Forum - View topicPuella Magi Madoka Magica (TV + movies).
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Genten
 Posts: 71 Location: A Mitten (Michigan) |
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Being a fan of magical girl series in general and a lover of Hidemari Sketch was looking foreward to this series. The only thing that hindered my excitement was Akiyuki Shinbo directing it because I'm not really a fan of his work. But I was pleasently surprised by this series.
I'll start with the art, undoubtedly my favorite part of the anime. It's adorable without being too obtrusive and sketchy without clashing with the background. The light, pastel colors and simple line art really fit the tone of this show: not only does it fit the more lighthearted scenes of the anime but makes the darker scenes more surprising and effective (the same effect that Higurashi has). The music was great, especially during the opening and spoiler[the blond girl attacking those mustached cotton balls]. It really gave a dramatic and eerie tone to the anime. Other than that the rest of the track was typical slice of life (or so it seemed to me) although that's not a bad thing. I just like the BGM with singing in it and am more likely to pay attention to it than the more instrumental music. I really liked the opening few minutes of the show. Although spoiler[Homura's true intentions are cloudy right now (I think of her as a 'dark magical girl')] it's clear from the opener that we will sympathize with her eventually (or at least Madoka will). Plus, I'm more fond of her design than the blond girl who showed up. One of my favorite parts of this episode was actually right after the OP, when Madoka's family is getting ready for their day. You rarely ever see scenes like this even in slice of life anime and I thought it was very interesting to see the most mundane actions of getting ready animated very smoothly (I especially liked when Madoka and her mom both gargled and spit out the water at the same time). I know it's strange that this is my favorite part but it's so rare to see something like this that it sticks out. Another thing I'm fond of is the futuristic setting. It's very, well, high tech, what with the walls of most of the buildings made almost exclusively out of glass (the one's in Madoka's house must be one way or the people of the future just don't care about those observing them). Actually, the fact that there are glass walls everywhere brought up a question in my mind: is the world of MSMM run by a dictatorship? Hear me out. There are no solid walls. Everything is covered by huge windows. This suggests that solid materials such as drywall and concrete are not viable. Which, if you think about the dangers of having glass as a main building materials, would mean that someone doesn't want solid materials. It would make observation of people much easier. Yes, I know it's a stretch but this isn't an average magical girl anime (it's much darker, for one thing) so, I don't know, maybe. . . Getting off that train of thought, I liked how the ending credits were superimposed over the animation, so they could continue the story that would otherwise be cut short by ending credits. I'm looking forward to the next episode, even if there isn't much to go on from the 'preview'. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15495 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Take note that this is being done by SHAFT with Shinbo involved, what we see may not be what is really there, they night add certain things to try and convey the mood of the scene. Actually it would seem that they are doing a lot of changing the enviroment to convey mood, notice how when the three girl were walking it was a very laid back setting, but when they pointed out they were in public the setting switched to a very public setting. I mean if you have seen Bakemonogatari you should be aware of these strange symbolic cuts. There are other things too, like the bathroom had very peacefull looking trees, when the mother left the house you saw a picture change in the background indicating a change in mood. Though it is kind of hard to see what might be real and what is symbolic, I assume they have a smartboard at the school, but do they really have glass class rooms. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4614 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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So, these references came to mind. Nanoha characters drawn like they're from Hidamari Sketch, wandering into Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol.
I'm intrigued. |
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Bento-Box
 Posts: 1049 Location: Florida |
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Add Card Captor Sakura to that list as well. I haven't seen a lot of "magical girl shows" even though I love them... but it seems like this series may be paying homage or even parodying it's predecessors in the genre. I, too, think this is interesting. |
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garfield15
 Posts: 1517 |
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Why the hell does this fit so perfectly?
http://tubedubber.com/#CSJ5KWm04Eg:qXoIEDYCF-A:0:100:0:0:true |
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dragoneyes001
 Posts: 873 |
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lets see where it goes since it could aim at an older audience the mascot was being slammed pretty good and the hallucinogenic magical world scenes don't fit the typical alternate world this genre would have. I do like the small details like the flowers popping up at footsteps of the good magical girl ...etc...
