#**Episode 8 – [I Was Stupid… So Stupid](https://i.imgur.com/7jsqHCA.png)**
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##**Show Information:**
[MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/9756) | [AniList](https://anilist.co/anime/9756/Mahou-Shoujo-MadokaMagica) | [ANN](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=12120) | [Kitsu](https://kitsu.io/anime/mahou-shoujo-madoka-magica) | [AniDB](https://anidb.net/anime/8069)
*(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)*
##**Legal Streams:**
[Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GRDQK39GY) | [Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/puella-magi-madoka-magica-085f5007-1b32-4dd7-9aea-41397554fb9b)
(RIP Funimation.)
##**A Reminder to Rewatchers:**
Rewatchers, please please ***please*** remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. [Spoiler warning specifically for you guys]>!Please be aware that as part of the above strict spoiler rules, this means absolutely ***no*** memes/jokes/references/subtle words about {the usual suspects} before the relevant episodes. Please do not spoil the first-timers by trying to be smart about it, it’s not as subtle as you think.!<
Make sure you use [spoiler tags](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/q28ulr/announcing_changes_to_spoiler_tags/) if there’s ever something from future events you just *have* to comment on. And don’t be the idiot who quotes a specific part of a first-timer’s comment, then comments something under a spoiler tag in direct response to it! You might as well have spoiled them by implying there’s something super important about that specific part of their comment.
##**And a Reminder to First-Timers too:**
As previously noted, first-timers wanting to avoid spoilers are strongly recommended to use either the desktop version of the site or the iOS app (which appears to be unaffected), lest you chance running into [this bug regarding replying to a post or comment that has spoiler tags in it.](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1bxq8c5/meta_thread_month_of_april_07_2024/l0moysa/)
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##**Daily Community Participation!**
**Visuals of the Day:**
[Episode 7 album](https://imgur.com/a/5sCgwaM)
**Theory of the Day:**
Today our award goes not to any of the first-timers posting in the thread but rather the one watching along with one of our rewatchers, namely u/b-arb who has been relaying her thoughts including [this doozy of a theory](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1cdxwhl/rewatch_mahou_shoujo_madokamagica_episode_7/l1f1i5o/):
> Maybe Homura is so cold and she says she’s no longer human because she has been a witch for hundreds of years
**Analysis of the Day:**
Double award time again today, because we have both a first-timer (gasp!) and a rewatcher worth featuring here:
First, one of our first-timers in u/blown-upp [pointing out something that’s bloody obvious when you think about it but I’ve never seen anyone else point this out](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1cdxwhl/rewatch_mahou_shoujo_madokamagica_episode_7/l1fof2r/), namely at least part of the *why* of why Kyouko backs off choking Sayaka:
> She goes to choke Sayaka out but must have remembered Sayaka’s lifeless body yesterday and immediately backs off
Second, a [good observation](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1cdxwhl/rewatch_mahou_shoujo_madokamagica_episode_7/l1f35gp/) from one of our rewatchers in u/treatment-resistant- that doesn’t even need spoiler tags:
> Kyoko obviously sees her younger self in Sayaka, but I think what’s really going on is that Sayaka has a lot in common with Kyoko’s father. Both have a very narrow sense of lofty idealism and unsuccessfully chase the attention of uninterested others, which in turn hurts people close to them that actually love them. They are both horrified at Kyoko’s solutions to gain hearts and minds, and judge and refuse the gifts she brings them. Like many people in romantic relationships, at a subconscious level Kyoko is drawn to re-enacting her past trauma, hoping this time the outcome will be different.
(treatment-resistant-‘s comment on Mami in the same post is also well worth reading.)
**Wallpapers of the Day:**
[Kyubey](https://i.imgur.com/gTgjnMV.png)
*(Hey look it’s the one that became my own new laptop background maybe five minutes after it was finished! – u/Tarhalindur)*
*Check out /u/Shimmering-Sky’s main comment for her bonus Wallpaper Corner containing works from previous years!*
**Songs of the Day:**
[Magia](https://files.catbox.moe/vfqh4b.mp3)
Bonus song – [Puella in Somnio](https://files.catbox.moe/ffllee.mp3)
*Check out [u/Nazenn’s comment from the 2019 rewatch](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/bi50vj/spoilersrewatch_mahou_shoujo_madokamagica_episode/ely24jr/) for an in-depth analysis of these two songs, as well as timestamps for what songs played when in today’s episode!*
~~”I Can’t Believe It’s Not Kako e no Requiem!”~~ [Serena Ira](https://files.catbox.moe/04klwd.mp3)
*Also check out /u/Tarhalindur’s [Kajiura Corner from the 2023 rewatch](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/12xwa3d/rewatch_puella_magi_madoka_magica_episode_5/jhki70x/) for even more analysis on music this episode!*
**Connect Cover of the Day:**
[Medieval Style Cover by Medieval Otaku](https://youtu.be/s9mpJrJ8oEs)
**Question(s) of the Day:**
1) Welp.
