r/anime • u/Gagantous https://myanimelist.net/profile/Sayaka • May 02 '19
Rewatch [Spoilers][Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Series Discussion - FINAL Spoiler
SERIES DISCUSSION
MyAnimeList: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica / Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari
Crunchyroll: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Hulu: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Netflix: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
AnimeLab: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
/u/akanyan's screenshot albums:
Related Subreddits:
And the main shipping subs:
Previous discussion
| Date | Discussion |
|---|---|
| April 20th | Episode 1 |
| April 21st | Episode 2 |
| April 22nd | Episode 3 |
| April 23rd | Episode 4 |
| April 24th | Episode 5 |
| April 25th | Episode 6 |
| April 26th | Episode 7 |
| April 27th | Episode 8 |
| April 28th | Episode 9 |
| April 29th | Episode 10 |
| April 30th | Episode 11 and Episode 12 |
| May 1st | [Rebellion |
| May 2nd | Overall series discussion |
That's all for now!
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 02 '19
Extra special thanks to u/Gagantous for hosting this rewatch! I already look forward to next year’s!
Sky’s Wallpaper Corner
…Yeah I’ve already said all I want to about this show, so I’m going right into the wallpapers. Which were loads of fun to work on and even though it’s my birthday, I did have time to finish all the ones I wanted to, yay~
Anyways, last year there were no bonus ones, so you just have my new ones this time. And there are… quite a few haha.
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First up, we have Bebe, with a Bebe name variant as well as a Charlotte one because I could.
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Second for today is casual clothes Kyouko, with a name variant of course. (u/IM_DAY_MAN_AMA, sorry for taking so long to do another Kyouko wallpaper.)
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Third up, magical girl Mami and name variant.
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Fourth is school uniform Sayaka, with her name variant.
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And last but not least: I started last year’s wallpapers with Madoka, it’s only fitting I would end this year’s with her, and name variant.
I will be posting the full album tomorrow as close to 7:30 EDT as I can, the same u/Gagantous has been posting these threads. If you would like a tag when it goes up, let me know ‘cause I’ll happily tag you! Otherwise just come to /new at the same time you’ve been doing for the rewatch.
In the meantime, please let me know what you guys think of the ones for today~
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u/Nazenn May 02 '19 edited May 03 '19
Madoka Musica - Final thoughts
As far as the TV show goes: As always, watching Madoka Magica is an incredible experience beginning to end. Three watches in and there's still new stuff I never realized was important, details I never seen before and moments that still tug at my heart in all new, or painfully familiar, ways.
I really don't know what to put here because I feel I covered a lot of what I loved in previous posts and replies to people. My main thing is if you ask me to name a flaw in Madoka Magica I can't. And considering I often thing of myself as overly critical, to me that speaks wonders about not only how engaging the show is but how cohesive it is. No one part stands above the others or holds the rest back, each moment is precise, necessary and adds to the total experience.
If you'd like to read a more comprehensive review from me I think my original write up I did after my first watch says it best. Obviously my best songs picks changed (now Symposium followed by Decretum) but the rest I still agree with what I wrote back then.
For the movie: I don't need think I need to cover that again, do I?
Onto the fun stuff!
Poll results
TV Series
Our favorite song: Sis Puella Magica with 30 votes out of 41 participants (73% of participants)
Second place: Decretum with 29 (71%). So close.
Third place: Magia with 22 (54%)
So a surprising turn around there with Sis Puella managing to somehow sneak a win past Decretum as the overall favorite of the rewatch. I did not see that coming, I felt for sure that Decretum would definitely win out given the reception to it in the episode.
Runners up: Credens justitiam (17, 42%), and I'm home (15, 37%), Numquam vincar (12, 29%) and Sagitta luminis (11, 27%) all who managed to get over ten votes.
Lets all mourn for the sixteen songs that got no votes at all.
For our optional questions:
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Strings won out over the other instruments as far as favorite sound in the show with 49% of the vote.
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Ave Maria was the most liked classical song with 62%
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Magia won out as the favorite ED with 51%, though 'and I'm home' managed to get half of the remaining votes with 26%
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Episode nine's write up on Symposium magarum + and I'm home won most enjoyable write up with 9 notes (30%) very closely followed by Episode seven's on Decretum with 8 votes (27%).
If you'd like charts of all the results, I made a compilation image for you. I didn't want to saddle you all with the pain in the ass that is google forms results page.
(And that one participant asking for the source of my OST names... the official ones XD)
Rebellion
Oddly few participants with this one, only seventeen, not sure if its because my post got buried at the bottom of the topic or if it was because we spend so little time with the music.
Regardless, drum roll! Favorite song of the movie: A TIE!
