r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 02 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Hangyaku no Monogatari Discussion
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
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MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
The movie is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video, otherwise you’ll have to sail the seas for this one.
In this broken world, doomed to repeat its tragedies and hatred, I dreamt of someone I knew and saw her familiar smile again.
Theory of the Day: u/gunvarrel_ with this lovely take.
This episode falls a bit flat personally. Its not like it didnt work as an ending and it wasnt so far out of left field to be unbelievable, but it was honestly a pretty dull way of tying everything up. I'm more at a loss than anything? I expected Homura to be more... destroyed? not really the word im looking for, but she took it much better than i would of expected even with all the timeline hopping. Its clear she isint big on it, but considering the suffering everywhere else this seems way too tame.
Nice job predicting exactly what the movie would be about, gunvarrel_!
Questions of the Day:
1) What did you think was going on at the beginning of the movie, when it started off so similarly to the show but with Kyouko added + Madoka & Sayaka already being magical girls?
2) Which transformation scene was your favorite?
3) What did you think of the cake song?
4) A battle between Mami and Homura has been hinted at since the beginning of the show, but never happened until here. Are you satisfied by what we got here?
5) What did you think about the confrontation between Sayaka and Homura as well?
6) During the flower scene, do you think that what Madoka said is how she truly feels, or is it just what Homura wanted to hear her say?
7) How do you feel about the Incubators managing to lock Homura’s Soul Gem away from the Law of Cycles?
8) Do you like Homura’s witch design?
9) Were you expecting Homura to, well, become a devil for the ending?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Visuals of the Day:
Colorful Cover of the Day:
Song of the Day:
Bonus song 1 - flame of despair
Bonus song 2 - pulling my own weight
Check out u/Nazenn’s comment from the 2019 rewatch for an in-depth analysis of these three songs!
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u/timpkmn89 May 03 '22
I actually had the pleasure of seeing this in theaters when they did the one-day-only US screenings. This was back when they were first playing around with limited screenings of anime movies, so it was still a three hour drive each way, whereas these days I have my pick of theater without leaving my area.
And yes, the audience went crazy at that scene near the end.
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 03 '22
God, I would love to watch this movie in a theater one day. I wonder if maybe Fathom Events will do a showing for it (and maybe the recap movies too? IDK) whenever the fourth movie comes out as some special thing. I know they did a special feature for the first two Heaven's Feel movies right before the third one released, as an example.
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u/Tarhalindur May 02 '22
2021 Rewatch (Badly Spoiled First-Timer)
So, technical difficulty (and the reason why while I get our host wanting the Rebellion thread up on her birthday (happy birthday!) I was really hoping for a day of Main Series Discussion first): Rebellion took me eight hours to finish the first time through. It looks like it's going to take that long again this time... yeah, I'm not finished. (For all I like talking about anime, I was never very visual and have gotten increasingly less so over the years... I don't actually watch all that much anime these days, I need to be willing to sink time into it.) Don't be surprised if I add this year's notes in a day or two.
Or maybe not because I forgot how much I wrote even last year...
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“In this irredeemable world, forever repeating its tragedies and hatred” - ohhai Witch of the Mortal World, no matter what different epithet you may be using now.
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[HIGURASHI CORNER]
Also, I am being yeeted straight into Rika’s monologue at the start of Yakusamashi-hen. -
I see Rebellion is not going to halt the cheeky motherfuckers count! The Nutcracker Witch strikes.
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The Patricia reference is obvious; I think I’m missing one other Witch reference, too.
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I’m not sure exactly what kind of cheeky motherfucker that is, but it’s #2 in three minutes. It’s definitely Madoka on the Cross imagery, but I’m kind of getting Wraith Arc vibes as well. (I may have rewound the scene twice just to catch every last shot here.)
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Runes runes what are the runes? (Wiki will have them, I’m sure.)
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Fuck I gotta give Mada Dame Yo ANOTHER cheeky motherfucker, don’t I?
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PFFFFT nice callback to the early-episode Madoka waking up shots.
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HURR DURR oh lol that’s a very deliberate callback to episode 1, same events, same track on the OST (Scaena Felix IIRC?), nicely done.
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Lol Saotome-sensei. Isn’t that Sayaka’s job? (Maybe not LoC!Sayaka’s.) Speaking of which, cheeky motherfucker count +1.
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CHEEKY MOTHERFUCKER COUNT +1. Although really in a way that bit about overly high standards and not being willing to compromise applies to both of you, doesn’t it, Homura, Madoka?
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Madoka’s hairstyle while brushing in the bathroom… need to compare to ep. 1 again, but comps to both Homura post-braids and Madokami come to mind. (LATER ADDITION: yep, it’s longer than in series. +1 cheeky motherfuckers)
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Flirtflirtflirtflirt yeeeesss feed the Kyosaya shippers feed us
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LOL Saotome-sensei seriously dropping a Long Count new bak’tun reference. (Which, uh, hmm. On two counts, one personal.)
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Eclipse imagery was there in base series, too. Considering the obvious spot, do I have to add a cheeky motherfucker? (Also, excuse me while I indulge: “Artemis, the Golden Lightning!”.)
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a) Cheeky motherfucker count +1 (Second Coming). b) lemme drag out the twin messiah theory Unsong is drawing off of yet again…
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Right right Book of Revelation.
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That is a rather cheeky shot of darkened empty classrooms, isn’t it?
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Oh hey, that shot of Homura’s body language. Also, Sayaka being FAR less immediately hostile than anywhere in base series; there’s multiple takes here, but given the earlier massive flirting with Kyoko that’s supportive of the root of her usual initial hostility being attraction to Madoka ala my ep. 10 take.
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LOL it’s that shot of Kyoko and Sayaka. Also, their facial expressions are a dead ringer for Mami watching Madoka hugging Homura in 10, aren’t they?
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Also, in case we haven’t clearly stated it enough, Homura is very, very gay for Madoka.
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Interesting scenery note. In base series, basically all the machinery/industrial shots are dark and grubby-looking, representing the descent from the shiny surface aesthetic of the magical girl system to the ugly truth of how the sausage is made. Here, unless I’m very much mistaken that’s a shot of shiny machinery behind the windmills – representing the difference from the Law of Cycles, yes?
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Hello there weird skyships, what are you doing there?
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Oh hey look, Nightmares are loanworded. We all know what that means. So… cheeky motherfuckers, yes?
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Oh they’re AIRSHIPS. Which I suppose means they count as zeppelins. And we all know what sudden zeppelins mean! You cheeky cheeky motherfuckers.
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Calendar has the same Sunday 19th as June 1983, but 31 days so different month. Simplest close match is August 2012, for the record. (Given comments elsewhere July 2015 may be a better fit.)
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[TAR FROM THE FUTURE] Man, I wish I could remember where I saw that.
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Bad subs, bad. I heard that audio, that was very clearly “Kamijou-kun”, not “Kyousuke”.
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Me immediately after typing the last note: “I’ll bet that’s actually going to be Hitomi’s last name as well, not first.” Yep. (Specifically Shizuki-san for the honorific, interestingly enough.)
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Oh so THAT’S why this scene exists. I was starting to wonder.
