[Let's Watch!] Puella Magi Madoka★Magica: magical girls with Faustian themes

[blkmage]

I'd guess a combination of production being disrupted by the earthquake and aftermath, MBS being sensitive, and Shaft actually being barely on schedule before.

[Yamamaya]

Okay so I watched the first 7 episodes of the series.

I found Kyubey creepy from the very start.

[Yamamaya]

Sorry for the double post, but I have to post about this.

So I finally watched episode 10 and I was absolutely blown away.

[SPOILER]The whole time loop thing didn't surprise me that much, but the way it played out certainly did surprise me.
My theory is that Madoka is the final witch that is continually sent back in time. Whenever Madoka dies, the process just repeats again, with her becoming the witch and then going back in time. If she lives, then she just becomes the witch later in life.
Or perhaps it's just an invention of Kyubey to harvest as much energy as possible?[/SPOILER]



In addition this episode turned me into a MadokaxHomura shipper.

[UniqueAngelStar]

When I was introduced to this series, I thought it would be a typical cutesy anime with magical girls.
But then after episode 3, I was wrong.
[spoiler]I felt shocked of what happened in that episode when Mami died. She was my most favorite character ;__; I felt really sad[/spoiler]

I usually not into melodramatic animes, but for some reason this series got me hooked.
I like the fact that is not a typical magical girl anime after all. The darkness of it made it a unique series.

[spoiler]Man, Kuybee as a cute character got me fooled. He's really evil of tricking these girls to become witches. Especially granted them wishes that they will become corrupted. I wonder that those witches used to be other magical girls that are manipulated into witches?[/spoiler]
Something like this will teach you to be careful what you wish for.
It just like the corrupted wish game we play here:
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=22980

For characters, I like all of the characters. They have unique personalities. Although there were times that upset me about them sometimes, such as Sakaya's stubbornness, Madoka's timidness and Sakura's rivalry attitude. But I enjoy them otherwise.
I feel scared of them of the life they go through.
[spoiler]Episode 10 was a foreshadow. I felt shocked that Homura used to be that way and the girls were alive that time. I do like the mysterious Homura more that her original self.[/spoiler]

Well, I'm glad they finally air new episodes this week. I really can't wait to see them. I'm really anxious to watch more episodes.

BTW, have you guys read the manga of this series? It seems pretty rushed to me, and Kyubee is designed differently. If you have the chance, you should check it out.

[Falx]

You might want to put most of your post in spoilers, you've got some pretty huge ones other than the episode 3 one right in the open and considering the nature of the series it's better for new people to go in knowing as little as possible.

[UniqueAngelStar]

Oh, sorry about that.
Which parts I should put as spoilers? PM me..

[Sapphire225]

I wonder if the ending will be like End of Evangelion. Won't be surprised if it will be.

Anyway, this is one dark Magical Girl Series. The only reason why I won't say the only is because although nowhere near as dark, My-Hime was is the closest to it.

[blkmage]

Over 15 hours left until airing, and in case you had forgotten, a full page ad was taken out in the Yomiuri Shimbun, the newspaper with the highest circulation in the world, to remind you.

[Yamamaya]

Over 15 hours left until airing, and in case you had forgotten, a full page ad was taken out in the Yomiuri Shimbun, the newspaper with the highest circulation in the world, to remind you.

Well they certainly have got a lot of cash to blow. Putting that large of an ad in a newspaper with the highest circulation in the world isn't cheap by any means.

I just hope they deliever with the last two episodes.

[Kung_Fu_Master]

Excuse me Ladies and Gents I am not one to curse but this ending has left me in such emotions that I just have to express and when I say it I mean it with all my heart.



[SIZE="7"]THAT WAS EPIC!![/SIZE]

[Cadence]

I just started episode 11 and am basically hyperventilating. I am soooo excited.

EDIT: OK, so I finished. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I am at a loss for words. Just...spectacular.

[blkmage]

10/10
[SPOILER]I believe that Gurren Lagann may have been beaten in terms of scale.[/SPOILER]
There were hints of it in Bakemonogatari, but I think Madoka shows us that, when used correctly, Shaft and Shinbo can create something innovative.

Best of 2011 and I think we'll be seeing this one around for a while.

[Sapphire225]

This has to be one of the most epic endings AND one of the most epic animes I've ever seen. I didn't expect it to end like that after all of what happend. I can now add another favorite anime to my list.

Also, now that I have finished the last episode...I can officially say that Kyuubey is actually adorable.

[Yamamaya]

So essentially this was the most fitting anime finale to watch on Good Friday.

