 Urobuchi attributed his past experience working on projects with screenwriters Ichiro Itano and Yōsuke Kuroda as a major influence in his writing for Puella Magi Madoka Magica , and has referred to both of them as his mentors . To set the initial pacing of the series , Urobuchi used a technique he credited as originally from Kuroda . The first episode would throw the viewer into a specific part of the story with unknown context , the second episode would then define the particular rules governing the story 's setting , and the third episode would be responsible for divulging the revelation in the plot so as to hook the viewer . The twist in the third episode was determined during the project proposal stage and involved the death of Mami , a main character figure . This decision was controversial , and Urobuchi recalled production staff members continually approaching him and asking him to reconsider due to their own fondness for the character . However , he refused and the plot remained unchanged during production . Nevertheless , Urobuchi realized that this progression could be very hard for viewers to accept and might hurt the overall series ' success with some audiences , commenting : " I always thought this is an age where entertainment basically is about soothing and healing , like adopting a style where unchanging day @-@ to @-@ day life is to continue forever . " 
