Something I didn't really notice before I had the chance to stare at the top-down view of Kyubey and Sayaka in the flower garden. They are literally standing in the center of a labyrinth.

Still loving this series. Slight problem with that color symbolism post: there are two sets of primary colors, and NEITHER is the red, blue, and yellow we get taught in kindergarten. For subtractive color, the primaries are cyan, magenta, and yellow, which is close enough to blue, red, yellow that we teach it to children who probably don't have cyan and magenta in their crayon boxes or vocabularies.That's why color printers use cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges. But mixing those makes black. The additive primaries are red, blue, and GREEN; in additive color, yellow is actually a mix of red and green. That's why computer monitors use RGB color. So adding together the colors of the other magical girls doesn't give you white, it gives you something that's three parts red, two parts blue, and one part green. Which is... almost exactly the shade of the pink light trapped in Humucifer's chess queen thingy. Huh.

"imagine a much worse version of madoka magica..." the words that should never be spoken

@pinkbunnyskyedoesthings7762

2 жыл бұрын

ever

Speaking of Sayaka related symbolism, I remember reading a Reddit post about it that mentioned how appearances of bodies of water in the show reflect her mental state, as water is essentially her element. The ones I remember are, after she defeats her first witch and she’s talking to Madoka, the camera shows a shot of the calm waters in the river. The same thing happens when they’re talking in the nonsensical windmill field. And then there’s the fight with Kyoko, where the pipe breaks and the water spills and splashes violently. On another perspective, it’s a new thing for me (who doesn’t have extensive experience with Mahou Shoujo shows) that you talked about how Magical Girls don’t typically use swords. It made me think about Vinland Saga and how Thors lays down the reality of fighting to his son Thorfinn who wants to become a great warrior. He says: “Do you want a sword, Thorfinn? A sword is a tool for killing people. Who are you planning to kill with it?”. Really highlights that a sword is a thing for violence and brutality despite its usual representation in media as an object of nobility and bravery. Finally, I don’t know if it’s too much of a stretch to think that this was done intentionally, but in irl armed combat, spear trumps sword with hilarious ease. This may have played a part into the designs for Kyoko and Sayaka and their fight.

@TheQuashingoftheTub

3 жыл бұрын

Sayaka falls victim to the weapon triangle, colorized Edit: I also think it's inmportant to mention that there are no shots of water preceding Sayaka becoming a witch. Unless you count her tears? We don't know what her mental state is because _she_ doens't even know. I think there's also a few scenes added in the movie of Sayaka fighting familiars in her compromised state, but I can't remember for the life of me if there's water involved there either. And I think the only time we see water in Oktavia's labyrinth is when she bleeds it? Perhaps the further Sayaka drifts away from herself, the less we see the water symbolizing her(despite her literally becoming a mermaid). Correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a few years since I've seen this series. But that also tells you how much the art direction stuck with me over the years.

"Because if the character were perfect logisticians... the show would become this thing of sitting down and fu**ing with the genie" Literally what Touka, Nemu, and Ui did in Magia Record lol

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

Lol exactly! Not the least of the reasons why Magia Record misses the mark!

Ugh your episode breakdowns are so good. it makes me really sad you hate rebellion lol

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

I hope we eventually get there so I can help everyone hate Rebellion too.

Hitomi is tired because instead of sleeping, she spent last night in a failed, witch-induced suicide attempt. That has nothing to do with boredome or normalcy...

That scene where Sayaka is with Kyubey with a whole bunch of flowers… that looks like a labyrinth that’s hard to get out of… almost like a WITCH’S LABYRINTH!!! OH MY GOOOOOOOD-

Fun fact in the psp game kyoko’s labyrinth when she turns into a witch has various sea imagery like bubbles and fish swimming around the labyrinth, and there appears to be what looks like sunken structures around the labyrinth too it also has music notes flying around which are an obvious reference to sayaka’s witch with music and all.

