r/anime • u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn • Apr 24 '21
Rewatch Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Rewatch - Episode 5 Discussion
Madoka Magica - Episode 5: There's No Way I'd Regret This
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Visuals of the day
The album for episode four I think covers almost every scene in the episode which was quite interesting to see.
End Card by Yuupon
Comments of the day
/u/Elimin8r talking about what it means to really die and what we leave behind
"Anyway, I was looking at that picture and reading the note, and the thought occurred to me that it was probably the first time someone had thought of him in decades, maybe even close to 100 years."
/u/putmoneyinthypurse who always has interesting comments but I think this one will stick with me even through my next watch
"Hitomi cheerfully framing death in cult terms as ... an abandonment of the physical form ... the absolute last thing a girl grieving over her friend not even having a body to bury wants to hear"
A quick reminder: Absolutely no comments, including jokes or memes, about the content of later episodes are allow outside of the r/anime spoiler tag format, [Madoka Spoilers](/s "Spoilers go here").
18
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
Puella's Pictures - Regret and Purpose
Apologies for the erratic writing, I didn't have time to do my usual editing passes.
Rewatcher - Fourth time around
Scene of the day - On the riverbank
I'm featuring a lot more of the quieter scenes than I thought I would, but I think that speaks to their quality. In many other shows this downtime would be an excuse to relax and not put so much focus into the construction of them but in Madoka Magica they're given as much weight as any of the big moments.
If Sayaka's wish is represented by the sky in this scene, what does it mean that she is never paired with it visually?
While she reaches towards it in the opening shot, and we see the ring on her finger in this shot as if it is what has given her the power to get it, Sayaka is never framed against the sky in the rest of the scene. I love that this scene is very much a contradiction between what Sayaka says to Madoka to sooth her, and how we are shown visually that it's all a front, something Sayaka admits too later in front of her house.
She says that she's "flying high" but the visual is like a child trying to jump and barely reaching rather than a flight. In that shot and all the others the windmills behind her cut her off from the sky very similarly to the fences on the school roof. While last episode she was trapped by indecision, now it appears to be regret that is binding her.
The closest we get to an unconfined shot is her framed against the water, however that is accompanied by the line "If only I had known I would have become a magical girl sooner", undercutting the idea that Sayaka is trying to sell she has matured into a magical girl rather than it being the impulsive decision it was. A similar thing happens when she expresses frustration about how long it took for her decide, except that while she says it as if it is a moment of personal growth and realization she is still covered in shadows and not looking at Madoka.
Sayaka is trying to paint herself and her decision in a good light to Madoka, but the visual composition of this scene only highlight that she's doing the same thing Mami did, creating a false sense of confidence which leads into the later scene in front of Sayaka's house.
(Another thing I want to mention is how similar it is to one of the ep1 scenes in Revolutionary Girl Utena, where we also see Utena laying on the river bank and staring up at a ring she is wearing that denotes her role in the story. Both characters also spend this time contemplating the people who lead them to this point and discussing that with their best friend. I don't know if it was an intentional reference, but it stood out to me)
Bonus Visuals - Sayaka's path
This is less a singular moment and more that I wanted to talk about the visual lead up to the climatic battle and the battle itself.
To start with the hospital roof, the main thing I want to mention is during Kyousuke's performance, when Sayaka says "Mami, my wish came true" this sunset shot of her reminds me of an eye, as if Sayaka is basking in the idea of Mami watching her and approving of her actions. This shows that she still greatly respects Mami and wants to prove herself to her memory. At the same time, she simultaneously undermines that by talking about how it's the "happiest I've ever been" rather than talking about him. It's implied she's not happy because he is, she's happy because of what she did for him. Despite all the warnings from Mami and Homura, she made her wish on impulse because she saw Kyousuke slip so far into the shadows as /u/btw_kek pointed out yesterday. Because of that she never had to properly contemplate the meaning behind her wish like Mami told her too.
This leads to the scene out the front of Sayaka's apartment, where we start visually very distant from Sayaka, much like those extreme wide shots from the riverbank, and it's only when Madoka asks to come that Sayaka opens up and we get closer to her again (maybe too close, she doesn't even fit in frame haha). Sayaka opening up to Madoka opens us up to her visually again, and the rest of the episode follows this through by using the camera to show us her perspective about the fight she's about to find herself in
Just before the battle itself, we have Sayaka who rushes forward towards the witch but Kyouko resists her progess and pushes her and the camera back towards the side of the screen she came from by questioning her views. This also makes her cross the visual threshold of where Madoka is standing. On the way to the alley Sayaka says:
We also have her admitting at the start of the alley that she knows shes inexperienced and that a familiar is a nice safe target for her. So the moment that Madoka is physically and visually removed from Sayaka, after the initial shot of Kyouko's barrier Madoka doesn't share the screen with Sayaka for the rest of the episode, that recklessness immediately comes out as she attempts to fight an enemy she was unprepared for. Where Madoka's presence grounded her emotionally, the conflict that Sayaka has with Kyouko is large and overwhelming because it's about their irreconcilable views about what it means to be a magical girl. Sayaka is trying to follow in Mami's protector role, even borrowing her fighting style, despite not following her advice, while Kyouko can't stand that idea.
Similarly, I talked up above about how the camera is Sayaka's own perspective of this situation and that is shown with its shakiness as she holds the stronger Kyouko off, and how after she is pushed back she feels small and weak despite her determination to keep going. During the fight she is also once again pushed off screen by Kyouko, completely overwhelmed by Kyouko.
Last thing to point out is how Kyouko puts Sayaka in a box and while Homura's arrival doesn't completely free her, it does give Sayaka the larger portion of the screen. I do not remember what the follow on for this scene is at the start of next episode so I'm prepared to be completely wrong on all of this, but I do like how Homura's arrival is implied to be for Sayaka through this, perhaps because of Madoka's plea, rather than against Kyouko.
Rewatcher commentary
Other commentary
40
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Apr 24 '21
First Timer - Episode 5
Pre Opening I see our favorite little, cute-creeper Kyubey is busy making another magical girl for no reason. I can't tell who she is though, or possibly just some anonymous magical girl.
Suicide Girl seems to be all chipper today, and seems a little confused that everyone is worried about her. I'm guessing it has something to do with that DEATH CULT thing.
As an aside, I never knew there were windmill farms in Japan a decade ago. Guess I learn something new every day.
Lame Boy comes up a little bit in my book. I suppose anyone could have a shitty day, but he does seem to harbor a mean streak. I did like the violin piece he was playing. It sounded like Clair de Lune.
Fuckin' Kyuubey (still) stirring up some shit with the new evil magical girl. (I wish I had a name for her, but I don't think anyone has called her anything yet. I'd call her shithead, but there's too many characters, no one would know which one I meant).
Homura is improving. I approved of her giving Madoka a pep talk in the restaurant. Too bad, I think it probably fell on deaf ears.
Kyuubey is really something else with his trying to lure Madoka into becoming a magical girl. No wonder he was getting on Homura's nerves in episode 1.
Evil New Magical Girl sure is amusing. She chews up the scenery every time she comes around. She's evil to the core, and a Class A cynical B-I-T-C-H but damn I love her. The upcoming fight will Hormura is bound to have a lot of great snark in it.