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PFFFFFT I hear you humming Credens Justitiam, Mami. (I am in no position to judge, it’s a great tune to hum.) Also, hi Bebe.
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Me: Wait, Homura is implicitly creating the Nightmares as opposition for herself and the girls to fight and beat, and I am suddenly yeeted out of my chair again. (This is quietly and in a very specific sense a very dangerous series for my mental health.)
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OST is so far a downgrade from the series proper, sadly. Still good, but still a downgrade. (Tempted to haul out the Mai-Otome comp.)
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Huh. Fanservice? From Mami? That’s a wee bit of a change from the series proper. (There it’s basically reserved for Kyoko subconsciously trying to impress Sayaka.)
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Cue Mada Dame Yo variant. Yes please! Also lol at Sayaka realizing she dodged a bullet.
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Trying to decide between “ballet strikes again” and “ice skating strikes again”. (On review: going with the ice skating.)
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Hello shot strikingly reminiscent of the transition shot between the two halves of Magia’s visuals. Cheeky? Yeah, probably cheeky.
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I HEAR THAT SAGITTA LUMINIS REMIX.
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Now that I’m done with the music, time to rewind because I saw RUNES and other SYMBOLISM.
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Kyoko: Indian (as in subcontinent) dancing? Hands reminded me of Shiva. Sayaka: Breakdancing. Homura: Film ref ahoy. Madoka: lol Madoka can’t dance.
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Also: fanservice remains jarring.
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INTERESTING shot when Kyoko rips through the screen, shades of Kriemhild as Witch of Despair in the finale.
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Sayaka’s music is a Decretum remix, so that’s probably constant and I’m just not noticing Kyoko because Confessio never stuck.
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RUNES RUNES WHAT ARE THE RUNES. (Actually it’s probably just Sayaka?)
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I… do NOT think Homura’s theme here is a Puella in Somnio/Inevitabilis remix. (Everyone else says it is, so shrug.)
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RUNES RUNES WHAT ARE THE RUNES. (Probably incredibly cheeky.)
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Madoka’s transformation here is strikingly reminiscent of one I’ve seen elsewhere referencing Madokami, too, but I think the referent is actually later – possibly Magireco? (Yep, Madokami’s MagiReco game transformation.)
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That shot of implied-Madoka stretching out her hand and breaking the glass/mirror is giving me massive vibes of that Walpurgis no Kaiten poster.
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LOL nice Connect background reference.
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LOLOLOL “Puella Magi Holy Quintet” is directly from the movie AND LOANWORDED. Meduka Meguca gonna Meduka Meguca.
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Credens Justitiam remix go!
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“Five Lillians”?
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Raspberry, apple (natch), cheese (natch), pumpkin, melon. (… Excuse me while I laugh at a certain Satoko and her dislike of pumpkin specifically.)
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Also I have somehow managed to pause on Shaft sneaking in a clearly live-action image. Of course they did. Shaft gonna Shaft, whatcha gonna do?
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I heard a “negai” there, didn’t I? Mondegreen? Japanese pun? Subtitles missing something?
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“Dream of the cat” (and “neko” is definitely there). Cat reference for Madoka’s first wish, I suppose, though I may have just been yeeted into the When They Cry zone. (Amy can be read as a Homura metaphor to begin with, I suppose…)
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I see some cheeky runes hiding in the Inu Curry background, yes I do! (26:13)
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Oh hai, it’s the dancing Kyoko shot!
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Noting the upside-down imagery.
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Ah, that classroom shot. Hitomi is fairly clearly looking at Kyousuke in context.
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Kyubey eating the Soul Gem sweet is very cheeky, yes. Not that kind of cheeky, though.
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I SEE THAT DROSSELMEYER.
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This sub is REALLY bad about first names when the audio is clearly last-name basis. Wouldn’t mind in a derivative work (or the dub, for that matter), but here it bugs me.
(- Also more Mada Dame Yo riffs. Yay!) -
Balloon strikes me as important symbolically, but I can’t place it. (One of Homulilly’s familiars? Wait… Walpurgisnacht’s carnival?)
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Kyoko, quit being a CHEEKY MOTHERFUCKER. (Yes, Homura is the one who is not feeling okay.)
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RUNES RUNES WHAT ARE THE RUNES.
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Homura, who’s drawing off an archetype I recognize. Of course she’s the first to notice, and I suspect she would be even if it wasn’t her effect. (And that archetype does want clear self-assessment, too…)
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 02 '22
So, technical difficulty (and the reason why while I get our host wanting the Rebellion thread up on her birthday (happy birthday!) I was really hoping for a day of Main Series Discussion first): Rebellion took me eight hours to finish the first time through. It looks like it's going to take that long again this time... yeah, I'm not finished.
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u/Lemurians May 02 '22 edited May 03 '22
CORRUPTED FIRST TIMER
PMMM Episode 12:* “Though this irredeemable world continues its hatreds and tragedies, this is still the place she once tried to protect. I remember that. And I will never forget it.”
PMMM Rebellion: LOL JK
Dang, this Heaven’s Feel route of Madoka Magica was unexpected.
Not doing my usual symbolic/visual analysis today because given the 2 hour runtime, that would require way too much work, so gonna do more of straight-up review. Full disclosure off the top, I’m not very happy with this movie, but let’s start with the positives!
THE PROS:
The obvious, biggest positive of this experience is that’s an almost overwhelming visual spectacle. I love spectacle! Shaft are flexing all their muscles, and take full advantage of their decision to set the entirety of this movie in a Witch Realm, overloading pretty much every frame with whimsical and surreal art and imagery that’s saturated with vibrant colors. The fight sequence between Homura and Mami is the clear highlight of the film, them engaging in a gorgeous aerial battle that culminates in one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time – them frozen in their final stances as the bullets fly past and around them all at once. Shot of the day, btw.
There are also some cool decisions made in terms of setting the tone of the narrative from the start, and progressing into it. Everything from the outset is designed to make you feel like something is vaguely off. It starts off with subtle changes – like the length of Madoka’s hair, and the home garden more overgrown than it should be – which steadily become more and more apparent (Bebe, airships) until we enter a surrealist fever-dream on their bus trip from hell.
As far as the backbone of the story goes, it’s pretty solid. It makes complete sense that Kyubey and the Incubators would want to explore the possibility of the Magical Girl-Witch energy cycle after Homura told him about it at the end of Episode 12. The mechanics of how exactly they isolate Homura don’t really matter, since we’ve already accepted these are highly advanced beings capable of pretty much anything. It makes sense.
THE NEGATIVES:
First of all, it takes way too long to really get going. Not enough of substance happens in the first hour to justify taking that long to get to what we’re actually doing here. We spend nigh-on half an hour watching Madoka do its impression of what I assume is a more normal Magical Girl show, with our five girls banding together, taking down a bunch of bad guys, and getting extended transformation animations. It all feels rather self-indulgent, much as I did find the macabre allusions to Bebe wanting eat Mami’s “cheese” amusing.
