Puella Magi Madoka Magica

[animus]

The extra gore doesn't do that scene any justice. I liked the anime's stylistic approach.

[Buffalobiian]

The extra gore doesn't do that scene any justice. I liked the anime's stylistic approach.

Same. The way the body flopped a bit, the way the magic costume disappeared..

The manga's scene suggested it wasn't so much bitten off as torn off though, which probably does make it "nastier" in the way Ark described it.

[RyougaZell]

GG Episode 6

ZOMG! O___O

[Buffalobiian]

How many other people were urging Kyoko to stab that little critter? I know I was.

It turned out a little better by the end of it though. At first I thought it was the worst case where your body and soul relies on the gem to function - and when you cease to have enough magic, or if you lose the gem, you lose your life.

Part of my expectation was wanting Madoka to suffer from an unrecoverable mistake. She's the most annoying character here, with Sayaka's hot-headedness coming second. It all stems from the fact that she wants to uphold her values of everyone being in harmony but is completely unable to do so - yet tries to anyway with fist-shaking resuts. Either accept that you're powerless to stop this and bend your views to feel better, or obtain the power to carry out what you think is right! I love to hate her though, since it keeps things much more interesting and acts as a point for us to explore all these concepts (like the whole right -> wrong, do something wrong -> turns out alright conversation).

I think this all but confirms out theories that Mahou Shojous do become witches (or perhaps familiars?) when they taint their Soul Gems too much. If it can happen to a Grief Seed, why not a Soul Gem?

Best part of this episode?

"Be careful. She's planning something."

(I kid)

[Archangel]

I'm pretty sure stabbing him wouldn't have done much good, she's probably not ready to face the final boss just yet

These new events make the tainting of the soul gem that much creepier, though i don't know if i agree with Bill on lost puella magis becoming witches just yet. Magical girls fight the witches and in most cases the result ends in one of them dying, how would a magi even run out of magic if not while fighting a witch?

Kyubei eats discarded Grief Seeds... how is it that none if these retarded girls realizes the fucking time bomb sleeping next to them at night? Is it because it looks adorable?

I'm somewhat convinced Homura's power involves time manipulation of some sort, though that still doesn't explain the explosive way she killed Charllote

[Buffalobiian]

Kyubei eats discarded Grief Seeds... how is it that none if these retarded girls realizes the fucking time bomb sleeping next to them at night? Is it because it looks adorable?

When Kyubey gets full... that W-something Night comes along.. (maybe)

I'm somewhat convinced Homura's power involves time manipulation of some sort, though that still doesn't explain the explosive way she killed Charllote

you know that thing's name? :S

Those girls can't ever see Kyubei in the same light again. At the same time, the whole victim thing would make them all the friendlier.. maybe. At the very least they know Homura's easily their Senpai in all of this.. possibly even " graduated" one. Normally Kyubei keeps his mouth shut and spouts a few words of encouragement whenever he can, but this marks the first time he actively discouraged something - that is, listening to Homura. Somebody even Kyubey fears? Tell me more!

[Archangel]

I had to find out when looking for avatar and sig material

My problem with that whole situation is that Kyubei just isn't subtle at all, any idiot can see he's pursuing his own agenda but for some reason Homura seems to be the only one the least bit suspicious of why some furball is wandering about making people's wishes come true and then eating the eggs dropped by evil spawns of hell

[shinta|hikari]

What is scary is Kyubei does not lie. He tells the truth when asked, or does not answer directly, but he doesn't lie.

[Archangel]

He doesn't need to lie, those girls aren't asking the right questions

[RyougaZell]

What happened to Mami's Soul Gem anyway? If the body is basically an empty shell and Mami's Soul Gem still exists... she may be returning later on.

[David75]

What happened to Mami's Soul Gem anyway? If the body is basically an empty shell and Mami's Soul Gem still exists... she may be returning later on.

My thought exactly.
That's why Madoka's wish: "I want Mami back" would have been laughable

The only fine thing in that anime is that we are at the same level of understanding/data Madoka and Sayaka are.

I was a little surprised Kyouko was oblivious to the fact her soul isn't in her body anymore.

And as everyone, I wonder why Homura knows so much, why she knows about that special night. Seems like she's some kind of special ops magical girl dealing with large scale demonic forces/events.

[RyougaZell]

I would have loved for Madoka to wish to return Mami to life... only to learn later on how her wish had been useless. Heck... I don't dislike her, but it would have been an awesome twist to go alongside the recent revelation.