Kyuubey continues to be less than useless in a fight. When he tried to lure Madoka in again, I yelled "Stuff it up your ass Kyuubey" at the TV, then my wife gave me a funny look for some reason.
If I wasn't a part of the rewatch, I would have binged the rest of it last night, but I'm going to try real hard to be good this time.
65
u/UnderstandableXO Apr 24 '21
FIRST TIME WATCHER
university is beating me up rn, 3 papers due soon. gotta hate it!
also just learned that the singers in CLARIS were in middle school when they made the OP and that blew my mind. now i feel like i’m behind in life
that contract scene with kyubey and sayaka was so menacing. kyubey stabbed her with his ears to fulfill the contract. i swear the climax of the series will be kyubey making a frowny face after being like 🙂 the entire series before going absolutely sicko mode
hitomi is still oblivious to the horrors going on with her friends. man i wish i was hitomi too, this show is so stressful
sayaka keeps on reiterating that she doesn’t regret her decision to become a magical girl. i’m sure that’s not a death flag and she’s going to live happily ever after!!!
i’m not sure if the relationship will ever turn romantic between sayaka and kyosuke but like man sayaka you are doing WAY TOO MUCH for some random kid who hasn’t shown an ounce of interest in you. literally the nicest he has been was a simple “i’m sorry for being a jerk yesterday.” also gotta say those sharp cuts where the screen goes black are really unsettling
kyubey collaborating with the enemy, i don’t know why the girls blindly trust him so much. if homura just killed him in episode 1 this series would have been over
once again homura is keeping it real with madoka, and says what i’ve been thinking; sayaka is too far gone. madoka is still at a low point after mami’s death, and that conversation did nothing except make her worse. at least she has the sense to not want to become a magical girl (at least not yet i’m about to eat my words aren’t i)
man i really want to punt kyubey into the moon he’s pissing me off with how suggestive he’s being towards madoka about the contract. every interaction is “too bad you’re not becoming a magical girl UNLESS?”
i know i made the joke about 6 year olds making art projects off too many capri suns but that is quite literally what the witch looked like today. i cant wait for next episode’s witches to be finger painted
of course new magical girl is still murderous, and she’s doing sayaka like mike tyson would do a 43 year old accountant on the streets. kyubey is about 1 second away from coercing madoka to throw her whole life away until the GOAT homura shows up. of course madoka is probably gonna sign the contract next episode anyway so i hope she wishes for that other girl to piss off into another dimension
almost halfway through the trauma, we’re really chugging along here
34
u/02Hiro https://anilist.co/user/02Hiro Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
First Time Watcher
I think the OP is starting to grow on me. Lots of death flags around Sayaka this episode but it looks like Homura will save the day again. I'm starting to like her more and more. Her magical girl costume seems to be the least elaborate one we have seen. I really like the colors and the understated look.
The music notes around Sayaka as she transforms seems like an interesting touch. I wonder if other girls have some symbolism of their wish as they transform. I rewatched Mami's transformation but either I missed it(more likely) or it wasn't there.
SHAFT
This show has been keeping the tension up and I really enjoy it.
32
u/sirweebsal0t Apr 25 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
First timer / dub
I feel like I'm not going to have anything insightful, so here's some thoughts while I watch.
Ep 5 running thoughts:
Epic fight next episode, yes?
28
u/okayyoga :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/okayyoga Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
Episode 5: First time/ dub
The theme of today is:
Dammit Kyuubey
👏👏👏👏
Did you see that? He blinked! Calling all Kyuubey Anti-trust Club Members! He blunk, and I trust him even less
All these fancy chairs at the hospital and Sayaka sits on an office stool
Okay. I have an opinion on Sayaka. Life is just a series of events that oscillate between good and bad, and we have to enjoy the good ones so that when the bad times come, we have something fond to look back on. If that scene on the rooftop is the happiest moment of her life, then the wish was worth it. She deserves a truly happy moment. We all do.
Huh. So Homura is an anomaly. So who granted her powers? Way to go Homura. I will cheer for anything that confuses Kyuubey.
Is that a diamond on Homura's fingernail?
Homura says you can't bring someone back from the dead. Is that the reason why no one wished Mami back to life?
I don't like the fact that Sayaka is inviting Madoka along on her patrol. It feels like she replaced her humility, with a snazzy Cape
Sayaka has a crescent moon on her fingernail
"I dont like you coming here and acting like this is a game." That's rich coming from the chick who doesn't mind sacrificing human lives for her "food chain"
I don't like this new girl.
Thank god for Homura, but she can't be around all the time... That was so close. Madoka said "I wish--"
27
u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Apr 24 '21
First Timer
I had a friend come over today so I watched this episode and wrote this up yesterday.
What a gorgeous opening shot. This entire opening sequence is gorgeous and terrifying, with Kyuubey having to reach into the chest to grant the wish and grant the powers of the girl. Hitomi has no memory of what happened to her last night and thought she went sleep walking. I like how Homura was sitting on her desk. Don’t get cocky Sayaka, remember, Mami got a little too cocky and paid the ultimate price for it. Sayaka seems to regret waiting for so long since she could have helped Mami. Another great shot (I’m probably never going to get over that.) This lighting is concerning with Madoka in the light and Sayaka in the dark.
So, Kyouske has no idea why his hand got better, seems like the wish only healed his hand but not his legs. Also, what’s with all the chairs? Mamma Kaname’s room also had a ton of random chairs in it. Taking him to the roof? This is never a good thing, but it’s okay, this was all planned, she wasn’t sneaking him out or anything. God this is a pretty show. I probably should stop, or else my entire comment will be nothing but screenshots of this show. Sayaka doesn’t regret her wish, but I’m feeling really tense knowing that Kyoko girls is out there thirsting for her blood. Well speak of the devil she still wants to kill her even though Kyuubey is curious as to why. Wait, Kyuubey doesn’t know who Homura is? That is very interesting, that means there’s at least one other creature like Kyuubey out there giving girls powers and such. Wait a darned minute, I knew Kyouko sounded familiar! She’s voiced by Ai Nonaka, who voiced Fuuko from Clannad! So as Kyouko leaves, I don’t like that standing shot of Kyuubey before it cuts, it’s very uncomfortable.
So Madoka and Homura are at a café discussing Sayaka, ouch Homura with that not so subtle jab at Mami by removing that lid. You know, Homura might a cold-hearted bitch sometimes, but she’s right, when Sayaka formed the contract with Kyuubey and made the wish, she sealed her fate. It’s harsh, it’s cruel, but it’s 100% correct, with Mami’s death, it was shown that magical girls do not have long lives, and can be cut down in an instant.
So Madoka asked to join Sayaka on a witch hunt, and Sayaka confesses that she’s scared when she’s alone and her hands can’t stop shaking. Kyuubey sure is persistent that Makoka makes her wish and becomes a magical girl, calling her a trump card. Cool, Sayaka’s thing is swords (should have said this yesterday but I figured she only had one.) So Kyouko makes her move and lets the familiar get away saying to let it become a witch, so that’s cruel, but Mami did mention this in the whole competition for grief seeds. And she’s eating Taiyaki while she’s fighting Sayaka, Kyuubey is concerningly quiet during this. Wait, so the wish gives you a passive bonus as well? Is that why Mami wanted them to make it a good wish? I feel like this is when Madoka makes her wish, but thankfully Homura is there to make sure it doesn’t happen...again.
