#pmmm analysis

[atamascolily]

There is a tendency I see in PMMM analyses and discussions to treat the witches simply as monsters that can be overcome with sufficient force regardless of other circumstances--and thus Homura's failure to ever win against Walpurgisnacht on her own terms is something that could be easily fixed with more firepower and different tactics. And while there's nothing wrong with this interpretation, it's not one that particularly interests me, either.

What I like about PMMM and what makes it so engaging for me, is that it can be read on multiple levels--both as a literal journey and as a symbolic one. In-universe, witches are the shadow selves of magical girls; is it really so surprising that they also serve as narrative foils to those who face them, thus making victory or defeat as much of a character issue as a tactical one?

It is not a coincidence that Mami Tomoe, a girl who was forced to grow up too fast and who could have wished to save her dying parents but didn't, meets her end at the hand of a particularly childish and immature witch, a lumpen, misshapen doll that transforms into a clown--a girl who never grew up, who could have wished to save her dying parent but didn't. Mami, an experienced veteran who wiped the floor with the Rose Witch and her familiars earlier, is completely caught off-guard and is eaten alive by a witch who embodies all of the issues she herself struggles with and has yet to overcome within herself.

Yes, Mami was careless and overconfident, which led to her doom--but she had also fulfilled her role of introducing Madoka to the world of magical girls. On a narrative level, her death was necessary--not only to free Madoka from her impulsive promise to become a magical girl too early in the story, before she'd learned all the facts and could make a fully informed decision, but also to teach Madoka one final, horrific lesson about what life as a magical girl is really like.

This is not to say that AUs where Mami survives are wrong or missing the point--I've written them myself and I love them! (It helps that Mami's survival is usually the result of someone else's interference, not something she accomplishes on her own.) Nor do I mean to suggest that Mami's death is a moral failing on her part--merely that I think that Charlotte represents Mami's own particular brand of kryptonite at that particular point in her life, one she might have been able to survive if she had been able to move beyond the psychological issues hobbling her.

Meanwhile, Homura is able to easily defeat Charlotte, because metaphorically she's moved beyond the childish worldview that Mami is still stuck in. From that same symbolic perspective, it's this relative level of maturity, as much as her time stop and pipe bombs, that allows her to win.

Likewise, it is not an accident that the next witch Madoka encounters is one that specializes in extracting the memories of its victims, trapping Madoka in a spinning carousel as she is tormented by her own grief and guilty conscience over Mami's death. She is freed by Sayaka, who has moved beyond such angst by her decision to take on Mami's role as an idealized magical girl protector. Later on, Sayaka's descent into dualistic thinking is symbolized by her fight against a witch whose world is literally black and white--whom Sayaka defeats, but only at the cost of pushing herself dangerously to her limits.

As with Mami, Sayaka's death is directly tied to her own psychological issues--in this case, by her incredibly strict rules about how magical girls should behave and her refusal to cut herself any slack whatsoever. Her metaphorical self-denial results in literal self-denial, and her death as a magical girl and rebirth as a witch.

Then we come to Walpurgisnacht, a witch made of cogs and gears--the one witch Homura cannot beat, no matter what she does. Homura is stuck in her loops, unable to imagine a future beyond them, increasingly isolated from any meaningful connections or relationships--Walpurgisnacht may be the "fool that spins in a circle", but so is Homura. The inside mirrors the outside; when we watch Homura fight against Walpurgisnacht, we are also watching Homura's struggle with herself. Unlike Mami and Sayaka, Homura's magic allows her to fight this battle over and over again--again and again she is forced to retreat and start over, unsatisfied with the results and determined to do better next time. She doesn't die, but she doesn't win, either--instead, she's locked into perpetual stalemate with no end.

Madoka, however, is able to see beyond the vicious cycle represented by Walpurgisnacht and thus easily and repeatedly defeats an enemy that Homura cannot, regardless of her relative power levels in any given timeline. It's probably too simplistic to say that hope triumphs over despair--and yet, that's exactly what happens, every single time. Homura has numbed herself through repeated exposure to where she no longer feels hope or despair, thus existing in perpetual stasis with her purpose the only thing driving her. Paradoxically, the one thing she needs to do to win is the one thing she cannot do--and the thing that Madoka can do all too easily.

(This is not to say that Madoka doesn't have her own issues--she does!--just that her issues are different from Homura's, meaning she's not tripped up by this particular obstacle in the same way that Homura is. And it's not that Homura's struggles were pointless--they were what allowed Madoka to get to point where she had both the power and the knowledge that she could save everyone, including Homura.)

Homura's final battle with Walpurgisnacht shows Homura going to insane lengths, including a wall of C-4 explosives inside a refinery, a flaming oil tanker, and a submarine with Type 88 Surface-to-Ship missiles--none of which has any lasting effect on Walpurgisnacht whatsoever. That episode goes to great lengths to show that Homura's approach to fighting Walpurgisnacht fundamentally isn't working; I don't think adding more nukes would help.

The one time Homura gets the closest to her happy ending is the one timeline where she and Madoka fight and fall together--the one timeline where they are shown as equals, and the one where they debate becoming witches together and destroying the whole world before Madoka thinks better of it. This is also not a coincidence. If there is ever to be a truly happy end to this franchise--or an end at all--Homura and Madoka must be equal and willing partners, not one protecting/sacrificing themself for the other again and again. It is also likely that they will remake the universe in the process, through the combined power of their mutual wish.

