Why Madoka Magica Is Truly Horrifying

[@JCsReviews]

To everyone who has been asking about it my video on the sequel Madoka Magica Rebellion is finally out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3LKgYOoeNppj9U

[@roxaskinghearts]

Cant say its horrifying as im a psychopath who believes in his own power can rival that of god

[@wayfulmalice]

@@roxaskinghearts humble yourself

[@roxaskinghearts]

@@wayfulmalice I refuse there isnt a person on this planet i respect its a sad reality that following any one of you is a surefire way to taint ones soul your speaking to a great sage my rage is just my rage is pure my rage is on par with anything you can throw my way with the disgusting subhuman state of the world the only people here who should be humbling themselves are the ones who dont live there life to a set stander of science and rationel unless your looking for war and i sure have the means to put you in subjugation if you fail to comply you may not understand war buddy i do and am not afraid to put you terrorists in your place as judge thru science and rational i am something America fails along most of the developed world my ire knows no bounds and the fact i was born means my job was set in stone Freedom For all who respect freedom for all i will grind your god under my boot china and far right iran afganistan est christian est your god has no power over me and the freedom that is owed to us the justice that is owed to us the common sense that is owed to us go meet god vs telling me what is right and wrong thru your missguided deluded sense of reasoning towards what it is your so call god is asking of you morons

[@wayfulmalice]

@@roxaskinghearts u just chattin you definitely a npc

[@roxaskinghearts]

@@wayfulmalice do you debate everything you refuse to read moron

[@Kveldrunari]

The greatest fear indeed is not reading terms and conditions for a contract.

[@JCsReviews]

That’s true lmao 😂

[@avocadoperson]

When I watched this when I was 11, I thought that they were so stupid for not reading the terms and conditions... I believed that kyubey gave them physical papers with that and they signed it lol

[@yes794]

@@avocadoperson like kyubey would hand them a poster saying "I WANT YOU to become a magical girl ᵇᶜ ᶦ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵉⁿᵉʳᵍʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᵐʸ ᵖˡᵃⁿᵉᵗ

[@lilithiaabendstern6303]

@@yes794 it's not for his planet - it's for the entire universe, it's about balancing out energy taken and given, because every lifeform of said universe is using energy and they (his species) have found out that strong emotions can create an overflow of energy that they can harvest to put it back into the universe - they just don't care that the former magical girls are completely burned out by that point, they just create another magical girl to go after another witch

[@skittstop5088]

I dont think they provided one

[@YusSuh]

"A good ending for everyone but Madoka" that just broke my heart.

[@JCsReviews]

It really is a heartbreaking ending

[@xreel1591]

@mahoushoujo kyouko actually died while fighting the witch of sayaka if i remember correctly.

[@soulmaster9481]

REBELLION MOVIE SPOILERS Thank goodness Rebellion revived everyone and gave them a happy ending (except for Kyubey, who got what he deserved).

[@angeldude101]

Rebellion spoilers: I've seen the show and Rebellion described respectively as "the happiest bad ending" and "the worst happy ending." I personally find it kind of funny that Rebellion managed to have a death count of _negative_ 2.5.

[@angeldude101]

@mahoushoujo spoiler Sayaka and Nagisa, with Madoka herself as minus a half. It's possible to argue that Homura counts as half a death bringing the total to only -2.

[@avej99]

If you think about the whole show from Homura’s POV she’s really reliving her worst nightmare over and over. Watching madoka and friends die over and over and she can’t stop it no matter how many times she goes back

[@haha-fx1py]

another reason why rebellion is great! i love madoka and her character but shes a tiny bit of an observer mc, seeing everything from homuras pov was so great in the creepiest way ever

[@Sarah-lt2cq]

Yeah, this is kind of what the anime is about

[@jin_desu_yo]

The way thats described is a lot like rezero lol

[@deesmith8576]

no the worst nightmare for Homura is not noticing she is the walpugis witch at the end. She fights that boss at the end every time and loses and yet she dosent notice the gears and clockwork is why walpugis is always getting stronger and stronger each time she goes back

[@andreachiarabaldi1253]

@@deesmith8576 wait: Homura's witch is Homulily. What do u mean with "she is the walpurgis witch"?

[@milkiiitea9936]

One of my favorite motifs in this anime is how each character represents each of the phases of grief. Mami: Denial Sayaka: Anger Kyoko: Bargaining Homura: Depression Madoka: Acceptance I know that it’s common knowledge but still, I think it’s so so cool

[@irisa198]

Alternative suggestion: I think Homura is closer to bargaining, as she keeps trying to create a situation where Madoka's death, the event that she's literally grieving, could be prevented. Sayaka meanwhile is much closer to depression - she did have some angry outbursts but in the end, her reaction is always to give up. To kill herself, or someone else, because she sees no way out and she can't find the strength to even go look for one. Kyoko's bargaining isn't so much bargaining as it is just coping well, so Anger would be a good reading for her too, because she's taking her distress and turning it into energy to keep moving forward, and anger can also be a source of energy and drive people to take action.

[@milkiiitea9936]

@@irisa198 super true! I was going in order of each stage, which also happens to be in the order each character reaches their “demise”, but it’s super flexible

[@pikaqte5418]

I didnt actually know that omg!

[@sopapopp]

I didn't know that, thanks for commenting!

[@ontojune]

Great observation. I actually hadn’t thought of it from that angle.

[@thefoundation3489]

Fun fact: there's a sad but lowkey kinda wholesome reason Charlotte bit off Mami's head. Yes, I'm serious. And I mean it when I say it's lowkey wholesome. Charlotte first met Kyubey (fuck that evil bastard) when her mom was dying. Her and her mom's favorite dessert was cheesecake, so her final wish was to have one last cheesecake with her before she died. However, Charlotte almost immediately realized she could have used her wish to heal her mother instead, and instantly fell into despair, becoming a witch. That's why her Labryinth opened right outside the hospital iirc, and why she's heavily dessert themed. And she bit off Mami's head because she thought it was cheesecake

[@emilyplaysgamesstuwe5801]

LMAOO 😂😂

[@Kalidreamine]

💀 man those kyubeys

[@Hanao-n1x]

Lmao 💀💀

[@chihuahuasarecute123]

Stop that’s so sad

[@haunting_project]

Oh…😭

[@randomstuff-qu7sh]

As I understand it, Kyubey's motivation is to harvest energy to stop the destructive effects of entropy (which will eventually destroy the universe, but is a much more imminent threat to his planet than to Earth since his world is closer to the center). When a magical girl becomes a witch, he harvests the energy from that transformation. Since Madoka has a huge amount of karmic weight, when she becomes a witch, the energy generated would be enough to fill Kyubey's quota (and once he has the energy he needs, the fate of the Earth no longer matters to him...sacrificing one planet is a small price to pay to save the universe).

[@ninjatang7403]

also they cant havest energy for them selfs because they feel no emotions so when they stumbled across earth they where suprised how much energy and emotion they had

[@ikaros6633]

Thank you for explaining what I was about to write down in the comments.

[@20_foot_burmese_pyth0n]

also I just wanna point out that Madoka has a massive amount of karmic weight because of Homura repeatedly traveling back in time to save her which is kinda sad imo

[@justinjordan7741]

Madoka also didn't turn into a god, per se. Kyubey was never afraid of Madoka's power because no matter what she wished for, she would eventually despair, and eventually become a witch. The wording of Madoka's wish is important. She becomes a godlike entity that destroys all witches, but becomes the most terrible witch of all. However, she has the power to destroy all witches, so she reappears and defeats herself as a witch, then becomes a witch, then destroys herself, then becomes a witch, then destroys herself... Becoming progressively more powerful, but never settling, and more or less "glitching" out of existence. Her existence is impossible, so she no longer exists. The universe must rewrite itself around her wish. Kyubey got FUCKED by the power of friendship.

[@RubyCheetahCub]

@@justinjordan7741 From what I remember, Madoka never actually becomes a witch, but instead the embodiment of hope. She says that she'll take on the despair of all the other magical girls by appearing to them in their last moments so they don't die broken, but instead can die happy, or at least peacefully.

[@patricktownsend2405]

spoiler: when Mami died is when I knew this anime was going to be great. The way they portrayed her finally feeling like she wasn't alone anymore just to get eaten set the tone of the entire anime really well, that in this world happiness is only followed by greater tragedy.

