one thing to note is that Sayaka's journey is much like the mermaid of the little mermaid's journey(Her witch form taking on a mermaid tail). Sayaka much like the mermaid makes a deal with kyubey(The sea witch) and gets the power to be a magical girl(human) to gain the love of Kyosuke(The Prince)... But as the days go by she is unable to due to what she discovers... She is essentially a zombie(Has no voice) and due to that Hitomi(The opposite love interest) comes in and takes Kyosuke away. Unable to deal with it, she lives on her days, using magic when Homura and Kyouko/Kyoko try in vain to get her to use grief seeds to clear in her gem(Given a knife to kill the prince). Sayaka refuses and in turn succumbs to despair and turns into a witch(Into seafoam). It's a pretty artistic interpretation of The Little Mermaid tale.

Exactly; that originality is one of the best parts about the show. No trickery besides that of our own minds

It's a great example of the meaning of "be careful what you wish for" in the truest sense of the world - actually carry out your wish to its logical real life consequences before making it - instead of a game of wits or luck

Damn, I always just assumed they had died from the impact or something similar and that wasn't even an option, but I guess not. That makes it even more sad

@@ProfessorViral to be specific her regret is that knowing she could have save both herself and her family , that is why she tell madoka and sayaka to think hard for their wish.

@@ProfessorViral I mean even if they did die from the impact, Kyuubey still easily could've brought them back while also healing Mami, so...

Thanks for ruining my day.

I thought it was very interesting how in a different story, Mami hears Candeloro in her shadow, like how Kuro hears her Doppel in Magia record Edit: Mami's survivors guilt mirrors the cognitive dissonance of Charlotte's magical girl Nagisa. Nagisa's wish was essentially to give her Mother something she liked when her mother just wanted to be healthy and resented Nagisa as she couldn't even recover let alone care for a child alone so Nagisa was a reminder to her mother of her partner who left her so she unfairly treated Nagisa. Nagisa's true wish was to be loved by a maternal figure, Mami's true wish was to be with people who needed her and loved her. That's why Charlotte would always Kill Mami. Their true hearts desires resolve eachother, just like Sayaka and Kyoko. The best part about rebellion is seeing Kyoko's theory come into reality as Akumura balances Madokami returning a pseudo law of cycles. I really wish Magia Record's staff realized this before writing their story as then it would be a proper sequel to the series and be far more compelling of a story but at least they gave us that incredible Holy Mami vs Sayaka + Yachiyo Scene. 👌👌That sakuga tho 👌👌

Boiled down, pretty much. I had to avoid the second bit of the comment because I do want to check out the rest of the Madoka Magica media as blind as possible sometime, but I appreciate it as always!

@@ProfessorViral Oh yeah in that case I'm sorry for spoiling something. Although in this characters case she is basically just one of many side characters that was exclusive to the game the spin off is based on

Interesting, I'll be dipping into the other Madoka Magica media sometime, so I'll have to think about this idea again with that context!

Ah.... i mean KIND OF. The Doppel System is an anomaly exclusive to the universe of Magia Record... for a dstinct reason of which enters spoiler territory if you are experiencing the story from the anime exclusively. To put it simply, Doppels are more like hitting a reset button on a soul gem by expelling the would-be witch and all its impurity in a single summon-like entity before dispelling all together. The metaphor and analogy of witches in this video doesn't quite fit Doppels themselves as they are a more self-contained entity outside of the original story. Not to mention the psycological draw backs of relying on your doppel too much (ironically only ever explored in the anime adaptation and never once mentioned in the game)

@@tylerclapp9422 The idea of the Doppels being a release of the Witch's curses is effectively venting, which can be a coping mechanism. It still fits the idea that you're becoming better through your trials and tribulations and thus using them like one would armor.

@@mikhailthegreatestdragon3627 except not really though... its an unnatural phenomena that should not be and really shouldnt be given more significance than a plot device as its literally being used as one in Arc 2 within the game-- and in an incredibly interesting way ontop of that. Doppels dont work in this metaphor for the exact reason its not a natural occurrence. I really dont wanna spoil the story since I dont want to ruin the experience for anyone who has yet to read through the game/ waiting for the anime to finish but its most certainly not one that "makes you a better person" more so a "Cheating death and the consequences of it"

@@tylerclapp9422 I don't think I mentioned anything about it making you a better person, my whole point is it making your wish worth it by becoming stronger than the circumstances putting you down. I guess I see where you're coming from, but there's a difference between becoming "good" and being "better". Given all the timeline shenanigans too, it's only unnatural in the scope of freaking Madokami, that's not really the same as the scope of the magical girls doing it since a lot of them do figure it out later down the line, so calling it unnatural cause one timeline out of thousands popped an anomaly(which by the way is expected given how probability works) doesn't really say anything. Also, the fact that it does have consequences in and of itself *does* lend to my idea of it being like venting. Even that can become toxic if done with reckless abandon. If you don't do anything to actually fix the situation, of course you're always gonna need it, it's why people can become addicted to the need to let out their rage or negative thoughts.

