I'm honestly not sure if I'd want to watch another anime series that turns the fun, whimsical magical girl genre into such a melancholic spectacle, but this series is still a bittersweet trip worth taking. Madoka Magica manages to tell a compelling and somewhat complicated story in a mere 12 episodes, all while exploring some wickedly heavy moral themes. The presentation makes it all the more memorable--from the surreal, collage-like visuals of the Labyrinth settings and the futuristic, sterile architecture, to the haunting melodies composed by Yuki Kajiura of #.hack//Sign fame. After watching it twice, my one prevailing gripe is the lack of significant character development. I never felt as if I had bonded with any of the characters over the course of the series--especially the bland protagonist. That's not to say I didn't /like/ most of the characters, but the emotional impact of the ending (or lack thereof) left something to be desired.