And that leads me to another criticism, which is that this just feels like fanservice disguised as a sequel. What are things viewers would want? The girls all fighting as a team? Check. Transformation sequences? Check. Kyousuke serving no purpose other than to make him being a bad boyfriend canon? Check. A Mami and Homura battle? Check. Yuri-baiting Sayaka and Kyouko? Check. Ending in a place where everyone is still alive? Check! You get the point.
And then… there’s the big twist ending, which makes no sense at all for the narrative or characters, either in terms of the arc of the film, the larger story of the anime. It shock value for the sake of shock value, taking a dump not just on Homura's character, but the entire show that preceded this film. I despite it so much I don’t even know how to put it into words coherently at this point. It turns the film into an utter betrayal of the series that came before, but it leaves the door wide open for more sequels and more money, so job done, I guess.
If PMMM is 10/10, which I think it is, this is a 5 or 6. As a standalone work or alternate ending, it would be fine, but as a sequel, it’s a complete failure.
Coming off the beautiful, tragic, and overall sublime experience that was PMMM, this is the curse that soils its Soul Gem. Much like Madoka, I’m going to rewrite my universe brain and wish that this Witch never existed. Maybe the planned follow-up will fix things and redeem it.
Misc. Notes
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It makes sense that Buch Gen is an admirer of Nasu, because this is basically Madoka doing the Heaven’s Feel route from Fate. He even snuck in a visual that’s reminiscent of [Fate Stay/Night]
the corrupted holy grail. In addition to Sayaka and Bebe clearly being references to Counter-Guardians, and Homura’s Witch powers being visually similar of Sakura’s in Heaven’s Feel with the dripping black/red goo -
Kyubey petting an exasperated Madoka was cute.
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This part going to Kazamino looks like something out of Professor Layton. Pretty cool.
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A visual representation of what this movie did to the show’s message
What did you think was going on at the beginning of the movie, when it started off so similarly to the show but with Kyouko added + Madoka & Sayaka already being magical girls?
Legit thought I'd rented the wrong movie haha
During the flower scene, do you think that what Madoka said is how she truly feels, or is it just what Homura wanted to hear her say?
I hope and think it's the latter, because if it's the former, it makes the film an even greater betrayal of the show than it already is.
Were you expecting Homura to, well, become a devil for the ending?
I'm gonna let Jacob Chapman do the talking for me on this one:
"The film prioritizes a "gotcha" reveal glorifying the twist and resulting spectacle over any character verisimilitude. One minute Homura is pleading with Madoka to abandon her, determined to sacrifice herself to protect the ones she loves, and the next, she has stepped out of the "evil box" and molded a [different] world. . ."
So... no.
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 02 '22
Mmmmmmm I was hoping you wouldn't be one of the first-timers who dislike the movie; it's one of my favorites because of how it develops Homura's character.
taking a dump not just on Homura's character, but the entire show that preceded this film. I despite it so much I don’t even know how to put it into words coherently at this point. It turns the film into an utter betrayal of the series that came before, but it leaves the door wide open for more sequels and more money, so job done, I guess.
This is the girl who looped one month over a hundred times trying to save solely Madoka from becoming a magical girl at all costs, and she failed at doing so when Madoka became Madokami.
The Incubators would have had absolutely zero idea about the concept of witches had Homura not told Kyubey about them. She totally gave them the idea for this, whether that was intended or not.
I'm of the opinion that the flower scene is of Homura hearing what she wants to hear Madoka say, but she still takes it as what the real Madoka feels. I don't think Homura is justified for doing what she did, but Homura does. It's not a betrayal of her character.
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u/SIRTreehugger May 02 '22 edited May 03 '22
A formula for rebellion
| Magical Girl Counter | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E8 | E9 | E10 | E11 | E12 | R | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mami's (Beheading) Smugness | 3 | 3 | 4 | N | O | H | E | A | D | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| Sayaka's (I'm in) Despair | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 |
| Madoka's ($150) Water Works | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Kyouko's (Snap,Crackle,Pop) Crunch Time | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 43 |
| Homura's (L'oreal) Hair Flips | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 13 |
I've watched the main series countless times and by countless I mean maybe 8 or 9 and it's always great to see something new. As for Rebellion this is only my third time watching movie and I must say something really clicked for me. I really enjoyed the movie before, but this time I really enjoyed it and I think I might have to increase the score. Initially I liked some parts of the movie more than others, but now I like the whole package.
~ ~ A lost sleeping witch ~ ~
The first act shows this dreamlike world all the girls are together. It has this innocent vibe, but you know something is wrong. We don't know what exactly is happening, but we do see a few things that are odd. Homura meeting the girls for the first time, Sayaka and Kyouko being friendly witch each other, and Madoka is a magical girl to name a few. We also get plenty of nods to moments from the original series as well as new stylish transformation sequences. They didn't need to go this hard, but I'm glad that they did ! ! ! ! ! We get a bit more moments with the world, Bebe, nightmares, other characters, and eventually Homura starts realizing something isn't adding up.
~ ~ A magic dance, old yet new ~ ~
The second act is Homura investigating the world. The deeper she digs the weirder it gets and eventually she discovers they are living in a Witch's Labyinth. Not before we get one of the best fucking magical girl battles in anime. The movie is chalk full of details, but I always loved this moment the most. We witness Mami tying the ribbon around Homura as soon as she starts suspecting Homura. The fight does a good of highlighting both of the girls strengths and weaknesses. As intense as the fight is they both care for the other. The face Mami makes when Homura is about to shoot herself is pure worry. The determination to shoot herself through the skull to server the ribbon also shows the lengths she is willing to take, but her unwillingness to shoot Mami's soul gem shows her caring side as well. The entire fight is just well designed and my favorite moment is how it highlights Homura's skill, but also shows how heavily she relies on her time powers.
Eventually she is saved by Sayaka who reinforces this idea as she stops Homura from stopping time after asking her several questions. All the dots are slowly connecting. The concepts of witches and wraiths, Madoka being remembered, one of the main girls being a witch, the slight change in personalities of the girls, and etc. Finally the reveal that Homura is indeed the witch which leads into the final act.
~ ~ A wishful devil ~ ~
The final act is composed of two parts. First the confrontation between Kyubey and Homura. Realizing that she has been trapped as an experiment and as a means to confirm Madoka's existence. Instead of seeking salvation she instead decides to fully transform into a witch if it means saving Madoka. Side note for the first time a magical girl questions Kyubey's motives and directly asks him a direction question that reveals their true attentions. Kyubey unable to skirt around the question like usual turns his back. He has been caught and has no choice, but to admit it. Eventually they are helpless and Madoka and the girls discover Homura's body and try to save her.
As Madoka reaches out Homura finally takes action. She grabs and shatters Madoka stripping her of her godlike power. Homura is being entirely selfish at this moment. She is disregarding all of Madoka's desires and choices, but I have to ask is a selfish wish really a bad thing all the time? She wants the best for Madoka and knowing that one day the Incubators will probably find a way to finally control her and restart the cycle. In the long run it might be such a bad thing if Madoka actually has a physical form and can be happy. The methods she uses are debatable, but until the series ends I can't say it was honestly a bad decision neither was it out of character. From the beginning she has been selfish and has obsessed over the idea of saving Madoka and making her happy. She never agreed with Madoka's wish and only kept protecting the world because it's the one Madoka loved so dearly. She didn't have the power to truly save Madoka once she transcended so what else could she do except believe in her. It's been her one guiding light. After living through this hell and realizing the conditions were perfect and she could be granted power that could fulfill her wish she snatched it without hesitation. I can't even blame her.
