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「こんなの絶対おかしいよ」 (Konna no Zettai Okashii yo)
“This just isn’t right”
Something that I’m fond of is when a show manages to build up a parent-child relationship and really use it to create something special. Ever since Madoka gave her mom a high-five in episode one, I had this feeling that this overworked mother keeps a special spot in her heart for her daughter. After Madoka spilled out her problems and got some really interesting advice, I started to feel my heart melt a little. Add in a quick comment about wanting to drink with her mom when she gets older, and I had completely forgotten about how dark the plot was getting. Makes me think Madoka’s wish might be related to becoming more grownup — if she ever makes a wish that is.
After everything that’s built up since episode one, I have some pretty mixed feelings about just what Kyubei is supposed to be. At first, it’s not hard to view him as some evil being that is intent on ruining the lives of others. Using Mami as a perfect example of his impeccable timing for appearing right when a wish is needed, it’s pretty ridiculous how he can be in the perfect place at just the right time. But after watching him eat a near full Grief Seed and explain just how a Mahou Shoujo’s body actually works, I’m starting to have this odd feeling whenever I think about him. From the standpoint of someone protecting the world, all of his evil actions almost seem pure. Creating Mahou Shoujo’s to protect the world from the never ending stream of witches, with the reward being a single wish for anything, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me. Still, pushing someone into making a wish without telling them about having to give up anything and everything dear to them sounds pretty dirty in my mind. That last sentence kind of sounds like something Homura said back in episode one..
Not only did Kyubei turn from an evil furball into a heartless and methodical one, but watching Madoka actually put some action into her words surprised me. It’s a shame that her new found courage was overshadowed by Sayaka crumpling to the floor. The revelation of just what a Mahou Shoujo is just blew my mind away. While I was thinking about different kinds of clothing or how they got their powers, I never expected that the jewel that they carry is actually the embodiment of their mind and soul — which just happens to be the only thing that links their soul and body together.
All in all, I was really surprised over what happened this week. After watching Kyouko play DDR while keeping a stick of pocky safely in her mouth, I wasn’t really expecting things to shift into overdrive as fast as they did. After watching Homura teeter between siding with Kyouko and then saving Sayaka’s life, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to not like her character any more. And from the looks of it, Kyouko is just as pissed off as Sayaka would be if she had any idea what was going on. Maybe we’ll get our Mahou Shoujo dream team that Madoka wants after all?
Preview
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Kyubei = http://i.imgur.com/oCnOZ.jpg
Agreed Kyubei is one classy troll!
I suddenly laughed so hard when they found out. In every deal there is a catch. Kyubei is cut to be one hell of a telemarketer.
The reactions were just too much that it was funny when looked at another point of view. They were like “hey you didn’t say anything about this sh*t!! then kyubei was like lol you didn’t ask!( ◕‿‿◕ ).
I now call this anime Contract 101.
lmfao
Kyuubei: “Yeah you watch out for her. She’s up to something.”
(..I’m sure. Takes a sneak to know one.)
so dark… the plot is so dark…
I like the heartfelt conversation between madoka and her mom… if all parents are like that, then the world might really be a better place… (except the drinking with your parents part I guess)
the revelation is sure shocking, I thought Sayaka really died for a while 🙁
so the chance for Madoka to become magic girl is really slim now?
ps. I am curious about Homura’s knowledge about the soul gem and the battle she mentioned
the revelation is sure shocking, I thought Sayaka really died for a while 🙁
same here. i was like, “OMF! D-Did that just happen?!!? yeah, my heart-beat halted for a while for the suddenness. but phw! good thing she didn’t die..yet. DX
I would not be totally surprised if Madoka NEVER becomes a magical girl. Most likely she will at some point but its still possible in light of how things are turning out that she never does.
However… I still believe that Madoka is a natural and pure magical girl with her own powers. She just doesn’t know it yet. The lil evil furball wants her to make a wish and a contract with him so he has control of her. If Homura is from the future she could be pressuring Madoka to not hook up with Kyubei because she doesn’t need to. She can do it without him and his 1 wish contract.
I just thought of a theory that supports Madoka never becoming a Masou Shoujo.
Show Spoiler ▼
Also isnt Walpurgis Night that thing from Bible Black?
Walpurgis Night is like 1 night in whole year when all witch gateher and celebrate
L0L. Bible Black was also the first thing that entered my mind when i heard walpurgis. XDD
Tie it to a steak and burn the evil furball!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, Kyoko’s comment of them being turned into zombies sounds about right where they just stay stuck in that part of their life fulfilling their duty as a mahou shoujo. Maybe this is what Homura meant in the first ep if Madoka was willing to throw away everything she held to become a mahou shoujo. With this and the conversation with ther mother about drinking together when they are older, there seems to be a lot of reason for Madoka to not become a magical girl. Look at Sayaka, the boy she save is gone from her life. Still I have a feeling the furball will try to change this all around and attempt to convert her by screwing up the other girl’s attempts to deal with the witch that is coming in one week’s time.
Just a thought here – I saw that the use of magic essentially “corrupts” one’s soul, if the soul gem is the embodiment of that soul. Doesn’t this basically mean that witches are overloaded soul gems/souls of mahou shoujos who’ve used their magical powers too much and as a consequence gone past the point of no return with respect to magic-related corruption? I am kind of thinking on the same lines as the light novel “Strait Jacket” series, where you have to have some form of protective measure against the corruptive effects of magic or otherwise risk turning into a senseless violent demon… So what if “Overloaded Mahou Shoujos”=Witches? Doesn’t this mean that Kyubey (or whoever he works for) is responsible for this entire toss-up of a world?
