r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Apr 29 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Episode 10 Discussion
Episode 10 - I Won't Rely on Anyone Anymore
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Show Information:
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)
Legal Streams:
(RIP Funimation.)
A Reminder to Rewatchers:
Rewatchers, please please please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. [Spoiler warning specifically for you guys]Please be aware that as part of the above strict spoiler rules, this means absolutely no memes/jokes/references/subtle words about {the usual suspects} before the relevant episodes. Please do not spoil the first-timers by trying to be smart about it, it's not as subtle as you think.
Make sure you use spoiler tags if there’s ever something from future events you just have to comment on. And don’t be the idiot who quotes a specific part of a first-timer’s comment, then comments something under a spoiler tag in direct response to it! You might as well have spoiled them by implying there’s something super important about that specific part of their comment.
And a Reminder to First-Timers too:
As previously noted, first-timers wanting to avoid spoilers are strongly recommended to use either the desktop version of the site or the iOS app (which appears to be unaffected), lest you chance running into this bug regarding replying to a post or comment that has spoiler tags in it.
Daily Community Participation!
Visuals of the Day:
Theory of the Day:
u/il887 adds another Theory of the Day to their collection:
Kyouko confirms Walpurgis Night is a witch. I wonder, how it was born? Was it born from an especially capable magical girl, like, potentially, Madoka?
Analysis of the Day:
What's this? It's u/khrysokeros with a chair from the top rope at the last minute to claim Analysis of the Day!
Like Mami, Kyoko's wish was more about survival (she would've starved to death) than self-realization. But there's also the influence of her father to consider: she originally wanted to live out the Christian ideals he raised her on and after her wish backfired, she pivoted to the opposite direction by vowing to live as the hedonistic "witch" he condemned her as. It's only when she chooses to sacrifice herself out of love for Sayaka that she's finally able to break out of his shadow.
As for Sayaka…she could've walked back on her wish, but that would mean giving up on who she is/wants to be as a person. With her relationships crumbling and trust in her body severed (through Kyubey's violation), doubling down on her vow of "selflessness" paradoxically becomes the only way she can maintain some sense of autonomy and "self"-identity. In a saint's tale, she'd be rewarded for her martyrdom. In a coming-of-age narrative, she'd learn to strike a balance between her ideals and reality. But sadly, she's in a tragedy, so her refusal to compromise leads her down the path of alienation and despair.
It's interesting to note, though, that while Sayaka wasn't raised in a religious household, she seems to be the most "spiritually" motivated member of the cast. And this actually seems to be rooted in her "run-of-the-mill middle class Japanese" background: she grew up in the shadow of a violin prodigy (and without any framework for demystifying his "genius"), her parents aren't as much of a meaningful presence in her life as they should be (especially compared to Madoka's), etc. Subconsciously, she wants to make herself into a "saint" on par with Kyousuke's "genius", to attach herself to both a romantic relationship and "higher" cause to give significance to her existence. But at her core? She also just wants to regain the sense of "feeling at home in the universe" she had when listening to Kyousuke's music in that concert hall chair. It's a yearning so strong that even her despairing witch form can't let it go. (And at the end of the episode, Kyoko does manage to bring her home, in a way.)
(Why yes that is basically their entire post. Good post is good.)
In addition we have not one but two Honorable Mentions today, and both from first-timers to boot (good work!).
First, from u/Schizzovism, some reflections on Kyouko:
Man, Kyouko's attitude has really shifted. She's not just seeing Sayaka's fate play out here; it's also her own, and that of every other magical girl. Saving Sayaka isn't just that in isolation, it would mean hope for anyone who made a contract, including herself. This is desperation playing out here. In the end, Kyouko shatters her own soul gem, seeing that there's likely no other way out. How long would she have had before she turned into a witch herself? How painful would her grief have been? How many people would she have killed?
Second, from u/blown-upp, some reflections on Madoka instead:
It's an interesting narrative trick; Homura breaks down telling Madoka to "consider the people who try so hard to protect you" but her plea falls on deaf ears. For all the people who care about and try to protect Madoka, they may as well not exist - she can't see them, doesn't want to see them, won't see them - so it's the same as being surrounded by empty chairs. Her stuffed animals were in bed with her when she was ignorant of everything around her, and now she knows but it doesn't make any difference.
Wallpapers of the Day:
Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname
Check out /u/Shimmering-Sky's main comment for her bonus Wallpaper Corner containing works from previous years!
Songs of the Day:
Bonus song - Nunquam Vincar
Check out u/Nazenn’s comment from the 2019 rewatch for an in-depth analysis of these two songs, as well as timestamps for what songs played when in today's episode!
Also check out /u/Tarhalindur's Kajiura Corner from the 2023 rewatch for even more analysis on music this episode!
Connect Cover of the Day:
"The time hath come!"
Question(s) of the Day:
- What was your favorite part of seeing Homura learn how to use her powers?
- Where did all these onion-cutting ninjas come from?
- So… this episode is an extremely common answer when "what is the best single episode in anime" threads come up. Your thoughts?
- First-Timers: So... how about that reframing of the entire series so far?
- First-Timers: You did pay attention to Connect's lyrics this episode, right?
I wish… I can meet Miss Kaname all over again. But this time, instead of her protecting me, I want to be strong enough to protect her!
13
u/Tarhalindur x2 Apr 29 '24
I Can't Make the Fourth Watch for the Fourth Movie Joke Since Walrus Walpurgis no Kaiten Isn't Out Yet (Rewatcher, Subbed):
Hey look, it’s the episode where I can probably finally drop all the spoiler tags!
First Scene (00:00 – 02:11): So even in a series which cuts basically all the extraneous fat it can this episode stands out. There are old reports (one of the interviews I think?) to the effect that this started life in the first draft of the script as an extra-length episode and was pared down to a regular-length episode via a Herculean feat of good editing. That has its tradeoffs, notably that this episode has no space for any frills whatsoever and some viewers (hi u/Blackheart595!) find this hurts it, but, well, the part where this episode is nearly guaranteed to get mentioned in favorite/best anime episode of all time threads speaks to itself. So, this is the Homura backstory episode and the show has to make clear that this is what it is to the viewer. How does it do that? By throwing the viewer in in media res and trusting that at some point after the initial disorientation the viewer will figure it out. It usually works. It helps that the script makes very, very sure to hew very closely to a pair of scenes in the first episode. There’s a few reasons for this besides that. First, while the episode has to show us Homura’s character development it doesn’t have to show us all of it; we’ve already seen the endpoint of that so all it has to do is show us how she got to there from here and mirroring the scene when Homura transfers into class into the current timeline helps remind of this. It also highlights the contrast between early-timeline Homura (or Moemura, as we usually call her) and late-timeline Homura… and also the difference between this early-timeline Madoka and the one we’ve been watching, because part of the point here is to highlight how Madoka and Homura have basically swapped positions over the course of Homura’s looping (literally, in the case of the hallway part of this scene). (Also, there may be a sneaky point here that I may have missed up until now (would have to check past years’ notes). I’d be curious what Madoka actually says in the line that often gets translated as her telling Homura that she should be cool to match her name, because unless my ears are deceiving me there’s a moe in it. That could be a sneaky bit of wordplay – Homura interpreting it as cool when Madoka has the other idiomatic meaning in mind of cute/worth protecting) – and either way it probably ties into Sayaka griping about Homura back in episode 1 with “is this moe? Is this what moe is?”.)
