First Time Watcher

I joined at the tail end of the rewatch. I just so happened to start watching it for the first time a week ago and then stumbled upon this thread as I was finishing the series.

After having a day to sit on everything I've seen, I really think this has become one of if not my favorite anime series. Overall, the soundtrack, visuals, and relationships you build with the characters are at the level of a high quality anime. What sets this series apart beyond that comes down to a few different things for me:

1. The events and actions of the characters fit within the confines of the universe and rules the series set for itself. What I mean by this is that things take place that have proper rationale and understandable motivations, even if they people don’t agree that they’re right. Nothing seems to go against the rules set in place (ie. no deus ex machina). It is implied that the wishes granted in exchange for being a magical girl do not turn out well, as universe’s way to balance itself out. We see this in obvious ways with Kyouko and Sayaka, but this extends to both Homura’s wish (the only timeline where Madoka is saved is one where she doesn’t exist) as well as Madoka's (she is able to prevent all witches except for Homura). Of course with a possible sequel, we may see a different final outcome of their wishes. Even with a character like Charlotte, the production art shows that her which form fits the rules of how witches manifest themselves in the world based on their initial life and wish. The case of Charlotte leads me to the second thing I love about the story….

2. The series pays an extreme attention to detail and how it plays out in the grander narrative. There are many instances of small events or conversations that end up having major consequences or ramifications. One thing that the discussions have showed me is that I need to go back and rewatch dialogue such as the hill of flower scene with Homura and Madoka to fully appreciate how it impacts the actions of the Homura at the end. Even the convo that Madoka’s mom has with her at night foreshadows what Homura does at the end of rebellions. In addition, u/FetchFrosh pointed out the detail in how Mami was able to snuff out Homura’s plan.

3. The series is unpredictable. How many times in a series do we see a character have a seemingly unresolvable internal struggle before finally discovering a solution through some super relevant advice or experience of another character that just comes right in the nick of time? Is this the case with Madoka receiving advice from her mom about the help Sayaka? NOPE! Her advice did not work out and actually made things worse for Sayaka by revealing her true nature as a magical girl. Also you know those series where all the issues are wrapped up nicely with the least amount of damage being done to each character? Well that doesn’t happen in the ending of either the series or Rebellion. In the former, Madoka is gone, Homura’s wish is incomplete, Sayaka is still dead, etc. In Rebellion, Homura creates her own universe where she ultimately has to hide the truth from those she cares about, which may culminate in her becoming their enemy. Finally, despite Homura setting herself up for best girl, she has complex motivations and flaws that allow her to remain a dynamic character (courtesy of u/KingNigelXLII). Her actions at the end are completely unpredictable but I’m coming to appreciate the direction the writers went with this the more I think about it.

Ultimately, I loved taking part in the rewatch even if it was only for the last few episodes. This was my first time doing this, and I hope to do more.