[@louiesdarksecret]

It's even sadder when you read the different story manga and know that there was a point before that she wasn't alone but that person left her too

[@tsuyuasui7297]

@@louiesdarksecret Yeah most magical girls in mitakihara just left her alone, but in general magical girls in mitakihara always go solo that’s what i got from the story.

[@pinkdino6575]

I was baffled with her death, I was like awww Mann depression is starting.

[@wingedbluj1674]

The best way to do spoiler comments in KZbin is to hit enter like 5 times, not one.

[@Gordonfreeman551]

what are you doing bro, just get the hell out of here no one wants to hear you Man you’re uh, putting your speech in the comments like “well it has a message behind it” “it teaches this blah blah blah Madoka Homura” Ehm- shut the fuck up get out of here man, it’s like we don’t even care anymore about this show you uh you ruined it for us that’s it.

[@庫倫亞利克]

Sadly, most Madoka ripoffs these days only learn from Madoka the superficial parts like girls being tortured, the mascot being evil, and girls turning into monsters.

[@quinn870]

Yeah they forget to add the actual depth in the characters. Madoka Magica even switches to a different animation to put an off putting feeling that something doesn’t belong. Other animes just add the elements and not the thoughts that go with the elements.

[@jem5378]

Agreed. One thing I really like about Madoka Magica (and Fullmetal Alchemist, while we're on the subject) is that it's extremely dark and horrifying, but not pessimistic. Madoka watched all her friends die, learned that her closest friend spent years reliving the same torturous month over and over trying to save her to no avail, and that it was all deliberately caused by an alien who couldn't care less about them. She had every reason to grow angry at the world and use her wish for revenge but instead decided become hope incarnate and save every magical girl from the torment of becoming a witch. And that, in my opinion, is a very beautiful story. Meanwhile I feel like most dark magical girl anime completely missed that point and just go for torture porn.

[@Elaaaame]

@Jem I totally agree. The outright torture porn in a lot of dark magical girl anime is just overkill. You can have incredibly dark themes and not overdo it with the gore and angst imo....lookin at you, Magical Girl Site.

[@jellydisk]

​@@Elaaaame NO FOR REAL. I hated magical girl site

[@Toreen]

@@jellydisk I watched it hoping it would be similar to Madoka and felt so unsatisfied with just...everything Edit: Just realized I never watched Magical Girl Site and the one I had in mind was "Magical Girl Raising Project"

[@rotciv1486]

I like this anime because it's basically a greek tragedy where everything happens because the characters can't surpass their fatal flaw, including madoka that can't help but being a martyr. So everything is tragic and depressing and sad in a way that makes you appreciate life and beauty, and that's what a good tragedy does.

[@Drakenwild]

Kyubey's motivation made perfect sense to me. He didn't want energy for his planet. Frankly, he wasn't even being selfish. Kyubey's goal was to release energy back into the universe because the universe has been steadily losing energy due to entropy. It was found that turning teenagers into magical girls in hopes that they'll break and turn into a witch was the most efficient way to do it. What he and his kind were doing was an attempt to prevent the whole cosmos from collapsing in on itself. Because of this and the fact that it was explained in the series that he basically functions like an AI - doesn't have emotions and doesn't really compute morals - I'd hesitate to even call him an evil person. He is committing heinous acts in the name of the greater good but doesn't understand why these acts are heinous. So, his acts are evil but he himself isn't exactly an evil person. He can't be, does not meet the basic requirement of being able to tell moral right from moral wrong.

[@Xerain]

I like to think Kyubey is the personification of the concept of utilitarianism.

[@WobblesandBean]

By that logic, you don't think psychopaths are evil, either.

[@Drakenwild]

@@WobblesandBean I don't know enough about psycopathy to confirm or deny here. They don't understand the difference between moral right and wrong but can they learn that difference from people around them? I don't know but I think they can and that not every single one of them is going around killing puppies. That nuance would make them quite different from Kyubey, who despite living between humans for so long seems to still not expect people to be upset by his actions.

[@SingingSealRiana]

Does not change that he is a monster

[@hanin_gurl]

@@Drakenwild Some psychopaths do act like kyubey, obviously not murderers but have a hard time understanding morals. They also lack the feeling sympathy or empathy. So, for some of them, the logic that killing 1 person for 2 others sounds like an easy no-brainer choice. Because they see them as just numbers. They can also suffer from egoism. Where they put their opinions and themselves on a Pedastool because of their lack of empathy/sympathy. This is often why a lot of murderers are considered psychopaths, when you lack the feeling of empathy, doing something cruel doesn't always seem cruel, or more so that the person is just trash in general and being a low functional psychopath pushed them to go for their horrible choices easier. But because of this sigma tho, a lot of psychopaths are considered murderers and villains. Which just goes to show how black and white this world is. Also, to answer your question, psychopaths do not have emotional empathy nor sympathy. They can have a very good cognitive understanding of sympathy and empathy and can understand your emotions, but it does not register with them emotionally. There's 2 different types of psychopaths, i haven't quite been clear about which ones i am talking about but i'll explain it briefly here. There's functional psychopaths, * "high functioning psychopaths, do not possess violent tendencies, and are in many cases highly successful, contributing members of society. They may still retain the tell-tale characteristics of a psychopath (callousness, lack of empathy, grandiosity, etc.) but they do not engage in the aggressive behaviour" * and the psychopaths we always hear about, *low functioning psychopaths. * Which i am guessing you know what that is. * Quicker end to the summary: * Soz for the essay, but no you can't really get a psychopath to feel emotional sympathy or empathy. Just like kyubey. Because that's just how our brains work. Just like how i am autistic and can't change myself to neurotypical, and how neurotypical can't change themselves to become neurodivergent, neither can psychopaths. --------- Kyubey might have had good intentions, the way it chose the easiest way which would end a whole planet instead of a way that was long but rewarding for everyone + the way of executing the plan (aka manipulation and brain games) makes him undoubtedly the villain. Kyubey is an incredible villain and played it's role well. Let's not take that role away from him.

[@aptalsandvic5355]

Madoka's sacrifice has always been really really depressing to me. She constantly talks about how useless she is and how she'll never amount to anything when she's like what, 14? She wanted to be a magical girl in the first place to feel good about herself. When she finds out what Homura has been doing for her she sacrifices herself and i felt like she didn't actually want to do it and Rebellion confirms this. To me this story has this underlying message about self love, Madoka hates herself, so she sacrifices herself for others hapiness while Homura also hates herself and does the same thing for Madoka's hapiness but what they are both doing is really self-destructive and doesen't actually make them happy. They need to find a balance, you know? It also has this message about not waiting for miracles in life. The promise of a miracle that will solve all your problems would lure in any young girl. I felt like these were the things i was meant to take away from this series, idk if it makes sense haha.

[@kumashock4074]

The point is she martyrs herself because the whole show she has wanted to feel special. There’s an underlying layer of a young kid wanting to believe there’s something only they can do. A bit of a wish for a god complex.

[@poffyaubry9313]

Çok uzun yazmışsın knk

[@7minutesago4yearsago29]

It makes sense! I like your interpretation 👍

[@cherubii932]

But Homura gradually love the pain she feels while doing so(ಥ_ಥ)

[@zaynab-to-a]

@@kumashock4074 I disagree. She literally says on the last episode, "I don't care what I become", and in one of the first episodes, "I don't really care about [power]". One of the major themes throughout the show is making short-sighted wishes that backfire because of selfish motivations, and Madoka was the only magical girl who managed to find a happy ending, partly because her wish was truly selfless. Yeah, she definitely has some self-esteem issues, but a lot of it seems to come from worrying about being a burden and not doing anything meaningful for others, rather than not doing or being something special.

[@momotama2855]

The Sayaka train scene in the anime the creators said she did not kill them, however in the Manga she did

[@JCsReviews]

Oh ok I thought she did kill them but now I kinda wanna check out the manga to see what happens there

[@momotama2855]

@@JCsReviews the Manga is pretty different from the anime in some regards. And it continues the anime in the middle where the main series ends and the 3rd movie rebellion begins

[@JCsReviews]

@@momotama2855 oh that’s really interesting, I definitely wanna read the manga now

[@adrianfranks2267]

@@JCsReviews Late on the reply, but it was the director that said she didn’t kill them. The writer of thr scripts both the manga and anime used said it was up to the audience.

[@Some_guy_passing_by]

I do believe that she killed them, why else would she even transform in the train ?

[@GalaxiaStars]

To be fair though even the first ending theme song isn't as innocent as it sounds. When you look into the lyrics it actually kinda half spoils the ending of the anime. and it goes into a lot about like how Madoka probably has depression and how that fueled her wish to turn into Madokami in the last episode. it just doesn't sound as overtly dark in instrumentals and tone for Magia are.