[It also wouldn't surprise me if that line foreshadowed future plot elements--after all, Madoka technically became a witch in the final episode of the TV series (she got better, thanks to the nature of her wish), and so did Homura in Rebellion--but we shall see if the series ever follows up on this.]

This is why I'm so excited that Walpurgis no Kaiten seems to be laying the groundwork for Homura creating her own enemies and her greatest enemy being herself--once again, making the metaphorical literal. I'm excited about the prospect of Homura getting a do-over with Walpurgisnacht, which would represent a chance for her to confront her narrative foil one more time, and show us how her character has changed. Though it may play out on a larger stage, the real battle will be inside Homura's mind and heart--and, I would argue, always has been. The only way the outcome will change--the only way we can move beyond what's been and into something new--is if/when she changes.

I want to be clear that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the strictly literal interpretation of witches, and I think people should write what they want to write; if that's the story you want to tell, then go for it! For me, however, I find it far more compelling--not to mention richer and truer--if the actions and words on-screen correspond to the characters' emotional and psychological journeys, and there's no question that this preference how I interpret media in general, and PMMM in particular. And it's not that I think Homura couldn't defeat Walpurgisnacht in an AU scenario--merely that any story where she achieves this victory without changing in any way or addressing her own psychological issues in some fashion removes exactly the elements that drew me to this series in the first place.

#puella magi madoka magica #pmmm analysis

[doomedlvr]

I also found a new way to read Madoka after my latest rewatch. The friend I was showing it to pointed out that even the simplest of actions are super exaggerated and I thought “huh, they usually do that in stage plays when so the audience in the back can see better” ex:

Then I realized: this is on purpose. The way the whole story is told is privy to a stage play.

The very first things that happen are the curtains opening and Madoka entering centre stage.

The sets, too. Ik the chairs are symbolic but it also is very much spread out like it’s on a stage

Especially the shadow play with Kyubey, it’s a common thing utilized in stage plays.

Most of all, Walpurgisnacht is LITERALLY THE STAGE-CONSTRUCTING WITCH.

Walpy puts the play in action by killing Madoka and Mami in the first timeline. From then on, Homura is forced to act out the same play over and over again helplessly for times lines and time lines. Her lines become scripted, she’s become an actor and in the theatre witches play.

#I love this show so much there’s always new things to learn #pmmm #pmmm analysis #madoka magica

[burnorgetburned]

EVEN MORE CLARA DOLL DETAILS:

So you know how the Dolls have their own distinctive clothes?

Guess who else has their own distinctive clothes!

That’s right. The multiple Homuras are actually Clara Dolls.

And that’s why ‘Homura’ is smiling.

Here they are! The one with the striped hat is Nekura (Gloominess or Pessimism) and the one with the flower is Mie (Vanity).

Here’s their descriptions from the art book.

[The second one to come was Gloominess. Walking out with a tapping sound, she sneered at Good-for-Nothing. “This is Good-for-Nothing! How very unbecoming.” These dolls are only disciples of Freedom, and are devoted to their lust for it.]

[The tenth to come running is Vanity. She exaggeratedly avoids Good-for-Nothing's head and says a few words. “I wouldn't be able to bear dirtying my cape with that sticky blood!” These dolls make fun of the witch's self-mutilation.]

Good-for-Nothing is Homura, by the way, but the Clara Dolls seem to consider Good-for-Nothing to be good for something after all after she splits Madoka. She turns into the Devil, and the Clara Dolls are stated to be “okay” with the Devil. If the young voices in the trailer belong to the Clara Dolls, then they also call her “Akuma-sama” now. Something like Mistress Devil, implying a sense of respect.

[… if they are not summoned, they will simmer. There are orders they will comply with, and also orders they will disobey. What they are and the witch herself's own magic are not well understood.]

At the end of Rebellion, Homura gave Madoka her ribbon back. She declared that they might become enemies in the end. Honestly, I thought that Homura would try her best to avoid Madoka entirely. The trailer suggested that Homura was meeting Madoka, though. Here’s the answer: it wasn’t Homura herself, but Gloominess, who wants freedom.

Now, I’m not sure how this situation works out. Do Clara Dolls have free will? Are they obeying Homura’s orders? Acting out Homura’s true emotions? Is Homura perhaps directly puppeteering them in order to fulfill her goals, or do they act on their own?

I find it likely that it’s a mix of both: some of them obey her, and some of them will try and fulfill her (probably very conflicting) desires, as familiars usually do. Gloominess is likely part of Homura who wants the freedom to talk to Madoka, for example, but Vanity seems to me like a Clara Doll who is obeying Homura. After all, she still needs magical girls to fight wraiths, at least until she finds a way to wipe them out.

[I'm Vanity (Mie). I'm pushing myself to the limit for someone.] And she is, of course. All of the theatrics, the calls, the organization of magical girls. These are things that Vanity is shown to engage in. All of this is for Madoka.

We see with Gloominess, at least, that she seems to be fulfilling a specific desire: in the background are white spider lilies. Instead of the red spider lilies that mean death, final goodbyes, and lost love, white spider lilies mean a hope for the future and a fresh start. Maybe this really is the first meeting for these two in a while, and she wants to be friends again?

Or maybe, being Gloominess, she wants to warn her about something.

[I'm Gloominess (Nekura). Forcing smiles tires me out.]

Then there’s this Homura.

