Last updated on June 15th, 2025 at 12:47 am
I first discovered Madoka Magica on TV as a young teenager and dismissed it for being too “girly”. A few years later I decided to watch it again in full. It had become one of my favourite anime of all time, and still is to this day. It has a deep and complicated story, great art direction and a killer soundtrack. With Madoka Magica Walpurgisnacht Rising being released in 2024, I wanted to showcase some of the artist behind this amazing series.
Puella Magia Madoka Magica aired in 2011 as an anime original by Studio SHAFT. At the time, SHAFT had already produced hit shows such as The Monogatari Series. After Madoka Magica finished, which was comprised of twelve episodes, a sequel in the form of a film was released in 2013 tilted “Rebellion”. Magia Record, the mobile game was launched in 2017 followed by a three season anime, running from 2020-2022. As with any popular anime, Madoka Magica has been adapted into any array of different mediums such as manga, light novels and video games.
When promotions were being advertised, Madoka Magica was made to look like a standard cute magical girl anime. Much of the staff on board was kept secret to make people think it was another “moe” anime and lessen the expectations, but in reality, it was the opposite. The character designs were drawn by the talented artist Ume Aoki. Her other works include Hidamari Sketch and Sanarara. Aoki’s designs are most recognisable for their cute style and wide faces. The Madoka Magica anime designs use “sketchy” line art with thick and thin lines which are also added in the eyes of characters. This gives the characters a sense of mystery and uneasiness.
The artist behind the abstract labyrinth and witch design is the duo Gekidan Inu Curry. As mentioned in an interview, they are influenced by Russian and Czech animation. The duo use stop motion for their desired effect of a dark and surreal style which perfectly complements the story. It also goes hand in hand with SHAFT’s animation style. Aoki’s character designs contrast with Gekidan Inu Curry’s work, much like how Alice contrast with her surroundings in “Alice in Wonderland”.
Studio SHAFT is known for their distinct animation featuring fast cuts, intense dialogue, bizarre avant-garde cinematography and their famous “SHAFT Headtilt”. After Rebellion, SHAFT was kept busy with other projects, most notably the completion of the Monogatari Series as well as others shows, such as Nisekoi, March Comes In like a Lion and Pretty Boy Detective Club. From minimalist and/or detailed backgrounds to odd closeups and weird perspective shots, are just some of the ways to describe SHAFT at best. SHAFT is always highly experimental with their works, with Madoka Magica being no exception. “Team Shinbo” is behind SHAFT’s visual identity, comprising of Akiyuki Shinbo himself as well as Tatsuya Oishi and Shin Oonuma. They utilize each others strength to give us that trademark SHAFT style, which is so distinct from any other anime studio. Due to staff and internal issues, creative differences and the writer Gen Urobuchi working on other projects, Walpurgisnacht Rising as been delayed for some time, only to be released this year.
The art behind Madoka Magica is supported by an incredible team where different styles and ideas merge together to create a masterpiece of work.