1a) You’re right, that isn’t a question. So… how about that Sayaka swan dive into despair, huh?
2) Thoughts on Homura’s choice of room decor?
3) First-Timers: Which reveal from this episode surprised you more? That Homura isn’t from this timeline, or that magical girls become witches?
4) First-Timers: Your thoughts on Homura’s breakdown in the park? [](#ama)
5) [Rewatchers] >!So… are you ready for and I’m home?!<
—
***In this country they call girls ‘shoujo’. So for girls who grow up to be Witches, is it not appropriate to call them ‘mahou shoujo’ (‘magical girls’)?***
by Tarhalindur
18 Comments
###And Now for a Word (from those who came before you):
Right, so, first order of business: since u/okayyoga has not shown up this year (and I forgot to ping her about this, oops, sorry about that [](#katoupls)) I shall continue the now-yearly tradition (it’s the third year in a row, that makes it a tradition!) of reposting [one of her posts from the 2021 PMMM rewatch](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/n010uf/mahou_shoujo_madokamagica_rewatch_episode_8/gw3zp8l/) for the benefit of this year’s first-timers who might not look at past rewatches and see it otherwise (it’s extremely useful for getting Sayaka):
>Episode 8: first time/dub
>
>
>
>Hey guys. I am going to be a bit serious for a moment here. If you just want to read my reactions to the episode, please skip to the line break. Thank you.
>
>
>
>So okay. I am going to take a moment to talk about depression, because I see a lot of these characters displaying the signs for it. I know it’s fun to give them a hard time (I do it too), I just want to provide a different perspective and give some explanation as to why these girls are acting this way. I am not saying I am an expert on this, nor this show.
>
>
>
>Depression is a medical condition, and a common side effect of this is low self-worth. You feel like every drop of water you drink, every beam of sunlight that hits you, has been wasted. When you walk into a room, you feel like a black hole, that just sucks the life out of the scene.
>
>
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>Why would anyone want to be around someone like this? Why bother to eat, when you are just a waste of space and resources. And if you possibly could, you would give your remaining years to someone else, because they are obviously more deserving than a monster and waste of life that you are.
>
>&nsbp;
>
>I’m not saying what Sayaka and Madoka are saying is right, or logical. I just hope that if you ever feel so down, that you would rather not be alive, because you feel your existence is such a burden on the world, that you give yourself some empathy. Some validation. Because being hard on yourself only makes you feel guilty.
(Now to see if u/Nazenn shows up with his own comment for this episode or if one of us needs to ask about posting it as well.)
**Mahou Shoujo Co★Host, subbed**
[Welcome back, everyone!](#michaelwink)
[Being a Sayaka fan is suffering.](#everythingisfine)
—
– Here’s a “fun” fact I point out every year: During the recap part of Sayaka wailing on Elsa Maria’s corpse, [you can see that Sayaka’s been swinging her sword so hard she *broke her arm*.](https://i.imgur.com/Fdh1l0O.png)
– [Yup, that’s definitely gonna be my headtilt Visual of the Day.](https://i.imgur.com/c9miLyq.png)
– [It’s a terrible day for rain.](https://i.imgur.com/hBTLNRG.png) [](#not-raining)
– [Sayaka…](https://i.imgur.com/tAADyug.png) [](#sadholo)
– [Sayaka *no*…](https://i.imgur.com/bFBYXGP.png) [](#forgotkeys)
– [Kyubey just disappearing into the shadows completely is particularly creepy.](https://i.imgur.com/KkmMQDw.png)
– [She’s just watching Hitomi and Kyousuke from the shadows.](https://i.imgur.com/6vORdmg.png) Ugh, [this representation of her drowning in her own despair](https://i.imgur.com/l305ea5.png) is too good. [](#wipetears)
– [Hmmmm, maybe because you’ve been cryptic as *fuck* the entire time?](https://i.imgur.com/1NRVVbK.png)
– [It’s *so* weird to hear Shinichiro Miki voicing this random awful piece of shit.](https://i.imgur.com/Yovm8R7.png) [](#gabdisgust)
– [*scared Sky noises*](https://i.imgur.com/8uUoH4G.png) [](#dighole)
– [Heh.](https://i.imgur.com/KPuAHwE.png) [](#pointandlaugh)
– Speaking of creepy, though, [Kyubey eating *his own corpse*.](https://i.imgur.com/dos8J7e.png) [](#bocchitheshock)
– [And so the truth](https://i.imgur.com/vsxva3O.png) finally [comes out.](https://i.imgur.com/nwu7DNA.png)
– [Episode title, get…](https://i.imgur.com/hCaG4YV.png)
– Okay lol the fancut had a *particularly* egregious cut right at the end, literally cut off Kyubey before he could fully finish making the magical girl → witches pun (which sadly doesn’t translate well into English).
