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I can't even recall the last time that I finished an anime, but I'm guessing that it must have been years ago. The one that comes to mind is Deadman Wonderland--another short series--but I can't even remember. I checked MyAnimeList, but I never even updated that to show that I finished FMA: Brotherhood. D: I don't think Durara is even on there!
At any rate, I spent the last two days binging Madoka Magica. That's not saying much because it's only twelve half-hour episodes long. However, that was just the right length to encourage me to scarf it up like dark magical girl candy. I finished it late last night and immediately hopped over to TV Tropes to see what others had thought. Naturally, I have some thoughts I'd like to share.
I came into this series knowing that it was a darker and edgier version of the magical girl anime, so I was actually expecting it to be a bit darker and wasn't surprised when Mami died. I think I knew someone was going to die early on (or at least that there would be a dark twist that changes everything), but I wasn't sure who. I probably read specific spoilers for this series, but by the time I finally got around to watching it, I couldn't really remember any of them. Well, I did know that Kyubey wasn't to be trusted, but I didn't know *why*. I actually quite like his character. I love alien creatures who are puzzled by human morality. I don't necessarily agree with Kyubey's way of going about it, but I think the goal of sustaining the universe and fighting entropy is a noble one. In comparison, single human lives don't seem so important, so I can't hate Kyuubei for what he did. It's pragmatic. I still feel for the girls whose lives he destroyed, though. I find the idea that humans would probably still be living naked in caves without the Incubator's intervention to be both creepy and fascinating. Ancient aliens, ftw!
Of course, my favorite character is Homura. <333 I don't know how you could go through that entire series without loving her, but I loved her as soon as she appeared as the aloof and mysterious transfer student. I was just waiting for those hidden depths to be revealed, and they were even better than I expected. I love how she slowly grows into her name. Madoka mentions that it means fire when they first meet, but Homura doesn't believe it suits her. Yet, as she is forced to watch her friends die, her fiery passion to protect Madoka emerges. She slowly begins to live up to that name more and more as she goes back and repeats the time loops all for Madoka's sake.
I can totally see Homura/Madoka and was surprised by how shippy it was in the series. Some may say that Homura may be a little too creepy and obsessive towards Madoka, but I didn't really see it that way. In fact, it doesn't even bother me that much if I do look at it that way. Hell, I was an avid Erik/Christine shipper back in my Phantom of the Opera phase, so that says something. I like exploring relationships in fiction that may be a little unhealthy or obsessive. Still, I really admire Homura for her strength and devotion even after all the crap she had to go through. That's probably my favorite ship, but I am also totally on board with Kyoko/Sayaka. Yeah, this is a really slashy series. It's all subtext, but I don't know how anyone could ignore the possibility.
I loved all of the references to Faust! Apparently, they even have some German text from Goethe's Faust in some scenes. It makes me want to read Goethe's Faust like I was planning to do last year. Overall, I was expecting a downer ending, but the ending we got was beautiful and inspiring.
Was it worth the hype? Yes, I think so, and I am glad to finally know what everyone was talking about. It only took me five years to do so, but I'm just happy to be watching anime again. When I have more time, I want to read fic for this. I feel like I could have more to say if I think about it more. I have the movies to watch as well.
At any rate, I spent the last two days binging Madoka Magica. That's not saying much because it's only twelve half-hour episodes long. However, that was just the right length to encourage me to scarf it up like dark magical girl candy. I finished it late last night and immediately hopped over to TV Tropes to see what others had thought. Naturally, I have some thoughts I'd like to share.
I came into this series knowing that it was a darker and edgier version of the magical girl anime, so I was actually expecting it to be a bit darker and wasn't surprised when Mami died. I think I knew someone was going to die early on (or at least that there would be a dark twist that changes everything), but I wasn't sure who. I probably read specific spoilers for this series, but by the time I finally got around to watching it, I couldn't really remember any of them. Well, I did know that Kyubey wasn't to be trusted, but I didn't know *why*. I actually quite like his character. I love alien creatures who are puzzled by human morality. I don't necessarily agree with Kyubey's way of going about it, but I think the goal of sustaining the universe and fighting entropy is a noble one. In comparison, single human lives don't seem so important, so I can't hate Kyuubei for what he did. It's pragmatic. I still feel for the girls whose lives he destroyed, though. I find the idea that humans would probably still be living naked in caves without the Incubator's intervention to be both creepy and fascinating. Ancient aliens, ftw!
Of course, my favorite character is Homura. <333 I don't know how you could go through that entire series without loving her, but I loved her as soon as she appeared as the aloof and mysterious transfer student. I was just waiting for those hidden depths to be revealed, and they were even better than I expected. I love how she slowly grows into her name. Madoka mentions that it means fire when they first meet, but Homura doesn't believe it suits her. Yet, as she is forced to watch her friends die, her fiery passion to protect Madoka emerges. She slowly begins to live up to that name more and more as she goes back and repeats the time loops all for Madoka's sake.
I can totally see Homura/Madoka and was surprised by how shippy it was in the series. Some may say that Homura may be a little too creepy and obsessive towards Madoka, but I didn't really see it that way. In fact, it doesn't even bother me that much if I do look at it that way. Hell, I was an avid Erik/Christine shipper back in my Phantom of the Opera phase, so that says something. I like exploring relationships in fiction that may be a little unhealthy or obsessive. Still, I really admire Homura for her strength and devotion even after all the crap she had to go through. That's probably my favorite ship, but I am also totally on board with Kyoko/Sayaka. Yeah, this is a really slashy series. It's all subtext, but I don't know how anyone could ignore the possibility.
I loved all of the references to Faust! Apparently, they even have some German text from Goethe's Faust in some scenes. It makes me want to read Goethe's Faust like I was planning to do last year. Overall, I was expecting a downer ending, but the ending we got was beautiful and inspiring.
Was it worth the hype? Yes, I think so, and I am glad to finally know what everyone was talking about. It only took me five years to do so, but I'm just happy to be watching anime again. When I have more time, I want to read fic for this. I feel like I could have more to say if I think about it more. I have the movies to watch as well.