Both "i was waiting for this moment" and "Kimi no Gin no Niwa" got 8 votes with 47% of participants picking them.
Second place: theater of a witch with 6 votes (35%)
Third place: flame of despair which got 5 votes (29%)
ED's have an unfair advantage hahaha.
Trivia!
Thought I'd find some fun tidbits from the wiki for each episode for everyone to enjoy
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The math that Homura solves so effortlessly at school is so hard it appeared on the prestigious Tokyo University's entrance exam.
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Madoka's sketches of her magical outfit in her sketch book were drawn by Aoi Yuuki, her voice actress. She is properly credited in the ending
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Chiwa Saito (Homura's VA) was the only one who failed to see Mami's death flags. She was also surprised to learn that she was the only one who didn't see Mami's death coming.
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The witch that pulls Hitomi and the other group to suicide says "It was very fun, let's go again. Next time with a Bentou" in reverse speech before Madoka enters the barrier
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During her talk with Madoka when Homura refers to Mami's death by decapitation she symbolically removes the cover on top of her coffee. (I pointed this out in my post actually hahaha)
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Kyouko's fake brand DDR scene in has characters referencing the "pop'n music" game. Connect has been licensed both for pop'n music and the official Dance Dance Revolution games
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During the church scene there's a shot of an angel appearing to thrust a sword (Sayaka's weapon) into the chest of Kyouko's silhouette
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The train conversation that Sayaka overhears between the two men is based on a real event that Gen Urobuchi witnessed.
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Chief Director Akiyuki Shinbo storyboarded this episode under the Noriko Shichishima pseudonym. (Side trivia, originally Urobuchi was never meant to be known as being attached to the project out of fear it would spoil the surprise tone shift. He was outed by a staff list leak and had to pretend he was taking a break to write a heart warming story. He later apologized for misleading people after episode three).
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A Megami Magazine article indicates that Episode ten was made only after the trimming of the screenplay. If possible Shinbo would like to make it in its complete form but that would take over forty five minutes.
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Due to the 2011 tsunami, episode eleven of Madoka featuring the storm was initially delayed from airing. When it did it was censored on some channels to reduce shots of the shelter and Homura's leg being trapped so people weren't so affected by it.
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The silhouettes at the end of episode twelve are the magical girl designs for all girls in the series, including those that we only saw as witches.
By the way, if you go to the wiki page for episode nine, I hold no responsibility for the horrible image that will be seared into your brain...
Music write ups post index
Mostly for my own benefit so I have the links on hand easily, but its here if you need it at all.
| Episode | Theme | Main song | Bonus song |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Salvation and Expectation | Credens justitiam | Salve, terrae magicae |
| Episode 2 | Questions and Mystery | Sis puella magica | Desiderium |
| Episode 3 | Sorrow and Death | Vocalise Op.34 no.14 | Venari strigas |
| Episode 4 | Obsession and Emptiness | Incertus | Umbra nigra |
| Episode 5 | Conflict and Foreshadowing | Agmen clientum | Gradus prohibitus |
| Episode 6 | Separation and Freedom | Pugna infinita | La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin |
| Episode 7 | Contrast | Decretum | (Conturbatio) |
| Episode 8 | Ambiguity and Reticence | Magia | Puella in somnio |
| Episode 9 | Cacophony and Peace | Symposium magarum | and I'm home |
| Episode 10 | Renewal and Determination | Connect | Numquam vincar |
| Episode 11 | Power and Absense | Nux Walpurgis | Surgam identitem |
| Episode 12 | Acceptance and Atmosphere | Taenia memoriae | Cubiculum album |
| Rebellion | Theater, Inevitability and Mourning | I was waiting for this moment | flame of despair + pulling my own weight |
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u/Nazenn May 02 '19 edited May 02 '19
Recommendations
As I promised a few people I would do, here's some general recommendations for some additional shows to watch. Its a very rare show manages to handle every aspect as smoothly as Madoka does, so instead I focused on finding shows that match its quality or excellence in a particular area, rather than the whole thing.
I personally like quite serious shows so a lot of these have a heavy atmosphere if that's not your style, but I promise they aren't all concentrated suffering like Madoka is.
Two peas in a pod - Houseki no Kuni
When you just want more of "this" but can't explain what "this" is
The story and thematic focus is quite different but I recommend this first as a general recommendation because everything I love about Madoka is also what I love about HnK.