Good point, I forgot about that among everything else that had occurred this week. Go along the line that Witches are dirtied magical girls, would it be safe to assume/guess that familiars are people who were killed under the curse of witches?
With the Kyubii eating(?) the grief seed, what does he do with it and did he have a hand with the death of Mami in ep 3 by planting that seed where Madoka and Sayaka where heading?
I had a theory that Kyubei is actually like a perfect witch (or mahou shoujo if the soul gem –> greif seed theory is right) or maybe the original witch. He looks an awfully like a creepy stuffed animal that the previous witches kind of look like if they got less crayon-drawn-looking. Either he is saving the world or reproducing as many witches as possible.
It would seem that Kyubei feeds off of darkness. The Puella Magi uee the witches gems to collect the darkness from themselves and then Kyubei consumes them. Regardless of whether the Puella Magi stay pure this way or become witched via their own gems becoming dark, Kyubei feeds.
Kyubei is the most evil character in anime ever.
Whoa, this blew my mind a little.
This was basically the same plot in Claymore. Demons roamed the land eating the flsh of humans and the very worst most powerful demons were called awakened beings. The only ones that could fight the demons were Claymore sword weilding female warriors that were inplanted with demon flesh at a young age and trained so they could fight the demons while still being human.
Those awakened beings that are the strongest of the strong turn out to be former Claymore warriors that used their powers too much and went beyond their limits turning into an awakened one.
Of course, in Claymore,
Show Spoiler ▼
First time i recall homura look semi-paniced since the opening episode start. I’m most interested in more revelation of her story. Especially how much she knows and doesn’t know. LOL at Kyubei’s non-reaction to being manhandled by the ear.
Takaii, you forgot at all to talk about Walpurgis night, and what could it be, I’m thinking beginning of episode one.
MY GOD, WAS THAT AWESOME
Show Spoiler ▼
Madoka’s family owns. Especially the mom, and even the ushio-otouto; he’s awesome.
So much in the dark and yet so much foreshadowing–I can’t help feel nervous every time I watch an episode that something is bad is going to happen to ‘jade’ our naive protagonists.
For example..if Sayaka finds out the kid she used her wish on is just a jerk who doesn’t have feelings for her despite her devout hospital support and drops her just to obsess over the violin…i’m gonna flip. The ‘dark side’ of the wish system gets me paranoid sometimes.
Anyways, something’s of; Kyubei’s comment on how he doesn’t understand why girls freak out when they discover they’ve, in a sense, lost their soul, comes off as if he isn’t even a creature capable of understanding emotions/the heart. <– never a good sign.
Oh god. the consistency is just awsome. With all the crazy things like sould being implanted to a seed; I really hope Mami is going to stay dead
i have sort of a feeling mami is no longer dead, maybe she was able to save her own soul gem before getting devoured and only pretend dead so that the 2 girl can become mahou shoujo( she is pretty eager to make them mahou shoujo
I dont think so. she just wanted companions but isnt as pushy as kyubey, and she even warns them to be careful of what you wish for.
Mami needs “Morning Rescue”.
There’s also something else that bugs me. Kyuubei said that all Mahou Shoujos are essentially immortal as long as their soul gem doesn’t die. Did Mami’s soul gem really die when she got beheaded?
I’m not sure, but I think Mami’s soul gem was on her head or something…so it went NYUMGNYUM…mmm… slllurp.
I think her soul gem was on her head, that’s why when she got head munched, her magic dissipated.
Anyways, this show is getting even more interesting. I’m liking Kyouto and Homura a lot more with each passing episode.
Assuming that those jewel attached in their outfit is their soul gem, Im thinking its been shattered to pieces.
wow, both heartwarming and heart-freezing scene within the same episode…
“…I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…” sums this series…
FYI Takaii, it’s ROCKY, not pocky. Otherweise we’re violating the copyright… XD
Rocky also exists as an alternate name.
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/811/rockysticks.jpg
Why Madoka? Why must you do this to me every week? Another amazing mind-blowing ep. that can’t have next week come any sooner.
That quick shot of her stuffed animal’s eyes in the dark gave me chills. Also loved the conversation with her mom. It was very down to earth and “real”. Its awesome as a adolescence/teen to have that adult figure in your life who will hear you out and give it to you straight and talk to you like an adult, a hundred times over if its your own mom/dad.
this is quite silly, but for a second, i thought of the possibility of madoka’s mom being homura. XDD maybe it’s just the eyes. XD
Before I go on a tirade about everything in this episode, I just have to say something.
Never before have I seen a show that made me fear for the life of every character during every minute of the show. Never before have I raged so much at a character that has YET to do anything overtly evil. Never before have I looked at the most innocent parts of a show with the most suspicious and paranoid eyes, wondering just how terribly wrong something will go.
Truly, this is the greatest Mahou Shoujo show I have ever seen, and my favorite show this season.
