Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a Japanese anime series that aired in 2011, produced by Shaft and created by Magica Quartet, with writing by Gen Urobuchi. It follows schoolgirl Madoka Kaname, who is offered a contract to become a magical girl. The show became widely discussed for contrasting its cute character designs with dark themes of hope, despair and sacrifice. Short clips from the series circulate in fan edits, AMVs and soundboards, where this cue stands in for the series' distinctive mix of innocence and tragedy.