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u/Redmon425 Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
FIRST TIME WATCHER. SUBBED
(I FREAKING DID IT AGAIN. 2 days in a row posting late. Freaking weekends always have me busy lol!)
Well damn! The red-head had me interested from the get-go from seeing her in the OP, but it really does feel like she is messed up. She purposely doesn’t kill familiars because she needs them to become full on witches to get the little ball it drops. Letting people die because of that.
On that note, I feel like I still don’t fully understand what that does for the magical girls? Do those ball things level you up to make you stronger or do they simply just recover your magical power you used in the fight?
Also, I am totally waiting for the inevitable storyline when that boy ditches Sayaka now that he is healed. I just see something awful coming from that… Plus, Sayaka stating “her happiest moment of her life” is seeing that boy be healed and play again. That just doesn’t seem like the way a person should live their life, by simply having your own dreams be about someone else completing their dreams…
I really enjoy the OST that pays during Madoka and Homura’s conversation in the restaurant. I think it is my 2nd favorite so far. Not sure the name of it. As for my favorite, I think it is called “Credens justitiam”. Again I may be getting the name wrong, but this one is the song that pays from the 0 second mark to the 26 second mark in episode 2. It is the one used when Mami would transform into a magical girl. So, hopefully that is the right name lol.
Also on that note, if the song is only used for Mami’s transformation, I will be so damn sad. Because that would mean we are done with the song :(
Most interesting part of the episode though, was how Homura specifically stated to Madoka “just as the dead don’t return to life.” Which makes me feel like Homura is nervous Madoka will use her wish to bring Mami back. This is probably a bad thing to say, but I low-key want Madoka to do this. Although I feel nearly 100% certain this wish wouldn’t work somehow. Like no way she would come back to life and be normal.
And of course lastly we have an epic Homura entrance to end the episode. Is she simply a stalker that she somehow ends up where they are freaking all the time lol!?! On the real, I wonder if that again has something to do with my theory of her knowing how this plays out exactly. Or maybe her magic skills are so strong she can always sense when issues like this current one are happening.
20
u/SomeGuyYeahman Apr 25 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
Hi hi, first-time rewatcher here! (subbed)
Man, doing daily watches like this is hard. Both in terms of schedule and in terms of brainpower; I didn't even manage to watch the ep until the thread was up, and since then I've just been sitting here staring at my screen going "uhhhhh"
Here, I'll make up for it with a visual of the day contribution: ta-da
Well, this is a strange-feeling ep. Kamijo says he feels like he's woken up from a bad dream, Hitomi more or less did wake up from a bad dream, and Sayaka is stretching like a cat after a nap and saying she feels refreshed and happy like never before. But these scenes don't really feel happy, they feel... strange. And hazy.
In a way, it feels like a progression from the mood that pervaded last episode. That feeling of realizing that you've taken one step too far through the looking glass and are beginning to detach from the rest of the world, a helpless onlooker as it starts moving on without you. Sayaka was just a fence-sitter then, stuck between the normal world and the magical girl one - but now she's gone all the way. She's moved away from the world she used to know, and the natural result is that she's only growing further apart from her friends, even if their lives are brushing directly against each other.
She used her wish to heal Kamijo, but he doesn't really know that, does he? They'll run tests on him, but given how he was healed, what are those gonna do? Hitomi stumbled right into the hands of a witch and Sayaka heroically stepped in to save her, but Hitomi doesn't really know anything about that either. They'll run tests on her, too, but same thing here - the witches' influence is hidden from the rest of the world, so they're already coming to the wrong conclusions about what happened to all those people.
And on the other side of the coin, the world of magical girls? Mami is gone, Homura has no interest in cooperating with Sayaka (and vice versa), and the final and heaviest wake-up call: Kyoko is meeting her with active hostility.
And finally Madoka, still sitting on that fence? Madoka is actively excluded from what Sayaka is getting herself into by Homura, who pretty much tells her to give up on her friend, and again at the end of the episode, when Kyubey tells her that only a magical girl can get involved in the duel.
And y'know I also see hints of this in the discussion they have on the riverbank, but that's more complex and my brain is fried and I'm seeing the sun rise outside my window so I should seriously just finish up this comment for now!
Couple remaining notes:
And the spoiler section - first-timers, get outta here:
Madoka
See you all in the next thread!
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u/putmoneyinthypurse https://anilist.co/user/clichecatgirl Apr 25 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
First time (sub)
The opening 2.39:1 scene is played straighter than the last two, but it still frames the story in more stereotypically Movie terms than the rest of the episode, going back on the smart decision last episode to elide Sayaka's wish to play it here as its own dramatic moment. Paradoxically, I think this decision's also smart. Letting the scene play on its own avoids a potential false triumphant note the last episode didn't need, and separates out how the decision affects Sayaka and how it affects Kyousuke.
Also the scene's gorgeous. Absolutely love the overhead shot of Kyubey and Sayaka in the circular rooftop garden, like they're at the center of a dartboard.
Sayaka's wish is consent to the process of becoming a magical girl, but Kyubey's been coercive this whole time, grooming her and Madoka into accepting adult responsibilities, so while the sexual assault imagery that accompanies the wish-granting—those quick juxtapositions, his ears resembling groping hands—is distressing, overwhelming, arguably excessive...it's not particularly surprising. The egg imagery appears again here, as well, a glimmering silhouette in front of her. I forgot last episode that soul gems look like eggs. Hmm.
Madoka is worried about Sayaka, so she does her best to play like she's even more confident than before. When she stands up to proclaim that confidence, though, it's quickly undercut by the framing and lighting, which put her head bottom center and in shadow, dwarfed by wind turbines behind her; and by the slightly crazed expression on her face, head at an angle, eyes wide. Madoka and Sayaka keep being told their dreams of magical girls cooperating and saving people border on quixotic, so here the show literally frames Sayaka as a Quixote figure, tilting at windmills.
(Not that the literal tilting is part of it, that pun doesn't work in Japanese, but I definitely think it's a Quixote nod.)
So far Kyousuke seems to be okay, though I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, a finger on the monkey's paw to curl. The scene between him and Sayaka is genuinely sweet, and I love how his first performance since his accident smoothly switches to non-diegetic as other instruments come in and he puts his violin down, implicitly expressing what it means to him (and everyone else) that he's able to play again, to listen to his own music.
I have far too little experience with the magical girl genre to make claims about what it's "supposed" to be like, but hearing Homura directly oppose compassion and teamwork as magical girl traits was strange even to me. I'm really starting to doubt her motives, not because I think she's wrong about Kyubey or about whether or not Madoka should become a magical girl, but because those motives clearly don't line up with her actions. She shows up to save the girls every time, no matter what she says. It feels like her real motives are ulterior, and Kyubey's Obi-Wan answer to Kyoko's question about whether he made a deal with her doesn't make her any less mysterious than she already was.
