Puella Magi Madoka Magica

That's WMG? I thought that was the default, straightforward interpretation.

Counts as WMG because they're extrapolations from the one episode we've actually seen.

Also, this◊.

I dunno, the first episode provides so many clues towards that interpretation that I'm expecting some sort of twist away from that.

I'm expecting something involving dreams. The Deranged Animation sequence was certainly dreamlike

Yeah, that line of Homura's was very telling.

"Go on living your life just as it is, or everything you love will be destroyed." You can just about hear what would almost certainly come after: "I know, because that's exactly what happened to me."

edited 12th Jan '11 11:46:41 PM by JakesBrain

The German text graffiti'd onto a wall in Ep. 2 is actually a quote from Goethe's Faust.

Kyuubey confirmed for Mephistopheles?

Well he is a "devil cat"

This episode was mainly to explain what was going on. Also, unlike the last "Gates of Babylon," Mami pulled off an actual Unlimited Gun Works this time

Hmm, while the unusual art style for the monsters was effective in the previous episode at creating a creepy atmosphere, it didn't seem to work so well this time around for the major fight scene. Either they're doing it less well this time around or it simply doesn't integrate very well into the rest of the animation as the choreography gets more complicated.

"If I could become such a special person...That sounds wonderful.

Or so I thought."

That's cryptic man.

That Grief seed... Mami said it was restoring her power, but it was clearly taking something away

More like it was purifying the Soul Gem, I think.

Anyway, I really liked this episode, it was quite good as a proper intro into the series. Music was good, especially the fight scene, and the fight scene was also amazing. Mami really has grace and style with those guns.

It was quite clever of them to put that little bit from Faust in the there. Now everyone's going to think Kyuubeh's Mephistopheles...

Interesting bit of imagery I noticed: After the fight, you can see a butterfly caught in a spider's web. The witch was, of course, very strongly associated with butterflies, and was defeated using strings, so that's all pretty straightforward, as far as symbolism goes. More interesting, I think, is the consequence of this; in this metaphor, Mami is a spider.

Usually, when spiders and butterflies clash in symbolism, we aren't exactly cheering for the spider, now are we?

I know I'm expecting Mami to reveal herself as a very twisted person before this is over.

Wall o' speculation:

Witches: Witches are in a symbiotic relationship with magical girls. They're nothing than Grief Seeds, powered by the same impurities that reduce the functionality of Soul Gems. Note that there's no explanation for where they come from, and that the one we've seen doesn't appear human, somewhat odd, as they were explained as Evil Counterparts of the magical girls. The whole war is the process for creating something else; likely something bad, stupid  ^*

Mami: Mami is going to be the Big Bad. Her magic has a similar colour to what Homura was fighting in Madoka's dream, and she can be rather creepy at times

Kyubey: Kyubey is a construct created for the purpose of creating magical girls. Seriously, it's not like he does much else

Sayaka: Sayaka is going to be very important. She wasn't in Madoka's dream, she didn't hear Kyubey, she doesn't fit any of the standard character roles, and she's not too happy about all of this. Never the less, we know that she's going to become a magical girl anyway. She has an overall theme of breaking the mold

Other: The circumstances of Madoka meeting Kyubey are somewhat odd — Homura says that she was trying to keep them from meeting, but it was her actions that appear to have caused it. Additionally, we know that Kyubey's telepathy works on Sayaka just fine

edited 14th Jan '11 2:06:21 AM by Hylarn

[1]◊ New meaning to BFS.

I'm mildly disconcerted that I may have been the first person to identify the Faust quotes. Now they're posting pictures of Goethe in Madoka Magica threads on /a/... WTF, did I just start a meme?

edited 14th Jan '11 11:53:42 PM by JakesBrain

Am I to understand someone's actually figured out the weird Witch alphabet?

Where'd you hear that? O:

I've noticed that english people in general seems to be completely unfamiliar with Goethe's Faust. Despite it being pretty much the definitive version everywhere else.

I just wanted to share my new avatar.

I'm kind of getting creeped out by it though, so I might return to good old Pikachu.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHH LORD JESUS CHRIST HELP ME I CAN FEEL IT STARING INTO MY SOUL okay, I'm better now. That's what I get for scrolling down too quickly.

edited 15th Jan '11 1:33:49 PM by JakesBrain

Which reminds me, I happen to have a Madoka avatar.

Use it (Y/N)?

Yes. :D Also Tumbril, your icon just convinces me more that Kyubey is Satan/some other kind of demon. Staring at it long enough is creepy~

My speculations so far are:

a.) that it's really only Kyubey who is the Big Bad and he's using all of the contracted girls to eliminate all of his enemies/find more Grief Seeds for him to use to power himself up.

...kind of like a magical girl pyramid scheme.

b.) Mami is completely innocent. It just seems so painfully obvious that she's evil, she can't possibly be evil!

c.) Mami and Homura were recruited together by some other contracted girl. And something happened that turned them into enemies...

d.) ...the witches are former magical girls, either twisted by use of the Grief Seed or the Soul Gems. Perhaps Homura hunted their recruiter, and tried to convince Mami to leave but failed. Quite cliched though.

e.) I agree with Hylarn, Sayaka seems like she'll be pretty important, especially as a foil to Madoka's enthusiasm. Kyubey probably didn't mean to chose her, but decided to anyway since hey, more the merrier.

...I can't see a happy ending for her. D:

edited 15th Jan '11 7:04:04 AM by dellyskoll

Yeah, Sayaka seems like the hard-headed practical one of the two.

Ep.1: Sayaka sprays Homura with a fire extinguisher and throws it at her to buy Madoka and Kyubey time to escape.

Ep.2: Madoka comes in with ideas for her costume, Sayaka comes in with a baseball bat.

Of course, this series being what it is, Sayaka's assertiveness and Madoka's positivity will most likely be eventually turned against them.

I still have the hunch this will have a happy ending... just because in this kind of show, that's the unexpected way to troll everyone.