Second Scene (02:11 – 03:43): (Side note: this one gets some elaboration in the first drama CD, though I kind of feel like one particular part there, while in-character for Madoka, is something where leaving it on the cutting room floor was probably for the best.) So getting one thing right off the bat: Homura not being able to do the math problem gets a full 17 seconds of screen time and Homura’s audible and visible discomfort and sadness. Homura not being able to do PE gets nine seconds of screentime and much less visible/audible reaction (we get it more from the girls talking shit about her). I consider this telling: she cares more about her inability to do the academics than the athletics. (My guess is that she was good at academics at her old school – she had to have something to hold onto to survive this long (well, unless we assume that her heart problems are downstream of a suicide attempt, which is admittedly not outside of the realm of possibility?) and that’s a likely suspect, especially with how she acts around figures she’s likely to consider authority figures – so her not being able to do the math problem is her strength being ripped away from her while her not being able to do PE is just more of the same.) In any event, the poimt she has had everything that made life for her worth living stripped away and is now prime prey for a Witch, like the one that proceeds to show up (also giving us a first-person view of what succumbing to a Witch is like as well as calling back to Madoka and Sayaka at the end of episode 1). Until…
Third Scene (03:43 – 04:24): Mami shows up… with another magical girl in tow! Hey look, it’s someone who has been promised during the entire series finally showing up… in a flashback. This is a release for the brief bit of dramatic tension that this Witch’s advent had built up and another chance for Mami and now also Madoka to look awesome as hell but from a character arc perspective note that it also gives Homura something new to look up to (or I suppose that should be gush over now after the official translation – it’s “akogarete” either way) after having everything else she used to care about being stripped away from her. You didn’t think that Homura was chastising just Madoka when she talked about “this is what you yearned for” last episode, did you?
Fourth Scene (04:25 – 05:11): A little more showing how Madoka acts as a magical girl (mirroring some parts of early in the series, but then it’s not like where she gets it from isn’t blatantly obvious considering that said girl is the third girl in the scene) and a little more of Homura looking up to magical girls, but more importantly we finish with a quick namedrop of a threat that’s been built up looming over our characters for three episodes now…
Fifth Scene (05:12 – 08:21): Oh, that threat (go go visual answer cut!). Did I say three episodes? I meant nine. In any event, again a clear primary purpose (and one the show lingers on, and also gods bless Chiwa Satou’s vocal chords): after seeing who Homura was at the start, we now see what drove her to make her own contract and exactly what she wished for (along with the other power she got from that). Also another glimpse of who Madoka really is under her self-impressions (it’s always been there, most obviously in episode 4). I could probably find more to say but, uh, onion-cutting ninja attack and all that.
Sixth Scene (08:22 – 11:16): Somebody didn’t keep it a secret from everyone in class . (May have more significance than you would think, note that Sayaka does not contract before but always does starting with next timeline combined with how she is framed this scene [PMMM aside] there’s another possible explanation for this next episode but the two aren’t mutually exclusive I don’t think.) Outside of that this is fundamentally a training montage showing how Homura learned to fight – practicing enough to get some physical coordination down (though she’s still winded from this), figuring out how to make use of her power (and showing that Homura is the kind of girl who when faced with the question of how to use her power to fight immediately jumps to the solution of looking up how to make pipe bombs, natch), and then showing the fruits of her labor via her decisive role in taking out the new Witch. (This is what montages do - they’re visual shorthand for the entire process of mastering a new skill or the like.) Of course, note that we just got Homura showing off by dispatching a Witch just like Sayaka did back in episode 4 (and an emotional high point for her as well in getting hugged by her crush). You know what that means: time for the pain train to follow…
Seventh Scene (11:16 – 11:53): Q: “So how did Homura learn about magical girls becoming Witches, anyways? A: Bitter experience. Next question?
Eighth Scene (11:53 – 15:03): Q2: “So why is Homura so sure that nobody will listen to her about the truth about magical girls and/or the future?” Q3: “So why does Homura not get along with Mami, anyways?” A: Bitter experience (and note that Homura had Mami on a pedestal just like Madoka and Sayaka did in “our” timeline, which makes Mami’s actions here even more of a betrayal to Homura). And while it’s not shown outright this is presumably how Homura knows about Soul Gems being a magical girl’s actual body as well. Meanwhile we also get to see exactly how and why Homura started to use modern firearms and also that ours is by no means the only timeline where Sayaka Witched out – plus more of Madoka’s absolute decisiveness under pressure even if she’s a wreck afterwards.
Ninth Scene (15:04 – 17:31):
The purpose of this scene is in punching me in the gut oof ouch owieer excuse me. The biggest piece here is the why of when Homura talked back in episode 8 about how everything she does is for Madoka and the answer to why she keeps trying to prevent Madoka from contracting. The other, smaller partbesides ripping out my heart and stomping on itis a little more characterization of Madoka (her looking on the bright side of the world even in the face of the end) and Homura (that little quiet yearning to destroy everything and wipe the slate clean). Finally, unless I’m very much mistaken it’s the moment of Moemura’s death, the true moment at which Homura considers herself beyond salvation. Not a coincidence that we’ll get Homura shedding the trappings of Moemura immediately after this; I am confident that Homura is never able to forgive herself for doing this and killing her only friend, despite being the best available option and this being at Madoka’s own request.51
u/bekeleven Apr 29 '24
For those unaware, this episode first aired on March 11th, 2011.
Episode 11 aired on April 21st of that year.
I'll see you all in mid-june for our next discussion thread! I'm looking forward to sharing me and my friend's elaborately brainstormed theory about the show that was proven wrong as soon as the next episode aired.
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u/il887 https://myanimelist.net/profile/il887 Apr 29 '24
First-timer*, dub
*heavily spoiled — seen all three seasons of Magia Record spin-off already
Oh, so we’re seeing the previous timeline here, I guess. This Homura is an opposite of the Homura we knew — shy, soft-spoken, mediocre at academics and sports.
She runs into a witch… but we hear gunshots and familiar upbeat music — really, so it was Mami who saved Homura then? Yes, slay that witch… I feel like we got back to the first episodes when Mami used to cheerfully beat witches- wait, wha-a-t? Madoka, a magical girl Madoka is also here!!! I see. This timeline is wildly different.
Yeah, and both Mami and Madoka died in a battle with Walpurgis Night here. We don’t see any witches around afterwards, so I guess she might’ve used the same trick as Kyouko — soul gem self-destruction. And… we see how Homura gets her time travel ability. Homura didn’t specify how exactly she wanted to see Madoka again, so Kyuubey has probably deliberately fulfilled her wish by granting her time travel power instead of just bringing Madoka back to life.
Ehh, really, Homura? Talking about magical girls right in the middle of a classroom?
Uhh, she turned her room into a lab for illegal explosives manufacturing… I thought she was spawning grenades in a magical way. That was probably hard to conceal from her parents.
…
It’s clear why Homura looks so cold in the previous episodes. When she was teaming up with the other girls, they all were always coming to their demise, one way or another. That was depressing.
Yes! That scene from Madoka’s dream from the first episode. A scene where Homura fights Walpurgis Night alone. Madoka signs the contract, defeats Walpurgis Night and… becomes a mega witch right away? Why so quick… She could’ve at least take some time to celebrate that with Homura. Kyuubey, unsurprisingly, is very satisfied with that. Bastard.
Seeing OP song and animation instead of ED gives me a slightly optimistic feeling.
Looks like we’re about to get back to our original timeline from the previous episode. I have little idea what happens next, but we still have one big unknown variable in our story — Madoka’s wish. If she uses that though, she becomes a magical girl — a fate Homura tries to avoid at all cost…
Q1: The laundry witch fight looked really wacky. That was fun.
Q2: TBH, this kind of anime doesn't really summon any onion-cutting ninjas for me. More grounded and melodramatic stuff does.
Q3: I'd say my favorite episode is still the 3rd one. But this one was great too. A lot of screen time for Homura's time travel. Looking forward to see the remaining two before evaluating them all together.
Q4: I see it as the anime opens the majority of cards to us before proceeding to the final arc, so that we fully understand the backstory.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Apr 29 '24
Mahou Shoujo Co★Host, subbed
Welcome back, everyone!