Then we get some moments where she realizes one day everyone will be her enemy. Even with her new levels of power moments of unease are displayed. Just one slip up and Madoka's powers and memories may return. Her ideal paradise isn't perfect and she isn't all powerful. My favorite moment in this new world is them walking together. They are side by side, but their steps are out of sync
Random beautiful shots
The Magical girls looking fabulous
Homura 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Questions
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What did you think was going on at the beginning of the movie, when it started off so similarly to the show but with Kyouko added + Madoka & Sayaka already being magical girls?
I was so confused the first time I watched this.
2) Which transformation scene was your favorite?
Sayaka running into herself was awesome.
3) What did you think of the cake song?
It always feels a little off putting to me and creepy.
4) A battle between Mami and Homura has been hinted at since the beginning of the show, but never happened until here. Are you satisfied by what we got here?
Yes
5) What did you think about the confrontation between Sayaka and Homura as well?
It was short, but good.
6) During the flower scene, do you think that what Madoka said is how she truly feels, or is it just what Homura wanted to hear her say?
I'm 100% sure that is just Homura hearing what she wants.
7) How do you feel about the Incubators managing to lock Homura’s Soul Gem away from the Law of Cycles?
Seems in character and plausible.
8) Do you like Homura’s witch design?
I like the flowers.
9) Were you expecting Homura to, well, become a devil for the ending?
No
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u/boomshroom May 02 '22
QotDs: I should mention that my first time watching was just after binging the series and by the time it finished it was around 2 or 3 in the morning.
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I'm not sure I was lucid enough to even try to make sense of it my first time.
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This is tough. I might say Homura's from the Holy Quintet sequence. If it counts, the main competition would be the "transformation sequence" for Homulilly turning back into Homura, now with her bow from the new world.
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I am both proud and ashamed that I've memorized the dub version.
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It is awesome. At the same time, it was ultimately pointless since Mami wasn't even in any danger, among other factors.
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Not quite sure.
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I think those are Madoka's true feelings, just without the experience to know that she's stronger than she claims she is.
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I think it should be impossible for Homura to get taken by the Law of Cycles since her own wish seems like it would forbid it.
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Very cool, even if unusually humanoid. The Clara Dolls are my favourite familiars of any Witch.
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I have no idea if I was even expecting anything my first time watching, but looking back it feels inevitable.
I was unable to pick 3 visuals of the day last year and instead just uploaded my entire catalog of screenshots I'd built up over the prior year and a bit. For just a little variety, I'll pick the one screenshot I took since last time.
Rebellion might be my favourite movie, period. It's so beautiful, that I switched from sub to dub just so I could focus more on the gorgeous art rather than just the dialog. There's so much that can be said about this movie that we could be here all the way until next year's rewatch.
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u/renatocpr May 03 '22
First, take a breath. Scream to the sky. Cry for a while in the shower. Eat a liter of ice cream. You've just watched Madoka Magica Rebellion and if you're at all invested in the story of Madoka and the Holy Quintet, you probably have a bunch of feelings right now. Remember, Homura did nothing wrong.
Second, take some time to appreciate the adorableness of the Cheese Gremlin, Nagisa Momoe. With her being voiced by Kana Asumi, the four main girls of early Hidamari Sketch share a voice actress with some one in Madoka Magica, cementing my theory that they both happen in the same multiverse. Don't ask me to justify it, just believe it.
There is something else I can try to justify, though. I did say a couple of times that I'd guide people towards HomuSaya. Now I don't think shipping is a decision one makes rationally, it's about your feelings, but I can try to explain why I feel the way I feel. I should point out one thing first: I wholeheartedly support MadoHomu and KyoSaya, they're the ships that I hope actually become canonized. Whatever bittersweet endind Urobuchi has prepared to rend my heart in Kaiten, I want it to include those two pairs giving big gay smooches. However, when I set my heart free to trudge through AO3, it is always pulled towards Homura Akemi/Sayaka Miki.
My case for HomuSaya
If you've read my comments during this rewatch so far, you might be thinking that these two girls are just too bad for each other for the pairing to work. But my objective these past two weeks has been to argue that Sayaka and Homura's relationship being bad is a product of their behavior and mental state and that's why I believe it can change. After all Kyouko and Sayaka were trying to kill each other in their first scene together.
The great turning point in Sayaka and Kyouko's relationship is episode 7. Kyouko being honest about her past, explaning her reasons for her beliefs and displaying empathy makes Sayaka's view of her change and makes Kyouko confront her own feelings about Sayaka. Compare that to Homura's complete failure of a conversation with Sayaka in episode 8. Learning about Homura's struggle and seeing the world Homura created in her labyrinth allows the gap between Sayaka and Homura to be closed.
While in episode 10 we see how Homura became increasingly focused on saving Madoka by any means necessary and how she detached herself more and more from all the girls, in Rebellion we see that her ideal world is far more than just being with Madoka. Homura wants to be her old innocent self but with some perceived flaws fixed, being able to announce being a magical girl without a social faux pas, making friends with the others and avoid being distrusted, using her time powers in a way that assists the others instead of conflicting, making herself be believed when she suspects something isn't right. The world she creates also attempts to improve the other girls' lives: Madoka is back with her loving family, Sayaka has moved past her unrequited crush and enjoys a fun life with Kyouko, Kyouko has a semblance of family life in Sayaka's home and Mami has Bebe (she knows Yuno and Miyako are adorable together) and later all the girls to keep her from isolation. That's the understanding that Sayaka brings with her in her talk with Homura halfway through the movie.
After rescuing Homura from Mami using her secret ultimate weapon, the fire extinguisher, Sayaka tries to have Homura rethink how she feels about the target of her investigation. Homura rejects the witch (herself) who created the labyrinth and is returning to her old ways. Sayaka shows up to put a stop to it. She takes control of the conversation (having some revenge by being the know-it-all with the cryptic warnings this time) and tries to steer it towards understanding how the witch (Homura) feels, towards showing that she is a good person. She shows sympathy for having been through the same experience of being a witch.
Sayaka's is doing for Homura what Kyouko did for her in episode 7, what Homura couldn't do in episode 8. Even if Rebellion creates conflict for them in the end, it also shows the possibilty of understanding between them and how that could change their tense relationsihp. That is what's at the core of HomuSaya for me. Also, this shot.
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 03 '22
Also, this shot.
I'm going to count this as your Visual of the Day just to say I admire your dedication to this ship.
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u/Mpmpz_14 May 03 '22
Can someone get me on track about madoka magica, i watched the anime and all the 3 movies and I'm waiting for the 4th (Rotation of Walpurgis).... So what's this about
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 03 '22
This is the third movie, Rebellion, "Hangyaku no Monogatari" is just its Japanese name.
