This is a curiously skeptical take on the show so I'm interested. If nothing else I really want to see how differently you feel about it when you get to the end.
This quote pretty much sums up my general feelings on Madoka as a series.
Real talk; I've seen anime do individual things better and I've seen anime that's more enjoyable to watch, but taken as a whole, PMMM is probably the closest thing to "perfect" that the medium has.
Speaking of the character designs. They're fine. I can't say I particularly like them, but they look very nice overall. However, in the same time, it is kind of:
I don't want to... say much about Madoka's quality. I will say it works better when you finish it and view it as an overall product, rather than piece-by-piece. The whole is definitely greater than sum of the parts etc
IIRC, the initial broadcast didn't even have an ending theme for the first two episodes, they just played the credits before the episode ended. It was only was the show was released on DVD and Blu-Ray that we got an actual song to end on.
(didn't watch it live myself, so I'm going off what people've said online)
The whole may or may not be greater than the sum of the parts. Just keep in mind, when you're trying to watch the whole of it, that you need to include Rebellion. The movie, that is.
There are three movies. The first two merely recap the series, so you're allowed to skip them.
The whole may or may not be greater than the sum of the parts. Just keep in mind, when you're trying to watch the whole of it, that you need to include Rebellion. The movie, that is.
There are three movies. The first two merely recap the series, so you're allowed to skip them.
PMMM stands on its own. IMO, it stands better on its own. It finished, it was done, it tied off everything that needed tying off.
Rebellion reopened something that didn't need to be reopened. Maybe, with the fourth movie, that'll pay off. But only maybe. As it stands, I'm perfectly happy declaring Rebellion extraneous.
PMMM stands on its own. IMO, it stands better on its own. It finished, it was done, it tied off everything that needed tying off.
Rebellion reopened something that didn't need to be reopened. Maybe, with the fourth movie, that'll pay off. But only maybe. As it stands, I'm perfectly happy declaring Rebellion extraneous.
PMMM stands on its own. IMO, it stands better on its own. It finished, it was done, it tied off everything that needed tying off.
Rebellion reopened something that didn't need to be reopened. Maybe, with the fourth movie, that'll pay off. But only maybe. As it stands, I'm perfectly happy declaring Rebellion extraneous.
I feel it capped off the series perfectly, resolving a number of issues the series never did resolve.
I've always thought very similarly to Urobuchi, however. I can understand if you disagree... but I felt we had to inform the OP that it exists. And it is part of canon, after all.
I feel it capped off the series perfectly, resolving a number of issues the series never did resolve.
I've always thought very similarly to Urobuchi, however. I can understand if you disagree... but I felt we had to inform the OP that it exists. And it is part of canon, after all.
I think at this point it's fair as a counterweight to say that I think Rebellion is a great movie that did some really clever things really well.
That said, if Taro is going to watch Rebellion, we really should stop arguing about how good or bad it is, both because of bias concerns, but also because to really discuss its strengths and weaknesses would require heavy spoilers?
Amusingly enough (for certain values thereof), when you look at the lyrics the first song is less cheerful than it sounds and the second... well there is a degree of optimism there.
The fourth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts…
What, did you expect some kind of a story to explain the reason I didn't post for so long? Sorry, hypothetical reader, but if you want to know what happened in the interim period, I strongly advise you to purchase my book, "Moby's a Dick." Wink-wink.
The fourth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts in a hospital. Not in just any hospital, mind you, but the one where Sayaka's friend is undergoing a treatment. As the girl herself open the door, all she finds inside the hospital room is an empty bed.
I can't believe he's fucking dead.
Thankfully, a pair of nurses explain to Sayaka – and me – that her friend is undergoing physical treatment. … You know, at this point, if she won't use her wish to heal the boy, I'm going to be really surprised because the anime doesn't simply telegraph this turn, it baked the turn into a nice pie and smeared it all over my face.
Also, those chatty nurses are very convenient since they helpfully explain how Sayaka coming to visit her friend is a good thing.
As she enters the elevator, Sayaka starts pondering, making me ponder about her pondering, but can she ponder about me pondering about her pondering while I… ponder.
Her wish to heal the boy she obviously likes can be interpret two ways. The first one is that as someone who genuinely cares about the hurt person and wants to alleviate their pain, she wants to make Kyousuke feel better. This is admirable and simple, and thus, in my opinion, less likely. Because it's Gen Urobuchi. If it's Gen Urobuchi, there's a good chance the work will turn itself into a pretzel to explain how heroism is bad, altruism is meaningless and that you can't fight giant, post-humanity Godzilla on land because Godzilla is secretly a filmmaking equivalent of a penis… What was I talking about again?
Ah, yes, the second interpretation of Sayaka's wish. She has an ulterior motive. She wants the person in question to feel obligated to her, and any success and happiness he will achieve can be considered something she was directly responsible for. Humans seek gratification, but since as a society we consider direct selfishness to be bad, some people hide such impulses behind the commonly-accepted labels of "heroism" and "selflessness." To sacrifice one's life for the sake of another.