@jaytakajeremiahtisdale2042

3 жыл бұрын

Also Ophelia’s familiars have the ability to segment their heads into what appears to be a whip or flail just like how Kyoto can segment her spear into a scorpion tail, Ophelia can also make different fakes of herself just like how Kyoto had the ability but never used it.

One of my favorite magical girl shows to come out after the massive influence of Madoka was Granbelm. In that show, the girls pilot mechas in a fighting tournament, each of them manifesting magical powers based on their dreams, fears and personalities. Funny thing is, the girls with the purest wishes and kindest hearts had relatively weak powers (with one notable exception), while the ones that strayed the furthest from the ideal of what an ally of justice should be were absolute powerhouses, true monsters and witches that could only be defeated by a)all the other girls putting their differences aside and working together in order to protect someone or something, b)the powerful girls' character flaws driving them into self-destructing tendencies, or c)an even greater, more powerful, and absolutely evil overseer stepping in and removing them from the equation before they could actually pose a threat to the system that forced magical girls to fight each other for the sake of feeding an eldritch and unknowable magic ritual. In any case, what I liked the most about this use of mechas was the idea that some girls instinctively used them as weapons from the get-go, and nothing more, while others slowly realized they were manifestations of their souls, with the capacity to grow and change into something more than an instrument of death (and actually getting much cooler designs than the original chibi ones they had). Madoka during the tv series doesn't really ever show us a fulfilled nor mature magical girl (Mami being the closest, and boy is that a laugh), but in Rebellion, one of my favorite parts was seeing Sayaka use her sword not as a weapon, but as a baton to direct Octavia, embracing that part of herself and harnessing her own strength to fight for the sake of others in the way she hadn't realized was even possible first. I just hope that when the next part of this story inevitably comes out, they give that kind of evolution to all the characters, because if a middle of the road show like Granbelm managed that, then Madoka's version would likely blow us away entirely.

One thing about kyokos design that always catches my attention is the way that the front of her tunic/dress looks like curtains, reminding me of the curtain shot at the beginning of the show

I feel like mentioning how Sailor Moon had a number of important scenes in Elevators. Ava Maria is also paired with Night on Bald Mountain in Disney's Fantasia where Night on Bald Mountain is supposed to be a depiction of Walpurgisnacht.

The scene at 17:10: I saw the floor arrangement as a magic circle of sorts - it ties in with the whole thing about it being a contract over her soul and a kyubey constructed ritual of sorts with him on the alter which as you mentioned has parallels with Faust. Maybe that's why they're cut a few cm high? + they use another magic circle later that ep vs Kyoko.

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

I like it!

Kyouko showed off some augmenting magic (binoculars) in her introduction shot, hinting that she's a veteran and potentially her relationship with Mami (baseball bat).

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

I also forgot to comment that Kyoko's countenance changes when Sayaka mentions Mami's name.

1:02:30 love that idea of Homura raising Madoka. I feel like Mami and Homura and the way they contrast each other in how they “raise” Madoka and the values they instill in her.

While I agree with the surrealist imagery making the Witches difficult to interpret concretely. I do think one thing that’s clear from it, is that the Labyrinths do tell a story, just like how Kyoko does with the puppets in episode 7. One thing I’ve loved about Madoka is the lengths it went to portray the Witches as still being human. They have been twisted by grief, but who they are still remains within. That POV shot from Oktavia in episode 8 still haunts me.

I'm strucked by the idea that Madoka was an unhatched egg in this timeline, much like Homura in Rebellion, and it's precisely that struggle that enables their final resolve and breaks through. Unfortunately this has Homura to Madoka parallel with Kyubey to Homura.

