[thoughts] Madoka/Puella Magi Madoka Magica (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ)
On a semi-personal note: I've been deleting some entries here. With a journal as old as this, there's quite a lot of crap that it's accumulated over the years. Though, if you didn't mind that, and want my old Geass fic, please do go to the dreamwidth version of this journal. I left everything there. XD -- the powers of bad porn, be with ya!
Otherwise, let's just talk Madoka, okay? ♥
I'll be honest with you guys: I rarely watch anything anymore -- various pursuits of the intellectual kind, tiredness and just sheer laziness make me rather wary of watching anything new. You need to hit me on the head with a sledgehammer before I watch anything new. Or you know, just make me watch Hannibal. I'll always get into shows like Hannibal. ♥ ♥ ♥
I also have an ever-going, always recurring obsession with Clamp and TB/X.
And still...
Somehow, helreginn got me to watch Madoka in two sittings. But then, helreginn also got me into Geass, so I'm convinced that she's a witch XD.
But yeah, I loved Madoka. Not only is it a very conscious subversion of the magical girl genre, it's also thought-provoking, bleak without being stiftingly depressing and dark without venturing forth into the regions of the gory/absurdly grotesque (not that I mind gore, you know. In fact if you know me, you know that I love my gore).
But yes, I think that Madoka is what I'd refer to as the realistic version of the magical girl genre. The girls don't just get to be heroines without going through huge sacrifices for their powers (wishes), not everything turns out fine and dandy, love doesn't cure all problems, and just because you want to do the right thing doesn't mean you'll succeed.
People get hurt in this series. People die in this series. And it's all done unapologetically, but also with a reason. I found that both chilling and thought-provoking, as the series raises good points on the nature of wishes, hopes and dreams. It also makes you ponder whether it's so cruel to demand everything to be fair, when nature itself both takes as much as it gives.
So yeah, Madoka is far from being simplistic. But it's also not an overachiever. Barring the third movie, I've seen the entire show, and I must say that it's a very tightly told, smoothly woven story that makes you care for the characters. Some only reveal their motives towards the end, but you'll love them the more for it, because it all comes together in a beautiful and heart-wrenching way.
And it's such a female-positive show. Not only are the core relationships between girls, we also get to see a hard-working career woman be a good mother, without her having to ever sacrifice her career for it. And there's so, so much more.
Yes, I mean the femmeslash, of course ♥.
The show also has lovely art, crisp and simple, but also complex and stunning when it comes to the background. It's a feast for the eyes. :3
I'm not going to say you need to watch it, but Madoka restored my love for anime with such a frenzy that I had to come back here and post.
Otherwise, let's just talk Madoka, okay? ♥
I'll be honest with you guys: I rarely watch anything anymore -- various pursuits of the intellectual kind, tiredness and just sheer laziness make me rather wary of watching anything new. You need to hit me on the head with a sledgehammer before I watch anything new. Or you know, just make me watch Hannibal. I'll always get into shows like Hannibal. ♥ ♥ ♥
I also have an ever-going, always recurring obsession with Clamp and TB/X.
And still...
Somehow, helreginn got me to watch Madoka in two sittings. But then, helreginn also got me into Geass, so I'm convinced that she's a witch XD.
But yeah, I loved Madoka. Not only is it a very conscious subversion of the magical girl genre, it's also thought-provoking, bleak without being stiftingly depressing and dark without venturing forth into the regions of the gory/absurdly grotesque (not that I mind gore, you know. In fact if you know me, you know that I love my gore).
But yes, I think that Madoka is what I'd refer to as the realistic version of the magical girl genre. The girls don't just get to be heroines without going through huge sacrifices for their powers (wishes), not everything turns out fine and dandy, love doesn't cure all problems, and just because you want to do the right thing doesn't mean you'll succeed.
People get hurt in this series. People die in this series. And it's all done unapologetically, but also with a reason. I found that both chilling and thought-provoking, as the series raises good points on the nature of wishes, hopes and dreams. It also makes you ponder whether it's so cruel to demand everything to be fair, when nature itself both takes as much as it gives.
So yeah, Madoka is far from being simplistic. But it's also not an overachiever. Barring the third movie, I've seen the entire show, and I must say that it's a very tightly told, smoothly woven story that makes you care for the characters. Some only reveal their motives towards the end, but you'll love them the more for it, because it all comes together in a beautiful and heart-wrenching way.
And it's such a female-positive show. Not only are the core relationships between girls, we also get to see a hard-working career woman be a good mother, without her having to ever sacrifice her career for it. And there's so, so much more.
Yes, I mean the femmeslash, of course ♥.
The show also has lovely art, crisp and simple, but also complex and stunning when it comes to the background. It's a feast for the eyes. :3
I'm not going to say you need to watch it, but Madoka restored my love for anime with such a frenzy that I had to come back here and post.