Since we suddenly became so serious, let me put an end to this with a joke.
Why did a chicken cross the street?
To get eaten by a horrible blob monster because love is just a chemical reaction inside your brain and is evil. Also, moe culture is the enemy.
Ahem.
At this point, I don't think I can pinpoint what interpretation seems to be the correct, so I'll abstain from making a concrete decision. Release the opening!
This is false advertisement. Her head is still attached to her body.
The next scene involves eggs and a flashback of a teenage getting eaten by an eldritch monster, leaving her friends possibly traumatized for life.
But, damn, Madoka's father makes so good eggs.
Look at them shits.
Jokes aside, the scene of Madoka breaking down during a breakfast with her family is emotionally packed. She cries over the fact that she's alive, that she can eat the food together with her family. Those are things she can experience, and things Mami won't. Ever.
Of course, if I knew Mami as a person better, I'd have had more similar reaction, but honestly, this is a high quality scene, the voice actor did a good job, and it did summon the emotional response it required from me. Nice job.
As we jump to the classroom, I can't help but notice something. I'll let you guess what it is. Here:
The girl in the back doesn't have a laptop.
That's right. The poor girl doesn't have a laptop unlike other students in the class, and do you understand what this means?
Must've been an animation error or something.
But there's a central shot of Homura looking at Madoka, doing what she does best: being mysterious. It's obvious she's going to be central to this story, but considering this is an Urobuchi story, she'll either end up dead, in despair or fighting Godzilla. My bet is on Godzilla.
The next scene involves a rooftop and our two heroines. As they talk about their feelings regarding the death of their friend and their shared of alienation by the uncaring society, I'm starting to see some obvious parallels.
I'm too old for this shit, man.
I've seen similar dialogues only in a certain set of works. The kind that shows people returning from the battlefield and trying to adjust to the mundanity.
So, my conclusion is thus: magical girls are child soldiers. Of course, this probably can't be correct for all works of the genre. All in all, I might be wrong since I'm not an expert on the topic. Or rather, I haven't seen a single magical girl show beyond this one.
However, there's a certain memetic proto-example I can engage with. A basic framework, if you will. It goes like this: a girl meets a magical creature that gives her powers to help her drive away invaders. Of course, it's a very simplified model, but I don't think the core thesis isn't that different.
I don't think the allusions were something I came up with on my own, but since this is my tiny corner of belly-aching, I get to decide how I feel about a work of fiction… unless you find some kind of a commentary to make me think otherwise, in which case… nice work, I guess.
Both girls appear to be too traumatized to accept Kyubey's offer to become a magical girl and have their wish granted. You know, this might've left me feel suspenseful if I didn't see both Sayaka and Madoka wearing magical girl outfits in the opening.
I can't fault them for not wanting to die horribly, though. Can't really appreciate your wish if you die this young. Why wouldn't a magical girl wish for immortality, though? It would be a shame if something happened to your wish.
Also, Kyubey seems shadier with every moment it appears. Like, it all usually make sense within the present context, but the more I think about its actions, the more it appears to be subtly nudging girls into making a contract with it. It can a red herring, of course, but do you know what it might be otherwise?
A giant salmon slapping you in the face. Forever. The future can be fucked up like this.
The next scene involves Mami's apartments. Mami's empty apartments. Apartments that shall be forevermore devoid of their owner. Desolate apartments. A no-Mami zone. A Mami-less place. A place… where someone left some tea in their cup.
Savages.
While one possibility is that after the girls came to visit Mami, she simply forgot to clean up later, I refuse to believe this. My theory is that Madoka came and the first thing she did was making herself some tea. A dead friend or not, tea comes first.
So, my conclusion is thus: magical girls are child soldiers. Of course, this probably can't be correct for all works of the genre. All in all, I might be wrong since I'm not an expert on the topic. Or rather, I haven't seen a single magical girl show beyond this one.
Is there a very real risk of death each time a Magical Girl fight?
Does said journey run the risk of severe physical injury or emotional trauma; as opposed to a more conventional Coming of Age story?
If both questions are true, then technically, the unfortunate Magical Girl is a child soldier.
Her wish to heal the boy she obviously likes can be interpret two ways. The first one is that as someone who genuinely cares about the hurt person and wants to alleviate their pain, she wants to make Kyousuke feel better. This is admirable and simple, and thus, in my opinion, less likely. Because it's Gen Urobuchi. If it's Gen Urobuchi, there's a good chance the work will turn itself into a pretzel to explain how heroism is bad, altruism is meaningless and that you can't fight giant, post-humanity Godzilla on land because Godzilla is secretly a filmmaking equivalent of a penis… What was I talking about again?
Urobuchi once described Madoka as his attempt to write a more positive and optimistic sort of story than his usual fare. I leave it to you to decide if you think he was lying his ass off, or was being genuine.
