Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica – 03
For every beginning, there is always an end
I tend to make some pretty odd blogging schedules for myself. Last season I must’ve thought it would be funny to blog 4 shows that aired one day after each other. This season, 2 shows come out on the same day. Since Madoka usually rears its head a tinier bit earlier than Fractale, I’ll probably tend to write about that first. Also, I have a LOT to talk about with Madoka. Who would’ve thought a magical girls show would get THIS INTENSE?
Remember that boy in the hospital bed in Sayaka’s flashback? Because now we get to learn what her deal was with him. To cheer up her bed-ridden friend who probably suffers from the common anime sudden-unnamed-disease-syndrome, she brings him rare CDs. Except, instead of cheering him up, it makes him cry as he remembers when he used to play the violin.
That, or he’s crying because he’s locked in Sayaka’s basement
Meanwhile, Mami successfully exterminated a witch familiar in front of Sayaka and Madoka again. Honestly, I’m beginning to think they just go to see if they can catch a peek up Mami’s skirt as she flits around or something. Mami presses them a bit to make a wish and stop following her around late at night, but they just turn the question back to her. Her wish was simply to have her life spared, as Kyubei appeared before her as she was barely conscious in a car crash wreckage. She didn’t exactly have time to wish for a pony.
Death is swift. Death is quiet. Death is furry.
Sayaka asks if she can wish for her friend, Kamijo, which causes Kyubei to pipe up “SURE, FINE, GO AHEAD! LEMME DO IT NOW!” Mami tells the unblinking furball to not rush them, since wishing for someone else has some obvious obstacles. As for Madoka, she complains to Kyubei about being dumb and useless while he watches her in bed. Without looking away. Kyubei’s stare is only broken by Madoka’s drunk mother stumbling home, which makes her all the more awesome.
So I can’t wish for him to become my sex slave? Darn.
Mami is still out at night (not drunk though) and she has a wee chat with Homura. The mood is terse at best. It’s the usual jabber: Homura doesn’t want more people involved in these fights and Mami WANTS MORE GIRLS. Magical girls, that is. Madoka seems to have a lot of potential, hence Kyubei’s obvious rush to contract her…
The next day, Sayaka and Madoka see a Grief Seed stuck in the wall of the hospital Kamijo is in. Sufficiently freaked out, Sayaka stays in place with Kyubei while Madoka goes and finds Mami. Sayaka ends up inside the witch’s maze, which is a mix of a hospital and a candy store. Odd mix, I know. Nothing much happens to Sayaka, so Mami and Madoka just have to stealthily sneak in to meet up with Sayaka. The catch is that Homura is there AGAIN. She tries to warn them about the witch, but Mami just practices her bondage skills on her so that she can’t do anything.
As they proceed through the maze (holding hands, no less) Madoka tells Mami that her wish is to just become a magical girl like Mami..someone people can look up to. Mami immediately lets go of her hand and tells Madoka how horrible of a person she is, which eventually leads to tears, hand-holding and all manner of pseudo-lesbian word exchanges. Now that Mami is finally happy, IT’S TIME TO KILL HER OFF.
THERE IS A PRETZEL ON A FISHHOOK AND PILLS ARE FALLING FROM THE SKY.YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID
The witch reveals itself at last – this time a much less jumpy creature. It doesn’t look that fierce, so Mami confidently fires shot after shot without much thought. She’s too happy that she got a pink-haired girl to hold her sweaty hand for so long. Of course, as she thinks about how happy she is, she ends up dying.
Kyubei tries to get them to hastily contract with him, but Homura steps in. She finishes the job Mami couldn’t, and obtains the Grief Seed. Instead of thanking her, Sayaka yells at her through her tears. Homura practically spits venom at them as she leaves the two girls.
More Mindfuc for Your Buck:
Madoka, so naive…to think that all I do is WATCH you when you sleep…fufufufu
I can make your wishes come true! I’m Kyubei! Kill your parents! Being a magical girl is fun!
Yeah, I’m not even gonna ASK where we are anymore
I’M JUST SO…SO LONERY!
End Thoughts: BWAAAAAAA MAMMMMIIIII!!!!!!!!!! TT.TT WHYYYY!!!! HOW COULD YOU DIE SO SOON!!! Right until the end of the episode I was like “No way…she’s not dead…that death wasn’t even glorious, it ended in a flash…”…I still don’t want to think she’s dead, but given the direction of this show…she very well may be gone for good. If she ever comes back, it will probably be as a witch. What better way to show the consequences of being a magical girl better than the ultimate penalty? Will they ever accept Kyubei’s offer now? Well, yes, they will…but it’s gonna take some convincing and maybe a bit of moping.
It was pissing me off that 2 pre-teen girls couldn’t even think up ONE wish after a few days. Just as I thought Sayaka had a perfectly noble wish she was like “NOPE, I WANNA DO IT MYSELF” as if she can magically heal his imaginary anime disease. Madoka’s wish was pure too, but she must really be unambitious to not want anything else but a good rolemodel. At least go for the cake, man. THE CAKE. In this sense, Sayaka actually seems like she has more dimensions than Madoka, who is far too innocent.
While I still think Mami was a bit on the “bad” side (especially given how much more cunning she seemed this episode. She seemed to have changed quite a bit since episode 2, or is it just me?), I don’t think she was fully aware that what she was doing was wrong. She was genuinely happy to have Madoka with her, and she seemed to just be lonely. It can’t be easy to have to fight garish apparitions night after night just to survive, and not get to so much as whine about it to anyone. Kyubei probably caught onto her loneliness and used it to get what he wanted…more hoes magical girls. Kyubei seems RIDICULOUSLY suspicious this episode, since almost all of his lines were based around wishes or contracts. Heck, he even seemed to see Mami’s death as nothing but a perfect chance to convert the two girls into his slaves. Homura seems more blatantly like a character on the “good” side too.
3 episodes in and the main girls haven’t become magical girls yet and it’s STILL badass. They have an awesome ED now too! I don’t see any signs of this show slacking in any department. I mean, come on, that fight was wicked awesome. I can’t wait to see Madoka and Sayaka in action. Witch familiars, Madoka’s power, how hungover Madoka’s mom is….these are all things I WANT TO KNOW!!! But for now…I must sleep.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
After this episode, Madoka Magica went up to the top in my to-watch list for this season. This is the first time i saw a mahou shoujo show this dark. With ath sort of violent present in this show, I wouldnt be surprised if what Homura stated in the very first episode to Madoka is actually a foreshadowing of our heroine losing a lot of things, like her mom.
Whenever Kyubei waves his tail to try to get Madoka to make a wish, I cant help but feel some slight evil coming from him. Lol. Me thinks that this “game” that Homura mentioned isnt just an expression, the grief seed’s second use for all we know is that it can be used once again. Meh theory theory
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Mmm Hmm, Madoka is probably one of the most original things airing this season. It’s quite amazing to see how well macabre and mahou go together when done in the right way. :3 I think Homura is foreshadowing to something pretty dark when she means losing things, so her mom is probably in danger. Sayaka’s hospital friend might be what she loses too.
There is definitely something up with those Grief Seeds…I NEED TO KNOW!!!
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
God SHAFT are geniuses, they need to distinguish themselves from the boring traditional mahou shoujo anime franchises by just completely putting it’s audience out of their comfort zone, i expected nothing less of them…only i’d prefer it if madoka’s friend died instead of mami…she was just too awesome
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
My love for SHAFT just keeps growing as they do more shows…They really went far and beyond the “mahou shoujo” restrictions and practically made their own genre.
…I would gladly sacrifice that dad to save Mami. T.T