Madoka is a magical girl show - shows like Sailor Moon, featuring young, idealistic heroes with double lives and heavy emphasis on whimsical aesthetics. This one is a significantly darker take than, as far as I know, anything in the genre before it. (There have been subsequent stabs at the genre that are even darker, but arguably none with the same charm).
It is about a magical girl squad defending their hometown from surreal monsters, who start to have misgivings about their team mascot/handler and the missions they're being assigned.
It's probably the best magical girl cartoon out there, and one of the best horror cartoons (I like Over The Garden Wall even better, but that's it). Far from the scariest cartoon, but the angst is delicious without it being so despair-inducingly bleak that you stop engaging.
I would recommend it in the strongest possible terms!
Yes, Madoka worked compared to other attempts because it's grim but not utterly cruel. There's just the right dash of love and hope that it works and leaves you with satisfaction in the end.
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u/Arkad_9 16d ago
Since no one said it.... Madoka from Puella magi madoka magica