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「本当の気持ちと向き合えますか?」 (Hontou no Kimochi to Mukiaemasu ka?)
“Can you Face your True Feelings?”
Something about the thought of having my soul extracted from my body just doesn’t sit well with me. Seeing how I’m a normal human being, I would feel a little violated if someone decided to rip my soul out my body. Isn’t your soul the basis of your very existence — the single thing that makes you who you are? You can bet that I felt Kyubei’s actions were absolutely unjustifiable. Somewhere between forgetting to mention certain facts to playing with Sayaka’s soul, I was ready to rip his head off. At the same time, I was surprised just how convincing the show was when it tried to justify Kyubei’s actions. Homura’s comment how an entire life normally isn’t enough for a miracle keeps echoing through my head. How often do you get a chance to have a wish granted? For such an opportunity, is it worth sacrificing everything?
For Kyouko, I’m so happy that she’s actually a warm hearted person. Her spunky attitude combined with her inability to be honest with her feelings makes her look pretty cute. I can’t blame her though — with the type of family she had to deal with, it’s amazing that she was able to keep pushing forward for so long. But what really got me was when she compared her suffering to the world’s ability to balance all the hope a miracle can grant by supplying an equal amount of despair. To me, it looks like Kyouko just needs a real friend.
As Sayaka’s own despair slowly descends upon her in the form of Hitomi’s burning passion for Kyosuke, it felt like a good reality check to watch Sayaka start to doubt herself. Watching her breakdown and show that she’s still a real person inside as the tears started flowing, I was expecting her to have a valiant battle against a witch and win after gaining the resolve to keep going. To top it off, I thought there was going to be a friendship building moment when I saw Kyouko watching Sayaka from afar, ready to spring into action when Sayaka needed it the most.
But no, instead of a happy ending we’re left with some sort of monster. Something about being able to separate your body and soul to the point where you can’t feel pain anymore just felt wrong. The very notion of separating the soul from the body isn’t right, but even with their souls outside of their body a Mahou Shoujo still looked like they retained their human traits. For Sayaka, if she can’t feel pain, who knows if she can still feel other things like laughter or happiness?
Preview
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APPLES. BLOOD. AHHH…. CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
I’ll take a red apple… AND EAT IT!
Ryuk anyone?
I got Yagami Light eating style vibes.
I’m not sure if that sits as well with me…
Light is definitely an example of Chaotic Good…
Kyoko? Chaotic Neutral… I guess…
Hmm Barbossa anyone?
As for the witch this time… suddenly sprouting a tree that consumes the target? Unless I’m remembering the 1st episode incorrectly, wasn’t there something like that in the opening sequence?
In any case, it’ll be pretty interesting to see what happens to Sayaka in the future. I’m not seeing a Good End for her, though…
i don’t see a good end for her either. but we can hope, yes? mah, but urobuchi is…*sigh*
Good or bad ending, it may all depend on Madoka’s wish. But we’ll see
Most intriguing
I guess I’m in the minority when I think its awesome to have your soul in your own hands and also Sayaka is better in cold-blooded maniac mode.
~.~
I can see how it’s convenient but.. I think my it’s just my morality is kicking in 🙁
Souls are what really makes you you! Physical bodies are just a pain haha
My argument somehow seems flawed now.
You need your body AND your soul! 🙁
The body is a prison for the mind! Just survive until the Singularity, and we’ll fix you up with something that won’t break down from silly things like everyday wear-and-tear or shortening telomeres!
Mouryou no Hako settled this philosophical debate for me – a human brain outside a human body is not a ‘human’ brain anymore.
More about externalism in philosophy of the mind, if anyone’s interested: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/content-externalism/
What is a mind without the body but a spectre? Our bodies are our vehicles to the world, allowing us to react, to build, to touch the world. Without such a beautiful gift, what is the human worth? Look at Stephen Hawkins. There’s a man who enhanced our very understanding of the world. But what makes you think he would do it without a body? Do you not think that he would swoop upon the chance to regain his limbs and motor ability?
A soul without a body is but a dead spirit. I hate to bring this up, but even Voldemort refused to give up on his body. The man wanted to be immortal, but if he had persisted as just a soul, an “spectre,” if you will, he would eventually wither away. Even the ghosts in Harry Potter feared the severance of Soul and Body. Because the alternative is far too inhuman and too unfathomable for them to suddenly dive into.
Also, Singularity. DREAMING of the day. I want all of my thoughts to reach the page without having to use my fingers. But then again, can art formed of pure imagination be considered art? How would one create a masterpiece in a world where imagination and computer (like there’ll be PAPER in the future, right?) are one and the same?
In conclusion, cuz I needz dinner, the moment the Soul is seperate from the Body, that is the state of Death. QB has just anchored the girls’ souls to their little eggs.
Correct me if I am mistaken by the girl has a body to experience the world with. It’s just a convenient vessel that can be replaced if damaged, much like the bodies death gods in bleach uses. It’s just that this shows makes the concept feel so dark.
There is also the assumption that the soul dies after the body dies. No one can really confirm that as much as no one can prove the existence of heaven/hell.
APPLE! APPLE! it is so sad to watch Kyoko eat the apple as Sayako slowly left…
and yeah, great power come with great twist… Sayaka just happened to be the twisted one…
Sayaka be one potential final boss, anyone?
hmm.. she might be that witch in madoka’s dream
I like the whole soul removal thing, because it plays into a lot of good science fiction concepts. A common theme in sci-fi is the transference of one’s mind from the original body into something “better” (whether or not it actually is, is of course a point of debate).
After all, putting your soul in a little gem, how different is that from uploading your consciousness into a computer? Or a robotic copy of your body? Or even from moving to a biologically enhanced clone of your original body? Is there something lost in the process?