If SHAFT didn’t have all that coin at first, we wouldn’t have the masterpiece which is Meguca. The movies disappointed me concerning this episode because Kyoko’s cookie is replaced with a bear when it was a fish initially. The fish one was perfect in my opinion. Sayaka is connected to water and Kyoko eating fish made sense and I liked that. It may enforce the Kyoko being a predator and Sayaka being the prey but Kyoko is a scavenger, not quite a predator. This is off-topic but concerning the military fanfic extension of Madoka and Rebellion: I’m so happy this exists, I must check it out immediately after this. The Kyuubi Kitsune part does really make me hope that if Kyubey turns into a monster or witch or true alien form in the upcoming canon movie, we see some crazy giant fox. I’d personally like some Baphomet-esque design elements to reference the original witches and Germany. Every magical girl has a connection to something, Hitomi now is grass that makes the flowers pop. Another interesting thing I’d like to say is that Madoka’s bow, specifically in the frame you used at 1:06:41 looks like the Cane of Caduceus, and it is the weapon of Hermes (Goddess Madoka does have wings on her shoes if I recall correctly) and it also has a lot of meanings in alchemy, mostly relating to the Philosopher’s Stone (thank you Fullmetal Alchemist for this knowledge)

@angeldude101

3 жыл бұрын

About the To the Stars fanfic, I personally love it, but I also wasn't entirely sold on how good it is as a Madoka continuation, or as a Magical Girl story. What it _is_ is one of my favourite Sci-fi stories I've ever read and personally ranked it more among Star Trek and the like than Madoka proper. That said, that was really just my first impression. Looking more closely I've noticed that it may not stray as far from the source material as I thought. I've started a reread a bit ago and while I've been going pretty slowly, I've found some scenes that I think would look so beautiful in Shaft-style and so much that could be conveyed through visuals that it could have in an adaptation but sadly doesn't in its current form. Just as an example, I've pin-pointed a single moment early in Chapter 1 that would make a great spot to put an OP, and excluding the epigraphs at the start of each chapter, everything before that point could be conveyed with 0 dialog. Forewarning, the story has a _lot_ of worldbuilding and it can drag down the pace if you're not into it. I personally don't mind the downtime, but it may not be for everyone.

a few observations: Windmills are of course, blown by the wind. If we read the wind as causality coming from the events in Sayaka's life, we can interpret the windmills as recipients or benefactors of these events. I would also note the flower-like appearance of windmills, and how they might tie into Kyosuke [maybe a bit of a stretch here]. The purpose of these windmills is to produce power. I read the windmills and industry imagery as a metaphor for how this "wind" of the girls is extracted by Kyubey for entropy or whatever. It also reeks to me of the Faustian bargain that is work itself, having your energy and suffering extracted by someone for their material purposes. Also about the flower circle maze, the top view scenes with Kyubey make it look tall like a hedge maze [especially with the shadows], which is the only view that we get the contract actually starts (?). The maze is also made of flowers, which we have earlier associated with Kyosuke. Flowers being symbols of entities that are weak, dainty, and need to be protected; but also beautiful and elegant if good effort is put into their care. Sayaka is trapped within these flowers, putting her in the position to make a wish with Kyubey. Also interpreting shadows with time, we can read Kyubey as having led Sayaka into the circle [maybe a bit of a reach], and the future as being gated, that the hope of finishing the protection of these delicate flowers [the sunlight coming from the left] is barricaded by some adversary. I think the revelation of the flower beds as being shallow projects the [arguably] shallow scope of Sayaka's wish, the nature of her problems compared to their representation in her head, and the fact that these things are only realised in hindsight. The scene with Kyouko in the binoculars tower is also interesting. On a second glance, the tower reminds me something of a panopticon [especially when combined with all the caged imagery we see for the girls]. It positions Kyubey as a master who's keeping a very oppressive and vigilant watch on the actions of all girls, particularly because of it being in the center of the room and elevated.

The writers deliberately kept their characters thinking on a very small scale as a way of leading the audience. They even make suggestions to the viewers along the lines "wish for a boyfriend, for money, for a cake..." They also deliberately keep away from any discussion, beyond one 'throw-away' line, on what the actual rules and limitations of a wish are. This is so that the audience is lead away from thinking about the true possibilities of literally wishing for anything --- so that the MEGA WISH at the end can be a big surprise reveal. THIS is why no one wished for Mami to come back to life.