Nothing about her clothes is very different. She is wearing ribbons as Homura in the wraith universe does, but look closely: the ribbons are different. They have some wavy stripes on them, while Madoka’s ribbons are plain. She does not correspond to any known Clara Doll.

However, there’s mentioned to be a fifteenth Clara Doll that is not yet born: Ai, representing love. This could be her. Is it love for others? Or love for herself? I’m hoping it’s the latter, but very likely it’s love for Madoka and her friends. This would explain why she’s trying to fight Homucifer in the poster, as Homura believes that she’s a danger to everyone else.

How can this be? Well, here’s a few options:

- The Clara Dolls are grown-up familiars. They ate souls, and they became a copy of their witch. This is a process that was explained to us in the original series, where some magical girls are stated to farm familiars by letting them eat people so that they would grow souls/grief seeds.

- The Clara Dolls are not familiars, or wraiths, but instead a secret third thing. “What they are and the witch’s own magic are not well understood”, as said in the Rebellion art book. They could be magical constructs of a different kind, but I do think that this would get into overcomplicated explanations quickly, so I favor the familiar explanation.

- The Clara Dolls could be familiars, but instead of eating souls they’re simply powerful enough to change their shape. Their strength is equal to the strength of a magical girl…. when Homura was a witch, before Homura became something more. It could also be energy from the contracts making them stronger. Maybe it’s me being sentimental, but I don’t like the idea of Homura letting anyone’s soul be nommed on.

Now, before there’s a panic about how they’ll juggle fifteen extra characters, here’s a few thoughts:

- Just because they seem different doesn’t mean they’re actually different. It might be that the Clara Dolls are a way for Homura to present herself. As Vanity, she might show off more, or have dramatic flourishes like her throne and her dress. As Gloominess, it might be that she doesn’t believe that her plans will work, so she tries to do what makes her happy. It’s likely that the Clara Dolls are just extra ways to explore Homura’s character. They’re parts of her soul, after all, and right now she is extremely powerful. She might simply want to keep her true self away from humans.

- They could work like projections. Homura wants more bodies to work with, but she has to filter herself through the Dolls’ personalities. This could result in a lot of juicy character interactions, as the things she tries to keep hidden are closer to the surface.

- Will ‘Ai/Mystery Homura’ fight against Devil Homura? Very likely! How can this be when they’re the same person? Well, who hates Homura more than Homura? That’s right. Nobody. Anyone can fight and argue with their self, it’s just usually not on the level that a reality-warper like Homura can manage.

If this is true, there’s plenty of interesting directions they can take it.

- Because the Clara Dolls have a degree of separation from Homura, they can show other characters things that Homura herself has ignored or locked away. Bad memories, affection for her friends, the resentment she must feel - everything from concern to a cry for help can be plausibly shown through them as the actors.

- Manuke (Stupidity) is specifically more naive/sincere than the others. Maybe interacting with this Doll would show the Quintet that there’s something more going on than a Devil who wants to hurt other people.

- If Ai represents a love for other people, Ai can have a strange character arc where she learns to value Homura/herself, and become self-love.

- On the other hand, Ai can represent self-love from the start, and because Homura looks very fucking unhealthy in the trailer, she only wants to stop her because she’s hurting herself. This option plays into the themes of self-sacrifice and happiness, which I believe to be some of the major themes that they’re going for.

- The poster could be misleading and Ai ends up fighting everyone but Homura. I find this the funniest option.

- Homura can hug herself. It’s possible. In fact, every character can hug Homura 15 different times.

Smiles are a Clara Doll’s default expression. We have yet to see Homura smile for real.

Is this going to get very ambiguous and confusing? Probably. But rewatching for details was the fun part in Rebellion, so I’m looking forward to it!

#walpurgis no kaiten #walpurgisnacht rising #pmmm #homura akemi #madoka magica #puella magi madoka magica #Homura also looks like she’s coughing in that final shot but I can’t find a way to put it in coherently #the Homuras on the tower are too far away for me to look at. sorry. #please don’t start saying things like ‘Ai is SELFLESS LOVE who wants to free Madoka and Homura is ‘SELFISH LOVE who wants to keep Madoka’— #I… disagree. I’d be happy to debate with you but send a message please #pmmm analysis #pmmm rebellion #homucifer #clara dolls #long post

[jazzymusicorn28]

I love the stark contrast between these two shots of Homura and Madoka. Like look at the colors schemes and background details!

Rays of light are shining down on Madoka, symbolizing her positivity and energy. She’s surrounded by pink roses and daisies, corresponding with her joy, innocence, and purity. The background of the shot is very vibrant and full of life, like Madoka here.

Meanwhile we have Homura, who’s intentionally shading herself from the light with her umbrella, causing shadows to be cast across her face. This represents her keeping everyone in the dark about her plans, especially Madoka. The background of the shot is more monochromatic, corresponding with Homura’s uncertainty and secrecy.

