Amazing show. Takes the whole concept of "magical girl" shows and throws it out the window. Very dark and emotional concepts thrown into a beautiful looking world with great characters. This is a must watch.

Even after hearing so many good things about this, I was still skeptical going into it. However, it turned out to be really good! Oddly enough, I think this is one of the few anime series where the beginning and end were weaker than the middle. The middle just has so much mystery and intrigue going for it that it surpasses the deceptive beginning and also the ending which was good but felt just a tiny bit contrived. Not sure I'll move on to watching any of the sequels for this. It's just such a well done self-contained story that I feel like any sequel is just going to feel like a cash-in. Anyway, definitely recommended viewing for this one.

This anime takes the "just gals being pals" thing to the next level

This anime was not what I was expecting and I think a big part of watching Madoka Magica is actually not knowing much about it in the first place. It is a well known and widely acclaimed show and it deserves the praise it gets. I'm not going to elevate this to the masterpiece status as many do because it does have its flaws, but it is a singular show that runs away from the traditional magical girl concept. This is not for kids! Some bits of it are shocking and disturbing. I started watching this already knowing it was going to turn somewhat dark and it still caught me by surprise. Animation is well done but sometimes it just gets plain weird. In the end, I don't see it as a bad thing, the fact that it was so different from what I am used to see grabbed my interest. With the right expectations, it will be an enjoyable experience, although I reckon it is not for everyone.