The "dark" side of the genre

Do you like Dark Magical Girl stories?

  • Yes, definately. It's something new and cool

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • Sometimes... only if things doesn't go too far

    Votes: 3 42.9%
  • I don't mind them

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't usually like them, but there can be exceptions

    Votes: 3 42.9%
  • I dislike them. They're not Magical Girl stories. They're something completely different

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    7

Loco del Lápiz

MGF Member
So, we have all seen the rise of the deconstruction of the Magical Girl genre. Stories that try to convey a sense of realism and gruesomeness in it narrative, and whose protagonists are portrayed as depressed, mentally and emotionally unstable and, in the end, send a clear message: being a Magical Girl is hard, and can turn out to be something far from cute and empowering.

I'm the first one to admit that Madoka Magica tried this and I still love this series... because, in the end, it has a message of hope. It's still a Magical Girl story, with all its classic elements, and I don't think it bastardizes the genre.
But I see that A LOT of anime, manga and light novels nowadays trying to turn mahou shoujo stories into "adult" series for a mature audicence, showing gory scenes, a dark and opressive narrative, that sometimes even satirizes the standards of this genre that used to talk about hope, friendship... possitive values in general.
Sometimes I find this new and darker stories as "forced" or "trying too hard to be edgy". I'd like to see a Magical Girl series that has action, adventure and isn't afraid of tackling some dark themes, but doesn't end up being a journey of desperation where optimism and possitive values are dismissed.

What is your opinion on this?
Do you like this situation, whre a wider audience has found out about the majokkos, or rather prefer the classic, more lighthearted stories that made us fall in love with this mystical heroines in the first place?
Are this new narratives going too far?
Is there hope for the classic vision on the mahou shoujos, or are we only going to see darker and darker versions, until it stops being magical anymore?

Let's share ideas about this!