Entropy's Dark Gleam (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) [Part 1]

(Hello there! This is not a new Harmony Of Hope post on the third Symphogear season, but I am Douglas Adams-ing my way through the deadline on that one. Considering October is spooky month here, I've got to bang out Harmony Of Hope 3 in the next few weeks. What we've got here instead over the next week is exactly what it says on the tin: a deep dive essay on the magical girl show, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Why are we doing this? Promises and Patreons. This is a stretch goal of sorts I set in support of Christine Kelley's Patreon reaching the $300 mark. Christine is an amazingly talented writer who runs the blog Dreams Of Orgonon, looking at the career of Kate Bush song by song. I adore Kate Bush, and I adore Christine's writing about Kate Bush. She deserves your support! Perhaps in the future, if my creative writing circle rallies together more stretch goals for Christine's Patreon, we'll do other work in the Madoka Magica series. Perhaps I'll do it of my own volition. No promises as of yet. For now, I'll be hard at work on the new Symphogear post... but please enjoy a different flavor of magical girl exegesis.

Oh, right. There's spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica all over this, even after the Read More. It's almost a decade old and they're infamous twists, but if you've not seen the show, give it a go. Right. On with it.)


Well then. Let's get the ball rolling on this one with some personal recollection. As I said two years ago (which might as well be a thousand years ago now, considering the year we've all had), in 2003 I had a brief yet memorable fling of watching Sailor Moon on TV. I did this in my own private solitude, and got caught once or twice doing it and thus a little mocked for it. We've got an interesting bit of recursion here; watching Sailor Moon in 2003 made me want to be a writer. Rewatching Sailor Moon in 2018 turned me into some sort of magical girl critical analysis type, and between that and my still-ongoing deep dive into Symphogear? I've written a literal book on this stuff, and now I will do that again. Before any of that happened, though, in 2011 I encountered this show. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (hereafter referred to as Madoka Magica). I don't remember the exact circumstances which drew me to it, unlike the vivid memory of encountering Sailor Moon, but I do know that I knew the big dark twists going in. It didn't ruin it for me, and I remembered it being an emotional gut punch.


More than that, I remember revisiting Madoka Magica, even back then. Over time, friends of mine visited the show and I got to experience it with them. Whether it was dodgy livestreams of the episodes with their reactions, or just text chats as they reacted and screamed, I got to watch them go through this journey. Unlike my solitary Sailor Moon screenings, Madoka Magica is this very shared thing for me. Beyond that, though, I hadn't really thought of the series in years. It got a sequel movie in 2013 which I watched once, and is a whole other can of worms that we won't be covering at the moment. I did consider it again, briefly, back in January. In introducing my Symphogear writeup series, I framed its title character as one of the "Eternals" and gave a brief little summary of what I took from the show, and how it fit into my broader magical girl experience and expectations. That's a remarkable bit of brevity for me, and I'm honestly impressed looking back at it that I managed to nail it down so succinctly despite not seeing the show in several years.


Now let's fuck it all up and go into 10,000 words of excessive detail and plot summary about how good this goddamned show is.


"Appreciate it? Appreciate it? What, you commit mass destruction and murder on a scale that's almost inconceivable and you ask me to appreciate it? ...What's it for? Huh? What are you doing? What could possibly be worth all this?"


Part 1: Gold's Guidance


The film projector winds up, the curtain rises, and we get... someone late to curtain call, clearly. Rushing through corridors of black and white, where the shadows keep on changing, she reaches the door and opens it to the end of the world. As a striking dark melodic tune plays, we get a girl with magic powers fighting... something or other. Our girl, the one who opened the door to this nightmare, thinks this fight is terrible. Immediately some sort of cute cat-looking thing is speaking of the power to prevent such a terrible fight, to save the fighting girl. All one has to do is to make a contract and become a magical girl... at which point our girl wakes up. This, as we'll soon learn, is Madoka Kaname. 14 years old. Not a klutz or a crybaby, but not overly skilled at anything and prone to crying at terrible things that happen. An average girl, a good girl who doesn't lie and gets good grades. Of course, the opening credits reveal what sort of story this is. It's a bubbly and happy opening, as images of Madoka Kaname as a magical girl fill the screen. Indeed, as we delve into the episode, her life is idyllic. Loving dad, successful working mom, adorable baby brother. Pretty cool friends to walk to school with: the reserved Hitomi Shizuki, and the brash jokester Sayaka Miki. Life is good for Madoka Kaname. What might change that?


