Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Drama / Fantasy / ActionTV12 EP/7 Jan 2011

Oshimeter

9.1
743 Ratings
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— Watched

Synopsis

That adorable art style is a trap. this one goes places you genuinely won't see coming. Madoka Kaname is an ordinary middle school girl who meets a cute creature named Kyuubey offering her a dream deal: make any wish, and in return, become a magical girl who fights witches. Sounds like a standard magical girl setup, right? Then the new transfer student Homura Akemi shows up and desperately warns Madoka to stay away from the whole thing, and you start to feel like something is very, very wrong. That uneasy feeling never goes away. It only gets worse. This is a 12-episode TV series from Studio Shaft, and it uses every single episode. The pacing is tight, the story keeps shifting underneath you, and Yuki Kajiura's soundtrack does heavy lifting in making every scene land harder than it should. The animation switches between clean everyday scenes and these bizarre, collage-like witch dimensions that feel like a fever dream; it's unsettling in the best way. The real hook is the wish system. Every magical girl got her powers by wishing for something, and the show is deeply interested in what that costs. If you liked the darker psychological turns in Selector Infected WIXOSS or the way Wonder Egg Priority peeled back its cheerful surface to reveal something painful, Madoka Magica walked so those shows could run. Granbelm also hits similar notes if you want more afterward. Just go in blind. Trust me on that part.

Episode Guide

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Characters

Homura Akemi

A determined magical girl, Homura repeatedly resets time to save Madoka, wielding diverse weaponry and defying fate.

Valenzuela Cristina

Madoka Kaname

A kind, selfless magical girl with immense potential, Madoka fights to protect others, even at great personal risk.

Cabanos Christine Marie

Kyouko Sakura

Fiery magical girl, skilled spear-wielder, initially selfish but ultimately self-sacrificing for a friend.

Landa Lauren

Sayaka Miki

A selfless magical girl driven by love, Sayaka's despair leads to her tragic transformation into a witch.

Williams Sarah

Mami Tomoe

A veteran magical girl, Mami is selfless but deeply lonely, fighting witches alone until Madoka's arrival.

Keranen Carrie

Kyuubey

A genderless familiar granting wishes in exchange for magical girl contracts, manipulating girls for survival.

Morris Cassandra Lee

Community Feed

Someone and 15 others rated 9.7
EP 1
grumby★★★★★Anime

The time loop thing was spoiled for me going into this but I still felt that reveal in my heart. I haven’t enjoyed an anime this much in a LONG time. In those early episodes, I was neutral on Mami until she expressed how happy she was to fight alongside someone. It was so EVIL to put that scene right before she died. I had such an amazing time watching this, I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get into it. Learning that all the girls were originally friends broke me and I was in tears come the ending. The visuals are insane, the soundtrack is gorgeous, the characters are so interesting, and the plot moves in such a gripping way this anime really has it all I understand why it’s so loved now. This is truly an all timer for me.

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