– As an aside related to the recap movies, one of the coolest things they did was use a song called [she is a witch](https://files.catbox.moe/vdg3mu.mp3) for that last scene instead of Decretum, and honestly I like that song more for *that specific scene* even though Decretum’s still my favorite OST.
—
#***Sky’s Wallpaper Corner***
Today’s wallpaper trivia: I literally have the file named as “Fuck Kyubey lol” because, I mean, what else *should* I name it? [](#trololol)
**Year Originally Made**|**Original Wallpaper**|**Remastered Version**
:–|:–|:–
2018|[“I was stupid, so stupid…”](https://i.imgur.com/UgfiCbB.png)|N/A
2019|[“I was stupid, so stupid…” (Silhouette Remake)](https://i.imgur.com/cSj2sVi.png)|[Link](https://i.imgur.com/RgZKxJu.png)
2020|[Sayaka Miki](https://i.imgur.com/EsAu3LX.png)|[Link](https://i.imgur.com/ZSK66tV.png)
2020|[Sayaka Miki (Lineart)](https://i.imgur.com/xaIscEE.png)|[Link](https://i.imgur.com/AuTp2Sg.png)
2020|[Kyouko Sakura](https://i.imgur.com/ETaNBwZ.png)|[Link](https://i.imgur.com/aNjUwIt.png)
2021|[“I was stupid, so stupid…” (Proper Remake)](https://i.imgur.com/ECGS2Z6.png)|[Link](https://i.imgur.com/gKjHSXW.png)
2022|[Homura Akemi](https://i.imgur.com/LHbv6T5.png)|[Mobile Version](https://i.imgur.com/LZYS21U.png)
—
*“What is it that you wish for?”*
**Rewatcher, Sub**
Lots of reveals. We learn about Homura’s true motives, that everything she’s done is for Madoka’s sake, not only that but that she’s technically a time traveler thanks to her magic ability. It explains why she wanted to kill Kyubey and prevent Sayaka from becoming a magical girl since it would affect Madoka as well. It’s also the first time seeing Homura cry as she begs Madoka to think of the people who care about her. There’s a lot at play here with what’s going with the time ability and Madoka’s connection with Homura. Kyubey however also seems to have figured things out.
Speaking of Kyubey we finally learn who our fuzzy little shitbag really is, an incubator. Sayaka has hit the down point, lashing out at her friends then regretting later which only brings more self loathing and finally culminates in her soul gem turning into a grief seed. Shows the cycle of everything going on, Using a wish and turn into a magical girl, then that soul gem becomes corrupted and turns into a grief seed due to emotional vulnerability and other magical girls take those grief seeds to purify their own, rinse and repeat. Kyubey meanwhile just observes things from afar, freely admitting his actions in choosing young girls knowing that they would be emotionally vulnerable
### Rewatcher
## Madoka Magica – Impactful and Artful: [Episode 8](https://imgur.com/KHxqbjv)
_Selflessness and Loss_
Seeing Sayaka like this is depressing. She’s slowly coming to acknowledge everything she lost and losing all hope because of it. And on top of that she’s refusing to purify her soul gem. She tries to guilt Madoka into joining her as a magical girl as well. Her situation doesn’t excuse her actions, but I do understand why she would act like this. And she also understands that what she said was wrong with the way she ran off crying like that.
Something I haven’t mentioned in my comments till now is Walpurginacht. It’s really presented as this ultimate evil coming to destroy the town, and Homura seems to know the most about it (though Kyubey and Kyoko seem to have some awareness too). It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a big reason she came to the city was to stop Walpurgisnacht, but the question still stands on if she can and how.
I quite like this kind of explicit foreshadowing. I feel like narratives are built on promises of future events and then we are rewarded with the build up and pay off to that happening. Madoka has been very diligent about showing us little mysteries until now and then revealing them, so we can feel confident that we will get an answer about whatever this Walpurgisnacht is.