I don’t think so, but I believe that puts me in the minority. Obviously, everybody has a different take on the idea, and it’s interesting to see it in a medium other than hard science fiction; I personally also think that it’s an issue that people in the real world will be facing within the next 50 years, as technology begins to catch up to the capacity of a human brain.
“After all, putting your soul in a little gem, how different is that from uploading your consciousness into a computer? Or a robotic copy of your body? Or even from moving to a biologically enhanced clone of your original body?”
Its not when compared to the former 2 and hence the problem. Notice how sci fi handles the effects of mind into computer/robot.
Moving into a “biologically enhanced clone” is obviously much less impacting than gem/computer/robot but the impact is still there, both in long term mindset, possible compulsive obsessions and a break down in inter personal bonds (and hence expanded to society’s bonds)
sufficiently advanced science looks exactly like magic…
The problem people have with the process is not that the mind and soul are moved but that the act of choosing was taken.
Yep Sayaka is going to lose it. I actually expected that although not in the way it happened.
As for Kyoko, she now has some backstory and a more sympathetic look. In a more lighthearted series it would be character development. In a dark series like this, it is know as a DEATH FLAG. So anyone taking bets on how long she will last?
really pity sayaka now. she cant live normally, might have her crush taken by a friend and her soul is not inside her anymore.
if there is someone who can bring her back to sanity, its definitely madoka.
Sayaka… I am expecting a really twisted end for her. She could very well turn completely mad and kill Hitomi/Kyosuke out of jealousy/being selfish.
The worst case situation I think is if Sayaka ends up turning into a witch in front of Madoka and then having Homura kill Sayaka.
I still feel like Kyubei is hiding something else such as another special conditional or motive as to why “it” is doing all of this.
i’m quite expecting the same as well. i mean, i think she just lost her sanity(or maybe temporarily and she’ll return to her old self next ep). She was regretting what she did for hitomi, and yes, she was apparently jealous of her. so it’s not too odd to think of the possibility of her murdering someone.
I wonder if he is keeping a secret like its possible to reverse the process and turn a magical girl back into a normal human?
Her friend is a b!#@%. Alright, so you’re gonna be in only half of the episodes, become a damsel in distress and get Madoka in the clutches of a witch, and then you try to NTR our hero of justice?!
…so you could give her the benefit of the doubt that she’s bluffing to push her friend, but I’m leaning towards misfortune. A true friend doesn’t pressure, even if you are really taking someones interests into account, learn to back off instead of acting on some self-satisfaction bs.
…well, that answers that question. But raises so many others…
(my post below this one was written about 5 min before this)
NTR? She hasn’t done anything yet!
Also Sayaka’s “hero of justice” shtick is full of naivety, ignorance and hypocrisy all to make her suffer. Kyoko pretty much called her out on that last episode. And now the consequences of this attitude is starting to show.
what?? hitomi was only concerned about sayaka. she was actually helping her. i understand we have different views, but man, hitomi had been holding back her feelings for kamijou ONLY because she knew that sayaka has feelings for him too. not to mention the other reason is that she knew kamijou and sayaka have known each other longer that she did.
*and* i don’t think she’d be confronting sayaka IF she knew of their MG status and the SG.
I can’t believe that Hitomi is actually concerned about Sayaka. For what it’s worth I don’t believe that she’s always desired Kamijou. I fear that this desire was conjured up as an offshoot of Sayaka’s rescue of her and Kamijou’s miracle. Learning Kyouko’s backstory only makes me feel stronger about this. We still don’t know exactly how these wishes work.
But that aside, Hitomi isn’t the concerned ‘friend’ here. She could have pursued Kamijou at any time, before or after his injury. She chose the moment after Sayaka discovered the truth of her situation. (Again, I feel they’re connected.) And then she put the screws to her friend, generously giving her a whole day. So now she can claim that she is being fair about it since she’s provided fair warning. She’s being selfish and callous and has cast her friend aside for selfish purposes. Talk about getting kicked while you’re down. Tragedy is pending.
well,obviously we don’t think the same.but you’re assumptions do make sense. XD
in any case, all we can do is just speculate and assume till the needed answers gets thrown at the open.XD
but I’m leaning towards misfortune.
FUKOU DA!
Was I the only one who thought of how much of a bitch Hitomi was for putting Sayaka on the spot like that? Even if she wasn’t caught up in a Faustian/Lovecraftian/Nanohanian nightmare typhoon, there’s still a friendship on the line when a close friend confesses their love for another. Hitomi has far less to lose in this situation and she knows it.
Also blah blah blah Sayaka turning into a literally soulless monster on verge of insanity yadda yadda yadda.
Calling her a bitch is a bit much I think. I find it admirable that she admitted to Sayaka that she had feelings for the same guy. She could have done it behind her back but she didn’t. Of course she couldn’t possibly have known that Sayaka is on the edge of her sanity.
Hardly admirable. She may not have known about the mahou shojo situation, but she did know Sayaka and Kyosuke had known each other for a long time. That means far different circumstances and stakes than that of a secret admirer, the position Hitomi is in. That alone should be clear.
Also, what’s NTR?
i agree with you very much. C’mon man, how could you think such things about hitomi when all she wanted was to pull sayaka out of her cowardice. i mean, man, that’s just so very nice of her. tch. i’m starting to root for a kamijo-hitomi here actually. LOL. that is if ever gen decides to end this in idealism. DX
Sayaka: Knew him since childhood, came to visit him in the hospital everyday.
Hitomi: Just happens to like him. No reason given yet.