The scene in the labyrinth makes the same shape as Sayaka's symbol at the top of her soulstone.

Have not watched the video in full yet, but I would like to point out a connection I've been noticing. In the first dialogue, you brought up the concept of presenting the show as a stage play and distancing the audience. At first, I thought that read was a bit far-fetched given the short length of the cut, but it brought my attention to instances of the same technique done by other shows. Namely, during my re-watch of the Haruhi franchise, I noticed that both the pilot episode and the film begin with the title card presented with the "film rolling" sound effect. It works particularly well in the case of Haruhi since as a character, her first impression is not a believable or realistic one, and same can be said for other members of the brigade. Framing her actions as actress playing it out on stage definitely helps with maintaining suspension of disbelief. And after getting through the initial hurdle of character introduction, the eventual presentation of Haruhi as an empathetic and humanized character sticks much better. This applies equally well to Madoka as you mentioned in dialogue 3, that in their respective arcs, we, as the audience, are allowed to judge each character's values and determine if they're worthy of sympathy. I feel that this is a large aspect of what makes these characters so compelling. Even when the relative length of the first cut was so short, its effect was surprising.

I think ur my new favorite KZreadr no joke. Madoka is my favorite anime no questions asked (Sailor Moon is my childhood anime so it's like not even on the list b/c that anime is so special). I'd love to work with you on some video essays sometime.

oh please, a totally unrelated elevator scene? just because it was in an elevator? 1000%? Next, you're going to tell me that scenes with people eating food or walking are deliberate, iterative magical girl genre references.

What do you think about the fantasy pseudo-victorian design of the soul gems, and the grief seeds? And why do you think the incubators give the designs and powers that they do? Would the cutesy designs be appealing to girls to lure them in? Also, theres something in the empty chairs being other magical girls and the shoes of the black rose boys to me. Maybe it's Chida and Kyousuke both being ill boys an aspiring hero goes insane over trying to save out of love.

@anonymousyoutuber1405

3 жыл бұрын

Or maybe it's because people call the black rose arc filler and i desperately want you to talk about it someday.

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

Again, great thoughts. Got a lot to say about that, but you're right in that I've never touched on it. Check the next video.

@anonymousyoutuber1405

3 жыл бұрын

@@clearandsweet I look forward to it! Also the idea of the failed protagonist is interesting to me.

Even though I understand and appreciate what you say about Sayaka' s cape -- namely that, being impractical, it already suggests her failure to be the hero she wants to be -- I must point out that this is not so clear or obvious as you make it sound. A hero doesn't have a cape? A thousand other movies and animated series would beg to differ, to the point that having a cape is often a trope for being a hero (starting with Superman, who apparently started the trope).I'm not counter-arguing your interpretation, which I find quite thoughtful and appropriate, but I do not think anyone coming to the show for the first time would see the cape as anything other than evidence that "Sayaka will give it her all" and is really committed to being a (admittedly more shōnen than shōjo) hero.

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

I think there's a difference between people who want to play the hero and be seen as the hero and then people who want to do the things the hero does. In this way, Sayaka's cape shows her as a pretender.

There's something in this series that reminds me explicitly of Higurashi- When They Cry. I don't really know what it is. Whether people prefer to compare PMMM to the Sound Novel, Manga or Anime is ul to them though.

19:55 the shape kinda reminds me of sayaka’s soul gem

27:45 About Sayaka's pose there- it is also strikingly similar to how Miyako falls in the Opening of Ef A Tale of Memories, also a SHAFT anime. By the way another heroine from that anime (Kei Shindou) has so many similarities with Sayaka (their values, conflict, love lifes) that a comparative reading between the two sounds like fun.