Another reveal this episode is Homura’s primary intentions: “Everything I do is for [Madoka]”. For example, she’s only helping Sayaka in so far as it would make Madoka sad if Sayaka was hurt. But if helping Sayaka would make Madoka suffer then Homura would have no problem in getting rid of her. Or, as another example, if somebody were to [try trick Madoka into a contract…](https://files.catbox.moe/a138ek.mp4). Yeah fuck Kyubey. I wish you would have stayed dead you piece of shit.
And of course, neither we the audience nor Madoka know exactly why Homura is so focused on her. Madoka asks an important question around whether they had met before, though Homura doesn’t answer. I do find what Homura said to Madoka instead notable.
“Why are you always sacrificing yourself? Don’t demean yourself by saying that you can’t help anyone or that you’re useless. Think about those who care about you!”
It represents a real conflict for Madoka. Is it worthwhile to hurt yourself to help others when seeing you suffering will also bring the ones you helped pain? To answer this Madoka will need to consider the practical stakes, and I look forward to watching her make a decision.
Something obvious from this too is how deeply Homura also cares for Madoka.
[](#holdme)
The last, and maybe most important reveal of the episode was the nature of (In)Kyubey(tor). I remember finding this to be a great reveal on my first watch because I found Kyubey to be such a weird name. The question then becomes what is this thing incubating? Kyubey tells us as we watch Sayaka’s soul gem shatter and transform her. Magical girls grow into witches when they cannot purify their soul gems any more.
In Japanese this is much more impactful as a reveal. In particular, the word for magical girl (mahou shoujo / 魔法少女) can be turned into the word for witch (majo / 魔女) by removing the middle 2 kanji*. It’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time. To quote a disgraced psychologist: “There are cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see.”
### Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
* [Defeat](https://imgur.com/VBWiQ4t)
* [Homura Mini-transform](https://files.catbox.moe/9zrxqh.mp4)
* [Fire in the Hole](https://files.catbox.moe/l7lwdy.mp4)
* [Shadows](https://imgur.com/lyAmbBK), fuck I forgot how horrific the guys’ dialog in this scene was. IIUC they are hosts and this can be … [tame compared to real life](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/12/20/japan/crime-legal/shinjuku-host-clubs-prostitution/).
* [Turbulance Inside](https://imgur.com/jGZl3DL)
* [Bubbles](https://imgur.com/77QGxW6)
* [Revived](https://imgur.com/hSSuq25)
* [Sayaka…](https://imgur.com/yYvqGjU), [](#yuitears)
* [Perched](https://files.catbox.moe/01mqwg.mp4)
See you all tomorrow
—
* Extra kanji info for anyone interested.
mahou / 魔法 itself is the word for magic, made up of the character for witch/demon and the character for method/rule/law. shoujo / 少女 is literally small+woman. The 2 removed kanji between magical girl and witch are therefore the character for law and the character for small which you could read as magical girls not only losing their youth but also their sense of rules.
That said, I generally don’t like interpreting kanji like this. Japanese doesn’t include a punctuation mark to separate words (like a space in English), so sticking a noun in front of the any other noun in Japanese can turn the first noun into an adjective. For example if you combine literature (文学) and girl (少女) it becomes 文学少女 (book-loving girl). It feels more like a coincidence that magical girl and witch were so close.
On the other hand, the writers noticed this and then made the villains witches which is a pretty clever use of the language for this reveal.
**Rewatcher, Subbed**
Well right off the bat, that episode title doesn’t bode well.
That moment when you realize your friend has become a blood thirsty psycho. 🙁
Seems like Sayaka probably needed that grief seed after all.
Oh, and now the weather is going to be miserable too!
Sayaka’s down such a dark path now she’s actually wanting Madoka to become a magical girl. Which would mean Kyubey gets what he wants. Has this whole scenario with Sayaka been manipulation from Kyubey to get Madoka to become a magical girl?
At least Sayaka immediately recognizes she said bad stuff.
Ooh, is this Homura’s home? We finally see it? Like all things Homura, so cool…
Kyubey? WTF are you doing here?!
Begone. Tell him off Homura!
A rare instance where Madoka’s teacher isn’t talking about her dating life?
Hitomi and Kyosuke together! Time to confess!
Ugh Sayaka is making it all the worse by watching the two of them together.
Sayaka’s pride and/or despair is too much to accept the help. 🙁
Wow, just a couple of episodes who knew we’d see Kyoko swoop in like this to save Sayaka’s life.
Not an opportune time to run across these two horrible pimps/pimp wannabees on the subway.
You have the power to grant wishes over seemingly impossible things, but not save Sayaka?
Talking about someone horrible, here’s Kyubey to be his usual self!
No Madoka don’t do it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s another reason why Homura is best girl, just turned Kyubey into swiss cheese. One of my favorite moments of the series.