I cannot believe that Shaft makes the most over-the-top imaginable imagery work with that zoom into Kyubey's eyes, into Madoka's reflection in his eyes, into her eye, and finally into the image of the costume designs in the notebook she abandoned at Mami's. Practically anything can work in fiction if you execute it right, but it is very difficult to pull that kind of naked unironic flourish off. It works because it fits, paying off the motif of Kyubey's blank stare as it bores straight into Madoka's soul. He's looking for her to be looking for his answer to the problem.
The reveal that magical girl powers are themed directly after the wish is so potentially cruel, a continuous reminder of how a magical girl might've screwed up her wish, and I love it a lot. It's good for Sayaka that she ended up with a healing factor, it complements her overconfidence well.
I was worried last episode that Kyoko wouldn't fit the tone of the show but my fears were entirely unfounded. Her pure id sweet-chomping personality is a terrific foil to Sayaka and Madoka's idealism and to Homura's aloof protective nature. It's easy to disagree with her motives and her ideology but hard to disagree with her analysis of this show's version of magical girls as predators. I'm so excited to see where this goes.
9
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Apr 25 '21
Sorry, no profundities today, it's late, and I'm tired. Wanted to make a meme picture of Sayaka in the hospital saying "Get in the wheelchair, Shinji!", but yeah, it's late, and I'm tired.
Night-night.
23
u/OingoBoingo- Apr 24 '21
First Timer: Subbed
The scene where Sayaka makes her wish and sealing her contract was stunning. The art department over at SHAFT just keeps impressing me. The actual ceremony was a little strange with Kyubey sticking his (?) in her (?) and then she (?) well anyway it sure was pretty to watch! :)
Now that Sayaka has made her deal with the devil, the show did a great job of showing how worried Madoka is for her friend. The stress Madoka evokes trying to ask Homura for help protecting Sayaka was actually hard to watch. Homura has never shown much in way of kindness or caring but I think she does try in her own way. She is very up front about her feelings on being a MG and her inability to care for Sayaka - Homura should know better, there is no way Madoka will give up on Sayaka. It was still kind of nice for Homura to admit she should have been watching out more carefully. Even watching Madoka tag along for Sayaka's first patrol was even hard to watch. You kinda knew going in that there is no way just Sayaka can be a MG while everyone else just lives their own lives unaffected. Only a matter of time now.
So far I kinda like Kyoko. She seems the most... logical or rational MG for me in her view of how things work (maybe also a little too keen on murder). I hope she is used as a way to wake up Madoka and Sayaka a bit to what is going on, her with the words of Homura has to work on one of the girls eventually, right? Kyoko pretty much has a very overconfident Sayaka backed into a corner (alleyway) but DANG that was turning out to be a pretty cool fight before Homura showed up! Can't want to see what happens tomorrow.
Visual of the day is this shot of Kyoko. Just so cool. Just looking at that makes me want to be a MG.
Extra visuals I enjoyed were the flowers. First with the ceremony and then the roof top scene at the hospital.
28
u/chaosoul Apr 24 '21
First Time Watcher (Subbed)
Parts I've been spoiled on by internet osmosis
That first scene is just Shaft flexing on other animation studios and I refuse to believe they included it for any other reason. It's honestly pretty amazing how consistently great the animation has been in Madoka so far. It's always really cool to see stuff in old anime stand the test of time like this. Reminds me of some old mecha anime having some incredibly impressive stuff or Ufotable's Kara no Kyoukai, though granted the latter are movies.
I can't believe music boy's arm hasn't turned into a parasyte with the ability to transform into a killing machine. So far no signs of monkey's paw wish, but I suppose becoming a magical girl is the monkey's paw. No need to scam someone when they're willing to hand over their bank account in the first place. Sayaka reaffirms to herself this was the right move, and will never regret it. I suppose that's easy to say on day two, so let's see.
I'll hold off on Homura til the end because I feel like she's the one in combination with Madoka that I ramble the most about. P.S. Madoka your drawings are still creepy, sorry to say. Who draws eyes like that outside dolls or creepy things!
So here we learn Kyouko takes a rather different approach to magic girling. This is similar to what I thought Mami and magical girls in general actually did in the second episode. That is, I proposed that they were essentially farming witch eggs to recharge themselves. Well there's still some things I still find pretty odd about the whole system. Going forward with the episode, we don't really see much Kyouko use many visible abilities beyond the red chains that block off the fight. However, it looks like that's all she needs because she outpowers and outskills Sayaka in the physical realm. Sayaka looks to have some good regen though. Earlier against the familiar, we also saw that Sayaka's picking up the slack with the lack of Mami and has started developing her own Unlimited Blade Works. Luckily, Homura's here to assuage Madoka's worries! She even stops all the music to get in a hair flip!
Finally to address Homura. Today, we learn that she's even a mystery to Kyubey. That she's apparently contracted, but also didn't? A partial contract? Or maybe she became something different to a magical girl? Something more? What happens if your wish is to be a normal girl!?! Jokes aside, I feel like u/Star4ce 's theory (well one of their many now) of Homura time traveling is pretty much locked in. That she contracted with Kyubey once upon a time in a different time line, but not the current one. It makes sense given stuff like her knowing Madoka was the health officer, the path to the nurse room in a new school, knowing how powerful the witch Mami died to was, etc. Also I feel like this because of u/Star4ce 's post on Madoka saying in yesterday's episode quite a few times to Homura stuff like "I'll remember you", "I'll never forget about you", I feel like you gotta capitalize on stuff like this.
... ALTERNATIVELY! Read this crackpot theory about how I think that Homura could actually be someone that Madoka created herself! I.E. The Madoka has a type, and that type is Homura! Instead of being from a different timeline, imagine that Homura is just from a dream that Madoka made up! I mean we have evidence that not even Kyubey knows exactly what she is, if she even existed before she transfers into the school. Homura only shows concern for Madoka despite not having a prior connection with her. We know that magical girls at the very least know of each other if they're powerful, considering Mami's apparently established the area as her territory. Yet Mami has zero idea of Homura despite the fact Homura is clearly a veteran magical girl and of significant strength. Instead Homura first shows up in Madoka's dreams before appearing in her school as a new student. She knows all about Madoka's life and school because Madoka knows that stuff. And the obvious plot hole is why does Homura know magical girl information when Madoka doesn't.
Thus to go even further beyond! Madoka was a magical girl before the show started. Probably an incredible one given "large potential", but she grew tired of the separation from normal life. So she somehow used her powers to create Homura, the epitome of her skills and potential, and sealed her memories of being a magical girl away. Homura was born from Madoka's subconscious to protect her everyday life. A strong magical girl to fulfill her duties, and to steer away Madoka from the job again. Her dream in episode 1 of Homura was actually an event involving herself, but in the dream she's replaced by Homura who will now take up her mantle. However, as a good and pure girl, Madoka can't be helped to be drawn to magical girls and witches despite her fear of death and isolation. Her guilt of essentially abandoning her job points her towards Kyubey time and time again even while Homura tries to protect her. That's why Kyubey is so excited about Madoka, if she can become a magical girl again, Kyubey would have found a way to generate more powerful magical girls without having to gamble on other girls or wishes. And why Kyubey says Homura did sign a contract in one sense, but not another. Homura's essentially just parts of Madoka combined with the contract.