Now as for the episode, I am starting to like Kyouko quite a bit. I feel she is quite misunderstood even though she says so many horrible things. The Walpurgis Night mention piqued my interest more than anything so far. It seems like that is the apocalyptic event from Madoka’s dream. More rage at Kyubei when he suggested to Sayaka that she enlist Madoka’s help. If he doesn’t die in a horrific manner before the end, I will be disappointed. The whole Soul Gem is actually a soul ripped from the body theory(as seen during Sayaka’s contract) was finally confirmed. Sayaka’s wish backfiring appears to be coming soon. Lastly, Homura Shunpo FTW.
yeah!! i kept on repeating Homura’s “flash steps” on my media player. haha! First ever episode to show her “shunpo/flash steps/soru/blink/teleport/whatever it is” as clear as possible to the viewers. Cool! ^^,
My prediction for the conclusion of the show: THINGS WILL NOT END WELL.
The show is that good…
Your first paragraph are my thoughts EXACTLY. In fact… that first sentence in that paragraph “never before have I feared for the life of every character in every moment of every episode” thing is exactly what I wrote in my comment for last week’s episode.
LoL. i feel the same. everything that i felt about this show is a first time! that’s how great this show is! i think the best show i’ve seen for the past 20+ years of my life! XD MADOKA MAGICA.IS.GAWD.
More like bursts of several seconds time-stop than a Shunpo for me, and it seems to work in very similar fashion to Rolo’s Geass except Homu’s got it universal time-stop rather than just affecting human perceptions.
What I fear is just like Rolo’s end, that being overpowered skill has it high tolls to health from using it, when she chases that truck I had that splitting image of Rolo saving Lulu and worried a bit. ~_~. Oh well, might be alternative way for Gen to kill her too.
ever seen bokurano?
I find myself coming back to this show every week, if only because i honestly want to see the next dark twist to the whole show. I was just watching the old PV of the show and i really find myself just so surprised at how the show is turning out. I mean yea it is SHAFT that is doing it, but at first i was like “oh…a magical girl show…i guess it if it’s SHAFT I’ll check it out if only out of respect for the studio.” But lol what a freaking surprise, this show keeps bringing more and more interesting twists and darkness into a genre that i never though could become this dark, kudos to SHAFT on this one.
Oh lovely, lovely SHAFT.
You continue to Impress with each passing week 😀
Such an intense revelation, great episode. :3
I was expecting Kyouko to throw that thing off the overpass. lol
It would survive the fall. Stab it! Stab it now! Then burn it with fire!
I expected this show to get darker but the revelation that Magical Girls are essentially LICHES, still creeped me out. WTF Kyubey, thanks alot for not giving that little detail before signing innocent girls into a crappy job. It’s not like they’re risking their lives or anything.
Wait wait wait… so if Madoka really does have the potential to become such a great Maho Shoujo, wouldn’t the Grief Seeds that absorb her darkness also have great potential to become witches? And worse, what happens if Kyubei eats one of hers?
Entered cardiac arrest just about here
What I want to know is why Madoka has such potential. She hasn’t really shown much of anything to indicate so. I wish they’d focus more on letting us know why they’re so interested in her aside from her being the titular character. She’s not a bad character, I love Madoka; I’m guessing it’s how pure she is?
Possibly her mom pointed it out. She has never done anything wrong or bad.
While I think that Kyuubei is an evil bastard, it’s also likely that he just lacks any kind of empathy because he just can’t understand human emotions, as it’s magnitudes distant from whatever moral system he follows (if any). You could liken him to a machine, in a way, kind of like the agents in the Matrix, except much more pushier about his ‘job’.
*nods*
I disagree, labeling someone as a machine devoid of empathy just because his moral code differs from normality is a lack of empathy in intself.
from what I researched about walpurgis night, it seems to be like a witch festival….
Am I the only one who sees the soul gem as sort of an advantage? I mean, discounting the corruption stuff, it seems that in a way Mahou Shoujos cannot die. Even if their bodies are completely destroyed, so long as the soul gem is intact they can be “reborn”. If they’re gonna fight witches then that’s perfect, since they’re immortal so long as the soul gem is safe.
That’s quite an assumption. The fact is your soul is now in a petite portable form means it can easily be taken away or destroyed. Add this to the fact is that your job is essentially dangerous and traumatizing, and suddenly the deal for being an MG kinda sucks.
Yeah you’ll be fighting witches FOREVER, not just the rest of your life 🙂
if SG has its advantage, it definitely has its disadvantage. just look what happened to sayaka, her human dummy was all fine, but then madoka so easily took and threw it away, which was close to shattering if only it didn’t end up over the truck. but if it happens, well, you know what happens next. X)
A result of carelessness due to the lack of knowledge about what was the soul gem. A soul gem is much harder to find and destroy than blowing any vital organ, for example.
I really liked the lich analogy. So Magical Girls are actually undead liches protecting their souls in phylacteries. What a brilliant way to give meaning to those artifacts.
i agree. carelessness would be the main problem with having an SG. it’s quite frightening that just because of that one is likely to have her end in an instant.DX without further warning
Other than that there’s also the moral issue of after a mahou shoujo is that you’re no longer really human. You are just a container of a soul and a puppet body. Well some can say that’s not a bad thing, think if you were just suddenly told that you weren’t human but just a puppet being controlled by some sort of consciousness that can be moved around at will.
Ah, why everyone calls me evil?!
It’s just we don’t know your intentions. Why are you so caught up with Madoka and stop stalking young girls!
Remember that by my making new mahou shoujo, I save thousands of lifes every day!
But you also endanger the lives of people and rape loli girls.
We don’t have enough evidence to label you evil yet. We do have enough to label you as a manipulative a-hole ^_^
Nobody asked me for more details, I don’t hide anything!
