What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.
— Nietzsche
2011 anime Mahou Shoujo Madoka ★ Magica is a knock-out of a magical girl series. some criticse it for its edginess— and i agree it's not for everyone— but i stop short of decrying its legitimacy in the genre. albeit unconventionally, Madoka upholds the traditional virtues of a true magical girl story. these are as follows:
- protect the weak
- look out for your friends
- believe in yourself
- hard work pays off
obviously, many characters do not share these views, certainly not by the institution that governs magical girls... but Madoka does. and guess who wins the cosmic struggle? all in all, i appreciate the nuance that Madoka explores, where good and evil, right and wrong, are not so clear-cut.
i especially appreciate this nuance with regard to Homura's character. although i can't say she's a good person, i do admire her... she is so strong and devoted. even though she didn't intend to, it's thanks to her that Madoka got the chance to become God and save all the magical girls. i just want her to be happy.
Nefarium Psychologica
this is the greatest Madoka Magica AMV of all time. wonderful editing. perfect lyrics. an evocative story. the song "Honeythief" by Halou immediately became my favourite love song of all time.
there are lots more Madoka AMVs that i really like, but they're not available for embedding. they're linked in the sidebar instead.
Puella Magi Museum
my favourite thing about the Madoka fandom is all the surreal artwork. i find this series in particular to be very very cool.
Videos
