I do not wish to spoil the original post completely, but it is very short (very hard-hitting, too). So, basically:

Nastier takes on familiar genres are all well and good. I liked Uta Kata, for example. But claiming that the nastier take is somehow more real, or naturally better, [..]

Oh god. I knew it.

UPDATE: DM comments at Animanachronism with this:

Of course whether more real is better depends on the viewer. In this case, I think it is better because it appears to address my only reservation when it comes to mahou shoujo.

Say what?! The henshin deck and the cute are the main things that make the mahou shoujo what it is. If you want real, go watch Figure 17.