I’m not going to expect this story to take the ideal path for any of these characters anytime soon, but Sayaka’s done way more to deserve this, even if you exclude the fact she trapped herself in a deal with the devil to fix his playing hand.
…and just like that, the Madoka shipping wars have begun. Personally, I’m KyosukeXKyuubey bandwagon. KyoXKyu OTP!
@Da5id
And for that long time Sayaka did jack diddly squat. The biggest flaw of Sayaka is pretty much her inability to think things properly. She fixes Kamijo’s hand and then what? Did she expect him to fall on her lap? Mami warned her about this, Kyoko called her out on the stupidity of the wish. Hitomi pretty much just waited for around forever for Sayaka to do something, and she didn’t. Is it her fault that she still thinks she has a chance? Heck she pretty much hurts her chances again by talking to Sayaka about it.
This essentially all what’s been building up for Sayaka since she became a MG. She did something really stupid and now the consequences are starting to show. Remember her line “There is no way I can regret this”? Well she sure is regretting it now, and its mostly her fault but she’s in denial. And that makes it all tragic.
So if its Kamijo x Kyubei and Kamijo becomes a Mahou Shonen, does that mean he has endless *ahem* “endurance” or a certain kind?
LOL @ the kyo X QB. XDD so kamijo is a yaoi dude after all. as well as QB. well, i’m on to my OTP here..MADO-HOMU FTW!! xDD
There’s no room for harem. lol
Even so, it’s interesting that she decides to confess when she’s got the boy all nice and healed up and done nothing before when he was all depressed. Though Kamijo could refuse her cause he just likes Sayaka in the end, and so go for a happy end.
I thought the same about Hitomi. She did actually nothing, while Sayaka went to the hospital every day etc.
So unless it’s just a ploy to help Sayaka and Kyosuke get together, I’ll be really pissed if she makes any advances towards him. What a troublemaker.
Well at least this is turning out a little differently than I expected. I expected Kyosuke to just start acting ignorant towards Sayaka which would obviously make him out to be an ass.
Whether he does that or goes out with Hitomi, then end result is of course the same. A heart broken Sayaka.
wow! so much sayaka this episode. and it seems she just snapped! O__o she’s turned psycho!! DX
OMG! i definitely didn’t expect hitomi to play such a huge role into having sayaka fall into despair! it’s quite the shocker for me this episode.
man, i admired hitomi for not going behind sayaka’s back about kamijo. she’s a true friend. it’s quite apparent that she confessed to sayaka,encouraging her into finally admitting her feelings to kamijo. But i’m afraid, given what became of sayaka, along with her loss of hope (and sanity?), she might do something terribly wrong.
i mean, like killing hitomi? *shudder*
with these thoughts, i think it’s becoming likely that sayaka’s that witch in madoka’s dream. well this might be proven wrong since i’m just speculating. oh btw, i love how the battle scene went. with all those silhouettes, it’s actually my favorite witch encounter so far. And not to mention how cool sayaka was(whilst madoka just stood there >_>).
moving to kyoko, since her background was revealed,it’d not be surprising if ever she gets her end next chapter. but dang, i’m really liking her character.i’d be sad if she dies. just like how i did with mami. DX
i knew from the start that she’s not that bad. there’s an acceptable reason behind her cynical and realistic view in life. but man, finally knowing her backstory, i say, it was pretty tragic. She lead her family in destruction without intending to. it was plain horrible! DX
i’m just kinda pissed at sayaka for not appreciating those help that she’s offering her.
so yeah, deathflags for kyoko are everywhere, i guess. DX (i’m already bracing myself for those inevitable deaths)
Bleh, Sayaka is showing classic signs of denial. Rather than saying she “regrets saving Hitomi”, she should just come out and say she regrets she did not wish for Kamijou to love her. Actually even the latter wish would be dead in the water because you would always know Kamijo would love her due to magic rather than anything (much like Kyoko’s father)
Sayaka survived this episode’s death flags. Will she survive next episode? Or will it be Kyoko who bites it? I’m betting Kyoko first from her backstory explaination. Maybe its even Sayaka who helps her along 🙂
This was another excellent episode with great character development, especially for Kyouko, who I always thought was misunderstood. Her past was really quite sad and she seems like a much stronger character because of it. I had hoped she and Sayaka would have reconciled, but alas, it was not to be (at least, not yet). Kyouko is now my second favorite living character after Homura, though sadly, I feel she will not survive the show. As for Kyubey, I am starting to see him less as evil and more as an amoral being on a mission, which is interesting because I have been calling for his brutal execution on more than one occasion (See previous episode comment).
As for Hitomi, I actually thought that her actions were truly kind and she showed how much she valued her friendship with Sayaka. She keeps observing Sayaka’s hesitance and created pressure to force her friend to face her true feelings. Of course, in the context of Sayaka’s slight dilemma (namely the fact that she is a zombie…err, I mean Masou Shoujo), I can understand how others construe Hitomi’s actions as cruel, though Hitomi obviously has no idea of said dilemma.
The battle at the end was beautifully animated. I loved the silhouetted action as it really added to the inner struggle Sayaka was fighting for her conscience and her feelings. To Sayaka, fighting is black and white, but the moral implications of her wish and circumstances are anything but.
In retrospect, I should really stop writing so much in my comments.
Or I should send Divine my resume…. 😉
man, we sure think the same. XD
Well, great minds think alike.
Unless of course, we are actually the same person, suffering from cognitive dissonance and posting under two different aliases in a sort of Jekyl/Hyde duality but without the sociopathic subtext regarding the darkness inherently dwelling within all human beings merely waiting to be released from its moral prison inside the social construct mankind refers to as “conscience.”