#madoka magica #pmmm #analysis #pmmm analysis #puella magi madoka magica #madoka kaname #homura akemi #mahou shoujo madoka magica #Walpurgis rising #rebellion sequel #pmmm spoilers #pmmm rebellion sequel #madohomu #Walpurgisnacht Rising #my post #mine #500

[thefruitonyourfly]

Just read a comment under a magireco Madoka's magical girl sequence that said "now Madoka is a badass" and I was like HUH

Like did some of you watched episode 12 blindfolded and with ear plugs? Because I don't think you guys truly grasp the scope of what Madoka did that episode: The Incubator has been on earth for a MILLENNIUM, meaning that has been thousand of girls before Madoka who have tried to outsmart his system and met a terrible fate for their attempts, but only Madoka has been able to beat him, do you guys understand that? The smartest and strongest girls have tried, but something always thwarted their plans—be it their potential not being that high or Kyuubey twisting their words so it would be in his favor instead—But Madoka had something they didn't and it was her circumstances (Homura and the timeloops), Madoka knew her wish would come at a great sacrifice, but just like Homura said in Rebellion "She rose to the occasion" because she knew it was something only she could do; No one would ever have the perfect circumstances to make that wish like Madoka. So, she did it.

When Madoka made her wish and Kyuubey hesitated for the first time in the series because he understood the implication of it, Madoka said to him: "Now, grant my wish, Incubator." When Kriemhild Gretchen was born and Kyuubey thought he had the advantage back again because this witch could literally swallow a planet and Madoka killed her with one shot. Madoka won, essentially. Like her system isn't perfect, Kyuubey isn't dead, and there's still suffering, but it was the best wish for the magical girl kind as a whole, and all improvements are only possible by what Madoka did here. She played within the Incubator's system and rewrote it. She is the most powerful character in the whole franchise and arguably one of the most powerful characters in anime. "But didn't Homucifer defeated Madokami?" Well, sort of. Homura's win is, ironically, also due to extreme circumstances, only Homura could've done that and only within this one scenario: and even when she won it's heavily implied that if Madoka even has a slightly moment of deja vu it's over for her, she can't win against Madoka on fair terms so even Homura herself can't achieve that feat again. That's just how powerful Madoka is.

Do you guys understand that?

And here's the thing: my problem with that statement isn't even that I don't think magireco Madoka isn't as cool as Madokami, I think she's badass too. Is just like, I thought we all thought Madoka was cool as herself?? Like even without being a magical girl or a fucking godess, Madoka was cool as shit. When Madoka risked her own life to save the lives of her friends and strangers at the warehouse? She had no powers, no backup, and had just watched Mami die to a witch and yet she still followed Hitomi. But people only want to see Madoka's character as what the witch showed her afterwards, her own survivors guilt and perceived weakness and cowardice over wanting to live and not be a magical girl despite what she promised Mami, and yet the scene prior to this conflicts with this idea. Madoka not only can risk her life for others and save them when the need arises, but she already has. Even without being a magical girl. It's just who she is. This, to me, is one Madoka Magica's core strenght as a show that Madoka spent the majority of it being the most "powerless" in almost every scenario and yet she still tried her best to overcome things, even when it didn't work It was never worthless, if anything it proved her own strenght of character and without it she would've never gotten as powerful how she is today.

If Madoka hadn't been kind to Homura on her first day of school, if she hadn't done the simple act of reaching out to someone she thought was kind shy, none of this would've have happened. Her kindness did this, not any other power.

My favorite thing about Madoka's character arc is that Madoka starts as a very naive opmitimisc girl and with a somewhat sheltered view of of the world, then she goes throught horrors few can understand and while she could (understably) become bitter with the world and grow to despise it, Madoka comes of it realizing...she was right. Madoka has felt the pain the world could give her in her own skin, has literally died, and she now thinks Hope is needed more than ever. And it saddens me a lot when people don't understand how strong and cool she is because of that, to be hurt and choose to be kinder and more understanding to yourself and the world in return, because the world can be better we just can't give up...

Basically what I'm saying with this that if you don't like Kaname Madoka, fuck you—

#*sees one negative comment on madoka* *snaps and writes an essay at 1am* #guys i am so normal about kaname madoka #this probably has a lot of typos but i'm gonna sleep right now and fix em in the morning #kaname madoka #madoka kaname #madokami #madohomu #akemi homura #pmmm #madoka magica #long post #pmmm analysis

[pearly-angel]

Kyoko sakura overeating thoughts

Madoka spoilers and mentions of binge and over eating//

Maybe I’m alone in this interpretation/headcannon but did anyone else view kyoko Sakura as an emotional/binge eater?? I was rewatching episode 9 and while I know that kyoko is constantly eating because of how she often starved growing up due to poverty but I noticed that when she was trying to keep sayakas body alive with her soul gem she started eating when talking to kyubey in a way that felt fast and eating more than she does in some regular scenarios,, I feel like she started overeating to cope with the threat of sayaka dying,

EDIT: sorry looking at the gif again and it briefly cuts to a pile of food wrappers,, this could show that kyoko just keeps her wrappers long after she’s eaten her food but I think it implies that kyoko just ate it all during the time of sayakas plausible death. She ate all of it to help cope with what’s going on with sayaka.

Honestly I think that her growing up in poverty and with little food could also reinforce this mentality in her head,, starving is sad and eating is happy, so if she is stressed and wants to take her mind off of things she should eat to make herself happy/calm her down right? Plus due to the fact that she’s a magical girl and pretty lonely I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s stressed and sad all the time and food is just her default way of coping,,

Would be welcome to hearing anyone else’s thoughts on her character!! I’m very open to discussion and I only wanna place my interpretation on the table!

