Why do magical girls exist? Whose great cosmic plan involves putting preteen and teenage girls into dangerous battles against inhuman enemies for minimal gain? And why the hell are the little critters that bring the pretty transformation items so stinking cute and happy? Madoka Magica, an anime written for television by Gen Urobuchi (creator of the equally subversive Psycho-Pass), takes a rather cynical approach to the magical girl genre. Madoka is a painfully average middle school student. There is nothing special about her except her level of empathy and kindness. A new girl, Homura, transfers into the school at an odd time of year and starts a strange relationship with Madoka. Then, Madoka and her best friend Sayaka meet a cat-like creature named Kyubey who promises them one wish if they agree to fight against witches as magical girls. The dream is obviously too good to be true since every magical girl they encounter begs them to stay away.
On a purely superficial level, Madoka Magica is one of the most visually shocking series you'll find. Each witch creates a labyrinth that puts all humans nearby in danger. These labyrinths are animated in a completely different style. Some are paper cutouts. Some are pastel. Some are chalk drawings. Some are stop motion animation. The magical girls, Madoka, and Sayaka stay grounded in the reality of the typical magical girl style while fighting against enemies that literally do not belong in that environment. It's a stunning design conceit.
Then you start to get into the actual meat of the show. It's beyond subversive. The magical girl is one of the longest-running tropes of anime and manga and Gen Urobochi skewers it. There are shocking deaths without romanticizing. Characters you think will be important to the series disappear in a matter of seconds.
The threat posed by the witches goes far beyond the typical fight the enemy and save humanity style of shows like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. One particularly devious witch creates a mass suicide cult through a kiss on the neck. The victims enter an abandoned warehouse and begin to mix toxic chemicals together into a bomb.
The most unusual aspect is the competitiveness between the magical girls. It's like dogs fighting over territory. Battling witches gives the magical girls grief seeds they need to survive. The grief seeds clear their soul gems, the magical tokens that transform them for battle, and let them keep fighting. Two magical girls who get into a conflict will fight each other to the death, no matter how long it takes. There is no team of super powerful teens fighting against a common enemy in this series.
Madoka Magica is a short series, spanning only 12 episodes and one real film (the third in the series; one and two are recaps of the anime with minimal new content). It's worth watching. There is substance beyond the dismantling of every magical girl trope. The character development and world building alone make it a must-see show for fantasy and anime fans alike.