QB, i don’t see you as completely evil..yet. you still need to show me very solid hints that you are in truth. XDD
Did you see how many people got saved from the witches thanks to the contracts!?
trial first! regreats later…
I am quite entertained that it was only this ep that I wondered if there was anything to the fact they were called “Soul Gems” ^_^.
Amazing series.
It certainly seems like Akira Ishida should’ve been the VA for Kyubei, but if he had, it would be no secret that he’s less than honorable.
Hahaha. Oh wow. You’ve got to hand it to Urabuchi. Just when you think deaths don’t have a cooling off period in this show he goes and turns things on its head make the price surprisingly cheap. Now we’ve got two Zombie Ma(hou/sou) shoujo shows at the same time. By the end of the series, Shaft’s will definitely be Nisio Isin’s choice for an adaptation of Mahou Shoujo Risuka.
I’m starting to think the wish Homura made was time travel related and now she can stop time in small bursts. Only way to explain the stuff she knows and her speed.
Seemed to me like close-range teleportation…. but I suppose that could look like short-range time travel. Are people jumping on the time travel theory because of the ep 1 intro?
No not just the intro, teleporting could have gotten her out of the ribbons a few eps back
but not time travel. I still think she would have helped Mami if she could have gotten get free.
Ahhh! I swear, people, if you really like how dark this awesome show is, how there are suspenseful moments in the most innocent looking scenes, and the creepy, dark mood of Madoka, go find Utena. Tv first, then movie. Really, it’s totally worth it even if it is over ten years old. This show is totally riffing on it, in a good way!
This is turning out to be one of the best original anime series I’ve seen in years…
This is turning out to be one of the best original anime series I’ve seen in years…
i very much agree to this. X) madoka is ready to topple any best shows i’ve seen. XD
I’m thinking that Walpurgis and all that stuff is going to be a Calamity Trigger, but this time around Madoka will somehow force a Continuum Shift with her inherent magical talent. Which would be kinda weird, yet it openly supports the theory that Homura is a time traveler.
…dangit, way too much BlazBlue on the mind.
“From the standpoint of someone protecting the world, all of his evil actions almost seem pure.”
Not really. There is a better way to do it.
i) First you explain everything to the person you want to make into a MS. If they agree, then sign them up.
ii) If no one agrees, the witches will wreck havok. Expose the existence of witches
iii) Sign up older folks (suspiscious how its always young girls being targetted)
iv) If still no one signs up, continue trying while the witches continue. Sooner of later, those who lost friends or family to the witches will sign up with you.
Suddenly your actions are impeccably on the road of goodness and fluffy ears and you still manage to fufil your world saving gig
Keyword: almost.
But then I read some of the comments and it’s like O___O
i) they will be afraid to do it and almost every people value their lives.
ii) then they might not even do it because its dangerous.
iii) older people wont be very active as you people(and young girls are easier to trick)
iv) well this is irrefutable…
sometimes you have to lie and trick people for the greater good, they will hate you but the world needs saving and they cant do anything to quit.
assuming he does have good intentions and not purely evil.
“but the world needs saving” would be only the opinion of one person. Precisely because only YOU think that way, your actions will be labeled as evil. By placing the responsibility as a shared responsibility, you are then not evil but instead like the scientist in “the day after tomorrow”, who is sounding the warning. Whether you listen to the warning is not the fault or problem of the scientist.
There is no world ending threat as shown up to now. What happens is a small group of people die. So whats the rush? If the world threat ala Gurren Laagan showed up tomorrow then you would need to rush but there is no such threat
but witches are shown to be able to create familiars, who then eat people and become witches, who then make familiars again and again, the process continues will eventually be really world threatening.
anyway I was talking about what kyubey’s view might be, if he has well intentions for the world.
Actually that would be even better. I’m sure you have seen films where there is a cover up for the “public interest” and know people who refuse to acknowledge facts that are shown to them. An example of the latter group would be those who still say climate change is not happening when every year new records of snow, floods, etc are shown 🙂
If there are more witches=more familars=more people dead=less chance of covering it up=more people aware of threat=less people able to hide their head in the sand=more people wanting to take action=more mahou shojo. In the end it works.
What Kyubei thinks is not really important. It is that his way is not the only nor best way.
It maybe something as simple as efficiency–girls are better at channeling the magic that a Soul Gem bestows. Anyone else would just be cannon fodder. Besides, adults are typically more cynical.
“Better” doesn’t matter because many will always outpower the few if each is at least capable of harming a witch at all. this is the death from a thousand paper cuts vs death by a bullet to the head. The witch dies in any case and more MS=more acceptance the threat is real.
The claim about asking adults is making the presumption that just anybody can be a Mahou Shoujo, I think there are certain requirements, or perhaps a certain level of … lets say purity or innocence (or something else)… you must have.
I agree it is evil and sly in a way though.
Ahhh How I love Urubochi. I have watched parts of this episode at least three times already. I have to wonder if the Walpurgis Night coming up in two weeks is the ‘dream’ we saw in episode one…
Also, that end card creeps the hell out of me.
Question: who’s voice at the end next episode preview said “And I did make that wish come true, didn’t I?” because it wasn’t Kyuubei… (keep hoping to see Mami in some context)
it’s QB’s real voice in his real form, i think. XDD
It’s Hitomi.
..hmm.. i think you’re right. but maybe hitomi’s QB!! XDD ok, that sounded stupid. LOL
Well that was a surprise, about what happens to them when they make the contract. That ball of fur has one messed up personality. He has total disregard for the feelings of the girls.