And depending on the timeline and circumstances, after telling Kyosuke she's a magical girl, he either thinks she's cool or a monster. #Sadyaka

and, in the crack alt route in portable, homura bullies sayaka into confessing and she lives the rest of that route on cloud nine.

​@@ILiekFishesThe what? I would like to know more.

Ah, the old, "you never asked" lol

@@ProfessorViral Pretty much. Joking aside, he did manipulate teenagers who aren't as likely to ask too many questions. Kyubey is a lot of horrible things, but he is honest with you so long as you make an effort to ask. He doesn't mind that a girl will be wise enough to say no, because at the end of the day Kyubey knows that there are countless others out there that are willing to take up the offer.

@@philippeandreadoviakueamba1265 Again I'm mostly being facetious with the T&C bit. My main point is basically "If it's too good to be true, it probably is". In other words, you should probably ask more questions about any proposition given. But teenagers being teenagers, they were blown away enough by the demo the other magical girls showed that they just didn't(with Madoka being the exception).

@@joecrazy9896 Kyubey is really careful with his wording though, even when asked directly. Like when Kyoko asked if it was possible to bring back Sayaka after she'd become a witch, he said something along the lines of "I've never seen it done before, but maybe". When it fails and Homura asks him directly about it, he says flat out says "I knew it would never work" so he could trap Madoka into making a wish. He's just really good at preying on desperate kids looking for a sliver of hope.

didn't read the fine print bro

I didn't think about that, but it is like she made the wish after Madoka's fate was already sealed

@@ProfessorViral She made it after Madoka died. So no matter what she did it wouldn’t do her any good.

Wait that’s a really good point omg!

Yes and no, there seems to be a period of time between when Homura wakes up in the hospital bed when starting a new timeline and meeting Madoka at school. While yes you're right that she was already a magical girl in the first/original timeline, it might say something that Homura's point or restart is before that day of school, especially if Madoka isn't always a magical girl by that day. I kind of took it as the day Homura is discharged is the day she can make the difference since she doesn't seem to restart on the exact day they are to meet and think that's an important detail that might makea difference in Homura's plans and Madoka's path. I don't recall if it's a few days or a whole week between those days, but it almost gives me the impression that this means Homura could just as well Meet madoka before she starts school and that that could make a difference in what happens as if the day Madoka made her wish the first time was in that day or the domino effect of her making that wish starts on that day and not so much the day she met Homura.

@@jilliancrawford7577 I’m pretty what your talking about is the loop we saw throughout the season.

I guess everything, aside from the enemy they face, does end up mostly the same, so things couldn't have changed much in the past, meaning their fates would be the same. It's definitely a small condolence, but one very fitting for everything here

Funfact: Gen Urobochi states in an interview that the girls dont actually die when they are taken by the Law of Cycles. They are actually instead put in a permanent stasis and remain asleep for all eternity (their physical forms anyway) while their subconscious is presumably universally connected to the hub which i would assume is the ethereal plane that is the Law of Cycles itself. Sayaka's and Octavia's passages in the Rebellion Production notes support this by saying something akin to Sayaka feeling like she woke from a very long dream when taking on the rescue mission. Think Kazumi Magica's "Freezer" concept but on a universal scale and more magical.

@@ProfessorViral I would go further and say that it is something worth fighting for. Madoka didn't save their lives, but she saved something else: the meaning of their choices. If becoming a Magical Girl had to mean eventually becoming a witch, then any wish for justice would eventually turn to ashes in the injustice created by the final witch. But now that witches are no longer created, Kyōko's karmic equation -- good and evil zero out in the end -- is no longer true. It is now possible for Magical Girls to live a meaningful life, fight a meaningful fight, and die a meaningful death. That is, I think, a very significant improvement. It has been said that it is as if Madoka, with her wish, had created a world in which 'gentler' magical girl series like Sailor Moon or Pretty Cure are possible. In which being a magical girl no longer means simply being a source of anti-entrorpic energy.

I'll hopefully be checking out Rebellion (again technically, but I saw it years ago) sometime soon, so I'll be waiting for that as well!

Wait but its already announced?

@@pipichi8441 I did hear it.

@@pipichi8441 It is, not a specific release date, but a sequel is on the works.