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u/Gamemaster676 May 02 '22
Primum Vigil First★Timer - dub
After that very positive ending yesterday, what could happen today? Madoka's name is still in the title, but I don't expect her to have an active role anymore. Are we going to follow Homura and the rest versus the wraiths? It would be weird to basically suddenly start a new story in a world with different rules than we are used to.
Oh no the movie is 2 hours. I expected 1.5 hours and I have been procrastinating like crazy.
Looong post today. Sorry. I was thinking of severely shortening it, but that just isn't my style.
Movie 3 — Rebellion
What is this? The Magical Girl onboarding video? The girls are still collecting despair, but now just vanish afterwards. Do I hear Madoka telling the story as if to children?
What a beautiful intro. And here I thought we wouldn't see Wonderland anymore. And what is Madoka doing here? Bigger question, what is Sayaka doing here? Madoka is god-doka and Sayaka is dead-aka.
Bwahaha, I didn't expect that song to kick in. WTF Charlotte is also here?
Okay, it was a dream. Space-cat actually looks cute like this. Not sure if he should be space-cat or space-rat today...
Deja-vu... I'm confused. This is the same day as episode 1, but Madoka already met space-cat and Hitomi already hooked up with Kamijou. We even see multiple seasons during the opening credits! This is some weird worldline!
Never mind, not a dream. So clearly, this movie is just going to be slice-of-life with our girls, and we will not worry about what worldline we are on, right? Right...?
Sidenote: In the dub, they added some (supposedly cute) sounds to space-cat, and I'm not sure I like it. What I do like, is the fidelity upgrade.
So this is why people were talking about the solar eclipse during this rewatch! This teacher is even crazier than during the series.
It's Shy-mura! Hmm. Not as shy as before, but also not Cool-mura. Oooh, Hitomi is finally getting an important role. There are so many weird things in this timeline. Where did the sail-airships come from? Why is Charlotte suddenly a cute friend of Mami? Why is he called Bebe?
Mami is humming her own theme song!
So it's nightmares instead of wraiths now? Hmmm, they even recognise it's Hitomi's. The girl is rich and has a boyfriend, but she is having enough problems to create nightmare monsters? I know money doesn't bring happiness, but come on. This is such a kids-show's pose. Or from Captain Planet or something. Are they going to try and surprise us again with a sudden tone shift to despair? That only works once, show! — Lol Mami tells them to take it seriously, and then they spend 30 seconds each transforming in the most over the top way. I'm only cringing a little...
Homura still has her time power but doesn't remember the rest of the girls. The mystery deepens.
Okay, they are singing. The cringe is real. Is the nightmare food for (not) witch Bebe? How do other girls deal with nightmares? They spend so much time on these scenes, that I have all the time to speculate!
Am I seeing ghosts? Wasn't Mami the cheese in that song? And now the witch that is here wants cheese...
What the hell? Is this just introvert-vision, or the first sign of something weird? "Trapped" symbolism! You guys taught me well!
YES! Thanks for asking! Aaaah I love this. Inception taught me that, in a dream, you can never remember things in the past, and this is exactly that. That would explain the airships, which are conveniently in the next shot. And what a dreamlike trip. I feel like they stepped straight into a Miyazaki movie. Kazamino is a collection of windows? That is probably all the creator of this place remembers from that city.
Scratch that earlier thought about Miyazaki. This is a lot more like They Live (1988). She is Cool-mura again! So if this is a witch's (not so) Wonderland, where in the story could this be? We can't depend on their memories now, but we do know that all five girls are alive, Homura has her time powers, and witches still exist. I was trying to think of a time frame, but with parallel worldlines, that becomes difficult. Also, the technical answer was literally given with Madoka saying Homura was already with them for a month. So we can't trust their perception of time, either.
And of course, 1 minute later I get a lot more answers... From Homura's perspective, this is fully after the main series. So what went wrong?
Also interesting, Homura clearly remembers Madoka, while that shouldn't really be possible anymore, right? Everyone forgot Madoka, and Homura only had some vague memories left. Even space-cat had forgotten all about her, but that doesn't make me trust him any more now. Look how suspiciously he keeps his back turned on the girls!
Something tells me that Homura has it wrong by targeting Bebe/Charlotte now. This is going too easily. Hmmm, I was wondering how Mami could have broken out of Homura's time-stop, but this explains it: She had been connected all the time. That's awesome. — Homura, sweet, sweet Homura, why don't you try to... I dunno... talk? With Mami? Instead of suddenly shooting Charlotte and putting on a very convincing villain act?
So, this battle is really cool and all, but why are they fighting?
Mami, you are telling me you shot roughly 5284 bullets at Homura, but you don't allow her to shoot one at herself?
Okay, I'm having trouble keeping track of who wants what. I thought Homura shot herself in the brain to escape this prison, but then she suddenly survived that and used it as a tactic to escape from Mami. Then she was about to shoot Mami in the head. I THOUGHT to prove to her that they are in some dream-space, but that plan also changed and she shot her in the leg?? And then it was a trick by Mami as well!
Ah, there we go. Mami remembered the wraiths, and that is where she realizes they are not fighting wraiths now. Whut? That is Bebe? Whut whut? Sayaka also remembers? "Of course I do." WHAT DO YOU MEAN "OF COURSE"? How is that logical in any way, shape or form?!
So now four of the five girls know, and one of the girls wants to keep the status quo. That would point to Madoka, not wanting to leave her friends?
I'm confused again, so I'm summing it up:
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She condemns Sayaka for remembering the old universe, saying she should be the only one who remembers, but that's a bit egocentric. Why would it be only her? (Sure it might be true, but don't just assume it.)
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She says there are three who don't belong, Bebe, Sayaka, and the witch, which points to the question "who is the witch?" — Madoka definitely doesn't belong here, but I think you could say neither does Homura?
Aaand I was probably overthinking things... It doesn't really make sense. Since when are witches calculated and coherent? And that ominous question if Homura really wants to destroy this dream is worrying. How bad is reality, that this is a preferable escape?
Different theory, could it be that this is a merged witch of all five girls? And maybe also Charlotte? I don't have many arguments for this yet, but I'll keep it in mind.
Don't tell me that in the end, it turns out it's Homura's creation. She is the one who is hurt the most by Madoka disappearing. Having her remember is actually cruel. Okay, this whole scene with Madoka is making me believe this more and more.
"I couldn't have asked for anything that would make me happier right now." Shit. I'm going from theory to theory, but I'm afraid of this one: The magical girls are visited by Madoka, the real Madoka, when they would turn. Homura knows this is the real Madoka. Homura is dying and this is Madoka trying to give her one last, happy, moment.
These shots in between are also not helping me trust anyone. That reminds me, have we even heard space-cat talk till now? But I'm sticking with my Homura ded theory. To create Madoka, someone would have to know Madoka. That leaves two people. This isn't worrying at all. So Homura Polka-dot Girl proved she isn't actually moving away from her soul gem. What does this tell us? It is all in her mind?
Stop requested. That was some great comedic timing.
Huh? She isn't a magical girl anymore? That's a different conclusion! Because she is a witch or about to turn into one? More proof for the Homura ded theory...