[SPOILER] Basically Madoka takes all the witches into herself and creates a new world. She becomes omnipresent, always being with the people of the world and the magical girls. Not to mention the fact that Kyubey actually becomes less of a jerk thanks to Madoka. An absolutely fantastic ending to a fantastic series. I was expecting a sad ending considering all the foreshadowing, but this managed to blow my expectations away.[/SPOILER]

It wasn't what I was expecting to say the least, but it definitely was awesome.

[MightiMidget]

Wow. I totally didn't know what to think about that ending, still digesting it...though I cannot think of a better ending--whether I liked it or not. =) Yay to a perfect ending to a marvelous series!

[UniqueAngelStar]

Wow. I agree with all of you.
This is the most epic anime I ever seen.
Something for a dark series, I thought the ending would be depressing.
But I'm glad that it's not so depressing after all.
It made me feel relieved.
Short and epic, that's the way I like it
I declared this the best anime of 2011...no wait, of ALL TIME!

But here's something that confused me
[spoiler]At the very end of ep 12, did Homura turned into a witch or a demon, because she had dark wings behind her body. If so, I felt sad that she turned out that way. [/spoiler]

I have another thought?
Do you think this series deserves another second season?
I'm not sure, but the anime is great so far.

[Sapphire225]

Wow. I agree with all of you.
This is the most epic anime I ever seen.
Something for a dark series, I thought the ending would be depressing.
But I'm glad that it's not so depressing after all.
It made me feel relieved.
Short and epic, that's the way I like it
I declared this the best anime of 2011...no wait, of ALL TIME!

But here's something that confused me
[spoiler]At the very end of ep 12, did Homura turned into a witch or a demon, because she had dark wings behind her body. If so, I felt sad that she turned out that way. [/spoiler]

I have another thought?
Do you think this series deserves another second season?
I'm not sure, but the anime is great so far.

Now I wouldn't go as far as to say its the best anime of all time, but yeah, so far, its the best one this year has put out and definately earns its title as one of the greatest animes put out that deserves the stand out.

[spoiler]I also doubt that Homura is a witch given that Madoka changed the universe into one without witches. I think its just one of Homura's new powers given in the world she is in now. [/spoiler]

And in my opinion, what you mean by another season may differ. There is a prequel to this called Puella Magi Oriko Magika and a spin-off called Puella Magi Kazumi Magica. If you mean as another season given the same storyline, then no. Some animes can be told in as little episodes as possible. (Elfen Lied, Boogiepop Phantom, Air, etc.)

[TheSubtleDoctor]

As someone who hasn't seen the show (but has it and plans to watch it soon) or read anything about it, I'm curious how big of a hit this is on both sides of the Pacific. If CAA is any indication, the show has gotten a ton of positive buzz. But is it a Gurren Lagann level hit? Is the popularity/fervor at Haruhi levels? I'm not asking about its legacy or anything, just its level of popularity with anime fandom. Since it helps create overnight phenomenons, the internet can serve as an immediate thermometer for just how "big" the show actually is.

[Kung_Fu_Master]

Madoka Magica > Gurren Lagann?

YES

Madoka Magica > Haruhi?

[SIZE="6"]YES!![/SIZE]

[blkmage]

As someone who hasn't seen the show (but has it and plans to watch it soon) or read anything about it, I'm curious how big of a hit this is on both sides of the Pacific. If CAA is any indication, the show has gotten a ton of positive buzz. But is it a Gurren Lagann level hit? Is the popularity/fervor at Haruhi levels? I'm not asking about its legacy or anything, just its level of popularity with anime fandom. Since it helps create overnight phenomenons, the internet can serve as an immediate thermometer for just how "big" the show actually is.

There are a few things we can look at.

Sales: if Amazon.jp's rankings are anything to go by, Madoka is on track to outsell Bakemonogatari, the current champ with over 50k units in its first week. This was the case as far back as episode 3, but on the day of the finale, all six volumes were at the top of the ranking, and they're still there.

Ratings: it got a 2.3% in Osaka on the night of the finale, where it aired first, and about 1/5th of people who were watching TV at 3 am in Kansai were watching the Madoka finale

Message boards: only two months into airing, Madoka had the most number of posts on 2ch for a show for a three month run, beating Haruhi and both seasons of K-ON!, among others. And much of the in-depth analysis and speculation bouncing around the internet at the time was actually from the non-Japanese people at /a/ and there were always >1k people in #madoka for the livestream each week.

Meanwhile, pixiv is completely swamped with Madoka fanart. At the moment, the top 25 is pretty much dominated by it and the rankings have had a steady stream of Madoka related art at the top while it was airing. A ridiculous number of Japanese anime and gaming companies' April Fools pranks were some sort of Madoka parody.

