Madoka Magica is Dark Anime? Explanation and Review of Madoka Magica!

Why Madoka Magica is very popular even now?

Some people say Madoka Magica is a dark anime.

Child should not watch it.
It makes us depressed.

It certainly overturned the concept of magical girls we imagine.

If you haven’t watched it yet and just saw the drawings for introduction, maybe you think this is a light anime for little girls.
I myself thought so, but it was not at all.

This anime includes a wide variety of elements from philosophy, art, history, universe, etc.

For some people, it is difficult to understand the essence of this anime.
Even those who think they could understand this anime, they might still overlook the deep essence (and this includes I myself).

Here I introduce the summary and plot of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

※ This article includes spoiler, so if you are like No Spoiler, please visit here after watching the anime




Rough Summary of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

One day Madoka, who is in junior high, finds a white cute creature.

It was badly wounded.

Then, transfer student Homura appears and tries to kill it.
Madoka tells her not to do that.

Sayaka, who is a friend of Madoka helps Madoka and runs away with her.

But the world surrounds them suddenly changes.
They notice that they are trapped into the world of witch.

And a magical girl Mami comes in to rescue them.
Mami breaks the world of a witch and rescues Madoka and Sayaka.

She also thanked them for having rescued Kyubey, a white creature.

Then, Homura appears in front of them again.
Homura is also a magical girl but after a short talk with Mami, she backs down.

Mami tells them they can also become a magical girl.
Kyubey can realize any wish if they decide to become a magical girl.

Having watched the battle of Mami, they admired Mami.
And realizing any wish was very attractive.

But battling with witches was not an easy thing, it involves real death sometimes.
Mami shows everything by letting them watch her battle against witches.

Witch was something created by humans.
Humans jealousy, hatred, despair, etc. created witches.

There was a chance of magical girls turn themselves into witches.

Realizing any wish is a great lure but something gained, something lost.

Through the battle with witches, they understand what that means and the aim of Kyubey, alias Incubator.

Key Elements of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Wish

Realizing any wish is very attractive.
Kyubey had the power.

Mami wished to survive from a car accident.
She was almost die but Kyubey realized her wish and she could survive the accident.

She said that she had no time to think deeply about her wish as she were in a dead or alive situation at the time.
But Madoka and Sayaka have time to think, so she tells them to think about their wishes deeply if they decide to become a magical girl.

Sayaka wished to heal the injury of her friend Kyohei and became a magical girl after all.

Other magical girl Kyoko told her that make a wish for yourself, not for others.

She knew making a wish for someone doesn’t bring any good after all for both of them.

Identity of Witch

Witches are the enemy of magical girls.

Witches leads people into the world of death, especially people who are suffering mentally.

Mami was fighting alone to rescue those people.
Madoka and Sayaka admired her.

But Madoka, Sayaka including Mami didn’t know the real identity of witches.

They were created by magical girls themselves.

Sayaka was first pleased to become a magical girl and save people from their death.

But she also suffers after finding her body has no soul anymore.
Soul gem which she keeps holds her soul now.

Her friend Hitomi also tells her that she is going to ask Kyosuke out.
Kyosuke was the one Sayaka used her power to heal his injury.

Sayaka could not stop Hitomi or ask Kyosuke out before Hitomi confess as she felt she had no right.
She felt she was just like a puppet or zombie without soul, so no right to ask Kyosuke.

Madoka is worried about Sayaka but Sayaka gave her the cold shoulder.

“You become a magical girl instead of me if you can!”

Later Sayaka regrets all she said to Madoka.

“I’m such an idiot”

Color of her soul gem turned into almost black.

And she became a witch.

She once protected and saved people but from now on she keeps living as a witch to lead people into the world of death.

Real Aim of Kyubey

Kyubey looks a poor creature first.

He was badly wounded and asked Madoka help.

Kyubey had a power to realize any wish.
Instead of realizing a wish, girls became a magical girl.

Magical girls needed to fight with witches to save people.

But why Kyubey do such a thing?
What for?


Kyubey had a big aim.

Which was to extend life of universe.

To extend life of universe, it needed a powerful energy created by magical girls.
The energy is caused only when they turn into witches.

So Kyubey were looking for magical girls on the earth to save universe.

Kyubey, the name was nickname, his real identity was incubator.

To save the world, magical girls have to be the victim.
That was the real truth.

Madoka asked Kyubey the reason he does such a cruel thing and didn’t tell girls that important thing.

Kyubey replies because girls didn’t ask him and to save universe is far more important.

Plus, Kyubey also tells Madoka humans also do the same thing to animals as they just make them (Pig, cow, cock, etc.) live as a food for humans.

Kyubey says he is generous than humans as they make a contract and not force them.

Kyubey might looks cold but certainly what he says makes sense.

Reason Homura Fights

Homura seems a cold and cruel girl first.

She tries to kill Kyubey.
And shows cold attitude toward Madoka, Syaka and all the magical girls.

But there was a reason.
She had a big reason to do so.

She knew the aim of Kyubey.
And she made a promise with Madoka (in a different timeline) before meeting with Madoka.

Homura had a skill of traveling against the flow of time.
And she already met with Madoka and made a promise to rescue Madoka by going back to the world where they meet.

The promise she made was do not turn Madoka into a magical girl and a witch.
That was the wish Madoka asked Homura before dying.

Homura went back again and again to save Madoka but couldn’t.
So she decided to become alone and just believe only herself.

Homura became cold and cruel just to save Madoka.

Although she also didn’t know the more tries of going back in time means the more worst result for Madoka.

Meaning of Ending Scene (Ending Explained)

Karma Homura Made

The last witch, Walpurgis Night was very powerful.

