Anime Reviews
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ)
goldenspines's Rating: 10 / 10

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rating for this title.

 Content Overview
Violence: 5 / 10
Nudity: 2 / 10
Theo Theme: 4 / 10
Neg Them: 2 / 10

goldenspines's Review
If you could have one wish, what would you give up for it? Everything you thought you knew about magical girls is wrong. Or so Madoka Magica will lead you to believe. It takes an innocent premise and sets the stage to play out a tragedy, Faustian style. So, don't expect this anime to be a walk in the park, it carries some deep meaning and dark elements. Yet, if you hang on until the end, you will not be disappointed by the hope it brings. Violence wise, there's not that much blood at all, but that doesn't take away the emotional and brutal aspects of some of the violence in the series. The use of guns should be noted (though only the magical girls use guns on the "witches", the ones they are fighting against, and sometimes against the magical creature Kyuubey (see below for explanation)). There are a few very disturbing parts in the series that I would not consider "violent", but definitely not for the faint of heart. Those are:

spoiler In mere episode 3, Mami, one of the magical girls, gets her head bit off by a witch. It's a rather shocking occurrence. And, Madoka, the main lead, gets up set with her friend for becoming a magical girl, so Madoka throws her friend's "gem" on top of a moving truck, thinking it was the source of her magical power. Little does Madoka know that the gem was not only the source of her friend's magic, but it was also her soul. Therefore, if it gets too far away, her friend dies momentarily until they retrieve it. And, there is a time, once you find out magical girls with tainted souls become witches, that Madoka's friend transforms into a witch.

Besides some magical girl transformations, there is no nudity or sexual content. The series is based around magic and more importantly around a rather odd magical creature called Kyuubey. Kyuubey is the one who gives all magical girls their power and also grants them one wish.

spoiler Kyuubey can be compared to Mephistopheles in Faust. He acts as "a devil" and those who want to have their wish granted will be selling their soul to him. In essence, he rips their soul from their bodies and creates a soul gem with it, which then have to be maintained, otherwise they will become tainted and transform into "witches". It is also found out later that one of the magical girls can reset time.

Even the most darkest and deep places can find light. That's what Madoka Magica does. It paces itself well, and tells a story that at times will blot out your hope, only to renew it again, brighter and better than it was before.

Added: July, 2011