If you have watched or want to watch anime in general, you have probably, at some point, heard of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or simply "Madoka Magica."
In short, Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime. Other anime in this genre include Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, and, broadly speaking, Kill La Kill. Madoka Magica is unique in that it's a bit of a darker take on the genre, and considered by some to be a deconstruction.
In this brief watchguide, I will be covering what you need to watch to get the full experience of Puella Magi Madoka Magica! This guide is not covering the manga, but it's out there, if you find yourself interested in that sort of thing. I will also be trying my best to avoid spoilers, since this is a very easy series to spoil. On that note, it is also worth saying - do not spoil yourself on this series, if you can avoid it!
Let's get this started.
Compared to my previous watchguide, this one is pretty simple. Although there isn't much in the way of alternate timelines that you need to worry about, it would probably still be nice to have a list of what you need to do. That being said, you still have some choices in how you watch the series.
Starting off, there's:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
This is the main body of what you'll be watching. The series ran in the spring of 2011, and consists of 12 episodes, half a season. You can find this series on Netflix and Crunchyroll!
After finishing this series, you have some options. There are two compilation movies:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Beginnings
Released in 2012, this movie covers the first portion of the original anime. This is followed by:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Eternal
Released in 2012, this movie covers the second portion of the anime.
These movies are basically just compilation films - watching them will not add anything to the story. They do have new music and backgrounds, though. After watching the original series, you can choose to skip these and not lose anything for it. Up next, there is a third movie:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
Released in 2013, this movie serves as a sequel to the original anime/movies.
For a while, this is where the series ended. However, in early 2020, there was a new series! So, after finishing Rebellion, you can move on to the following:
Magia Record: A Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story
Started airing in 2020, wrapping up its first season back in March, ending with 13 episodes. This anime is based on the events of video game by the same name. You can watch the series on Crunchyroll!
As far as watching goes, that concludes the series for now. If anything new comes up, I will make sure to update this list!
I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope it proves useful in your watch of Puella Magi Madoka Magica!
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