Iwakami decided early on that they would produce an original project to give Shinbo more freedom in his directing, and to develop an anime that could appeal to a wider audience than the usual demographic that the magical girl genre was aimed towards, intending for the series to be accessible to "the general anime fan." Gen Urobuchi and Ume Aoki were contacted to work on the project as the screenwriter and original character designer, respectively, and the four (Shinbo, Urobuchi, Aoki, and Shaft) collectively created the series as the "Magica Quartet."
Iwakami decided to create an original project to grant Shinbo more creative control, aiming to develop a series that would appeal to a broader audience than the typical demographic of the magical girl genre, with the intention of making it accessible to "the general anime fan." Gen Urobuchi and Ume Aoki were contacted to work on the project as the screenwriter and original character designer, respectively. The four (Shinbo, Urobuchi, Aoki, and Shaft) collaborated on the series as a team known as the "Magica Quartet."