Even though, Homura was very strong and fought again and again by going back to the previous world, she couldn’t win and save Madoka.

The only magical girl who could defeat Walpurgis Night was Madoka.

But Homura made a promise with Madoka, not turn her into a magical girl.

The more power she gets, the more destructive witch she becomes in the end.

Madoka knew that, so she asked Homura to prevent her from becoming a magical girl.

She kept promise but she finally knew the truth.
The reason Madoka could be the most powerful magical world, who could even defeat Walpurgis Night.

A magical girl’s potential depends on the karmic burden she bears.

Homura kept travelling again and again just to save Madoka.
It was so strong and all the karma led to what Madoka is today.

Homura was the one who made Madoka most powerful magical girl, that is, most destructive witch in the end.

In the battle with Walpurgis Night, she remembered this when she tried to go back in time like before.
If she goes back, that just increases the karmic burden Madoka bears.

She can’t go back anymore, she realizes.
Homura breaks into tears and her soul gem finally getting dark.

When a magical girl suffer despair, soul gem gets dark and breaks to turn her into a witch.

Wish Madoka asked

Then, Madoka appears and holds hand of Homura, says “It is all right”.
Next to Madoka was Kyubey.

Madoka knew everything now and tells Homura to believe her.

Madoka decides to become a magical girl to realize a wish.

“To prevent all magical girls from the past, present, future and all other timelines, from ever becoming witches”

That was her wish.

To erase the existence of witches themselves and save all the magical girls in every timelines was her wish.

It was too big wish.

That’s not such a level like interruption of time but rebellion against karma itself, even Kyubey surprises.

If someone can do it, it must be God and Kyubey notices Madoka’s wish means she becomes the God beyond all the concepts.

Madoka’s wish also meant she has to fight with witches forever as it also includes witches in the future.
She can not hold a shape as a human anymore, she just exists as a concept to destroy witches.

That’s far more tougher thing than death.

As the wish also changes all the timelines, the existence of Madoka also disappears.
Her friends, family members, all the memory of Madoka disappears from them.

No start or end of life for Kaname Madoka anymore.
Disappeared from the member of whole universe.

Madoka Becomes Concept

Madoka’s wish was too big, so the price she paid also became so big.

She had to bear all the curses instead of rescue all the magical girls beyond timelines.

The amount was almost equal to destroy whole universe.

Kyubey says that’s no surprising.
If you get something big, you have to pay the same amount as well, that’s certainly natural.

This is the result.

Kyubey and Homura could see the end of Madoka’s wish.

The dark power which was created at the cost of Madoka’s wish was too powerful and about to destroy the earth.
Homura cries but hear the voice of Madoka.

Wish of Madoka was to erase all the witches.
She says there is no need to despair for Madoka herself if it is truly realized.

She breaks the curse and becomes just a concept forever.

Homura cried saying this is too cruel thing more than death for Madoka.
But Madoka replies she is not alone as she is with everyone from now on even if they can not see her.

And gives Homura her red ribbon as maybe Homura can remember her.

Magical girls realize a wish, so let’s believe it, she tells and disappears.

Review of Madoka Magica

About Witch

Witch implied our jealousy, envy, hatred, etc.

Most of all the people have those negative feelings more or less.
Those negative emotions created witches and they attract more people who have the same negative emotions.

Girls became magical girls by fulfilling their wished.
And when they despair and give up, their soul gems, that is, their spirits turn black and they themselves turn into a witch.

This is the karma they bore.

About Kyubey

I felt like there were no bad characters in this anime.

Some people say Kyubey was cruel and bad but just remember it has no emotion.

And we also do the same thing to animals as Kyubey told.
Kyubey just does the same thing to us.

Rather, more generous as he didn’t force or use his power.

If there is no Kyubey, the whole universe including earth disappear.
Not only magical girls but other humans on the earth and all extraterrestrial lives in universe die out.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we can ignore minorities but someone has to decide which to choose.

About Madoka’s Wish

I also understood Kyoko said to Sayaka that do not make a wish for others but wish for yourself.
Making a wish for others does not make any good result after all.

But the wish Madoka made for others broke through even the dimensional walls.

Madoka’s existence looks like symbolizing self-sacrifice and that’s certainly true.

But she did not became curse by breaking it on her own hands because her wish was to erase all the witches to save girls.

She herself is satisfied with as long as her wish is realized, so she didn’t become a witch that holds course in the end.

Left just as a concept and fight with witches eternally, Mami and Homura said that’s far more tougher than die.

Madoka accepted it.

What she showed was love for all.
She became what we call the Goddess.

Animation

Animation at the battle scene was very unique, isn’t it.

I’ve never scene such a dramatic change of animation in any other anime.

It suddenly became a rough comical animation.
The world was almost art.

Some witches were also comical and sometimes looked even cute.
But could kill magical girls.

The gap made this anime more eerie.

Certainly, battle scene is the one of the elements made Madoka Magica very popular.

Music

Not only animation but the music also contributed a lot to the popularity of Madoka Magica.

It is not a usual Japanese style music.
Symphonic fusion music leads us to a parallel world.

Yuki Kajiura is the person who managed the music mainly including theme songs.
If you know Demon Slayer, she also made a theme song of the movie Infinity Train with Lisa.

Her music beyond boundaries and not bound by the languages.

Theme song by ClariS and ending theme song by Kalafina also got very popular among fans.

Especially, when the ending theme song changed into Magia by Kalafina, people said finally this anime revealed its true colors.

It reflected the essence of this anime very well.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Official Website (Anime)
https://www.madoka-magica.com/tv/
Official Website (Movie)
https://www.madoka-magica.com/

Other Article of Madoka Magica

Madoka Magica Japanese Name and Meaning!

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