The notion of tragedy in Madoka Magica
Being meguca is suffering The concept of tragedy is fundamental to the plot of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, even if it may not seem related at first sight. The reason why the story appears dark, rough and negative in contrast to older magical girl anime is because it assumes the possibilities of heroism and goodness in a very different way than most contemporary popular fiction. The quote which I consider key in this case is what Kyouko first states in episode 7: "Wishing for hope creates an equivalent amount of despair." This is restated by Sayaka en episode 8: "The balance of hope and despair is always zero", and finally confirmed in the shape Madoka takes in episode 12. This may in the first place be linked quite closely to a critic concept of karma in Buddhism, which after all is ultimately defined as the struggle to change the world instead of accepting it. At the beginning of episode 11, Kyubei also explains that "The potential of a magical girl depends o...