Wow, Homura’s showing emotion for the first time! Chiwa Saitou being amazing as always!
Alas for first timers who may have had a lot of glee for that minute or two when it looked like Kyubey was dead, nope, he’s back. AND EATING HIS OWN CORPSE. Never will get that moment out of my head.
Never will there be a scene where Kyoko appears but is not eating.
Well, there’s our confirmation that witches used to be magical girls. Probably not the biggest surprise at this point! BTW my understanding is that what Kyubey is saying here is a play on the words in Japanese; mahou shoujo (magical girl) -> majo (witch).
***
Sayaka’s total crash happened very quickly, over only a couple of episodes and a lot of it was self-induced too making it all the more tragic. Saying such awful things to Madoka, refusing any help whatsoever from Homura, purposely going to see Kyosuke and Hitomi together, the list goes on and on. Every time I watch this show I forget a lot of the details (granted I tend to only watch it once every 3 – 4 years or so) and I’m sure I’ve had similar sad reaction to this the previous three times, but sure was hard to watch!
After watching this episode I read up on some old theories posted right after this episode aired about Homura, and lol. I’ll spoiler tag these to be safe, but none of this is from direct knowledge of future episodes. [MM]>!Homura is someone Madoka saves in the future. Homura is Madoka’s yet to be born sister. Homura is Madoka’s little brother, cross dressing. Homura is Madoka’s mother. Homura is Madoka herself. Homura is Madoka’s cat! That last one is hilarious. Madoka used her magical powers to turn her cat into a human, Homura. Homura then made a contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl so she could become a time traveler and prevent it from happening.!<
**Rewatcher**
I’m sure this has already been said many times, but the connection between magical girls and witches works on a linguistic level as well in Japanese. If you write 魔法少女 (“magical girl”) and take away the two characters in the middle you get 魔女 which is the Japanese word for “witch”. This is what Kyubey is referencing in the final scene of the episode.
Now that we’ve heard Kyubey’s real name it also makes sense why he used the word 孵化する (to undergo incubation / to hatch) when talking about the grief seeds in episodes 3 and 6.
This episode really is shock-full of reveals. It is also an episode that puts on full display how calculating and frightening Kyubey can be. It’s especially disturbing how he casually eats his own dead body and then starts to theorize about Homura’s powers while frolicking on the park bench.
“A wild Tag appears!”
u/Introvert_Mage, u/Lanaerys, u/isthatsoudane
Rewatcher, dubbed
In a work with so much visual and musical flair, the train scene stands out a lot in Madoka Magica.
There’s no color in the scene, everything is painted in shadow. No music plays. The only sound we hear is the ambient noise of the train: the engine roaring, the wheels clicking, the straps clanking. That, and the conversation between the 2 men.
> Hey… is this world even worth protecting?
And what a wretched conversation it is. Their words are full of self-importance and contempt for others, it’s corrosive to the soul even to listen to. Inhuman. Sayaka confronts them, nothing left to lose, as darkness seeps forth from her soul gem. We know this is no mere visual trick as the men react fearfully to the [haunting visage](https://files.catbox.moe/0y3maf.jpg).
> C’mon, tell me. *Or else.*
The black and white visuals on the train harken back to the witch’s labyrinth from earlier. This world is not as it should be… so what must be done to make it right? And [who](https://files.catbox.moe/9s2hcg.jpg) will do it?
> If there are people out there who’re worse than witches, then I’m gonna fight ‘em.
Color has returned to the world as we cut to a shot of a branching railway; the “labyrinth” is no more. The train barrels into frame and down one of the paths, its destination pre-determined and its course irreversible.
I’ve always thought Sayaka killed them.
QotD:
2) Simple, but stylish. It suits her.
### Content Corner Reruns
For those like me who cannot read moon-runes, the first one is an orchestrated medley of multiple tracks. The second one is only viewable at that link via the wayback machine, which I imagine is due to copyright being a bitch. Damn shame, it’s among the best of the plethora of Madoka Magica video essays out there. **First timers beware, spoilers abound!**
[交响组曲 · 魔法少女小圆 | 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ | Puella Magi Madoka Magica](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDInMXz0JBc) by Imperial 9 Symphony Orchestra · 帝玖管弦乐团
[Gen Urobuchi and the psychological trauma of Madoka Magica](https://web.archive.org/web/20210628003001/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcb9S_fw_BM) by (Kuiper) Kinetic Literature
[Visual Storytelling – Breaking Down PMMM – Dialogue 8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBPcFsfEUHQ) by clearandsweet
*”Cold, Barren, Bleak…. Winter is the kindest season. The heart will not melt in winter. Chilled by the cold, we are spared the grief, the sorrow, the messy emotion of life. Winter is solace for the lonely. It’s cool touch soothes the tattered heart.”*
Rewatcher(The only thing that can stop a bad Incubator with a contract is a good magical girl with a gun!)