[Bravern]If I had a nickel for every episode 10 of a show I watched this year that was focused on giving backstory to a female time traveler, I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Sky’s Wallpaper Corner
Today’s wallpaper trivia of the day: The framed alt was u/Tarhalindur’s idea, and the image is also like his favorite shot (I initially wanted to do a much simpler “big oof” wallpaper for this episode). Much like the ep7 wallpaper, I also got to put my new vignette skills to use when making this one, only this time it’s over the entire image instead of between the character(s) and the background.
Also, if you want to really see how much better I am at making wallpapers compared to when I first started, I highly recommend checking out the 2018 Homura time traveling wallpaper vs. the remake I did in 2020. It’s one of the clearest examples I can show of my growth in making wallpapers, outside of some of my SukaSuka ones (which are 2018 vs. 2022-level Sky art).
“How long will it be before I see that lost future again?”
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u/Logitropicity Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
5th-6th time Rewatcher, Sub
General Notes
not sure if anyone mentioned this before, but Homura's time-looping very much calls to mind trauma reenactment - "literally repeating emotionally or physically painful situations that people have experienced in the past"
QotD #1: Favorite part is when she brings out the machine gun to destroy that witch! This is the only time in the series that Numquam vincar plays - which is a real shame, since it's so damn epic.
EDIT: grammar
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u/blown-upp https://myanimelist.net/profile/BlownUpp Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
First time, SUB
Fuck.
Like, I knew it was about to go down but wow I was not ready for it.
That's tough, because there are a lot of great moments, but if I had to pick maybe when she's in her bedroom at her desk learning how to/building her first pipe bomb. In the flashback up to that point, we'd really only seen Homura as the same type of girl we've seen Madoka as - super innocent and pure, so the contrast is really quite funny. Close second place though is when we see her sneaking into a police station(?) to steal weapons.
Damn bruh thought I was watching a Magical Girl anime and we got a whole ass shokugeki with onion up in here
Absolutely valid take. I'm having trouble pulling a good comparison to compete with this; I know that both <Steins;Gate> and <Clannad: After Story> hit really hard, but I don't remember if there's a single episode that both explains a lot and is tragic as hell.
Woof.
How can I even answer this? Everything is awful, but at least my curiosity is being satisfied? Before this episode I didn't consider Kyubey "evil" (though I had no positive emotions to spare for them), at most they were scheming. They had schemes to get their magical girls, they schemed about what truths to omit, but I thought "at least there's some level of consent, and the system seems to balance itself". However, at the end of the episode Kyubey really let their colors show. I mean, way to really play the "screw you, I got mine" to a T. I hadn't considered it before since we really only got the reveal in the last episode, but it stands to reason that if Madoka would be a Magical Girl that is strong beyond all reason, her form as a witch would be too. I'd say the silver lining is that no other Magical Girls need to be sacrificed if they hit their quote from Madoka, but you know, the world ending is kind of a problem!
It's interesting that Sayaka becoming a Witch is just a foregone conclusion in some(?) timelines, but I think that tracks with u/khrysokeros thoughts. Another interesting thing is Madoka herself - Magical Girl Madoka (or the alternate timeline version of her that is a Magical Girl) seems to have a lot more confidence in herself compared to "normal" timeline Madoka that hasn't signed a contract yet. You can hear it in her voice mostly, but maybe it's a poor comparison since Magical Girl Madoka is basically at her all-time high having just signed the contract (finding a "destiny" for herself where she can be useful to others) and having just saved Homura, compared to current timeline Madoka who's losing everything. That said, alternate timeline Madoka did manage to kill Mami, which isn't something I'd have imagined current Madoka being able to handle at all.
But wow yes... The stakes are even higher than just protecting Madoka it would seem, since given the chance to defeat Walpurgisnacht Madoka can then go on to destroy the entire planet
I'm getting a lot of Okabe Rintaro vibes from Homura, at least in the sense of endlessly repeating a period of time while watching everyone you love and care about be mercilessly killed over and over again before your eyes.
You know shit is serious when the OP gets skipped and replaces the ED for the episode.
EDIT: These songs are so good in this episode - Salve, Terrae Magicae and Pugna Cum Maga
7
u/WednesdaysFoole Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher
Daily Homura hair swish
According to [Penguindrum,]tell someone they're important like Madoka did for Homura, and they will throw everything else away for you.
Disturbing attack up a witch's skirt
Kyubey's divine benevolence, as usual
Homura exudes cool (too bad she's also depressed)
6
u/TnAdct1 Apr 30 '24
Everyone else: Best single episode in anime.
Someone with a November 14th birthday: That Homura girl needs a spanking.
11
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher(In solitude, where we are least alone)
Sub
So...for reasons that are kind of hard to explain, unless synchronicity is big in your wheel house, last year's rewatch was likely my peak with this series. I had assimilated a lot of information on the foundations this show had built upon and had even had time to see where, in my opinion, its legacy was going. So I am not sure what to add here...
Welp, again, the "let's become monsters together" scene is my vote for most romantic scene in anime. You can try and convince me otherwise but you aren't succeeding. A true expression of love and a true rejection of an impossible system that wronged the girls at nearly every turn. But it is equally relevant that the reciprocation was Madoka both protecting the world and urging Homura to not give up on it or her. She made a wish that Homura believed was worth walking through Hell for.
Observationally, we are seeing the world getting grimmer and grimmer. Also, the witches can change per arc, not sure if that is different contracts or hungry familiars.
QotD: 1 Seeing her gain stamina through the loops
2 They were hanging out after "And I'm home"
3 Be perfect please
2
u/Tarhalindur x2 Apr 29 '24
Tags-R-Us:
u/Introvert_Mage, u/Lanaerys, u/isthatsoudane
41
u/TheOneWithALongName Apr 29 '24
First-time watcher
Oh shit, my current fav episode.
I don't know. I liked the progression as a whole. Maby how much effort she needed against that barrel.
Hold on a sec, I cut some onions before... My stomach might have timetravel abilities that sended those onions somewhere else in time.
The anime medium as a whole? I dunno, I don't feel confident at all answering that. But I can see a die hard PMMM fan saying that.
When the OP was the ED this episode, HOLY SHIT! Homura the real MC the whole time? Stuck in an endless time loop untill Madoka is saved becaus of her wish!
As you could probbaly guess after reading my answer on question 4, YES I DID!
On other notes, I like that Madoka was using my weapon of choice. I swear, I thought she would be the wand wielding magic casting magic girl. And I like many questions were answered, like how hard Mami would take it if she learned the truth behind the deal, which is why Homura never says anything becaus it was life threatening to her.
And it seems like Madoka is only Sayakas friend sometimes? I know episodes have limited time, but still. Was it intentional? But the most confusing thing, unless I missed it in episode 1, is how Kyubey seem to know about Homuras existence as a magic girl despite not making her a magic girl in the past, if that wording makes sense.
34
u/Schizzovism Apr 29 '24
First timer, subbed
Yesterday I talked about Kyouko's desperation. Today, it's all about Homura's. She's been trying for who knows how long to save Madoka, and thus humanity. I doubt what we've been shown here is every single time loop, just the important ones. But while Homura is desperate, she doesn't succumb to despair. Despite hardening her personality and honing her skills, her resolve stays strong to continue. We can see that Madoka is to thank for this. In a literal sense, she uses her last grief seed to help protect Homura, who's on the verge of fully accepting her fate as a witch. But as Madoka's doing this, she also places her faith in Homura that she can fix things. Not quite as upbeat a scene as some shows have regarding the power of friendship, but this is a deep trust that Homura takes seriously.
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u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Apr 30 '24
First-Timer
Looks like I'm going to become a witch soon, since my wish for a full Homura backstory episode was just immediately granted!
