Lian watches Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Episode 4
Episode 4 - "Miracles and Magic Are Real"
1. Sayaka is trying to help Kamijo, and she sees what happened to him as an injustice - the accident befell him (a talented violonist) out of all people, and not her, who cannot do anything special with her perfectly functioning fingers. She is revolted against the hazardous world she lives in, resenting the indiscriminate, random way in which misfortune strikes. And it's not just because it happened to the boy she likes - in a previous episode, she considers it unfair that she was given the opportunity to make her deepest wish come true, when she can't even think of one thing she desperately wants. Instead, her thoughts are with those in misery and pain, each one of them having a wish for which they would sacrifice everything.
2. Sayaka toys with the idea of using her wish on Kamijo, for whom she clearly has feelings, and chastises herself for wanting him to reciprocate her feelings in her rescue fantasy scenario.
*
She thinks it's low of her to wish him to like her back in exchange for her healing him. She's beating herself down for a perfectly normal and human train of thought. Sayaka holds herself to high standards, and I love her for that. She hates injustice. She recognizes selfishness in herself. Bless your heart, Sayaka Miki. You are a wonderful character.
3. Junko <3 Perfect mom is perfect! I love how the anime allows her to balance her family and her work without making her to be the aloof career woman who neglects her children in favor of her job.
Can the Kaname family please adopt me?
4. Quite understandably, Madoka is deeply affected by what happened to poor Mami, and is shown to have become more aware of how awesome her life and her family are.
*
My poor, perfect baby.
*
She cannot receive their support in this matter - she and Sayaka must process this horror on their own. Can you imagine how terrible it must be for them? Imagine knowing that suicides and unexplained disappearances are caused by something supernatural. You know what's going on, but you cannot tell anyone. On top of that, you also know that unless you agree to a lonely life of battle and sacrifice, you cannot stop the evil forces from making more and more victims. Oh and then you witness a highly skilled fighter of light GETTING GRUESOMELY DEVOURED WHOLE. In front of you.
And you cannot tell anyone.
5. How is their teacher still holding on to her job? She keeps inserting her anxieties and rebuttals about spinster stereotypes into her teaching. It's exhausting.
*
She's teaching English.
*
6. Knowledge has isolated them not just from everyone else around them, but from their own lives as well. It's a heavy burden for such young, innocent girls.
*
*
7. That look Kyubey had when Sayaka turned the subject to whether Madoka still wanted to become a Puella Magica. *shivers*
*
The most sinister magical creature ever created.
*
Kyubey's design is interesting. He's a sort of mash-up between a cat, a rabbit and a weasel. With a hint of angelic, brought in my opinion by its white fur and wing-like ears and the golden gircles around it. I'm not sure if I make the association subconsciously, but he reminds me most of a weasel - a cunning trickster animal. (Post-series note: It's pretty clear now that Kyubey's body was designed by his race specifically to appeal to teenage girls - he is small, cute and constantly smiling. His size allows him to travel unnoticed, and his appearance makes girls trust him more. After all, how can something so cute be anything but good? His victims see him as a cute and innocent critter, and this is why they are less likely to pay attention to his behavior and his words. Even up until this point in the series, Kyubey has shown up at suspiciously convenient times and has pressured both Madoka and Sayaka several times to make a contract with him. He has shown no sorrow over Mami's gruesome death, nor has he attempted to offer any comfort to Madoka and Sayaka.
But that's the thing - we might see through his behavior because we're older. Kyubey selects teenage girls because they are a perfect blend of physical potential and gullibility. A child would be easier to trick but not a very effective fighter and would probably be better emotionally equipped to deal with the life of a magical girl, thus beating the purpose of dying fast and releasing tons of energy. An adult would be a good fighter and maybe even cope well with this kind of life, but would be infinitely more difficult to trick. Adults ask questions.)
8. The conversation turns to what will happen to the city now that Mami is gone. A new Puella Magica will probably move in soon, and it's not likely she will be as nice and self-sacrificing as Mami.
*
Kyubey lies the manipulation on thick when he (it?) implies that Sayaka has no right to criticize the magical girls who only hunt witches for their grief seeds, because only magical girls can do that. By saying those words, he reminds Sayaka that she is in Limbo - she cannot go back to her old life anymore, and she's not a magical girl either. She is stuck somewhere in the middle, in no-man's land. This puts pressure on her to make the contract and join the fight.
9. (Post-series note: When the girls seem turned off by the idea of sacrificing their lives in exchange for something that they don't 100% feel that they want, Kyubey has this to say:
*
Kyubey never outright lies. While he does not understand how the girls feel in the sense of empathizing with them, he understands their state of mind and thought processes, and as a result knows how to manipulate them accordingly).
