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Let's Blind Watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica

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FatesEnd said:
1) Again, I posted what I did to try make it clear that it's more of a spoiler than the person who originally posted it thought. It's in a spoiler tag.
2) I might have, were it not for the fact that this shit keeps happening. Both in this thread (again, someone linked the wiki), and in let's-whatevers in general. I know for a fact that there's at least one other ongoing Madoka liveblog going on.
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So report the moron to the staff and move on, then! Arguing about whether something constitutes spoilers is, itself, a spoiler.
 
Crimson Doom said:
So report the moron to the staff and move on, then! Arguing about whether something constitutes spoilers is, itself, a spoiler.
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I guess. I dunno. Reporting a post always feels really mean when it's not someone willfully breaking the rules.

Maybe we can all just... agree not to share any out-of-show information until he's finished with like, Episode 8?
 
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Episode 3: "I'm Not Afraid of Anything Anymore" - You're not, but I am (Continuation)
  • Threadmarks
    • Before I start talking about the final few minutes of the third episode, I want to talk more about Gen Urobuchi, the writer of this anime.

    A generally controversial figure on his own, I tend to categorize works written on this man based on what kind of weapon he was wielding while brutalizing any part of my body capable of feeling anything distantly resembling emotions. There are times when Urobuchi brandishes his trusty baseball bat to slowly tenderize your flesh into something more malleable. And, while the nails so lovingly hammered by the hand of a true master make you bleed, these scratches and broken bones will eventually heal. This is Gen Urobuchi when he's nice.

    Then, there are time when Gen decides to take his favourite chainsaw, Deconstruction, for a ride. This is when I get to feel like the main character of Resident Evil 7. Namely, I'd end up losing more limbs that it is normally acceptable for an ordinary human. That said, losing any limbs isn't normally acceptable for a human, so it's not that high of a bar. Still, the thing about Urobuchi with a chainsaw is that by the end of it all you'll end losing something important like a limb or that little thing called hope. This is Gen Urobuchi when he's kind, so kind, in fact, that he wants to teach you a lesson or two about how life really works.

    Finally, just like in Resident Evil 6, Urobuchi has a tendency to grow out a giant tentacle, and that's when things got really weird. This is Gen Urobuchi. That's it.

    So, when I made the decision to start this show, I expected Urobuchi to bring his baseball bat and naturally told himself not to hit me in the face too much. Apparently, what I assumed to be a baseball bat was actually a chainsaw shaped like one, and instead of "not face" he must've heard "yes, more on my face."

    What I expected to happen was Mami ending up crippled and then killed. Killed in a more graceful and tragical way, that is. This way I can pretend that the cavity inside my chest carries an actual heart inside and maybe let out a tear or two. But Gen Urobuchi decided to take all my expectations and promptly fucked them with even buying me a dinner first. Well, at least now I know he's got a massive nob and doesn't stay for breakfast... The bastard.

    The death of Mami is a pivotal moment because it causes me to rethink all of my expectations of the anime as a whole. From now on, this tiny voice inside my mind will be telling me that nothing matters as the majority of the characters are incredibly likely to die. That said, this part of my mind also quite often tells me that all of my problems can solved with a liberal application of gasoline and matchsticks, so I don't listen to it... much.

    See, I believe that knowing that everyone will die doesn't make the work in any way worse. Because for me, that's basically a given. I can accept that the characters will die miserably as long as I know their descent into misery will be interesting. To me, what matters more is not the final destination itself but the path to it. Therefore, while I was shocked by the sudden death of one Mami Tomoe, it was mostly only initial shock that soon faded and the realization that I was manipulated in a way similar to one a good musician would manipulate their instrument. Urobuchi came, made me empathize someone and then crushed them before my eyes.

    So, about the rest of the episode. Homura comes, kill the witch and has a short verbal fight with the girls that ends with nothing. The end. Thanks for reading!

    ... What? Do you expect more from me? Fine. The thing about Homura's fight with the witch is that it's quite hard to describe using words or still pictures. It needs to be seen with your eyes because during the entire fight, Homura appears to teleport just before being eaten. Which leads me to two separate theories. Either she's capable of Instant Transmission from Dragon Ball Z or she can travel back in time like Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Except without a car. So nothing like Marty McFly, then. But I already have the Photoshopped pictures, so waste not, want not.


    ​
    One killed witch later, and the survivors return to the living world. Naturally, Homura retrieves the Grief Seed dropped, starting a conflict between her and Sayaka, who angrily demands her to give it back since it belongs to Mami. Now, from the pragmatical perspective, it's only natural that Homura, who is a magical girl that requires those to keep being one needs the Grief Seed more, but in the same time, I realize humans aren't always completely rational in their actions. As an example, I have inherited an entire library of old books from my grandfather, books that are in such a poor shape they practically cannot be read without destroying them completely. To me, rather than being simply books that need to be read, they are mementos of my late grandfather. Therefore, while I realize they serve no purpose in my apartments other than gathering dust, I'm unwilling to part with them.

    To conclude, both sides have understandable positions, but the one getting the Grief Seed is the person capable of blowing up giant cake-monster single-handedly. Homura. I'm talking about Homura.
    ​

    ​
    The third episode can be called an emotional roller-coaster, but I wouldn't exactly call it that. You see, roller-coasters usually give you time to prepare for the inevitable way down. You know it'll happen, but if the roller-coaster is well-made, you'd still feel surprised and amazed. This episode, on the other hand, is like waking up because you were submerged into ice cold water in the middle of ocean: confused and unaware what will happen next.

    I suppose I'll give this one ten eaten heads out of ten simply because it masterfully played on the strings of my soul and then promptly tore them out.​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • No mention of how the ending credits song+visuals changes completely after episode 3, to reflect the reveal of the show's true tone?
     
