Baue sie wieder, in deinem Busen baue sie auf!
Another recently completed canon is Puella Magi Madoka Magica! Which means it is time for me to imitate bookelfe again and give you picspam. I will try not to include any major spoilers, which will probably make this post fairly short.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica's creators and marketing team would like you to think it is a nice magical girl show! They would like you to think this so that you will be all the more CRUSHED by the serious deconstruction going on for most of the series (before they relent and give some reconstruction at the end).
In this world, there are magical girls. They become magical girls by forming a contract with a cute creature whose face never changes- in exchange for having a wish granted (which can be anything from wanting a cake to changing the world), the girls agree to fight witches, creatures which cause destructive behavior (frequently of the suicidal type). Magical girls are born from wishes and hope, while witches are born from curses and despair. Setup for your cute and touching power of love overcoming hate story, right? Of course not. The world is far from being that simple. And the writing on the wall is a quote from Goethe's Faust.
But onto picspam!
Our heroine, Kaname Madoka. Madoka is a nice girl from a good family. She's cheerful, sweet, and a good friend, but feels a little inadequate next to most people, who she sees as being smarter and stronger than she is. But she finds ways to come into her own. Madoka gets some heat for being a weak character, but while it's true that a large part of the narrative sidelines her, I think she proves herself to be quite capable throughout, as in episode 4, where she manages to at least temporarily save some people without resorting to magic.
Akemi Homura is the ultra-competent mysterious transfer student and magical girl. She seems cold and distant, and evidently has her own agenda, but she also demonstrates that she frequently has the interests of others at heart. And she might not be as stoic as she seems... Serious discussion of Homura would get pretty spoilery, so I will stop here for now.
Miki Sayaka is best friends with Madoka. Sayaka is the louder, more hotheaded one, though in a lot of ways she's actually very much about control. Sayaka can use her head, and use it well (who brought a fire extinguisher to a magical fight? SAYAKA DID), but she's ultimately an idealist ruled by her heart. She tries to do the right thing and help everybody with a smile. In a more standard magical girl show this would probably make her a perfect fit. ...This is not a standard magical girl show.
For some SERIOUSLY SPOILERY thoughts regarding Sayaka, you can go here.
Tomoe Mami another magical girl that Madoka and Sayaka meet in the first episode. Mami is a year older than them, an experienced magical girl who uses as many magical guns as the animators feel like having, and generally tries to be an encouraging and helpful figure. But for all the sound advice she gives, there's a bit of desperation to her...
Sakura Kyouko comes in considerably later than the other girls, but definitely merits a mention. Another veteran magical girl, Kyouko is much more on the cynical side than Mami is. She's aggressive and proud of being on the top of the food chain. At least, that's the attitude she's adopted over time. Her real personality is much more complex.
Kyuubei wants you to make a contract.
I am obligated to have this picture in here.
This is Madoka's mom, careerwoman extrondanaire and supportive, friendly mother. She is awesome in her own right, but I'm including her because I think she embodies what to me is probably the best part of the series (distinct from what the series does best, which is BREAKING THINGS). Madoka's mom demonstrates that there is a real world, one that informs and is affected by the magical goings-on. A real world with real people, who come home to their families and go out for drinks with their friends. This provides a really necessary and moving element to the series, particularly towards the end.
The show is just really well-done overall. The writing is strong, the direction is excellent (jump cuts! that lighting!), and Kajiura's soundtrack is pitch-perfect. A special mention has to go to the way they use the fact that witches live in special alternate dimensions. Each barrier is animated in a different style, varying from this to this, which gives the fights a distinctly surreal and unsettling edge. I know some people have found the character designs to be a turnoff, but to that I say watch up through episode 3, and see how they use cute.
It's been a long time since a new anime series has been able to make me this excited. Definitely recommended.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica's creators and marketing team would like you to think it is a nice magical girl show! They would like you to think this so that you will be all the more CRUSHED by the serious deconstruction going on for most of the series (before they relent and give some reconstruction at the end).
In this world, there are magical girls. They become magical girls by forming a contract with a cute creature whose face never changes- in exchange for having a wish granted (which can be anything from wanting a cake to changing the world), the girls agree to fight witches, creatures which cause destructive behavior (frequently of the suicidal type). Magical girls are born from wishes and hope, while witches are born from curses and despair. Setup for your cute and touching power of love overcoming hate story, right? Of course not. The world is far from being that simple. And the writing on the wall is a quote from Goethe's Faust.
But onto picspam!
Our heroine, Kaname Madoka. Madoka is a nice girl from a good family. She's cheerful, sweet, and a good friend, but feels a little inadequate next to most people, who she sees as being smarter and stronger than she is. But she finds ways to come into her own. Madoka gets some heat for being a weak character, but while it's true that a large part of the narrative sidelines her, I think she proves herself to be quite capable throughout, as in episode 4, where she manages to at least temporarily save some people without resorting to magic.
Akemi Homura is the ultra-competent mysterious transfer student and magical girl. She seems cold and distant, and evidently has her own agenda, but she also demonstrates that she frequently has the interests of others at heart. And she might not be as stoic as she seems... Serious discussion of Homura would get pretty spoilery, so I will stop here for now.
Miki Sayaka is best friends with Madoka. Sayaka is the louder, more hotheaded one, though in a lot of ways she's actually very much about control. Sayaka can use her head, and use it well (who brought a fire extinguisher to a magical fight? SAYAKA DID), but she's ultimately an idealist ruled by her heart. She tries to do the right thing and help everybody with a smile. In a more standard magical girl show this would probably make her a perfect fit. ...This is not a standard magical girl show.
For some SERIOUSLY SPOILERY thoughts regarding Sayaka, you can go here.
Tomoe Mami another magical girl that Madoka and Sayaka meet in the first episode. Mami is a year older than them, an experienced magical girl who uses as many magical guns as the animators feel like having, and generally tries to be an encouraging and helpful figure. But for all the sound advice she gives, there's a bit of desperation to her...
Sakura Kyouko comes in considerably later than the other girls, but definitely merits a mention. Another veteran magical girl, Kyouko is much more on the cynical side than Mami is. She's aggressive and proud of being on the top of the food chain. At least, that's the attitude she's adopted over time. Her real personality is much more complex.
Kyuubei wants you to make a contract.
I am obligated to have this picture in here.
This is Madoka's mom, careerwoman extrondanaire and supportive, friendly mother. She is awesome in her own right, but I'm including her because I think she embodies what to me is probably the best part of the series (distinct from what the series does best, which is BREAKING THINGS). Madoka's mom demonstrates that there is a real world, one that informs and is affected by the magical goings-on. A real world with real people, who come home to their families and go out for drinks with their friends. This provides a really necessary and moving element to the series, particularly towards the end.
The show is just really well-done overall. The writing is strong, the direction is excellent (jump cuts! that lighting!), and Kajiura's soundtrack is pitch-perfect. A special mention has to go to the way they use the fact that witches live in special alternate dimensions. Each barrier is animated in a different style, varying from this to this, which gives the fights a distinctly surreal and unsettling edge. I know some people have found the character designs to be a turnoff, but to that I say watch up through episode 3, and see how they use cute.
It's been a long time since a new anime series has been able to make me this excited. Definitely recommended.