30 episode please).