    Tada Taro said:
    ... What? Do you expect more from me? Fine. The thing about Homura's fight with the witch is that it's quite hard to describe using words or still pictures. It needs to be seen with your eyes because during the entire fight, Homura appears to teleport just before being eaten. Which leads me to two separate theories. Either she's capable of Instant Transmission from Dragon Ball Z or she can travel back in time like Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Except without a car. So nothing like Marty McFly, then. But I already have the Photoshopped pictures, so waste not, want not.
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    I think it's worth noting that at no point in this fight does Homura ever seem like she's having any difficulty or trouble. She seems to be outright letting the witch eat her the first couple of times, and either whatever's exploding is on a time delay and she's just planting a bunch of them, or she's just letting it try to eat her for funsies before actually finishing it off. I know that it's supposed to be a Witch that Mami could have easily killed without trouble if she weren't distracted by her emotions and showing off for the muggles, but at the same time Homura looks so in control of the fight that I honestly wonder if she's showboating just as much as Mami was.

    Unless there's some pretty strict limits on whatever her ability is, Instant Transmission and Time Rewind (or whatever you want to call it, I dunno) both lend themselves to much quicker, cleaner kills than what we got - though again, that's merely speculation since we don't know what her ability is exactly, nor what limitations (if any) are on it.
     
    Speaking of EDs this episode marked the triumphant debut of the shows ed "Magia", well sort of. The song is first heard in episode 1 during Madoka's opening dream sequence albeit slowed down, but for the first two episodes of the broadcast version the ending song was simply omitted likely so as not to spoil the tone of the series. The BDs on the other hand repladed it with Madoka's character song "Mata Ashita".
     
    Tada Taro said:
    I usually skip those. That said, I may cover that later in the special post covering opening and ending.
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    I....can't say I agree with this in principle, but yeah you should definitely take a look at them sooner rather than later. The lyrics have relevancy to the show and I'd argue that not seeing them will make for a worse experience.
     
    Krika said:
    I....can't say I agree with this in principle, but yeah you should definitely take a look at them sooner rather than later. The lyrics have relevancy to the show and I'd argue that not seeing them will make for a worse experience.
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    I'd say there's a couple episodes where the ED actually outright heightens the impact of what you've just seen and makes it more powerful, even without the lyrics. I typically skip EDs, but Madoka became an exception for me.
     
    Tada Taro said:
    A generally controversial figure on his own, I tend to categorize works written on this man based on what kind of weapon he was wielding while brutalizing any part of my body capable of feeling anything distantly resembling emotions. There are times when Urobuchi brandishes his trusty baseball bat to slowly tenderize your flesh into something more malleable. And, while the nails so lovingly hammered by the hand of a true master make you bleed, these scratches and broken bones will eventually heal. This is Gen Urobuchi when he's nice.

    Then, there are time when Gen decides to take his favourite chainsaw, Deconstruction, for a ride. This is when I get to feel like the main character of Resident Evil 7. Namely, I'd end up losing more limbs that it is normally acceptable for an ordinary human. That said, losing any limbs isn't normally acceptable for a human, so it's not that high of a bar. Still, the thing about Urobuchi with a chainsaw is that by the end of it all you'll end losing something important like a limb or that little thing called hope. This is Gen Urobuchi when he's kind, so kind, in fact, that he wants to teach you a lesson or two about how life really works.
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    Na this is the time he pulls out the pain killers and you don't know what he's done to you until he lets you see a mirror.
     
    Tada Taro said:
    I usually skip those. That said, I may cover that later in the special post covering opening and ending.
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    As others have said, you'll want to at least check to see if it's the OP/ED you're expecting to see. Madoka does things with them.

    (Also there's some subtle differences between every episode's OP but unless you really pick them apart you're probably not going to notice.)
     
    Hmm yes I liked the ending theme. I liked a lot of the music for this show really. This let watch seems fun. You have a way of making me laugh.
     
    Interesting to see someone experience Madoka for the first time.

    Every time I've tried to recommend this series to someone new, I've made a point to earn them not to judge the series by the first episode, because it's very deceptive of what the series is actually like. It seems in many ways like a typical magical girl anime, family, friends, school, cute pink haired protagonist. Then you get to episode 3, and all illusions of this being a typical magical girl show are completely shattered when Mami gets her head bitten off.

    I'd encourage you to rewatch episode 1 sometime in the future, after seeing the rest of the series. I won't say what, but there are things in there that take on entirely new meanings once you understand the context.

    Lastly, I won't say who, but this series has a character who ranks among my favorite of all time, and another whom I loath like few fictional characters can be loathed.
     
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    • There was a certain smell in the air, and it wasn't the oh-so-familiar smell of cigarette and booze I grew so accustomed to. It was something far worse. This was the smell of stagnation and of slow moral degradation. The smell of a failure.

    I looked at myself in the mirror, and what I saw there wasn't pretty. Unshaven beard and tired, bloodshot eyes. I didn't need anyone to remind me what a mess I was, but that left me wondering: just where did it all go wrong?

    Was it the Vegas job? Or even before that? When did I let my life spiral into this… disappointment?

    "You know when," the man in the mirror replied, smirking at me. "The Let's Watch. All those years ago. You still have a chance. Seize it!"

    The Let's Watch. My memories were still hazy, but… this might've been the answer.

    "Now go! Let the legend come back to life!"
    Y. HAS COME TO

    LET'S BLIND WATCH PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA
    IS COMING BACK    ​
    "Kept you waiting, huh?"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well to force things to a start to make sure this aint a misfire-

    Heres the ending credits song+visuals of the first 2 episodes.



    And heres what it switches to on episode 3.



    English lyrics are for after you watch the show to prevent spoilers. (as well as to ensure the knife hits the vitals)
     
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