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In my first preview two weeks' ago Madoka's journey had just started. Now I can confirm that I consider Puella Magi a masterpiece. The story has a depth that few anime achieve. Ultimately, to me, it is a story of good and evil -and how trying to do good can cause untold evil.
It is also a Faust-type story, whose main character is arguably not Madoka, but a white-furred creature called Kyubey, just as many would consider Mephistopheles more important than Faust or Lucifer the real hero of Milton's Paradise Lost. Already in the first episode Kyubey was suspicious, but it quickly becomes clear that he is Mephistopheles, the great tempter - or maybe even Satan himself. Like Satan, he lies by telling the truth - I don't think there's a single instance when he does not tell the (literal) truth, but there's also hardly an utterance of his that is not destined to mislead.
Like any good devil. Kyubey inspires trust. In this plot, he may not take the shape of a poodle, but rather of a cute, cat-sized fox- or cat-like creature with big ears. However, his eternal grin and complete absence of facial movement give him away. What makes him scary is his lack of emotion, the mark of the devil.
Of course, in the logic of the story to's not literally speaking Satan - his background as "incubator" is explained by making him an alien. However, he quite directly creates good and evil in this world, and he twists good intentions to evil result.
Kyubey sets the rules of the game, in which the magical girl sign up for a lifetime of fighting against evil in exchange for being granted one wish. While scrupulous on the execution, he hides the fine print - and with it the real price to pay and the despair it will bring. In this contest it also becomes clear why he targets teenagers, who are full of optimism and willingness to change the world without necessarily yet having the life experience to suspect and to consider the consequences. Hence, the idealist Sayaka Miki is poised to be the first one to succumb, whereas the more cynic Kyoko Sakura finds it easier to resist.
The genre may require girls in the main cast, but I think that the story would have worked just as well with aspiring male teenage superheroes.
Another literary reference that comes immediately to mind is Hauff's novella "Heart of Stone" (in its German original, "Das kalte Herz"). Like Peter in Hauff's story, the girls sign away their heart / soul, but contrary to Peter, they mostly do so unwittingly (the one exception being Madoka, who in the last temporal round had largely understood the rules of Kyubey's game). As Friedmann put it in her preliminary review of 2011, if you want to become a magical girl, you better have "extensive reading of major literary works" before you sign.
Ultimately, no salvation is possible within the devil's rules - something Madoka finally grasps and hence decides to use her wish to change the rules themselves. This leads us to the much debated 12th and last episode. I won't spoil more than I've already done, but I'd maintain that some of its twists are the only possible solution to the conundrum. Madoka had to crash the cycles of the game to win and save Homura. I'm still not sure if she finally succeeded, though...
A last remark on the animation. I consider it a stroke of genius that the show contrasts the seemingly innocent, charming world of the magical girls with their big eyes and frilly dresses with the horrors of the Monty Python inspired labyrinths in which the witches reside. Made in Abyss retakes this conscious incongruity of cuteness on the surface and the dark underlying themes.
To wrap up, I won't pretend to have fully grasped Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Like any masterpieces it needs a reading and re-reading (or here watching and re-watching) to start appreciating the story more fully. So, in the weeks and months to come, expect more posts on this unique take on good and evil.
Preview of the first part of Puella Magi
Official Website of the anime (in Japanese)
Website of the anime (in the US)
"What You Need to Know To Become a Magical Girl" (preliminary review)
"Mahou Shoujo Madoka ☆ Magika Anime (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ)" (review)
P. S.: One day I hope to add a comment system to the log. Until then, pleaes feel free to share your comments on Mastodon, where you can reach me under @temperedTea@mastodon.social