Mahou Yuugi is an incredibly unique, cute series, but it doesn't offer very much beyond that. Story - 3: The story is split across 24 episodes of approximately 5 minutes each, most of which stand alone with the exception of a few multi-parters. The nature of its broadcast is somewhat abused in this regard, leading to a complete lack of direction. The story follows three aspiring magical girls in a nonsensical realm where they complete challenges to earn Flower Marks, of which they need a certain amount in order to become magical girls and go to Earth. This doesn't actually happen, though. This is firstand foremost a wacky slapstick comedy with little actual development besides the characters changing location. The most glaring example of this is how the series decides to end with the conclusion to a three parter. Despite having set up some lore and had a goal set out from the start, the series ends with the conclusion to a three parter about the trio opening shops in a city. What could have been a weird yet fun 22 minute diversion in a 26 episode series was instead one of the primary arcs, taking up about an eighth of the runtime.

Character - 5: Relationships and character traits are established, but never expanded on in any meaningful way. Despite characters not having very much to them, they all served their roles and worked off each other well. I'm mostly docking points for reasons related to the story, where seeds are planted for development that are never expanded upon. This problem seems to grow worse as the series progresses, focusing less and less on the main villain and her foil and instead shifting gears to her incompetent minion.

Art - 7: This series has loads of great style to it. From heavily airbrushed storybook backgrounds, to some fantastic character designs by Azuma Kiyohiko of Azumanga Daioh fame, it had a lot going for it in its aesthetic. It was one of the main reason I picked it up, next to "I heard it recommended in passing and it's short." The show also works very well within its budget constraints and adapts to them for some very inventive animation shortcuts and snappier slapstick. Unfortunately its low technical quality is what's keeping it from getting an 8 from me, though.

Sound - 6: Sound is servicable but nothing extraordinary. Sound effects are incredibly exaggerated to suit the animation, but the music doesn't follow suit, opting for simple, cheery, melodies like those you may find in the starting area of an RPG. I'm not picky about dubs, but the one for this is godawful, as it tries far too hard to mimic the moe sound and just comes across as shrill and grating. The dub on the other hand actually had adorable voice acting, which is a bit of a surprise since I don't tend to like that sort of thing.

Enjoyment/Overall - 7/5: On the whole I did enjoy this series, though not as much as I'd hoped I would. If you have time to spare and it's piqued your interest, go for it! But if at any point you feel like dropping it, it may be a good idea, since it stays consistent in tone after the first few episodes of establishing things. The samey tone is made up for in the wide variety of ideas they can get out in a 5 minute format, but it's a very niche anime and I sort of walk the line on whether it's my niche.