So after watching Madoka Movie 3: Rebellion, I realized that one of the features of Urobuchi's works is his penchant for character light. For all the criticism he gets for his works being needlessly depressing, there are some characters in those settings with a lot of inner strength.
Mami kept her head held high (pun not intended) and carried herself well despite having no friends to lean on before she met Madoka and Sayaka. There's also Kyouko, and while not the most initially congenial of friends, there's a constant inner strength to her that's managed to keep the past in the past, pass the point where most magical girls would have crumbled. Brutally honest, perhaps, but is at least looking out for her friends. And then there's Madoka, becoming Hope itself and ending her show on a high note, giving Homura the strength to continue fighting (for a time...), and effectively stopping the wishes of the magical girls from being corrupted (Sayaka included. Madokami rest her Soul Gem).
The next stop is Rider and Gilgamesh. Yes, you're reading that correctly. Out of all the servants in Fate/Zero, those two managed to fight without their past regrets weighing heavily on their mind. Not twisted into obsession like Caster, not driven to anger like Berserker, nor fighting for atonement like Saber. Antagonistic though Gilgamesh is, he knows how to
live. It's why I consider him a light in Fate/Zero, and Rider's optimism speaks for itself. The finale also does a fantastic job of reinvigorating Kiritsugu's hopes (not that a few scenes from him didn't show him being the most natural father ever, showing that he grew a heart even after the events of his childhood), passing the miracle torch down to Shiro. Like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero also ends on a high note.
With Psycho Pass, the show doesn't end on too much of a positive note, only vaguely referencing how humanity will eventually have no need of the Sybil System. That said, one of its enforcers (or should I say inspectors?) in Akane is mentally strong to an absurd degree. Her mind literally doesn't get clouded no matter what she goes through. And despite learning the truth about what the Sybil System is, she continues to do her job because of her belief in justice, or at least in the stability of society. Compare this with practically all of the enforcers, realize they're all going through similar stress, and that's one strong lady you've got there (as of season one. I haven't watched season two yet).
These three shows have a sense of light in common. Yes, the stories are dark and the settings are often places for them to suffer instead of them suffering in the setting, but the thing that identifies Urobuchi's brand of darkness are the specks of light--the characters I mentioned--that stand out that much more. Certainly, there's regrets abound on them, but when they can keep on going to the point their hue or Soul Gem literally won't fog beyond repair, the thing I've always (subconsciously) took away from Urobuchi's works is not tales about the darkness itself, but rather what you are in the darkness. Somewhere, in Urobuchi's alleged cynicism, is a hopeful dying to get out; maybe Madokami is a projection of his belief that Hope will win out in the end.
This is why it took Madoka Movie 3: Rebellion for me to realize this about Urobuchi's works, because this film
has no hope (unless we're counting that brief moment between Sayaka and Hitomi, but considering the literal setting it might mean fuckall). We plunge into Homura's true desires--how she really wants to live, what she really wants in life--desires that overtook her when despair finally caught her. The closest thing to hope in this film is Homura's escape from her labyrinth with Madoka following along; the former, with a tearful smile, says she won't regret anything anymore, she won't hesitate anymore. And indeed, she didn't hesitate to imprison Madoka. Unfortunately, unlike Gilgamesh, doubt is still on her mind. She knows just how fragile her labyrinth is, and she wears the most frightened look on her face when she stops Madoka from remembering what she really is. For good (bad?) measure, it also reopens some of Sayaka's old wounds.
...Now I'm going to stop talking about Rebellion before I feel like doing this again:
But yeah, Urobuchi's works have always had an element of light, strength, and hope to them. I almost get the sense he read the criticisms of his works being pointlessly dark, and went
you think PMMM, F/Z, and PP are dark? LET ME SHOW YOU DARK and thus Rebellion was made.