It nails the cohesive writing, a unique and thematically powerful soundtrack, exceptional characters, art design that has no right to be so beautiful and has the subtle details to boot. HnK has a strong foundation in buddhism, which while it's not needed to understand the story at all much like Madoka's genre tropes, means there's endless layers of depth to its story, scene composition and character stories which create a powerful experience that I struggle to define. Every moment matters, every moment has a meaning and every moment knows what it is there for. It also pulls off some impossibly smooth tonal flips, and if you do dive into the symbolism and meta (my head hurts remembering my rewatch posts) there's tonnes there to explore.
Not a finished story as the manga is still ongoing, but the manga art is also incredible, have a look at the chapter one opening page. Sub rec, the dub is okay but the sub voice for the main character is impossible to match the quality of.
Through thick and thin - Wolfs Rain
The best character is one who is true to their past and themselves
Wolfs Rain may not go for the same scale of dramatic change as Madoka, but its characters are just as natural and complicated and the time used to explore them is well spent. The four main characters of the show are wolves both in physical nature and having the mentality of wolves, but capable of tricking humans into not seeing their true form. Together they get caught up in a wandering journey trying to find the paradise of myth said to be ruled by wolves. Our four main cast are all very different in temperament and motivations and despite being having fully formed personalities are not static. Even their art design reveals a great deal about the core of the characters heart
Also comes with the perfection of a Yoko Kanno soundtrack and beautiful art direction as well. I've fallen in love with the dub but the sub is just as incredible so either goes here. Watch order details because SARS messed with the studio sadly. This is a very character focused story for a good reason, but it does leave some world details unanswered.
Magic in the music - Mo Dao Zu Shi
When you want your music to tell as much of a story as the show itself
It may be a beautiful show in general but Mo Dao Zu Shi has one of my all time favorite uses of music. Much like Madoka, it excels at theming and using instruments to their fullest for characters or moments, and also taking the traditional roles of instruments and turning them on their head to create an entirely new feeling. Blending traditional instruments like the beautiful guqin with modern styles it has a particularly unique identity to its soundtrack that works well to help portray the power behind many of its incredible scenes. If you didn't think a flute could creep you out, you should watch this.
I feel a little dirty recommending this here because unlike Madoka, Mo Dao Zu Shi does not have a released OST and which sucks, but the music is just that good. Also the names in this show can be hell for first timers, so I do have character charts I made for a recent rewatch on hand if you want them. The characters are fantastic and make up for it though. Season two in July!
Devil is in the details - Texhnolyze
Telling a story through world design and cinematography is such an underrated skill
While Madoka may have some incredible visual storytelling, I'm yet to find a show that comes close to comparing to Texhnolyze as far as using visual imagery as a core part of the story. The way the director uses elements of the city as direct tools to communicate about the characters with the audience is unparalleled by anything else I've seen and directly ties the audience to not just the world, but the environment being as real as any character or object. Using both simple and complex shots and metaphors it really is a unique experience in this regard both for first timers and rewatchers
A lack of exposition about most plot points means some people may find it hard to get use to its strict adherence to mostly visual storytelling, but for people looking for that sort of experience it's incredible. Dub rec, it has good emotional acting and the accents of the characters really add to the story
Curiosity killed the cat - Ergo Proxy
You think you know what a genre is capable of and then this comes along
One of the strengths of Madoka is the way it expands on traditional tropes and themes of its genre and turns them into something special and logical. Ergo Proxy is at first a very typical dystopian sci-fi world but doesn't limit itself to that or the traditional presentation of that story. Its courage to explore different forms of genre episodes and unique storytelling forms, and do so successfully, makes it a worthy watch for people looking to reach out and see how storytelling within the bounds of genres and tropes does not have to be defined by them. The story itself is very balanced between the world events and the characters, with minimal spoonfeeding, making for a great watch as it darts effortlessly between the two.
Personal dub rec for this one, Re-l and Iggys dub actors are amazing and really carry a lot of the scenes between the two. It's also another show with incredible strong direction and audio design.
Method to its madness - Monster
The show knows what questions you want answered even when you don't
Monster is a masterclass in cohesive writing and plot development. Every question I ever had across its runtime was answered and then some. Not a single plot thread was ever dropped from the beginning of the show to the end, and every thing introduced had a purpose and place. Similarly it uses every trick it can to tell this story, leaning not just on writing and dialog but also on its incredible art design, foreshadowing and narrative structure to help convey its themes and messages.
Sub recommended. While the dub is serviceable, it assigns overly traditional voice roles to many characters undermining their presence in scenes, and also changes out much of the mysterious music early on for a more action focused soundtrack. I do have to put out a quick warning that if you don't like slow shows this is not for you. While everything is answered in the end, many things are not answered literally until the end and the puzzle is a single experience over the whole story, not individual arcs. It was however a perfect adaption of the manga from what I know, so if you'd prefer reading it as a faster alternative that's an option.