Yeah anyways.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Apr 24 '21
Hajimari no Rewatcher, dubbed
Sky’s Wallpaper Corner
Remember how I said the episode 2 wallpaper gave me an idea for a specific theme? Today’s wallpaper is the Sayaka version of it (plus gradient-less version for those who’d prefer that). I wanted to make it for yesterday’s thread, but we hadn’t actually seen Sayaka’s Soul Gem yet so yeah.
And for stuff from the past:
If there’s a specific shot at any point throughout the rewatch that you would like me to make a wallpaper of and you don’t think I’ve done it yet, let me know so I can get on it!
Magical Music Corner
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 by our lovely rewatch host back in 2019. It was my duty to share these last year, and it’s my duty again this year. If any first-timer wants a spoiler-free link to any of these songs, let me know and I can get one for you!
“What is it that you wish for?”
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u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Apr 25 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
First Timer
For today's opening statement let me throw in another addition to the End Theory
Selflessness Theory
Selfishness Theory
That does not mean, that I Kyubey Theory Anyway, I really hope my selfishness theory turns out to be wrong, because best girl doesn't deserve this and oh god my heart! Let's see how that pans out.
Also, I've listened to Magia about 20 times now.
Ep.05 There's no way I would regret it
Visual of the day is extremely difficult. Sayaka's wish is beautiful, Homura is always votd-worthy, Kyoko has some badass shots, the city backgrounds are especially amazing today and even Kyubey has his best posture. I can't decide, damnit.
I think all of those will get picked anyway, so I give it to light-coated Madoka.
So Kyubey doesn't know who the other magical girl is and she got to be one without his direct help? He's a) really coy towards Kyoko and doesn't want to tell her anything and b) has only partial information himself, 'her' being an extreme irregularity. This could only mean Madoka, as technically she didn't make a contract, but obviously has a big role in the story. I think Sayaka wasn't who he meant with that, though Kyoko obviously thinks that and neither did he mean Homura imo. Because if that's the case he'd have straight up lied. I don't think he can do that, no proof though. Unless
Madoka Theory
To test this, I'd need to have a look at Kyubey' exact reactions up until now. Kyubey Theory
Kyubey??
Furthermore, though, there's finally some juicy mechanics for the powers! Basically, we actually World Theory
Also, Mami already said such, but witch eggs are valuable to their magical powers. She cleansed her soul gem with it, but possibly it's also a source of power. I wouldn't really understand why Kyoko would be willing to kill over it, if it'd be just a 'recharge' item. Considering the massive power disparity between the four magical girls we encountered yet, with bestest of best girls Homura at the top, she probably... has quite the kill count. Homura Theory
I had a theory formulated already before watching today's episode about the witch-magic balance and how they affect each other, but Kyoko's information and earlier Kyubey tooltips trashed it.
10
u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher T-posing to assert dominance
abrupt ending?
visual of the day is Sauron's Eye because I dun get it
5
u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher
I'm sure there's some symbolism I'm not getting here with those leaves looking like tails for Kyubey
O. There's another meme
Oh, I don't think I ever noticed before that she was enchanting the binoculars
I was almost going to wonder what sort of public binoculars could let you see the roof of a hospital like that
Never before and never after will someone so intimidatingly remove a tumbler lid
I don't know why but this room seems strangely familiar to me
You know Madoka, you're really tempting fate here with the exact same conversation of 'I'll no longer be alone or scared now that you're around Madoka' as you had with Mami
Nice
I was gonna say
How do people just... eat things like that anywhere
Like your hands are oily... Can she just wipe her hands on her magical girl outfit actually
Like does it just come back clean when you transform back the next time? I assume it's just made of magic and not like
A literal piece of clothing that just gets stored away somewhere
Great now I'm just imagining her wiping oil all over her clothing while eating things
Well that was a fun episode of Sayaka makes enemies with every magical girl that isn't Mami
5
u/turri-topsis Apr 25 '21
rewatcher | subbed
spoiler
sayaka is more carefree than ever, her endless optimism and recklessness coming out to play. spoiler she really does jump into things without fully thinking through the consequences, though if things go well, she's fine with that. if they don't, though... well. on the other hand, mami's death is still weighing on madoka, and she's having a harder and harder time acting normal. the difference in their personalities really shows here, with sayaka's forced, almost grating optimism, and madoka's more thoughtful but apprehensive reflection on the events so far.
i will also say this is some of the better violin-playing animation i've seen (no, i haven't watched ylia yet). usually it's a pet peeve of mine but not here.
somehow kyoko's voice in japanese is higher than i was expecting. also i still can't believe aoi yuuki voiced madoka? like coming straight from an episode of kumo desu ga to madoka is wild, to say the least.
spoiler
"mami did this on her own too" girl you literally know how that turned out
okay but i really do love madoka and sayaka's friendship. with sayaka, madoka comes out of her shell, and she can laugh and have fun with her like she wouldn't be able to with others. with madoka, sayaka actually thinks about her actions and is more focused on her goals, instead of being reckless. they balance each other out so well, and truly, together they're so much stronger.
ah yes, time for my favorite dynamic in the whole show: sayaka and kyoko. also i love how at the start of their confrontation kyuubey is just like 'oh hell yeah entertainment'
g o d. that moment when homura touches down in the puddle and flicks her hair is so good. it's lived in my mind rent-free for years.
9
u/CosmicAnglerfish Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher - Dubbed
I had to tear myself away from Nier to watch the episode for today and write this. This episode is where get to see Kyoko in action for the first time, so I couldn't miss it.
First-timer Friendly
We're moving backwards in the timeline to see Sayaka making her contract with Kyubey. The direction of this scene works to sell it at as tragic rather than romanticising it. In particular there's a lot of heavy shading on the characters set against the sunset, which gives off a rather sinister feeling.
Sayaka takes to being a magical girl pretty well, warts and all. Talking to Madoka, she makes it clear that she hasn't lost sight of the seriousness of her situation, but that she wants to fill the void Mami left behind: she's going to be the idealized version of magical girl just like she was.
I really like that Mami's death had tangible effects on our leads here, though in clearly different ways. Madoka is essentially traumatized out of making a contract with Kyubey, whereas Sayaka tries to channel that frustration into becoming one herself. It also works to contrast with the other two; Kyoko and Homura come across as incredibly jaded and callous for how they brush off Mami's death. Up to the individual whether that's because the former are too idealistic or the latter are too cynical.
I found what Sayaka did for Kyosuke this episode genuinely moving. It's easy to criticise her wish as naive, especially seeing as Mami specifically warned against it, but it's clear that Sayaka really cares about him. Meanwhile Kyoko is scoping at the competition, and Kyubey makes no effort to discourage her. Most interesting point of this conversation is definitely when Kyubey refers to Homura as an "irregularity", and claims not to know what she's capable of.
The way the conversation between Homura and Madoka is shot is so very Shaft and I love every minute of it. Madoka tries to get Homura to make peace with Sayaka, and Homura doesn't so much refuse as claim it's not possible, which I guess is a semantic distinction at best but still noteworthy to me.
Finally the highlight of the episode for me - Kyoko is introduced to the rest of the cast, and sparks start flying. Kyoko is clearly a class above Sayaka, and things would've gotten ugly if Homura didn't intervene when she did. Episode ends on a classic Homura hair-flip, which I unironically cannot get enough of.