(I bet the people tuning in to the show are now wondering the possibility of Mami getting revived)
One thing about Homura though, the theory that she may be from the future is getting more merits due to what Kyubei uttered (he has an idea of who she might be) and what she told Kyoko (the Walpurgis Night to come in two days).
Well, the girls wear their Soul Gems as a piece of jewelry. Sadly, Mami’s was the pin on the side of her hat. It presumably got eaten along with her body.
Did anyone else notice that the OP changed today? That bit where Madoka’s being, err, fondled by the other her is slightly different.
i see no difference though. but maybe you’re right since i’m too lazy to check last ep’s OP to compare. XD
It’s around 3:08 (of the gg release) when they’re in that little bubble. Madoka’s reaction is slightly different.
yeah its the part where madoka transforms into her magical girl form.
the position is diff and the color of the sphere around them is diff.
oh1 i see it now, XDD thanks! i’m just waiting until that future-madoka changes to homura. LOL. we’ll see.. *shot*
looks like the transformation scene is a tad different in ever OP
you are right! It is slightly different!
Good eye, i have a tendency to skip the OP. if not for your heads up, i would have missed that
As I watch and observe more and more of Kyubei’s actions, I begin to believe he’s simply an animalistic being with who lacks human emotions. Like he said before, he didn’t understand why puelli magis were so shocked when they found out the soulgems were actually their souls. Then again, he also lied to Madoka by saying he tried to persuade Sayaka from fighting Kyouko when in reality he was doing the exact opposite, egging her on. >__>
Dammit Kyubei, who’s side are you on?!
Also I’m beginning to like Kyouko, seeing her enraged by the news made me rethink her sense of morality. This doesn’t dispel my theory of her dying next though, when the bad turn good they always end up dying. =(
Woopsies, accidental reply. Wish I could delete this. >_>
Any warlocks here? 🙂
DANG!! i must say, I DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING!!O__o
who could have?! i swear! that last part was so unexpected!! you see, they were just talking, then suddenly, sayaka just collapsed!! lifeless was she. i swear, i was holding my breath the entire time.
and it looks like homura’s doing some short-distance teleportation. i thought she was like a cat! *thinks of homura-is-a-cat theory* that said, i can’t tell anymore what’s her real purpose. some people noted how she’s similar to QBs actions since she didn’t even tell sayaka and madoka about the importance of the SG despite knowing about it. man, i really am hoping she got her reasons good for not doing so. DX my heart wouldn’t be able to take it if she’s evil. T__T
and QB(damn, alot of people are arguing whether he’s evil or not LOL) i still think he’s amoral. he eats grief seeds, yes(or does he?). but i think feeding for survival isn’t evil at all. it’s only natural in the food chain cycle. and then there’s this detail that he doesn’t know well human emotions. i guess, that kinda justifies the things that he do, making him seem evil.
but ofc, this view of mine are likely to change when more solid proofs of him being actually evil come to light in the future episodes. XD
btw, urobuchi is definitely a god! phew! i knew it, he’ll never stop making this show worth-watching for everyone! man, waiting for the next episode to arrive is like burning in hell!! I WANT EP 07 RIGHT NOW!!!
BEST EPISODE YET!! MAWRR MSMM AWESOMENESS TO COME!! xDD
Really, no one saw the whole Soul Gem = Soul Container thing coming?
The only thing that surprised me was that the body just stopped functioning without it instead of a burning emptyness like I was expecting.
As for Kyubei, this episode seemed to point out he might be more of an example of Blue and Orange Morality than Black and White. It isn’t that he’s deliberately evil, he is just so far removed from human nature that he lacks any understanding of it. The girls are just tools with which to fight witches.
Whatever the case may be, he still scares the f@#! out of me.
somebody mentioned this..
the fact that qb allows the girls to touch her and when she held him up in the air he didn’t even flinch. He said something about souls being in a different form and bodies being able to repair itself. Also MG’s being able to repair themselves and ability to control within a 100m radius does that mean QB is a vessel for something else? So even if Homura or anyone for that case kill QB it won’t matter
my thoughts: maybe QB has another form?
But why would he be running away from homura in episode 1 then? He probably does feel pain.
It’s probably just probably that he didn’t care whatsoever in this case since he “doesn’t understand” what the big deal was. Plus he never changes expressions lol that creepy furball!!
why has no one mentioned madoka’s awesomeness with a ponytail?
Anyone wanna play some Dog Dog Reinforcement with me?
WASSYOI WASSYOI WASSYOI
aside from ef and bake, this series seems to be exceeding expectations
and anyone noticed that how the furball may have known who homura is
Official HomuraXMadoka Valentine Pic
yes…i see it. XDD
I’m actually more intrested in this official art of Madoka and Homura. I REALLY hope the show isn’t trolling us about Madoka becoming an MG.
I literally jawdropped this episode. KYYYYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBBBBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEYY!
That evil punk.
Holy shit. I can’t possibly watch any Magical Girl anime the same way, ever again after this show. That’s insane. Kyubei is the devil reincarnated. He just couldn’t care less, could he?
QB is in the wrong business…
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/ewok40k/verizonpu.jpg
This is the first time I’ve seen a show wherein I actually fear for the lives of the characters, especially after the Mami incident.