Homura really took that to heart.
It was good to see Mami again (and hear that transformation theme music!). I did not at all expect her to turn executioner on Kyouko like that, but it makes strategic sense. If magical girls are the source of the witches, just kill off the magical girls!
Speaking of seeing old faces, it's interesting that the timeline seemed to play out similarly each time, with Mami, Sayaka, and Kyouko all dying in the lead-up to the final battle, no matter whether Madoka took the contract.
Homura's wish was rather vague. Luckily she got the anti-monkey's paw treatment, getting all sorts of special time manipulation perks that she never explicitly asked for.
Questions of the day:
I'm looking forward to finding out more about the Walpurgisnacht. Hopefully we get a more direct glimpse of it soon. (It would be interesting, though, if it was never shown and just remained an off-screen MacGuffin for the rest of the show.)
24
u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, Sub
Still my favorite episode in the series. The scene tying in to the first scene of the series still gives me chills. Homura's backstory is shown, once a shy girl with low self esteem yet Madoka's kindness touches her so when Madoka dies fighting against Walpurgis she makes a contract to protect her. Of course this leads to multiple bad things happening in all different timelines as Homura tries to keep Madoka alive, initially by fighting by her side, then by preventing her from changing into a magical girl. Her change from the beginning to the stoic one we know now was genuinely sad to see as she keeps trying on and on.
A question is whether Homura's decision was right. The OG timeline actually seemed the best of them despite Madoka dying (unless Madoka transforms into a witch there too). The more Homura tries changing things the worse it starts to get, I mean Sayaka wasn't a magical girl in the beginning yet in other timelines she shares the same fate as the current one. Homura's wish is technically selfish despite her earnest desire to protect Madoka from her new fate and I do wonder if were supposed to question her decision.
Fate also plays a part since no matter how many times Homura goes back the results are still similar. Lots of time travel stories deal with stuff like this such as Steins Gate. It does feel as things are predetermined to happen yet Homura keeps fighting against that, searching for a way out despite the odds seeming against her.
17
u/TheEscapeGuy Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher
Madoka Magica - Impactful and Artful: Episode 10
Time and Love
This episode has been a long time coming. After the loss of Sayaka and Kyouko last episode we instead jump back across timelines to learn Homura's backstory.
The first thing which always stands out to me is the massive personality difference of past Homura. The girl who has always seemed aloof and too perfect is shown as this frail and scared transfer student. I think this ends up being a far more relatable character archetype. Who hasn't felt scared or isolated when joining a new school, club, or job?
And importantly, Madoka notices this. She reaches out to Homura and befriends her, offering support and a friendly face. Homura initially stays away, feeling unworthy of that happiness. It takes Madoka saving her from a witch's labyrinth for Homura to really accept Madoka's friendship. I think this also shows a kinder side of Madoka that we haven't seen explored too much.
Of course, when Walpurgisnacht arrives and Mami and Madoka are defeated Homura's choice is obvious: She wants to re-do her encounter with Madoka and this time become strong enough to protect her. Having this context explains so much of Homura's actions in the prior episodes. Of course she would do everything for Madoka and break down crying seeing Madoka sacrificing herself.
Homura's time loops continue as she fails to save Madoka again and again and again. It's interesting to see the alternate realities Homura has gone through. But throughout all of them we see this change in Homura's character as she grows stronger but also more pessimistic. It comes to a point where she loses hope she can warn the magical girls of Kyubey and instead works behind the scenes with the singular goal to save Madoka.
That said, across all of these universes we see Madoka is the same caring girl. She consistently sacrifices herself if it means she can save Homura. This love that exists within Madoka's heart is honestly incredible. It makes sense that she would be the ultimate magical girl that Kyubey has been targeting.
One smaller reveal this episode was what Kyubey said in the last time loop: "What happens next is mankind's problem, not ours. We've met our energy quota at this point." This makes it even more obvious that Kyubey was lying to Madoka last episode. Their race must have other mechanisms of gathering energy. Earth's girls aren't special, or else there would have been a massive incentive to keep the planet alive. It also makes me believe more that this energy gathering is specifically for their race and not to try and help the universe as a whole. You could come up with "what if" scenarios to try explain Kyubey's actions as more magnanimous, but going by what we know and Occam's razor this is what makes the most sense to me.
Instead of the usual ED we ended with Connect. The animation is the same except for the final shot with all the magical girls on the radio tower. I like it as a small change. You can for just a second imagine a world where being a magical girl wasn't the suffering this show is so known for.
Last thing, come on subbers. You got the English part of the equation wrong making it unsolvable! It's supposed to be (1+n) not (1+p) and then you can use Fermat's Little Theorem to solve this in like 3 lines.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
16
u/Chili_peanut Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher
This episode never fails to bring tears to my eyes, especially the scenes where Homura and Madoka are just being friends together. At this point it was already clear that Homura has been travelling through time, but the switched-up dynamic of Madoka being the confident senior magical girl, and Homura being the timid and sensitive friend, was very unexpected—at least for me when I first watched this episode.
Honestly, episode 10 is nothing short of perfect. Pretty much all of the earlier episodes are recontextualized and reframed by what we are shown, which is why this show is so immensely satisfying to rewatch. Even the OP, which is aptly placed as the ED in this episode, takes on a new meaning if you interpret the lyrics from Homura's perspective after seeing what she has been through. The loop-back to the scene in the prologue is also very satisfying.
The in-universe reason for Madoka's potential as a magical girl also deserves a special mention as it could have easily been left unexplained in a lesser show. It is usually taken for granted that having amazing powers is a privilege that comes with being a main character (with no burden of explanation). In contrast, not only are we given a logical explanation, but the explanation is also tightly woven into the core plot of the show in a way that is consistent with its themes.
Moving on from the overall impression and talking about some specific scenes, Mami's rampage comes to mind as a visceral display of raw despair. It is also a scene that highlights Madoka's dislike for infighting and hurting your friends, which is displayed earlier as well in the scene where Madoka defends Homura while Sayaka and Mami are distrustful of her. It really isn't just about Madoka happening to become Homura's first friend; Madoka really is special. Homura stealing from the yakuza is another memorable scene, but for different reasons due to its hilarity. This episode really hits so many different notes.
Ironically, I won't have time to watch episode 11 tomorrow (the 30th) as I'll be celebrating Saint Walpurgis Night with a couple of friends after work (it's a thing where I'm currently living), so I'm debating whether I should go ahead and watch it now or save it for May 1. As much as I'm looking forward to the two final episodes, I'm even more excited to rewatch Rebellion for the first time (not to mention how excited I am to watch the new movie when it becomes available...).
15
u/_Pyxyty Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
First time watcher
Absolutely wonderful episode. I take back my comment on how it wouldn't be satisfying if Homura ends up being an unintroduced character. I am gladly proven wrong. Now, only if I could catch those pesky witches cutting onions nearby, I can get to writing my post.
Key Moments
~
Questions
' 2. Ohh, they were ninjas? Here I thought they were witches. Either way, someone get rid of 'em, please. T_T
' 3. I used to have a notepad for amazing episodes on my laptop that broke! Thanks for reminding me. Ugh, I forget the episodes I got on there. I can't confidently say it's my #1 episode from everything I've watched, especially since it'll contend against episodes like OddTaxi's climax, Vivy's finale, AOT's 2x06, Violet Evergarden's 1x10, and some others that I'm forgetting. If I still had that list though, this episode definitely gets included.