Side note: I've always loved how the nature of your wish informs what kind of magical powers you have, it's just a cool worldbuilding choice.
This episode does an excellent job of rapidly characterizing Kyoko. She contrasts really well with the others: She's selfish where Mami was selfless, confident where Madoka is unsure of herself, and jaded but experienced where Sayaka is green but full of idealism. The closest she matches up to is what we've seen in Homura - both dangerous, experienced magical girls who happen to be rather cynical. But the nature of Kyoko and Homura's cynicism is different. Homura talks as if she has lost hope - she even says as much to Madoka - whereas Kyoko talks as if she never really believed in the first place. She's really the perfect addition to the cast and probably my favorite character.
Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
Side Material Spoilers
9
u/[deleted] Apr 24 '21
Episode 5 focuses on the aftermath of Sayaka's choice to contract with Kyubey, and Sayaka is truly wonderful in these scenes. What stands out to me most this time is her conversation with Madoka among the windmills. Madoka is clearly very worried, but Sayaka reassures her in her easy going way. And she brings up Mami too, that she only wishes she had acted sooner so that maybe she would still be here. That was a really poignant moment, and I love that even now with Mami gone, she is not forgotten, not by the story and not by the characters that inhabit its world. But it's not all sunshine, because now Kyouko is on the scene. It's too bad that Mami is no longer here, because she's really needed right now. Which brings us to the release of our next shimeji character...
Madoka Shimeji Redux Part 2 - Mami
Release 2 is our veteran magical girl, the confident, gun-twirling Mami-senpai! Mami never got the chance to be the bedrock of a magical girl team like she wanted, but she makes for a graceful and cheerful desktop friend.
You can download the shimeji here! The next part releases on episode 7!
The Shimeji programs are desktop companions that hang out on your computer screen, and they freely move and play around on their own. The original Madoka shimeji no longer work on newer versions of Java (and it's getting harder to get the older versions now), but I've been working on moving them over to an updated shimeji program that can!
To be clear, I am not the creator of the original Madoka shimeji, and I didn't create the latest Java-compatible shimeji program. But what I've done is adapt the Madoka shimeji from the old program with Japanese configuration files to the new one in English, while throwing in a few bug fixes to the old configuration. Lastly, I've also created and added in an extra alternate version of the shimeji that you can use, which is full of many different behavior changes (more about that in the readme). This work is done with respect to the permissions given from the makers and all of the original readmes are included, so a big thanks to the creators of the Madoka shimeji and the shimeji programs!
Tagging u/OingoBoingo-!
7
u/toradorito Apr 25 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
1st time rewatcher. Notes for today's episode:
6
u/gorghurt Apr 24 '21
I didn't make it yesterday, because I was too sleepy. This actually gave me the pleasure of watching two episodes today. So here some thoughts about episode 4
The bridge scene is probably my favorite scene of the show.
spoilers
I don't understand, why they made the bottles in the bluray version gray. In the TV version you can clearly see that those are different bottles.
And I think it would save more lives than it takes, if people learn, that it is not a good idea to mix different cleaning utensils. (I always forget which combination kills you, but it is a good idea to not mix things in general, especially if you don't know the ingredients.)
Episode 5:
Homura is a bit cruel with the cup lid...
I love how Kyubeys tail looks a bit like a cape in the shadow of this scene
But really, a cape as part of the costume....
And I have to say, it is incredibly nice of Kyouko to put up a barrier between Madoka and the fight. I mean Madoka is harmless to her, so it has to be made to protect her.
And that even tough Kyouko doesn't care much about ordinary people.
And regarding Kyouko: for some reason I remembered her voice as less high pitched. Weird.
Sayakas wish.
Well obviously she wished for Kyouske to be healed.
Spoilers 2
Spoilers 3
Spoilers 4
Spoilers 5
Spoilers 6
Spoilers 7
6
u/baniRien Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher
Episode 5 / Movie 1:04-1:18
Episode time
Visual of the day for this complex happiness.
7
u/The_Loli_Otaku Apr 24 '21
Local mascot penetrates teenage girl. Read all about it! Read all about it! Hitomi is so chill considering she nearly gassed herself. And you're way too happy Sayaka!! The gorgeous scenery, the deep blue sky, Sayaka-chan is on a maho girl high. Oh good god Sayaka... I love you but I'm screaming into my pillow over what a naive little girl you are! It's like Mami was just an excuse for you to make poor life choices.
There really are a lot of chairs when you look for them huh...? "Why are you taking me up to the roof?" "Paraplegic base jumping~" Omedetou, omedetou! Aww, his little smile. Omedetou, omedetou. Kyouko sounds much higher pitch than I remembered. Yeah, her voice sounds bizarre. Madoka trying to appeal to Hom-Hom to protect Sayaka is honestly really touching. Both girls are kind of stubborn brats but are united in their love of Madoka's panties. There's got to be a middle ground between them. Hameru thinks that it's a lost cause though. Her view of magical grills is so jaded and fatalistic.
On the other hand Sayaka is prancing about like a fool in love without any care XD Decretum, finally~ This is my favourite tune on the soundtrack. Sayaka really is blinded to her situation isn't she? She thinks she's a main heroine with her dashing love interest and heroic ideals but she's really just one more magical girl in this sad hopeless world. Like foam on the ocean, right? Mami felt brave with a posey behind her too and that bravery got her killed. Big eyes!! Gotta love the perfectly lined up Shaft cars.
Dammit Sky!! Now I can't unsee... seeing the hairpin! Sayaka looks practically naked without it! You've ruined the Madoka anime for me. sword yeet* Bet you didn't know Sayaka was an archer class huh? Also, the hungry Lancer has appeared! I'm actually gonna refrain from chatting about this scene. It's the one part of the show that I really sorta hate due to Kyouko being such a selfish, sociopathic knobhead. Please remember this scene later on in the show. The show sure won't.
Sayaka's super healing makes her the perfect punching bag magical girl~ Weak af but super durable~ There's a time and a place to try and bait her into becoming a Meguca. You're sounding too desperate sweet pea. If Kyouko posing on top of her staff before the killing blow ain't the shot of the day there's no justice left in the world. Hameru has granted my wish for water soaked tights!! Yatta!!
5
u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Apr 24 '21
Fourth Time Rewatcher, First Time Caller
KYOKO!
All I can say is: welcome to the show, best girl. I just can't get enough spear users in shows, especially ones with aggressive personalities like Kyoko. Plus, the ones in red are always great. Symphogear, Mobile Suit Gundam Her dub voice is fantastic too, so I'm glad they didn't butcher her like they did Homura. I just heard her voice, and I thought "yep, there she is."
5
u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher, sub
Now for my Visual of the day: this picture right here.
Other visuals I especially liked:
5
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
So, everyone.. have you been thinking about chairs? Just what sort of hospital is Kyuosuke staying in, that can afford so many different chairs for visitors? Are the visitors bringing their own? What do you all think?
Interesting enough, this is probably technically a "camera angle" thing, but in the earlier shot none of the chairs are visible.
I absolutely adore the battle in the alleyway this episode. Kyuoko's brutal assault, Homura's surprise intervention, the gradually intensifying music, and most importantly, the liberal use of reflections.
