14 year-old Madoka Kaname has a dream in which a dark haired girl is struggling against an evil force. As Madoka wakes up and goes to school that morning, the very same girl, Homura Akemi, enrolls in her class. Even stranger, Homura seems to know Madoka and later confronts her in the hallway about whether she cares for her friends or not, saying she should stay how she is or else she risks losing everything.
Let me make this clear, when I first started this show I did not really care for the mahou shoujo genre. I still don't. However, this show really took a take on the genre that turned it into a remarkable masterpiece of a show.
When I watched the first episode, I was a bit iffy on whether to continue, as it seemed like a generic mahou shoujo anime. However, as I watched more, the show began to show its true colors as a story of tragedy and despair. The main lead learns the true nature of becoming a magical girl and begins to understand the pain of the other characters. The emotions of each character were described so vividly and the horrors that each character faced were explained so great that I could almost feel the tragedy in my own heart as the characters felt.
The animation was brilliant. I always have loved Akiyuki Shinbo's unique animation style, and it especially works wonders with this show. The battles were incredibly well animated, and the horrific scenes (not so much horror but more to show despair) were almost shocking to my eye.
The music and soundtracks were also very well done. ClariS definitely did a good OP theme song, but the ending song is probably the most memorable. The ED appears after the show dives into its dark side, further foreshadowing the disastrous events to come.
This show is definitely an anime for everyone, mahou shoujo fan or not. It tells an amazing story of friendship, pain, suffering, love, and sadness that I, as well as other viewers, will remember for years to come.