[@ChJuHu93]

Bludgeon Angel Dokuru Chan, happy tone, dark lyrics

[@acrj-alfasaus4825]

but not all of us are aware of the lyrics, especially if we don’t understand japanese or read the subs and the show is english dubbed

[@polonyuino5016]

Isn't the text purple It's likely that the song represents Homura

[@xferal_rat]

I love that every character secretly has their own struggles and it isn't just Madoka.

[@SingingSealRiana]

Yeah, everyone has their own tragedy

[@punkflowerperson]

Sayaka's witch has a mermaid fin, if you look closely, because her story basically tragically ends just like the Little Mermaid's of Hans Christian Andersen. She sacrifices everything for the boy she loves and the boy comes to love another thus leaving Sayaka in grief and her dying. And just like the angels who save the Little Mermaids from her gruesome death and make her an Angel, so does Madoka, when she saves all magical girls at the end. It's soo heartbreaking.

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

The witches have a very distinct high art feel, as an art student the witches use an animated collage feeling which is the method of getting images from really anywhere that’s free domain and meshing them together to make paintings/pieces, for example, a rose bush that attaches to a distorted vase to create the feel of some otherworldly creature

[@JCsReviews]

Oh man that’s really interesting

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

@@JCsReviews if you had to ask me personally, the visuals of madokas “real world” are made to show a semi surrealist utopia, everythings gold and so high class, where the witches imitate more German/European styled collage art (evident with some of the visuals and most witch names either being English or German apon translation).

[@LoliPeeSlurper]

I've always thought the witch dimension kinda looks similar to persona's dimension

[@RandoPassingBy]

Actually, one of my favorite anime ending must be Madoka Magica… Rebellion’s ending. It’s a good twist, and surprisingly, it feels more… As the vibe I wish it to be.

[@JCsReviews]

I haven’t seen Rebellion but if you think the ending is pretty good then I’ll probably check it out

[@lillith-kagari]

@@JCsReviews definitely watch rebellion if you haven't yet. if you think madoka was good, you'll LOVE rebellion

[@soulmaster9481]

I actually used to hate Madoka Magica until I watched Rebellion. The movie truly completed the story.

[@MegaMangoAnime]

Hey do you know where I can watch rebellion? I’ve looked everywhere And can’t find it I’m in the U.S. btw

[@lillith-kagari]

@@MegaMangoAnime they have the whole movie subbed on youtube last time i checked

[@t3od.tss7]

You are very right. When I first watched the anime as a sensible kid I am, I cried when Mami died, not because SHE DIED, and because THE CREATURE THAT KILLED HER. They were all so creepy, but in my opinion the worst was the nightmare Sayaka was going through. Those type of 'dreamcore' or 'weirdcore' monsters from it can actually leave you with anxiety if you didn't know so I recommend if anyone who sees this and wants to watch Madoka Magica, I recommend to inform first.

[@NIHIL_EGO]

The Witches are the main reason why I started the show. Witches Barriers are what my ideal world would look like.

[@AzzySunfire]

@@NIHIL_EGO Ah, a fellow witch lover. I've loved the show since it came out and even came up with my own witch ideas alongside friends (Who, mostly, aren't into Madoka anymore)

[@sokol2629]

@@AzzySunfire The time travel in Madoka made me stop watching it after the 9th ep. Time travel makes every story too unrealistic imo

[@AzzySunfire]

@@sokol2629 Unrealistic? In a show about magic and magical girls? Besides, it's not real time travel. Given the subtle difference in each timeline, each time she time-travels she's likely just accessing another parallel dimension at an early point.

[@sokol2629]

@@AzzySunfire Imo magic can connect to reality a little as metaphores. Time travel can only be a metaphore for nostalgia and regret and parallel dimensions for regret

[@azukarfresh]

i watched madoka magica completely blind at age 12 or 13. it was horrifying, i cant handle horror, but the best media related decision ive made in my life. this anime was a great comfort to me and is one of my faves of all time. the dark twist hit so much harder when you watch it blind. im super into kawaii stuff, and i thought it was a simple kawaii anime, but boy was i wrong. i’d give anything for the feeling of watching it for the first time again.

[@pinkypromisekisses9275]

Dude same it was one of the first animes I watched and as a 12 year old madoka magica hit me like a trainwreck, its really what got me into anime changed my life

[@azurepiphany]

This was like the third anime I ever watched, (after DQ and SAO) and even now I can still vividly remember Mami’s death 😭. I desperately need to somehow rewatch the series again.

[@ayameeeeeeeeee]

SAME. Literally when Mami died and I saw it that day I was so traumatised even my friends when I went out told me i look pale asf. Took me some weeks to pull myself up and keep watching it. I was in denial literally, I was trying to ignore its existence then idk something attracted me to it and I couldn’t take it anymore and just binged watched it. Best decision of my life

[@little.tricks]

Same. Watched it in my early 20s completely blind not knowing what kind of show it was only to be thrown for a loop at how dark it was. Same with School Live. That's the best way imo

[@JingoJingo21]

​@@little.tricks art style might be cute but then its brutal and blood is everywhere thats the best prank you can do on someone

[@SolvNia]

11:00 My personal theory is that we're looking at two different kinds of gods here. When Kyubey tries to coax Madoka into forming a contract and says "you could become the god of this world!", he really just meant "this world". Madoka could become powerful enough to be the god of planet Earth, but she'd still be bound to the laws of the universe. She'd still fall victim to the laws of karmic destiny one day, when the hope and happiness she created would turn into an equal amount of despair. Like, you may be the king of one country, but you still can't make laws for your neighbour country. However, the wish she does end up making, as Kyubey puts it, violates the laws of the universe. It's like she wished that gravity never exited, for example. The entire universe wouldn't work the way it does anymore, and it would've to be completely rewritten. And that's exactely what happens when she makes her wish, just that the universal law she chose to violate was the law of karmic destiny. That's why Kyubey is so surprised about her wish. He probably didn't anticipate that she'd be thinking on a much larger scale. (Side note: I also love how she worded her wish, so that the magical girls of the past won't be robbed of of their hopes or achievements. They still get the means to fight their battles. They're still allowed to stand up for what they believe in. They just don't have to suffer as much anymore)

[@richardryley3660]

As other reviewers have noted, Kyubey is trying to reverse the effects of entropy, so he feels he is doing what is best for the universe, boy just his people. That being said, I suspect that the best they can do is delay the inevitable. As for why Kyubey was willing to grant Madoka's wish, he could never really sure how powerful she was since she kept getting more powerful each time she went through the loop. At one point, he estimated that she was powerful enough to destroy the Earth, but he could just move on to another planet. In the end, it was not Madoka's level.of power that was his undoing, it was Madoka's choice of wish. Previous times she became a magical girl she just used her wish for something mundane. Personally, I think the turning point was Madoka learning what Homora had done. She realized that Homora has sacrificed herself to save Madoka, and wanted to take the burden off of her. And knowing that Homora had used her wish to alter time probably gave her the idea to go back in time and retroactively save all magical girls from becoming witches. That's why I think in Rebellion it made sense that Homura took the burden back from Madoka.

[@ichigoparfaitgatomaranai]

Homura didn't exsctly take the burden back from Madoka lol, she essentially stole a part of her soul to keep her for herself. Essentially, Homura became a living incarnation of selfish love.

[@Gordonfreeman551]

what are you doing bro, just get the hell out of here no one wants to hear you Man you’re uh, putting your speech in the comments like “well it has a message behind it” “it teaches this blah blah blah Madoka Homura” Ehm- shut the fuck up get out of here man, it’s like we don’t even care anymore about this show you uh you ruined it for us that’s it.

[@deesmith8576]

@@ichigoparfaitgatomaranai love so strong that she created walpugis. Not sure why she didnt noticed after like 100 fights that the boss USES GEARS AND TIME just like her. and how magic girls become witches and why walpugis gets stronger and stronger each time because of the constant time travel boner she has for madoka

[@ichigoparfaitgatomaranai]

@@deesmith8576 I actually think that's quite a cool theory, but, I'm sure it is not confirmed right? After all, Homura's witch form is Homulily.