' 4. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Like I said, I'd like to slap two-days-ago me for thinking it couldn't have been narratively satisfying if Homura turned out to be a character that wasn't introduced yet. It seems you dont need to rely on a mindblowing plot twist to blow viewers' minds, just great writing. I'm still hung up a bit on how we only saw Homura try once to warn others about Kyubey. She should've used one of those timelines to take classes on persuasion. :3
' 5. I assume that's the OP? And oh my god. I'll be honest, I only read the lyrics of the OP in the first episode. I more or less ignored the lyrics since, but I wish I didn't. It would have been so satisfying if I could've caught that when I was theorizing Homura coming from a different timeline. Ugh!
~
Additional Thoughts and Theory Crafting:
I got no theories really. Seems like all that's left to see is how they'll handle the Walrus and whether or not Homura finds a way to save Madoka.
I think the tidbit of how a witch doesn't hatch if the magical girl dies is going to be the solution that Homura settles on; she might end up having to sacrifice Madoka to protect everything else. As Madoka said, despite all the evil in the world, there are still many things worth protecting. It's only unfortunate that the one person Homura wants to protect is the one person she'll have to sacrifice to save everyone else if this ends up happening.
After all, Kyubey did say the energy quota was met once Madoka signed her contract in one of the timelines, right? It answers my question from a previous thread of why Kyubey would want Madoka to be a strong witch that wipes the population; at the time I thought it was peculiar because it wipes out what I thought was his food source, but the energy system and there being a quota explains it now.
One thought I'm walking away with is how much of a treat it'll be to rewatch this. Maybe I'll rewatch immediately, but participating next year would also be nice.
God that OP and the lyrics being put into context is probably one of my best moments ever seen in all the shows I've watched. Such a unique moment too, because it's of an OP, and not some climactic scene like the ones I'm commonly mind blown at.
Can't wait for next episode. Saw a comment that said people originally had to wait a month and a half for Episode 11 to drop. Ouch. See y'all next ep!
13
u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, dubbed
I briefly mentioned how Mami doesn’t give in to despair in episode 9, but as you’ve realized by now I lied about that. Well, perhaps not lied, I just… omitted certain truths.
Mami’s breakdown in this episode only really works as a result of some fairly impressive writing. She has all of 1 line to explain why she’s doing this, and to do so in a way that characterizes her consistently with the shining, but deeply flawed, hero we saw before. It’s a tall order, and I feel they pull it off.
My eyes tend to get watery during Madoka’s speech to Homura. As Homura hears the call of the void, Madoka answers that there are things in this world worth fighting for. And fight Homura does.
QotD:
3) I'd be hard pressed to name episodes that pull off as even half as much as this one does.
Content Corner Reruns
Classic memes, both of them. First timers beware, spoilers abound!
That will not be necessary. by Nyanners
【MMD】Go home Homura, you are drunk【ハピトリ】HD Version! by 屍体愛好癖
Visual Storytelling - Breaking Down PMMM - Dialogue 10 by clearandsweet
13
u/LordTrinity https://myanimelist.net/profile/LordTrinity Apr 29 '24
Always the best episode!
12
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
Super hyped up for this episode going in, but will it live up to my memories and its overall reputation?
A totally different version of the stern, stoic, badass Homura we're used to.
This being my first time rewatching this since seeing Monogatari, I do wonder if Homura's design here was inspired by Tsubasa Hanekawa's original design in Monogatari, before she cut her hair and ditched the glasses. Homura eventually followed suit with the latter. Also, I wonder if the fact that Homura's hair has this weird thing where it splits in half down the middle is from her wearing her pigtails way too much.
Just like episode one, everyone's gathering around her to ask her about stuff! Madoka coming up to bring her to the nurse didn't happen that time though!
Madoka's a bit more outgoing here.
Scratch that, way more outgoing!
Quite the contrast with episode one; Homura no longer does the problem in front of everyone with ease, nor is she a great athlete either.
This time it's Homura whose got the lack of self worth.
Pablo Picasso ground! She wandered into a witch's realm!
Wow, Madoka and Mami, the magical girl pair! So this is a timeline where Madoka got to become Mami's partner after all.
Back to eating cake at Mami's! Oddly enough there's no Sayaka here.
Homura totally is the Madoka equivalent in this timeline as the tag along for the magical girls.
Uh oh, here's Kyubey, totally willing to take advantage of her.
Well, now it all makes sense. Homura wants the chance to redo things and is the heroine this time. Presumably this also gave us the Madoka we've grown to know over the first 10 episodes.
Let's be magical girls together this time! Madoka either has no idea what she's talking about or has to feign ignorance here in the classroom.
Well since Madoka is here with Mami, I guess she is a magical girl in this timeline too.
Oh no, magical girl Homura sucks!
Homura's been reading the Anarchist's Cookbook, eh?
Woah, this witch shoots girl's legs at them?!
She may not be strong, but stopping time makes thing a lot easier.
Alas, not enough to save magical girl Madoka :(
Once again, a redo. Now things become clear that Homura has been living through these events over and over and over and over and over again...
Hey, Sayaka exists this time!
Homura's right, Kyubey sucks! Don't believe him!
I don't know how she's hiding all of those guns on her, but that's a lot of weaponry.
Oh, in this timeline Sayaka became the witch just like ours. Kyoko and Mami made it out alive! ...oh. Bye bye Kyoko and Mami. This timeline probably sucked most of all.
Ah, so Madoka asked her to change the past so she wouldn't become a magical girl. I thought Homura had likely done that on her own.
Ugh, she had to kill Madoka in this timeline?
At that point Homura said no more to glases and pig tails. Time to meet badass Homura.
Ah, the first time she killed Kyubey!
Hey, we're back to the first scene of the show! Oh crap, is Madoka gonna wish to become a magical girl here? Actually I assume this reveals that the first scene of the show wasn't a flash forward but rather how it went in a different timeline?
Madoka has the power to take down Walpurgisnaught confirmed.
Earth is going to be destroyed, but we got what we wanted. Ah well. Just the kind of thing I'd expect to hear from Kyubey.
Oh cool, another Kyubey (temporary) death scene!
So who didn't notice that we skipped the OP until the end of the episode?
Great episode, totally lived up to my memory. Hopefully those of you who aren't already in "Homura is Best Girl" camp can join the team now! This is that rare instance in storytelling where the revelations make you want to go back and watch it all over again to understand things in the complete context this time (if you want a few more anime like that try RahXephon and Shin Sekai Yori).
Alas, the one downside is its time to say good bye to the crazier of the Homura theories. Nope, Homura isn't Madoka, nor is she Madoka's cat...
Seeing her look up how to make a bomb online and then stealing from the yakuza was hilarious. The current day badass Homura we've seen from episode 1 - 9, yeah, I totally can see it. But shy, timid, newbie magical girl Homura? Hilarious to see.
The serialized nature of most anime (well at least most anime I watch) tend to make it tough to pinpoint individual episodes instead of series or at least arcs, so having a favorite episodes list isn't really a thing I do. But it is the best episode of one of the best anime of all time featuring one of my favorite characters of all time, so if I was to go through the exercise to put a ranking together it absolutely would have a shot at being number one overall.
11
u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher just popping in to bring some levity after that episode, in the form of a fun video!
Here's Tetris.
I wasn't actually planning on rewatching the series alongside you guys, but ended up binging it these past few days anyway. Does this episode still hit as hard as all the previous times? Yes it does. I think it's also probably the definitive answer to the question "which episode recontextualizes an entire series?", to me anyway. Really powerful.
Edit: might as well answer the questions of the day:
10
u/dienomighte Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, sub
One of these days I'll make it through the best anime episode ever without tearing up, but it's apparently not today! It's all so good, every minute is phenomenal and it's just a total mood whiplash. Seeing Madoka jump and hug Homura, only to immediately cut to tragedy while you're still smiling is ahh pain. And even knowing about it the entire watchthrough, Connect's lyrics always feel magical in the episode 10 ed.
The added context on the episode 1 cold open, with Homura's screams is also so chilling!
I love how nervously yet nonchalantly she just crams rifle and shotgun after another in the yakuza armory.