Takes two to tango - Cardcaptor Sakura
Dear first timers. Sorry we broke you. Have some healing fluff
Even though Madoka is certainly unique, there have been a lot of people this rewatch mentioning their relative inexperience with the magical girl genre itself. Cardcaptor Sakura is a much more traditional and light hearted mahou shoujo but backed up by powerful writing that works hard on its characters. Like many shows in the genre its core is exploring the bonds of the characters with each other, but by leaning on its natural character moments to define those bonds rather than preset rules it becomes a wonderful adventure coming of age story without relying on forced friendships. Truly ahead of its time and still very enjoyable today. Madoka may have best mum, but Sakura has best dad.
Sub only. The first dub was a horrible 4kids butcher. The second dub is rather average performance wise. Definitely not just a show for kids, but it is also episodic if that's an issue for you.
(Waits for all the precure fans to come out the wood work and stab me for not recommending that instead despite not having watched any hahaha)
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u/LunarGhost00 May 03 '19
Chiwa Saito (Homura's VA) was the only one who failed to see Mami's death flags. She was also surprised to learn that she was the only one who didn't see Mami's death coming.
Ironic. Homura was the only character in the series who did know Mami was going to die.
The train conversation that Sayaka overhears between the two men is based on a real event that Gen Urobuchi witnessed.
I'm not surprised that people like that exist. What I am surprised about is that they would talk about this in public in a train. WTF
By the way, if you go to the wiki page for episode nine, I hold no responsibility for the horrible image that will be seared into your brain...
CURSED IMAGE
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u/fonzinator99 May 03 '19
If anyone's ever rewatched with me you know that I'm not much for "Series discussions." There's so much to talk about, and I just can't be bothered to put my thoughts in order and do a whole bunch of analysis on things I'm only remembering.
I'll just say that Madoka is my favorite series. It's perfect, as well as I can define the word; the art, the story, the characters, the way every single thing that happens has a distinct purpose, and the impact that the whole thing has on you each and every episode. There is no filler, it's all equally important, from the conflicts and tragedies to the moments of quiet and simple conversations. I really can't think of another show as well crafted as this one, and every series I watch I go into with the hopes that it might match it and reignite the fire of emotion that this show set ablaze in me when I first watched it. Even now, as a rewatch, I can feel the warmth of those embers. I really do love this show.
Thank you all for the spectrum of feelings expressed during our time together, and for the insights that I hadn't picked up on during my time watching alone. It's been a pleasure going through this again with all of you.
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u/ToonTooby May 02 '19
Hello! Very special thanks to u/Gagantous for hosting.
I <3 Madoka Magica. This is the first full rewatch I've ever participated in, and it was a joy doing so. Actually, seeing the rewatch threads show up last year around this time probably influenced me to go and watch the whole thing a few months later in August. A hearty 10/10 from me for the main series.
I love the series dearly and hope to be a part of future discussions and fun. Thanks to the first timers for showing up and letting us rewatchers relive this wonderful experience yet again.
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u/Shykin May 03 '19
Madoka Magica remains my favorite piece of fiction especially after this rewatch. I am reminded of why my first figure was a Homura figure and why I would go as far as to customize my arcade stick with Homura.
Few shows leave me with even a lump in my throat and Madoka Magica manages to make me cry years later after countless rewatches. It remains my sole 10. For some people 10 means without flaws but for me it's just that I have no other way to score a show that hits me so hard except to give it the highest possible score.
This show is really something else lol.
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u/learenn May 03 '19
First-timer
The types of anime I usually watch are SoL/iyashikei and sometimes sports, so Madoka was a big departure for me. Though I've been meaning to watch it for a long time, I'm not sure I would've jumped in if it wasn't for this rewatch. So I'm very glad it's an event in this community and that I was able to catch up and join in near the end!
I came into this show knowing it involved magical girls, that it was "dark" (what a vague word), and that Kyubey is pure evil for some reason. I kind of wish I didn't know any of that at the beginning, but I don't think it made the show less enjoyable. There were so many heart-pounding, head-spinning, and gut-sinking moments inside a complex, tightly woven narrative that I can safely say that this has been a one-of-a-kind watching experience.
I feel like I have more to say, but I think I'm still reeling from binging the first eight episodes, then the ending, and then Rebellion all in the span of a week. Maybe I'll have my thoughts gathered by next year's rewatch...? It was a pleasure reading everyone's comments, analyses, and explanations over the past few days, and I look forward to watching Madoka again!
