That's just like, your opinion man.
Also I am 100% of the opinion that Madoka is not the main character of Madoka Magica (hereinafter PMMM to distinguish the show from the character). She's the viewpoint character yes, but the story told in the series is undoubtedly Homura's story. It's just not clear in a first watch, and until her full backstory is revealed. In that sense, Madoka is meant to be a flat character, an audience surrogate. Even so, Madoka clearly has a personality and desires. They're simplistic, yes, but she's also an idealistic child, who effectively rages against the perceived unfairness of the world. What the critic presents as lazy writing and poor philosophy is--to my view--Madoka's character being presented. She's an idealist, one who believes that the world should be fair and just. She wants to become a magical girl to help make the world so, but that magical girls inherently doomed to become witches conflicts with her ideals. As the show goes on, she sees more and more of the ugliness and pain of the world, and eventually decides to make a stand, sacrificing her individuality to try and make the world more just and fair.
Madoka's philosophy may be simple, but it's still there and consistent. She, as a character, is an idealist, and acts as such throughout the series. There's nothing wrong with her philosophy and beliefs being simple. The show never presents her as a philosopher, or a counter point to Kyuubey's utilitarianism. Indeed, she's unable to provide a response but disgust and 'that's wrong!' when confronted with Kyuubey's argument that his actions are for the greater good of the universe as a whole. She's not meant to be a philosopher. She's meant to be a simple idealist who's confronted with a challenge to her rose coloured view of the world.
PMMM isn't meant to be a show about philosophical discussion of ideas. It draws on Faustian imagery yes, but it's not like Fate/Zero where we have a whole episode dedicated to mature characters discussing how their philosophies differ and compare with one another. THe main characters are all in their early to mid teens. I can't help but feel that attempting to view the show as a philosophical discussion is missing the point. Does some of that blame lie on PMMM's fans for overhyping it? Undoubtedly, but I don't think the critique of 'the character's display poor philosophical arguments' is one that undermines the show as a whole.
The critic's main point against the show seems to be an argument of philosophical inconsistency, namely that the ending wherein Madoka's wish 'saves' the world, is inconsistent with the larger themes of nihilism and tragedy. However, I don't think that's the case at all. While the show undoubtedly contains tragic elements, ultimately, it ends on an--at worst--'bittersweet' note. Our main character (Homura) has lost her beloved, but still has all her memories of Madoka, before her ascension. To me, the point of the show is that--at its core--PMMM isn't a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. It is a magical girl show. One that's darker and grittier, yes, but ultimately one that does end with the oft disdained 'power of friendship/love' to save the day. Perhaps its message is that, despite all the darkness in the world, there is still hope, and that maintaining your ideals and belief in justice can be good.
We can see this throughout the show. Mami is the poster child for the stereotypical 'hero of justice' style of Magical girl, but she falls. Sayaka also clings to her ideals, even as they're challenged and washed away beneath her, until she too falls. Both of them had flaws that undermined them. Mami was so lonely, and the idea of her loneliness ending made her let her guard down. Sayaka was too inflexible, breaking before she bent.
And yet, even in this there's hope. Sayaka's fall coincides with Kyoko returning to her ideals, and renouncing her selfish life in favour of sacrificing herself to save her friends. Homura clings to her own ideals--her love of Madoka--and tries again, and again. Yet, even so she fails again, and again, but never gives up. Despite the fact that her ultimate reward was bittersweet, her devotion was still rewarded. And, of course, Madoka, who remains true to her own ideals despite seeing and accepting the horror of the world, ultimately does the most she can to help it.
Now, is this saying Madoka is perfect? Not at all. It has problems. All media does. Urobuchi has always had a tendency to make his characters more representatives of ideology than actual people, and that's here too. The pacing is definitely off as well, and the ending can leave a casual viewing going 'WTF DID I JUST WATCH' rather than understanding what happened. NOnetheless, PMMM is my favourite anime, and this critique of it doesn't change that. I feel as though the critic went into the show expecting a philosophical discussion, and is ultimately criticising it for not being what he expected, while not accepting what it actually is.
Madoka's philosophy may be simple, but it's still there and consistent. She, as a character, is an idealist, and acts as such throughout the series. There's nothing wrong with her philosophy and beliefs being simple. The show never presents her as a philosopher, or a counter point to Kyuubey's utilitarianism. Indeed, she's unable to provide a response but disgust and 'that's wrong!' when confronted with Kyuubey's argument that his actions are for the greater good of the universe as a whole. She's not meant to be a philosopher. She's meant to be a simple idealist who's confronted with a challenge to her rose coloured view of the world.
PMMM isn't meant to be a show about philosophical discussion of ideas. It draws on Faustian imagery yes, but it's not like Fate/Zero where we have a whole episode dedicated to mature characters discussing how their philosophies differ and compare with one another. THe main characters are all in their early to mid teens. I can't help but feel that attempting to view the show as a philosophical discussion is missing the point. Does some of that blame lie on PMMM's fans for overhyping it? Undoubtedly, but I don't think the critique of 'the character's display poor philosophical arguments' is one that undermines the show as a whole.
The critic's main point against the show seems to be an argument of philosophical inconsistency, namely that the ending wherein Madoka's wish 'saves' the world, is inconsistent with the larger themes of nihilism and tragedy. However, I don't think that's the case at all. While the show undoubtedly contains tragic elements, ultimately, it ends on an--at worst--'bittersweet' note. Our main character (Homura) has lost her beloved, but still has all her memories of Madoka, before her ascension. To me, the point of the show is that--at its core--PMMM isn't a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. It is a magical girl show. One that's darker and grittier, yes, but ultimately one that does end with the oft disdained 'power of friendship/love' to save the day. Perhaps its message is that, despite all the darkness in the world, there is still hope, and that maintaining your ideals and belief in justice can be good.
We can see this throughout the show. Mami is the poster child for the stereotypical 'hero of justice' style of Magical girl, but she falls. Sayaka also clings to her ideals, even as they're challenged and washed away beneath her, until she too falls. Both of them had flaws that undermined them. Mami was so lonely, and the idea of her loneliness ending made her let her guard down. Sayaka was too inflexible, breaking before she bent.
And yet, even in this there's hope. Sayaka's fall coincides with Kyoko returning to her ideals, and renouncing her selfish life in favour of sacrificing herself to save her friends. Homura clings to her own ideals--her love of Madoka--and tries again, and again. Yet, even so she fails again, and again, but never gives up. Despite the fact that her ultimate reward was bittersweet, her devotion was still rewarded. And, of course, Madoka, who remains true to her own ideals despite seeing and accepting the horror of the world, ultimately does the most she can to help it.
Now, is this saying Madoka is perfect? Not at all. It has problems. All media does. Urobuchi has always had a tendency to make his characters more representatives of ideology than actual people, and that's here too. The pacing is definitely off as well, and the ending can leave a casual viewing going 'WTF DID I JUST WATCH' rather than understanding what happened. NOnetheless, PMMM is my favourite anime, and this critique of it doesn't change that. I feel as though the critic went into the show expecting a philosophical discussion, and is ultimately criticising it for not being what he expected, while not accepting what it actually is.
tl;dr: FCUK YOU MADOKA IS DA GR8TEST ANIMU EVAH!!!!one11111!!! HOMURA IS MAI WAIFU FUCK U. UR IDEAS R BAD 1v1 ME IRL