#kyosaya #kyousaya #kyouko sakura #kyoko sakura #puella magi madoka magica #pmmm spoilers #pmmm #kyoko x sayaka #I love kyouko #she’s so <3 #pmmm analysis #madoka magica

[pulsarex]

Something a lot of people don't point out or notice is that (during Rebellion) Kyubey was in the exact same "creation space" as Homura (and Madoka) was. You know, the place where the girls both ended up fully ascending to their respective god forms? This meant that either Kyubey followed Homura to there during her ascension like she followed Madoka in episode 12, or he was dragged there. To get this out of the way: that means a major requisite for following a god to the creation space might be desperation, which fits both contexts.

Furthermore, he was able to directly observe Akuma Homura in the creation space, and they could touch each other (Homura grabbed him). Earlier, Kyubey stated that if he/the Incubators directly observed Madoka in her goddess form, they could trap her and reinstate the witch system (coobie i understand you want to protect the universe but chill bro). If Kyubey was able to observe Akuma Homura so well to the point where he could have physical contact with her, why didn't he just trap her in that moment? Am I missing something?

Assuming I haven't, I have a couple theories as to why:

He's planning something- This is the one that's most likely to be confirmed in 4th movie imo, simply because of what happened in Rebellion.

He already trapped Homura and she doesn't know it- Second most likely. Incubators are opportunistic.

He's sincere about giving up on everything and willingly let himself be enslaved because he trusts Homura- This is a rather unconventional idea that woobifies him a little. But it's possible; Akuma Homura apparently has enough power to give the girls happy lives that not even Ultimate Madoka was able to provide them (revive Sayaka and Nagisa so the former has a second chance with Kyosuke, Hitomi, and Kyouko while the latter becomes Mami's friend and alleviates her loneliness; that may be oversimplifying it but you get the point). She was able to give Madoka her life and family back. If Homura could do the things that not even Madoka could, then to Kyubey she damn well could be able to prevent the heat-death all on her own using her "demonic" love-goddess powers. I just think a scenario where Kyubey was fine with whatever punishment would be dished out on him as long as Homura protected the universe in his stead is interesting.

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #kyubey #pmmm #pmmm analysis #madoka magica analysis #theories #pmmm theories #madoka magica theories #damnit why cant there just be one tag for everything aaaaaa #also im so sorry if i worded this weirdly i promise i dont seriously ship kyubey with anyone pleak

[exilley]

been thinking about sayaka for a little bit and there's a fascinating interaction between her and kyoko in episode 8 or 9 where sayaka implies that kyoko stole her food and is less of a person for it despite the fact that sayaka's entire character revolves around extending compassion to the unfortunate at her own expense to the point her self-sacrifice leads her to neglect her own emotional needs. and that's significant and perhaps even incongruent with her general writing because up to that point she demonstrates a remarkable understanding of her privilege as someone who's known nothing but what it's like to have a stable and supportive community, lamenting her and madoka's sheltered lives. it seems way out of character for her to shame someone who came from poverty for partaking in actions informed by the experience of being poor. on the other hand there's potential for interesting class blindness dialogue there but that issue is overlooked in pmmm's text which reflecting on it a bit more deeply yeah. quite a missed opportunity. even if you interpreted her comment there as just being nonspecific animosity toward kyoko because they weren't on the greatest terms initially, that still doesn't touch on the fact that their character conflict as a whole is built on the clashing of their values; Kyoko, as someone who lived in squalor, adopted a darwinist survivalism mindset to get by in the world, and Sayaka, as someone who comes from a well-off family and has only her own interpersonal development to be concerned about, adopted a number of idealistic virtues in line with charitable motives to seek greater meaning in her life. sayaka calling kyoko out on her kleptism would also generally be informed by that class dissonance wouldnt it

#exilley's diary #Codeword: You Are Not Alone #pmmm #sayaka miki #kyoko sakura #pmmm analysis #im putting this in the main tags because i need other people's thoughts on this

[silvermoon424]

The scene where Homura mercy-kills Madoka in one of her timelines is artistic perfection for a lot of reasons, but the way the two of them express different philosophies in it drives me insane with how amazing it is.

Faced with becoming a Witch, Homura tells Madoka that they should become monsters together and destroy the world until nothing bad or sad remains. But Madoka uses her very last Grief Seed to prevent Homura's transformation, telling her that even though there are a lot of awful things in the world, there's so much worth protecting too.

Madoka has seen the best the world has to offer and wants to sacrifice herself to protect it. Homura has seen the worst and her main priority is protecting the one person who gave her hope and warmth, even if that screws over other people. I fucking love these two so much.

#pmmm #madoka magica #puella magi madoka magica #madoka kaname #homura akemi #madohomu #analysis #my analysis #1k

[musicallypan]

No cuz you guys don't understand.

Homura rejected HER OWN PERFECT WORLD because it was trampling on the wish Madoka made for all magical girls.

She REJECTED the PERFECT MADOKA FOR HER because she knew that the Madoka she LOVED was a self-sacrificing idiot who would never choose herself over others.

Would Homura like it if Madoka stayed? Yes. Absolutely. That is literally her wish. For her to be with Madoka.

BUT! Would the real Madoka stay? No.

And that's the thing. Homura wants the real Madoka even tho she knows that she could never have her. She wants to be with Madoka but she knows that it would never happen even though that's what she wants.

The Madoka that would reject her is the one Homura loves.

And isn't that tragic?

That Homura put herself in such a horrible unending paradoxical cycle with feasibly no exits... And would do it all over again just for the sake of seeing Madoka just one more time?

Whatever Homura feels for Madoka is beyond simple words. It's an amalgamation of complex human nature that is so incomprehensible yet so understandable... It's honestly beautiful.