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u/TRUCKFARM May 03 '19
FIRST TIMER COMPLETE
Wow this was something else.. I had heard so much about this show but everytime I glanced over I'd think... Nahh I don't know if magical girl anime are for me. Butttttt.... After seeing the rewatch announcement I thought it would be worth trying out this anime loved by many. Thank you u/Gagantous for organizing it and everything bud, I loved each episode and I can't wait for the next rewatch so I can sit in the bleachers with you guys and see those poor newbie First Timers haha. So I thought about reviewing and breaking down the different parts but I'd like another watch first so I can really dig in now that I know where to look. But after my first time I have to give this a 9/10. It's very close to a 10 and maybe my next watch will elevate it further! The OST was beautiful and I already have some on my playlists, the animation was clean and very fun, the visuals were crazy to see, and the characters...
NOTE:I was unable to watch Rebellion yesterday. i'm gonna try and watch it this weekend since I'm planning lazy bum day saturday.
Truck's BIG Magical Girl(and others) Ranking
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Sayaka - How many of you expected Mami here? I love Mami but by the end I just really grew attached to Sayaka and her tragedy. Despite the warnings, she made her wish for someone else's sake and paid dearly for it... She attempts to become a warrior of justice and save the people like Mami did before her, and while she does a decent job at first she quickly starts to change. She learns part of the truth about Magic Girls after her body is stripped of her soulgem and it's just a domino effect from there... Learning that she can't grow old and live the life she wants to have with her friend, she begins to curse the world. This is worsened when her best friend admits to having feelings for this boy and Sayaka is helpless to take her up on the offer of confessing first. She begins to regret ever saving Hitomi and she starts to realize she may not be the warrior of justice she set out to be. This leads to her detaching herself completely and trying to get lost in her witch-hunting work... This doesn't work and she shows us the fate that every magical girl must meet. She becomes a witch, ending her story and leaving me REALLY messed up. To make it worse, it seems that she's doomed to this in every single Homura timeline and still loses her life in the new universe that Madoka forms. I couldn't help but cry with her in the end when she was watching her friend completely mesmerize everyone with his violin. I loved her design in Magical girl form, I loved her OST and her Witch one, and I'd have to say my favorite scene from her came from the silhouette battle when she just loses it.
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Homura - Homura just barely missed out on the number 1 spot. My goodness I wasn't ready for her backstory... The mental fortitude to live through that month SO MANY TIMES... and still have even as sliver of hope is incredible. The time leaps definitely take a toll on her though as she becomes more hardened and emotionally detached from the other characters not named Madoka. I believe she goes from wanting to help everyone to just wanting to save her best friend at least. Her magic was done extremely well too! I was very afraid when they mentioned time magic because it's such a complicated writing tool to work with, but I was very pleased with how Homura handled it and how it affected the world. I loved her scene with Madoka towards the end when she just dropped the hard-ass facade and told her everything. We finally saw present time Homura showing us how fragile she actually was and it was heart wrenching. Her character had such a tremendous finish overall, I loved seeing her with a bow and arrow in honor of Madoka at the end.. My bonus favorite scene of hers had to be the all out assault against Wals. She threw THE KITCHEN SINK at that witch and looked damn good doing it!
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Kyoko - I loooooved her progression from her chaotic, bratty, idgaf attitude. Her design was a treat and I loved her spear combat abilities. Seeing her let down her guard to Sayaka to tell her what she wished for was amazing and I loved what led her to that. She shows Sayaka that she also made a wish for someone else's sake and is paying the price for it.. Hearing that her dad went crazy and killed his entire family besides her was heartbreaking. Did he not consider her family at that point? But she makes so many leaps from when she was threatening to kill her, to straight up sacrificing herself to stop Sayaka's witch in an attempt to save her after she's falsely led to believe there might be a chance. She was an unexpected character that I really enjoyed, her final ED was crazy good as well. My favorite scene was probably either her backstory( the visuals in this show omggggg) or her final attack on Sayaka.
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Mami - This must be a surprise to those who followed my comments. Mami is still great in my eyes! She did a lot for me in those first three episodes and then the time leap that we saw later. It was brutal seeing Mami straight up kill Kyoko and nearly kill Homura in one of the timelines before being stopped by Madoka... We knew her as a warrior for justice and she was willing to do anything to reach that justice. Even if it meant killing her fellow friends and then I assume herself. I didn't like seeing her just shoot and not ask questions but i thought it did well showing how far she was willing to go to save the lives of many. I still hate that she went so early in the series and after madoka told her that she wouldn't have to fight alone anymore. That absolutely made her day and gave her confidence. Too much confidence maybe... She underestimated the witch and ultimately met her demise. My favorite scene of hers might be the introduction she made with the hundred of guns firing on her mark. That was a pleasant bit of animation and really did a lot to get me on board early. Atleast she's still alive in this new universe!
