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REVIEW: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Vol. 2 Blu-Ray

it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful a story without having all those pieces fall into place exactly as they do, and it's a real testament to the quality of this show's writing.

Wow, I think this might've been my first time seeing an explicit spoiler warning like that in a review here on ANN...

Wait wait wait...

Animation got a B?

Every time I stop and stumble
in doubt and darkness
I close my eyes and think back to you.

We made a vow, a promise,
To carry onward,
I'll see it through.
When I was young, the sky shone clear and bright and blue,
And I smiled through every day, knowing that all my dreams would come true.

Now that I've grown, that sky fades dark and disappears
And the future I once dreamed dissolves
before my doubts and fears.

Then you came to me,
Took me by the hand,
And the strength you shared helped me to rise and stand.
Let the clocks tick by,
Let the days fade away,
'Cause I've found the path my heart will
walk today.

Now my heart's alive, and racing
Towards the future,
There's no doubt that
Could dare hold me back.

I'm gonna fly on forward into that blue sky, bound-less and bright.

I still pray and hope
That one day we'll be together
I'll fight onward
And see you again, my friend.

I won't stop until the end,
I won't give in.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KAb2c7Z-Sk

spoiler[Sayaka herself winds up being the biggest clue we have about which side of this philosophical argument the screenwriters fall on. Her tragedy is front-and-center in these episodes, and it's a powerful and fascinating piece of writing. There's a fairly big revelation about Kyubey's contract that comes about halfway through episode 6, one that sets the tone for the rest of the disc; in exchange for her wish and her status as a magical girl, Sayaka has lost her humanity. Kyubey, in typical fashion, explains this away as ruthless efficiency – separating the soul from the body is simply a way to minimize the damage to your true self in combat, and can even help you ignore the pain completely. The body is merely a vulnerable vessel – why should it matter where your soul is? It's a total existential crisis, however, and it means that Sayaka is no longer human – the one thing she sacrificed everything for, love, is totally out of her grasp now. The screenwriters don't stop there, either – the character is punished for her decision. She is literally wasting away, harboring a tainted soul, neither living nor dead but on the verge of total collapse. Sayaka's despair is so effectively portrayed it's almost tough to watch. Seeing her break down emotionally as a result of having her soul torn from its host really brings home the impact of the situation – it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful a story without having all those pieces fall into place exactly as they do, and it's a real testament to the quality of this show's writing.]

Wait wait wait...

Animation got a B?

Asterisk-CGY wrote:

Wait wait wait... Animation got a B?

I assume this is because it's TV quality animation.

ANN should really consider separate scores for animation quality and art direction.

Animation : B
Art : A

As I said in another thread, the ending of the show just did not "stick the landing" for me. Perhaps Zac will comment on that when he gets through episode 12. It was just a little bit of a let down for me, they seemed like everything was building in the right direction, innovating everything we know about magical girl shows, and then... ugh... I still loved the show but it lost some of its luster.

You know, if Zac tagged that particular section of the review as a spoiler, don't you think it's not exactly right to just quote the whole thing? Perhaps adding spoiler tags would be appropriate.

And after such a cliffhanger where Kyubey reveals the identity of the witches (among other things being revealed),