#musicallypan #homura analysis #homura #homura akemi #akemi homura #madoka kaname #kaname madoka #pmmm #madoka magica #puella magi madoka magica #madohomu #madoka x homura #homura x madoka #NO CUZ THEY ARE SO #GHKDJHNGKSJHRKSGBRJSG #i love homura guys #she is THE babygirl

[evergreenalice]

in episode 10 we see this

elsewhere, we see this

I refuse to believe these are the same building, rather, I think only the first one is real

the second one is purely symbolic. A white minimalist void with floating stuff about witches and Walpurgisnacht and such, and a mechanism at the center that sort of evokes Walpurgisnacht's design

she lives in a white void because nothing matters but what we see, there are places to sit, a table, and information about Walpurgisnacht, her task has so wholly consumed her that she might as well live in a white void, nothing else matters but this

I've thought this before but idk if I ever put this on Tumblr

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #pmmm #homura akemi #analysis

[atamascolily]

I watched the Rebellion opening again (as one does) and I realized that almost every single shot in the "amusement park" sequence prominently features "things that spin in a circle and return to their starting point".

The whirling tea cup ride:

The ferris wheel:

The roller coasters with loops, and the spinning airplane (?) ride in the middle. Also, lots of round buildings in general.

The windmill. Note the round shield-shaped insignia on the fence.

The ski lift (actually probably an aerial tramway or enclosed cab for the Ferris wheel, but this is what I call it in my head because of the snow since theme parks are not usually open in winter) and carousel:

More roller coasters (no doubt symbolizing what a wild ride this movie is going to be).

(This whole segment makes me think of the transition between Barbieland and the real world in the 2023 Barbie movie, and while it's not an exact fit here, there are certainly parallels. Note also that Madoka appears to have moved through the seasons and it is now spring again--another cycle! And also, Madoka and Homura first met each other in the spring in the original TV series.)

This shot features a clock in the upper left. Also a round fountain and triangular pennants very similar to those that appear later with Homulilly.

Another Ferris wheel and roller coaster, with round sections of a castle on the left.

And of course, the "dancing on the carousel" sequence with sad shrunken Homura at the center:

My point is that there is a lot more symbolism and meaning packed into this sequence than I had initially realized and I'm never going to be able to unsee it now. Theme parks are a surprisingly good metaphor for the dream world inside Homura's soul gem--a heavily idealized and artificial place designed specifically for people to have fun and enjoy themselves and exist in their own little "bubbles".

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #madoka rebellion #pmmm analysis

[feathered-yelloweye]

About Kriemhild Gretchen

Madoka's witch, Kriemheld Gretchen, might be based on the Brockengespenst (Brocken spectre). This is an atmospheric optical phenomenon (presumably) first described on the Brocken, in which the greatly enlarged shadow of the observer can be seen on a fog or cloud bench. The head of the shadow is often surrounded by coloured rings. The cloud/fog wall not having a smooth surface and being in motion makes the shadow appear ghostly.

Source (of both the image and the explanation I vaguely translated)

Source (just image)

As you can see the "spectre" itself resembles Kriemhild Gretchen in appearance; additionally one could argue that a small, seemingly inconspicuous Magical Girl turning into the witch with the potential to "destroy the world in ten days" is representative of a regular person's shadow turning into something so huge and imposing.

It's also important to note that the Brocken is associated with witches. This was "perpetuated by Goethe who described the Brocken as a centre of witchcraft revelry in his Faust. One of his scenes is of Walpurgisnacht, (Walpurgis Night, 30th April) when witches meet on Brocken to hold revels with their gods, and there are still bonfires lit on the mountain to this day." (Source)

You probably recognise Walpurgisnacht as the name of the witch that acts as the antagonist for the main series, which further solidifies the connection. (If you want to read up on Walpurgisnacht itself, I like this article)

Now this last point is something most people already know but I'd like to mention it anyways, for completion's sake. Walpurgisnacht's and Kriemhild Gretchen's silhouettes on top of each other make up an hourglass.

Here, I think it's interesting that Walpurgisnacht makes up the top part. She's there first, signifying the beginning of the end of the world, in a way, as the sand trickles down from her part of the hourglass — Kriemhild Gretchen then, who is destined to come after her as "even if Walpurgisnacht is defeated, a stronger witch is destined to appear after her" and holds the power to "destroy the world in ten days" is the lower part and signifies the end of time.

There's also an entire possible tangent to get into about Kriemhild Gretchen's name itself, but I need to re-read the Nibelungenlied before I feel like I can say what needs to be said about it.

#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #madoka kaname #kriemhild gretchen #analysis #Walpurgisnacht madoka magica #text post #pmmm has an indescribable hold on me right now and I JUST remembered I can talk about it as much as I want #my rambles

[burnorgetburned]

okay. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO SAY.

NEW MUSIC STYLE. NEW ART STYLE. NEW MAGIC SYSTEM, NEW GIRLS, MORE CLARA DOLLS, MORE HOMURA OUTFITS, MORE EVERYONE OUTFITS, and AAHAHAHAHSGH.

Homura wins by style points alone.

Anyway. Choice screenshots and my thoughts on them. Plus a few wild theories. Replies, tags, and your own reactions are VERY welcome.

(You're doing great, sweetie!)

