puella magi madoka magica 4
Categories: episodic review, puella magi madoka magica
Tagged: madoka magica
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Both Miracles and Magic Exist
(In my pants.)
I wonder when Madoka will don her magical girl dress and save za waludo. I think it’s almost inevitable it will happen in the next one or two episodes, after all, Sayaka took the plunge and can’t be long Madoka does the same to, of course, save Sayaka. Plus, wouldn’t it be the ultimate cocktease if this series were named “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” plus feature symmetrical selfcest docking in the OP yet Madoka doesn’t become a magical girl until the final episode (or never does)? Would this be second place to Endless Eight in terms of all time anime studio cockteases?
110% convinced that Grief Seeds are to magical girls what Ketracel White is to Jem’Hadar. I kinda wish Nanoha used this mechanic with the Belkan cartridge system as some sort of Ketracel White where the magical girls (plus Chrono) had to inject themselves with it to gain a magic boost, but they could not go long without it. I think it would be fascinating to say the least, maybe even on par with when Kelly became a coke whore on 90210.
(Greatest magical girl show of all time? My only criteria is having a magical girl changing sequence. Mmm… I can’t consider Sailor Moon, like saying Growing Pains is the best sitcom of all time. Card Captor Sakura? Nanoha? Utena? Star Driver? Apprivoise! Okusama? Haha, no. Aa! Megami-sama? Magical Lyrical Puella Magi Kyon-ko?)
“It’s too sad!”
When Makoda realizes that the truth of being a magical girl is to fight and die alone, I kept thinking they should have played Higurashi no Naku Koro ni in the background. Just the perfect song for such an occasion. But Shaft’s choice for BGM was non-terrible– I’m enjoying their BGM for this series quite a bit. Even if the backgrounds for this scene look like they are used from Bakemonogatari.
(Again, we saw this city as being some sort of high rise metropolis like Manhattan or Tokyo. Where the fuck did these oil refineries suddenly come from? How did they get to Houston so damn quick?)
I definitely can say for sure that Homura’s wish wasn’t for a personality. Burn~~
(Kyubey should have gone after their horny homeroom teacher. I like how she just goes on ranting about her love life during class… Kyubey could have helped her out with that. Kyubey, of course, is probably the most sinister anime villain pimp ever.)
Still wondering about this amazing clutter-free house. Do you know anyone with a home as clutter-free as the Madoka’s? Is her dad the male version of Belldandy crossed with Mariel? I mean, how do they keep it so clean? I’m still quite amazed by this property. Maybe it’s because I’m watching too much House Hunters International these days, which I enjoy a lot more than the original House Hunters. My favorite two episodes thus far? The one where the soccer family goes to Egypt because it’s safer than Los Angeles. And the one where the blonde with a tramp stamp wants a place “near the locals” in Belize.
(Random default shows I watch if there’s nothing on: House Hunters International, SportsCenter, SNL archive on Netflix, Man vs. Food, Leverage.)
I wonder why the career mom is giving Madoka a talk about household cleaners and not Mr. Mom. I think Shaft screwed this up– much better scene if Mr. Mom gave the talk. He could even toss in a, “I used to be a chemistry teacher until I knocked up your mom.”
(Chlorine bleach and ammonia creates chlorine gas. Do not mix. Yet another reason to use Oxy Clean.)
Keep thinking of Persona 4. Did we enter the Midnight Channel?
So why do witches want all these people to kill themselves? What is the point? To eat their life energy? I don’t get why the witch has these people kill themselves when it will probably be easier if the witch just sucks them all into the Shaft being Shaft world and devour them there.
(Though seeing all the brainless victims did make me pine for a magical girl battling zombie anime series a little. Which is basically the premise behind my Moe of the Dead idea– except in Moe of the Dead, the girls also are part of a girl band that specializes in cheesy songs about mundane objects.)
Definitely, Puella Magi wishes are double-edged, but I wonder if they are double-edged like Monkey Paw’s wishes… like Kamijou gets his violin playing ability back, but he goes on to become a womanizer a la Franz von Stresemann and completely forsakes Sayaka.
I think the best part of the Shaft being Shaft world is that they keep it contained to just that world. Rest of the anime… it actually feels like any other anime. Weird. Disorienting. I just want to know how much of their success can be attributed to performance enhancing drugs (i.e. LSD).