Sub
This will have little meaning to a lot of you but Sayaka is making an assumption I well and truly hate here: Just because you are good, or have the potential to be good, at something DOES NOT mean you should do it. I usually reference my current circumstances where I do job that is basically caring for your grandparents as they die in palliative care. A job I am well suited for it just depresses me. But the reason I go so hard on this is because what I was truly good at in my youth was a job that I despise but apparently had some talent for: Sad to say your lewd loving gore seeker was a natural preacher of the Gospel *and* I had a flair for interpreting religious texts. But, thankfully, my hypocrisy is quite limited.
So yeah…that’s the next reveal. The lichs are also the natural way to get witches, the familiars are just a bonus. This should raise a lot of questions and most of us won’t answer them for you. Cubes’s game is up but we don’t know if that makes a difference. We don’t know how many spares he has got nor how many he can operate simultaneously.
QotD:1 It was avoidable
2 As I said, she has the courage to decorate terribly
5 No and I never will be
**Rewatcher, lazy, sub this time**
Still such a phenomenal episode, that last scene gave me serious chills and I found myself tearing up slightly even though I’ve seen that scene a bunch, so good. And they cram so many reveals and big moments in the episode, combined with seeing Sayaka just reach the end state of her fastest any% despair speedrun.
I always wondered what was up with Homura’s design choice, I assume she’s doing it with magic but like….. what the hell Homura, having just like a giant shadow swinging axe thing can’t be good for your mental health.
**Rewatcher**
Looks like [Sayaka’s](https://imgur.com/yS2nMXn) becoming [more honest](https://imgur.com/LkrJQbS) with her feelings?
Another stand out episode in art and direction. Loved [the train ride.](https://imgur.com/ODPMAYv) The [light](https://imgur.com/P8WDyaX) and [dark](https://imgur.com/VJrMort) was perfectly done.
[Kyubey imposing](https://imgur.com/8xXJdhq)
[Hair flip of the day is a bit lackluster today…](https://imgur.com/EbzPNHt)
[Upside down without umbrella](https://imgur.com/aDcKFTg)
[Right side up with umbrella](https://imgur.com/Z6U1Fqr)
Looking forward to first-timers’ reactions.
2) tick, tock, tick, tock
[PMMM] >!Soooo, a question for re-watcher, now that most of the information is given, do you think that some first timer will come up with the “Madoka or Homura is walpurgis” theory? And also, how would you feel if that old theory actually became relevant again in the 4th movie?!<
I really like this episode. The tragedy of Sayaka’s downfall is always so painful to watch and that final revelation of Kyubey gives a whole new meaning to a lot of things that have happened so far. And of course, the revelation of Homura coming from another timeline and the first time where we actually see her mask breaking and showing something totally different than her usual cold act. And it’s seeing this Homura that actually leads Madoka to ask her if they already meet before.
Even though it does not kill him definitely, it’s still very satisfying to see Kyubey getting shot.
There’s also the train scene with Sayaka that I like, especially the scene letting the choice to interpret whether or not Sayaka killed those guys. Interestingly, in the manga adaptation ( although I feel the need to say that according to Honokage, the manga is less an adaptation of the anime and more of the script ), it is clearly obvious that she used her power to attack them, And overall, I find it more logical to interpret it has she did attacked them.
Also, I forgot about the illustrator for the last episode, it was Tensugi Takeshi, the person behind the art for the spin-off manga Kazumi Magica: The innocent malice which at the time of those episode already started it’s publication. The illustrator for this episode is Takuya Fujima, mostly known for being the chara-designer of the Nanoha Vivid and behind the art of the manga adaptation of Vivid and Reflection and he was helped by Kentarô Tanaka but I didn’t find any info on him outside of being an illustrator.
2.
Damn girl u live like this
5.
[PMMM] >!Today, I suddenly wanted to listen to it today while doing stuff but stopped myself right before thinking “it’s been a long time since I listen to it and I’m eventually going to tomorrow. I’m going to hold it so tomorrow’s emotional damages will be over 9000.!<
**Rewatcher**
1) How did Kyouko make it through losing her family?
2) It’s in character, since Homura is a [PMMM]>!chunni dork. !<
5) Mitai, mitai, mirai.
First-timer*, dub
*heavily spoiled — seen all three seasons of *Magia Record* spin-off already
Damn, it’s good that Sayaka is finally showing some gratitude to another magical girl, but she had indeed gone a little berserk. Her being so exhausted after the battle made me wonder what was the state of her soul gem but… hmm, looks bright and clean, good for her… or not? There was an odd shot of her gem with a dim spot inside.
