more revisiting of old TV show favourites

Apparently I've been on a bit of an anime nostalgia spree recently. First ATLA, now Madoka Magica. I remember being obsessed with this show circa 2012. I've been watching some YouTube clips and perusing the Wiki (including the Meduka Meguca parody, of course). Some of the animation and action is very engaging to watch.

What's really stood out to me is the art direction for the witches and their pocket dimensions / realms, which is rather idiosyncratic and experimental for the medium. I suppose this "not like other anime" aspect was something that always appealed to me, even back then. I don't like to admit it, but I do have some definite hipster tendencies, often liking things simply because they're different, regardless of their quality.

Another design that caught my eye was that for the "Witch of Despair", which briefly appears towards the end of the show.

I love the "fucked up Tarō Okamoto" vibes here; the face reminds me of the Tower of the Sun. I wonder if that was intetional (in moment like these, I wish I could take a look into studio-internal documents like styleguides or reference collections).

Needless to say, this series is pretty grimdark and "edgy" overall. To be honest I don't much care for the story or characters anymore, but the collage-like and often rough, loose visual direction for the witches clicked with me this time. I feel that I'm often too meticulous and focused on details with my own art, which ends up making the results looking overcautious and uninteresting. I want to introduce some more boldness.