[@teapartypenguin1353]

@@deesmith8576 Walpurgis actually leans more towards being an amalgamation of dead magical girls, in the manga, she even had familiars that took the forms of Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko's shadows. And I'm pretty sure it's mentioned that Walpurgis has been around for a while, but no other magical girls have succeeded in defeating her. It's possible that Homura rewinding time had the same effect on Walpurgis as it did on Madoka. Because that event becomes such a central turning point in each timeline, Walpurgis gets stronger each loop because how or if she's defeated plays a crucial role in the fate of the city, and consequently, Madoka. Or maybe since Walpurgis is and amalgamation, she's boosted by the strength of the dead magical girls of EVERY timeline. My personal headcanon is that Walpurgis was a single magical girl who made a wish hoping to help other magical girls like Madoka, but it wasn't enough, and she became a witch that collects dead magical girls.

[@paranormeow]

I’m glad you finally have a name to the weird feeling I got when looking at Madokas world!! It always seemed rly wrong to me. I was like “architecture ain’t like that in real life, and where are the people?” It really does feel just like a dream. An imitation of something close enough that you know in your heart it’s supposed to be something real but when you really look at it, it’s a nonsensical mirrored image. Madoka is wonderful!! I LOVE how EVERYTHING about it is so uncanny, the environments, the story, the characters, the music, everything perfectly replicates the feeling of a particularly memorable bad dream!! It’s rare to get that quality out so well!

[@donghye1004]

i love your description, and i definitely agree! the colors and the way everything was set up in the anime really stuck with me in an odd, surrealistic way that made me feel like the fact that i even was watching it was a dream itself.

[@Rar830]

Legit, I really like the way their school and some other buildings look though. Especially the roof its so excessively fancy and completely out of place in an ordinary middle school that looks more like a college or something

[@hackidreemurr]

Yup I realized that too when watching Madoka Magica for the first time. I was like: Where tf is that city? Like Dubai or something? And also why are the classrooms transparent. I don't want some random student watch me messing up a teacher's question 😭😂

[@unpunlievable]

Yeah! I didn't really consciously pick up on it either because it's just so subtle and interesting, you're just kind of left feeling like you need to know more. The school example was spot on, it's probably where I came closest on my first watch-through to actually questioning the world.

[@aftertheoblivion663]

This is extremely well said and exactly how I felt watching this masterpiece! The gloomy yet shiny Atmosphere, the depressing emptiness …… there was just something so sinister and dark, yet it felt like it shouldn’t have been like that. The colourfulness of the girls, them going to school an behaving like normal school girls. It all felt so familiar while being even more unfamiliar at the same time.

[@oddishhime]

something great about madoka is that i feel it isn't truly comparable to other ~dark, adult~ magical anime; a lot of other dark magical girls rely on shock value and edginess, madoka truly grasps the concepts of love, hope and friendship that magical girls like sailor moon and precure preach, and powerfully deconstructs and twists these concepts. There will never be another "dark" magical girl anime like this.

[@anerrorhasoccurred8727]

Especially since Madoka hardly ever uses blood or gore, which CAN be used really well in horror, but imo adult anime relies on it far too much. I can count the number of times blood appears on one hand and it’s never even that bad. Makes the horror feel a lot less edgy.

[@starrshort6403]

Yes ! Madoka magica isn’t just dark , it’s about hope . It’s really a masterpiece

[@plugshirt1762]

It's worth noting Kyubey's motivation about getting energy is meant to feel confusing and alien which makes the scene where he reveals it so good. After so much suffering Madoka asks him why it has all happened and he gives such an alien answer that a human can barely comprehend the true weight of so he seems evil from his response. the visuals and music are also unsettling and odd to enhance this feeling

[@rowan-priince1860]

My favorite thing about the setting of the first two episodes is how you don’t realize how wrong it looks on your first watch. It’s all weird and floaty and dreamlike, but your brain doesn’t focus in on just how strange all the floating screens, glass structures, empty streets and nonsensical elements of the city are until you realize *why* the world looks that way. Rebellion took this to the extreme and I absolutely love it. The surroundings keep you constantly on edge from the beginning and perfectly foreshadow the twist without completely giving it away. 10/10 would recommend.

[@ivanceballos7682]

Wait, ive watched madoka like 5 times and i didnt really know there was a reason for the world to look like that, could you explain??

[@krock5556]

Kyuby didn’t know that Madoka would become a god, he just know that she would be powerful, but Madoka wish to be a god and that’s what he didn’t think. And he wants the energy to keep the universe alive i think

[@haha-fx1py]

he knew she had the potential to become a god, but maybe due to madokas personality he didnt think her wish would be something like that. she has become a really powerful witch in other timelines after all

[@elihudson5192]

at first I didnt like Kyoko as well, I thought her backstory was grimdark for the sake of being grimdark and instilling artificial character development. But then I read the spin off manga Another Story, and (I think) the whole reason her father flew off the deep end was because he was afflicted by a witch's kiss after getting into alcohol, which makes more sense as to why he'd do such a thing. However I could be wrong abt this.

[@elihudson5192]

@TwojaUlubionaRyba that's true,

[@cyjanidybel]

i'll have to check this one out to confirm, but damn if it's true, it's so much more tragic imo one witch slips under Kyoko's radar and her own father is the victim? ughhh

[@ShadowSkyX]

They did say witches' kiss caused that woman to jump off the building and those people to try to commit a group suicide.

[@anerrorhasoccurred8727]

In my opinion the different story is literally just as good as the original show and makes everything even more tragic than it already is.

[@06j5str2u]

​​​@@ShadowSkyXWitches do "kiss" - not a actual literal physical kiss, it's a curse, the nonliteral name is done on purpose to make you believe it's cliche show where the names of things aren't literal, and, yeah, you know Madoka Magica slaps you in the face to reality, again, and "soul gem" is actually literally literal - any and every witch or witches do "kiss"/curse normal people/humans to force them to commit suicide, murders, murder suicide, accidents, basically death, so, the witch could feed on their life energy/life source and soul, or, rarely, feed on/eat humans entirely and the people would be regarded as missing persons, it's literally explained in ep 2 by Mami.

[@rainoftime37]

Homura is such a tragic character because like, imagine you do all this stuff for the one you love the most in the whole world but then she suddenly goes and sacrifices herself for the sake of the world, and nobody even remembers her. So was everything you've ever done up until this point suddenly pointless? What are you supposed to fight for now? Are you going insane? Who is this "Madoka" you keep remembering? In the real world I think this wouldn't be nearly as tragic because we aren't exactly bound by wishes and under the threat of turning into a witch if we give up on said wishes. If this was not a magical girl anime, perhaps Homura would eventually move on from her feelings, though it would certainly leave a traumatic impression in her mind. But unfortunately, this is Madoka Magica where your soul traded for a wish you make, and that's why Homura is so devastated when Madoka sacrifices herself. Because Homura literally traded her soul for Madoka, she cannot do anything except protect her at all costs, otherwise she will die and/or become a witch. But because Madoka no longer exists, Homura's existence is essentially meaningless. And that's why Rebellion happens in the way it does. Perhaps her feelings for Madoka were once pure and wholesome - Madoka showed her genuine kindness and Homura just wanted to be able to show it back. But by making her wish to protect Madoka, now her life DEPENDS on protecting Madoka. So her feelings of pure, genuine love grow corrupted and dark, turning into something of a need. Unfortunately for her, her fate is ultimately "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain". And we all know too well that Homura is way too stubborn to die.

[@sethdavenport6445]

Despite her best efforts to die, Homura just seems to be the universe's chew toy.

[@szymonsabat7374]

I understood Kyubey differently, I really liked the entropy speech, it takes a lot from theoretical physics, the alien race was basically fighting the imminent end of the universe ("heat death") turning humans into perpetuum mobile to keep all life going (feeding emptying spacetime with energy/matter), humans included... so I didn't even see him as "evil", maybe "necessary evil" - then Madoka made it possible to do it ethically.

[@saracarter9952]

BRO I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A HORROR IN MY FAMILY FOR YEARS!! SO GLAD SOMEONE AGREES FINALLY!

[@JCsReviews]

Lol I’m glad you found the video then

[@SingingSealRiana]

Like what else would it be? It's literally nightmares inside of nightmares

[@noodlbean]

I feel like the happy sounding song would be even more unsettling being at the end of almost every episode, because you just have this super dark anime, something gruesome just happened, and it wasn’t exactly happy. You sit there for a few seconds, waiting for the ending, and this super happy song, right after one of the worst parts in the anime bursts on as you’re still processing what just happened. So, in my opinion, they should’ve played that song, since it doesn’t belong, to make it more unsettling.