First of all, I’ve already said this, but Homura has usurped Kyubey. She is the contractor in this new system. She calls magical girls and asks them if they can bear the responsibility of fighting (LEAGUES better than Kyubey's misleading BE A HERO language), using a magical lizard phone. She knows better than anyone else how heavy this is.

And she looks amazing while doing it. Look at that outfit! Look at her steampunk-esque aesthetic! Her throne. Which, notably, has glowing magenta eyes and her wings as a backrest.

The moon is either actually, physically repurposed, or she’s made something that looks like it. Not only that, but the pins going into the moon are exactly like the pins that went into her soul gem when she was being experimented upon in Rebellion. Those pins, according to the artbook, are for draining her gem of grief to keep her just before the point of witching.

Well, here’s my first wild speculation: Homura has not only taken over Kyubey’s job as a contractor but also its job of disposing of grief. That moon steampunk device is maybe for collecting, concentrating, and distilling grief into energy - hence the strange tesla coils connected to red liquid in the second screenshot above. She's doing what Kyubey says it's doing - turning the grief of people into energy to prolong the universe's lifespan.

I for one support her reality-warping shenanigans.

Here are some voices over a phone, sometimes speaking over each other, sometimes together. They call Homura “Akuma-sama” (!!!) which is a distinct upgrade from calling her Good-For-Nothing. They say “Just bring hope” like a mission statement. Are these her contracted girls? Or her Clara Dolls? They seem to show her a lot of respect.

I’ve also said this, but I strongly feel that this and the girl shown later are some of Homura’s new contractees. Their magic is darker. It warps the world around them, even. Their outfits incorporate black a lot more, too, though that might be the lighting.

Look at the little sigil on the top left-middle! Looks a lot like Homura’s lizard sigil shown when she was consuming the universe, just with a longer lizard.

And, of course, the image of Madoka throwing herself off of a building. “Wraith” and “Legend of Bestie” (lmao) show up here. I’ve actually been really looking forward to seeing what they’ll do with Madoka’s… self-sacrificial tendencies, so this might be part of that. Or, because of “Wraith”, it’s… well, I’ll get to that later.

On the other hand, it might not be Madoka. It might be the girl who the speaker in the phone call calls her "best friend", jumping to her death because of a wraith, and Homura saving her to fulfill a wish.

So glad that the insane architecture from Rebellion is making a comeback. Love what you’ve done with the place, Homura. Look at all those cranes!

The outfit changes are very cool to me. I honestly don’t have speculation for why Sayaka is covered in bandages, but I do have speculation for the changes!: they’re older. Years have passed. Since they’ve changed and grown, their outfits have changed, too. I don't have proof of this - I just like the idea.

Light shines down on Madoka. Petals fall towards her as flowers bloom above. Behold, Homura's extremely subtle and inscrutable feelings. (Sorry for the blurry Madoka, but I am not going through the ordeal of uploading screenshots to my computer again because Tumblr does not like mobile users).

Homura is apparently waiting for Madoka here. She's standing right in the fountain's water and holding a Victorian umbrella like a vampire. Right now we can see that the visuals of this movie will not miss.

Is this a routine thing for them or is Homura just showing up to greet them this one time, for some reason? No clue. Madoka's expression as she notices Homura could indicate either.

Eagle-eyed people on Twitter noticed this, but in these shots, Sayaka already has her bandages.

Aside from the multiple and/or teleporting Homuras, there's also a Clara Doll in a ballerina dress and a cute Clara Doll peering over the side of the tower like a little kid.

The tower is interesting. It appears to be made of books or pages, and there's chains throughout it. More notably, it's in the shape of a helix - infinity symbols on top of each other.

Please appreciate these Clara Dolls. I'm sure they're working hard.

But seriously, those Clara Dolls' details. One has a witch's hat. One has an apple on its head. And the one with a teacup appears to have not only a lizard's tail but a replica of Homura's Devil outfit. Appreciate them!

Here is Homura(?), lounging or trapped on a chair filled with even more of those pins. Look at her closely. She's wearing a strange combination of her magical girl outfit and her Devil outfit - her shoulders are bare, and she has... feathers? She's sitting on a bunch of nails. But she also has two soul gems - one in her hand, and one hanging from her neck.

Is she cleansing them? Eating them? Holding people hostage? I don't know, but I support her completely.

She looks so tired.

So: here's some of what I think might be going on.

Homura is using wraiths to repress her worst memories. We know already that wraiths take memories and emotions from their victims. Well, there's no reason it can't be used as extremely terrible coping! Homura actually does this in the Wraith Arc, too - she lets a wraith take her feelings for Madoka.

If it is Madoka, it explains the shot with Madoka throwing herself off a builing - what if Homura has seen this happen in the loops, and out of pain lets a wraith pull it right out of her? The shot says "WRAITH" and billows with smoke. A wraith could have taken Madoka's form to act out this memory. And it doesn't need to be a memory - it could also represent Madoka's self-sacrifice and almost suicidal tendencies. This, too, would explain the multiple Homuras. All wraiths using her form.

This puts forward powerful enemies for the plot, as well as an interesting point of literally fighting Homura's demons. Most importantly, this lets everyone see Homura's pain.

Other wild dartboard speculations:

Homura will try and present herself as a villain. This is, honestly, kind of guaranteed, but it bears mentioning that her magical girls will be very likely to try to defend her.

Kyubey may appear to try and turn the girls against Homura.