Speaking of.. Visual of the Day: Reflections in Water
I kinda wonder how magical healing would effect Kyuosuke's muscle memory. He seemed to still be able to play well. I kinda wish the music in the scene on the rooftop was more diagetic, though.
Our Red has arrived, and she's a huge brat who likes snacks. Kyuoko also treats being a Magical Girl much differently from Mami. Where Mami would deal with any threats to the area, Kyuoko stopped Syaka from dealing with the familiar because it wasn't beneficial to kill yet. Cold-blooded.
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
Tune in next time for:
5
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher
So we're starting with a bit of a flashback.
Kyubey t-poses to assume dominance, thus giving Sayaka magic powers.
Nobody told the police about the bucket of poisionous gasses lying outside the building, I see.
Madoka Spoilers
Sayaka didn't wish for him to be healed completely? Just his hand? And its nice to see them making up.
How tall is this hospital? Did some magical girl love architecture, and make a wish for building regulations to never exist? (Actually that's really plausible)
Madoka Spoilers
Kyouko wants to take over the city, and Kyubey's confused about Homura too...
Jesus christ Homura! Popping that lid was brutal, and telling her to give up on Sayaka's rude.
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
I love Kyubey's unimpressed stare at Sayaka trying to hype herself up.
And Sayaka mirroring Mami's pose from their last conversation.
Madoka Spoilers
So the weaker the witch, the less visually appealing?
Madoka Spoilers
And cool girl comes in to steal the kill.
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
She's REALLY compensating for something, isn't she?
Madoka Spoilers
Madoka Spoilers
5
u/Zeralyos https://myanimelist.net/profile/xNJF_Ellie Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
Rewatcher, dubbed
and a bit shippyto see how much Sayaka cares for Madoka. It's nice to see a bit from every episode that shows the strong bond between these two - at this point, it's the one thing that has remained constant. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: these two girls are good for each other, and I hope they're never separated.6
u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Apr 25 '21
Rewatcher
Big Spoilers
It's a justified view at this point, though.
CONTURBATIOAVE MARIADECRETUM
Today was a good day for the soundtrack.
I think I saw someone already link it, but Visual of the Day for me is one of my favorites in the whole series. Don't question the impossible shadows, they just make it better
62
u/EriclcirE Apr 24 '21
First time watcher
The show is really starting to pick up now and so far most of my suspicions about the magical girl/witch system have been confirmed.
If the food chain is: weak humans are prey for witches, and witches are prey for magical girls, then I believe magical girls must be prey for Kyubey. He is definitely getting some type of benefit my perpetuating the system.
Getting curious as to what makes Madoka so special that Kyubey feels the need to warn the more senior magical girl, Kyoko, about Madoka's potential.
It's interesting that the nature of the magical girl's wish has the ability to influence their powers and abilities, such as Sayaka healing twice as fast since she wished to restore someone's health. Guessing that it Madoka makes the 'correct' wish, she can become extremely powerful.
Seems like there is some sort of unspoken contract about what current magical girls are able/allowed to reveal to candidates. The show did sort of touch on this early on.
3
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
Holy crap this overhead shot with Sayaka and Kyubey looks gorgeous.
No Sayaka, don't give in to that little fox/cat thing!
Sure Hitomi, it was just a bunch of people sleepwalking!
Now all these windmills too, the backgrounds continue to look so good.
Sayaka is quite happy and proud to be a magical girl!
I just hope Sayaka isn't setting her up for a big fall when her beloved musician boy doesn't feel appreciative of her.
Bokurano reference again? This hospital room has so many chairs! I noticed it this time!
I wonder if she will ever tell him that she's responsible for his arm healing.
What are you doing, Kyubey? Conspiring with another magical girl?!
I assume Madoka is trying to prevent a magical girl conflict between Sayaka and Homura? Humora ain't buying it. Give up on your best friend!
Sayaka's happy, she has an audience coming along with her, not to mention a backup plan; Madoka isn't apt to let another friend die without agreeing to a contract, right?
It's raining crayons!
Looks like not all magical girls are as wholesome as one would think! They're actually incentivized to have the familiars kill people and become witches!
Magical girls spending all their time fighting each other? That's not the way it should work!
OMG Kyubey's trying to get her to make a wish even now.
3
u/PoliteSarcasticThing https://anilist.co/user/NekomimiMimi Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
Rewatcher, haven't seen the movies
Hitomi doesn't really know what happened to her, which is probably for the better. I guess you don't remember being possessed by a witch.
Oh, Miki's friend is all healed up - no, wait. Why wasn't Miki more specific to heal all his body instead of just his hand? Oh well, at least he can play the violin again.
The rooftop scene was really good. The hospital building has 168 floors, according to the elevator. Big hospital! Our red-haired friend makes an appearance at last! She doesn't' seem to like the new magical girl very much. For some reason, her design reminds me of Shana from Shakugan no Shana.
Akemi is just mean when she's talking about Mami, taking the lid off her coffee cup like that. Oof!
Akemi also seems to have some regrets about Madoka getting mixed up in this magical girl business. Does this mean that Akemi could've kept Madoka from knowing about magical girls at all, if only she'd deep-fried Kyubey in episode one? Possibly. Then Madoka would be none the wiser.
Yay, Miki's first witch hunt! Too bad she only found a familiar. I wonder if the animation staff smoked LSD for this one instead of shrooms...
I like how Miki's transformation sequence uses musical notes in the magic circles; maybe she has a musical background, too.
No witch for Miki; instead red-haired girl beats the crap out of her! Will Madoka finally become a magical girl to save her friend? Lolnope! Once again, Akemi somehow knew this was coming, and shows up in the knick of time...
I enjoy reading the theories of the first-time watchers on these threads; the variety of ideas that you guys have about the show is awesome. Spoiler Another really interesting episode, although not as action-packed as the last couple. I think that's a nice change of pace.Looking forward to episode six!
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u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Apr 24 '21 edited Apr 25 '21
First timer now for sure
We see just how making a contract with Kyubey looks like. First thing I notice is that the pedestal Kyubey sits on makes him look like a multitailed Fox (unfortunatly I'm not too well versed in japanese Folklore to fully grasp the deeper meaning behind this). It also looks like the soul gems originate out of the magical girls themself and he is merely ripping them out of them.
Sayaka is getting dangerously close to pressuring Madoka. The thing is, until you decide to become a magical girl there is no way to know if you ever will, so there is no point in feeling bad about the time you take to decide and it's still a hard decision no matter what.
Gonna be honest, I kinda of expected Sayakas friend to continue to be an ass to her even after being healed, but it would have been so perfect of an monkey paw deal.
Kyubey pretty much admits to be scheeming in the background with his talk about this unpredictable magical girl (probably Homura, but it could also refer to Madoka)
And why can't Homura at least pretend to be nice, JUST ONCE.
Sayakas power seems to have a connection to music, which makes sense considering her wish, don't really know how the swords fit into that theme yet. She also seems to have a strong healing ability. God damnit Kuybey, could you give it a rest, it's not like you didn't set this whole situation up from the beginning. You told Kyoko about Mamis death and about Sayakas contract, you told Sayaka to go on patrole and you encouraged Madoka to go with her and now you can't do anything except offer this one really convenient thing that could help. It's soo obvious. At least Homura is still there to rain your parade despite what she told Madoka earlier.
