As one of the most popular subgenres in the medium, the “magical girl anime” follows many conventions. With the most iconic example being that of Sailor Moon, magical girl anime typically involves a young girl and her friends who fight the forces of evil. The protagonist and crew wear flashy costumes, which they transform into via an over-the-top sequence of light and color, expressing their femininity and strength.
While many shows offer likable characters, humor, and great action, the magical girl anime relies heavily on these tropes. Similar as to how Shonen anime functions, magical girl shows contain specific plot elements that make up the subgenre’s appeal. It is with this in mind that, when looking at what makes a magical girl show, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a fascinating work.
Following protagonist Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki, the show begins with the two middle schoolers learning about the existence of magical girls. Having encountered an alien cat-like being known as Kyubey, he says that he will grant them any wish they want if they choose to become magical girls. In this role, it is the responsibility of magical girls to fight witches, which are the reason why human beings hurt one another or themselves.
The girls find a mentor in Mami Tomoe, a veteran magical girl who embraces the concept of fighting to protect others; this is unlike Kyoko Sakura, a magical girl who fights witches for her own needs. Then there is Homura Akemi, who we know very little about in the beginning, but who constantly pushes Madoka away from being a magical girl. Early on in the show, Kyubey shares that Madoka has immense potential to become a powerful magical girl.
Madoka Magica’s first couple episodes follow all the conventions of magical girl anime. At first, Madoka Magica comes off like other shows of the subgenre when you consider the cutesy characters, flashy costumes, and even an animal sidekick in the form of Kyubey (like Luna, the cat from Sailor Moon). The major exception to this, however, is the horror component at work; at the beginning of the show, the horror is more of an aesthetic, with the girls fighting familiars and the witches taking on creepy appearances. An example is this witch that appears as a doll at first, eventually turning into this worm-like creature with a clown looking face. To fight witches, the girls have to enter “labyrinths” that are surreal dimensions and would make the likes of David Lynch proud. These sections of the anime blend art forms, offering animation that give impressions of crayon, black and white shadowing, and even a paper-mâché styling.
At the beginning of Madoka Magica, beyond its aesthetic, the show isn’t all that different – except our understanding of the magical girl role is purposely meant to be misleading.
A vital plot point is the “Soul Gem” each girl has; Kyubey shares that these gems store their magical power, and can be purified by “Grief Seeds;” Grief Seeds can appear from defeated witches. Again, the show provides another linear idea that we’ve come to know from action-packed anime: beat the bad guy, receive a reward, and grow stronger. Except Madoka Magica offers a unique, grim twist that not only seeps the show in despair, but subverts the subgenre. Over time we come to understand Kyubey as the show’s antagonist; for while he tells the girls information about being a magical girl, he also hides a considerable amount of important details.
Mami shares with Madoka that the life of a magical girl is not all that it appears to be; under the glamour of having magic and fighting evil comes the risk of losing out on a peaceful life, as well as potentially dying. Both Madoka and Sayaka see this first hand when Mami dies before them.
Additionally, wishes are not as pleasant as they appear to be. In particular, when Sayaka chooses to be a magical girl, she wishes for the injured arm of a love interest to heal; this wish allows the love interest to play the violin, a passion of his Sayaka wanted him to have back. As he recovers, however, she finds out that another close friend of hers likes him; not having the courage to speak up, she watches from a distance as the two begin growing closer.
Sayaka begins to lose focus as her life starts to center around protecting others and fighting witches. Towards the halfway point of the show, Sayaka is about to enter a fight with Kyoko, a magical girl who she has held a grudge against since meeting. In an attempt to stop the fight, Madoka grabs Sayaka’s Soul Gem and tosses it off a bridge and onto a passing truck. As the Soul Gem moves farther away, Sayaka drops to the ground dead. Homura saves her, bringing the Soul Gem back; to the shock of all the other girls, Kyubey confirms that upon making their wish, he has removed their souls and housed them in the gems. If the Soul Gem is to drift a certain distance away from the body, a magical girl runs the risk of dying. Learning that one gives up their soul for power causes sadness and confusion among the girls, but has more of a significant impact on Sayaka’s psyche.
Her life becomes even more consumed with witch hunting as she loses hope for having a life outside of being a magical girl. Lashing out at friends and growing more aggressive, she soon begins a descent into depression. At this point, she has refused to use Grief Seeds to purify her Soul Gem; without purification, the color of a Soul Gem will dull. It is upon her Soul Gem becoming so tainted with despair that Sayaka transforms into a witch; Homura then confirms that this is the destiny of all magical girls and it cannot be escaped.