Sayaka’s outfit reminds me of Cecily’s from Sacred Blacksmith. I think the armored breastplate does it. Armored breastplate goes well with exposed midriff and mini-skirt and thigh highs. Definitely screams, “This part of my body is the most important hence the most guarded!”
17 Responses to “puella magi madoka magica 4”
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Sayaka doesn’t have the silly tiara thing though. SHe kind of has this, “I can take her more seriously” look to her then Cecily did.
And stuff.
Meh episode. I blame the lack of Mami and her superior twin drills.
While Madoka didn’t immediately wish her back as I predicted last week, the CD player did turn out to be a safety hazard.
(◕ ω ◕)
http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Tr....._Documents
Kyubey is the most sinister villain? you spoke my mind. Sayaka wasn’t gonna become mahou shoujou? then it just so happens kamijou throws a fit and kyubey is right there to seal the contract. Reminds me of large corporations trying to buy small businesses… strikes them when they are weakest. Also after madoka decided not to become the mahou shoujou, it just so happens that her best friend becomes a victim of witch. coincidence? I think not. Way to corner her kyubey. Also why would kyubey call for another mahou shoujou, when there is already Homura there? Oh me and my conspiracy theories…
Also Mahou shoujou is such a fucking long word to type out. I wish we just call it MS, but that’s taken by mobile suite. If you call it Ma Jou, it means witch…(hmm, maybe the two aren’t that different). I guess we can shorten Puella Magi to puema, except I never heard them call themselves puella magi besides in subtitles, where did they come up with it anyways?
Man…I have given hope that this show will have a pleasant ending. I’m only watching it for Homura’s mini-skirt now. Maybe if they go the Moe-tan route, it would be better…Kyubey ends up as a ero mascot who loves to see transformation sequences. Wait, what am I saying……
I’m sure we’ll be treated to a demonstration just why wishes made for other people don’t turn out as expected in episode 5, via Kamijou. There’s still some debate as to how the wish will bite Sayaka in the arse, but many agree at the very *least* Kamijou will be a jerk to her. At worst, well, Gen Urobuchi is the writer so I’ll just leave it at that.
I thought the direction and music came together perfectly in the build-up to the suicide club. Shaft often does brilliant things with music (remember the way the music was woven into the scene with Senjougahara and Araragi under the stars?).
Who knows, maybe the suicides get sucked into their own private scary-go-rounds, Owl Creek bridge-like between their first breath and last gasp.
Given their house, I’m guessing Madoka’s mom is an architect. I’ve known two architects who managed clutter-free, with kids, even. It’s like everythingh has to always be prepared for an impromptu Architecture Digest photo-shoot.
Now that you say it this certainly screams Persona 4, I can’t believe I didn’t think about it while watching.
I really liked how Madoka womaned up and threw the bucket at the window.
jason you are slipping,
no mention of the symmetrical docking from the opening?
If the magical girls are the Jem’Hadar, then would that make Kyubey a Vorta?
I like how Kamijou put on his rapeface when he realized he now had full dexterity with both hands and no one around to bother him.
Kyubey is really suspicious, it also makes wonder why he doesn’t open his mouth.
Kyubey looks like he weighs about as much as a duck, therefore he is obviously a witch.
No seriously, this is my theory. Kyubey is a witch and he’s using magical girls to (a) kill off the competition, and (b) feed on their despair as they watch their friends die and their wishes turn sour. Homura suspects this, but doesn’t flat out tell Madoka because she has internet diagnosed Asperger’s.
Actually, I’ve been speculating that, based on the opening sequence in the first episode, Madoka doesn’t become a magical girl until the last episode or two. Another clue: notice who else was missing from that sequence? Sayaka….
Nah Kyubey seems to be more of a monkey paw sub-prime mortage loan character. He’s seems like a representation of a larger system that exploits those vulnerable naive girls for their ability to fit into those outfits.
@Abscissa: That’s because Kyubey has really bad teeth.
I don’t think LSD is considered a performance enhancing drug… Except, possibly, for SHAFT animators and directors… Right, I see the point, never mind.
And wasn’t there some shafty breakfast?
@invalidname,
regarding lsd, you did know a memeber of gainax’s founder was spend time in prison for drugs.
@InvalidName: A Shafty breakfast? I imagine it to be full of sugar and includes a hookah for smoking a cocktail made out of every single hallucinogen in existence, in concentration so high it can corrode through all metals except gold!