I still have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm 100% all in

Madoka Magica is one of the few pieces of media I have to check up on at least every couple of months because it's just so chalk full of things to talk about. I'm so, so glad I found your videos. The shot by shot breakdown makes me, at least a lot closer to, content that I haven't missed some beautiful, hidden symbolism. Looking hella forward to the rest of the series. Even contemplating watching the other anime you cover just to get this kind of take. I hope your channel blows up!! ♡♡

@clearandsweet

3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate the kind words. Ep6 got copyright claimed twice and I'm on hiatus waiting them out. I would definitely recommend Haruhi and Utena as franchises!

47:39 was fking hilarious

I don't remember HC Andersen's The Little Mermaid having anything to do with hubris... Like Sayaka, the little mermaid gives up everything for the man she loves only to lose him to another woman, partially due to the prince being completely ignorant of the mermaids feelings for him in the first place. Tho unlike the mute mermaid-turned-human, Sayaka stayed quiet by choice. The story feels more like a cautionary tale about falling too hard n too fast for someone and giving too much of yourself in hope for their returned affections that may never come. (and I read the stolen voice aspect as the repression of expressing queer love)

Definitely late but have you seen Judgemental Critter's videos where she attempts to decode the Witches?

@clearandsweet

Жыл бұрын

I've not! I'll take a look.

I wonder, why the preference for dub over sub? Having learned the language a bit myself, and rewatching a bunch of stuff now years later, I think at least understanding some more nuanced word uses is pretty important to "properly" understanding some characters in some series. Then of course there's things like using keigo or not and whatever. In the same way it went over my head years ago when I couldn't understand it, I imagine it'll go over your head if you watch the dub and they're forced to translate something which isn't easily done. I do admit a lot of it seems to just be stylistic or fetishistic and just recycling character tropes, but at least it's as-intended with less direct filter.

Two things about Sayaka worth mentioning. 1. Magical Girls may not carry swords, but magical girl warriors do, (Cutey Honey for one). Most relevantly, one of the Girls in Magical Knight Rayearth does (not a "true" magical girl show, but definitely adjacent, like CC Sakura it's a CLAMP joint). Sayaka's costume is very reminiscent of Rayearth. 2. The water/mermaid symbolism may have come in "backwards". There was a fairly large series of Eva Fanart (which I didn't copy and now can't locate, this was LONG ago) which played up Asuka referring to Rei as "Ningyou" (Lit. "human form" = doll). Except they swapped the last character for a homonym meaning "Fish". This is NOT the normal Japanese Kanji for "mermaid", but it's a common enough joke. It's not much of a stretch to adapt pictures of a girl in red dealing with a blue and white mermaid, and adding in the Andersen fairy tale to make it fit this story.

@clearandsweet

10 ай бұрын

As someone who has made quite a bit of content about the magical girl genre I would probably say that both Rayearth and Cutie Honey fall outside the thematic values I look for in the genre. Not to say Re:Cutie Honey isn't one of my favorite things ever. It totally is. Interesting point about the mermaids!

@AndrewDederer

10 ай бұрын

@@clearandsweet Just saying I think that Rayearth was where they started with that costume. The costumes blend as a set, but they also draw from several different Magical Girl shows and styles very "Avengers Assemble". One other cultural detail. Virtually everyone picks up on Kyouko's "Rocky" as a proxy for cigarettes. What may be missed is in episode 8 she's going through a mini-can of Pringles. Well in Japan, you can buy a pop-top "one-cup" of Sake (a small highball cup with a sealed top). Likely why she is practically "drinking" those Pringles. Oh, and Cure White being so unusual as a black-haired Magical Girl, well she's based off of Yuri in Dirty Pair, so it's not too surprising she breaks the mold.

That scene where Sayaka is with Kyubey with a whole bunch of flowers… that looks like a labyrinth that’s hard to get out of… almost like a WITCH’S LABYRINTH!!! OH MY GOOOOOOOD-