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Madoka Magica: Just Sign On The Dotted Line
02-13-2011, 05:59 PM
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the story of Madoka Kaname, an Ordinary Middle School Student being followed around by a strange, talking animal trying to get her to become a magical girl. There's just a couple of problems, the director of the piece is Akiyuki Shinbo and the story's been written by Gen 'Heartless Abyssal Void' Urobuchi of Fate/Zero and Saya no Uta infamy.
It's Shaft's first completely original property.
It's also Magical Girl Evangelion, with less The Director Is Suicidal and more The Director Is Tripping Balls.
The comic based on the animated series came out two days ago and is basically sold out everywhere in Japan now.
It's a very, very good show. But just remember, when Gen Urobuchi talks about writing a 'heartwarming story' he generally means extracting it from the ribcage and setting it on fire.
This is the opening credits, expect this to change subtly each episode based on a formula that only Shinbo may understand.
This is the ending credits, which, while not particularly spoileriffic, has a certain tone to it that keeps it from appearing in the show AS the ending until the end of episode 3.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
paladindythe
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I've been following this show on the fan-sub circuit. It is very, very compelling, along with being Dark and Messed Up. (Although the first couple of episodes only hint at the Truth, rather like boiling a frog now that I think about it)If you can stomach dark stories, I highly recommend it.
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I think that, basically, if you liked Sailor Nothing you will probably like this.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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Sign me up then. 
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TV Tropes is basically having a fit over this show, be careful about looking up anything related to it.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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Any particular sub group you recommend?
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Various people are going to say different things for different reasons. I personally watch GG's because the translation is closer to natural English to my eye.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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Wow. This looks like something that would punch my berserk buttons (that is, something that makes me want to write a rather violent hate fic).
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It's something that's a drastic departure from the norm.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
HoagieOfDoom
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I'll throw in my own recommendation for this show. Very nicely done thus far, with a visual style that suckers you into thinking this is going to be a lighthearted romp and some actually pretty unique characters with a surprising amount of depth.
And ridiculous amounts of high octane nightmare fuel. I mean, holy crap did episode three hammer home how dark this show is.
Berk Wrote:Various people are going to say different things for different reasons. I personally watch GG's because the translation is closer to natural English to my eye.
GG's translators, while phenomenally fast, often sacrifice accuracy for fluidity. I've been using MahouShoujo + yesy subs which, while later in coming, provide a better translation with little lack of fluidity.
Also, as of the last episode, does anyone else think that Kyubey isn't so much evil as having Blue and Orange Morality?
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Exact Translation vs Fluid Speech is something that will probably get debated forever. I grew up with Ted Woosely and, in my opinion, I'd rather have something that gets the message across than someone trying to do a literal translation.
There's definitely a case to be made for the main characters all being Wrong Genre Savvy, to be sure. They think just because a magical talking critter is calling them Magical Girls that they're in a magical girl anime. (Surprise! It's horror!)
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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HoagieOfDoom Wrote:Also, as of the last episode, does anyone else think that Kyubey isn't so much evil as having Blue and Orange Morality? Not just you. It's a noted trope on the TV Tropes page for this anime.
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Trying to ascribe human traits to a magical talking critter is probably not the best of ideas, but a long tradition of talking, magical mascots makes us do it anyway.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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A double post but, Madoka 7 came out and the whole thing continues to impress. Murphy is running WILD.
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Oh, agreed.
Any guesses on what Homura wished for? I'm currently thinking she wished for knowledge, which is how she seems to know everything, and is what is throwing off Kyubey's ability to predict what she's going to do.
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Going speculation is that Homura's wish involved time somehow, thus explaining her weird ability to teleport.. or possibly freeze time.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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Hmm... I can see that, but I don't think a person's wish is the be all
and end all of the powers they get. Otherwise, how would a wish for healing result in the ability to materialize swords?
A wish for knowledge allows for the possibility of learning how to
accomplish new feats, and how to use new magical powers on her own,
without Kyubey giving them to her directly.
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I'm am guessing that Homura wished for something that may have reset a significant amount of time, actually.
From the way she watches Madoka like a hawk I suspect she used her wish to undo her becoming a magi for some reason.
Part of me also keeps comparing her to the long-haired version of madoka in the opening too...
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Magical Girls can just create stuff. Mami could create Guns, Sayaka has a thing for Swords.
Sayaka's greatly enhanced ability to heal herself stems from her wish. Mami's resistance to Soul Gem erosion came from her wish to live.
Homura's fighting style revolves almost entirely around her ability to warp like that, perhaps because it is more cost effective than whipping out her actual weapon and spamming.
- Grumpy Uncle Gearhead
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"I have been watching Madoka Magica recently, it kinda like Sailor Moon meets Berserk, except not as upbeat."
"Not as upbeat as Sailor Moon?"
"No as Berserk. The creator didn't want his name associated with it in the beginning because that would have given away how dark it would become. He wanted people to experience it cold, which is really really mean. He also wanted to write a heartwarming story, I think it lost something in translation, when he's talking about heart-warming he is probably talking about ripping out your still-beating heart and setting it on fire. It seems more his style somehow."
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
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Hmm... I don't remember the bit about Mami being resistant to soul gem erosion off the top of my head. I'll have to go back and check. That said, what you've been saying does make sense, so I'm going to change my guess on Homura's wish to her having wished to travel back in time. This would explain how she seems to know too much, as well as her apparently time based powers.
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A conversation between Kyubei and Sayaka about Grief Seeds. Sayaka wonders if Mami's lack of concern over Grief Seeds had anything to do with her inherent power, Kyubei confirmed it.
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Ah, ok. Thanks.
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That does rather directly imply what happens when your soul gem gets too dark, does it not?
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Since Mami's wish seems to have been 'I want to live.' yes, it's pretty clear what the implication is meant to be.
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