Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R
In the comic book world, there was a famous comic called The Watchmen. You could say that The Watchmen were to superhero comics what Madoka Magica is to magical girl anime. The Watchmen was a very well-received comic book. After The Watchmen, comic books took a decided turn towards being increasingly grimdark and "realistic". It got to the point where I often wonder if the comic book world no longer knew how to properly write bright and colorful superheroes like Superman and Spiderman.
As much as I love Madoka Magica, I don't know if I want it to forever redefine the genre. Part of Madoka Magica's appeal, imo, is the striking contrast - Character designs which are so vividly reflective of classic magical girl aesthetics in a relatively very dark show. But if those sorts of character designs consistently show up in darker shows, then they'll eventually become mentally associated with darker shows, and then the contrast value is lost. And then I fear you'd lose something of the core essence of magical girl anime.
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It isn't redefining the genre, at most it is only changing one part of it. The magical girl series intended for girls is pretty much unaffected by this. If it changes anything then it will change the magical girl series intended for males between 17 and 35. And if you want to be technical, then Madoka would almost be a return to form for that sub section. Cutie Honey, the first fighting magical girl, was actually very dark in the original manga form. The anime made it a great deal lighter and softer.
Anywho, it does look like this is aimed for the male 17-35 market based on its appearance at Comiket. Then again, some of the magical girl series with the young girl target audience do have males 17-35 as a secondary demographic. I'd guess 75% likely for adult males and 25% for young girls.