Geez I watched Gundam OO, and the deaths involved in that mecha anime doesnt compare to the brutality that heroism is supposed to encounter
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
Just when I thought things would get a little lighter the show takes a turn into deeper darkness.
Spoiler
I’m convinced that;
Homura is many years older than she appears. Maybe by centuries.
Kyubei did not make Homura into a Mahou Shojo it was another of his predecessors or, some other darkish force or evil magic. Possibly unwisely released by Homura herself.
Homura has taken on the task or preventing as many girls from becoming Mahou Shojo as possible (she hints at that in episode 4 & 5.)Possibly as an act of contrition.
Madoko’s dreams are a for telling of a apocalyptic future. One that Homura may not be aware of and may have something to with this witch that is coming that Homura mentioned teaming up with kyouko to fight.
Regarding the part the OP changed, I noticed that Madoka seems to resist completely at the transformation. Last time, she smiled after initially struggling.
that would kind of confirm that the OP is littered with important details regarding the story itself;revealed or yet to be revealed. this leads me into thinking that that cat at the 0P holds an essential role in the story. Maybe it’s really homura.
I know that i already seen evil main character but a evil mascot = to Awesome very unique(though i already said it in another way). The darker this episode gets, the more it becomes better
Also, does this mean that the girls don’t age, considering the bodies are just shells that can be maintained with magic?
That would explain a lot about Homura. She could even be the first magical girl!
this makes me wonder if Mami could’ve been saved if Homura searched for her Soul Gem and repaired her body… then again, charlotte could’ve chewed Mami’s soul gem to bits T_T
that’s a very good point. but that would somehow overrule homura’s time loop theory,or would it?
What if she was from the future, and then got flung back so far into the past that she was the first magical girl in existence? And then stayed alive until the present day…
Just when I thought Mami’s death would’ve desensitized me from any future death they had to
Show Spoiler ▼
This is probably the first time a anime had made me watch a scene with bated breath. I swear everything Gen Urobuchi lays his dark dark hands on turns into unpredictable suspense fests.
It’s been a while since an anime had a plot that was this intriguing. But just the animation style doesn’t make me happy.. and was the reason why I started watching this only on episode 5.
winter anime popularity poll 2011!
L0L. just look how huge the gap is between MSMM and IS. IS was like a piece of trash compared to madoka. XD
because its show that both Kirino and Kuroneko watch (for completely different reasons)
Hell that was a exciting episode. I am SO wondering if there’s still any way in the anime to turn over Kyubei’s bad reputation. Never ever gonna see furball characters in the same way ever again man. Need more epic twists!!!! Cant wait!!!
I wrote this show off as kiddy, until that early season review. Man this show is great! I don’t know if anyone else has come up with this, but I bet once their soul jewels go completely dark they become witches.
well, I now know how Kyoko burns off all the calories 😛
Madoka has a a fantastic mom
Sayaka with her hothead attitude has to learn a lot
again we hear that Madoka can become a MG that by talent alone is more powerful than veterans like Kyoko and Homura
Kyoko grabbing QB’s neck – priceless!
so the Soul Gem is one that links their mind and souls to their bodies and Mami’s Soul Gem is in the hands of Homura, (see episode 3, at the last part she is seen picking up the Grief Seed but is also shown holding unto Mami’s Soul Gem) so basically Mami can still be alive if her body is repaired. ^^
I don’t see it. I’ve rewatched the end of ep 3 several times now, but there’s only the Grief Seed. Kyubey is looking at it, Homura walks over and picks it up, then there’s a closeup of her holding it and she walks away.
i think not. mami’s SG was with her when charlotte devoured her. but if charlotte didn’t, it’s more likely, she was trapped in the witches’ world forever, which is actually more horrible than dying. but i also think she is alive and she was able to escape through that unrevealed ability of her influenced by her wish. there are many possibilities i guess. XD
back in episode 3 she picked the Grief Seed but is shown holding Mami’s Soul Gem afterwards, you’re not looking hard enough.
It seems you are looking too hard. There is no soul gem. It’s just a grief seed and no soul gem. Mami’s gone accept it already.
i am looking @ this
http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/933/pmmm34.jpg
And? That’s a grief seed. Stop grasping at straws already.
No Zwei is right. It seems that she took Mami’s Soul Gem out of the witch dimension THEN picked up the Grief seed.
It MIGHT be an animation error.
If it isn’t it looks like Homura is attempting to save everyone.
and here is the creepy things related to Walpurgisnacht that Homura spouted
In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from 30 April to 1 May, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration on the Brocken and await the arrival of spring.
Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of 30 April (May Day’s eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their gods…”
Brocken is the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectre and for witches’ revels which reputedly took place there on Walpurgis night.
The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbow-like bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken.
—Oxford Phrase & Fable.
A scene in Goethe’s Faust Part One is called “Walpurgisnacht”, and one in Faust Part Two is called “Classical Walpurgisnacht”. The last chapter of book five in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain is also called “Walpurgisnacht”.
hmmm a gathering of witches? or a boss witch?
Faust hints FTW!
http://static.zerochan.net/full/17/22/438617.jpg
OMFG. What if Kyubeii is the source of all Witches, and he uses the magical girls to merely maintain the balance and eliminate the irregulars who stand in way of his total domination of the world? What else would he use grief seeds for?
What? Everyone else has an equally plausible theory. The only people that know are the animators and story-guys putting this all together. Don’t judge me for expecting Sixth Sense worthy twists! T_T
Yep, I’ll have to wait for this series to finish up before watching past episode 3, and marathon it. Totally worth it.