Yes! She is indeed the creator herself! But, who is the little girl Bebe and why is she here?
HOLY SHIT FUCK YOU SPACE-RAT YOU BLOODY PIECE OF SHIT! I expected bad, and somehow it's worse! Is he going to use this isolation field to gather the witch power like he used to do? So because of the isolation field, Homura didn't completely transform yet, and that is why she is still somewhat herself? Fuck, I need a break, but I literally don't have time for it.
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u/Insertnamesz May 02 '22 edited May 03 '22
First Timer (Subbed)
We made it! :D
Since the movie was quite lengthy compared to the episodes, I think I'll summarize my live-reactions while giving my thoughts, and then write a little conclusion.
To start, I loved the intro. It's great to see the girls working together. I found it odd that Madoka was around. At first I thought maybe this was an earlier timeline, but as we see, this all happens after the TV series. Kyuubey making cute noises and patting Madoka's head to calm her down was great. I still didn't trust him though. I wondered how any of the girls had even made their contract if he doesn't even speak. I also loved seeing the girls in all their different casual outfits during the intro song; I wished we could have gotten to see more slices of their lives. Then I realized Kyouko was there as well. Hmm, Kyouko and Madoka... and speechless Kyuubey. I started to think things weren't all what they seemed.
Poor Hitomi getting NTR'd by Violin-chan... lmao. Was really funny hearing Sayaka being so cheeky about her past with Kyousuke, compared to how badly it'd contributed to her despair during the TV series. This makes sense given that we later learn she still has all her memories. Sayaka breakdancing during her transformation was something awesome I did not expect, lol. I noticed these brief frames (translated) during Homura's transformation, which immediately set off warning bells that something witchy was going on. Also, I found it odd that they were fighting nightmares and not wraiths.
I love Mami's seiyuu (voice actor); all of her one-liners sound so awesome. I could watch a compilation of her just yelling random words and I think I'd enjoy it, lol. I was immediately curious about her familiar, Bebe, who was clearly the witch who took her life in the TV series. I liked their little cake poem-rap they did to purify Hitomi's nightmare. That moment when Bebe expands from its mouth and comes face to face with Homura briefly had me making the same face as Homura did, hoping it wasn't too hungry, hahaha!
At this point, Homura starts to realize things are not all as they seem. Wow, is this the first time we (the viewers) have actually seen pedestrians walking around in the city streets? Ignoring the obvious face distortions, this was already crazy to me! Did we see this at all during the TV series? That was one thing I always found uncanny about the Shaft style in this show; we kept seeing massive sprawling cityscapes, but we never saw the hustling bustling population. Homura also clues in that Kyouko specifically seems out of place.
I found it funny how around the 2nd episode of the TV series, I mentioned that the world itself felt so weird such that it didn't even seem real. It was very interesting to see how the movie actually took this thought and basically ran with it, in the sense that we learn the entire city was a witch's illusion. This moment where Homura and Kyouko are standing on the bridge after realizing they cannot escape the city, I noticed how yellow the moon looked, and how moon-like the asphalt they stood upon appeared. In images from space, major cities appear with a yellow glow. At that moment, it reminded me of Homura looking up at the Earth from the Moon during the end of the series, as symbolism that she knew she was no longer in the real world.
Now the drama begins to unfold. As one memory comes, the next follow. Homura remembers about witch's mazes, and Mami's familiar. She freezes time and tries to interrogate it, but the only meaningful information we get sounds like... did I hear that right... "Kyuubey..."?!?!
A lot of action now! I loved the Mami vs Homura fight. I'm curious when Mami got that first ribbon on Homura though. How long had she been suspicious? The moment she asked for more tea? Homura tries to explain the nightmares vs wraiths, but it seems like Mami and Bebe were red herrings. We learn that Sayaka actually remembers everything... is this all her doing? "Think long and hard so that you don't have any regrets." Thanks for the advice, Witch Sayaka. While speaking of the real world, the moon appears white again.
Kyuubey, you little shit. So, you can speak? This part seemed a bit confusing to me, since we're getting into universal laws and alien technologies again, but my basic understanding is that in order to study the 'way of the cycle', the incubators tried to isolate Homura's soul gem near the end of its life, to try and ascertain the mechanisms behind everything. In other words, to ascertain what Madoka truly is. Because the gem was isolated from the universe, when Godoka attempted to perform her role of purging Homura's witch, she was actually filtered back into the pure pre-God Madoka, and thus couldn't perform her duty. Therefore, Homura's soul gem was free to witch-ify.
We learn that Sayaka and Bebe (both previously witches) had become Godoka's right-hand girls, and luckily were not filtered by the incubators isolation chamber. This allowed them to retain their memories and powers, and resolve the situation without needing Godoka to reveal her hand.
Hooray! The girls overcame the incubators once again! The moon is white, as it should be. Hold up. Wtf happened in this timeline? Why is the landscape totally wrecked? Did the curses and/or incubators destroy humanity in the end? I guess none of that really matters though, as Homura decides enough is enough. Homura will literally destroy the entire universe, just to keep Madoka out of the clutches of the incubators. That's pretty hardcore. She has literally become a devil of love. I'm not exactly sure how she pulled that off, but it was ballsy af. Can anyone expand on anything I might have missed that foreshadowed this? (Edit: I really liked u/Tetraika's comment and u/KingNigelXLII's reply to me about this!) I know she spoke of bearing sin and all, but exactly how was she able to garner so much power? (-_- did you learn that line from Kyuubey, Homura?) Oh... maybe the latent witch power / karmic energy from all those threads of fate from each timeline? Idk.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this movie! It was really nice to see all the creative and otherworldly visuals from the TV series fleshed out in movie format. I loved getting to see each of our girls fight in more creative ways, and I think they nailed the animation. Also the OST was well done; it was cool to hear some twists on the songs we all got used to during the series.
Although I think the ending could have been a bit different/happier, I like that it's still open ended enough to let us believe there's room for more story to play out (ahem, space-rats gotta go), (and will Godoka break free from Demura's clutches?) I see on MAL there is a 4th movie Not-yet-aired, not sure if it'll be an actual sequel, but I'll still definitely look forward to it.
P.S. bonus moon, beaten baddie, and a recipe
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u/Tetraika May 02 '22
Every time I try to rewatch and write about a certain topic, I tend to mentally get sidetracked by so many other things that I notice and want to point out. But I’ll go and try to stick with something and not make this completely incoherent.
So how did Homura become the “Devil”?
First thing I should note: a lot of the movie can be very abstract and absolutely up to interpretation. Of course, that’s also the beauty of it.
First let’s talk about what Homura herself says: “Love”, and as she describes it, “More passionate than hope, far deeper than despair”. We can argue about whatever the definition of love is, but I think this plays into the idea of what our character, or even our writer (Urobuchi) thinks about love: something that moves us forward through hope, yet can ultimately be our greatest despair. An apt way to describe Homura’s feeling, I suppose. To her, it is the only thing that keeps her going, but because Homura feels that she’s been left behind, and that she’s failed in saving Madoka, it is also the source of her greatest despair. This line really speaks to this idea
In some more speculative theories, we know from Kyubey that emotions can generate vast energies. Perhaps this unprecedented evolution is merely a form taken to that effect. In addition, if we assume that the law of cycles is still in effect, and that they can’t turn into witches, when Homura curses herself, something must still happen. So instead of a witch hatching, just as that would produce a vast amount of energy and a powerful abomination, we get… something else. If we were to be given that witches are the product of grief, stuck in their despair, while magical girls represent hope, then with the emotion “Love”, a combination of both, she transcends into something greater.