@@pipichi8441 yes, check Walpurgis no Kaiten

I was actually thinking about just how much Madoka gave up, but it's even more fitting that it's something good coming from Homura suffering (all of them really, but they don't remember it) through the same time again and again

Thank you, it really does mean a lot to hear that : )

I didn't think about her ribbons at all, but I like that idea, and it does fit with her character quite well. Her powers let her hold on things, but she herself has hardly anything to hold onto, which is a great note. I guess Kyoko using a spear could be similar to this, since she's also alone, and keeps people at a distance, at least until she takes an interest in Sayaka. So she has a weapon that's best used when keeping foes at a distance

That's basically the basis of her Witch form, "Candeloro": A witch that invites people to her tea parties by tying them up to chairs with her ribbons. They wanna leave? Well, just tighten up the grip, even if that kills them. This is both from the mobile games as well as the Different Story manga.

@@ProfessorViral right on the spot for Kyoko too since her Witch form, Ophelia, is the "Witch of Self-abandonment".

@@MaxusFox23 oh shoot i never noticed that lmao-- i have the different story manga but i haven't read it in a long while so i guess i kinda forgot

@@iijel0e it's when Mami is about to fall into despair and has a vision of a child version of herself tempting her into a world full of tea parties where she'll never be alone. That child Mami is essentially Candeloro.

The simple summary of this haha

I'm glad the video was able to give you some food for thought, that's what I try to do here, so it means a lot 😁

It is sad, knowing that from day one, Homura could never really succeed in saving anyone. And that some people are always going to have to see failure. It's something that makes me think a lot if that's a factor of our societies, or human nature. But I guess we won't be able to say, at least not for a long time. But, sorry for rambling, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

To me, that's always the mark of a truly great series; how long after the fact can it keep producing meaningful thought and conversation. By that mark, these 12 episodes were an amazing success

100%. And while I talk about most abstract concepts within anime here, that presentation of it is a huge part of its success. The same ideas in an anime that was presented differently could have made for a terrible show

It's very fitting that it is, like the image of magical girls against their reality

Thank you, glad you've enjoyed them!

Thank you, that means a lot, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos! : D

I saw some comments pointing this out, I always assumed they were already passed and couldn't be saved, so I didn't even think about it

She was just in an accident, and Kyubey appeared right in the accident she didn't have much to think

Thank you! It does for sure, even Kyoko, as the magical girl with the least time, has a lot to her

Thank you, I appreciate that!

Very true, looking at the grand scope of things here, I didn't really address that distinction, or how it can help. Small goals can even lead up to sum into what one may call a dream, but make it actually attainable!

@@ProfessorViral I had a lot of simplistic but large dreams; Like becoming a doctor who used herbs instead of pharmacy drugs. But my goals were to be confident, independent, and to write what makes me happy. I have all these things and I'm content with where I am. Really the only part of my goal thst would make it an obtainable dream would be to adopt a cat for emotional support. Unfortunately, I can't pay for a cat on a seasonal based income.

Thank, I'm happy it was able to be so!

KZfaq suggest auto-replies to comments sometimes, and one of them for this was "so true!" lol

Thank you 😁

Thank you! : )

Happy I could provide those 20 minutes : D

I don't have any solid plans for manga coverage yet, but it's also not something I've ruled out, and will probably do eventually for a few series!

No pressure! But, I'd say it's worth it for the anime itself!

Except she isn't saving them. She's essentially mercy killing them. Which is just a temporary compromise. After watching rebellion and the conversation between Kyubee and Homura. I think that Kyubee's plan when granting Madoka's wish was actually to have the Kyubee in the altered universe capture and enslave the god that Madoka would become. But he messed up and made Homura into a being that shouldn't exist. Thus giving a 14 year old girl who tormented for 12 years the power to stop him. Now he's likely being tormented by Homura everyday because... what else does she have to do. Other than throwing herself off cliffs but being unable to die.

I wish to start over in New Zealand & that would be my Happy ever After with me&my stuff&my German Shepherd & hopefully my dream Beach house Home in New Zealand & I am willing to Risk it all. 💖

She is my favorite of series, but I feel like her story was just about perfect how it was. I almost don't want it to have anything else haha

@@ProfessorViral then who do you want as the main protagonist?

@@EveryMan-yz1ce Oh it's you. The famous Every Man. Ok, in my opinion...Madoka again, of course. She's still the main protagonist of this whole franchise, so I wouldn't mind if she takes her original spot again. There are some people predicting it would be Mami since she is the least focused Puella Magi. But let's see, I think it wouldn't be a surprise if Madoka is again the protagonist of the next movie.

Happy new year 🤣

@@ProfessorViral 😘😂

I liked that as quick summary, a better way to word things than I did here about the limited nature of humanity!