10. (Post-series note: "It's a shame, but hey, I can't force you" says the most repulsive magical creature ever to show up on my computer screen. Oh, Kyubey. You're so much more refined than that. You either use manipulation until they relent or you go to them at the very moment when they cannot possibly refuse.
Also, note how dismissive he is to Sayaka, and by contrast how nice he is to Madoka. He thanks Madoka and tells her goodbye, without even acknowledging the other girl).
*
Shove it, Kyubey. And make sure it hurts!
*
11. THANK YOU HOMURA for pointing out that Madoka's reluctance to trade her amazing life for a single wish and risk ending up like Mami is perfecly normal and understandable.
*
Bringing back Madoka from the edge. All is forgiven, Homura.
12. (Post-series note: "It sounds like you've been doing this for a while, Homura," says Madoka, oblivious to the sound of my breaking heart. She has no idea how long Homura has been going through this increasingly tragic cycle for her sake.
*
*
Oh Madoka, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. She has seen everyone, including you, die many times. In horrible ways! It really is gut-wrenching to watch this anime a second time, because these scenes with Homura stop being annoyingly cryptic and start kicking you in the feels mercilessly. I tried to throw in the towel, but they just kept going.
A magical girl's family will never get any closure if she dies while inside a witch's barrier. She disappears forever from this world, leaving her anguished relatives and friends to wonder what happened to her, to spend all their time and even money trying to find her. Of course Madoka is disturbed by the idea of being killed, lost and obliterated from this world and what it would mean to her family.)
13. You know, my mother never told me about the trick with the cleaning liquids. I had to find about it from a Detective Conan episode.
14. Sayaka is anguished by Kamijo's desperation and tells him miracles and magic are real, which-
*
OH HI KYUBEY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE LEAVING?
*
Why does nobody in this anime ask themselves why Kyubey always shows up when they have the slightest inclination to become a magical girl? (Post-series note: Kyubey is likely watching them 24/7 with his many bodies. He has been literally stalking these girls on the clock for at least several days.
15. You know what I find interesting? The way Kyubey wields language as a weapon of deceit, making full use of its ambiguity to pursue in his manipulation. In the strictest sense of the word, he is not a liar. He is just a master of language and psychology - although the little snotbubble shouldn't be too proud of that: after all, he's had thousands of years worth of practice. Many times, the girls simply assume that he means something when in reality he means something else.)
1. Sayaka is trying to help Kamijo, and she sees what happened to him as an injustice - the accident befell him (a talented violonist) out of all people, and not her, who cannot do anything special with her perfectly functioning fingers. She is revolted against the hazardous world she lives in, resenting the indiscriminate, random way in which misfortune strikes. And it's not just because it happened to the boy she likes - in a previous episode, she considers it unfair that she was given the opportunity to make her deepest wish come true, when she can't even think of one thing she desperately wants. Instead, her thoughts are with those in misery and pain, each one of them having a wish for which they would sacrifice everything.
2. Sayaka toys with the idea of using her wish on Kamijo, for whom she clearly has feelings, and chastises herself for wanting him to reciprocate her feelings in her rescue fantasy scenario.
*
She thinks it's low of her to wish him to like her back in exchange for her healing him. She's beating herself down for a perfectly normal and human train of thought. Sayaka holds herself to high standards, and I love her for that. She hates injustice. She recognizes selfishness in herself. Bless your heart, Sayaka Miki. You are a wonderful character.
3. Junko <3 Perfect mom is perfect! I love how the anime allows her to balance her family and her work without making her to be the aloof career woman who neglects her children in favor of her job.
Can the Kaname family please adopt me?
4. Quite understandably, Madoka is deeply affected by what happened to poor Mami, and is shown to have become more aware of how awesome her life and her family are.
*
My poor, perfect baby.
*
She cannot receive their support in this matter - she and Sayaka must process this horror on their own. Can you imagine how terrible it must be for them? Imagine knowing that suicides and unexplained disappearances are caused by something supernatural. You know what's going on, but you cannot tell anyone. On top of that, you also know that unless you agree to a lonely life of battle and sacrifice, you cannot stop the evil forces from making more and more victims. Oh and then you witness a highly skilled fighter of light GETTING GRUESOMELY DEVOURED WHOLE. In front of you.
And you cannot tell anyone.
5. How is their teacher still holding on to her job? She keeps inserting her anxieties and rebuttals about spinster stereotypes into her teaching. It's exhausting.
*
She's teaching English.
*
6. Knowledge has isolated them not just from everyone else around them, but from their own lives as well. It's a heavy burden for such young, innocent girls.
