Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica episodes 12: Of sparkles and ribbons

Well obviously I went to bed before blogging episode 12. I really think between the back to back episodes and reading discussions online my broken brain needed some sleep. Not that sleep protected me from overthinking. Dreaming about red eyes in the dark and random bombs in the water makes me think even while unconscious this episode has had an impact on me.

But having time to reflect personally on this episode and reading other people’s opinions will make this post better. Because if my Scream 4 post wasn’t enough proof my best thinking/typing is not done at 2 am. No it is better after working 10 hours straight with crazy insane people.

Homura is really not having the best life ever....

Spoilers for what I consider the best show of 2011. Maybe in December I will be singing a different show but for now A+ for Madoka.

I don't think you will be smiling for much longer my dear evil one.

Episode Summary: Madoka apologizes to Homura and says she will become a magical girl. Homura cries because she has lost her mind and now thinks it was all for nothing. Madoka acknowledges that perhaps she was a big useless crybaby up until this point because of Homura’s protection. But it’s okay folks, Madoka has a plan. Kyubey is like WOOHOO finally Madoka is going to be a magical girl, I don’t care how impossible the wish is! Madoka takes a deep breath and wishes to erase every single witch past present and future before they are born from existence. Kyubey gets worried because Madoka’s power level is over 9000 and at this rate who knows what will happen. Madoka doesn’t care what happens to her, she just wants to protect the girls who had pure wishes from becoming despair to those around them. Madoka demands that Kyubey fulfills her wish and everything goes white. There is a brief scene with Madoka talking to Mami and Kyoko, tips about how to be a magical girl. Over cake and tea like people aren’t DEAD or something.

Wait we are dead? Well it is still tea time so suck it.

Madoka morphs into her magical girl self and her weapon appears. She shoots off into the sky which breaks off into other arrows. She then travels across the world and time to stop the previous magical girls before they become witches. They smile as their souls are saved. Some disappear while others continue on in their lives believing in themselves. Madoka defeats the big witch but it is not revealed who it was. Homura is transported to what looks like the moon and is shown what is going to happen now because of the wish. Madoka’s soul gem is really a comet and she herself becomes a witch. But because of the wish Madoka is able to super morph and kill the witch. Madoka appears to die and is erased from history. She instead becomes a force that is always combating the witches before they take over.

Apparently soul gem and MASSIVE COMET OF PURE CONCENTRATED EVIL/GRIEF are the same word to Kyubey.

Naked sparkly blob Homura is NOT happy with this turn of events but naked sparkly blob Madoka comforts her and tells her all will be okay. Madoka also says she understands all the past universes Homura created and how Homura did her best to save her. She thanks her for the valiant effort. Madoka promises to be with Homura ever in her new nonexistent form and not to cry. Homura of course cries as Madoka gives Homura her hair ribbons and says HEY maybe a miracle will occur and we can meet again one day. Madoka breaks off into sparkles and Homura is returned to the real world. Madoka goes to rescue Sayaka. It is unclear why but Kamijo’s future will change if Madoka saves Sayaka’s soul and Madoka is sorry for that. Sayaka says it is okay and is glad he could play again. Kamijo seems to be more successful in this timeline and shows some remembrance of Sayaka. This new reset universe has started in the middle of timeline three, with Sayaka dying. Only this time she is not a witch but simply disappears as that is what happens to Magical Girls once they use all their energy. Mami and Kyoko are very upset that Sayaka is gone but accept that as their fate in life. Homura starts crying over Madoka and Kyoko and Mami are…who is that? A time later Homura is walking through a park and sees Madoka’s family. The younger brother says the name Madoka a million times but no one knows who she is. Madoka’s mom is happy when she hears the name Madoka but doesn’t know who that person is.

That might be the understatement of the century my friend...

Later Kyubey is like…..oh so let me get this straight. I used to be an evil villain and you girls would turn into witches instead of hunting demons? That is crazy talk! But Kyubey says that would have been an easier way of collecting energy, instead of this demon hunting that manifests from the evil in everyone’s hearts. Homura decides it is not worth trying to convince Kyubey and jumps to the ground to defeat the demons. After the credits Homura is still fighting demons but with a Madoka like weapon. During the battle wings appear on her back and things get all sparkly like they did in the “oh do we still exist” plane. Madoka is heard cheering on Homura and Homura smiles as she fights the demons. THE END!! X__X

Longest summary ever, I suck. Seriously do I have to write anything else since I said everything already?