These revelations make for a cruel and interesting twist to the magical girl anime; the show uses some of the subgenre’s core elements (such as hope and fighting for justice), as the force that ends up hurting the characters. In making a contract with Kyubey, the girls have no option but to fight witches and collect Grief Seeds, only to prevent their transformation for as long as possible. Towards the end of the show, Kyubey states that the purpose of his race is to stop the spread of entropy; the birth and suffering of magical girls allows for order in the universe and has allowed human civilization to progress.
The magical girl character, which has always been a role of pureness and love, is an existence of hell in Madoka Magica.
If the plot for the anime wasn’t already grim enough, the reveal behind Homura makes the show even more depressing. Ever since her introduction in episode one, we don’t know much about her. What we do know, beyond her discouraging Madoka from becoming a magical girl, is that she is a strong fighter and is already aware of the details that Kyubey hides.
It is revealed that Homura’s main magical ability is that of time travel and that she is from the future. Towards the show’s halfway point, she speaks about a dangerous witch known as Walpurgisnacht, who will arrive and destroy the city; Homura is aware of this witch due to confronting it in the past. In her original timeline, Homura is a timid girl, and during an attack by demons, is saved by Mami and Madoka (the latter who is a magical girl). When Walpurgisnacht arrives and kills Mami and Madoka, Homura makes a wish to be able to go back and save the latter from her fate.
In her second encounter with Madoka and friends, Homura begins to make an effort to hone her new magical skills. Walpurgisnacht shows up again, however, and still defeats them. This sequence of events continues many times, with Homura learning about Kyubey’s secrets with each passing. In one of the timelines she lives through, she discovers that not only does Madoka become the most powerful magical girl ever, but also the most powerful witch ever. We discover that Madoka’s potential to be so strong is because of Homura going back in time so much; by repeating events, she inadvertently amplifies the amount of “cause and effect” value that ends up determining Madoka’s strength.
Homura accepts that she will keep reliving these events and enduring the struggle until she can save Madoka. When Madoka discovers all of this, she then decides to save Homura. In the show’s final episode, while confronting Walpurgisnacht, Madoka decides to be a magical girl, wishing for all witches to never be born. Due to Madoka’s potential, the grandiosity of her wish comes to life, allowing her to go beyond the form of magical girl; she becomes a god that can overwrite the laws of the universe. We see her travel throughout time and save other girls before they turn into witches. However, due to the conditions of this wish and her potential, Madoka not only is erased from the minds of everyone except Homura and Kyubey, but she must spend eternity fighting the grief and curses of all the other magical girls.
The horror elements of Madoka Magica go far beyond the show’s aesthetics, impacting the subgenre’s core ideology. In a way, the anime ends on a semi-happy note thanks to Madoka’s sacrifice; that said, it is that sacrifice that also subverts the subgenre. We expect heroines in these types of stories will struggle; however, it is not typical of them to live in such agony. Even though Madoka has saved all the other girls, she must endure a life of fighting.
Madoka Magica came as a recommendation to me many years ago; as I began to watch more of the show, not only was I invested in its dark imagery, but ultimately caught off guard by its numerous emotional twists. Through the cast, and in particular Sayaka and Homura, the show does an incredible job of establishing a depressive atmosphere. Through its stark animation and existential musings, Madoka Magica conveys a profound sense of heartache. We are used to characters in these roles prospering off the power of friendship and love, not succumbing to loneliness and the existence of endless battle.
One of the show’s most exceptional qualities is the pacing in revealing twists. When we start at the beginning of Madoka Magica, there is a sense of excitement that comes from seeing our protagonists explore this life of being powerful heroines. It’s very similar to watching Serena come into her own as Sailor Moon and seeing the Sailor Scouts bond together. Except with Madoka Magica, the viewer slowly begins to lose optimism. The narrative does a great job providing a sense of hopelessness by having our expectations fail, displaying moments of agony where we’ve come to expect joy. On an additional level, the despair grows stronger when we see our protagonists embrace it; when Sayaka begins to realize everything she’s lost out on, she questions her actions and accepts that all she has done was a mistake.
Madoka Magica’s atmospheric dread and tragic characters make for an equally intimate and existential horror. By subverting the norms of the magical girl anime, the show provides devastating twists that only further immerse the viewer into the story. Madoka Magica stands as one of the best works of anime horror, presenting characters that must strive to find hope through profound darkness.