Homura made the new magical girl who is drawing a bow. She has a lot of design choices from the Quintet, and people have already noticed how much she looks like Madoka. This new girl plays a role of the hero to Homura's pretend-villain, eliminating the risk that her friends will get seriously hurt.

The new magical girl is actually Madoka. Or the Law of Cycles. Or Kriemhild Gretchen.

The girl who jumps from the tower is a contractee being asked to take a leap of faith. She does so, and Homura rewards her with magic.

#pmmm #pmmm analysis #puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #walpurgisnacht rising #walpurgis no kaiten #pmmm 4 #please tell me what tags to use for spoilers! #pmmm specuation #homura akemi #long post

[jazzymusicorn28]

Just thinking about the brilliantly crafted yet subtle symbolism with the seasons in the Rebellion OP, and how the seasons present perfectly coincide with their respective characters and their wishes.

Like, we start off with Madoka in the spring. This definitely correlates with her wish to reset the corrupt system of magical girls and witches. She creates a new design for the system and gives herself and the other magical girls hope with the new start, heavily leaning into the themes of rebirth and hope tied to spring. Spring also represents transformations, and it nicely conveys Madoka using hope as a propelling force to her becoming a goddess.

When Sayaka enters the scene, it's summer. It represents her initial hopes and optimism toward becoming a magical girl, and her overall innocence. Her desires for romance and passion tied to her wish to be with Kyosuke also embody some of the core symbolic ideas associated with summer.

Now Mami enters the scene in the fall, which is often associated with themes of adulthood, maturity, and death. This pertains to her resourcefulness and maturity that stems from her dealing with the aftermath of her parents dying in the car crash. Mami also made her wish to avoid death.

Next we have Kyoko, with some of the most blatant symbolism with her ties to winter here. Kyoko made her wish to prevent her family from living in literal squalor, and the foundations of her wish were based upon her not wanting her family to have to endure such hardships and tough times, which winter is commonly connected with. After her father went ballistic, Kyoko was able to survive and live through the most difficult times in her life while sustaining herself as a magical girl and person. She also adopted the "survival of the fittest" mindset too, further representing her ties to the winter imagery shown here.

And lastly we have Homura entering in the spring! Her wish is based on saving Madoka and her initial hopefulness in doing so. She wanted to have a fresh start, a chance to redo her meeting with Madoka, which became the driving force of her life. Spring is heavily tied to new beginnings and transformations, which certainly embodies her change in personality and demeanor with all of the timeline resets.

Homura entering during the spring also foreshadows her transformation into a literal devil; this significantly parallels when Madoka enters in the spring, which is representative of her transformation into a goddess. Currently obsessing over these parallels btw.

#pmmm #madoka magica #puella magi madoka magica #homura akemi #madoka kaname #sayaka miki #mami tomoe #kyoko sakura #madohomu #long post #longish post #analysis #pmmm rebellion #madoka magica rebellion #madoka rebellion #pmmm analysis #my post #mine #mahou shojo madoka magica #500

[sasupark]

Homura Akemi is Selfless and Here's Why!!!!

I've thought for so long now that Homura did all the sacrifices she did in order for her to BE WITH madoka but actually?

I'm starting to change my mind.

In the anime, when Kyoko asked her what she wanted to do when they killed Walpurgisnacht, all she said was that she's "going to leave the city". Considering her history of sui**de ideology, it was a little unnerving for her to say that. Moreover, she doesn't make any attempts to look redeemable in Madoka's eyes either, which means she has little to no interest in involving herself directly with Madoka even if she survives.

Additionally, when Madoka became a God, she was heartbroken about it, but she ultimately respected her decision, even if she can't feel Madoka there most of the time (so much that she started doubting her memories of madoka). It's why she was so mad in Rebellion and insistent on finding and ending the witch that trapped them in the barrier, because they were "disrespecting Madoka's sacrifice" by existing.

Also, her witch's labyrinth in rebellion revealed that she'd always wanted to have a fun and normal life with all her fellow magical girls, living out their days in perfect harmony with them, not just Madoka. Sayaka and Kyoko who are complete opposites of each other are simply bantering, sayaka herself doesn't seem to hold anything against homura either (which its more than implied that sayaka hated homura in many timelines). Homura had always cared about all of the girls in varying degrees, as she'd always done something to try and save them from their fate, although all of them were futile. But since she had always seen Madoka as the person who cared about her the most, when the other girls started to pose a problem for her safety, she will set them aside in order to prioritise Madoka.

Anyway, when Homura finds out she was experimented on by kyubei in order to one day gain control of Madoka, she curses herself into becoming a witch. When she was saved, she knows that Kyubei are now 100% sure of Madoka's existence and it wont be long before she's controlled.

Homura became a "demon" in order to prevent Kyubei from rendering Madoka's sacrifice useless.

She did do it for love as she claimed, and maybe to an extent, yes, she is controlling madoka, but it is to ensure that she does not endanger herself again. She doesn't even bother making herself look good in their eyes after she's rewritten the timeline, she embodies her role as "the villain" much as she had back in the anime when she ended up looking like a psychopathic weirdo.

TLDR; Homura's main goal is not to Have Madoka, its to Let Madoka Exist, even at her own expense.

And that's how it always has been.

#pmmm #puella magi madoka magica #homura akemi #madoka kaname #madohomu #madoka magica #madomagi #madoka magica rebellion #rebellion #character analysis #can you tell ive loved homura akemi for more than half of my lifespan #shes so morally grey but also. i love her