Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica - Review

With a show this complex and groundbreaking, a review in and of itself won't be able to cover all the factors that resulted in me giving it a perfect score. Nonetheless, I'll try my best to give a brief idea on why I felt Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica was a masterpiece.

Art (10/10)
Not even a minute into the first episode, the artwork intrigued me; not because it was necessarily outstanding, but because it was unique. For me, it was the first time that I have seen this type of art style being used in anime. After getting used to it, I noticed that it blended in really well with the typical anime art that we are all used to. The flawless combination of these two art styles to create interesting visuals really impressed me. In the past, and even now, I haven't been a big fan of art, let alone abstract art, but after watching this series, my interest has grown slightly. In my point of view, I think this aspect of the series was either a hit or miss, with the totally different styles either enhancing or degrading the audience's experience.

Characters (10/10)
The most interesting character, in my opinion, has got to be Kyuubey. The emotionless face he has while telepathically spewing deceptive and persuasive words makes for a character that leaves many viewers unsure of whether to love or hate. As for the girls themselves, they are a great example of what can happen to a person when he/she is given the chance to obtain an immense amount of power. I find the Soul Gems a great representation of this. The more one uses their newfound power for themselves, the more evil will spread within them. But using one's powers for good, something that happens less often, will allow one to purify themselves (in a mental sense, that is). Throughout the series, the psychological stress of being a magical girl evidently changes the personalities of each character. These changes may be drastic but are surprisingly quite realistic and believable. Like in many of my other reviews a cast of characters with different personalities is always a plus in my books. What's special here is that the outfit of these girls after they "transform" also reflects their personality. Aside from the excellent story, I believe that the characters, especially Kyuubey, contributed immensely towards the success of this series.

Sound (10/10)
The first ClariS song I listened to was 'irony', OP for Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. Ever since then, I've become a fan of their songs. 'Connect', the OP for Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica, was no exception. It was never a mood killer in any way and, in fact, set up the episode quite well in close to all the episodes. As for 'Magia', the ED, it wasn't really my cup of tea but I have to say that it was the perfect song to end off the episodes. A sense of despair and suspense amplified the often depressing and cliffhanger ends of the episodes. BGM was appropriate and fit in well. The cast of highly-talented voice actresses added to my enjoyment. Their portrayal of the characters' emotions were done especially well, sometimes making the 'acting' part of their job seem obsolete. If I were to pick the weakest aspect in this category, it would have to be the BGM. Although this is the case, I'm certainly not saying it's bad, but it just doesn't compare to the superior quality of the other aspects (OP, ED, VAs).

Story (10/10)
The toughest section to write about is definitely the story. I find it hard to string together a short paragraph that, without spoiling anything, describes this story well - one that, I believe, has revolutionized the "mahou shoujo" genre. In my opinion, Episodes 3, 8, 10 and 12 were the pinnacles of this excellent story; the great use of plot twists and the tying up of loose ends to keep the viewer interested and not confused, respectively. All in all, the story in Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is the reason for its success and trying to summarize it would never work; it would probably create some false hope/expectations instead. So all I can say now is: just watch it and you'll see why so many people, including me, say it's so good.

Overall (10/10)
What more can I say? A perfect score in all the previous categories should be enough to convince you to give this anime a try. Whether you're an avid "mahou shoujo" fan or have no idea what it is, there's a high chance that watching Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica will change your perspective on the genre; I know that it did for me. What's best about the series is the fact that it doesn't spoonfeed every little detail to its audience and, instead, forces them to think a bit in order to understand what's going on. So, once again, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is definitely an anime to try. I'm almost certain that you won't be disappointed!