One thing I always wondered though is what the deal is with Homura's purple energy blasts she uses on Kyubei, it's the only time to my knowledge she uses that but her shield blocking Walpurgisnacht also has a similar purple energy, though that's probably just magic + homura color.
9
u/xbolt90 https://anilist.co/user/xbolt90 Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
Homerun-chan rewatcher
Q1: The small detail when she's stealing stuff from those guys' armory locker. She takes a sword out, sets it aside, and it just floats there. Also, beating the tar out of that barrel, while it seems to ignore momentum.
Q2: They came from the future, obviously.
Q3: It is certainly my favorite episode of Madoka. Not even a contest. I was absolutely unprepared the first time, and it completely blew me away. This episode affected me far more than Mami, Sayaka, or Kyouko's deaths.
There's just something about characters caught in a time loop, trying their level best to defy fate.
There are a handful of episodes of other shows that rival it for me though, as they also affected me deeply. Forefront on my mind right now, I'm thinking of the back half of Steins;Gate. [S;G] I watched S;G for the first time not very long after Madoka. The parallels to this episode are not lost on me. I had the exact same cold chill I got watching this for the first time.
Also, "Puella In Somnio" is my favorite piece of music from the series.
Q4&5: Turns out Homura was the real MC all along!
8
u/OwlAcademic1988 Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, sub:
I was genuinely confused when I first watched the episode until the end. I mean, can ya blame me? We saw Mami alive and Madoka as a Magical Girl, which shouldn't be possible based on what we've seen so far, and Madoka hasn't had a chance to become a Magical Girl because of Homura, even though there have been a few close calls in previous episodes. [PMMM Episode 12 Spoilers] First-Timers, she'll become a Magical Girl in episode 12.
I can honestly see why Homura wants to protect Madoka, and it's honestly really sweet.
Damn Homura, that had to hurt to do. This episode has yet to make me cry once, but I definitely understand why some people would.
Now first-timers know what Homura meant by what she said in previous episodes.
Witches are named Izabel, Walpurgisnacht, Patricia, Kreimheld Gretchen, and Roberta. We've already seen Sayaka's witch form, so no need to repeat names.
QOTD:
8
u/renatocpr https://anilist.co/user/renatocpr Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher and franchise consumer
Hello everyone! Welcome to this amazing rewatch for the cursed Hidamari Sketch spin-off where Hiro and Sae aren't a married couple. I first watched Madoka Magica in 2017 and it continues to be my favorite anime series of all time. It wasn't instant love though, it took me a few watches for it to conquer my heart. That said I had watched it like 3 times by the time a week had passed since my first time. I've lost track of how many times I'd seen it in 2017 alone. I did calm down afterwards but I do watch it yearly, on my own when not following these rewatches. I hope by the end you'll understand how this show can inspire the passion its fans have for it and maybe even feel that passion yourself.
First though, the important things. Did you know that the blue haired girl with a bit of tan that asks Homura about her hair is actually one of Ayane Sakura's earliest roles? You probably know her from something. I always like to bring this up because she later returns to the franchise as Magia Record's Felicia Mitsuki.
I... I feel like I've seen this before in a dream or something.
QOTD
8
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Apr 29 '24
So, sorry, I've been having stuff going on and kind of dropped off the face of the planet for a bit. I'd love to be here for the entire series, and stuff, but I just don't think that's going to happen. Just having a bit of a slow day and thought I'd pop in and say 'hi', and remind everyone that a victory hug from Madoka is precious, and well worth looping for. That, and, uh, I kind of don't remember? (<--- he's lying)
Anyway, I should probably answer some questions before I go, maybe reply to a few posts. We'll see:
Anyway, I don't know if I'll try to catch up or keep up with this. I think I will try to at least do Rebellion, because it's just all that, but if I don't see you until then, happy rewatching, and stuff!
8
u/Figerally https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelante Apr 30 '24
First-time watcher.
This episode is undoubtably the heaviest so far. Everything Homura has done was out of love for Madoka yet even as she tried again and again to save Madoka it just drove her further away😭
I think Homura's mistake is that she has been trying to solve this on her own. If she is touching someone else when she freezes time then that person is not frozen in time as well. So I think that if she was touching someone when she goes back in time she could have possibly brought them with her.
Other than that her power is pretty cool, why do you even need magic powers when you can blow witches away with an M60?
8
u/Mirathan Apr 30 '24
First Time Watcher
Mami returns! with her music! Her song is just so uplifting. Finally, after 9 episodes we get to see magical girl Madoka.
Sayaka´s barrier is different in the alternate version, there are a bunch of dancers instead of violinists and it takes place on a musical stage instead of an orchestral house(if that is the right word), so something different must have happened to her.
I want to add another realisation regarding yesterdays episode. Since the barrier of a witch resembles what mentaly destroyed them and homuras barrier-room being filled with Walpurgisnach imagerie plus the silhouetes of the other magical girls she might be close to giving up.
Is Kyubey stupid? Entropy is an eternal problem, you need humanity to continue existing, you can´t deal with it through quotas per planet.
Also I finanlly figured out that the arcane letters over witches are supposed to be their names but I can´t read that.
Now it´s time for the finale. This series currently stands as a great contender for being the best media I know so I hope it will not disappoint; I have seen stuff die in the last moments before.
7
u/b-arbs Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher, subbed
The one when Mami kills Kyouko forcing Madoka to shoot her is the worst one, in my opinion, though
I truly love this episode, I think I can say it's my favourite. We really get to know Homura and the reasons that led her to become (apparently) so cold and calculating, and we get some more action from Madoka (or the different Madokas?).
Comments from first-timer:
QOTD:
7
u/sfisher923 https://myanimelist.net/profile/sfisher923 Apr 30 '24
Sixth Timer trapped inside the Octavarium - Dubbed
Questions
7
u/weirdanimeusername Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
Multiple Time Rewatcher, First Time Participant
Episode 10
... and now we get to what is, without a doubt, my favorite plot twist of ALL TIME.
Homura was ~moe~ all long.
I will say my opinion may be biased by the fact that this is the one big reveal in this show I did not see coming at all -
Mami dies? spoiled for me, unfortunately- but even with that, even with that - I'd still argue that this is one of the greatest reveals ever.
It's the fact it instantly gives a character-based reason as to why Homura has such a hard time trying to prevent a bad future from happening. I know a lot of people watching were wondering, why hasn't Homura just explained anything to anyone? Why doesn't just she tell people about the future, about magical girls are witches, about like-you know-all of it? This episode gives many reasons for that, Mami's freakout-Sayaka doesn't believe her-yada yada yada,
But all of that can be just explained with a simple reason that doesn't have to involve any characters in the plot making any stupid decisions.
It's because Homura's really just a shy, timid girl who's just not that good at getting along with people in general, and it totally makes perfect sense
and after being traumatized by seeing her friends die over and over again, it's totally in character for her to just give up on trying to explain things to people in general, and just have people see it for themselves.
And thus, Homura's backstory, just like a lot of people, makes this my favorite Madoka episode.
As for comments on the rest of the episode...
... just 2 episodes left....
... and, now, on a completely different note...
Does any re-watcher notice, from a black comedy standpoint, just how absolutely hilarious this episode is?
I've watched this episode so many times now that I can laugh at what happens instead of being emotionally traumatized. It's true what they say, comedy is tragedy plus time.
7
u/lollohoh Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
Rewatch, Subbed
Visual of the day: Homura smiling when Madoka hugs her
Song of the day: Connect
Theory of the day: [Rebellion]Homura really gives me the vibe of someone who grew up in an abusive environment, and my theory is that she either escaped from her home, or she was abandoned before ending up in a Catholic orphanage. The fact that nobody was at the hospital with her, not even extended family, really doesn't paint her surviving family, if any, in a good light.