Among the forums I go to, there's been nothing but praise for the entire thing, even though people were fearing a poorly written ending (as anime is so want to do (as it turns out, the ending was excellent)).

The first BD gets released on the 27th, so we'll have our first real measurement to compare against other shows.

tl;dr - 2ch loves it, everywhere I go seems to love it, and it is the biggest show of at least the last year or two.

[UniqueAngelStar]

YES





[SIZE="6"]YES!![/SIZE]

Yo [color="Sienna"]*insert popular anime here*[/color], I'm very happy for you but Imma let you finish but [color="Pink"]Madoka[/color] is the best anime of all time! [SIZE="5"]OF ALL TIME![/SIZE]:cool:

Sorry guys, I just had to say that, Lol!! XD:hits_self

But still, I'm happy that Madoka is getting popular, Kyubee is becoming a meme. I knew that would happen／]◕[/color] ‿‿ [color="Red"]◕[/color]人＼

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Yo [color="Sienna"]*insert popular anime here*[/color], I'm very happy for you but Imma let you finish but [color="Pink"]Madoka[/color] is the best anime of all time! [SIZE="5"]OF ALL TIME![/SIZE]:cool:

@blkmage Thanks, that's what I was looking for. And, I was not expecting it to be so huge. Think it's possible that the growth of 2ch, pixiv and the like might be significant factors rather than the show being miles and miles more popular than hits of the last decade?

[blkmage]

Remember that there are a bunch of super popular shows in the last year or two. Angel Beats, even though a lot of us didn't like it, was super popular in Japan, and there's K-ON!! as well. Both of those were on the top 10 on 2ch and showing up in pixiv rankings and stuff. Unless the online Japanese community exploded in growth during the second half of 2010, growth alone can't account for it. This is even more true for something like pixiv, where you need people with actual skill contributing.

Anyway, the first volume of the BD seems to be shipping and the bonus feature for that is a drama CD.
[SPOILER]It's set in the first timeline and answers the only pressing question that's left unanswered: who is that black cat?[/SPOILER]

[Sapphire225]

As someone who hasn't seen the show (but has it and plans to watch it soon) or read anything about it, I'm curious how big of a hit this is on both sides of the Pacific. If CAA is any indication, the show has gotten a ton of positive buzz. But is it a Gurren Lagann level hit? Is the popularity/fervor at Haruhi levels? I'm not asking about its legacy or anything, just its level of popularity with anime fandom. Since it helps create overnight phenomenons, the internet can serve as an immediate thermometer for just how "big" the show actually is.

Well dude, let's just say there is a good reason why it is amongst the Top 50 Best Rated Anime on Anime News Network (It even rated higher than Baccano!, Haruhi and Kanon!). This should tell you something...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/ratings-anime.php?top50=best_bayesian

Seriously, I haven't seen such a good and unique anime since FMA Brotherhood and Darker than Black.

[blkmage]

Here's the 4-koma by Ume Aoki that's included in the case of vol. 1.

[MightiMidget]

LOL! Poor Mami...xD

[TWWK]

Just marathoned the last 9 episodes...wow. WOW. Although it sounds pretentious to say so, I'm very impressed. I've written up two posts about the series for my blog that will go up soon - one on Adam/Eve/serpent symbolism in episode 7, and one about the final episode.

[LadyRushia]

After finally finishing two big papers and a couple other things, I finally got to see the last two episodes.

I exploded twice.

The ending couldn't have been more fitting, IMO. I am very satisfied with it. Best of the season and probably best of the year. I need to process this for awhile, XD.

[Yamamaya]

After finally finishing two big papers and a couple other things, I finally got to see the last two episodes.

I exploded twice.

The ending couldn't have been more fitting, IMO. I am very satisfied with it. Best of the season and probably best of the year. I need to process this for awhile, XD.

How can you not explode when you have an ending like this?

I have to say the ending was done quite well. I was expecting something soul crushing, but instead I received something uplifting.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I have been trying to think of an adequate way to sum up how I feel about this show, but I can't really latch onto anything that really conveys everything I want to communicate. So, I'm just going to ramble.

I loved this show. Absolutely loved it.

Every single aspect from the writing and directing to the music and character design was just brilliant. Everything I wanted from an anime was here, and I love this show with both my head and my heart (it was cerebral but also evoked plenty of emotions).

Unless you are looking for an entirely kid-friendly series...Madoka is a must watch for me. An all-time favorite for sure.

It doesn't matter at all how you feel about magical girl as a genre: you must watch this show!