[Akito Kinomoto]

Now that the poll's open again I can finally put my vote in. I wonder how this one actually closed while Clannad's favorite character poll remained open years after the show ended. Whatever.

Sayaka Miki. Definitely Sayaka Miki.

To be honest, Sayaka was actually aggravating me with how much she was self-destructing herself. Calling Madoka useless was especially harsh. I guess the reason I voted for Miki is less likability and more sympathy. From a wish of naivety hoping her crush will return her feelings, to the denial she displays after learning what her miracle did, to the complete despair she fell into before being morphed into a Witch, we saw it all. Sayaka’s development was painful to watch.

Kyoko Sakura takes second place for being the anti-hero of the series and being unlike any of the show’s characters at all. There’s not much I can say about her because her aggressiveness isn’t a façade; it’s who she actually is. In a way Kyoko is probably the most honest character of PMMM.

Unfortunately, Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi were not quite as strong for me. Madoka becoming a Goddess removed that sense of realistic familiarity human Madoka had and quite frankly I have trouble relating to Messiah-like figures. Homura just didn’t have much screentime. I’d be lying if I said Akemi’s breakdown in episode 8 wasn’t the most emotionally moving scene of the anime but that wasn’t enough. I wanted to see Homura’s relationship with Madoka grow in “real time” during the first reality over the span of at least one episode.