But holy crap folks. This series has ended and I still don’t know how I feel inside. I do feel as if the ending was pretty amazing but after waiting so long for this episode I am sure that has put rose colored glasses over my eyes. And from what I have had read over the internets people either LOVE this ending or hate it. But since I have not seen Neon Genesis Evangelion I am on team MOG GREAT.

I am going to be like Homura and make my wish endless so screw you Kyubey!

While we don’t know Madoka’s previous wishes were this one….was pretty awesome. In the face of no hope Madoka found a way to make a really, really bad situation just….semi bad. Now do I think she spent the entire series thinking this wish up? No I don’t. And she also got lucky in the fact that Homura “gave” her that much power to allow that wish to be granted. That is truly where Homura’s hard work paid off.

All Madoka ever wanted was to make people happy and now she gets her ultimate wish. To protect the wishes of every girl before and after her.

And that was really the whole point of this show. To put Madoka through so much that she would have to make a wish that would stop the cycle of pain. Some may say that is predictable but for me seeing it play out was the real fun. Because it would have been too easy to wish Mami back. Or to wish Sayaka back. Or to go back in time like Homura to stop it. Because then it would keep on happening. No we had to see Madoka experience all sides of the misery of being a magical girl and then still become a magical girl to save them all. Because Madoka had hope that magical girls were still a positive thing to be.

You are still toast but now you can die knowing your wish did not bring about a witch that would one day kill countless people! SMILES FOR ALL!!!

But I am not calling this a happy ending folks. Because in a series where the main character gets munched in episode 3 I don’t see a happy ending in sight. Instead this was the best possible outcome. Despite Madoka having that much power she still couldn’t stop all the evil in the world. The matter of Kyubey needing to collect energy so the entire universe doesn’t die had to happen. That is a given. If Madoka eliminated all the evil in the world it would probably erase all the good. So instead she gave magical girls peace of mind. You are still in danger of dying but instead of becoming a destructive force you instead just….disappear. The witches are replaced by demons and the girls don’t have to live in fear that one wrong move will turn them into a witch themselves.

Now what are the demons? I have seen several theories on the internet. One is that the demons are Madoka’s releases of grief. She had to take in all the emotions of the girls before they die and that negative energy had to turn into something. But since Madoka herself smooshed the culmination of that grief (witch Madoka) I am not sure about that. Another theory is the demons are the evils from every day people, all of us across the world and that the magical girls must destroy them before things get out of hand. I like that theory as evil takes a hold of everyone at one point and that the blame shouldn’t be only on the girls TRYING to save the world.

In any event Madoka made the perfect wish. I do think Homura telling Madoka about the possible futures that would happen if Madoka became a magical girl helped shape this wish. Again Madoka didn’t know she was too magical for her own good but I do think Homura finally being honest with Madoka stopped the cycle of pain. That and Madoka crying about everything being so cruel finally makes sense as she now wants to save EVERYONE and not just Homura.

Tenchi approves of the new, older ass kicking Madoka.

Because of Madoka’s wish she is able to kick her own ass when she becomes a witch. I am sure that is much like going back in time and changing the future so time travel DOES exist but I am going to roll with it. Plus Madoka was so pretty I tend to forget about those tiny details.

Translation: Thanks for making me a huge baby for the entire series.

I also like that Madoka acknowledges what fans have been saying for a while. The Madoka from episodes 1-11 was not the person Homura was really trying to save. But the Madoka post wish was. She was the strong girl that was trying to save the world and knew all that Homura had done to save her. So thank you Madoka for accepting that you spent most of your time crying and being hysterical and that is because Homura protected your butt for so long.

Don't cry Homura. I am just an entity that can never touch or talk to you ever again. HAPPY ENDINGS FOR ALL!

I am not sure why Homura didn’t have a mental breakdown. She spent who knows how many months, years trying to save Madoka and Madoka wishes herself into nothing (or everything depending on your perspective). All she wanted was Madoka happy and alive with her little family and instead Madoka got an eternity of battling would be witches and no one would know it. Now Homura was never meant to save Madoka. Madoka just didn’t want to become a witch. She wanted to stop the pain. Homura was meant to make Madoka have no regrets and she fulfilled that role. Just Homura should have lost her damn mind somewhere along the way.

Now in regards to Sayaka saying goodbye to Kamijo….yeah I don’t know folks. I don’t know WHY his future would change. It appears that Sayaka made the same wish, to fix his arm. So why he goes from auditioning to being famous and how this undoes all of Sayaka’s hard work makes no sense to me at all. If anyone has information on this please let me know.

And Sayaka was never happy the end!

