JJRS >Volume 49 Issue 1Reconstructing the Grand Narrative: The Pure Land ofMadoka Magica

Greene, Barbara

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Since its premiere, the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica has beenwidely regarded by both critics and consumers as a groundbreaking work.While contemporary otaku culture typically eschews the notion of a grandnarrative, this does not mean that otaku lack a longing for the transcendent,which is often projected onto a young girl whose limitless potential triggersan intense reaction with otaku who have an affinity for the fictional over themundane. However, Madoka Magica harkens back to an even older model ofthe transcendent. Within the series, through powers gained from multiple,self-sacrificial incarnations, the lead character Madoka is able to break freefrom her reality and into a paradise in which her fellow magical girls can attainabsolute peace. This article explores the ways in which the discourse of PureLand Buddhism have been integrated into Madoka Magica and, thereby, offersotaku a postmodern Pure Land.