Being a critic is suffering.
Dear Puella Magi Madoka Magica,
I like you. A lot. Your plot is awesome and I love some of the ideas you came up with. Alas, your characterization (maybe it's better in the PSP portable, but I don't know) and relationships could use some work. Let's discuss a few of the characters in particular, mainly Hitomi Shizuki.
So Hitomi is supposed to be a close friend of Madoka and Sayaka. Okay. She seems like she's an important character, judging from the screentime she gets in the first episode. Then poof! After Episode 4, she disappears. To contribute to Sayaka's despair, Hitomi shows up again only to admit that she has a crush on Kyousuke. Considering that we don't see Hitomi visit him at the hospital, let alone talk about him, it feels out of left-field and like she's only used as a plot device to make Sayaka suffer even more.
Bear in mind, I don't hate or dislike Hitomi. Rather than confess to Kyousuke behind her friend's back, she was considerate enough to give Sayaka a chance to talk to him first. She had no idea what is happening with Madoka and Sayaka, completely out of the loop regarding the "magical girl" business. (Hitomi even tries to ask Madoka what's going on in Episode 9, but isn't told anything) If she had known what Sayaka was going through, she would've at least been sympathetic... at least I hope she would be. But no, Hitomi is not evil for having a crush on a friend Sayaka also likes.
What does bother me is after Sayaka becomes a witch and later found dead of "unknown causes," virtually nothing is heard from either Kyousuke or Hitomi. The closest to a reaction that we get to Sayaka's death is a conversation between Madoka's mom and teacher, ("(Sayaka) was fighting with one of her friends over a boy... ...This must be really hard on the other girl, too. Normally it'd just wind up a bittersweet memory, but with this happening...") and that's it. We see Madoka grieving, but Kyousuke and Hitomi, who are also supposed to be close friends of Sayaka? Absent from her funeral. It just feels completely unbelievable to me.
Are we supposed to dislike Kyousuke for not noticing his friend has passed away? I'm not saying that he should be obligated to return Sayaka's affections, but when a friend's been seeing you at the hospital concerned about your health... yeeeeeeeah. It's one thing to forget to notify her that you're back at school, everyone makes slip-ups now and then. I can forgive not noticing that you haven't seen Sayaka lately or that when you do, she seems pretty depressed or angry. But how can you neglect something like, oh... that she suddenly died mysteriously? Nobody in the series makes a comment on this. Kyousuke and Hitomi are forgotten until the final episode.
I know this show is about Being Meguca is Suffering, but wouldn't Hitomi start feeling lonely and distressed when she sees her best friends acting strange and not talking to her anymore? Wouldn't Madoka's family be stressed that their daughter stays out for long periods of time and comes home looking miserable? Magical girls aren't the only ones who suffer under Kyubey. Hitomi would've been a great example of showing this along with the other NPCs, but they got completely wasted just to make way for MOAR SUFFERING of the main cast.
Disappointed,
Puri
I like you. A lot. Your plot is awesome and I love some of the ideas you came up with. Alas, your characterization (maybe it's better in the PSP portable, but I don't know) and relationships could use some work. Let's discuss a few of the characters in particular, mainly Hitomi Shizuki.
So Hitomi is supposed to be a close friend of Madoka and Sayaka. Okay. She seems like she's an important character, judging from the screentime she gets in the first episode. Then poof! After Episode 4, she disappears. To contribute to Sayaka's despair, Hitomi shows up again only to admit that she has a crush on Kyousuke. Considering that we don't see Hitomi visit him at the hospital, let alone talk about him, it feels out of left-field and like she's only used as a plot device to make Sayaka suffer even more.
Bear in mind, I don't hate or dislike Hitomi. Rather than confess to Kyousuke behind her friend's back, she was considerate enough to give Sayaka a chance to talk to him first. She had no idea what is happening with Madoka and Sayaka, completely out of the loop regarding the "magical girl" business. (Hitomi even tries to ask Madoka what's going on in Episode 9, but isn't told anything) If she had known what Sayaka was going through, she would've at least been sympathetic... at least I hope she would be. But no, Hitomi is not evil for having a crush on a friend Sayaka also likes.
What does bother me is after Sayaka becomes a witch and later found dead of "unknown causes," virtually nothing is heard from either Kyousuke or Hitomi. The closest to a reaction that we get to Sayaka's death is a conversation between Madoka's mom and teacher, ("(Sayaka) was fighting with one of her friends over a boy... ...This must be really hard on the other girl, too. Normally it'd just wind up a bittersweet memory, but with this happening...") and that's it. We see Madoka grieving, but Kyousuke and Hitomi, who are also supposed to be close friends of Sayaka? Absent from her funeral. It just feels completely unbelievable to me.
Are we supposed to dislike Kyousuke for not noticing his friend has passed away? I'm not saying that he should be obligated to return Sayaka's affections, but when a friend's been seeing you at the hospital concerned about your health... yeeeeeeeah. It's one thing to forget to notify her that you're back at school, everyone makes slip-ups now and then. I can forgive not noticing that you haven't seen Sayaka lately or that when you do, she seems pretty depressed or angry. But how can you neglect something like, oh... that she suddenly died mysteriously? Nobody in the series makes a comment on this. Kyousuke and Hitomi are forgotten until the final episode.
I know this show is about Being Meguca is Suffering, but wouldn't Hitomi start feeling lonely and distressed when she sees her best friends acting strange and not talking to her anymore? Wouldn't Madoka's family be stressed that their daughter stays out for long periods of time and comes home looking miserable? Magical girls aren't the only ones who suffer under Kyubey. Hitomi would've been a great example of showing this along with the other NPCs, but they got completely wasted just to make way for MOAR SUFFERING of the main cast.
Disappointed,
Puri