But, it’s more likely we think alike. 😉
While Kyouko is probably misunderstood, her actions when she first appeared were still unpleasant (i.e. murderous). While her character seems likeable enough when she’s not homicidal, I’m not sure how her fans are getting around that aspect of her.
Having said that, everyone behind her initial wish is dead. So what drives her? Is there some means of redemption available to her? Is this why she is willing to commit murder? To nurture the familiars until they become witches? We still don’t know those details about the mahou shoujo world. What other secrets has that long-eared rat been keeping?
On a side note… why did Sayaka reject her friendship? I don’t really understand that.
“Watching her breakdown and show that she’s still a real person inside as the tears started flowing, I was expecting her to have a valiant battle against a witch and win after gaining the resolve to keep going. To top it off, I thought there was going to be a friendship building moment when I saw Kyouko watching Sayaka from afar, ready to spring into action when Sayaka needed it the most.”
Takaii, I guess you don’t really know Urobochi Gen.
about QB, it’s quite clear to me now that he doesn’t really understand human emotions. therefore, i label him as not-yet-evil STILL.(this is subject to change ofc). what seemed like a torture he did to sayaka was just to show sayaka how much advantage the SG had. atleast that’s what i see. unless, it’s outright told or later revealed that he knew all along what he’s doing and yet continued to do so. then i can finally tell that he’s not good at all.
lastly, homura’s line at the rooftop scene. When Madoka asked why she’s cold, she answered that she may not be human anymore.
Does this mean that she was never a cat,having the cat-theory overruled?
hmm. i guess not yet. sure the theory tells that she might be a cat BEFORE. BUT, we can still consider that SHE WAS TURNED INTO A CAT instead and she’s animagus. how? i dunno yet.
so yeah, not an excellent episode but still VERY GOOD!
WHO’S GONNA GET KILLED NEXT? i wonder..
can’t wait for next episode!! XD
I kinda think Hitomi bluffed there in order to push Sayaka’s back…cuz that confession was simply too sudden. Am I the only one who thought so? Well…it’s just my hope.
i kinda thought about that too. but i think i’d like it better if she wasn’t just bluffing.
its better if she is bluffing
then sayaka kill her
ALL HAIL TRAGEDY~
maybe the wish/the miracle was the reason for hitomi to fall for him
“the world’s ability to balance all the hope a miracle can grant by supplying an equal amount of despair”
maybe hitomi’s bluffing after all and the one she really likes is sayaka. wouldn’t that be surprising? XD
and hitomi might be the Green MG since we alrdy have Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink, and, what’s homura’s color code, Violet or Black. XDD
ok, who wants a madoka game? here
LOL.
loved the “now dashing” status 😛
Sayaka cracked.
This whole “Balance of hope and despair” business reminds me a whole lot of “The Monkey’s Paw”. Kyubei can grant miracles: why not tragedies also. Alternatively it’s possible the real price of a miracle is having it all go to hell. Kyoko made her wish to save her family and it ended up killing all of them. Sayaka made her wish to win the love of the boy she loved and now she’s going to lose him. This could be dramatic irony but I think it’s all Kyubei’s doing with his reality warping powers.
Well it was heavily implied that it wasn’t any external influence so much as a lack of human understanding (and in Sayaka’s case reading the fine print) on part of the wish maker.
Kyouko’s father wanted people to listen to him out of their own belief, not because they were made to, so when he discovered that his greatest succes was a scam he went batshit crazy.
You know, Sayaka rejecting Kyouko’s ideals while still understanding her was awesome, so it was really heartbraking to see her turn into Berzerker!Sayaka. I wonder if it’s permanent or if it will get worse.
Despite everything I’m expecting a bittersweet/happy ending from this show. Maybe it’s the opening sequence. I just keep getting the feeling that, after all the crap they will go through (of which I am expecting a lot), things will work out in the end.
Then again, I could be COMEPLETELY wrong.
I’m in love with the animation at the end. I just hope Sayaka will make it somehow. A big plus for Kyouko’s backstory. The animation in those flashback is amazing as well. Does that mean that their deathflags are raised in this episode?
Another interesting point is that Homura defended Kyubey. Does this deny the “Kyubey is evil” theory, or the camp will continue to hate him? Who knows. For me, I thought Kyubey was evil, or at least suspicious, but now IDK anymore.
Yes! Yes!
I’m not evil, I’m trying to say this from many episodes. 🙁
Yeah guys! Leaved the adorable crossbreed between a cat and a rabbit alone! He’s only trying to help! Of course, he doesn’t understand Human Sensibilities… he’s like King Kong! Only, you know, inadvertently killing each girl he lays his bloody paws on…
But its only because he’s misunderstood!
Things have not ended. The anime will explain further is my guess.
As for Kyubei not evil, think about it. Would he be charged in a court of law for his “oops forgot to tell you” shick? Then think further about the point that its not about money, its someone’s life. The equivalent in law would be slavery.
I’m still on the “evil” side.
Moral ambiguity or amoralism (not having morals) is not a position equal to having good morals or being evil, it is simply a part of immoralism.
Not to drag out Hitler or anything, but people who did/do not have a position either way about genocide would be considered by most to be immoral, unethical people. Not being concerned about mass murder might be less evil than actively supporting or engaging in it, but it is hard to defend as acceptable.
To be able to convince or manipulate young, innocent girls into believing you are merely un-moral and then defend your evil actions as such is not an achievement to brag about.