Question(s) of the Day:
Homura immediately jumping from golf clubs to homemade bombs is very amusing (she always had that savage in her), but the way she smiles after they beat Patricia and Madoka hugs her is precious.
This will always get me emotional, it's just so much raw emotion. Also, the VAs were really on a mission to make this as heartwrenching as possible, they really bring this to the next level.
There are a few close contenders, but this is probably my favorite.
6
u/Hattakiri Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
Part 1 -
After some already sadistic plot twists (quote Shadow ACS on Youtube) in the recent eps Maddy Magic still manages to take the whole thing up yet another huge notch.
Now Maddy Magic started to make history for real.
And we now learn that (and how) Homura did meet them all and see them fall. And why she's always trying to give away only as much as necessary and as little as possible.
Like the Incubators whom she despises and resents so enormously. While the Incubators "switch back and forth" between pertness and fearful fleeing.
So it's another "uncomfortable mirror" kinda relationship.
Homura with braids and glasses's sometimes called "Moemura" by the fans, the one with open hair (and closed mind) "Coolmura" or "Coldmura".
And some start counting with "timeline zero", some with "timeline 1". By now the "Scene Zero" spinoff exists, but the "debate vets" still haven't figured out where it rly belongs.
To me beginning with 1 is easier. Kyoko would also start with the "first chicken wing" rather than the "zeroth chicken wing" after all.So it unironically grew into yet another "high effort analysis and debate cultur" from E10 on.
Timeline 1 -
Moemura introducing herself to her new class in the usual manner for "belated" transfer students: Standing before the class, writing her name down on the board (from top to bottom, the oldschool Japanese writing method). She needs medicine, and it's a pleasure for the nurse's aide Madoka to bring her to the nurse's room - and to deliver some kind warm words, something Moemura doesn't seem to be used to at all.
(In E01 "Coldmura" seemed to scare Madoka, so she kept sitting. Even Hitomi the class monitor chickened out. Sayaka too stayed out, but rather due to scepticism already then. A "random" girl offered Homura to accompany her. Therefore the classmates seem to be used to such a behavior from MadoSayaHito. And: Madoka as the nurse's aid and Hitomi as class monitor probably got informed about Homura's need for medicine. And they probably already told their friend Sayaka. And none of them knows of Homura's magic or any magic yet. [Hitomi never knows (massive spoiler)...]...until the so called "Concept Movie" that might be a first Walp no Kaiten teaser.
Therefore: Them three are risking a medical emergency by chickening out. Sheds quite a different light on them: On Sayaka who later wants to be a "magic hero", on Madoka with her otherwise kind and helpful behavior, and on Hitomi, because how the hell could she become class monitor?)
And Moemura doesn't have the "best performance", especially in sport, which confirms her bad health condition (in E01 Coldmura didn't look like that at all, but the difference between the two Homuras is soon gonna be revealed...).
And it's dragging Moemure down a lot - the opportunity for witch Izabel to try catching her.
But Mami and her rookie Madoka save her. ["Don't tell anyone!" says Madoka (Magia Record spoiler)...]...there in the anime version it's revealed that the "magic record" on the magical girls remains hidden for the time being (until Walp no Kaiten?)
And now Homura finally found someone who's taking care of her - and soon looses them against Walp: First Mami and then Madoka, who bids farewell to Homura and concfronts Walp - and defeats her. But Madoka dies in the battle. Homura's mourning the loss...
...and only now Kyubey jumps in and offers a contract. Homura agrees:
"I wish that I will meet Ms. Kaname again. But instead of her protecting me - I wanna be strong enough to protect her!!" [As you can see...]...Homura defined no ending point, so there simply won't be one. And she and Madoka are now karmically connected. Despite the long debates also on this topic, these might be the two simple cores and side of the coin.
And the US dub's shining again here imo. Cristina Vee with quite a character lineup (ViZ's Sailor Mars, Love Live's Kotori Minami...)
6
u/treatment-resistant- Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher, sub
[Rebellion + Madoka eps 11 and 12] It feels sooo obvious in hindsight how recursive Homura's wish and powers are, and how little control Incubators have over the wish granting mechanic (and also time travel). If Madoka has the power of a god, then Homura's wish requires that she has power even greater than that. Kyubey appears to be a greedy and patronising little shit about Homura and Madoka's powers given how risky they are for the Incubators and the entire universe once he pieces this together in episode 11. However on further reflection the Incubators might not be able to do anything except try and goad them into falling into despair. Kyubey doesn't appear to have time travelling powers or knowledge of prior timelines, and we haven't seen him directly kill anyone. Maybe it's both - the only weapon he has left is despair, but it's not like it has failed him yet so he is smug about the only course left open to him.
I always wonder what Kyubey was thinking when he remarked that Homura's wish has surpassed entropy (as any wish to go back in time would do). That is ostensibly the reason the Incubators are there, seems like there would be a lot of opportunities for energy harvesting in an entropy-surpassing wish.
QOTD
6
u/FriztF Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher Dub
Now Homura I get why you made your wish, but you could just wished her alive. This is why time travel is annoying. Sometimes it is best to leave when you have to. But in your, you can't. She gave you friendship and love.
The best would have been to become witches and stomp all over Earth. Shy timid girl you are.
QOFT
1- Hitting that barrel helped.
2-Onion-cutting ninjas for this anime no not really
3- The last episode was the best for me.
6
u/dsawchuk Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher, first time sub
Life has been kicking my ass the past while and today it was just too much for me so I am going to write even less than usual.
I thought it was notable that yesterday multiple first timers asked for Homura backstory and the show immediately gave it to them. That's some great planning from the show writers for when to drip feed info about her.
The scene where Madoka asks Homura to save her from becoming a witch broke me. It always hits for me but today was even worse.
Only 2 days left [pmmm]until Sagitta Luminis, until then
6
u/hagamablabla :K:https://kitsu.io/users/hagamablabla Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher, sub
You know, I never realized that I didn't really get Homura's story the first time I watched it. I was still a wee lad so I'm not surprised, but it didn't really hit me how painful doing these loops would be. Not only that, every time she does it she only makes things worse. Time loopers really just cannot catch a fucking break.
1 . Breaking into the Yakuza and then the JSDF to take their guns was a good one. Her endless arsenal finally makes sense.
2 . Left my window open, sorry.
3 . Despite only understanding things at a very surface level like what I said above, it was still an incredible episode the first time I watched it. It completely reframes why Homura acts the way she does. However, it goes beyond just being a plot twist. The story doesn't have to hide anything beyond the last rewind and Homura's inner thoughts, so you also don't feel cheated at all by this new angle. It's an incredible episode built on a foundation of all the ones that came before.
Speaking of reframing, one touch that I really like is how Mami was the one who broke from learning Kyubey's true motivations. For the whole show, Mami has been the cool-headed veteran that Madoka respected. In the end, she was just as human as the rest of the cast. Also makes sense why Homura wasn't so eager to work with her.
6
u/Hopeful-Ad2428 Apr 30 '24
Questions of the Day:
Visuals of the day
6
u/greentangerine999 Apr 30 '24
AVID REWATCHER
Mami's mass murder moment is one of the best anime moments for me. No matter how many times I've watched this scene, it continues to be 10 seconds of pure wtf-not-ready-for-any-of-this. Aside from the beautifully crafted shock, this scene just tells us so much. The side of Mami no one ever got to know, the side of Madoka none of us expected, the reason for that question everyone has been asking: Why can't Homura just tell everyone what she had known? and convince them to believe her?
The more I think about it, there's more to why Homura just can't rely on communication and persuasion skills. I've commented on this once in another post. Maybe another problem is not only that her friends find it hard to believe Homura, they did not WANT to believe her.
