Puella Magi Madoka Magica(2011)

Imagine you have been kidnapped and you are in the backseat of an old 1940's jalopy driven by two crazed, Japanese artists (D: Akiyuki Shinbo, W: Gen Urobuchi) speeding over 100 miles an hour, heading for the cliffs. You all are going to die. That was my feels at about the mid-point of this 12 Episode series, and I was giving serious thoughts to bail when we hit the rocks in the EP 10 but I decided to soldier on. That last EP 12, may be the very finest 24 minutes of my life. No other story of which I am aware, has ever delivered on its promise to completely resolve all plot points, settle family disputes, and transport you to another time and dimension, in almost a religious transcendental experience. And if you think I lie, then you spend some time with Madoka Kaname and her four friends. Being an anime fan from way back, I somehow never paid much attention to this "Magical Girl" anime. Saw those kawaii, pastel colored, fluffy outfits, and immediately passed to some blood and guts. But it always scored high on everyone's fav list. So finally out of boredom, I went for it. Its a real slog to get through the first 11 Episodes, but OMG that 12th one is a ringer. Without entering major spoilers, I don't know that this could be described. Madoka Kaname solves the problems she faces with much the same strategy as the Dwarf in the Flask (FMA:B) but with radically different intentions and methods. Her lover, Homura Akemi pulls a Groundhog Day out of the hat, and facilitates her special friend. Dark, gloomy, depressing, ultimate despair, blood, love, and death packaged so cutely it will tear your heart now smeared across an artistic canvas of some weird mixture of Vocaloid Videos, Silent Hill, and Hieronymus Bosch. You ain't in Kansas anymore. WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN!

"Dont forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember her, you are not alone." - Shinbo/Urobuchi

Excellent Review of this work. Better than anything I could say!

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica works on just about every level. That the series has been such a monster-sized phenomenon is no surprise; this thing is operating at a level far above most productions, and the fact that it concludes so well is just the icing on the cake. The best part is, the show is structured so perfectly that the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat story reveals that happen throughout change the show so dramatically that a second watch is practically required, taking in the early episodes with all the terrible knowledge you've gained. Time will tell us whether or not this show will be remembered as fondly as it's regarded by the fan community now, but it feels like a masterpiece, something to be appreciated again and again. It is a must-see for anyone remotely interested in what anime can accomplish as an art form."

From the Review in Anime News Network
by Zac Bertschy, Jun 13th 2012
Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Madoka is beautiful art! Please, you must see!

Folcwine P. Pywackett