Thank you! I will cover the additional media for Madoka Magica sometime for sure! I actually meant to mention that in the video, but it slipped my mind until after I'd exported 🤣

@@ProfessorViral I'm so glad to hear it! Your coverage on this IP is amazing, I would love to hear you cover the expanded universe and it's characters in depth. Keep going! You're making great videos!

He did, but he also says something along the lines of, they have to have enough power to make the wish come true, like the basis for how Madoka can do something so grand. So that may be covered by that idea sadly

You would totally be able to do that. Then granting wishes would itself become your main power, so subsequent wishes would come directly out of your soul gem and would be significantly more expensive than most magic and it would only take a few wishes (if you could even last one) before running out and turning into a witch.

It just feels like your not talking about how the system of magical girls can be compared to capitalism and capitalism is just a system that needless makes us fight each other, there are honestly enough resources in the world to educate, feed, clothe, and house everyone on earth but we don’t because it’s not profitable. Like if we were in a social society you could have more control over your vision because then the people you worked with would be doing it for there own will to help you rather than need to in order not to starve

Like yess there is always cost but it doesn’t mean you have to pay it yourself and that is how I interpreted madoka magica’s wishes.

I'll yield entirely that this analysis relies on our current societal structure to be true. I stand by this, because art needs to be analyzed within the societal contexts of it's time. But, I agree with you that in a more fair world this wouldn't be true at all. We are a world that can fix all of its own problems, but doesn't because of greed. Some people are taking vanity trips into space, while the people they look down on starve, and its disgusting that our world sees that as something common. If we made our systems more fair, and allowed everyone the means of survival detached from work, which we have the means to do, then dreams would be a perfectly safe things we could all work towards making true without an excessive cost. That's a world I'd much rather see. I didn't include in the video that this only holds true in our societies, because it was something I didn't actively think about while writing. But, it's a point I wish I had, as you pointed out! Also I don't mean to type all of this to be rude if it sounds that way a bit, I do agree with you, and I wanted to make that clear is all!

@@ProfessorViral no problem man, honestly I was worried I was rambling a bit! And I’m glad I could help you see a different way of looking at the world!

Sadly I will have to avoid this for spoilers, but I'm hoping to check out some of the related media for Madoka soon!

@@ProfessorViral how for it that's why I put spoilers

Madoka had the advantage of having seen all the endings you could come to as a magical girl. She saw the terms and conditions, and the suffering from those. She had time to think and realize that she needed to be thorough because Kyuubey’s the type to absolutely juke you in your wish. And in a way, she did fail in a sense: She did become a witch as soon as she made the wish, but because she clarified her conditions, she didn’t, hence her limbo state. She was given foresight and was able to look at all the angles- the loneliness, the false hope, the witching out, the death to the witches, the constant suffering.

U do realize that Madoka's wish wasn't enough? This is my theory. Kyubee will never grant a wish that it won't benefit from. Isn't it strange how Homura's wish made it possible for Madoka to become a god and Kyubee stuck to Madoka like glue in that one timeline. Isn't it strange that Madoka became an observable phenomenon. And in rebellion they essentially captured her. If you don't ask, Kyubee doesn't tell, therefore Kyubee doesn't lie. Kyubee definitely had something evil in mind when he granted Madoka's wish. That's why when he told his best friend Homura, who he's tormented for 12 years, what he was scheming in rebellion she had a 200 IQ moment. Instead of being saved by Madoka, she uses her power due to the evolution that the experiment on her caused. And she splits Madoka, giving her the power to alter the universe. Not bound by having to make a wish through Kyubee, Homura can make a change that doesn't benefit him. She rewrites the universe to enslave Kyubee and cast all evil on misfortune onto him. Thus she is able to not only stop Kyubee, but she frees Madoka from the price of her wish. And suppresses her memory because that's the only way to stop Madoka's self-sacrificial nature. Thus, through betrayal Homura is able save all of the magical girls shown in the story. But, because it's all founded on her oppression, she can't be with everyone(she has to become the villain) after fighting for 12+ years, only able to push on because of her dream ending. Thus combined with the trauma of becoming a witch, she finally broke. Ironically, Madoka's wish did succeed in an indirect way. I think. If all misfortune in the world is cast onto Kyubee. Then how can magical girls experience the misfortune that turns them into witches? But considering that Walpurgisnacht is coming next year. Once again something must have gone wrong. Which is exactly what I expect from this series.

This is gonna be in a museum above a sign reading "the 2020s"

Sorry about that, it was just the easiest comparison to make because a lot of this thought has stemmed from my own internal fight about if my own dreams are good or bad for me. I could use other examples, but I'm always weary to speak to the emotional state of someone else, so I end up sticking to myself

No.

No

IDK. I kinda want my fanfic to ascend into canon aaaand it kinda depends on Rebellion being canon.