NKDS

“If someone tells me its wrong to hope, I will tell them they are wrong every time. I could tell them that countless times.”

This is the one sentence that got me, in the entire 12 episodes of the remarkable anime known as Madoka Magica. And Urobuchi Gen, the troll-master, was not lying after all. Madoka Magica did turn out to be a heartwarming anime, just that it took him 10 episodes and 3 Puella Magi to get to the good parts.

It remains to be seen if Madoka Magica will reach the legendary status that the Nanoha series has claimed, but in my opinion Madoka Magica has already carved its mark into animation history. Years from now, people will name Madoka Magica as a masterpiece of storytelling (episode 3….damn..), within the limitations of a magical girl anime. The production staff took a risk in bucking the trend of a typical Mahou Shoujo anime, and it paid off handsomely when viewers began following the series with cultish devotion. For me, I watched every episode with the hope that Mami would somehow return, which was why Madoka’s pronouncement of hope really resonated with me. I stuck with the anime, and I was rewarded with the return of Mami, but at the same time I was hit hard by Madoka’s heroic and selfless sacrifice.

It’s funny how sentiments can change in a mere 2 episodes. Before ep10, I was sneering at that fact that Madoka was a wuss who dared not take up the gauntlet that was thrown at her feet, while friends around her died or turned into witches. By the end of ep12, I was full of admiration for Madoka, who had now literally taken up every single gauntlet that was thrown at her, and then some. Before ep10 I was wondering why this anime was called Puella Magi Madoka Magica; by the time I was done with ep12, I knew there was no way this anime could have been named anything else.

A lot more can be said about Madoka Magica, and no doubt a lot has already been said. Long story short, just know that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a title that has single-handedly revolutionized the magical girl genre while breaking new ground in nearly every aspect of anime production, and it is practically required watching if you are a Mahou Shoujo fan. Stick with this if there is a season 2, because for all you know we may be witnessing the birth of a franchise that can rival Nanoha and finally challenge Nanoha’s dominance of the Magical Girl genre.

I shall end off with this:

Don’t forget.

Always, somewhere,

Someone is fighting for you.

As long as you remember her,

You are not alone.

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.