<m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>Form a mental image of moe high school girls. Now, add in dark gothic backgrounds with bizarre inscriptions and designs. Clog your ears with eerie heavy metal music that sends chills down your spine but sets your heart pounding at the same time. Finally, mash it all together in epic battle sequences involving guns, swords, spears and creatures straight out of a psychopath’s nightmare.Welcome to the world of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.Shattering the boundaries of its genre, this winter 2011 anime has already won a place in the hearts of many because of its sheer shock value and immorally dark atmosphere. Yea, not exactly what you expect when you see an anime titled like it is and labelled with a display picture so misleading. Trust me, this anime doesn’t kid when it takes the genres of Fantasy, Psychology and Thriller under its belt – it succeeds. Madoka, a meek and sincere little girl, drifts through her high school days and finds happiness in the simplest of things along with her loving friends and family. However, her peaceful life is turned upside down by the arrival of transfer student Homura. After an otherworldly experience in the mall the very afternoon, Madoka and her friend Sayaka find themselves thrust into the realm of Puella Magi, Familiars, Witches and other fantastical elements. And there’s no turning back. The story moves at a perfect pace. It moves slow enough to unravel the psychology aspect, but fast enough to keep the episodes thrilling. Each episode of MSMM can be split into three distinct parts of the show. The initial minutes teases you with dramatic twists that get your lips smacking, then quickly diverts your attention to the heart and soul of each character and lets you savour their fickle minds. To top things off, it gifts the viewer with absolutely magnificent fight sequences that will leave you begging for more. (And thankfully, there is!) That, you cannot. My master, Haruhi-sensei, will be the only on to carry that power.All mahou shoujo are based on pretty much the same premise. But within the first five minutes of watching this anime, I was in awe of the epicness. What I had witnessed was not only unprecedented, but unreal for this age-old genre. Since the days of Sailor Moon, all mahou shoujo anime follow a formulaic path of cute magical powers being forced onto an innocent teenager. MSMM most respectfully disagrees with this tradition by kicking out the shoujo and bringing on psychological elements. Instead of shoving the magical powers onto Madoka, the show beautifully exposes the fragile nature of the human mind by offering these girls the choice on whether or not to fight the dark forces. How far would you go to protect the one you love? Do you have it in you to forgo your heart’s deepest desire in order to make another person smile? This style of “more about the people and less about the fantasy” is very similar to that of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The animation is drop dead gorgeous. The art style drifts from cutesy moe to artistically gothic seamlessly. The fight scenes are choreographed beautifully and gave strong hints of the 2010 OVA Black Rock Shooter. There was one particular scene which left me reeling. Nothing fancy or flashy – just two girls walking on a bridge next to a construction site at sunset. But good lord, how wonderfully detailed and classy it all was. If this is what 2011 holds for us, then I can’t wait for the rest. The music in this series is badass. The track that single-handedly brings an aura of awesomeness, the track I was talking about in the first paragraph, is the ED, Magia. This one song plays an all important role in fuelling the mood, just like Fight the Powah! of TTGL. There are also a lot of haunting rhythms, many utilising oriental instruments such as the tabla(Indian drum) and the flute. The OP was your usual bouncy J-Pop track. Nothing special there, but an overall splendid job by the audio department.Now for the part that most MSMM fans might be interested in reading: Why I gave it a 9 and not a 10. Well, that’s because the characters are a bit of a letdown in this series. Sure, the characters are fleshed out well, but their personality is pretty linear and it isn’t very hard to predict what they’re going to do next. Madoka, is more or less the Shinji Ikara or Simon of MSMM, the indecisive one who is annoyingly two-goody shoed. She’s meant to be that way, that’s the point I know, but she can be god-awful annoying at times. Sayaka is a slightly more interesting personality, but that’s largely because the script gives her that freedom. Her decisions are the most influential on the story line for the second half, so it is only natural for her to triumph over Madoka. No other character (the tsundere Homura included) is attention grabbing.The atmosphere is thrilling. And when I say thrilling, I’m talking about screw-everything-else-this-is-top-priority thrilling. What is it that makes MSMM so thrilling, you may ask. The answer is simple – it’s bold. There is no usual “I’m a cute little girl who just wants the world to be a better place. So please go away, bad man!”Not in the least. The show sends a message loud and clear at the end of the third episode: “This is no shonen and there will be no messing around. Magic ain’t shit to play around with, son.” Just when you think a pattern is emerging, the anime takes some drastic twists that make for some really slick, twisted scenes. This ruthlessness is what leaves you goggle-eyed at the end of each episode and what make this show so gripping[ THE WRAP-UP ]Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is a rare catch. It takes a cheery and bouncy setting (mahou shoujo), grabs it by the throat and twists it into something dark and evil. It also manages to juggle elements of psychology, thriller and action successfully, making for wholesome and satisfying episodes. The creative aspect of the art department is one of the major contributors to this anime’s shock value. Animation is outstanding, even for a 2011 anime and is richly detailed. The atmospheric soundtrack propels the anime’s ability to keep you at the edge of your seat. The characters, while not terrible by any means, do fall short of the standards set by the other departments. If MSMM doesn’t fit your bill even after watching the first three episodes, then I urge you to continue watching, because the series continues to get darker and more dramatic by the minute. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is a genre-busting anime that looks like it’s here to stay. Highly recommended.If you have not started watching this anime yet, then I suggest you start after it completes airing, so that you don’t have to endure the torture of waiting each week to watch the next episode. Rating: 9/10
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