Initially, I thought that I would write my planned post on Mahou Shoujo Madoka much later however, after watching Ep 3 yesterday on my way to work, I changed my mind.
Ep 3 of Mahou Shoujo Madoka is very good and it would not do to not at the very least say something about how the story is unfolding. FIRST - SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. If you don't want any spoiler info, please do not read on.
The opening of Ep 3 begins innocently enough and seems to be taking a pretty standard path of a mentor-disciple type of story where our heroes are shown the ropes and learn the skills and expectations of their new role. The ending act of this episode, however, turns everything around with a dramatic and very unexpected event.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka is a magical girl series and only 3 episodes have aired to date. Although the series has hinted very strongly at its darker undertones, I wonder how many people actually expected Mami to "die". I place "die" in quotation marks because the episode ends with what seems to be her demise. However, we will most likely not know for sure all the details till Ep 4.
From the very beginning, by using a strong and unusual visual asthetic, this anime has already signaled its intention to be an atypical magical girl series. This is further emphasized in Ep 2 with the german inscription on the wall in the last act. The quotation from Goethe's Faust reveals that not only are the makers of Mahou Shoujo Madoka going for a different visual aesthetic, they are also going for a different tone and a darker, potentially tragic story. Perhaps it should have come as no surprise that one of the magical girls would suffer such a calamitous fate in Ep 3. Still, it is pretty fast for the series to plunge it's viewers into the deep end of tragedy.
The reason I say plunge is precisely because it really felt like a plunge. The scence before Mami's disastrous fight was light hearted and fun. Kajiura Yuki's music also gave no indication of the violent outcome of the fight to come. Even though Homura does warn Mami, Sayaka and Madoka that this latest witch is no ordinary witch and even though the audience is prepared for a different kind of fight, still the light hearted moment and Mami's and Madoka's sweet moment of bonding will not prepare you for what comes next. The impact is very well calculated and executed.
Ep 3 continues to build on what has already been revealed in Ep 2. It is likely that the cute Kyubey is Mephistopheles, the devil's representative and he is here to tempt both Madoka and Sayaka with anything they want. It is interesting that while Sayaka considers entering into the contract with Kyubey because of someone she loves, what Madoka wants is somewhat different. Madoka wants only to be a magical girl. She is Faust, at least for now. What she wants is knowledge, exactly what Faust wanted.
The are many versions of the Faustian tale, hence, there really is no way to say how this tale may end. What seems pretty much confirmed by now is that Homura Akemi's role is pretty much like Kruger Natsuki's in Mai Hime's first episode. She is there to warn and to try and stop what we know will be the inevitable. It was never that hard to guess her role even in Ep 1. Mami Tomoe on the other hand is quite interesting. Just how much she of her is a passive or active participant is any one's guess right now.
I will end it here for now and write more later today or tomorrow morning with regards to Mami Tomoe. Now I need to dash. Work calls. Cheers.
Ps. Will check grammar later. :)
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