Released in 2011, Puella Magi Madoka Magica turned the magical girl genre on its head. A complete commercial success that showed a unique take on the subgenre, Madoka Magica is an anime that is not only an impressive watch the first time around but also continues to grow and reveal its nuances as viewers rewatch.
Rewatching Madoka Magica, however, comes with its own set of negatives. Although there's a lot of foreshadowing and hinting that can't be caught on the first watch, those same story devices cause an influx of dread in viewers who knows what's coming next.
10 The Slow Start
The thematic twist in Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn't apparent until the third episode of the series, which means that there are two whole episodes of waiting with bated breath for those who know what's coming. One of the best things about Madoka Magica is the unexpected direction it takes, but the first two episodes are much more simple and slow-paced.
Because of this, getting through the start of a rewatch can be something of a chore. Not only is there a lot of anticipation, but for those who generally aren't as interested in more typical magical girl anime, the stereotypical start of Madoka Magica needs a bit of patience to get through.
9 Nobody Listening To Homura
Ultimately, the seemingly antagonistic Homura Akemi was actually trying to spare them all—especially Madoka—from a life of pain and suffering at the hands of Kyubey and the incubators. Homura had lived through this scenario so many times by the time the audience meets her that she's become cold, difficult to get along with, and abrasive.
Her personality helps audiences understand why the girls didn't trust her, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when viewers already know that Homura is right. She's right to attack Kyubey, she's right to tell Mami not to turn Madoka into a magical girl, and she's right to keep her distance—it's just a shame nobody else knows that yet.
8 The Constant Dread
Known for its emotionally devastating ending and life-pondering questions throughout, a Madoka Magica rewatch is not for the faint of heart. Knowing what comes next and knowing at which points all of the leads die isn't reassuring whatsoever—in fact, it possibly makes it even worse.
On every rewatch viewers get more and more attached to their favorite characters despite their grisly fates. While Madoka does succeed in saving them all besides herself, there's still the dread of knowing they have to suffer so much beforehand.
7 Sayaka's Descent Into Despair
One of the most devastating moments in the series is when Sayaka, who became a magical girl to save the life of a boy she loved, succumbs to despair after realizing she won't ever be with him. What makes the situation even more heartbreaking is that nobody is truly in the wrong, leaving nobody for Sayaka to blame.
After watching the upbeat and energetic Sayaka spend her whole arc selflessly fighting for others, it never gets any easier to watch her transform into a witch. The arc gets worse when Kyoko, another one of the magical girls, sacrifices her own life to end Sayaka's suffering and make sure she isn't alone when she dies.
6 All The (Unknowingly) Awful Decisions
Although it is heavily hinted that making a contract with Kyubey isn't as simple as it seems, it's not revealed until very late in the series just why it's so terrible. By then, viewers have already suffered through a whole litany of terrible, wish-related decisions that they're practically screaming at the characters not to do.
The hardest moment is when Mami's cockiness in the face of the witch Charlotte ends up getting her killed. The first time audiences watch Mami's death it's completely unexpected in an almost jump scare kind of way, but the second time, they're fully aware of the horror the girls are about to face and frustrated that Mami let her guard down so easily.
5 Rewatching The Deaths
A rewatch of any anime is difficult when having to accept and rewatch the deaths of beloved characters, but in Madoka Magica, rewatching these deaths is particularly brutal. Absolutely none of the girls get an easy exit, specifically to show audiences just how cruel Kyubey's race is.
The aforementioned deaths of Mami, Sayaka, and Kyoko are all gut-wrenching, emotional set-pieces that leave viewers feeling sick to their stomachs, but it's saying goodbye to Madoka at the very end that truly twists the knife.
4 Getting Attached To Madoka All Over Again
Madoka is the pink-haired, soft-spoken, sweet as sugar protagonist of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and she's carefully designed and written to tug on the heartstrings of audiences worldwide. She's selfless, generous, and brave, but still displays the naivete of a fourteen-year-old girl. All of these things make the climax of the anime series one that viewers won't soon forget.
Madoka, in her final act of kindness, chooses to use her wish to end the suffering of magical girls forever by erasing all witches. This paradoxical wish causes her to ascend to godhood, erasing her existence in the mortal realm and causing everyone but Homura to forget her. It's an unfair yet somehow appropriate end for the sweetest character, and it gets more difficult to watch each time.
3 Watching How The Other Girls Treat Homura
Due to Homura's existence as a time traveler and the only one who knows the truth, she's painted as the villain through the eyes of the other girls. While some, like Madoka, try their best to understand Homura and her intentions, the other girls villainize her at one point or another.
Sayaka, in particular, isn't very understanding when it comes to Homura and her strange personality. While her attitude is understandable, it makes it difficult to watch the episodes and see how outcasted Homura is despite trying to save them all. Not only that, the girls often purposefully ruin her plans, which becomes more frustrating as time goes on.
2 Seeing The Kyubey Twist Coming
The series' biggest twist is revealed when Kyubey is uncovered as the real antagonist, giving the girls their magical girl abilities solely to harvest their grief seeds when they eventually evolve into witches. This twist rocks the entire foundation of the anime, corrupting being a magical girl into something manipulative and wrong.
The one major disappointment with a rewatch is knowing that Kyubey is the bad guy all along. That moment of shock and fear the audience feels can't be recreated the second time around, though that energy can instead be put into the joy of knowing Kyubey doesn't succeed in the end anyway.
1 Knowing How It All Ends
The ending of the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica series sees Madoka's selfless sacrifice restore the world to its former order. Her deceased friends come back to life since they never died at the hands of the witches. Homura is the only one who remembers her and she vows to find a way to save her, too, so Madoka can live a life of peace.
Knowing how something ends automatically reduces the impact of a story, but knowing Madoka's fate adds a bittersweet tone to the entirety of Madoka Magica. The viewers know all these girls will survive except for one—the one who, arguably, deserved to survive the most.