*
*
7. That look Kyubey had when Sayaka turned the subject to whether Madoka still wanted to become a Puella Magica. *shivers*
*
The most sinister magical creature ever created.
*
Kyubey's design is interesting. He's a sort of mash-up between a cat, a rabbit and a weasel. With a hint of angelic, brought in my opinion by its white fur and wing-like ears and the golden gircles around it. I'm not sure if I make the association subconsciously, but he reminds me most of a weasel - a cunning trickster animal. (Post-series note: It's pretty clear now that Kyubey's body was designed by his race specifically to appeal to teenage girls - he is small, cute and constantly smiling. His size allows him to travel unnoticed, and his appearance makes girls trust him more. After all, how can something so cute be anything but good? His victims see him as a cute and innocent critter, and this is why they are less likely to pay attention to his behavior and his words. Even up until this point in the series, Kyubey has shown up at suspiciously convenient times and has pressured both Madoka and Sayaka several times to make a contract with him. He has shown no sorrow over Mami's gruesome death, nor has he attempted to offer any comfort to Madoka and Sayaka.
But that's the thing - we might see through his behavior because we're older. Kyubey selects teenage girls because they are a perfect blend of physical potential and gullibility. A child would be easier to trick but not a very effective fighter and would probably be better emotionally equipped to deal with the life of a magical girl, thus beating the purpose of dying fast and releasing tons of energy. An adult would be a good fighter and maybe even cope well with this kind of life, but would be infinitely more difficult to trick. Adults ask questions.)
8. The conversation turns to what will happen to the city now that Mami is gone. A new Puella Magica will probably move in soon, and it's not likely she will be as nice and self-sacrificing as Mami.
*
Kyubey lies the manipulation on thick when he (it?) implies that Sayaka has no right to criticize the magical girls who only hunt witches for their grief seeds, because only magical girls can do that. By saying those words, he reminds Sayaka that she is in Limbo - she cannot go back to her old life anymore, and she's not a magical girl either. She is stuck somewhere in the middle, in no-man's land. This puts pressure on her to make the contract and join the fight.
9. (Post-series note: When the girls seem turned off by the idea of sacrificing their lives in exchange for something that they don't 100% feel that they want, Kyubey has this to say:
*
Kyubey never outright lies. While he does not understand how the girls feel in the sense of empathizing with them, he understands their state of mind and thought processes, and as a result knows how to manipulate them accordingly).
10. (Post-series note: "It's a shame, but hey, I can't force you" says the most repulsive magical creature ever to show up on my computer screen. Oh, Kyubey. You're so much more refined than that. You either use manipulation until they relent or you go to them at the very moment when they cannot possibly refuse.
Also, note how dismissive he is to Sayaka, and by contrast how nice he is to Madoka. He thanks Madoka and tells her goodbye, without even acknowledging the other girl).
*
Shove it, Kyubey. And make sure it hurts!
*
11. THANK YOU HOMURA for pointing out that Madoka's reluctance to trade her amazing life for a single wish and risk ending up like Mami is perfecly normal and understandable.
*
Bringing back Madoka from the edge. All is forgiven, Homura.
12. (Post-series note: "It sounds like you've been doing this for a while, Homura," says Madoka, oblivious to the sound of my breaking heart. She has no idea how long Homura has been going through this increasingly tragic cycle for her sake.
*
*
Oh Madoka, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. She has seen everyone, including you, die many times. In horrible ways! It really is gut-wrenching to watch this anime a second time, because these scenes with Homura stop being annoyingly cryptic and start kicking you in the feels mercilessly. I tried to throw in the towel, but they just kept going.
A magical girl's family will never get any closure if she dies while inside a witch's barrier. She disappears forever from this world, leaving her anguished relatives and friends to wonder what happened to her, to spend all their time and even money trying to find her. Of course Madoka is disturbed by the idea of being killed, lost and obliterated from this world and what it would mean to her family.)
13. You know, my mother never told me about the trick with the cleaning liquids. I had to find about it from a Detective Conan episode.
14. Sayaka is anguished by Kamijo's desperation and tells him miracles and magic are real, which-
*
OH HI KYUBEY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE LEAVING?
*
Why does nobody in this anime ask themselves why Kyubey always shows up when they have the slightest inclination to become a magical girl? (Post-series note: Kyubey is likely watching them 24/7 with his many bodies. He has been literally stalking these girls on the clock for at least several days.
15. You know what I find interesting? The way Kyubey wields language as a weapon of deceit, making full use of its ambiguity to pursue in his manipulation. In the strictest sense of the word, he is not a liar. He is just a master of language and psychology - although the little snotbubble shouldn't be too proud of that: after all, he's had thousands of years worth of practice. Many times, the girls simply assume that he means something when in reality he means something else.)