best of 2011: #2
Categories: best of 2011
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Do you want to become a magical girl?
#2: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Also wins for 2011:
- Best Villain
- Most Thermodynamic
- Best Animation
- Most Likely To Be #1 On Your List (But Not Mine)
- Best Director
- Best Vocal Cast
- Best Contributing Shaft Being Shaft Moments
- blog好ã Madoka Posts
I feel like Madoka is the pinnacle of Shaft. It brings together everything Shaft does into one nice package: Shaft being Shaft (used awesomely too) for the witches, ridiculous architecture (Negima/Monogatari), despair (Zetsubou Sensei), and highschool girls doing highschool girl things (Hidamari Sketch). It is only missing Shaft-styled fanservice and toothbrushing (ok not fair since that’s a 2012 development). There’s a lot that I can talk about this show, but I’ll just focus on three things.
One, Shinbo, Shaft, and Urobuchi fucking revitalized the magical girl genre. Madoka took a genre as old, stale, and predictable as magical girls and pumped it full of heroin and Viagra. It brought a fresh new take to the genre yet didn’t stray too far from the genre’s core: cute magical girls fueled by hope and love. The most amazing part? It’s actually the second time Akiyuki Shinbo revolutionized this genre with a little show called Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha being his last project before he joined Shaft.
Two, the visual style is incredible. Using typical Shaft being Shaft visual elements to denote witches and the witch world… such synergy… like peanut butter and jelly or Batman and Robin or hot springs and cold milk coffee or meido and melonpan or Rocksteady and Bebop. The character and costume designs were also top notch. The flashy battles did not disappoint, and Mami’s Unlimited Flintlock Works kept her ahead of the baddies. The weird architecture that I still do not understand. Who the hell has a bathroom that’s transparent?! Who?!
Lastly, Madoka has such a great villain in Kyubey. On quick glance, he’s no different than any other magical girl familiar like Cerberus, Luna, or Yuno. Then we find out that he’s just preying on the girl’s hopes and turning those hopes into despair. He’s an evil genius for turning emotionally stable girls into thermodynamic batteries. Finally, we realize he’s not so much a villain– namely no more so than any of us driving polluting SUVs to work, cutting down trees for lumber, or razing rainforests for growing cocaine. He is just a salaryman, and the situation reminded me a lot of this Calvin and Hobbes comic.
13 Responses to “best of 2011: #2”
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Hmm, since this is your #2, I’m guessing that your #1 has a mad scientist in it. Tu~tu~ruuu!
EHHHH!!!!!???? For sure I thought Madoka will be your #1 for 2011.
Oh well, truly a ‘Most Likely To Be #1 On Your List (But Not Mine)’, aye?
It’s hilarious, in my best five for that year madoka also capped at #2. Honestly it wasn’t a match for my #1….el psy congroo!!
“He’s an evil genius for turning emotionally stable girls into thermodynamic batteries. ”
You mean, “emotionally UNstable girls” right?
Alright, I’m sure I will receive a lot of artillery rounds for this, but… this show is the pinnacle of overvalue.
It’s new for the magical girls to be darker? No. Uta-Kata did the same not so long ago, but was overwhelmed by Nanoha.
Better visuals? Once again, Uta-Kata (based Keiji Gotoh and Megumi Kadonosono) with better magic girls looking like magic girls with a wardrobe that put Card Captor Sakura’s Tomoyo to shame (although thanks to various designers), and not resorting to Utena-esque animation.
Madoka is Shinji Ikari reversed. Period.
The ending? Stolen from RahXephon, but Ayato did way better than Madoka. And even then, she condemned Homura to live as the magic girl she was to be, even though she hated it. Some friend…
Only Kyubey as the Villian of the Year saves this.
This series is like a muscle car: Way too ruckus, but at the end of the day, you’ll look for something Euriopean or Japanese.
And in a surprise upset that upset Steins:Gate off the top 9 it’s oh geass no… Guilty Crown!
<– stupid
I’m shocked, given how much you’ve mentioned it in the last year – but I approve!
In before linking to that pic Jason already linked before.
I’ll link something else more appropriate instead :
http://danbooru.donmai.us/post.....r-heresy-h
As for the rest, SeedStriker, I don’t see how Madoka could’ve saved Homura with a wish.. so she tried to save her from Witchhood instead. Which didn’t quite work, if the Kazemi Magica manga is anything to go by.
Just as planned.
EPIC madoka is epic.
I can see why this show isn’t # 1 for you, but for me works perfectly well as the best show of 2011. Shinbo once again slap us in the face with this new intake of the magical girl genre. A good friend of mine gave me the tip to see Madoka and I’m grateful for that. Man, just because English dub is crap, I was tempted to get the BD version when I was in LA last month.
SHAFT being SHAFT was awesome.
I give madoka a maximum grade for 2011, it was a great experience from start to finish. I must add the soundtrack to things done well by shaft here. Its pretty good, I listen to it from time to time even now.
Ahead of the baddies…that’s just cruel, but nice work. I definitely give it credit for breathing new life into a tired genre.