[@zaynab-to-a]

That makes sense. I feel like that could just as easily make it unintentionally funny though, and I think that despair is at the core of all the scary moments of Madoka Magica, so it makes sense that they'd go the more obviously dramatic route with the ending theme. Plus, if you take the beginning theme into account, you get both ends of the spectrum in the music: hope and despair.

[@cadianguardian]

This is quite interesting and I could see how this would work, but personally I'm really glad they went with the darker ending song, it literally changed me. Before Magia I dismissed every OP & ED as irrelevant to the plot and existing just to stretch screen time, but after I was hit with this banger, I realized that music is an instrument of storytelling too, and an important one at that. To this day Magia is one of my favorites of all time

[@yourlocalasshole352]

Bruh I still remember my terror of finishing the third episode for the first time then hearing that song right after 💀 I was just staring at my screen and got the chills! Then I fell in love with the song it’s so good 😎

[@hirokokueh3541]

the original ED would be too spoiler at later episodes. the lyrics is basically "Good bye my friends, don't say 'See you later', we will never meet again", this would be a dead give away after Sayaka became a witch. instead with the dark, intense music, it seems like there's a chance they would get her back with some horrible way, there's still hope.

[@LoliPeeSlurper]

I unconsciously though of Redo of Healer ED 🤣

[@momotama2855]

Another thing is that kyubey goal is to get the energy know as entropy to save the universe due to the energy of the universes depleting faster than it can provide and a magical girls emotions are at their lowest point or when they let their soul gem get to dark, the energy kyubey gets from that is what he is after

[@JCsReviews]

Oh yeah I remember now! thanks for reminding me

[@starryariii6233]

I was scrolling on Netflix in elementary school. I saw Madoka Magica and thought, "cute magical girls". I watched a couple of episodes and was traumatized. I am now a college student and still haven't watched it since😅

[@asleep4790]

Same except I watched it again after a few years

[@kellygraceip5448]

Watched it when I was 14 and honestly i felt like it was trying too hard to be mind blowing

[@anerrorhasoccurred8727]

I went _straight_ from Tokyo Mew Mew to Madoka when I was 11 so you can imagine the crippling whiplash I got 💀 I absolutely loved it tho so no regrets

[@Normal_user_coniven]

You remind me of another anime, I was searching for mystery animes, and I saw "Monster", it feels creepy from the beginning, and after couple of episodes, like 26 episodes, I regret watching it. And, I still can't continue the series.

[@SingingSealRiana]

I got spoiler Ed the whole thing by someone who wanted me to watch it but I did not want too, magical girl is not my thì 'g and then they got to a certain absolutly devastating plot twist that mage me cry and then I needed to watch it, and it was so so terribly depressing but also perfection. Like it was not a oh so sad and edgy thing, but it really nailed where it hit and I am a sucker for genuin feels....

[@rockgirl6786]

"Episode 3 and every episode after that has this song" *ad plays*

[@schris3]

One of the themes of the show is that you can't make everybody happy, especially if you sacrifice yourself selfishly. Madoka's wish of granting everybody's a happy ending is an excellent example of it, yes she wanted to give the magical girls a solace for their suffering and torment, but she didn't gave a thought that the happy endings of both Homura and her own family can only involve her.

[@LunarSpawnSerenata]

I like to give a correction to your final statement, it’s a happy ending for everybody BUT Homura. Madoka’s wish was fulfilled without any curses. Her status as a goddess and erasure of humanity didn’t matter for her as she simply wants to save everyone. It’s only a sad ending for Homura because she wants to be with Madoka until the end, and the end was too quick for her. Which is why Homura turned into a witch in Rebellion. Let that sink in,

[@snailthelostcow63]

The rebellion is great because she managed to 'save' Madoka as well. The Madoka system is good but the moment Kyubey found out about its existence my reaction was "OH FUCK". So thank Homura for that.

[@MissCaraMint]

Yes. Madoka became the embodyment of hope for every magical girl everywhere, and even when she does fall into despare she herself has the power to overcome that. It’s beautifully poetic. Homura on the other hand has to live with all those memories of all the diferent time loops and the thought of ultimately failing to save her friend.

[@ThatOnePurrloin]

Bro don't spoil the movie I'm planning on watching it

[@marg.a.ux9]

Thanks for spoiling the movie bro

[@LunarSpawnSerenata]

@@marg.a.ux9 Rebellion came out a while ago. :|

[@kitsune1815]

I really like the first part of this review (the no spoilers part) but I feel like you should rewatch this before reviewing it if you can't remember the major plot point that explains why any of this is happening 😆 Kyubey's motivations are so important not only to the plot, but because it's what makes him an incredibly interesting villain/ antagonist, and a credit to the creators at how well they depicted that duality. Kyubey seems evil to us because he lures these young girls with shiny things, to their ultimate corruption and death. Bad and psychopathic, obv. BUT, his goal isn't self serving. He's literally trying to save the universe, to preserve *all* life on a greater scale... do we value a few human lives more than the whole universe? Can we really argue that his intentions were for malicious ends? In most other stories, the one working to save the universe is a hero. He doesn't enjoy the harm he inflicts - because he doesn't feel anything. His actions are purely logic based (which is honestly part of his horror, because he can't be appealed to). There are a few moments that illustrate his duality so well - like when he eats his own dead corpse. It's shocking and disturbing. But he's doing it to conserve energy, so nothing is wasted (generating energy being his ultimate and only goal). Good resusing and recycling, Kyubey! 😅

[@JCsReviews]

I actually did rewatch it before making this video but it took me a while after making the video to realize what Kyubey’s motivation was and how it’s not really confusing, I wish I had realized it sooner so I could’ve talked more about it in the video

[@kitsune1815]

@@JCsReviews don't worry, Madoka Magica is just a favourite of mine - one reason being that it's extremely well written. There are plenty of 'wtf, why is this happening??' animes, but this isn't one of them 🙂

[@kitsune1815]

Tbh though, if you rewatched it I'm not sure how you missed it - it states it clearly, and they talk about it a fair bit. Maybe worth skimming through some plot synopses/ discussion articles after watching to make sure you haven't missed anything. Eta: that sounded snarky, I didn't mean it to be. It was a genuine suggestion that I thought might help.

[@JCsReviews]

@@kitsune1815 it’s ok lol I’ve actually gotten quite a few comments explaining it so I understand it now

[@yourlocalasshole352]

Really similar to Anti-Spiral from Gurren Lagann 😳

[@theghostlydreamer]

I'm glad not only that someone is talking about this amazing anime, but that you brought up how STUPENDOUS the OST is. It's one of the best anime soundtracks i've heard and it really adds to the mood and emotion of the scenes.

[@JCsReviews]

The OST really is pretty amazing!

[@XxFlamexX14]

What's truly chilling is that Mami wouldn't have died just like that if her soul gem wasn't on her head.

[@starrshort6403]

:0 oh god … that’s so true

[@anastasia_852]

But she might've witched out.

[@22yayayaya]

Alright alright. You talked me into it. I'll be back for the second half of the video once I've watched the series.

[@thekarlshow_tm]

Madoka Magica is what got me into the twisted phycological horror genre covered by cute fantasies. I even want to work on creating my own story similar to it because of how amazing it is. It’s just so amazing and I adore it so much

[@JCsReviews]

It really is a interesting genre! Hopefully you get to work on your own some day

[@UwU-fo5um]

Hi! Do you have more anime recommendations like this? I also LOVE it so much!!

[@malikpotts1246]

@@UwU-fo5um you probably already know this by now but there’s an anime called “Made in Abyss” and I heard it’s really good

[@namkia205]

​@@malikpotts1246 Yes it's the most similar!!!

[@justinkianaalfredo6843]

If you enjoy I'd suggest omori Its dreamlike horror game that people say is 'extremely traumatizing'

[@azurerandomness]

I’ve always found surrealism to have such a profound effect on the psyche, it gives you a strong sense of unease because it takes what you might know and _fu*ks it up_ This is everywhere in the setting and especially obvious in the labyrinths God the art direction is amazing I would probably say that the animated surrealism in this show would always give a stronger feeling than still artworks because of the puppety movements of the witches, labyrinths, familiars, etc

[@RandoPassingBy]

11:07 It’s for entropy and Kyubey would just abandon humanity afterwards when Madoka make her wish

[@JCsReviews]

Oh ok that makes sense

[@turtlejom]

That rug pull with Mami caught me completely off guard and I was completely hooked

[@lain13]

I cannot express how much I love this anime. It combines the three genres that I love: Psychological horror, girls love and magical girl. This anime is so amazing I loved it since I first watched this anime a few years ago and since then I watched it 10+ times. I love the combination of cuteness and horror. I love everything about it if you didn't notice:)

[@deli_bread]

Madoka Magica was one of the only animes to actually make me cry. The last few episodes I was literally bawling my eyes out.

