Character Review 1 - Charlotte

Charlotte is one of the Witches from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She appears only in episode 3, but has an important role, complete with crunchy sound effects.

I really love this character. She only appears in one episode, but still. Certain clues in her scene piece together to reveal her tragic back-story. In this anime, witches are monsters that were once human.

When she first appears, she has the appearance of a doll. She is simply adorable. Her 'witch's barrier' is littered with candy and sweets, though in one scene, there is a hypodermic needle. According to the website, she craves cheese. Her minions come in two varieties; one kind that is dressed like a nurse, while the other is dressed as an angel. They both have the task of searching for the cheese that Charlotte desires. However, they never succeed.
After being provoked, she turns into a caterpillar-like form. When this new form is injured, a new one takes its place with the appearance of shedding skin.

Looking back, some people have come to the conclusion that she was a cancer patient before becoming a witch.

The nurse's attire on some of the minions and the hypodermic needle help with this. As well as the replicating of the caterpillar form (which hints to the nature of cancer cells). Some sources have said that cancer patients aren't allowed to eat certain foods, and cheese is one of those foods. Her minions don't find cheese because doing so is bad for her. Maybe they can't give her cheese because she has forgotten what it tastes like, and therefore can't experience it if she doesn't remember it (witch's barriers are often based off of the witch's life as a human).

There is also the theory that she was hospitalized for having an eating disorder. Her second form is thought to have been inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar story.

At first, I thought the obsession with sweets was only to add to her cute and innocent image. However, it takes a dark turn with one of the girls...

Either way, I absolutely love how the series give the viewers clues as to the witch's history without spending too much time with it (the show is only going to be 12 episodes long, and has a LOT of story to cover in that time as well). Knowing the witch's backstories is not needed to enjoy the anime, but it adds an extra layer of 'depth' to the story. Especially after finding out the true nature of the witches...