Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Okay after unsuccessfully grinding for keys during the Tart event, I'd decided to take a break from that and see if I can get though Ch.5's 5th part today. I might be at the part where the team meets Sana.

BTW, is it me or do you think the cutscenes would benefit from C Gs?

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Sep 15th 2019 at 12:49:30 PM

"I don't have a good feeling about Kyubey." - My mother

Okay Turns out I jumped the gun a little when I said I'm might be t the point where the team met Sana (turns out that wasn't until much later, though I did manage to reach that point last night). BTW I kinda find "Radio Wave Girl" a good localization as the original term seems more fitting to Tsuruno IMO. Currently at Part 6.

Smart mom.

EDIT: So this game does have C Gs after all.

EDIT 2 (and 2.5): I'm gonna see if I can get the new chapter gems before tomorrow, should I be worried about hard bosses in the next chapter (including Holy Mami)?

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Sep 16th 2019 at 6:32:43 AM

Alright, I'm about to pop open the first episode tonight!

Alright, first episode has been guzzled.

A. I do not trust Homura. She's a new student yet knows her away around the school, is focused quite heavily on Madoka, gets shots and creepy music that paint her in an ominous light, and she tries to kill a bunny-cat. And is also a magical girl?

B. Madoka's house looks weird. I'm reminded of Ethan Mars's place. Anybody remember Heavy Rain?

C. I'm actually getting a liking for Sayaka. She strikes me as the "Rei"- confident, outspoken, and outgoing- of the "Rei, Usagi, and Ami" group. I stopped watching Sailor Moon before the rest of the Senshi could come by.

D. Butterflies and dandelions with mustaches and crazy eyes and scissors? What the hell?

E. You know, Kyuuby looks adorable and I would totally trust him if the show hadn't been adorable before hitting me with an acid trip. I'm not giving the show or it any benefit of the doubt.

He also can't talk with his mouth and doesn't have his requisite sombrero and guitar. I'd be less wary of him if he had all of the above.

Edited by fredhot16 on Sep 16th 2019 at 9:20:14 AM

So it begins.

Remember what I said before.

The Witch visuals are fucking insane, and I love it. Honestly, they're what got me into the series in the first place.

If you make it to later episodes, reflect on the first few and see if the new information changes your perception of things.

I'll just say that you are in for a treat with this one. It's not considered one of the defining anime titles of the 2010s for no reason after all.

So. I just started reading Tart Magica. A few things.

1 - This girl. I'm only through the first of three volumes so I only know her from the stuff before the flashback starts. But she is my favorite. Because she has a shotgun-axe. I repeat. A. Shotgun. Axe.

2 - This is a vagina owl.◊

3 - I've been very confused for a long time as to why Jeanne d'Arc is called "Tart" in this franchise. I just figured it was a weird Engrish thing. But the actual explanation is hilarious and makes a lot of sense. Jeanne writes her name out for Kyubey but she's barely literate and her handwriting is garbage, causing "darc" (no apostrophe) to read as "tart". I love that. Meanwhile, the Magia Record team clearly has not read this manga, because they "fixed" her name and made her Darc.

4 - I like that Riz is the darkness to Tart's light. Well played, artistically.

5 - I love that Tart was about to make a pretty good and well-defined wish, and then Kyubey talked her into going for something that's more vague and insubstantial while keeping her existing trauma right where it is. Can't get that witch energy if she's totally satisfied and content, after all.

6 - The manga team translates his name as "Cube" and that's bothering me.

Allow me to engage in minor speculation.

A. Mami is a Magical Girl.

B. Homura is a Magical Girl.

C. Mami was presumably empowered by Kyubey, which is why she tries to save the bunny-cat from Homura.

D. Mami is quite willing to let Homura walk away from her attempted hunting of Kyubey.

Scenario A: Homura is part of another faction that empowered her and while they're against "Witches", they're also not fond of Kyubey. Mami lets her go because Magical Girls, as a whole in the city, are low on numbers and can't afford infighting.

Scenario B: Homura was empowered by Kyubey and experienced buyer's regret, which is why she attempts to hunt Kyubey. Mami lets her go because of the above reasons.

Joan of Arc's real name is complicated, but tldr, her personal name was definitely "Jehanne" (the medieval version of what would be "Jeanne" in modern French) and she didn't seem to use a family name. There's no place named "Arc" in any part of her personal history that she could reasonably said to be "of", so the "of Arc" part of her name is likely a corruption of her father's surname — which was likely "Darc" (without apostrophe) but was recorded inconsistently in various records of the time, including as both Darc and Tart, which is likely where the Madoka franchise got their name(s) from.

Personally, I like Darc as her name — it's sufficiently distinct from d'Arc that it makes clear that it's supposed to be her personal name rather than her title as a historical figure, but sufficiently similar that it's clear who she actually is. It also has the benefit of being unique, rather than sharing a spelling with a flavor, a type of pastry dessert, and old-timey slang for "whore", and thus sounding ridiculous and inappropriate to English speakers.

Though there is also thematter of Magia Record also applying the DNC to the title of the manga as well.

Also a shotgun axe? That's sounds like something straight out of RWBY!

Alright, I'm going to crack open the second episode today!

This girl. I'm only through the first of three volumes so I only know her from the stuff before the flashback starts. But she is my favorite.

She is without a doubt the best magical girl in the spinoff. I was disappointed she isn't in the Tart event so far in Magia Record.

Eliza is in the second Tart event and is a limited 4* unit.

Here's hoping she makes it to the rerun (or second rerun)

BTW most of the Madoka Expanded Universe are prequels to the anime, with Wraith Arc being a prequel to Rebellion right?

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Sep 17th 2019 at 6:04:16 AM

Wraith Arc doesn't exist

Second episode has been guzzeled!

A. So, I saw that memetic scene where Hitomi reacted with grace and dignity to possible lesbians. Can cross that one off my list of "memes I now know the context of".

B. Mami's still cool, even with her single-shot muskets. Seriously, a revolver or two might be helpful here. Liking Syaka more and more (you can't be adverse to a girl who brings a bat to a fight with monsters).

C. That pizza-rose bush-vomit monster- that's a Witch? Oh, and they're also invisible to humans, perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Alright, tomorrow's the third episode, the point of no return. Should I be scared?

Edited by fredhot16 on Sep 17th 2019 at 10:41:18 AM

Mami's solution to single shots is brilliant. One shot per gun? Then use MORE guns.

So.

I saw the third episode.

I have only one question.

Who put these tears in my eeeyyyeessss?

Edited by fredhot16 on Sep 18th 2019 at 4:08:12 AM

ME!

YOUR ASS WASN’T PREPARED! YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED! NOW LOOK AT YOU!

Edited by HandsomeRob on Sep 18th 2019 at 6:08:20 AM

On the bright side you now know why Mami was Too Cool to Live. The worst is still to come.

Yeah, episode 3 was deliberately made as a "you thought this was a normal magical girl show, but it was me, Drama" moment. It is neither the last nor the biggest Wham Episode.

But it will shock the hell out of you.

I actually knew about it before I watched the show (though I caught up and joined in for the rest of the big moments proper before the series ended), and I was still all like O_0.

It's one of those things that's hard to prepare for even if you see it.