Yep, Kyuubey confirms that Sayaka’s gem is not okay.
Right Sayaka, everyone knows you’re “not like the other girls”. Damn, Homura! When Sayaka rejected the grief seed, I was hoping Homura would just swiftly knock her out like she did in ep 5, take her gem and purify it herself. But Homura’s plan appeared to be much less humane. Probably, she knew that even if she did so, that wouldn’t help for long and Sayaka would just keep her self-destructive behavior on.
So, Homura can dispense grenades. That’s how she destroyed the witch in the ep 3 I guess, we could see the explosions but couldn’t see how exactly she makes them.
Uhh, so Homura wasn’t able to catch Sayaka. And… looks like we indeed just got the “problem” she mentioned to Kyouko before. I didn’t expect that to happen so quickly. I believe Sayaka had Madoka in mind when she was scolding those jerks on the train, she felt guilt towards her supportive friend.
Madoka would sell her soul to save Sayaka? Hey Madoka maybe you should reconsi- uh? Damn! Homura, that wasn’t exactly lightning-fast, that was even faster than that. Isn’t she way too OP?
Yeah, I felt like Kyuubey is some divine creature that doesn’t depend on their physical body too much anyway.
Okay, I admire Madoka’s selflessness but she behaved annoyingly dumb here. Wouldn’t even listen to the warning Homura tried to give her about Sayaka.
My suspicions about Homura have been confirmed! She can time travel. I wonder when she had “killed” Kyuubey for the first time? Was it in a different timeline? Also — incubator? What’s with that? Hmm, maybe Kyuubey is an incubator for witches? That would explain him eating grief seeds.
Kyuubey has some shady plans going on that Homura’s trying to ruin, but we don’t know what exactly is that. I can only make a guess that it’s much more sinister than just “recruit magical girls so that they protected innocent people from evil witches”.
Umm, so, is it the end of Sayaka? She’s now a witch? Looks like I was wrong thinking she would start appreciating her fellow magical girls soon. Sad. But — I still have a little bit of hope to see her again (as a magical girl, not a witch, of course).
On the other note, I was surprised to see Sayaka in her normal look at the beginning of this scene, I thought she had gone dark while riding the train. Now I wonder what had actually happened there.
Talking about witches, one thing that makes me curious is their names. Charlotte, Gertrude — these names absolutely don’t look like your typical Japanese girl names. So, I guess those witches either haven’t been born from magical girls, or a witch acquires a new name upon birth. Which might make sense given that marriage reference Kyuubey mentions.
Truly a dramatic and insightful episode!
btw, we also get a brief reminder about Walpurgis Night’s imminent approach.
[MagiReco anime] >!the fact that magical girls eventually turn into witches is exactly the spoiler that I got from watching MagiReco. Besides that, I remember that poorly but I recall that Iroha has acquired an ability to transform into a witch in a *reversible* fashion. Or pseudo-witch. I think that phenomenon is later explained as “familiar” or something like that. Anyway, this gives me a grain of hope that Sayaka is not a goner yet.!<
Q4: I guess Homura couldn’t save Madoka in the previous timeline, and Homura breaks down because she’s afraid the same thing is going to happen in this timeline too. Might be, in the previous timeline Madoka had become a magical girl (or was killed) shortly after making a similar move — running away to help someome (maybe Sayaka as well), and this similarity triggered Homura’s traumatic memories.
Rewatcher, sub:
No matter how many times I see this scene, I get disturbed by Sayaka’s face.
It’s sweet how Madoka helped Sayaka.
Sayaka, please try to take care of yourself. I know it’s hard with how bad the world can be at times, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on life. Depression and Anxiety are both known for making people struggle with motivation for reasons we have yet to fully understand. Sayaka definitely has the hallmarks of Depression.
Kyoko, you can be really sweet sometimes, but also incredibly blunt.
Nice decor, Homura.
That scene of Sayaka turning into a witch is disturbing as fuck.
Witch’s name is Octavia.
Depression and Anxiety have a ton of similarities, along with many other mental illnesses, making scientists and researchers believe they’re somehow connected. While it’s true this info can’t be used to help people yet, it’s still good to know as we’ll eventually understand every single mental condition to the point where they’re easily treatable. We don’t know why some people commit suicide and others don’t despite having Depression, Anxiety, or both, even with the same factors. For reasons unknown, people with Anxiety are more prone to getting Depression than people without it as well. Even with everything being controlled for, they’re still at an increased risk of Depression, so it’s clear something else is at play with these conditions and we haven’t figured out exactly what it is yet. Anxiety also increases the risk of substance abuse disorder for unknown reasons.
