Ask any anime fan what one of the darkest series they've seen is, and many will cite the magical girl series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Released in 2011, this anime made waves for luring viewers in with pretty transformations and cute designs, only to dish out gruesome deaths and suffering for its young heroines.
Since its release, the series has received a manga series with several spinoffs, three movies and even a mobile game with its own anime. Unfortunately, the English servers for the game shut down several months back (you can still play with Japanese Google Play and iTunes accounts), but thankfully there's still plenty Madoka Magica to enjoy.
How to Watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The original series is currently available on Hulu, Netflix, U-NEXT, Funimation and HBOMax. The Magia Record spinoff anime is available in English on Funimation and, while Crunchyroll has both series listed, it's currently not streaming either one. The first two movies are only streaming on Japanese Netflix currently.
The individual DVDs are hard to come by, as the boxset is more popular due the shortness of the series, at only 12 episodes. The Complete Series DVD runs for around $26.95 on Amazon, while the Blu-Ray edition is around $39.99. There is a limited edition Blu-ray listed on Amazon that comes with 6 discs for $241.99. There are currently no official listings for the Magia Record DVD or Blu-ray. The first two movies are also available on DVD, but Part 3 currently is not. The Blu-Rays of all three parts are available on Amazon, and there is a Part 1/Part 2 combination Blu-Ray available as well.
How to Read the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Manga
The original manga was only 3 volumes with 12 chapters total, making it a short read. Even the movies got their own manga. However, the spinoffs are where it gets confusing. There are 11 spinoff manga, each following a different group of magical girls, or the original girls in a different timeline. These spinoffs all fall under the Puella Magi title but feature the name of the main magical girl in place of Madoka's (if the story follows a different group other than the main one).
The most common ones that fans are aware of and are referenced most often in official media are Puella Magi Kazumi Magica, Oriko Magica, Tart Magica and Suzune Magica. All but the latest spinoff Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc are available at Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
They are also available via Kindle and ComiXology for $6.99 per volume. The Magia Record manga is only two volumes and is the same price as the others. There is an omnibus edition for the original manga and the spinoff Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, though there aren't digital versions of the omnibus available at the time of writing.
