Friday, January 21, 2011

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica episode 3

So sometimes when I am blogging I will write the first section before I even watch the episode. I have no idea why since one’s mood will change after watching said episode but I do. The spoilers however are always AFTER the episode for obvious reason.

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This week I had to erase what I had already written because…just wow folks. For the record I had something along the lines of “I was having a pretty crappy day and this anime is so awesome and it really cheered me up”. Because at the time I thought that this WOULD cheer me up. The anime is interesting and going in weird directions so I thought that would be a truthful paragraph.

In light of what happened in the episode I felt as if that would be…..wrong to say. Just no. This is not a cheer up episode folks. And given the fact I have been an emotional wreck for two days let me say the tears are flowing on this one. You have been warned.

But Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is still a kick ass show. Just in a shit got real way.



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Me thinks you should rethink this magical girl gig...

Episode Summary: The episode starts off with Sayaka going to visit some boy in the hospital. His name is Kamijo and something seems to be wrong with his arm. Sayaka brings him some classic music CD’s and Kamijo cries as he listens to the music. Sayaka thinks back to when she first met the boy and he was playing the violin. Sayaka and Madoka join Mami on another witch hunt but this one is easy as it was not a real witch yet. Sayaka explains that she thinks she has thought of a wish (helping out that boy) but Mami warns her against using her wish for someone else as it might not turn out how she plans. When asked Mami reveals she never had a wish. She was in a car accident (that probably killed her family) and Kyubey offered her a magical girl spot to save her life. OH OKAY. Later that night Madoka reveals that her real wish is to be like Mami. Probably not a good idea. Madoka’s mom then comes home drunk and there are some weird scenes involving that. Mami and Homura then have a bit of a showdown at the park. Homura doesn’t want the girls to become magical girls and Mami is like shut the eff up.

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No so epic epic showdown?

Madoka and Sayaka go to visit the boy in the hospital but they are unable to see him that day. While leaving the hospital the girls spot a grief seed. Madoka runs off to get Mami while Kyubey and Sayaka guard the seed. Mami and Madoka return and it is creepy maze time. Homura shows up and is like mog the witch is going to be hard let me do this. Mami is like no and ties her up. Mami then leads Madoka through the maze of mazes. Madoka then says her wish is to be a person like Mami, one who fights to protect people. She wants to be useful and Mami is her dream. Mami is touched but pretends not to be. She jokes off the situation by talking about cake and such. But she is happy she doesn’t have to through this alone. She leads Madoka to the witch and is like watch this. She battles the witch rather quickly but it revealed that the witch had a second, more dangerous form. It morphs and bites Mami’s head off. Sayaka and Madoka are horrified AS THEY SHOULD BE while Kyubey is like tell me your wishes so you can morph. Homura shows up as Mami’s powers disappeared when her head got bitten off and she kills the witch. While Sayaka and Madoka are crying on the ground Homura is like see, this is why you don’t become a magical girl. THE END!

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Um this is a magical girl show?

Yes folks you are reading this right. In a show that many people regarded as just another magical girl show one of the main characters, perhaps the strongest girl thus far, just got her head bitten off in the third episode.

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.........So yeah....

Bitten off people. Not on a little stabbed and went gently into that sweet night. Her head was bitten off and then the rest of her was eaten by some crazy jack in the box creature.

BITTEN OFF.

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I would be crying too if I were you. I didn't see you in that dream with Madoka thinking about helping Homura.

So one can see now why I had to remove the YAY this show really cheered me up aspect of my opening right? Because cheering on the fact that someone just got their head bitten off would be slightly rude.

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Um....so what happened to them?

But before Mami got her head bitten off this show was already going down a dark path. Sayaka thought she had thought of a good and what I thought was reasonable wish. Some person in the hospital (relation was not given at this time but Madoka knows the boy and he seems not to be related to Sayaka) is sick, probably dying. Or maybe Kamijo really can’t play the violin ever again the hospital stay is just all dramatic. Whatever. Sayaka wants to wish him better. This makes sense yes?

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The truth usually hurts.

According to Mami this might not be a good wish to be making. Her line of thinking though is not something of horror movies though, when you think you are making a good wish but it gets interpreted into something negative and not what you want. No it really has to do with the reasoning behind the wish. Do you really want that person to be happy or do you want them to thank you, be the hero of the day and treated as such.

Either way it causes Sayaka to rethink her wish. Sayaka I got your back. If someone I loved was sick and dying I wish them healthy again. And while I think thanking the person who saves your life is a natural response to that type of situation I wouldn’t expect it. I probably be too happy I saved their life.

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What a fabulous life she has had...

Then we get a little back story on Mami. Which at this point might be the only back story we are given since her head was bitten off. Turns out Mami never got to make a wish. At all. What it looks like happen her family got in a car accident and died. Mami was moments away from going splat herself and TADA Kyubey is there to save the day. So obviously her wish was to stay alive. Which is probably not very fair since her wish could only be granted by risking her life on a daily basis.

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Okay people, you are pulling at my heart strings now.


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Baw!! Everything is making me bawwwwwww in this episode.

