Madoka Magica Articles
This page serves as an archive for fan-created articles documenting analysis of Madoka Magica. The content below has been roughly ordered by topic. This section should only contain general, objective articles. For the subjective/hypothetical ones, please refer to Theories.
We welcome you to submit new articles as you deem necessary.
Deciphering
- Glossary
- The meaning of key terminology unique to Madoka Magica.
- Deciphering the runes
- Western fans were the first to decipher the Inu Curry runes used in the anime for witch barriers.
- Deciphering the notes
- Analysis of the notes in Sayaka's healing spell circles.
- Madoka Magica Trivia
- A collection of minor facts and observations about the series.
Plot and Setting
- A fan article highlighting the differences between the episodes and the first movie.
- Ending Analysis
- An in-depth analysis of the Ending Animation.
- Magic
- Detailed explanations and observations about magic in the Magica universe.
- Walpurgis Night
- Explanations on what Walpurgis Night is (in real-life and in canon), references to it, etc.
- Yuri undertones
- One of the reasons this show is popular among fans is for its yuri subtext. This page explains the references and evidence that lead to the most popular pairings.
- Creative Intentions
- Speculation and analysis based on information from or about the creative staff, as well as analysis of story elements and the show's design based on the creative staff's intentions, methods, and history.
- Philosophical Observations
- Speculative observation based on philosophical ideas and character analysis through the use of philosophical themes. (work in progress)
- Paralleling Madoka Magica and Kazumi Magica
- Speculative observation based on the events in Kazumi Magica, that resemble the events in the Madoka universe.
Science
- Architecture
- Comparison between Architecture within the anime and real life landmarks.
- Astronomy
- Witches and Familiars as asteroids, Kyubey as an alien, etc...
- Mathematics
- A page dedicated to solving the 'middle school level' Math questions that appears throughout the series.
- Population dynamics
- "If magical girls are said to be born from wishes, then witches are creatures born from curses." (Kyubey, Episode 2). Let us see how both populations evolve over time, and whether or not the Earth has a chance of surviving against witches in the end.
- Thermodynamics
- Kyubey's speech about Entropy in Episode 9 led to an uproar among fans for its inaccuracy. Let us see why.
- Weapons
- A rundown of both real-life firearms, explosives and others, and original weaponry present in the anime.
Intertextuality and Literature
- Faust
- An analysis of the link between the anime series and the famous tragedy by Goethe.
- Der Steppenwolf
- A short comparison between Madoka and Harry Haller, the protagonist of "Der Steppenwolf", a novel by Hermann Hesse.
- John Gabriel Borkman
- Analysis of the links between Madoka Magica and Henrik Ibsen's "John Gabriel Borkman".
Academic Writing
A Cycle, Not a Phase: Love Between Magical Girls Amidst the Trauma of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Kevin Cooley, Mechademia Volume 13, 2020)
Becoming the Labyrinth: Negotiating Magical Space and Identity in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Sara Cleto & Erin Kathleen Bahl, Humanities, 2016)
Desiring Futures: Hope, Technoscience, and Utopian Dystopia in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Leo Chu, Journal of Anime & Manga Studies, 2020)
Exploring Madoka Magica: Producing Narratives in Japanese Media Franchises (Simon Gough, Monash University, 2018)
Magical Girl Martyrs: Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Purity, Beauty, and Passivity (Tate James, Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal, 2017)
Reconstructing the Grand Narrative: The Pure Land of Madoka Magica (Barbara Greene, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 2022)
Shoujo Versus Seinen? Address and Reception in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) (Catherine Butler, Children's Literature in Education, 2018)
The Connotations of Magical Girl Animations: Case Studies of Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, and Madoka Magica (Thanakorn Passananon, Thammasat University, 2012)
The Girl at the End of Time: Temporality, (P)remediation, and Narrative Freedom in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Forrest Greenwood, Mechademia Volume 10, 2015)
The Technology and Economy of Care: Gift and Entropy in Gen Urobuchi’s Science Fiction (Leo Chu, Extrapolation, 2021)
Tracing the Japanese Gothic in Madoka Magika with Blood: The Estrangement, Abjection, and Sublime Erasure of the Spectralised Mahō Shōjo Exemplum (Daniel Elisha Rachovitsky, Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2014)
Vocational Aesthetics: Voice, Affect, and Energy in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) (Heather Warren-Crow, Mechademia Volume 13, 2021)