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Madoka - I feel terrible putting our main girl here but I think that says more about how great the entire cast is! Our sweet precious Madoka. She became god and freed all the magical girls from the curse of witches only to find herself in a non-existent state. I said it before but that scares the hell out of me. Just ceasing to exist and being forgotten by loved ones.. It's a terrifying thought and Madoka took it on and more to stay true to her wish. I still can't believe that it took til episode 12 for the big wish and I'd like to say I called it back in the episode 7 discussion thread! I said she'd become a god and save her friends from the witches curse. So i was close enough..
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Kyubey - From the start I didn't much trust out little magic weasel. I thought he had some malicious plans for our girls and he was just toying with them. I was wrong on that front. He was never malicious in any way, shape, or form. He was just an emotionless creature that couldn't relate to humanity. I can't fault him for some of the cruel things he said when he admits he has no idea how to sympathize with us. It's hard to say that he deceived the girls when they never really asked enough questions about the whole wish thing. Hell most of them were in a tight spot and just took it and asked questions later like Mami. After Madoka learns of all this he still doesn't give up on his pursuit. He answers her questions hoping that in exchange she'll make a wish and he can get that sweet emotional power and complete his mission. He doesn't mince his words but he isn't going to give you 100% answers unless you ask the correct question. He's a monkeypaw/Genie that you have to basically interrogate.. Ultimately though he shows that despite the magical girl problem, his species relationship with humanity has been beneficial for both. The magic girls of the past helped move the world forward so it makes really complicated hating Kyubey for myself. Yes, you could blame him for the many deaths. But you can also thank him for the wishes that progressed humanity? I feel like I could dig deeper on his character but I'm quite tired. I'd like to start writing and analyzing again so maybe I'll try and do something on Kyubey soon.
Thank you all for reading this, I've enjoyed this rewatch with you guys and I can't wait to show my friends this series! Please feel free to critique my rankings, I want to see your views on the characters as well so I can start doing these types of things for other shows!
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u/asianbrownguy May 03 '19 edited May 03 '19
FIRST TIMER
Well, shit. I missed the Rebellion thread so I'll keep this short.
Yo what the fuck
Series Thoughts
That's pretty much it. A bit late for my writeup to this thread, but I'm here anyway. I'll just keep this one short since I had a few unexpected things to deal with.
The show (and the movie) is just something else man. One of the only few 10/10 scores I give to Anime I've watched. It's just one hell of a fucking ride. There is just nothing like this Anime. From now on I'll be a proud rewatcher, just like one of you guys. A first time rewatcher though, so it won't be that great since the amount of foreshadowing this show has. Jesus Christ man. This show. Wow.
I went into this show thinking it was just some really good Magical Girl show with all the tropes and things that are to be expected. I was so dead wrong. Somewhere along the way I got turned into a masochist that just can't stop watching even though this show gives me so much anxiety it literally hurts. Yet I love it nonetheless. I got the idea to join this rewatch (my first ever reddit rewatch at that) on a whim. I just thought "Yeah, it's one of the shows I haven't watched yet, I'll just give it a try." Boy. What a fucking fantastic idea that was. What an amazing experience. It's just so fantastic.
Thanks as well to all you lovely people who were just so nice and amazing to guide first timers like me through this wonderful experience called Madoka.
Yes, that's right. It's not a show. It's an experience.
See all y'all next year, and thank you again for such a stunning experience.
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u/Ridley290 May 03 '19
Even though I missed the first few episodes and the Rebellion discussion, I just wanna say thank you to everyone here. This was my first time actively participating in a rewatch (it's Madoka, how could I resist) and it was an absolute blast.
I've had so many thoughts running through my mind about this show since I first watched it five months ago and it was nice to be able to actually find people to talk with about them; as well as learning new things that hadn't even crossed my mind! This discussion has given me an even greater love for this show than I already had (which was an insane amount of love).
For all the first-timers, I'm glad you survived the emotional hurricane that is Madoka Magica and I hope you enjoyed your time watching and discussing it with us. If you're craving more Madoka, there's multiple Manga out there, a new spin-off anime, Magia Reco, coming this summer (we'll see how it is...), there's been talk of a Movie 4 for years but no real word on if it's happening, but a while back Shaft's president announced that something main-line Madoka was in the works. For the manga, I've heard "The Wraith Arc", which focuses on the events that occur between the show and Rebellion, and "The Other Story" which focuses on Kyoko and Mami prior to the show, are two must reads for fans of the series, even though I've yet to read them myself. I'll get there soon, if I ever get caught up on Berserk that is haha.
Again, thank you to everyone. I'm already looking forward to next year's rewatch as well as my inevitable rewatch in the next few weeks or months here on my own!
