Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ, Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika, "Magical Girl Madoka Magica") is a Japanese anime television series produced by Shaft and Aniplex. It was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and written by Gen Urobuchi, with original character designs by Ume Aoki, character design adaptation by Takahiro Kishida, and music by Yuki Kajiura. The story follows a group of female middle school students who choose to become magical girls and must battle surreal enemies called witches. However, they consequently learn of the anguish and perils associated with their newfound roles.

The first ten episodes of the series aired in Japan on TBS and MBS between January and March 2011, while the final two episodes were delayed until April 2011 due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A manga adaptation of the series and various spin-off manga series have been published by Houbunsha and licensed in North America by Yen Press. A novelisation by Nitroplus was released in August 2011, and a dedicated magazine, Manga Time Kirara Magica, was launched by Houbunsha in June 2012. A video game for the PlayStation Portable was released in March 2012, with another for PlayStation Vita released in December 2013. A film series has also been produced, consisting of two films recapping the anime series, released in October 2012, and a third film featuring an original story which was released on October 26, 2013. A concept film acting as a trailer for a new project was screened in December 2015.

Magical girl

Magical girls (魔法少女, mahō shōjo, also known as mahou shoujo or majokko) is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga which feature girls who use magic.

Genre history

Manga and anime historians regard the Princess Knight manga, released in 1953, as a prototype for the magical girl genre.Himitsu no Akko-chan, serialized in 1962 in Ribon, is regarded as the earliest magical girl manga. The Japanese dub versions of the American film Mary Poppins and TV series Bewitched became popular among Japanese girls in the 1960s and inspired Mitsuteru Yokoyama to create Sally the Witch, which was serialized in Ribon from 1966 to 1967. Sally was adapted into an anime in 1966 which is regarded by historians as the first magical girl anime. The Sailor Moon manga and anime are considered to have revitalized the genre in the 1990s and paved the way for later successful titles. Another notable example is Cardcaptor Sakura, with its manga and subsequent animated series being highly popular in and outside Japan.