Some of the biggest and greatest anime of all time are found on Crunchyroll. While many of these massively influential anime, such as Dragon Ball Z and One Piece, are absolute beasts in terms of length, a few are short enough to binge over a weekend.
One of Crunchyroll’s best shorter anime is undeniably 2011’s Madoka Magica, and 15 years after it originally aired, the series just keeps getting better and better.
Madoka Magica Hit The Anime Industry Like a Comet When It Premiered In 2011
Madoka Magica was nothing short of a revelation when it released in 2011. One of the greatest magical girl anime of all time, Madoka essentially does for that genre what Neon Genesis Evangelion did for the mech genre.
The series follows a young woman named Madoka who, along with her friend Sayaka, is pulled into a conflict between magical girls and witches. Far from simply being evil women, the witches are these eldritch monstrosities whose presence warps reality itself, leading to wild shifts in animation style.
The anime proved hugely influential, and while it wasn’t the first dark magical girl anime, it is undeniably the biggest. In the wake of Madoka, a handful of other dark magical girl series have risen, such as Magical Girl Raising Project and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero.
Madoka Just Keeps Getting Better Year After Year
Puella-Magi-Madoka-Magica-Eternal-Visual
While the Madoka franchise continues to this day with a new movie on the horizon, the original anime series still holds up incredibly well and is actually better now than it was upon release in many ways.
Though many anime series have tried to replicate Madoka’s many dark twists, few have done it better. What’s so remarkable about the twists and turns Madoka takes, however, is that knowing them ahead of time only enhances the experience of watching the series.
The series is written in such a way that every plot development feels inevitable in retrospect
Madoka Magica is an incredibly solid rewatch, as the series is written in such a way that every plot development feels inevitable in retrospect. This all adds to the tragedy of the series and its characters, meaning the finale hits like a truck no matter how many times fans rewatch it.
While many of the franchise followups such as the movie series and the spin-off anime Magia Record, fail to live up to the original, that does nothing to diminish the power or impact of the original. At just 12 episodes, Madoka Magica is a short series that every Crunchyroll user should watch at least once.
Release Date
2011 – 2011
Directors
Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto
Writers
Gen Urobuchi
Dining and Cooking