Puella Magi Madoka Magica

A 2011 Japanese animated television series in which schoolgirls make contracts to become magical girls and fight witches. Its dark fantasy reframes the costs and conventions of the magical-girl genre.

Connect

Kyubey: An extraterrestrial incubator who offers girls contracts to become magical girls in exchange for one wish. Kyubey’s contract offers drive the plot while concealing the system’s true costs.
Gen Urobuchi: A Japanese writer known for dark, morally complex stories, including the screenplay for Madoka Magica. Urobuchi wrote the series’ scripts and shaped its tragic contract narrative.
Madoka Kaname: The kind-hearted central character of Madoka Magica, whose wish reshapes the fate of magical girls. Her eventual choice determines the series’ resolution and cosmic transformation.
Sailor Moon: A Japanese magical-girl franchise about teenage heroines who transform to protect Earth and one another. Its team-based heroism provides a prominent backdrop for Madoka Magica’s darker genre expectations.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion: A 2013 animated film sequel that continues the television series’ story. Rebellion complicates the television ending through Homura’s consequential choice.
Soul Gem: A gem that houses a magical girl’s soul and serves as the focus of her powers. Soul Gems reveal that becoming a magical girl changes the contract’s stakes literally.
Akiyuki Shinbo: A Japanese anime director known for stylized editing and distinctive visual composition. Shinbo directed the series and helped establish its striking visual language.
Homura Akemi: A magical girl who repeatedly travels through time in an effort to save Madoka. Her hidden history turns the opening conflict into a story of repetition and devotion.
Cardcaptor Sakura: A manga and anime series about a girl who collects magical cards and protects her community. Its youthful magical adventure contrasts with the costs imposed on Madoka Magica’s heroines.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Beginnings: A 2012 film that retells the first half of the television series. This compilation film brought the television story to cinemas in a condensed form.