Magical girl anime has always depicted young girls being granted incredible powers in order to save the world. The stories often have romance sprinkled through and animal side-quirks that accompany the main protagonist. Puella Magi Madoka Magicka has all of this and uses it in some of the most interesting days to date.

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In many ways, the anime defined the whole genre and helped bring to life a darker side of the magical girl genre. The anime also helped to breathe new life into the genre, which had started to lose steam against the more modern string of series. Below are the ways that the anime deconstructed the genre, and five ways that it also saved it.

10 DECONSTRUCTED THE GENRE: Kyubey

Kyubey madoka magica

Kyubey is the perfect picture of a cute anime sidekick. He looks like a cross between a fox and a Persian cat, which instantly pulled fans in, making them think he was a cute and innocent sidekick.

A few episodes into the series, though, fans learn they Kyubey isn't all that he seems and is actually the overall antagonist. Kyubey is only there to sacrifice the girls for the sake of keeping an oppressive universal system in place and has no interest in their well-being whatsoever.

9 SAVED THE GENRE: No Monster of The Week

Previous magical girl shows had tons of episodes that mostly revolved around a monster of the week type of plot. Instead of only springing in bits of story throughout the non-stop onslaught of monsters (more on those later), Madoka jumps straight to the point.

There is no filler arc or beach episode to distract viewers from the central story. This is a breath of fresh air compared to shows like Shugo Chara that take several seasons to tell the story.

8 DECONSTRUCTED THE GENRE: Soul Gems

Souls Gems are the broaches of the show. They are the object that Kyubey gives to the girls so that they can easily transform. The trick here is that the Soul Gems are created by ripping the soul out of the young girls themselves.

Soul Gems also have to stay near the girl or her psychical body will start to die. These gems are a far cry from the pretty jewelry and pens the genre is used to, giving these fancy pieces of jewelry more meaning than a regular magical girl show would.

7 SAVED THE GENRE: Fewer Transformations

Madoka looking happy in Puella Magi Madoka Magica

One thing that was great at first but soon became filler in every magical girl anime were the transformation sequences. Every episode, the same transformations would play out for each of the characters. While a single character could use up around 30 seconds to transform, it could take around two minutes for a whole team to change into their magical girl forms.

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Madoka only had a few transformations throughout the show, and they were all quick. That, and as the show's truths became apparent, the transformation sequences wouldn't have just clashed with the darker themes but they would have also distracted viewers from what was really going on.

6 DECONSTRUCTED THE GENRE: The Magical Girls Get Real Weapons

Madoka Magica Sayaka

Another big change was the weapons that are used in the show. Instead of using magical rods, the show gave the girls actual weapons to use.

Cases in point: Madoka has a bow, Sayaka has a sword, Kyoko uses a spear, and both Mami and Homura have actual guns. There are even explosives like grenades used in some of the fights. This is a far cry from the cute everyday items used by other girls from the same genre.

5 SAVED THE GENRE: The Show's Short Length

Puella Magi Madoka Magica only ran for twelve episodes, with a companion film that came shortly after a pair of recap movies. Most shows from the genre would run for around fifty plus episodes at the least, making it one of the shortest series out there.

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All the story was perfectly packed into these twelve episodes, and fans felt that the series ended perfectly. This opened the way for shorter magical girl series to start airing more frequently.

4 DECONSTRUCTED THE GENRE: Darker & More Realistic Characters

madoka succumbing to despair

Instead of being boy-crazy girls that are secretly royalty or that embody everything cute about anime, Madoka's girls are all regular people.

There are no secret princesses and at first, almost all the girls where of the same power level. This only changed due to Homura's wish to save Madoka. The characters are also incredibly flawed. Just take Sayaka as an example, who became a witch because of her want for love.

3 SAVED THE GENRE: Interesting Twists

Thankfully, these flawed characters make for a ton of interesting choices and twists. If Homura wasn't so obsessive, the series wouldn't have gone on for as long. If Mami wasn't so confident, then she wouldn't have been eaten by Charolette.

These flaws help to give the show many interesting twists that make viewers want to keep watching. While other shows had some twists, many could have been seen coming. The same can't be said for Madoka.

2 DECONSTRUCTED THE GENRE: Time Travel

While time travel is seen in shows like Sailor Moon, it plays a less important role in the show after season two. In contrast, time travel is the main driving force between the events of Madoka.

Homura's wish to protect Madoka allows her to travel back through time every time that Madoka is killed. This allows for multiple timelines to be formed, allowing Madoka to become a god.

1 SAVED THE GENRE: The Witches

One thing from Madoka that helped change the genre is by introducing a frightening enemy in the witches. Despite what Kyubey said, witches aren't like the disposable monsters that crop up weekly in other magical girl anime. Instead, the witches are the remnants of magical girls that have been corrupted and they must be disposed by their fellow magical girls.

The witches are one of the biggest points of the story, especially since their reality unhinges any magical girl who learns about the truth. These are truly twisted antagonists that help give a new, tragic tone to the usual enemies that magical girls fight on a daily basis.

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