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I agree with all of this, and so thank you for saving me the hassle of writing it all out. But yeah, I wasn't even going to watch the first episode of this, but strong buzz and the show's director had piqued my interest. I'm really glad I checked it out, and will watch the next two episodes before deciding whether or not I should stick with it till the end. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23833 |
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So exactly how many tabs of acid do the visual designers of this show take before they start working?
Well, it all looks very cool to me. I don't really watch "magical girl" shows, but this one seems atypical of what I understand the genre to be. Somehow, I don't think Madoka is going to be wielding one of those wand/scepters with a heart icon on top... |
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asimpson2006
 Posts: 3151 Location: USA |
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Well I got done watch the first episode a few hours ago and well I think it could be the best show of the season if everything is done correctly. Visually I think this could be the best looking show of the season. Sure the plot is fairly standard MG stuff, but I didn't feel so bored watching it, nor upset that it follows the standard MG plot stuff.
I'm going to follow this one all the way through. |
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Hikikomori Safari
 Posts: 44 Location: Calgary |
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This was interesting, A good start to something that could be great. It's hard to tell if they are going to follow the same magic girl formula or actually take it somewhere much darker at this point. I'll be watching the next few episodes to see where this is actually going.
Also During the wondrous scene of the "witches" power, deep down inside I was hoping the monty python god foot would come down and crush them all. Alas it wasn't to be. |
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dirkusbirkus
 Posts: 699 Location: Manchester, UK |
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Just compared the first episode of Madoka vs the first episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha... Whilst Madoka obviously has the superior visuals and production (But only in terms of what studios are capable of today, Nanoha was great for the time it was made), there are glaring similarities in the storyline... So much so, I found myself questioning whether this was a remake.
Not that it's a bad thing, per sé... Nanoha was all kinds of awesome and I'd love to see a more modern reinterpretation. I'll definitely continue to watch this one based on what we've seen so far, the visuals really are something else. I like that it seems to have a dark underbelly just beneath the surface as well. So far, so good. |
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killmyself
 Posts: 168 |
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I really wish SHAFT was doing something I like and making it highly enjoyable again instead of taking something I don't like at all (magic girl anime) and making it tolerable. Really just seems like a waste of their talents since all they are doing is upgrading a tired story archetype with slick visuals and possibly a tiny bit more attitude than usual.
I'm probably going to end up watching the entire season because of how weak the lineups are this winter. Musuko is really the only new show I am looking forward to. The show is tolerable time wasting anime. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7985 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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The same number of licks that it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.....the world may never know. |
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OtakuExile
 Posts: 202 Location: Neo Vegas |
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Wow, hey! I'm not fast forwarding though Madoka, like so many titles that have come out recently. I wasn't bored either, very rare since I've seen a ton of anime. Episode 2 can't get here quick enough.
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vastoceans
 Posts: 107 |
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I'll be straight up; I am a total SHAFT fanboy these past few years and will probably be in here gushing every week. Madoka's second episode managed to one-up the first for me. Eye candy. Ear candy. Dialogue heavy. Sense of foreboding and mystery. Cutest damn magical girl since Sakura. Must learn more about Homura! Glad it's not going fluffy-mode yet in the fact that spoiler[Mami openly mentions suicides, murders and malevolence.]
The only thing even remotely off-putting for me at this point is the design of the spoiler[witch] in this episode and possibly episodes to come. I love the otherworldly backgrounds but the aforementioned design choice itself seemed to weigh the battle scene down a bit. On the other hand, I guess it meshes with the backgrounds and is a better fit than just another spoiler[moe broom-riding or busty goth witch out to take over the world (which was quite honestly my first thought when I heard "witch").] Madoka retains my #1 spot this week. |
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