It seems that people are forgetting the fact that Kyubei isn’t HUMAN, so those moral debate and stuff doesn’t apply to him. It’s just like this, e.g a lion/tiger, it feeds by killing of another animal, but thus that made it evil? It is not, it is in their nature. This is a very loose example though, because Kyubei thus understand human language, only that he doesn’t seem to be able to understand human emotions. But then it his job to create more and more mahou shoujos, so he will do anything to make that happen, it’s perhaps the girls fault for not asking certain questions before making contracts, but again this girls are in dire needs, guess the first thing they do is ask for a miracle first only later they will know about the price of it. Yeah Kyubei is very crafty creature…
Sayaka is going to go on a murderous killing spree and will slaughter everyone and turn into a giant witch. 🙂 Have fun Madoka
for those who’re interested about madoka manga, shini-tan scans is doing the translation for english. XDD
Hitomi’s actions felt like a double edge sword to me. She could of not of said anything and just boyjacked Kyosuke, but putting Sayaka on the spot like that was kind of messed up as well. Hitomi gave Sayaka a deadline which was also kind of messed up.
It was like Hitomi cared about the friendship, but at the same time she doesn’t have as much to lose as compared to Sayaka.
Hitomi= crush/love
Sayaka= crush/love/(purpose of living)
I honestly can’t think of a situation where Hitomi could of made everyone happy.
This exact same situation happened to me more or less. The only difference in the situation was that my “friend” didn’t tell me anything and just girljacked me even though he knew how I felt about the girl.(they broke up later and I still don’t like the guy)
If anyone could come up with a good way for Hitomi’s situation please enlighten me. When I look at the situation as a whole, someone will get hurt no matter what happens.
Eh Hitomi doesn’t know what Sayaka did and what’s her situation now. She’s also a confidant person because she’s popular and she told because she’s a friend. If she does not tell, she’s being dishonest, and if she takes the guy without telling, she’s a backstabbing ho.
Well we still have the wild card up, Madoka. Madoka can save Sayaka and the other mahou shoujo.
Besides you’re alive and functioning right? It just means that Sayaka must move on if Hitomi gets the guy. Sayaka should have listened to Homura and Mami. Best case scenario is Kamijou rejects Hitomi and confesses to Sayaka. Either way, one must need to go on in life, that’s how love works.
The whole “soul transfer” reminds me of “Blade Runner” and other science-fiction movies…
well, all things considered:
QB is possibly having different set of morals
what else does he have in fine print we dont know yet?
and why girls arent asking that question now?
Sayaka is descending on the sliding scales of idealism vs cynicism right now, but gets more power 😛
Kyoko is much more sympathethic now, especially after she intervened to save Sayaka – needlessly as it seems
The whole love triangle is a mess, but if Sayaka can get over Kamijou, she will become stronger. What doesnt kill MG, makes her stronger!
Have you seen a certain part of episode 4, reversed?
It seriously sounds like someone’s memories. Witches = humans previously (possibly ex mahou shoujos?)
I don’t think Sayaka will end up as the witch fighting Homura in episode one. The events of that opening sequence are probably what Homura refers to as Walpurgis Night, and it’s something she predicts will happen in about two weeks (that’s the ETA given in the previous episode). Sayaka becoming a mahou shoujo was not something she predicted, according to her own admission. If Sayaka was to become the witch that fights Homura, Homura would not be able to predict Walpurgis Night before hand.
kyubei your so S
Damn I really started liking Sayaka after her talk with Kyoko. I thought she found her own path and was going to walk it. Then they throw the fork in the road at her. Hitomi did nothing wrong she even gave Sayaka a heads up. You cant be mad at someone just for liking the same person you do, all is fair in love and war. Only thing I hate about Kyubei is that he picks such young and naive girls and for some reason I cant help but think he is trying to turn Sayaka into a witch now. Anyways I think this happens next week. When Hitome tells Kamijou she like hims he tells her its Sayaka he really likes but Sayaka comes in to late to her that and kills both of them in a psychotic meltdown. J/k bout the last part but I hope Kamijou really says that.
He picks them precisely because they are young and naive. Someone older and more experience with life would ask for the Details and Fine Print.
Weird how 2 radically different series end up with some of the same theme the same season…
Puella Magi Madoka – is about girls who turn into magical girls to fight evil and find out they are zombies now in a dead body.
Kore Wa Zombie Desuka – is about a guy that becomes a zombie and THEN also becomes a magical girl on top of that and fights evil.
When was the last time we had a season where 2 animes were about zombies and magical girls? Im guessing NEVER.
Thanks to Kyouko I’ve gotten a new perspective on the entire wish not going has planned thing, seems Emiya Shirou will be meeting Kyubei at some point.
Also, if you know a guy named Kamijou and there’s something up with his hands hide your girlfriend.
Funny how the name ‘Kamijou’ often associates itself with problems concerning the hands.
I would sacrifice my everything for a Resource Base Economy for the betterment of the whole humanity and Earth itself.
Kind of ironic, noting how backwards that is. Didn’t we transfer to gold based economy because 2,000 bales of wheat is not enough to buy an iPod?
Something like that XP
If thats what you want go convert to being amish. Promblem solved.
If you’re going to make a wish to help the world, wish for endless costless energy technology to be invented throughout the world simultaneously. The next guy who’s willing to help just needs to wish for star trek’s replicator technology invented throughout the world simultaneously. Then there is no economy other than a knowledge/culture based economy
Sorry, must play Devil’s Advocate here- if energy was suddenly free and reproducable, wouldn’t that put multiple countries in compound risk? Imagine if Dubai lost all of its trade, Saudi Arabia’s economy sent teetering to its end due their economy being completely based on the sale of oil. That wouldn’t gel too well with any Oil Company. Costless Energy would soon have a price on it, as too much of the world depends on energy revenue.
Additionally, how would a knowledge-based economy function? Through the trade and proliferation of ideas? You can’t place a price on ideas, even another idea.