So is it possible for Mami to still be alive then? Didn’t Homura take her jewel after her body was eaten?
Zwei said the same thing further up, but I’m 99.8% sure that the thing Homura picked up at the end of ep 3 was the Grief Seed.
End of episode 3, with pictures:
The GS falls and shatters the teacup: http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/1368/pmmm31.jpg
The GS appears in the real world and falls (floats?) to the ground: http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2039/pmmm32.jpg
Homura picks it up: http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1506/pmmm33.jpg
Closeup of Homura holding it: http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/933/pmmm34.jpg
I forgot where exactly but I believe Homura also said that it is impossible for the dead to be brought alive so gg to those who wanted that to happen.
After watching episode six, and finding out how the Soul Gem is the Puella Magi’s soul, I’m sure that the moment that Soul Gem is full of witches energy/the moment the Mahou Shoujo energy is gone, the Puella Magi dies. That’s why they are fighting over Grief Seeds. It’s a gamble they bet their lives on. Kyubei is evil, no doubt about it.
Evil furball evil furball
( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).( ◕‿‿◕ ).
This anime is TOTALLY not for kids. It encouraged young girls to grown up to start drinking alcohol. =P
If you think back to it one Episode 3, I believe Homura actually tried to stop Mami from going after that witch. She told Mami something like “It’s a different kind witch/ don’t go after it,” but Mami ignores her. So I think Homura actually knew about Mami’s death and tried to prevent it. It makes sense, no?
It also kinda proves the theory Homura is from the future.
Unfortunately, no.
When Mami loses the battle against Charlotte, Homura says “impossible”.
Even Homerun-chan believed Mami would win, or, at least, run away from Charlotte. 🙁
I believe the reason why Homura tried to stop Mami from fighting the witch is because she is quite aware of the ability of the witch, something that make Mami’s Unlimited Rifle Works rather ineffective, if you will look closely at the battle, the witch just keeps on shredding the damage body it has so it must be the firepower of the continuous explosions of Homura seem more effective than the rifles of Mami.
The theory that Homura is from the future at this point is still a theory at best as the series has yet to provide any additional clues supporting that statement other than 1. The first part of ep1 which shows Madoka’s dream and 2. That Homura seems to know Madoka (which still can be interpreted in many ways as to why?)
that was amazing.
So does this mean that mami is alive (‘∀’) ♪
Sadly, no. Mami’s Soul Gem was on her head, and we all know what happened there. That’s probably why Charlotte took a while to chew on it as well.
If you think about it, this just make the things worse: did Charlotte attack Mami’s head first to “kill” her… or because she knows that the Soul Gem was there? Maybe the witches (all or some) know where the mahou shoujo’s weak point really is!
@Cassidy – I agree, especially if the theory of a completely unpure soul gem turns a magical girl into a witch holds true.
This is what Madoka should have done after Kyubee’s revelation.
kyubei is quite a cunning critter…he doesn’t lie to the girls at all, but only reveals a portion of the truth, usually something that sounds alright for the girls to not trigger the red light in their heads and accept what’s said and move on. but when more of the truth is revealed, it’s already too late. blasted kyubei…
I’m loving this series more and more.
I’m also wondering when Madoka will accept the contract, and why she made her mind to do so. Now that she knows the truth of the Soul Gems, why would she want to have her soul transferred into a miniature egg?
More deaths will come. i think ep 07 will have it. the outro pic at ep 06 has the girls positioned akin to a kanji character for death. DX
and some speculated that homura is close to becoming shizuru and chikane..o_O
Props to you for seeing that. I looked at that image for about 15 minutes trying to get 死 out of it before realizing that it’s only there if you cut Mami out of the image (which makes sense since she’s already dead). Here it is with the kanji drawn over it if anybody is curious.
This show really has a twisted story. D: Is this like.. occult mahou shoujo?
Moral of the story. Insist on knowing the fine print/T&C before entering into a contract. A very practical message conveyed.
Kyubei: So here’s the contract all you need to do is wish.
MS Applicant: Uh… says here that there is a certain margin of mortality rate?
Kyubei: Yes, you have to rip your soul out to be an MS. Your body becomes your weapon and your soul will be kept in another container. But you will not experience any changes.
MS Applicant: Is there any more?
Kyubei: Yes! You must keep your soul with you at all times. In the event your body is wrecked we will provide free restoration.
MS Applicant: Supposing that my Soul Gem gets broken. Will I…
Kyubei: Yes, die. In addition your soul must be within a 100 meters from your current location.
MS Applicant: That’s harsh…
Kyubei: Also after you use up any Grief Seed you obtain you must feed it to me.
MS Applicant: Does it cause indigestion to you?
Kyubei: It’s part of my work as a handler. I know a human in Italy who works for the government’s secret ops. They have girls your age there act as assassins. He get’s shot at too along with his girls….
MS Applicant: In the event I die?
Kyubei: No one will know unless there are witnesses…
LOL! Is that a Gunslinger Girl reference that I spy?
definitely one!
seeing how madokas home is always her place of comfort (having already done two of those “midnight talks” with each parent) i think urobuchi is going to do something BAD to it in the future… >_>
and btw on another site someone said:
“on every episode the ending gets progressively worse—the giant skull shot is being zoomed out further and further, the colors are darker, etc., etc. And as of Episode 6, it’s zoomed out enough to see Kyubey’s ear appear on the far right.”
well…i dont see any of that? °~°?