QOTD:
1. Disturbing.
2. Nice.
3. [PMMM] >!Nope, I’m not even ready. I’m going to miss Kyoko when she dies trying to save Sayaka.!<
**Rewatcher, subbed**
– Homura side-eyeing Kyubey is its own mood for the latest episodes
– Begone!
– What a coincidence, Madoka’s English lesson right after her “conversation” with Sayaka is on verbs meaning “to have an obligation to do something”
– Madoka’s thoughts and feelings about her life sure are relatable
– That stare down between Homura and Kyubey was intense
Comments from first-timer:
– I think Sayaka needs a psychologist
– *referring to Sayaka basically guilt-tripping Madoka* What a b…h!
– *literally 5 seconds later when she’s questioning herself* She seems bipolar
– So I was right, the cat really is sus
QOTD:
1) It was pretty painful to watch, even if I already knew what was going to happen
2) Well, pretty standard for what we’ve already seen in-universe… I wouldn’t judge Homura, considering the Kaname family’s bathroom…
3) First-timer watching with me says finding out that Homura comes from a different timeline
4) N/A
5) [Rewatcher] >!No. Especially considering that I already knew what was going to happen at the end of last episode and in this one, and it was still painful to watch. Poor Sayaka. I regret disregarding her character a bit during my first watch…!<
**First-Timer**
New favorite episode!
So many great scenes! Between Sayaka vs. Madoka, Sayaka vs. Homura, Homura vs. Kyubey, and of course, the final scene, this episode was relentless.
I did not at all expect Kyubey’s sudden “death,” nor his reappearance afterwards. (Speaking of, nice wallpaper of the day!)
For most epic quote of the day, I vote this: “If you refuse me here, you’ll die either way.” If Mami’s death was what was needed for us to have time for all these great Homura scenes, then that trade-off is worth it!
It’s funny how the end title cards still prominently feature Mami, though.
Those sure were some nice men on the train. Real role model material right there—just the kind of thing to restore Sayaka’s faith in humanity.
Questions of the day:
* Sayaka’s fall from grace is compelling, although it is always a bit irritating when characters refuse to do something that is clearly in their benefit (like using the grief seed).
* No strong thoughts on it.
* Unfortunately, I wasn’t too surprised by either of those reveals, since the speculation from the other comments in these threads had me wondering along those lines already. If I had to pick one, though, I’d probably say the second one, since the timeline thing is something where I think I would have picked up on some of the show’s hints myself, anyway. (After all, Homura knows information she shouldn’t be able to know, including future events.)
* I thought that scene was very well done. I’m a bit disappointed that Madoka wouldn’t hear out Homura’s full explanation, but it does make sense that she’d want to rush to help Sayaka as soon as possible. I also wish Homura had killed the second Kyubey as soon as he showed up (despite how cool he looked with the red-eyed silhouette).
#First-time watcher
>1) Welp.
You took the words right from my mouth
>1a) You’re right, that isn’t a question. So… how about that Sayaka swan dive into despair, huh?
Not suprising it happend, still sad. I thought she would be the climax of the serie, or maby she is?
>2) Thoughts on Homura’s choice of room decor?
I won’t judge, my appartment have almost no decor at all.
>3) First-Timers: Which reveal from this episode surprised you more? That Homura isn’t from this timeline, or that magical girls become witches?
Homura timeline, maby? I always assumed Homura and Madoka knew each other before from episode 1, just not how. But after seeing how Homura teleport around in fights throughout the serie, against witches and Sayaka VS Kyoko. She controlling time was a high guess.
Now I assume she had collected soo many grief seeds she was able to go that far back in time. But now I just wonder why she was unable to be more clear to the girls from the start. Or maby this isn’t the first timeline she have jumped to, but had jumped soo many times she knew how almost everything will play out.
And about Grief Seeds, we know Kyubey, or should I say In-Kyubey-tor(?), can create magic girls. But we havn’t seen someone create familiars/witches. Soo now that we know magic girls turn into witches ones they grow up, it just felt obvious.
Soo now that I know that. Is the whole magic girls and witch system Kyubeys food circle?
>4) First-Timers: Your thoughts on Homura’s breakdown in the park?
I don’t know the whole deal about her and hope we get to know more about her background and sacrifices she probably made. But it seems she have done everything for Madokas sake, and seeing Madoka in the end still maby become a magic girl after all that. I think I can understand why she had a breakdown. I just want to know how close friends they were and if Homura was always that cold or just acted the whole time.