[@Dahnvincente13]

When I watched this and all the movies, I found that homura’s arch was truly terrifying. The fact she was stuck in a loop over and over again was truly a horrifying reality. How would you feel waking up everyday, doing the same thing over and over again, bit by bit so save Madoka. Considering of what the definition of insanity is, which I’ll loosely say “when a person is in a constant action of sameness” that’s what I believe to be considered insanity. Also I really like the way you went into the cinematography of the series because it’s a crucial part of the visuals as well and the feeling. Panning in and out, going from one character to another is definitely unsettling cause you don’t know what’s fully going on. (At least when you first watch the series). Loved it! ☺️

[@ShadowSkyX]

Homura did say she thought she was going crazy, remembering things no one else did. Denial is a strong repetitive behavior too. "She can't be dead. I refuse to believe it! She didn't die, she's right here, see? She came back to life and is not allowed to die or make a choice that will allow her to. I can prevent it. I never impeded on her free will." The list is longer but homura is denial incarnate. She refuses the reality that the original madoka died. She redoes it over and over and madoka slowly changes into homura's warped version of who she wants madoka to be. After so much time in denial, she prefers a projected weak version of her that mirror's homura's old self.

[@SingingSealRiana]

And it only gets worse everytime

[@mioc7741]

Episode 9 also has a unique ending theme. It’s called “and I’m home” and reveals a lot more about Sayaka and Kyoko’s relationship. It’s also elaborated on in Rebellion, where it becomes even more clear that the two were more than friends. There are more songs for each character. everyone has a solo one. I like Homura’s Mebius Ash a lot. But other than and I’m home, the other big one is Yume Oto. This is Homura and Madoka’s song and also highlights aspects of their relationship. (Though I think Rebellion makes this pretty clear as well). Also fun fact about the guys on the train. The friend they talk about, Sho I think it was, plays a role in the backstory of Charlotte (the witch that kills Mami) Also also the things they fight in the labyrinths are familiars and each type have a name. The cotton ball guys with mustaches that work for Gertrude (the first witch of the series) are named Anthony. And that’s increasingly funny to me. Also how you said Kyubey was ever so slightly off. Kyubey’s name is supposed to be taken from incubator. So like in-CU-BA-tor or in-kyu-bey-tor. Also x4, if you haven’t you should watch the movies. Not just rebellion but the recaps. The recaps let you ease more easily into rebellion as you see the jump in animation quality. Also the music in the movies is AWESOME. Kajiura nailed it (as she typically does haha). After that there is the manga. Of most interest is Wraith Arc, which fills in the details between Movie 2 and Rebellion. (The anime is considered a separate story by the creators strangely enough). Don’t read it before Rebellion, it spoils the big twist. Overall though this was a great video! I enjoyed your dive into the horror aspects of one of my favorite shows!

[@akoji]

this is my favourite anime of all time i've never seen a YT video about it like this before, great job!

[@alliswonderlain2595]

A few people have stated the correction already, but I want to say it as well, Madoka being the entire reason Homura did her time loops is what made her so powerful. Kyubei being unaware of the time loops was only vaguely able to sense that Madoka was powerful but had no real idea of how powerful

[@ultimaterizzlord]

madoka magica and the higurashi franchise really just give me different vibes than other horror animes, and it's truly great. i love how they both use psychological horror to their advantage, which can be a lot more scarier than the gore fest. even if higurashi is pretty gory, i find it interesting that they use a style that is considered cute and from the outside in looks like a wholesome slice of life, and then strips that feeling away, and leaves a shock factor. madoka magica also uses this as well, and i feel like it's just really cool.

[@dang5874]

I honestly feel Madoka veeery different to Higurashi, like, I can watch Madoka with ease, the story is heavy but I find it digestible still and the overall tone of the series is appealing, while Higurashi is very unsettling and I need to be in the right mindset to watch it because it's a major mindf*ck to me. Besides, Higurashi's first season didn't seem pretty gory to me, not even near Gantz or Parasite, is the second season gorier? I stopped watching after the first one because I wanted to read the visual novels first.

[@ultimaterizzlord]

@@dang5874 you're right, they are very different. i'm just saying that both madoka and higurashi use psychological elements in their stories that make them very interesting. and, it really depends on what seasons you watch, whether it's the original/kai or gou/sotsu. i would say for the original, kai would be gorier and gou would also be gorier. although i haven't watched very much of the animes you mentioned, higurashi and it's gore scared me a bit because none of it is really what you would consider paranormal death, even though there are paranormal elements, because its more of murder, and child killing each other. also, yeah i agree, watching higurashi can be pretty rough- but overall, i think it's pretty worth it:]

[@onthefridge-w7p]

@@ultimaterizzlord read Higurashi visual novel, it’s the original and the anime is bad compared to it and leaves out a lot

[@ultimaterizzlord]

@@onthefridge-w7p thank u:]

[@YuziTriesVA]

This was pretty interesting. I’ve never really watched horror anime but this seems really cool although I watched the whole vid and know the plot I might give it watch

[@JCsReviews]

Yeah it’s worth the watch but it’s definitely better if you don’t know what’s gonna happen

[@kath..833]

there's more to it you can watch the 3 movies, the spin-off, specials and upcoming 4th movie

[@kath..833]

the first 2 movies are recaps btw

[@vertyisprobablydead]

It's not a horror anime.

[@qR7p9KsYt3zN]

This is the only anime I've rewatched more than once. I love Madoka Magica so much and I'm so glad that even though so many years pass people still love it and analyze it. Great video! 👍

[@hufflepuffxlovex]

Ooh now I'm interested to see what you think of Yuki Yuna is a Hero and it's prequel! But 100% agree with you! When the thing happens to Mami in the early episodes I was SHOOK but excited because I HAD ALWAYS wanted a show that was angstier because I was always like how do these girls/teens never get hurt or are affected by carrying the weight of having to save the world. (I grew up on magical girl anime)

[@Duck_side]

Madoka magica is one of those anime where you don't get the full effect of the story until you rewatch it

[@matiasfuentes2617]

I highly recommend you to read the spin off manga Different story, it's centered in Mami and Kyoko and it gives you a deeper perspective of the characters. It made me apreciate Mami as a character and elevated Kyoko to a whole other level

[@ladynoname3621]

Bruh- I am TRYING to have Barnes and Noble order the dang manga, and after about 5 mistakes made in my repeated orders....I was still waiting to reading the Omnibus version. ;w;

[@louiesdarksecret]

Kyokos backstory is so sad and you see a lot more of it in the different story manga I didn't even really care for her much the first time I watched pmmm

[@howdidigethere3960]

Kyubey needed the energy to prevent the heat death of the universe

[@JCsReviews]

Oh ok I think I remember that now

[@themothking0138]

You weren’t shocked kyubey was the main bad guy, I was dumbfolded, also, he needed energy to fuel the rest of the universe, because I guess human teenage girls when they snap, that is the most energy produced in a single moment from any creature they’ve discovered, hence why he targeted them, also, have you seen rebellion? The way homura changed really impacted my feeling for her…

[@starrshort6403]

I’m looking forwards to starting this anime today!also thanks for making a spoiler free section 💖

[@JCsReviews]

No problem! Hope you like the anime

[@starrshort6403]

@@JCsReviews yes thank you I am on episode 6 loving it so far !!! It is really amazing!

[@blackevyl8176]

I'm quite sure that it was said at some point, maybe in an interview or something, that Sayaka did NOT kill these guys. But Im not certain of that, so don't quote me on this. She abslutely does in the manga, though. Kyubey wanted to collect the energy for the entire universe, not just it's planet. His goal was to stop/slow down entropy.

[@cirrusB612]

So let me see if I can get this right. 1. It was made light of in the Magia Record anime that Kyubey harvests the negative power from a witch and converts it into energy, which he then uses to feed to the universe and further its growth. The grief seeds used by the magical girls are given to Kyubey after their soul gems have been purified. To me, this means that Kyubey specifically harvests the negative energy from the magical girls, especially the energy that overwhelms them when they become witches. 2. Homura is the main cause for Kyubey's obsession with making Madoka a magical girl. When Homura first met Madoka, she had become a magical girl over something fairly simple and ended up _dying_ to Walpurgisnacht before Homura could find out the truth. Now, every time that Homura repeats the timeline to save Madoka, more and more energy converges on Madoka, which Kyubey takes an interest in. Since he isn't all-knowing, he doesn't know what the future holds, only that, since there is so much potential surrounding Madoka, her transformation into a witch would provide the universe with a massive amount of energy. He had no idea that Madoka would rewrite the fabric of reality, and I'm sure that if he knew, he wouldn't have pursued Madoka to begin with.