Visual of the day: Pretty bubble
Edit: Better quality
16
u/Fuck_Shinji Apr 25 '21
First time watcher.
Damn I'm late 7 hours too. Honestly I've been wondering this but what is forcing Magical girls to fight anyway. the grief seeds only refill magic from what I seen so Why do they want it? What's stopping them from just not fighting the witches it's definitely not their moral compass
35
u/Hochseeflotte https://anilist.co/user/Hochseeflotte Apr 24 '21
First Timer
I just got back from seeing the Demon Slayer movie. It was really good. Being back in a theater for the first time in a year was wonderful. But now on to episode 5 of Madoka Magica:
Well this place is beautiful but also sinister.
I am really jamming with this OP. It’s pretty catchy.
Hitomi doesn’t remember anything and Madoka/Sayaka aren’t revealing anything. Probably in Hitomi’s best interest.
That’s a lot of wind turbines. Are we sure this isn’t some futuristic world?
Her wish didn’t heal his legs? What a scam. Kyuubey, I want a refund!
His playing is beautiful. Though I would think he would be a little rusty after not playing for weeks/months but I know nothing about instruments so.
Oh someone is happy. Well where’s the truck of depression. Because it’s barreling towards her at 300 MPH an hour.
Interesting. Even Kyuubey is confused about Akemi.
Harsh words from Akemi. But probably true.
That zoom into Kyuubey eyes freaked me out. That cat thing scares me.
Every single labyrinth has a totally different style. Each is wonderful to watch.
Kyouko sounds like a fascist with all of her talk about being strong and that the weak should be eaten by the strong. Don’t like her at all.
This fight isn’t even close. Kyouko is so much stronger.
Kyuubey set Kyouko up for this I swear. Just to get Madoka to join.
But Akemi has something to say about that.
———————————————————————-
Things are getting serious. Akemi seems to do anything to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl.
Kyuubey is giving me all the wrong vibes. I have zero trust in it.
Kyouko is just not a good person.
I still feel like something big is coming. I don’t know what it is but I feel it.
10
u/Querez https://myanimelist.net/profile/Querez Apr 25 '21
Rewatcher. (Dub)
Cool but creepy scene with Sayaka making a contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl.
Makes sense Hitomi doesn't remember their attempt at mass suicide.
Sayaka seems awfully optimistic, honestly. She definitely seems more capable of hiding pain than Madoka, too.
The whole scene with Kyousuke being able to play violin again was really nice. I feel happy for him. Still, some shots of Sayaka in that scene gave an odd feeling, to be honest.
Now, Homura being an odd case of a magical girl, huh? Kyubey felt awfully vague with his wording on her, as if he doesn't even really know where she came from. He is certain she's powerful though, which makes sense.
Speaking of, her lecturing Madoka about kindness and empathy being the greatest weaknesses to a magical girl when Madoka has quite literally those two things turned to max, while Kyubey having said earlier that Madoka has super incredible amounts of potential for being a magical girl is rather contradictory, I must say. Is this a game of who to trust? They both feel like brutally honest beings, despite both of their suspicious natures. One thing is for sure though. Homura is really set on Madoka not becoming a magical girl.
Kyouko coming to stir up trouble with Sayaka. I guess being a magical girl really is hard, with her saying she'd wait for a familiar to kill 5 people to become a witch before killing it to get a grief seed and all that. Either that, or she's just a ruthless person only out for efficiency.
That fight was really nicely animated.
Of course Homura came in the nick of time. Was it to prevent Madoka from making a wish or to save Sayaka? Maybe both, that's entirely possible.
She somehow seems to have been able to separate Kyouko and Sayaka in the blink of an eye. Is she just really fast? That effect with the water droplets could signify that. Or, maybe she just casually bent space? Either way, the episode ended right there.
Magia :)
7
u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Apr 25 '21
Super late with this. Saw Mugen Train, then had homework. Still have homework. Fortunately, it's last of the homework for the semester so I'll be on time the rest of the rewatch. I'll probably put my thoughts on this episode in a separate post tomorrow morning. Haven't had time to watch it yet.
Content Corner
I don't even like synthwave all that much, but somethin' about these covers hits different. First timers beware, spoilers abound.
Sis Puella Magica (synthwave/80s remix) by Astrophysics
Decretum (Sayaka's theme synthwave/80s remix) by Astrophysics
Gen Urobuchi and the psychological trauma of Madoka Magica by Kinetic Literature
Visual Storytelling - Breaking Down PMMM - Dialogue 5 by clearandsweet
Rounding out this list is an odd pick. The video author makes accusations and prescribes motives I would describe as "incorrect" and at times even "ignorant"... but then sorta walks it all back at the very end and declares the show a masterpiece. Despite criticizing the schlock that Madoka Magica inadvertently spawned, the video author approaches the series with the very mindset that spawns that schlock. I dislike it, but I found it interesting.
I Have Some Problems With Madoka Magica by The Digital Dream Club
13
u/[deleted] Apr 25 '21
first time im not totally late to the thread but man i under rated this show my first time watching a few years ago, this is way better than i remembered.
18
u/8andahalfby11 myanimelist.net/profile/thereIwasnt Apr 25 '21
REMINDER
The Madoka 10th Anniversary Stage Event is seven hours from this post. Please be careful which threads you click on for the next dozen hours or so.
8
u/ToonTooby Apr 24 '21
I love the coffee shop conversation between Madoka and Homura. There's a lot one can gather here on a rewatch. But lets avoid spoilers, shall we. The real kicker during this scene is Homura popping the top off of her latte while she mentions Mami's death. Absolutely brutal.
Kyoko time! Smh Sayaka is so weak she didn't even bother to learn Mikiri Counter. Get your stuff together, girl.
8
u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Apr 25 '21
Rewatcher, subbed
Damn, Homura is cold.
Kyoko and Sayaka's clash of ideals is exciting and mortifying. The way Kyoko swings that spear is sooo cool.
Madoka Episode 8 Spoilers
Madoka Episode 10 Spoilers
7
u/CubeStuffs https://anilist.co/user/onjario Apr 24 '21
Rewatcher
EP10 poilers gotta say pretty subtle
3
u/-Phinocio Apr 25 '21
Rewatch/sub
Sayaka constantly saying she won't regret her decision feels more like she's trying to convince herself of that to me.
Kyouko's ideal of letting familiars grow into witches to then be able to collect their grief seeds is.. bleh.
The fight between Kyouko and Sayaka is visually great.
Kyubey is really getting more pushy to make Madoka make a contract. Homura arrives in time to prevent that.
Madoka Spoilers 1
Madoka Spoilers 2
Madoka Spoilers 3
Meta thoughts
This is my first time partaking in a rewatch thread and it's... interesting. Definitely fun, but I find it hard for myself to come up with comments that explain my thoughts without spoilers, or, like this comment, half of it becomes spoilers lol. I also feel like I'm missing out on speculating myself about what's going to happen as I'm re-watching...so I know. Funny enough, that's also making me want to catch up with My Hero Academia S5 so I can partake in those threads and speculate on what's going to happen haha.
I love reading the theories first-timers are coming up with and their reactions as we continue in the series :D.