The anime studio SHAFT has differentiated itself through its unique cinematography and visual style, influenced heavily by the studio's regular director Akiyuki Shinbo. The studio has had a lot of cult hits like the long-running Monogatari series, March Comes in Like a Lion and Nisekoi. However, its most mainstream success by far is still Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
10 years since its debut, its dark twist on the magical girl genre still stuns viewers. To commemorate the anniversary of its release, let's look at what makes Madoka Magica so beloved.
The series follows Madoka Kaname as she and her friend, Sayaka Miki, encounter a creature named Kyubey. The creature offers them a contract in which one wish of theirs will be granted in exchange for becoming a magical girl, a person gifted with magic powers and tasked with defending the Earth by fighting witches. As Kyubey urges them to sign the contract, Homura Akemi, the stoic new transfer student and magical girl, tries to stop them, leaving Madoka and Sayaka indecisive.
Magical girl anime usually follow a structure in which the protagonists encounter some kind of otherworldly creature who needs their help in fighting evil. When the protagonists agree to the task, the creature then bestows them with magical powers. These powers allow them to transform into a magical girl, which becomes their alter ego to protect their identity. This subgenre usually features lighthearted tones with bright colors, fun magic and cute outfits as the protagonists fight to defeat evil with strong themes of friendship embedded in the storyline. One of the most popular examples is Sailor Moon, which became a guide for future works of the same genre.
Madoka Magica wasn't the first magical girl anime to go dark, but it certainly did it the best. The series starts off cheery enough with a bright color scheme and an innocent protagonist, but this is merely a façade. Audiences are in for a surprise when the safety and stability that Madoka feels as a naïve middle schooler quickly shatters when she is shown what it really means to be a magical girl. The job isn't what it's cracked up to be, entailing violence, death and endless suffering. Madoka's innocence is torn away as she watches her friends die, realizing that Kyubey is manipulating them and that the world isn't at all what she thought it was.
Madoka Magica balances themes of sacrifice and realism. Every wish comes at a cost and even dreaming can have drastic consequences. As viewers learn about these characters, they see the fun and warmth in their personalities morph into something more sinister as they slowly begin to break under the weight of being a magical girl. It's hard not to feel sorry for these characters who yearn for very human things like love and friendship but end up paying a price much too high for what they receive in return. These girls are only granted temporary happiness and false hope in exchange for a curse that will last the remainder of their lives.
Apart from the heavy plot and themes, Madoka Magica is memorable for its stunning art style. The art creatively blends different styles and incorporates real objects when reality shifts for a more unearthly feeling. The attention to detail is immaculate, taking viewers' breaths away when they least expect it and incorporating intricate symbolism. The cinematography works to compliment the tone of each scene, instilling a feeling of unsettling eeriness, hinting at parallels and subtle themes to constantly remind the audience that no one is safe. SHAFT has made a lot of visually stunning shows, but none are quite like Madoka.
Madoka Magica is tragic and heartbreaking to watch, but the sense of realism tied into the magic of it all makes the emotions and fears of these characters relatable while leading to a bittersweet yet hopeful ending. The sorrow of life, the sacrifices we make for ourselves and others and the inevitable loss of innocence are heavy themes for a magical girl show, but Madoka pulls them all off beautifully. All of these elements combine into a story that makes it hard to forget.