[@Polnaratti]

Madoka Magica was one of my first few psychological horrors and I loved it, it left me with an existential crisis and that's something that isn't easy to achieve. It's amazing how the series not only evokes suspense and fear into someone by its themes and the darker approach it takes on magical girls but also visually at the same time because those weirdcore and dreamcore type of monsters, witches, and visuals they made are made to be so unsettling that I bet even an avid weirdcore/dreamcore enthusiast and enjoyer might be disturbed. It also sheds light on how there are many magical girl animes in which the main magical girl is just forced into it and how magical girls really have to face dangerous stuff, you can see this in Cardcaptor Sakura (an anime I highly recommend!) with how Sakura is just forced into being a magical girl because she unleashed the cards and she genuinely has to face quite dangerous things and she not only has to use bravery and strength but also her wits to try and come up with traps and ways to collect the cards and put them to sleep and out of their physical form. In general, I'd give Madoka Magica a 10/10 and I think you need to have maturity and the skill of being able to handle unsettling things and dark approaches to fully watch this, definitely not for people under 13+

[@elvirae.3433]

The reason Cubei did let Madoka turn into a magical girl is the same- to get energy, but he only knows what Homura does and exists only in the universes, where Homura does. He doesn't know what wish Madoka is about to grand and also he doesn't know how powerful really Madoka became because of the time travels. Cubei is basically an audience.

[@PotLid6661]

What make Madoka better than other "innocent horror" is there are "hope"

[@Sillygoober009]

I was one of the people who thought it was going to be cutesy. I have read many magical girl stories like Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura and many more. None of them compared to Madoka Magica. I read the manga before I watched the anime and usually you kinda just skim over important things in the story so this video really helped. And I agree with you with this being a horror anime. You cannot convince me otherwise that middle schoolers fighting off evil witches and sacrificing their lives to be a magical girl is not absolutely terrifying.

[@frandszk]

the first time i watched madoka, even after mami's death, i still kept desperately hoping it was going to be a cute magical girl anime at the end because of the op :''D awesome video btw!!

[@JCsReviews]

Thank you!

[@johnbarnett921]

Working on my third watchthru of PMMM and I am still convinced that Kyubey is full of baloney about entropy and saving the universe. He and the other incubators feed their OWN insatiable hunger by exploiting impressionable, naive girls. They are predators, not saviors of the universe. Looking at the scenes where Kyubey ingests used-up grief seeds and the cubes dropped by wraiths, he seems less like a laborer doing a dirty but necessary job and more like a greedy addict with an unslakeable thirst.

[@123thof]

I agree. Kyubey is psychopathic scum. Also, it is absolutely impossible to stop entropy. First, until things are at absolute zero, it's going to happen, and if it happened living beings would obviously not care about entropy. Second, the process Kyubey was using as he murdered young girls generated entropy. Any time something happens, you have entropy. Kyubey was just a garbage weasel.

[@cloverbuns8800]

That actually makes sense

[@doodlegarbage6769]

There are a few reasons I believe Kyubey was lying about the entropy of the universe. First, He talks about the law of thermodynamics, and says some energy is lost in every conversion... but the law of thermodynamics states that no energy is lost nor created in every conversion. At first, I thought they had just changed the rules of the world to fit the story, but this comment leads me to start thinking that the statement was in fact a lie by Kyubey, to give Madoka a reason as to why he makes the magical girls. Additionally, he says he has to fill a quota, which implies he is harvesting the energy created (which is exactly what he's doing), and he says it's to combat entropy, but I instead think that he is simply furthering the progression of his race.

[@dragonearth5456]

@@doodlegarbage6769 with the whole energy is lost thing he is referencing energy being turned into heat energy something that can't be changed into any other type of energy without making more heat energy than you had in the first place. Why the common idea for the universes death is by heat aka the heath death of the universe. He could totally still be lying though I would not put it past him but he is not lying about universe entropy.

[@anerrorhasoccurred8727]

Kyubey’s character is very similar to the Faustian demon so it’s not exactly far-fetched to call him a liar. Dismissing Sayaka’s concerns with “you never asked” is already lying by omission.

[@Guns-R-Us_]

from how I understood it, Madoka's world-bending power was exactly why she needed to become a Magical Girl for Kyubey's plan to succeed. The main issue was the wish itself, which is why the little fucker was constantly pushing her to make it as soon as possible. The powers of a magical girl are tied directly to whatever the wish was made to grant, and since Madoka would be the last person in that world to wish for global domination, she wouldn't be able to ascend to that level after making a wish for some random shit. Remember, this "God" lost to Walpurgisnacht several times, even after storing power from Homura's timeline resets. Only after making the right wish was she strong enough to banish that thing to some hellhole that wasn't Earth. Long story short, Madoka's wish was the only thing that Kyubey had to get right, and he did get it right in several timelines. His only real mistake was letting Homura have the power to reset time infinitely, he assumed she would break before she could find a way to get the "true ending" where Madoka lives. Hell, he was almost right too. But in his greed, he underestimated her resolve and her ability to become the most persistent yandere the world has ever seen.

[@royalindication]

This anime is one of my favorites. It's not only the first on the genre but the animation is just wow breathtaking... Every scene has a meaning if you watch closely and it lets you think about their deep emotions and decisions through the series, and the more you see the more it pulls you. It's an entire visual and music experience ✨

[@nolanmetcalf5240]

Just finished the anime and wanted some KZbin analysis. Glad I found your channel, your gonna be big one day !

[@JCsReviews]

Thank you!

[@brandonwest4168]

He actually gets energy from the emotions of humans because human emotion somehow defies the second law of thermodynamics: entropy. His race wants to gather enough energy to keep the universe alive forever

[@burnt_ramen9757]

Kyubey wanted to turn Madoka into a magical girl because of her godlike abilities, he's harnessing entropy and she's the most powerful entropic force. He didn't count on there being a flaw or loophole in the cycle so he couldn't have expected what she would do.

[@allesarfint]

Oh God!! Why am I hearing "downward spiral" everywhere now? This has been the third time this week, not counting the EmpLemon video

[@edwinalvarez8754]

The only thing i hate about Homura is the fact that she never tried to befriend anyone but Madoka and i feel like that’s what caused so many of her failures

[@hanako3574]

She did try and explain to her friends but nobody believe her. Homura also wanted to save the other friends but after so many timelines, she decided to save her top priority aka Madoka.

[@sillyclick396]

At 5:16 when he said “Then this ends with this song” the BK song ad came up 😭

[@JCsReviews]

Lmao 😂 this is the second comment I’ve gotten about the add showing up there 😭

[@flakyx6798]

I don't quite remember the ending but I remember REALLY liking it. It made me cry a shit ton of tears because a sacrifice that's basically you being forgotten and having to be alone for an eternity is always gut wrenching. I love how she did it for the sake of every magical girl suffering throughout the world. It was the best conclusion ever. Yeah, it's a happy-sad ending and that's what makes it so "potent" let's say.

[@enriquesuazo773]

I felt empty and dead after finishing it, and sadly I watched it back whenever I was still a little new to anime

[@seikopilled]

madoka magica is truly one of the most amazing, terrifying, original series EVER. the whole storyline and lore to it is confusing, yet interesting.

[@usuallyuseful6796]

this is my favorite anime ever, and it caught me completely off guard and I loved that. Incredibly done.

