Around 12:30 AM, the sixth episode of the animation ended.
On the internet, related posts began to flood the forums, one after another, in a relentless wave:
"Shocking! The Soul Gem is actually a soul!"
"I wasn't that devastated when I learned the true nature of the Soul Gem, but when Kyoko said it was like being a zombie... that's when it really hit me."
"Right? You have this beautiful wish, you become a magical girl, and you risk your life to save the world. Even if no one knows, at least you can feel good about yourself. But now that we know we've become like zombies... how can we even satisfy ourselves anymore?"
"This Kyubey is so suspicious! It doesn't explain anything, just keeps coaxing innocent, kind-hearted girls into becoming magical girls. So cunning!"
"Kyubey is a cunning old bastard, but Old Thief Lin isn't any better. After all, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have this cunning Kyubey... Speaking of which, Old Thief Lin kept emphasizing this was a 'heartbreaking' anime and told us to prepare ourselves. I thought he was just using misleading advertising, but it's actually true—it's heartbreaking."
"Exactly! The worst part is no one could have guessed this kind of 'heartbreaking' twist. He probably saw that we couldn't guess, so he boldly advertised it as a 'heartbreaking' anime."
"Everyone assumed Sayaka would regret her decision because of Kamijō. But no! Old Thief Lin went even crueler with this. That's just brutal."
The buzz was intense, and the topic's popularity continued to skyrocket.
This was just the beginning. Animation research clubs at various schools and major Animation Vocational Schools also began studying the anime.
While the technical aspects and visual presentation were temporarily set aside, the most debated element was its "core message," particularly the characters of the magical girl and Kyubey.
Many interpreted the magical girl as representing naive children who easily trust others, while Kyubey represented malicious figures who prey on children, seducing and deceiving them.
The revelation of Kyubey's true nature was seen as a warning: children should never trust others easily. The world is full of beautiful things, but one must never readily accept the "beautiful things" offered by others, lest they face dire consequences, possibly even remaining unaware they've been deceived.
This interpretation had some merit.
However, these were mostly private analyses.
Publicly published research and reviews appeared on major rating sites and animation-related publications. The consensus was that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was no ordinary entertainment anime, but a profound work that provoked deep thought.
Many animation-related magazines featured characters from Puella Magi Madoka Magica on their latest covers, whether it was Sayaka, Kyubey, or the protagonist Madoka.
In addition, various special features on Puella Magi Madoka Magica were published:
"Kyubey's True Nature Revealed! The Contract Phrase 'Make a contract with me and become a magical girl' Goes Viral!"
"Over 300 Topics, 250,000+ Comments: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the Most Discussed Anime in History!"
"Kyubey Images Flood Akihabara: Why Has Puella Magi Madoka Magica Achieved Such Phenomenal Success?"
"January New Anime Popularity Survey: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Dominates with 1,315 Votes, Surpassing the Combined Total of the Second to Fourth Place."
"New Anime Theme Song Popularity Survey: Puella Magi Madoka Magica's OP 'Connect' Secures First Place with 438 Votes."
"Millions of Viewers Buzzing: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Becomes Supervising Director Lin Zhiyan's Second Phenomenal Anime After Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion!"
"The Phenomenal Masterpiece Puella Magi Madoka Magica! Details You Might Have Missed."
The animation was incredibly popular, even more so than Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion had been. Its popularity was so explosive that it could be described as "burning like a wildfire." In such a climate, media outlets naturally scrambled to capitalize on the hype.
Moreover, any newspaper or magazine that raved about Puella Magi Madoka Magica saw its sales surge for that issue, proving that audiences largely agreed with the praise and didn't find it excessive.
This media frenzy only amplified the hype, sparking further discussion.
Yet even without the media's involvement, Puella Magi Madoka Magica was already a phenomenal, explosive, and truly exceptional anime.
Beyond the proliferation of Kyubey imagery in places like Akihabara, some chuunibyou teenagers and young adults would even imitate lines from the show during their gatherings.
Even people who had long since entered the workforce, busy with their careers and with little time for anime, found themselves watching this series.
Across middle schools, high schools, and universities, more than a third of both male and female students were following the anime.
It wasn't just that the anime was good; its appeal truly transcended demographics. Unlike typical otaku-bait series that primarily attracted male viewers, or standard Magical Girl Anime that mainly appealed to female audiences, Puella Magi Madoka Magica drew in a much broader audience.
The key point is that while other Magical Girl Anime series might be enjoyed by people over twelve, they'd be too embarrassed to recommend them to others or discuss them openly. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is different.
If you're not afraid of being ridiculed, there's absolutely no shame in recommending this anime to others, nor is there any embarrassment in discussing it publicly. If someone says, "You're too old to be watching Magical Girl Anime! Aren't you embarrassed?" you can retort, "This anime is completely different from other Magical Girl Anime. It's a phenomenal, genre-defining masterpiece. If you don't watch it, you'll be left behind."
The anime has only aired up to its sixth episode and isn't even finished yet, so calling it a "phenomenal, genre-defining masterpiece" might be a bit premature. However, it's undeniably a "phenomenal anime" without a doubt.
Moreover, considering Lin Zhiyan's previous three animations—Death Note, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and Gurren Lagann—each was a massive success and achieved legendary status. With Puella Magi Madoka Magica having already delivered two mind-blowing plot twists within just six episodes, fans are quite confident it will become a "phenomenal, genre-defining masterpiece."
The explosion in popularity of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was naturally a boon for the animation itself.
However, for Lin Zhiyan personally, it wasn't entirely a good thing.
At first, he didn't notice, but after others pointed it out, he realized he'd been targeted by unscrupulous media outlets digging for dirt on him, likely to boost their own popularity or extort hush money.
Lin Zhiyan's life was straightforward: he spent his days at the company, production sites like audio studios and music studios, and went straight home afterward. With such a clean lifestyle, there was no dirt to dig up.
Still, being constantly stalked by these outlets was quite annoying.
Fortunately, after a few days of fruitless searching, the unscrupulous media outlets seemed to give up on their own.
Just when he thought the matter was settled, a second-rate animation publication suddenly dropped a bombshell: "Unbearable to look at! Akiyuki Shinbo, the assistant director of the phenomenal anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, is actually Minamisawa Juhachi of the l industry!"
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