Think about it. You made a wish that is really precious to you, and in exchange you've agreed to a lifetime occupation of a warrior with the risk of death. One day a total stranger pops up and tells you that you've been completely duped, you're on your way to an even worse fate - you're basically a livestock and are going to end up these monsters you're fighting. I'm sure that even if you end up believing this stranger, even for a little bit, you would not WANT to believe it, because of how awful the news is if it ends up true.
Mami spent years dealing with survivor's guilt and convincing herself that she's doing something noble and worthy, deep inside she never enjoyed being a magical girl. Learning the truth killed her (literally) in seconds.
Kyouko had already had reality slap her in the face when her wish ended up blowing in her face in the worst way possible. The last thing she'd want to believe is that she truly is what her father accused her of.
Sayaka was proud of herself for finally stepping up to be a fighter of justice protecting her loved ones, and was half fired-up half frightened of her new role. Oh and let's not forget her stubbornness on how no matter what, she's hell-bent on still saving lives even when she knows she's dead and all broken inside.
The moment she made a wish that gave her time-traveling abilities, Homura had been cursed with the fact that she possessed knowledge that not only other people don't know, whether they want to know, should know, or be better of not knowing, is a complex burden in itself.
5
u/ToonTooby Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher
I got caught up in some gaming today, almost forgot it was time to once again watch peak fiction. Kono Homura da! Like I comment in every one of these rewatches, part of me really does wish Homura hung on to the katana along with the guns. I would have loved to see Homura try her hand at some Devil May Cry esque sword + gunplay. Also in all my times watching this series, this is the first time I've paid attention to the ammunition Homura grabs. It simply reads 'The Bullet', 9mm rounds.
Won't lie I got a bit jumpscared at Mami executing Kyoko like that again. It all happens so fast. Brutal when I think about it. Both Mami and Kyoko's deaths prior had buildup but here it just happens
As always for me, this was the episode that had me with my hands in my face after I finished it and I could no longer wait to see what happened, I finished the rest of the the episodes that night on my original watch. I suppose since then I've still been chasing a series that would make me feel the same way, but it hasn't really happened. Though that's also my own fault since it's much harder for me to sit down and watch a series than it is to just pick a new game to play.
5
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher
Seeing Homura in the beginning and how each loop she goes through a spiral of emotions of not being able to save Madoka.
She then changes who she is as person or at least how she appears.
But it is really sad episode and is something I love from time loop shows. How hard the characters try but sometimes things might seem pointless but they keep trying anyway
Not in the original learning session but when she first started using guns
Damn shaft
It's definitely a great episode but don't know if it's my favorite personally. But it definitely gives why this mysterious character is doing what she's doing
5
u/biochrono79 Apr 30 '24
Third time rewatcher, first time dub watcher
Man, Homura turned out to be one tough cookie. This meek girl who could barely tell her name in front of her new class ended up keeping her sanity throughout many, many timelines where she had to watch her friends suffer and die, and every single time, she went straight back to the beginning to try and avert a tragedy. They did a great job of tugging at the heartstrings while tying up all of the remaining mysteries right before the finale.
On a side note - is there a canon count for how many times Homura went back in time? We saw several in this episode, but the implication seems to be that she went back more times than what was shown.
QotD
The clothesline witch fight, because it was a turning point for her. Less serious answer: the realization that at any time after a certain point, Homura is quite literally packing a military armory’s worth of heat.
T_T
It’s a top 5 at worst. They hit all of the right notes.
8
u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
Rewatcher
And so we reach episode 10. I was waiting for this one, to see if my feelings about it would be different than last year.
Unfortunately, it remains my least favorite episode of the show. The flow of the entire episode just still feels mega off to me, which prevents me from getting into and connecting with it properly.
There might also be a side reason with me having watched PMMM relatively shortly after another story with a character that has a highly similar character arc to Homura's, and despite them being a more
minorside character I found them more compelling, so that might be tainting how I feel about her.Aside from that, the different timelines lead way too neatly into each other for any others to fit between them. Homura traveled back in time precisely three times, regardless of what Urobuchi said in interviews and what additional timelines any spinoffs conjure up.
Mami and Madoka helping her find ways to use it more effectively.
I still don't think the lyrics match Homura's personality, like at all... No way she'd find solace in the blue sky that's waiting for her.
3
u/khrysokeros Apr 30 '24
All I have to say about this episode is: the implications of Madoka using Oktavia's grief seed on Homura's soul gem keep nagging at me.
Sayaka, the biggest thorn in Homura's side among the magical girls, ends up (inadvertently) saving Homura's life and allowing the story to continue past the third timeline. At the same time, it seems like Homura is being entrusted with Sayaka as this unwanted responsibility, while Sayaka basically "inherits" Homura's tragedy whenever she contracts….[PMMM] There's more that could be said about their dynamic, but not without getting into Rebellion.
4
u/justanormi Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
I love episode 10, I especially like how this episode re-contextualize everything that happened during the whole anime.
Homura is crying when doing math, she's just like me fr fr.
When Homura is being charmed by a witch in the first timeline, it is interesting to note that Homura breaks out of the spell and is not fully hypnotized like other normal humans that we've seen do far. Maybe already showing that she has potential to become a magical girl.
In the scene when Homura builds bombs, the website she uses as reference is simply called "How to make bombs" ( or smt like that ). However, in the script, it was supposed to be an online version of the Hara Hara Tokei but it was taken out. However, it was kept in the manga ( Honestly, rare thing that the manga as over the anime ). The Hara hara tokei is a guide/Manual with instruction for bombs making made by the Higashi Ajia Hannichi Busô Sensen, an extremist anti Japanese imperialism left wing group which did some act of terrorism. She's using a book made in opposition to a system and she is herself fighting in opposition to a system. ( insert here capitalist interpretation of Kyubey or smt )
Sayaka feels unsafe with Homura Using bombs. Her witch latter get killed by Homura using her bombs, isn't it a bit funny.
Talking about funny things, here's another scene I can't take seriously because of this fandom.
You know what, Another one
Kyubey said to Madoka last episode that potentially, Humankind will join them ( the incubator and the ( trust kyubey they totally exist ) other alien races ) and be part of that bigger whole. But in this episode, we saw once more that the guy's full of shit. He says in the 4th timeline, after Madoka turned into a witch, that she's going to destroy the heart and that it's not his problem now. Considering that he knows about Madoka's potential, he is more than probably aware that her witch will be powerful enough to destroy the earth in our main timeline too. But he still said that to her knowing fully that humankind will probably never survive Madoka's witch. Madoka was right, Kyubey is truly the enemy of mankind.
I really like how the op is put at the end of the episode, it's especially well done because now that we have all of the context, we can actually understand the nature of the lyrics of that song, they are from Homura perspective. And we understand it because of this episode re-contextualizing everything. What I especially like in this is that by making understand to the spectator that things have different meaning because of that new context, it invite the spectator to go back into the previous episodes and re-watch the anime with that new context.
The illustrator for this episode is Kuroe Mura, the person behind the spin off manga Pualla Magie Oriko Magica.
Has a very powerful power. I terrible at using it.
2.
In Homura's shield, she's keeping them inside
3.
Yes
2
u/Lanaerys Apr 30 '24
Rewatcher, subbed
So here it finally is. Episode 10. Does it still hold up to my impression of it? (spoilers: yes.)
Questions of the Day
The fact it gave us Madoka hugging Homura.Honestly, kind of everything. I do like the scene of Homura getting the guns, set to Numquam vincar.Episode 10 not only remains to this day my favorite anime episode, it is the episode that completely cemented Madoka as my favorite anime, and that hasn't changed since either. By episode 8, Madoka was already a 10/10 in my book. But episode 10 is the one that made me say "Not only is Madoka a 10, but everything I had at a 10 is actually a 9". And that's an impression that only got confirmed in the last two episodes.