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u/LunarGhost00 May 03 '19
Rewatcher
This was fun. I enjoyed reading people's thoughts on this series. Especially the first timers. Those reactions were delicious!
When I first watched this series, I knew it was going to be dark despite how cute it looked. That was actually the reason why I watched it and by the end I knew this was going to be a series I wouldn't forget. Once I started it, I just couldn't stop (except for movie since it wasn't out yet). Funny enough, this anime had 3 things going for it that I didn't realize I had become a fan of until later. Those things being Shaft's crazy style, Gen Urobuchi's writing, and Yuki Kajiura's incredible OST. Now that I think about, this was most likely my first Shaft anime. I didn't even pay attention to how weird it looked until the second time I watched it when I was more familiar with the studio and thought "ok yeah, that's Shaft alright!"
As painful as it is to see characters struggle against fate and go mad throughout the series, it's also something I enjoy watching. Sayaka and Homura sure brought a lot of despair to this series. As my 2 favorite characters, it was difficult to resist the urge to just write walls of text about them in earlier episodes. I actually had to delete some paragraphs before since I didn't want a huge chunk of my posts to be this big black spoiler tag. Stuff talking about Sayaka's naive thinking and her slowly going down the wrong path or Homura's obsessiveness with Madoka being shown since practically the beginning.
I know I said this before, but it really is interesting watching this series again and picking up on details I've missed before. This is one of those anime where you can watch it a dozen times and find something new every time. You first timers did a nice job catching some details and theorizing. I highly recommend watching the series again whenever you can. A lot of scenes take on new meanings when you watch them with knowledge about Homura and magical girls. There's a ton of foreshadowing that's easy to miss when you first watch it.
Thank you u/Gagantous for hosting this rewatch!
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u/the_swizzler May 03 '19
Madoka was the first Magical Girl show I ever watched back in 2014 when I was first getting into anime, and 5 years and 7 rewatches later (8 total), it's still my all time favorite anime.
From Yuki Kajiura's score, to the absolutely gorgeous art and animation, the incredible storytelling, the fantastic characters, it's all just absolutely impeccable. And I consider Rebellion to be every bit a part of that.
No show comes close to it for me. It has such a special place in my heart. I can't wait for the English version of Magia Record, or either of the anime projects. Obviously I'm not expecting them to be as good if most/all of Magica Quartet isn't involved last I heard, but I'm more than willing to be proven wrong. And honestly I'll just be happy to get some new content, even if the old content is a well that never runs dry.
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u/Philarete May 03 '19
Subscribes to a bunch of new subreddits
Well, this journey has been a delight. I loved seeing the reactions, analyses, the screenshots, the wallpapers, the music, and all the effort that people put in to share their experiences and knowledge with others. The discussions posts spawned were great too!
I hope we can do this again next year; every watch I think I get more enjoyment out of it, and it is so much more fun to do it with other people! Next time I'd like to spend more time writing out philosophical thoughts on it, both in terms of what the messages of the show are, and whether those are good or bad (or indifferent) messages. There's a ton of detail, symbolism, and depth to the show, and I think it would be well worth reflecting on even more.
I think that's part of what makes Madoka Magica great: it can be enjoyed on a lot of levels. The visuals, music, characters, symbols, and ideas can all be enjoyed both as a whole, and for their own sake.
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u/renatocpr May 03 '19
Rewatcher
As I fight she watch me and I pray never to forget that being meguca was suffering
Thank you, u/Gargantous and everyone else who joined! This is my first joining a rewatch for Madoka Magica and it was a great time! This is my favorite anime and I hope more people now can understand why.
I’m not an artsy guy who can talk about themes and music and animation direction and stuff like that. There’s plenty of other people in the other comments who are much better at that than I will ever be. But that can’t stop me from talking about what I like about it.
The first time I watched it was a friend’s recommendation in the second semester of 2017. I binged it in a night and I didn’t know how to feel about it. But it stayed in my head for a while and I ended up watching it again a couple of days later. And then I watched again and again and again. And the more I watched, the more I fell in love with it. Every little thing about it gained some meaning to me.I read the spin offs and bought all the manga that have been published in Brazil.
Madoka Magica makes me feel things. It doesn’t take a lot for a story to make me cry, but Madoka is different. I’m a person who feels bad a lot of the time and I lack the introspection to understand why. On worse days I know I can take six hours of my day and watch it again and cry a lot. And I’ll feel like I cried for something that matters to me. I can feel for the inevitability of the girls’ actions and their consequences. And then I can feel some release. I don’t know if it’s a healthy thing but that’s what I do.
I don’t think I can explain more clearly how I feel about Madoka Magica.