It has been said, possibly by a very smart person, that great literature takes the form of two stories: either someone goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. Madoka's story takes the latter path, as we're soon introduced to a mysterious transfer student in Madoka's class. Homura Akemi is a striking individual, not the least because she's the girl from Madoka's dream. As we see, Homura is quite the opposite of Madoka. Where Madoka isn't overly skilled, Homura is an utter pro at every subject thrown at her during the school day, managing to solve complex math problems as well as setting records in phys ed. It's earlier though, when Homura requests to be taken to the nurse's office by Madoka, that we get the first glimpses of this character's mystery. Homura's theme is perhaps my favorite piece of incidental music in the series, and it imbues both the character and any scene her theme is used in with this simultaneous air of mystery and melancholy. Madoka tries to make small talk, and Homura's strange silent stoic reactions only add to the mystery and melancholy. Finally she whirls about and, for whatever reason, says...

Which. Okay then? Grabbing a bite to eat with Sayaka and Hitomi after school, Madoka has to talk to them about this rather odd conversation. Also the whole "I met her in a dream" thing. The other two girls laugh it off, each coming up with their own playful explanations for this. Sayaka says it's fate they were brought together in this space and time, and that they each knew the other in another life. This is obviously taking the piss, but Hitomi's more reasonable and says Madoka probably met her before, and her subconscious just took that meeting for a dream. You know, dreams are weird. Anyway, Hitomi has to clear off and do like... tea ceremony practice. You know. Rich people things in Japan. It's a bit of a pain, and Sayaka even says she's glad she wasn't born rich. Mmm. We'll put a pin in that. For now... inciting incidents at the mall.

MONTEE PYTHIN'S FLYIN' CIRCUS

While Madoka is listening to music (and for a second we can hear that it's the opening theme again, in-universe) something calls out to her telepathically. Investigating, she soon finds a closed-off section of the mall, and it's that weird cat thing from her dream! And he's hurt! And Homura Akemi, dressed the same as she was in Madoka's dream, wants to hurt the cat thing! Oh no!! She's a baddie? Things get worse for Sayaka and Madoka as they try to get away, mainly because the world around them shimmers and shakes into some sort of abstract art nightmare. These are the monsters of Madoka, of whom we'll learn a great deal, but I want to point out the conflicting art style here. Everything in the real world is anime, but in this realm things feel more like a goddamned Monty Python cartoon with cutout animation. Before Terry fucking Gilliam and his Pringle puff monsters can kill Madoka and Sayaka, though, they're saved by another girl with magical powers! This is Mami Tomoe, and she'll be very important going forward. She beats back the monsters, has an icy confrontation with Homura before Homura backs off for the time being, and that ends episode 1. Well. What an exciting little premise. What's going on here, then?


Over tea and cake with Mami in Episode 2, the status quo of this magical girl system is explained. The little cat thing, Kyubey, is the one who helps grant girls the power to become magical girls. By making a contract with him, you're granted any one wish. In exchange for that, something called a Soul Gem is created which allows you to transform into a magical girl. What do you do then? You fight, of course. As magical girls are born from wishes, creatures known as witches are born from curses. As magical girls spread hope, witches spread despair. Negative energy which can affect the human world, accidents and suicides and disappearances. They must be fought, and it's magical girls who do the fighting. Madoka and Sayaka are involved now, as they've been "chosen" by Kyubey as potential candidates. It's all a very familiar status quo, here. 14 year-old girls, a cute animal mentor figure awakening them to their power as magical girls, fighting for love and justice... oh, we've been here before. Surely we can all work together to defeat the witches!

Look out! It's the Murderous Black Beast of AAAAAARGH!!

...Well, no. Not exactly. Magical girls are actually in direct competition with each other, as defeating witches grants a certain boon. As we learn, destroyed witches drop what's called a Grief Seed, and a magical girl can use them to purify their Soul Gem and replenish spent magical energy. Fighting and destroying witches creates a valuable commodity, and this is what Mami assumes Homura was after in trying to hurt Kyubey. The assumption being that Homura was working to prevent Madoka and Sayaka from becoming magical girls to prevent competition from forming, in order to get more Grief Seeds for herself. It's a good assumption that's perfectly in line with thinking of fighting witches as a job with pay. It's also completely incorrect, but we've a long way to go yet before we learn Homura's true motivation. For now, as Madoka and Sayaka tag along with Mami to see how a witch hunt goes, things go well! We see that the witches can place a curse on people, as a poor office girl is driven to despair and flings herself off a building (but Mami's there to catch her, thankfully). Then Mami fights a true witch! Those Pringle-puff looking things from Episode 1 were just the witch's familiars, but this thing is another Terry Gilliam nightmare that looks like a cross between a dragon and Cthulhu. It's here we see Mami's fighting style, which is lots and lots of BIG GUNS! Still, she pulls through and blows the witch away! Good job, Mami. Let's dive more into what makes you tick, and what you represent, and all that other fun stuff.