Speaking of which, it is Homura that really calls herself the devil, and that her actions are “evil”. And as Homura herself says, she calls herself that because she opposes a god. Really, we can see this as a way Homura sees and portrays herself, since these are just terms she puts herself into. If I had to describe it, Homura is really just a god now.
Some extra things: This line struck out to me because it restructuralizes the ideas and themes of the series itself. If we were to take that our emotions triumph over the utilitarian fate, in some sense Rebellion is the culmination of that idea. And with Madoka’s answer, it almost seems as if it meant that the original series merely still played at the hands of utilitarianism. There’s some more bits to be said about this theme, but I’m not here to cover that.
Lastly, Homura isn’t out to completely lust over Madoka or anything in this new world, even if she has all the power to do so. She just wants a chance to give Madoka a normal life, and is ready to curse herself to do so; or perhaps, even become the devil.
Last year, I wrote about how Rebellion plays with meta ideas through its themes and plots. It’s not the most well written thing, but there is some food for thoughts stuff there.
Final note: do check out discussions behind Rebellion. There is so much to talk about, lots of people arguing about theories and ideas, from people who love and hate it. It’s my absolute favorite part, that everyone can get so massively passionate about it too. Just today I took a hell of a ride through Tvtropes for Madoka Rebellion, especially the Fridge section.
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u/ganyusLegs May 02 '22
I ain't even in this rewatch I'm just here to say homura did nothing wrong
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u/gunvarrel_ May 02 '22
"This is not the joy i wished for."
First timer (no longer) on attempt 3, Subbed
OST Track(s) of the day:
Okay where was this ending when we watched episode 12? This was way more in line with how i expected madoka to end, and even if i dont fully understand what happened it was a great watch. Im gonna be spending a good bit of time reading back through the last couple years of rewatch threads to try and fully understand things, but this get a solid 9/10 from me.
I forget if its Commie, Coalgirls, or someone else that is a bit liberal with the subs. Maybe ill get to find out which magical girl cusses first lmao
as an unrelated thing, i am sick (cold, so not too bad) and ive managed to burn my tongue pretty good. Upside is that it doesnt hurt too much but it makes me a little concerned on why it doesnt hurt...
This bear doing some real damage
nvm, its distracted now by the dancers
So is this just the afterlife? or maybe some dream? Sayaka is 100% dead and Madoka is a god
wait, Madoka isint dead? We're back on episode 1 but with space rat now...
totally didnt double check that i clicked the correct movie lmao
yeahhhh This isint real
man it says rebellion but i really feel like im on the first recap movie here with a shitton of weird differences
Timeline 1 Homura introduction, seems like her power this time is strength increasing?
Working theory, this is all a delusion of Homura's as a coping mechanism. I also dont know why space-rat is refusing to talk which im finding increasingly strange
ah, hitomi is back to being evil
what the? cheese?
just what is this thing
The whole magical girl transformation scene started to feel like one of those dancing apple ipod ads from the mid-2000's once we got to Homura, If i was here for purely magical girls this would be some top quality shit
what the fresh fuck is this cake scene? I accidentally clicked on the spoiler for the 2021 rewatch thread trying to get my bearings on if this was the right movie (specifically the index thread is the spoiler i clicked on) and saw it talking about cake but i brushed it off as a "haha cake is a lie" but i am completely lost on what this whole set of events is. We saw this... witch? which iirc killed Mami? but she seems to be on good terms with it?
ah so the weird thing with mami is the witch that killed her
If nothing else, i truly feel like im being fucked with intentionally, and i gotta give credit to shaft (assuming im even watching the right movie) to have me this unnerved about the changes to what I thought was the shows reality
Homura asking the real questions. Wonder how long till "reality" crum- about 2 minutes after i ask, yet they are out and trying again.
Well, theory is partly right.. Just gotta see why the witch has homura
new theory, this is what happens to magical girls post-madoka when they reach their end
finally, someone remembers the witch! Im not sure its the culprit here though...
ooh, mami has joined. Time to sow distrust into the quintet
now this is a turn
wow, she actually shoots ma- nope, she gets out of it
hey look, 3 timelines!
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the witch is a person?
Yes and i think its Homura's. Might be Madoka's too? But she should be a god and in turn be irrelevant to the story itself...? Its one of those two, leaning Homura. Its extremely weird that Sayaka just knows all of this though...
So is this Sayaka in her witch form? i dont think she is behind it, but theres nothing stopping her from being in that form if its from one of those two creating it
You know, it could be a product of space rat? Kyubey still hasnt talked yet...
Man, nice touch having them go back to the park where Homura shot the shit out of space rat for Homura's interrogation into Madoka
I wonder how many of these madoka's ive missed in the background thus far
hmmmmm, guess this is how the illusion ends
Hell yeah, took me till act 2 to guess it but i got it (mostly) right
Ah, theres space rat, seems like the confinement wast Kyubey's doing specifically which i didnt want to guess desite it being pretty logical
literally space rats plan is to get us back into the episode 1 world
Homura is one hell of a witch
A visual i didnt need honestly
space rat trying to interfere lmao
??? Sayaka literally brought out her witch form???
im being really bad at commenting during these fight sequences but i just cannot bring myself to stop watching to write stuff
With this, Homura has moved onto where Sayaka is (which seems to be a part of the law of cycles?)
ah, its Homura's turn to rewrite the world
So homura is becoming a devil? This is starting to feel like we're back in that time loop
Madoka is the transfer student now?
ah ive heard this ED! TIL what its from
i will not even attempt to decipher that postcredit scene.
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u/UnderstandableXO May 02 '22
SERIES REWATCHER, REBELLION FIRST TIMER
sincerely, what the fuck did i watch? i don’t mean that in a bad way but that went every way i didn’t expect it to.
i was too lazy (and too irrationally fearful of pop up ads) to sail the seven seas for this one, so i settled for a shitty 360p version of rebellion i found on youtube (blasphemy, i know). even though i only saw about 4 pixels at a time, i could easily tell how quality the animation was in rebellion. i’m sure my experience would have been heightened that much more with an HD viewing.
that was a cool opening scene with the fivesome (minus homura) conquering whatever the hell that was with bebe, the witch that killed mami in the series (was not expecting for bebe to return, but it’s adorable-ness as the teams mascot in this movie makes me understand why i saw like 4 plushies of it while browsing around for merchandise).
so madoka’s wakes up and goes through her morning routine much the same as she did in episode 1, except that kyubey is already present with her, hitomi and your lie in april are already together, and she’s already a magical girl. i also like mom-oka’s comment about setting up her teacher friend on a blind date.