But Madoka and Sayaka saying goodbye to each other was touching. It appears that Sayaka was an unstable girl no matter what and she was fated to die. Which is funny as Mami splats each universe but oh Sayaka is the real crazy one. But Sayaka not becoming a witch made her happy so that is all that matters.

A little clarification on what would make a girl disappear would be nice.

It appears in this new universe the girls are told the rules before the contract is made. ALL THE RULES! Because there was no tears or gnashing of teeth when Sayaka died. Just WHY NOW?!?!?! Mami accepted it and didn’t go on a mass killing spree. Now I would like more information on why the girls disappear instead of just living on. Sayaka doesn’t count as she is insane and maybe the same rules apply in regards to being a ZOMBIE. Mami says something about being led astray but what appears to have happen is Sayaka ran out of energy. So which is it?

See! She is still alive and not....disappeared. So I think there is hope for all magical girls.

To me I hope it is just Sayaka being the depressed child she is and that Homura, Kyoko, and Mami will live on for quite a while because they don’t think they are unworthy. That the girls who “disappeared” in the past did so because they died in battle due to lack of energy and not because of something else. We saw other girls living on after their soul gems were cleared of darkness so hopefully that is the case. And I have now confused myself so moving on.

This might be funny if it wasn't so damn SAD!!!!

Homura talking to Madoka’s family was just twisting the knife in an opened wound. I don’t know what that did except show that Homura really is the most unfortunate person ever.

So in a universe where you are not evil you still wish to be evil. I see.

But the scene with Kyubey was excellent. In this new universe he is not the evil mascot but…..in the middle. He is more honest with the girls but when presented with information on the previous world he agrees that killing people would be a better way to gather energy. I am not sure how I feel about Homura being so close to Kyubey as she does know the truth. I rather her just not try to actively kill him. But I like that even in a changed universe Kyubey still is a devil inside.

While some people think that Homura was fighting in a post-apocalyptic world I do not. I think that demons have a different plane of existence just as the witches and that is where Homura went for her final scene. Not everyone died because hello that would really screw Madoka’s wish up yes?

It's not about the glittery wings or the action. It was always about Homura and Madoka.

Even though I think Homura is the most unfortunate girl ever I do like that she got somewhat of a moment when she and Madoka connected in battle. Homura fought for so long and will have to continuing fighting…forever. But knowing that Madoka is always with her and is HAPPY to be with her in this way might put Homura’s mind at ease. Or at least not make her any more crazy.

No. She just wants you to stop being one.

Now do I think this show was perfect? Of course not. That would be a dumb thing to say. Looking back on everything in life something, one tiny factor could have been changed and made better. And a lot of that is on personal perception. For me the main issue I have are the continuing appearance(s) of Kyoko and what Madoka’s wishes were each time.

Of course that might not be a big deal to anyone else but I do want to know what started this entire crazy series. She and Mami were not aware of the true nature of magical girls so obviously it was something happier than STOP THE WITCHES!!!! Perhaps it was as simple as Mami saved her life and did the whole I don’t want to be alone speech. But I still want to know how the wishes changed in each timeline. I think that would have built up to the ultimate wish of saving the universe if we saw how each wish got more and more serious.

Translation: LOVE ME INSTEAD!!!!

Kyoko’s appearances in each timeline bothers me for no reason I think. I am so stuck on the timeline we saw for 11 episodes I can’t accept the other possibilities that were shown in episode 10 and at the end of episode 12. Kyoko came to town because Mami died and she wanted to take over this city. Since that was the reason given this time around I don’t understand how she came to town all the other versions where Mami was making it through to the final boss. Perhaps there was a different catalyst bringing her to town but I wish I could have seen it.

However I still think this show was brilliant. Yes at times the witch world was a bit X__X on my eyes but this really changed the view of magical girls. No not everything is cupcakes and rainbows. Some people think that Madoka making it about love and hope at the end makes it a cliché. However if it ended in total gloom and doom then what was really the point? Instead if ended bittersweet. The girls still will die but won’t become the witches they fought against. Madoka changed the rules but didn’t have complete power to rewrite everything sad out of existence. And Homura puts on a brave smile but deep down she is still a sad girl without her best friend.

Insert the new catch phrase "Madoka died for our sins on Good Friday" comment here.

Since my post is like a million words long I will end it here. This show brought a lot of enjoyment to my life and now that it is over I am not sure what to do. Hopefully this show goes down as one the best of 2011 as I think it deserves it. A show about magical powers ending in a realistic Well sometimes life is unfair but not hopeless kind of message.

But Kyubey is still evil ya’ll. Maybe Madoka should have wishes his race emotions so they wouldn’t be douchebags and put them through this in the first place.