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| How the hell do I know YOU'RE not planning something?! |
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is certainly a unique show with interesting characters. Good writing, too. It's not afraid to kill off characters, as demonstrated by episode 3. Now, what I wonder is this: will another one get killed off? If so, will it be Kyubey? God, I hope so. Damn thing never stops staring at you. More importantly, can this show make a statement at the halfway point of the season? Shall we find out?
Picking up from last week, Sayaka is engaged in a fight with another Puella Magi by the name of Kyouko, with a border in place so others can't interfere. Sounds an awful lot like Touhou's Spell Card system, to be honest. But similarities to an addicting bullet-hell shooter series aren't important. What matters is that Madoka's best friend could DIE. Again. Oh, wait. Homura stepped in. Boring... So, yeah, apparently, Sayaka's not cut out to be a good Puella Magi, whatever that means. Madoka seems to be rather nosy, as she continues horning in on Sayaka's work. Consequently, Sayaka now thinks everyone's out to get her. So who better to talk to than... Madoka's mother? Because mother knows best, right? After a pep talk from mom, Madoka is ready to try and talk to Sayaka again. Sayaka's out fighting again, but there's a twist...
Another week, another drama-filled episode. But it does the drama well, and that's what's important. It's clear that this show is trying to mess with the viewer's emotions, and boy, is it ever succeeding. Great writing this week, especially with Sayaka's Soul Gem. I just wasn't sure what to think about that scene. Animation was a bit off-model, but still really good. Lastly, the plot moved a long nicely in this episode.
Only a few complaints this week. First, the conclusion to the first Kyouko-Sayaka fight was rather anti-climactic. Second, as noted above, the animation was a bit lacking, with several off-model frames, but not enough to ruin the episode. I could have done without most of the shots of Kyubey, too. Lastly, Madoka's character is shaping up to be like Shinji Ikari, in the sense that she's turning into a whiner. Every episode, there's something new to angst about. I'm not exactly a fan of Shinji, so the fact that the title character is shaping up this way is kinda irritating.
Yeah, this week was a good week, marking the halfway point of the show in fine fashion. I hope the second half was as good as the first half was. This show has a lot going for it, and I hope it can finish on a high note. I wouldn't mind seeing Madoka make a wish, though. Less Kyubey'd be nice, too.
Madoka Magica 6
Plot Advancement: 3.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Drama: 4/5
Episode Plot: 4.5/5
Animation Quality: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
I personally thought this episode was outstanding, though that was mostly based on the punch to the gut that was the final few minutes of the show. From the beginning I thought Madoka was terribly bland, but I wouldn't lump her into the Shinji category, yet. She has to run away a few times and do something morally disgusting first. >;-)
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