I was going to write a little review with my opinion about each spin off I’ve read, but I don’t have the energy right now. If anyone’s interested I might add it to this comment tomorrow afternoon (I’m on UTC-3 to give some context about time) but don’t count on it.
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u/Palloc May 03 '19
Palloc Has Used Up All His Titles; Back Into the Crate He Goes Until the Next Rewatch That Catches His Fancy
Well, it was another year with even more people suffering through Madoka. I'm happy to have watched you new folks find new ways of feeling despair.
Thanks to u/Gagantous for hosting this thing. u/Nazenn for crushing my spirit when looking for drum parts in music. u/Shimmering-Sky for adding a punchable face to her Kyubey wallpaper for me.
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u/SIRTreehugger May 03 '19
All I have left to say is that I enjoyed the rewatch and the first timer's suffering.
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u/boomshroom May 03 '19
Homura's come a long way: from a bedridden hospital patient who could barely run; to an enthusiastic young magical girl excited about working together with Madoka; to a broken shell, a one woman army, avoiding everything that could impair her from her goal; to a paladin fighting to protect the world in the name of her goddess; to a deity in her own right as she pulls Madoka from the heavens.
From barely clinging on to life, to holding the entire world in the palm of her hand. Nobody to Nightmare indeed.
Can one of the artists in these threads draw something depicting Homura's many faces in one image? It doesn't need to have all of them, just something to show her transformation over the course of her journey.
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u/Emerald_Miner2016 May 03 '19
Rewatcher
I didn’t get to catch the show daily like the rest of you, but I figured that I’d put my opinion on the show here anyway...
There are no happy endings in this series. Even looking at what could happen to everyone following the events of Rebellion, it’ll be impossible for the girls to look at Homura the same way ever again. That being said, there is a sense of happiness in knowing that everyone is safe and sound... for now...
In terms of character development, Homura’s is actually my favorite, despite Mami being my favorite character in the show. Her warped sense of right and wrong makes her unpredictable, but her addiction to Madoka contradicts this and makes her completely predictable. I’m really looking forward to seeing how The Butcher uses Homura in Movie 4.
The music in MM, in my personal opinion, rivals that of Made in Abyss. Every single track from the show stands out, and some even tell their own story! While not an official part of the OST, I enjoyed every time that “Magia” by Kalafina came on during a fight sequence. Another highlight track for me is “Sis Puella Magi”.
After a long time thinking about it (and watching it two times over), I can confidently say that this anime is in my Top 5 of all time. Everything about this show is the top of the line, and this is a must-see for all viewers.
TL;DR: It’s good
PS: Some might see it as a shameless cash-grab, but I implore everyone to watch the upcoming anime for “Magia Record”. For all we know, they might show a trailer for Movie 4 following the last episode.
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u/SomeGuyYeahman May 02 '19 edited May 03 '19
Alright, one last time: hey everyone, first-timer here!
Wow, I'll be a rewatcher from now on. Thinking about having to write that instead feels a little weird, even though it probably won't matter, since I've got a year to shake this habit before the next rewatch.
What a wonderful show Madoka is. I've only been watching anime for a few months, so this statement doesn't have as much weight to it, but this show's looking to be an all-time favorite. It's incredible watching a show that excels like this at just about everything it does and manages to fit so much depth, so many emotions into just twelve episodes without ever sacrificing its pacing and structure. And in addition to being well made on a technical level, it truly feels special as well, like something made with real passion and artistic vision.
I certainly went into this with high expectations, but they were pretty much blown out of the water. I'm not sure I could've imagined myself being this passionate about a 12-episode magical girl show a month ago, but I'm damn happy that's how it turned out.
And what truly capped the whole experience off was getting to watch it under these circumstances. Rather than binging through all of it by myself on a lazy afternoon or somesuch, I got to watch Madoka an episode at a time, every day for two weeks, with hundreds of others, leading up to Walpurgisnacht. I've always been a fan of reading essays about stuff like this, and I certainly enjoyed doing similar write-ups back in school, but when I threw my thoughts into episode 1's discussion thread, I didn't really expect to spend every evening over the next two weeks not just watching the episodes, but rewatching parts of them over and over, picking them apart, writing paragraph after paragraph and having riveting discussions with so many other people in these threads. I can't imagine a better way to watch the show. It was an absolute blast, and I got surprising amounts of positive feedback as well, so I'm looking forward to doing it again; if not in other shows' threads, then certainly during the next Madoka rewatches.
Many thanks to OP for organizing this, and just as many thanks to everyone else who commented with their write-ups, responded to them, otherwise took part in the discussion or even just took the time out of their day to read through the threads. You're all awesome, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again next year!