What is the worth of one idea in comparison to all others? There is no way to tell because that idea could lead to either a tug-boat or the Titanic. It would be crazy to assume that two idea are equal when all ingenuity in this world is compound, built upon the knowledge of those who have passed combined with the creativity of individuals who persist today. There’s a reason why Einsteins don’t exist with the same cultural impact these days- as things become more and more advanced, more and more people become involved. Unless a knowledge/culture based economy is Socialist in nature (The idea of one man is an idea of the country) then there would be no possible way for such an economy to exist.
Sorry, I got bored, and your comment was REALLY interesting to study.
No you’re right. The sequence is wrong. The replicator tech should come first before infinite energy. That would allow time for adjustments to happen. The best case scenario would be if both were applied at the same time.
As for a knowledge/culture economy, what i meant was not one where ideas=currency, rather one where ideas are the place where labor is applied.
The removal of immediate issues of survival through easily gained food, clean water and building materials have many impacts. Some include a reduced population as there is no strong need for sons to help farm as well as reduced infant mortality allowing the females to reduce their birth rate, ease of colonization of the local system, time to devote to personal interest (hence the cultural explosion) and increased speed of arrival of a technical singularity. The last event is particularly powerful merged with infinite energy and replication technology will lead to a scenerio where a person can simply come up with a possibility and have the possibility analyzed
Sounds like Gundam 00 ;o
idle hands and all that.
hey doesnt a Fractale world look similar?
For correlations to Gundam 00 and Fractale,
Endless energy would corresponding to the solar furnances and a technical singularity would correspond partially to veda but both are not in widespread use.
It would be somewhat like Fractale in effect but without the brainwashing of people into apathetic and obedient dolls. Probably it would not fail due to falling satellites though
Such an emotional and powerful episode…
So this episode “seems” to clear a bit about the true nature of Kyubei, by the looks of it “he” certainly is not evil as what I believe him to be based on the earlier episodes. Seeing and hearing him finally explains some points about the contract — it’s valid, the whole thing about the zombie-soul gem things makes sense, a lot of sense. As for why kyubei seems to be always in the right place and in the right time when a young girl is in dire need to make contract, my personal theory will be somewhat based on the series Ghost Hunt on how young girls in puberty can display very strong psychic/supernatural tendencies when face with the direst of situations hence the ability to sense/see Kyubei, of which is an existence that is supernatural by itself. Of course Kyubei is more than happy to see them, its how he makes Mahou Shoujos
Also in this episode we seem a fare bit of philosophies of which some I personally believe like how the world balances good and evil, its like how I interpret one of Newton’s Law of motion “In every action their is an equal but opposite reaction” So if one person is doing good it has an equal amount of evil in it, it’s just so exciting.
I would just like to link this image.
http://imgup.me/e/iup2425.jpg
I watched the episode again, and it appears for about a second while other images are flashing by. Easily missed. But I was thinking that Sayaka might kill Kyoko in the future before I happened on this image. Ahh.. the power of the subconscious.
Credit goes to Akiyama at MAL for finding it: http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=285462
This episode, combined with the death of my parent 2 weeks ago, Ace’s death in One Piece, Togame’s death in Katanagatari, Mami’s death in episode 3, have really driven me insane.
I’m completely mental now due to a life of relying on characters in fictional works to handle my emotions for me. Only one thing I can say before I completely lose it is that I hope that this has a happy ending or something unlike the rest of what I’ve mentioned to help me restore my sanity…..
FYI as well, my dad died shortly after I saw the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall goes into withdrawal mode after his own dad died. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Even ranting here doesn’t make me feel better, I’m reminded of how Simon coped with Kamina’s death, and that’s not too pretty. Apologies for ranting…
R.I.P. those souls you are missing. Sorry to hear that.
Sometimes I feel it’s unfair to have characters die or struggle in an anime I like. I mean I come to this world (the anime world) to experience new things and to get introduced to new interesting characters, whom I often consider friend. Still, I tend to understand these miserable feelings presented in anime, since the anime world is often just a re-interpretation of the real world.
I mean today, in many aspects, I had what I call a very good day in terms of having things that I was waiting for few months to happen. But still, I feel like it’s a bad day from experiencing what happened to poor Sayaka. And currently, I’m just waiting and hoping that things will turn well for her next week. May be about time for Madoka to step-in and do something to help and really support her friend.
My condolences on your loss. Though your grief is deep right now, I’m sure your father wouldn’t want you to suffer so much inside and would want you to live your life to the fullest. As for works of fiction, I believe they strive to portray the human experience common to us all. In the case of untimely character deaths, the focus ultimately shifts from the loss of the character to the strengthening of those around him or her. These characters draw inspirations from the lessons learned from their loved one and go on to lead a more fulfilling life because they learn how life is short but precious. We cannot take anything for granted and we absolutely cannot waste our brief time on earth regretting our actions or falling into inaction, for that would be an insult to the memory of those who are no longer with us. So, take heart, my friend, and live your life as happily as you can, for that is the best way to honor your father.
I apologize for giving unasked advice, but I hope even my meager words can be of help to you.
Thanks for the good advice from people here. Perhaps I might as well say that even comedy stuff like Hayate no Gotoku with his parents leaving him behind a lot of debt to clear before he was 18 is particularly relevant to me now. Even having read this lines in a lot of fictional works, it means a lot to have it said directly to me. Hope my mother doesn’t sell the business of my father that I manage now due to the fact she has a lawsuit and divorced my father a year ago, in addition to the debts I already have to try and pay, working 12 hours everyday for no pay, just to maintain what’s left of my father in this world, praying that I won’t be abandoned. But luckily I’ve met people willing to take me in even though they aren’t related to me at all. I have only one thing to say to anyone who reads this, to treasure every moment you spend with those you love or maybe even dislike, time does not stand still forever. Now perhaps I’ll go do a Simon and make the galaxy peaceful with my solar system ninja stars. Adios.
