This is not your little sister’s magical girl anime.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica can also be called Magical Girls on Acid. It is also a dark, depressing anime. And that’s how I often like them. Main characters meet violent deaths. One actually has a mental breakdown. There is a cute magical cat, but he’s a bit of a bastard with no conscience. (Despite the high pitched voice, I think he’s a he.) The overall angst is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Madoka and Sayaka are close friends who get an offer to become magical girls. They only have to have a wish granted to make their contract complete. After that, it is fighting witches. Unable to decide, they come under the wing of another magical girl named Mami. But two others, Homura and Koyoko separately want to thwart those plans.

There are several plot twists, and ulterior motives which drive the characters. The voice acting in the English dub is so strong that the anguish of the characters comes through clearly.

The characters are also well developed. Madoka, who as the main character has the greatest magical girl potential, is an innocent who is driven by her concern for others. Homura is cold and heartless, though this mask hides her true self. Kyubey, the magic cat, acts so sweet and friendly, even as he manipulates the characters for his own end. This makes him seem even more despicable.

Much of the animation is great, though there are periods when the animators obviously fell back and did it on the cheap. But that is standard procedure for anime series, which do not have the resources of an anime film.

The artwork is suburb, especially the battle scenes within the witches’ labyrinths. This is where my acid trip comment above comes into play. These scenes are designed and drawn very much in the psychedelic style of the late 1960’s and 1970’s. This is an unnatural alteration of reality, and so too apparently is the magical girl.

The series from 2011 is only one season long. But it packs enough of a wallop for multiple seasons. The ending is bittersweet, but strong. Although at the time there were no plans for a season 2, there are three subsequent movies which somehow sprang from the series. I haven’t watched those yet, but eventually will. Looking up a few things on-line, apparently after movie 3, talk began about a second season. I hope none of this spoils the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s perfect ending, though I have my concerns.

There is a small bit of non-sexual nudity, and one episode has some profanity. Other than that, don’t let the magical girl concept fool you. This is some pretty emotionally heavy material, and not for young kids. Everyone else? Enjoy.