It's all in the name, really. Mami. The way it's said sounds remarkably like "Mommy", and Mami feels very much like the "mom friend" in the little trio between her, Madoka, and Sayaka. She's not only their upperclassman and senpai, but also an experienced magical girl introducing them to this world of battling monsters. With experience comes wisdom, though, and with wisdom comes regret. Mami doesn't necessarily regret her choices, given the circumstances in which she made them... but she is doing her best to make sure that Madoka and Sayaka are as informed as possible regarding the magical girl thing. (This will become almost hilarious, in a dark way, later on in the series.) Take, for instance, the matter of Madoka and Sayaka trying to decide what to wish for. Sayaka, for reasons we'll discuss later, asks Mami if it's hypothetically possible to use your wish on someone else instead of yourself. Mami's advice is simple and to the point:

Mami, you see, was involved in a car accident and near death when Kyubey came to her, offering her a lifeline in exchange for becoming a magical girl. She wished only for her own survival, got that, and doesn't regret that. Every day she's alive is one more than she would have been if she hadn't contracted. Whether it be that she had no opportunity to wish for anything other than her immediate survival, or that she was too hasty in wishing for only her own survival and not her immediate family's is academic. The point is, Mami didn't get the chance to think through her wish, and she wants Madoka and Sayaka to have the best chance they can at doing that. More to the point, she re-iterates that this isn't just fun and games. Being a magical girl is dangerous. You put your life on the line every night battling witches, so the quality of your wish has to be weighed against that. Again, Mami has no regrets regarding this. She just wants her friends to make the best wishes they can, for the right reasons. Sayaka seems to have an idea, but what of Madoka?

OH HONEY YOU DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT

As Madoka confesses to Kyubey, she's slow and not really good at anything. She also has a pretty idyllic life, all things considered. Kyubey throws some little hints at power, and Madoka being a strong magical girl, but Madoka really isn't the thirst for power type. Her mother may be very career-driven, working hard for her family, but Madoka doesn't have that specific drive. It's here we see shades of the familiar in Madoka, yet again: a 14 year-old girl not good at anything in particular, but with great potential as a magical girl. It's a conversation Madoka has with Mami, while they're out hunting another witch, that finally shows us what Madoka wants. She wants to have the power to help people. As a magical girl, fighting for love and justice, she'll be able to do just that. Her wish will come true, simply by becoming a magical girl. Here we see another side to Mami; underneath that cool mentor exterior is a very lonely girl. The nature of being a magical girl in direct competition with other magical girls means that it's not practical for them to team up. With Madoka at her side, though, fighting the witches will leave her less lonely. Madoka still needs to make a wish though, in order to become a magical girl. Mami suggests wishing to be a billionare, or for a boyfriend, but they settle on wishing for a giant cake. How sweet.


Also how coincidental, considering this witch is food-themed. It's a very colorful witch lair this time, and not something from Monty Python. Mami, enlightened and unburdened by her lonely heart, feels a burning sense of utopian hope within her. Love, justice, and friendship have prevailed. She's not alone, and so she's going to wrap this one up quick. It has been suggested that what happens next comes from Mami being too careless, too much of a showoff, too eager to get this finished and gain her new partner. Hell, the witch is only this tiny doll looking thing, too. It really should be a cinch. I don't think that's fair to Mami. In rewatching the scene, she's as cool and competent as ever. She doesn't make any obvious mistakes that could be avoided. How could she know that squeezing the witch would make a giant caterpillar thing come out? No, this is just a tragic accident. Oh, let's not beat around the bush any more. It's the most famous spoiler of Madoka Magica. It's one of the big things I knew coming in. Here it is, then, for the record:

So yeah. Mami's fucking dead. Homura, who had tried to interfere but got bound by Mami's ribbons so she couldn't, is freed when Mami dies and finishes off the witch. Throughout these three episodes, she's made her intent clear. Madoka cannot become a magical girl. She's tried to stop Kyubey from meeting her, she's had cryptic words about it being a hell life that isn't fun and games... and now she shows the girls the fate of all magical girls. You risk your life in every battle, and one of those days something will happen and you'll just... die. It's a grim truth, and far from the only one Madoka Magica will drop on us. To signify that, as we end episode 3 on Madoka and Sayaka weeping over the sudden death of their friend, something else happens. Episodes 1 and 2 have ended with a very upbeat and happy closing song, in the same tone as the opening. A new credits scene takes its place for episode 3, a dark void with staticy outlines of the players in the show. Playing over it is that song, the one we heard during Madoka's dream. The one we heard when Mami beat up Terry Gilliam's Cthulhu. On paper, this is Magia, the real ending theme of the series. For our purposes, it's something much worse. With Mami's death, we feel her loss. We grieve. We are wounded. The darkness at the heart of this world is about to grow, and this is the song which heralds its arrival. You know what it is, don't you? I'll tell you.


The Dirge Of Despair has begun, and everything you think you know is about to change, forever.

(Continued in Part 2)