MAGIA IS EFFIN OUT!!!
what an earworm..
and it seems it’s really from homura’s perspective..BEST ED SONG EVER!! XD
Since no one seems to know about it, here’s why Walpurgisnacht is important. First off, the Faustian themes are rich in this show, if you haven’t guessed already. I had studied both books in college for my German minor, so I picked up pretty quick what was implied. Here’s a condensed version of how it plays into the larger Faustian theme.
In the Faust story, after Faust makes the deal, Mephistopheles takes Faust to various places to learn about earthly pleasures, which Faust had forsaken his entire life in order to focus on gaining knowledge (Faust was really old, then drank a witches potion to gain youth, with a cupid-like side effect). During this adventure phase, Faust has very intimate relations with an under-age girl and gets her pregnant. After her brother attacks Faust to get revenge, Mephistopheles kills the brother and the pair flee to the area where Walpurgisnacht takes place. The festival is full of witches, sorcerers, and unearthly creatures having a giant orgy near bonfires, with Mephistopheles being like a guest of honor, eschewing his human disguise for his real form. The description of the festival is pretty disturbing, with at one point Faust is dancing with a naked attractive witch when a snake comes out of her mouth.
Faust can’t bring himself to partake in the festival after seeing that, feeling guilty over what he did to the girl, and returns to his lover, who had drowned her baby and was imprisoned. The first half of the story ends with Faust trying to convince her to break out of prison, and her accepting her punishment instead.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka seems to be getting more controversial than Oreimo, I’m not sure to call the story going into a prequel mode but the development sure is interesting I cant wait to see the outcome of an impact or climax Madoka will have to endure to come to a final decision.
ok, i am quite disturbed about this:
What if everything is a dream/nightmare that madoka hasn’t waken up from yet? we saw her waking up from a dream at ep 1. but what if that was also a part of her dream..hmm..
As I watch and observe more and more of Kyubei’s actions, I begin to believe he’s simply an animalistic being with who lacks human emotions. Like he said before, he didn’t understand why puelli magis were so shocked when they found out the soulgems were actually their souls. Then again, he also lied to Madoka by saying he tried to persuade Sayaka from fighting Kyouko when in reality he was doing the exact opposite, egging her on. >__>
Dammit Kyubei, who’s side are you on?!
Also I’m beginning to like Kyouko, seeing her enraged by the news made me rethink her sense of morality. This doesn’t dispel my theory of her dying next though, when the bad turn good they always end up dying. =(
Has anyone seen this? XD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY2ab8y7DYo
I remember someone commented here about why only young girls are targeted to become Mahou shoujo. When I think about it, I remember something from the series Ghost Hunt, according to the explanation of Neru, young girls (actually girls in puberty) have this heightened psychic abilities specially under stress, add that in a situation where young girls is at dire needs (thus enhanced supernatural tendency) they can become aware of Kyubei which is normally cannot be seen by ordinary humans. I just thought it’s a theory worth pointing out 🙂
Madoka Magica Manga IS OUT-OF-STOCK EVERYWHERE!!!
BMG all over again?? or it’s more than that?! MSMM FTW! XD
that it, i’m going round teling everyone QB is a evil furball
the MSMM manga kinda spoiled some major details about homura that the anime hasn’t shown yet. homura’s lines in the manga version clearly hinted that Show Spoiler ▼
i wonder now why they let this sortof leak happen.
Dud, I know you are very excited in your new found knowledge so pls. keep the spoilers at the minimum. I believe this comment page will be much more better if manga discussions is kept out here. With the release of the manga I’m sure their will be discussion boards dedicated for that 😉
uhmm..i wonder if i really spoiled something since i used the spoiler tag in the first place. X)
You see if its in the actual manga content then its not a leak but rather a more detailed description on what actually happened there, I think that’s one of the limitation of a TV series, you have to cramp as much details in a 24min/12 episode program, so I think its a detail that they can just let go to steer viewer interest and discussions (leave it to the imagination of viewers, that kind of thing). But I don’t think this is the appropriate place to discuss that 🙂
it wasn’t totally a leak,but i meant,quite akin to that. X) the manga spoiled somehow what was still left subtly hinted in the show. and btw,i guess there’s nothing wrong voicing out somethings about the manga since this is an MSMM post.to add,nobody’s being forced to discuss it here.everyone is free to ignore or not ignore the simple comment.X)
I’m about 97% anime and 3% manga fan, so every time their is a series that is not a manga/novel adoption and it generated this kind of hype and interest I’m happy because the least thing I want to read in a comment page is how the manga viewers put in numerous spoilers and said how the anime suck so bad as compare to the manga. Ok, so I have to apologize to you for being somewhat rude in my initial comment. Also thanks for the info that the manga is already out, now the next thing to do is to find a raw/scanlation of it 🙂
Oh,i see X) that’s just fine XD you’re welcome btw. X)
KYUBEI i love you shifty mother fucker. Your such a playboy. Rake in those girls and turn them into usbs!
Hmm… I wonder what Madoka’s drinking while her mom enjoys some of that hard liquor?
It’s a yellow, cloudy-looking beverage the appearance of which reminds me of the old formula for Triaminic. Could it be? Morning Rescue!?
i’m kinda worried. speculations about homura being evil are growing. DX i’m so gonna rage if these are proven true in later episodes. T_T my only hope is the ED lyrics..DX
homerun-chan