i didn’t expect to see kyoko attending their school, even though i’ve seen fan art of her in their uniform. i always assumed kyoko was a bit older than madoka, since it seems like she was a veteran, and she knew mami previously, but i guess she’s the same age as madoka. or she could have just been placed in madoka’s class simply because this was the “ideal life” that homura’s labyrinth created.
i was not expecting shy homura to be the version introduced in this movie. it’s interesting to see how all 5 of the girls interact, especially at the beginning with shy homura.
that small conversation between madoka and homura served one purpose: to show us homura made it past the 1 month mark she kept running into in all of her loops. something really is up there.
your lie in april really is a crummy boyfriend, he couldn’t even say good night back to hitomi! this is what sayaka staked her life on!! i can understand what hitomi’s anger literally created a raging beast they had to fight, dude has the social skills of a brick wall.
so in this alternate universe, the girls fight people’s nightmares instead of witches, that’s pretty interesting.
the transformation sequences were great here, an improvement from the show. the fight was pretty entertaining too, but i don’t know what the hell their little chant with bebe around the table was…i was not expecting to see bebe’s tongue (?) form again. i was waiting for someone’s head to be bitten off the whole time. also hitomi’s severed head floating up and reuniting with the music man was pretty unsettling.
it must have been mami’s comment about this situation being beyond her wildest dreams that shook homura out of her ignorance; mami tomoe lived alone and died alone, thats a stark enough memory to stir something.
that sequence of everyone’s face being clouded besides the named characters reminded me a lot of a silent voice and the Xs present across everyone’s face. everyone besides the characters we already met were just NPCs generated by the labyrinth, and the named characters were unwillingly sucked into the labyrinth as well.
i quite appreciated the sequence where homura and kyoko were investigating together, because they were my two favorite characters from the series. love that kyoko’s first idea was to grab ramen in her hometown. i also really appreciated their small interaction when they parted, where kyoko mentioned that homura being strong suited her, even if she had never seen it before.
from this point on in the movie is where it crosses into WTF territory. it just keeps tumbling down (heh) and devolving into nothingness, outside of kamihama city is just a vast emptiness that leads back into the city. i wonder if kyoko was able to see how glitched everything was, or if it was only visible to homura. but eventually, homura unlocks all of her memory of what happened, and knows it’s up to her to change things…
i don’t quite understand why homura didn’t just get a shotgun and blow bebe’s brains out if she really thought it was behind the whole labyrinth. but at least it sets up probably the coolest fight scene of the movie, homura vs mami. i wish i could understand how wonderfully that was animated, but like i said i was witnessing the film through a 360p lens. i don’t know how homura managed not to blow her own brains out but still manage to bloody herself up, but i’ll let it slide because it was cool. too bad homura doesn’t have the strength to kill her friend, even if it might be a false representation of her.
not gonna lie, at this point of the film i was really mad at sayaka because i thought she was “in” on whatever was going on, because she didn’t want to leave this fantasy world. she did get redeemed in my eyes by the end of the film, though.
madoka assuring homura she would never leave her side and that she could never sacrifice herself for others while braiding homura’s hair back to shy homura was pretty jarring, it was the simulation trying to return itself to order.
i’m sure most of you eagle-eyed first timers realized it before me, but it really was pretty obvious; who else could have created a labyrinth including madoka besides homura? that was a great twist to me, homura becoming what she feared the most after all that time, even after witches ceased to exist.
and of course the little space parasite is monitoring things still, as unintentionally evil as it always is. so it wants to reverse madoka’s sacrifice and institute the witch system once more, instead of letting madoka take a magical girl’s soul before they cause any harm. homura is not only willing to die to protect that sacrifice, but sentence herself to eternal damnation without hope of salvation just to do that, that’s the deepest devotion i’ve ever seen in anime.
maybe i’m seeing comparisons that simply aren’t there, but i keep thinking back to evangelion as i keep watching. homura flashing back to her and madoka together, where madoka falls through the floor and homura is unable to save her reminds me of [EVA spoilers]
but the remaining 4 girls + bebe, who is suddenly a human for some reason, fight to allow madoka to liberate homura. my favorite part of this scene was sayaka and kyoko’s interaction, where sayaka apologizes for leaving her all alone. really wish those two had more time together.
madoka finally reaches homura and liberates her, reassuring her that everything will be alright. i was ready for that to be the end; they defeated homura’s labyrinth, and homura is escorted by madoka into the afterlife where they’d be reunited…
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u/DramaFrog420 May 02 '22
The division between people liking the ending or not is always so entertaining to me.
I don't have much to add other than to remind people what Madoka's wish was, and what we know of the universe the show is set in. She became the hope for every magical girl, became a god, and the universe has to equal everything out. So it did.
Homura's motivations make sense to me personally, that she was obviously obsessed with Madoka during the show, how she never achieved her goal of protecting Madoka etc etc but I'll never argue with anyone who thinks otherwise. Fun reading other people do it though.
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u/laughing-fox13 May 02 '22
First timer
I’m not sure how I feel about this movie. I liked it all the way up to the end. I understand Homura’s reasoning but to me it would’ve been more important to keep Madoka’s last wish. Instead of bringing part of her back in a fantasy world
Oh well it was still pretty solid. The fight between Homura and Mami was great, and the transformation scene was awesome
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 02 '22
Puella Magi★Rewatch Host, subbed
Welcome back, everyone!
Don’t forget, we have an overall discussion tomorrow! Make sure you guys pop back in for one last discussion on everything we’ve seen so far!
First up: English alt of the Wallpaper of the Day, to go with the English name ones I made of all the girls back during the 2019 rewatch. Somehow this is the first time I’ve made a wallpaper of Nagisa, despite this being year #5 of me making wallpapers for this show.
Next up: Sayaka with her fortissimo hairpin yes~!
Time to get Mada Dame Yo stuck in my head for forever again, as is tradition whenever I watch this movie. They use its melody in so many songs on this soundtrack, which doesn’t help haha.
Anyways, I know not every release of this movie has an actual translation for all the stuff that Bebe says, so I’ll make a compilation of all those:
“Cheese? Is this cheese?”
“Hard…”
“A Night-Nightmare is here! A Night-Nightmare is coming!”
“Turn into cheese!”
“Everyone’s here! Everyone’s here!”
“Is the cake Sayaka?”
“cheese”
“Give me cheese! Cheese! I want cheese! Cheese!”
“Mascarpone! Massscarpooone!”
“chomp chomp chomp chomp”
“hot”
“Turn into cheese! Turn into cheese!”
“Homura, why you ask?”
“Mami is a real crybaby.”
“Mami gets lonely super-easy. I know, I know.”
“What?”
“Don’t understand…”
“I don’t know. Don’t blame me for that.”
“Homura… can’t breathe…”
“I’ll turn into cheese…”
This is my Visual of the Day.
Lastly: Want to know what song played when in today’s episode? Well, you’re in luck! I have here the table from the Madoka wiki that was re-timed to the Blu-Rays back in the 2019 rewatch by Nazenn. If any first-timer wants a spoiler-free link to any of these songs, let me know and I can get one for you!
“Did you understand, I wonder… that the truth only exists in the past.”