[@joukhr]

if you're looking for another horror anime to talk about i highly suggest when they cry tbh i just started it today and i'm only 1/2 way through it, but i've never been so unsettled watching an anime. it's kinda similar to madoka magica in the "looks cute, gets dark really fast" aspect

[@sixbaku4723]

Actually Madoka is my favorite anime of all time. The Artstyle, Score, Character Development, and Storyboarding are all TOP-notch. The plot is mature and has plenty of depth, even though the anime itself still pulls off that awkwardness and "fluffy" feel one would come to expect while watching foreign cartoons depicting young girls. Because this feeling has become such a nostalgic mainstay in most anime, the fact that they managed to have a really awesome and uniquely engaging story line and provide that feeling is astounding. I recommend everyone who enjoys anime to watch this one, and Please be sure to watch the 3rd movie, as it basically extends the plot and gives more closure. (The first two movies are just the anime in movie form, cut up into two seamless full length feature films.) Also, the side-story spinoff of this anime (Magia Record: Madoka Magica Side Story) Is also pretty amazing, and manages to do almost as good of a job on all accords as the main anime... but without riding it's coattails. For Anyone who is interested, I think my current top 5 are as follows: 1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2. Chunibyou DEMO Koi Ga Shitai 3. Serial Experiments Lain 4. Gunslinger Girl 5. Haibane Renmai Enjjoy! And Thank you for an amazing video, JC!

[@RubyCheetahCub]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magical Girl Rising Project, and Magical Girl Spec Ops: Asuka are my favorite takes on the Magical Girl genre. Either hiding a dark reality behind a cutesy façade like the first two, or just outright slapping you in the face with the dark reality like in the third one.

[@06j5str2u]

Not the 2 post-Madoka edgy Madoka Magica rip offs..

[@starrshort6403]

Hi again ! A year ago I watched this masterpiece for the first time , and to this day I think it’s the best anime ever . I really love this video, thank you !!!! This anime is horrifying in a way , the art is incredible ( especially the witches ) and some parts are so painfully sad .

[@JCsReviews]

Thank you! I’m glad you liked the video :)

[@starrshort6403]

@@JCsReviews :))

[@teddybear766]

5:17 this is the exact time my youtube decided to show an ad and make it seem like the song started with "you trash"

[@psyxypher3881]

This is my opinion on the matter and I can't say for certain if this was the intention, buuuuuuuut. Madoka Magica really strikes me as an allegory for child grooming. Think of how the story is presented. Madoka and Sayaka are introduced to Mami, an older girl who lives a glamorous life and is someone the girls would respect. Mami (unintentionally, I might add) acts like a liaison to Kyubey, who wants the girls to essentially do a job for him, in exchange for anything they want, sort of how some people try to paint prostitution as being an easy way to get money. Everything seems fine and dandy until reality decides to rear its ugly head and Mami dies horribly (prostitution tends to be an incredibly dangerous job). Madoka and Sayaka eventually rethink their decision, but Sayaka, in a moment of weakness, takes the dark path. Kyubey in particular tends to show up when the girls are at their lowest point. Kyoko when her family was in dire straits, Mami when she was nearly dying, and Sayaka when she absolutely needed help from wherever she could get it (with Madoka's life being on the line). A strategy employed by actual groomers and cultists. The slow corruption of magical girls into witches represents the moral, mental and often physical degredation that prostitution and child sex abuse takes on the soul (and indeed, one of the witches shown in Homura's second timeline may have been the victim of sexual abuse). Homura's character arc involves trying to save Madoka from going down the dark path like she did. Also adding into this is that once you become a magical girl, you're in it until you're dead or become a witch. I believe the witches are a representation of the end result; soulless, burned out, and not given anything you were promised. Admittedly, a lot of this requires stretching and breaks down at points, but it's absolutely something I could not get out of my mind while watching the show. Also, yes, Kyubey is the pimp in this allegory. Make of that what you will.

[@kath..833]

most of this is correct but the witches part could be more inspected witches is turning into the bad guy yourself, becoming THE abuser after being abused. sadly that's almost always the case. what you see you do. it's really sad honestly but this is a really good like way to see this anime

[@psyxypher3881]

@@kath..833 Honestly I didn't expect to get a response on this one. Thanks for the input, Kath!

[@vul17]

madoka magica is honestly a masterpiece. so glad when one of my friends recommended me this, ive never regretted watching it ever since. definitely one of my favourite animes of all time

[@B4umkuchen]

The ending of this Anime is still one of the greatest triumphs in "Subverting Expectations" humankind has archived to this day. Also, the subtle aspect of unimaginable cosmic horror Kyuubey represents is something I adore after thinking a little bit deeper about this series.

[@ontojune]

Madoka Magica is great. The horror movies and anime I tend to like are ones that trick you into thinking they can’t be qualified as horror. As such, my favorite horror anime is Made in Abyss. Actually, Made in Abyss is my favorite series (anime or otherwise) of all time, period. But Madoka Magica is definitely up there. And this was a good video-thanks for making it!

[@quantummechanized2975]

wow i just discovered this anime because of you, i might have not discovered it for another 10 years if not for you, i am 1 episode in and already infactuated, the color palet, the art style, teitering on the edge, i love the MC, this really is a masterpiece and i thank you deeply

[@tiamelancholyjeoncockity]

Never thought of Madoka Magica as horror, I watched this when I was 9 before the anime even became popular. When I finished it I just saw it as any other magical girl anime but just a bit different like older animes I watched, which were a lot darker and more weird than the conventional and mainstream ones like sailor moon and PreCure(my fav).

[@ISoloYouRelax]

I wish I could sit down and talk with you about some of this stuff.

[@JCsReviews]

Well I’ve actually been looking into possibly starting a discord server for this channel and that may be a good place to have discussions about anime if I end up making one

[@lilfroggy90]

​@@JCsReviews please make some :)))))

[@sugarpia]

I remember the first time I watched Magical Girl Madoka, I had HATED Homura, I couldn't understand why she was so cold to everyone. But when I found out she had time traveled and watched her loved ones die over and over again, I could see why she was so cold...and atp, I didn't even think she was cold anymore. She was just heartbroken and desperate to see everything go back to normal, to the point she would sacrifice everything to save everyone. Also, my favorite 'horror' anime would be Serial Experiments Lain, it reminded me a lot of Magical Girl Madoka, since there were a lot of eerie scenes. And surprisingly, the story is about a young innocent school girl like Madoka.

[@-ice-4291]

madoka magica reminds me of that one line that goes "art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted"

[@sakinikaidostuffoffunnylty3663]

I know this is a video that was made a while ago. But fun fact cube is the voice of Morgana for persona 5/royal and the voice of tiga from toradora. And this anime's setting reminded me so much of persona 3 ikd why it just did.

[@JCsReviews]

Lmao I had no idea he was the voice of Morgana, I just recently beat persona 5 for the first time lol

[@sakinikaidostuffoffunnylty3663]

@JCsReviews I know it's cool but as a fun fact and not a joke it's actually a girl who voiced Morgana and cube and Tiga

[@JCsReviews]

@@sakinikaidostuffoffunnylty3663 that makes sense, they all have pretty high voices lol

[@Lara_MFZB]

0:48 Higurashi did it before madoka magica and is quite a masterpiece (at least the two og seasons)

[@CrustyKim]

I love someone mentioning Higurashi because I never really hear it😂 and it's one of my first and all time favourite anime❤

[@joshuaadams6371]

Higurashi will always scar my mind forever

[@06j5str2u]

Literally the first few seconds in Higurashi is literally a bloody guy looking crazy bashing and bludgeoning a person, a dead body, with a bat over and over again with blood everywhere. Come on.

[@JoyLuna]

It's not that Sayaka couldn't be with him because she wasn't human, she couldn't be with him because he didn't liked her, she thought being that nice to him would make him love her, but no, and he also wanted her friend. Sayaka gave her soul in exchange for him getting better, while he didn't even liked her, that's why it was horrible 😩 And then she realized what she did by becoming a magical girl for him. I believe it's unsettling how real it is, and he's not a jerk, it's just how life goes, giving the world to someone won't make them reciprocate and you shouldn't be forced to do so too. Is the vulnerability of Sayaka being rejected like that, it pains for how real it is

[@SubayaiSenshi]

I agree with you. And I can relate to Sayaka feelings on it. Also I would join her in her emotional pain and become a witch as well to end all our pain and sorrow together. SAYAKAAA!!!!😭

[@06j5str2u]

Yeah, but, I disagree, you're both completely right, it's literally both, she DID think she couldn't ever be with him because she wasn't human AND because she knew he didn't like her back, and even much more, she literally starts bawling and crying to Madoka in that one scene saying she's not even alive, she's a zombie, "how can Kyosuke hold me", "how can I ever ask Kyosuke to kiss my cold lips".

[@saparapatepete]

The thing about Kyubei is that his motivations were completely alien, which is what makes him horrifying. He put many girls into horrible fates as a power source, they were instruments and mere cattle for the incubators.

[@Hiphilmahooters]

10:04 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CLARIFICATION! So many rewatches and I never understood what happened to her! (In regards to her actions on the sub)