Also: The cliche plot of having a warrant for your arrest despite not having done anything wrong or any crimes and running to a different continent even, is not so cliche. >.>
And now I lost the only person that cared for me. Time to buck up xD
maybe thats what kuybei’s intention is. to somehow make sayaka a witch so madoka can make a contract and save her.
idk. i realyl hope sayaka doesnt kill anyone. I think it would just be sad if sayaka her and the guy dont get together but i guess thats what happens if in real life. we dont really have a backstroy with him nor do we know anything about their friendship other than him and sayaka have been friends for how long. Relationships i mean and sayaka would be painfully hurt because she gave up her (soul) to help this guy. but my question and concern is how did her boy friend (guy she likes) get hurt? will they reveal that or did they reveal that.
I guess i have to wait to find out about more of the story.
I do agree with the person who said it has the same stroy as the monkey’s paw. you can make a wsh btu as long as its good there is always going to be something bad to it.
i do think kyubei is evil…
Oh god, creepy slash-happy Sayaka is deeply deeply disturbing. This show is just getting darker and darker.
So the fan favorite died, the heroic character became insane, the main character is still useless, the mysterious transfer student is still mysterious, the mascot character is morally corrupted, and the rival is less evil because of backstory…..
In other news:
http://www.mangareader.net/magical-girl-kazumi-magica
http://www.mangareader.net/mahou-shoujo-madoka-magica
Don’t be to hard on Madoka, as what the series suggest its way better not become Mahou Shoujo, and so far all her actions is justifiable 🙂 and Rival-chan isn’t exactly evil, I didn’t get that feeling on her ever since her character start appearing, she’s a mahou shoujo with a different goal compare to others. Anyways this series doesn’t really dwell yet as to what exactly their definition of a Mahou Shoujo is, which in my opinion makes this show even more tempting to watch as the viewers pounder on what will happen next.
Your show Mami? YOUR SHOW? YOU BARELY LASTED THREE EPISODES!!!!!! >.<
pleez come back….
I love how she just acknowledges that she doesn't live beyond Volume 1… assuming they stick to the original-
[Gasp!]
Mami! You have a chance! You have a chance!
Show Spoiler ▼
Poor Madoka, mustve been tough seeing your friend turn into some sort of killing machine, then again all she can do there is to watch from the sidelines .
Y’know, I’ve been thinking lately- if Madoka wished for anything, what would it be? Mami-san first, of course, but it appears that wishing back the dead is not an option… But what if she just wished for another Madoka? One that could live in her place, so that nobody would ever miss? I dunno, it occurred to me while I was watching the op this week. It’d be quite a twist, wouldn’t it?
Watch- Sayaka will die, and the following episode will open with Hitomi bawling her eyes because Kyosuke is in love with someone else.
Huh, I wonder who it could be…. [/sarcasm]
well, i’ve finally managed to pull together a sensible theory on Homura:
Show Spoiler ▼
good theory but then QB would know/remember Homerun.
@ ewok
That actually makes a great deal of sense, and would also explain the opening somewhat.
i cant wait till KYUBEY turns into a HIDEOUS BEAST and needs killing.
I might be one of the few people who don’t find Kyubey that evil. First off, he didn’t force the girls to make the contract. And I agree with Kyubey that if the body were to feel that much pain when fighting, most mahou shoujos wouldn’t be able to take the pain and die, so having their soul separated is pretty logicial, although the concept is immoral. If the girls were to make such a contract, they should of asked for all the details, it’s not the bunny’s duty to say it. I’m so glad he’s not the nice, cute pet that he looks like and makes the show interesting to watch 😛
And about the episode, Sayaka’s losing it, the battle at the end gave me some chills even though they didn’t really show it, you can tell what’s going on. I hope Sayaka doesn’t die >.>
Oh, and I bet Madoka won’t make a contract with Kyubey, but with someone else, or at least a different way, like how Homura did.
but he is an INSTIGATOR “notice how he’s always there” and he’s a devious OPPORTUNIST, who provides little in the way of solid information. “i cant do that, i cant say.etc etc” even if he never actually becomes “the bad guy” he can never truly be considered good or neutral…….BUT all THAT aside, i just get off on seeing cute furry things ANNIHILATED!!
It’s not the Thing’s duty to tell the girls the terms of the contract?
Er, isn’t it the one going around asking girls to make a contract with him? Isn’t it the one in need? The the definition of a contract suggests all involved parties fully and completely understand the terms of the contract; otherwise it’s just a scam. You could argue they didn’t “read the fine print” but from what I saw, none was offered!
Yeah, I agree that Kyubey is the instigator and he does mysteriously conveniently appear to make contracts with girls when they have no other choice. I even agree that in a way he is scamming the girls, but I don’t think the term “evil” fits him. He’s more of a “conman with a motive”, he has some reason why he needs girls to contract w/ him, maybe to continue living, or to turn back into a human, etc. Kyubey is the business man who takes advantage of doubt, despair, or weakness of certain girls so he can make a contract with them.
I’m actually expecting a plot twist where Kyubey has a good motive for doing this, although this is really unlikely, but most people tend to think Kyubey is evil, so it would be a nice spin on things.
Was it just my imagination or did Homura’s nail tattoo change since last time we saw it? I could have sworn it was fully colored last time, but this time it was just the outline, just like Kyouko’s in the screenshots this week.
