Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 11

We’re all going to have a lot of memories from Madoka.  Some will be sorrow.  Some will be pleasure.  Others, too, will be fright and confusion and heartbreak.  If you recollect, the series took our emotions on an unexpected journey, able to manipulate our feelings into whatever this anime wanted.  But which of those emotions on this journey will you remember?  What memories will you have from Puella Magi Madoka Magica?

Winter 2011 – Season Review

Despite the most popular show of the winter season still incomplete, I’ll go ahead and write my season review for Winter 2011.  It’s not like there’ll be any changes to the scores or how they rank when Puella Magi Madoka Magica finishes, so there’s no real point in waiting an undetermined amount of time to pretty much post the same thing, especially with the other nine shows already complete.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 10

And now for something completely different.

Episode 10 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica provides us with Homura’s backstory, depicting her metamorphosis from her frail, timid, and emotional former self to the Homura we’ve grown to love and cheer for.  The previous timelines through which she lived help us understand Homura a little more, as well as show us some interesting storylines involving her relationships with the various characters.  But that wasn’t the best part about the episode.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 9

What would Mami do if she were still around?

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 8

One of the things I’ve liked about Puella Magi Madoka Magica has been the whole mystery aspect.  We’ve been following Madoka, an outsider to this isolated realm known only to Puella Magi, around for most of the series, and together, we’ve steadily been learning about these magical girls, their lives, and their morals.  And through this process, we’ve seen great transformations in character.

Mid-Season Review – Winter 2011

Figured with the halfway point in most shows being reached or surpassed, that I’d provide a concise review of each show I’m watching this Winter.  Their order listed below is in the order that I’d rank them now along with their numerical score (between 10-5).  I’ll also toss out my favorite character of each series, too, since that’s always fun.  Oh, and the best Art, Characters, Entertainment, Sound, and Story.  There are also some minor spoilers, so if you haven’t watched everything yet, just mind your eyes and skip those sections.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 7

Throughout the course of the series, there have been obvious and subtle Faustian themes in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (or as some say, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica). There’s the personification of white, fluffy evil, Kyubey (or as some say, QB or Kyuubee), the whole soul/wish exchange (the SEC should really look into regulating this), and so on.

And while I agree with these strong Faustian themes, I can’t help but look to other themes as well. What I see is Madoka becoming a Shakespearean tragedy. And another theme I see creeping into the series is the seven deadly sins, too.