So given all this information I think that Mami should be the one telling Madoka and Sayaka not to be magical girls. Like maybe Homura has the right idea here folks and we don’t even know her reasoning yet. But later it is revealed that Mami was super lonely in this life style and while knowing the risks she is happy to have (well WOULD HAVE HAD) two people to fight alongside her. So it is slightly selfish of her not wanting to be alone I don’t blame Mami. If these girls are going to fight witches Mami might as well be a part of a group while doing so yes?

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Thanks dad, hot chocolate will make everything better.

Oh and then we got Madoka’s mom coming home drunk. And her dad makes Madoka help put mommy drunkie to bed. Like wtf is that? Be the adult and put your wife to bed yourself. I mean I would go on that one should not come home plastered like that but it is given in Japan to work up in a business one has to go to the bars and drink with co-workers. I don’t understand it and I don’t think it is healthy but I can see how a woman would feel more pressure to drink and show the guys she is just as…worthy I guess. But that is something that should be kept away from children. However since Madoka saw her friend get her head bitten off this is the least of Madoka’s problems.

The amount of symbolism leading up the head bitting was lost on me until I went to a few forums and saw the pictures. I guess the creepy world is a bit much for me and some of the scenes go by too fast for me. But yeah a bunch of headless cross people. HMM PEOPLE HMMM.

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Behold Homura, the new leader?

For the record I do think that Mami was right to tie Homura up. I don’t see that as arrogance to hold her back. Homura really can’t be trusted at this point and they got beef so yeah. That part I am okay with. And I really don’t know how Homura knew this witch was different from the rest. So I don’t think Mami was too full of herself or whatever. Maybe her smile was a bit premature after she defeated the witch’s level one form but I don’t think she did anything wrong.

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But I was going to be happy!!!

And then Mami got her head bitten off. Really I should have known. Mami was so excited about not being alone in life anymore. Home girl lost her family, nearly died, and was only alive by risking her life fighting disgusting witches. Things were looking up for her, as up as things could get and she got her head bitten off by a monster that I couldn’t think of in my worst nightmare.

I don’t know how much more I can say about Mami’s death. It was horrible, unexpected, and probably traumatizing to Madoka and Sayaka. I do think that deep down Homura is upset and is just putting on a cold act to protect Madoka and Sayaka. I think that Homura is equally as sad and perhaps lost a partner in a similar way.

And I do think the death was real. Well really important. If it was unexpected it did fit into the theme of this show. Which is dark and bloody and magical girls are expendable. So while I am DEEPLY UPSET that Mami got her head bitten off well….Mami did say that this was dangerous and the decision to be a magical girl shouldn’t be made lightly. I don’t know how much more “real” things could have gotten.

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Right. Because I totally want to be a magical girl after witnessing my teacher GET HER HEAD BITTEN OFF!

And despite Kyubey being cute and adorable I think I hate him. I mean…maybe his face is suck in a smile but if the next words out of his mouth aren’t WISH MAMI BACK TO LIFE I hate him. That little creature is creepy and something is up with him. Maybe Homura wasn’t so far off trying to kill him. And given the fact that this show is not following any typical magical girl track I wouldn’t be surprised If Kyubey was really a witch and the only way to regain his power is to get magical girls killed or something.

I’m just saying people.

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This shouldn't be happening to us!!!

So…yeah folks. Main character death in the 3rd episode. Thanks for cheering me up!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. She beat Alois by like five episodes in the early death category!

Umm, actually thank you for the summary because apparently I missed about half of everything that went on. I thought that the boy S. visited was her mom until about 2/3 thru the episode, and that the bandage was to show she had tried to slit her wrist. See, my version is darker still.

Totally missed that Mami was orphaned which I agree makes sense. Thank you for pointing out that one, you win the darkness prize there! Also winning the prize by saying Madoka's mom's a drunk since I thought her back went out like Samantha on Sex and the City in one of many useless and annoying scenes. So you get two prizes!

Also kinda missed the obviousness of the head biting off bit -- yeah obviously she was nommed and died and I saw that, but your stills really reinforce the she has no head! part of it all.

Until now Mami reminded me of Glinda from Oz and therefore made me suspect that she was actually a force of badness in disguise, which Glinda was not but whatever. So I went along thinking, yeah Madoka, idolize her now, she'll try to destroy you later. Then she got nommed so now I am again confused. I guess, I'm 90% sure she's gone but 10% think she may be back which if you go by the tone of this episode IS NOT A GOOD THING. So I call a Zombie-Mami return! Hafta see ...

Anyway, WTF Shaft!?!

Christina said...

Anonymous- I think the very nature of this show can be overwhelming at times and a lot of us are missing the small details. Like there is a split second scene where a bunch of headless people are on crosses that I didn't see at all. X__X And even when I looked back at my own screenies I noticed how they "told" you Mami got her head bitten off. If you look at the top the screen is "running" like blood being split. So yeah a lot of stuff is getting missed by everyone so don't feel bad.

And I thought that Mami was either way too be good to be true OR a sad little girl waiting for friends. Maybe even both. She seemed too perfect. But yeah now it seems like the cute mascot is the real villain in most people's eyes.

Just...X_X Not expecting that at all.

MR said...

"Mami is touched but pretends not to be."

Wut. Pretends not to be? Holding hands, crying in front of Madoka, talking about how she's not alone any more, etc...