Its just animation errors. In one scene in episode 5, Madoka is having coffee with Homura. You see her nail “design” completely filled in, then a second later its just an outline.
it seems like it’s either going to be a memory wipe or bubble world theory about homura, discarding the time loop theory.
and btw, i believe QB isn’t evil. XDD
yeah madoka is epic and i’m loving it but you guys are too over hyped. it’s kinda getting annoying now.
You can always avoid the discussions or blog posts if it annoys you that much. That’s what I do when there are 2 arguing with their wall of texts in animesuki.
ahaha! I agree. it’s also funny how the arguement would turn personal and off-topic. XDD then comes the mass deletion of tl;dr posts. xD
Wow! Thanks to your post I visited the Animesuki forums and the level of discussion their is in a very different level compare to what is here. So in line to what Zwei commented, the comments and commentators here is not as hyped (on the mild side) and certainly not to the point of annoying and ridiculous as what other forums might have (@ Zwei, try visiting Animesuki and you will find that RC is still a heaven’s place).
interesting episode……..kyubei…….where to begin i suppose he could justify removing the soul if he explained it beforehand but tormenting sayaka like that was completely unncessary
OMG SAYAKA WENT INSANE BRILLIAnT!!!!
hmm it turn out sayaka is the worst personality change after being converted. homura to a cold one, kyouko to be greedy one and sayaka to be undead one. geez now for some reason i’m not sure if i ever want madoka to become mahou shoujo, but it will be too cruel for them not to as the name of the show is madoka magica. well, i suppose i can only hope for something like kyuube opposite furball to come along to help madoka(one that don’t take out your soul)
P.s. kyuube is evil
It hit me recently, would it be possible that ep 11 and 12 would try to pull off the “good end” and “bad end” style that seems to be getting popular?
It came to my attention that their are some dedicated people trying to decipher the runes in Madoka Magica and with interesting success, in case people are curious on the contents of the runes, wiki has a dedicated page for that 🙂
http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Deciphering_the_runes
since we’re still missing a Green MG, Hitomi might actually be one. XDD perhaps she’s a spy for QB or something else.XD
btw, it would be a twist if hitomi is actually in love w/ sayaka instead of kamijou. XD and sayaka would come to realize that after killing her. DX how tragic…
Wow, thats what we call “Mind Break”, sayaka totally lost it… and kyuube… about that thing, it might be a devil, and a bad one thats it, ripping off your soul and make it in a soul gem, if you noticed something, the grief gem resembles the soul gems of the girls, and kyuube eats the griefs gems, so there its something odd, maybe kyuube creates mahou shoujos to fight and recolect the grief gems for him to eat, and its turns out that the grief gems are the soul gems of the previous mahou shoujo regreting their dead, and if using your powers corrupts the soul gem its means you corrupt your soul while using it O.o
oh also, it could be that kyuube its the one making those witches, kyuube its the real BAD BOSS!!! i bet that if they kill him (i doubt it would be that easy), something that can make any wish come true and literaly rip off your sould and make it in to a gem cannot be weak, i bet that in the first episode he was just faking his wounds.
…and I can’t believe Kyouko’s dad is like Martin Luther in the Reformation era.
Poor Sayaka, even though she made an impulsive mistake she doesn’t deserve all that’s happened. Also Hitomi’s actions this episode seemed a little unrealistic; at least that’s what I see from her facial expressions. Maybe Kyubei’s playing a part in this and trying to give Sayaka negative thoughts, making her turn into a witch faster? If so then it’s proving pretty effective, Sayaka’s definitely lost it. Kyouko’s backstory was very heart touching, now I’m almost 99% sure she isn’t gonna make it..
Also, wtf? Her father massacred his family, followers except for Kyouko? Just goes to prove wishes granted by Kyubei tend to go horribly, horribly wrong.
I don’t think Kyubei has anything to do with that,..if anything that would be a good situation to again try to persuade Madoka to become a Mahou Shoujo.
In a different topic, I don’t think anyone has commented on this, I found an interesting topic from a different website about how Mahou Shoujos “might” not be aging or at least slowed down aging. The example that was used was the Church that Kyouko said to be his father’s Church. From the looks of it, it doesn’t appear to have been abandoned recently, but probably decades ago.
I was thinking the same thing. Especially when it was talking about her father getting ex-communicated — it makes me think of the old Martin Luther days :T
I suppose he doesn’t if he’s actually neutral as Homura stated this episode. Still, seeing Kyubei purposely torturing Sayaka doesn’t help my views on him. >__>
The whole aging slower thing seems highly probable since Kyouko’s past resembles nothing close to present day. Definitely got that feeling too as I watched the episode. Basing off this theory, seeing an older looking Madoka in the ED makes me believe she won’t become a Puella Magi until much, much later.
If that is really the case, I was thinking how ‘really’ hard it is to become one…Being ageless or aging very slow would mean that at some point in the future you have to eventually leave your family (if you have any) and leave a life of solitude ’till the day you die in the hands of another witch/mahou shoujo or cast a magic at yourself/to them that will make them think you are getting older — to many possibilities.
i’ve been thinking the same about MGs not aging anymore. homura mentioned that she’d seen many MGs go in despair before,w/c might sound that she’s been in the business for how long? a decade perhaps. but there are still other theories that tells it might not be the case.
btw,it’s also possible kyoko’s backstory was done that way for the sake of artstyle and nothing else.we all know how shaft loved mixing medias.XD
but still,we don’t know yet.XD
It could be. But base on the setting of Madoka, it is clearly a modern city with the most modern architectural designs, in my opinion, even if its for the sake of art style, a dilapidated church with an architectural design that looks like it is based from middle-age Europe seem very out of place in a modern city. Just an opinion, anyways their is still a whole lot to explore in the world of Madoka, maybe things will be a lot clearer in the next few episodes.
I do not like Hitomi. At all.