[Buffalobiian]

What happened to Mami's Soul Gem anyway? If the body is basically an empty shell and Mami's Soul Gem still exists... she may be returning later on.

From IRC:

Arkangel:This reminds me Bill
Arkangel: Did we see Blonde's soul gem destroyed?
Buffalobiian:we never "saw" it
Buffalobiian:we saw mami's top get bitten off
Buffalobiian:then her barrier jacket disappear
Buffalobiian:at that point, we can only assume her magic was devoured
Buffalobiian:ie soul gem
Buffalobiian:I wondered that too
Buffalobiian:but we never saw it

[Archangel]

To which i added:

<@Arkangel> Yeah, assumptions in shaft anime
<@Arkangel> That ALWAYS works out

[RyougaZell]

Its not like if Mami's headless body could have continued battling...

[Buffalobiian]

Its not like if Mami's headless body could have continued battling...

No, but the fact that her body lost its magic seemed to suggest that either the soul gem lost all of its magic, or that the soul gem was removed from the body (no longer exists), since it goes down the Witch's belly if we assume it to be eaten.

And this episode, we saw that a Soul Gem without a body can't do anything. It just freezes in time. If she does somehow come back, it won't be from her effort alone.

[RyougaZell]

That is true.

BTW... the Kyuubey on Twitter posted this two awesome gifs
http://i54.tinypic.com/afet8l.jpg
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/1...7394530977.gif

Only linked because animated

[Ryllharu]

I'm a bit late to this party, but Madoka is the kind of series you need to pay attention to, and I haven't been capable of that these past couple days.

Kyubey's conversation with Sayaka, finding out the gems are their souls themselves, and all the other stuff all but but confirmed to me that witches are fallen magical girls. Now we're just waiting to see one happen as far as I am concerned. Each time a girl uses magic, she is quite literally corrupting her soul, and each time she uses a grief seed, she's throwing that corruption onto a witch's soul. Enough of that corruption, and the witch can revive. So Kyubey chomps on it and consumes their soul grief seed. It can't be a coincidence that grief seeds look so much like a soul gem, just a blackened one.

Very Faustian, which is pretty clearly what shaft is going for.

I'll admit I was waiting for Sayaka's wish to backfire on her, but Kyouko goading Sayaka into a fight fended off that particular event for now. Kyouko had a good point, even if she was trying to give Sayaka a full blown case of Münchausen syndrome. There is always a risk in using an unlimited wish on someone else that it won't always turn out the way one hoped. I'm not going to say it will happen, but the boy doesn't come off to me as the nicest of people. All that bitterness doesn't just evaporate, it changes people.

I still like Madoka. I enjoy her optimism, misguided as it can be. Her relationship with her mother is very healthy, she constantly seeks the advice of someone she deeply respects, knows who has been through a lot, and makes all the kind of sacrifices for her family that Madoka may soon be making for her friends. She was right to throw away Sayaka's soul gem, it was the wrong thing to do, but it certainly changed everything for Kyouko.

[Buffalobiian]

Kyubey's conversation with Sayaka, finding out the gems are their souls themselves, and all the other stuff all but but confirmed to me that witches are fallen magical girls. Now we're just waiting to see one happen as far as I am concerned. Each time a girl uses magic, she is quite literally corrupting her soul, and each time she uses a grief seed, she's throwing that corruption onto a witch's soul. Enough of that corruption, and the witch can revive. So Kyubey chomps on it and consumes their soul grief seed. It can't be a coincidence that grief seeds look so much like a soul gem, just a blackened one.

Only problem is why Familiars will supposedly gain a Grief Seed from gaining enough souls - do they somehow manifest this container for their tainted soul? We could assume Kyouko was told some lies by Kyubey, but at the same time she sounded confident enough about fattening up the Familiar as if she's seen it before.

And this Walpurgis Night.. I'm sure it has references elsewhere, but all I remember are the Bible Black ones..

[David75]

Well, wikipedia mentions May 1 as the celebration of Saint Walpurga canonization.
Bonfires and dancing are characterisations of those celebrations.
Saint Walpurga was an evangelist, but other than being the first female author for Germany and England, it does not seem I can get data that would fit with the anime.

I guess that the dancing and bonfire night is a time when witches/magical girls and familiars have a very different behavior for some yet unknown reasons.