Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 5-6

 Sayaka's new duds

In these past couple of weeks' installment of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Sayaka finally decides to become a magical girl and form a contract with Kyubei. Her wish? Heal Kyosuke's hands, and this happens almost instantaneously, allowing Sayaka to believe that she has done exactly what is right and regrets nothing. But did she speak too soon?

girl-on-girl action?

What Sayaka doesn't know is that with Mami gone, Mami's territory is left without a magical girl to hunt down its witches and Kyubei is thus forced to call on a magical girl from a neighboring city. It's just bad luck for the girls that this magical girl turns out to be the complete opposite of Mami. Where Mami's desire is to protect the people, this magical girl only wants to collect grief seeds. Kyouko is just what a magical girl ought to be, the ever-practical Homura states. And yet even Homura doesn't agree with Kyouko's aggressive and mercenary methods and she shows this by interrupting battles between Kyouko and Sayaka on more than one occasion.

wise words from a hataraki woman 

However, Homura's unpredictability, coupled by her seemingly dispassionate nature, makes her unreliable to Madoka, who is distraught over the rivalry between magical girls, so much so that she seeks the advice of her workaholic and oft-drunk mother. Thankfully, Mrs. Kaname has some golden pieces of wisdom to impart. The truth is, even doing the right thing doesn't guarantee one's happiness. Sometimes, it takes a single mistake to stumble upon it. And if the person won't make the mistake, make it for them. This is basically what she tells Madoka, and little impressionable Madoka goes right ahead and throws away Sayaka's soul gem, only it isn't just a soul gem -- a container for a magical girl's power -- it is Sayaka's soul itself, Kyubei belatedly reveals.

that is so cool. and definitely disturbing

What an odd show. The tone is so different. But I guess that's exactly what Shinbo is going for here. The thing about the magical girl genre is the annoyingly cute and sickly sweet factor, the nauseating self-righteousness. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica supposedly gives the viewers the truth, without the pretty dress-up and the white-washing, and it's hard and it's harsh and it's painful and it's shocking. The characters might be drawn cute and the entire show might be eye-candy and the premise simple yet fantastic, but silly this is not.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: