@@Asehpe I'm sure they're actually friends. Usually RUclipsrs like this just fuck with eachother in a friendship type of way. They don't mean it, you don't have to worry
Moral of the story, Homura and Madoka should get a relationship counselor and teenage girls shouldn't be making deals with Intergalactic mephistopheles wannabes
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 Evidence? The Wraith Arc Manga says that the reason for Homura retaining her memories of the Old World is that her and Madoka's "strong reciprocal feelings" literally caused a miracle to happen.
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 ok where does it say that? The series never shows her having a crush on a guy, and it seems near the beginning she has sort of a crush on Mami (though that could have just been their mutual desire to not be lonely)
Hot take: romantic love and platonic love are equal. Just because someone really cares about someone else doesn’t mean they want to get in their pants.
"When neither of them loved themselves, how could either of them understand the feelings and wishes of the other..." Holy shit... Hoooly shit... That's it. Their whole dynamic makes sense now! But... Damn that's heartbreaking...
that hit me in the face pretty hard, I had some very hard times with depression and I have almost none self-worth, I just started feeling a little love for myself after long years of suffering. And, I still didn't care for myself as long as someone else loved me, and I could give them my love. Madoka's mom teachings are a big punch on the gut for me.. in a weirdly good way '-') well, if acting like you have secret admirers is a good way to feel self worth then here I goo
This part hit me in a way I didn't think this video could... But on another note (also don't wanna be that person but) did your comment include a Jojo reference? Lol
You said that all of these girls' problem was that they didn't love themselves. You 're right. That left me with a thought though. Why would someone who loved themselves as they were make a wish to change? The answer is they wouldn't. And that is the true evil of the incubators' plot, of their apathy. The system is set up so the only ones who fall prey to it are those who are already vulnerable
I thought that was the whole point! If I remember right, the incubator once said that more emotion means more energy to be released, therefore the universe could be sustained for a longer time. So by getting kids that are already emotionally vulnerable, you get higher output of energy, therefore energy to sustain the universe heh
It is very interesting that, with this insidious plot in mind, Kyuubi stated that there was once a magical girl who lasted, despite all this vulnerability and exploitation, and managed to live till 30 or something... Incubators are really some kind of devil cause wtf
The entire show is based on a simple logic, all action is reaction. The universe tends to equalize itself to 0, so if you create happiness, an equal amount of despair will comeback to you.
Am I remembering it wrong or did kyubey say something like this like “any wish you make is warping the universe so the universe tries to snap back and correct yourself so any wish will fall apart”
except happiness is subjective, for example some people love seeing people suffer, or even relish in geting hurt or killed, its also possible to stay happy regardless of situation it really is subjective, the universe is more of a chaos theory where everything is random,
They both love each other so much more than they love themselves that they both feel unworthy of the other. I loved the comment about how Homura would be perfectly fine with death if she was still together with Madoka. In that scene shown, Homura just flat out argues in favour of becoming witches, but only if both of them do. The only reason Madoka wasn't on board was because she loved everyone else as strongly as they each loved each other and couldn't risk sacrificing anyone other than herself.
In regards to Homura's decision in Rebellion, I think you're forgetting about two crucial points. First is that the Incubators we're still a threat and there was absolutely nothing stopping them from trying their stunt over and over again until they successfully take control of the Law of Cycles. My second point is at Homura wasn't in the right state of mind, remember, the experience of being a Witch is pretty much mind rape. Absolutely no one could go through something like that without being affected. It's also pretty clear that Homura isn't really happy with what she's done. The Clara Dolls (familiars that are representations of her self hatred) are throwing Tomatoes at her and killing themselves, and the film ends with Homura dancing off a cliff. I think there's more than enough evidence that she's out right suicidal.
Even at the start of errr... The very first time she met Madoka, I think she might be suicidal. Then Madoka became her light, and she now wanted Madoka, to be happy, to be living, to be with her. I was like "damn right" when he said Homura wanted to possess Madoka. Yes she did love her, but I'd say her love is quite unhealthy.
People often skip over the fact that without homura there is no God madoka her reseting the timeline over and over is what gave madoka the karma to have her wish granted while madoka's name is in the title it's always been homura's story
Objection! I like to believe that the story has always been about Madoka! Yes, the Madoka Magica wouldn't exist if it I wasn't for Homura being gay and down bad, but Madoka is the centre of the story, everything Homura did, is for her, everything that happened in the series is because of her existence. It's just my own opinion but I disagree when others say it's Homura's story because it's always been about Madoka, and for Madoka.
Mania, in it's original Greek form, was known as a form of love, but not a positive one (unlike eros, philia, or agape). Mania was a consuming, obsessive love, a love that sought to control and/or own a person, to keep them close and never let them go, regardless of the other person's desires, and even dismissive of their thoughts and feelings. With that definition of mania, Homura fits it to a T.
@bruce wayne I had thought that mania was the word, because I did look it up, but I'm not a linguistics expert by any means and maybe I should've looked further. I did know about the other forms of love (all seven others) and even that some manic love can be caused by an inbalance of ludus and eros, but I left them out because I didn't find them particularly revelant. But you're right in the way it started, but thanks to the movie, sadly manic is where it ended up.
As a greek I have to say that while the word mania means an obsessive love, our people hardly ever use it nowadays for this meaning. They use mania for other meanings such us, psychosis, obsession, fury, hatred and a weather phenomenon to its extremes metaphorically. The word or better phrasing we use for obsessive love, is just that. An obsessive love. But, well done for the research you did. :)
@@franciscoaparicio434 I dunno. If it's based around the game, it's gonna take place in a different alternate "universe" in which Madoka's wish doesn't really apply.
@@_once_upon_a_toast_1109 "I don't have secret admirers!" "But you should act and behave like you do, that's a secret every pretty girl should know." Madoka acts like she doesn't matter exactly counter to what her mom told her, and because of that, she didn't understand why Homura would care about her.
The conclusion: You need to love yourself first before you can love others. Otherwise, the love you want to give isn´t grounded. Interestedly my master thesis about ppl with borderline deals with the same kind of topic. :)
@@AkireraStraberri3 It's a shakey love because you might not think you're worthy of any love in return, which will sour your relationship with people. No one wants to deal with a perpetual debbie downer.
Just a correction, Madoka's wish for saving the universe (yes, universe, alien maho shoujos exist too) was also a selfless wish with selfish intent, she admited that she felt worthless/useless and wanted to be important, and being the savior, well... guess what? she got her *Selfish* wish after all. everyone is selfish, it's better to assume than pretend. Holy sheet these likes. Thanks.
@@nisankajayasekara7803 who? madoka? she saved a lot of lives with her wish, you talking about homura? she did that because more sooner than later kyuubey would find how to control madoka's powers and return to the original system of witches, she did the necessary to save, even if their friends hate her for it.
Very true. Also, Madoka damned the universe with a now substandard system of counteracting entropy in the result of her wish. Fighting wraiths are no where near as effective as the previous system with witches. In return for saving magical girls, she closed the distance of the world and universe to it's doom than it was in before, making the wish quite imperfect in reality. It only truly benefited magical girls. Selflessness can be argued....
@@TackyAnimootions In all honesty, it may not be a selfless wish for herself, but saving humanity at the cost of the universe is very selfish and arrogant of us. STILL, I don't object to it, she saved innocent people from the mental torture of being a witch, and when entropy kills the universe no one will be alive here to experience that anyway. I thought that since madoka's god power is so big she could say 'fuck you' to entropy and create energy from nothing and save the universe, but her wish really limits her powers. like a colorful bird encaged. Kyuubey intent was good, his/they methods were terrible .-.
@@TackyAnimootions : Nope. She made a more stable and fair system that eliminated lots of the bad feelings between the magical girls and the Incubators. At no point is it ever stated that the Incubators aren't getting ENOUGH energy in order to 'save the universe' (assuming that's what they are really doing, but their little disappearing act when Madoka becomes Gretchen in episode 10 might throw their honesty into question). I forget who, but one of the main creatives on this series said the Incubators are meant to represent a toxic form of utilitarianism, which he sees is one of the big problems with those running this world.
Sure Homura hated herself, but she was the only one to never regret her wish. She knew exactly what the deal is, when she made the wish and judged, that it was still worth it. She loved Madoka in the first palce, because of her selflessness, decided to protect her and just never backed away She hated herself for not being good enough. At "It's all right, Homura-chan" she was proven right, that all she did was worth it, but her wish was not yet fulfilled. The exact moment Homura decided to take Madoka's powers is the flower field scene (just watch it again). My interpretation is that despite hating herself for it, Homura accepted her role (devil) as long as it saved Madoka. She just centered her morality around it and said fuck you to The World, Good and Evil
Thinking further about it Homura's wish was the only wish that wasn't actually granted(of the main 5), that is until the end of Rebellion, for now at least
I think Homura's actions in Rebellion also make sense if you consider what EXACTLY it means for one to become a witch, and that is the loss of their purpose/wish. We only really get a look into Sayaka's and Homura's magical girl to witch cycles, but they both lose the things they truly wished for. Sayaka wished for Kyosuke to be healed, not because she truly wanted him to be happy but because she wanted him to return her feelings, and when he continued to shut her out instead of being indebted to her, she lost her purpose and fell into despair. The same happened with Homura: when Madoka wished to save the world and disappeared from it, Homura could no longer go back to meet and protect her, and thus her purpose was lost. She also began to lose sight of her wish just before Madoka made hers in the series finale, when Homura began to realize she would never save her and that it was pointless to try. Sayaka, when Madoka becomes the Law of Cycles, sees the error of her ways in the end: how not only was her wish at its core selfish, but how it was foolish and naive of her to expect Kyosuke to ever have feelings for her when she never spoke up. Despite how she rags on him a little bit for his density, she still wishes him and Hitomi real, unconditional happiness. Homura never makes this revelation. Ironically, by saving Homura, Madoka ultimately condemns her. By erasing herself from the world, Madoka contradicts Homura's entire reason for ever becoming a magical girl in the first place, and in so doing paves the way for Homura to inescapably fall into despair. Homura's turn in Rebellion, however, is also ironic--she splits up the Law of Cycles to keep Madoka for herself, driving an even bigger wedge between them, but if she had simply surrendered herself to the Law of Cycles, she could have been with Madoka as she desired. The Law of Cycles, through Sayaka and Bebe, is implied to be a sort of paradise for magical girls where Madoka can manifest, and Homura could have met her in that place again. But this series doesn't hinge on happiness. :^)
Actually, the happy ending was only temporary. They failed to deal with the actual problem which is Kyube. So instead of getting everything she wants, Homura gives it up in order to gain the power to protect everyone through betrayal. This wasn't the ending that she wanted. In the end she always chooses to sacrifice herself for others. She doesn't only care about Madoka. She does care about all the other girls, but in the end she probably felt that she didn't have what it takes to save all of them. When she finally gained "God" power, she rewrote things in a way that would make them happy. But how could she have known what would've made them happier if she was only focused on Madoka?? If you look at the changes, she clearly thought very deeply about what led to the unhappiness of each and every one of them. She's definitely a hero. And I think that manifesting a ridiculous power like time travel/manipulation is proof.
Madoka made many wishes. It seems the first one was "to not be shy anymore",then save a cat's life,then turn Sayaka into a magical girl again,then help out other magical girls. The result was always the same,she either died or became a witch. Just one wish was for herself. Changing her personality a tiny bit,she was still kind and cheerful,she was just less shy. And then all her wishes have no benefit for her. Save an unknown's cat life,having Sayaka back but how sure she is it won't happen again?,sometimes she didn't even KNOW the magical girls she helped. All her wishes,so selfless... And it seems it was all because she didn't loved herself,and she thought *she didn't **_deserve_** a wish for **_HER_*
I wonder if the show was an allegory for heroes in real life. Not many heroes get recognized, often losing themselves to the work, in pursuit of an unattainable goal. Modoka would be a representation of the self-doubter who rises to the top, and Homura being the follower, who only leads herself more astray, witches as the disheartened former heroes who became so disheartened, only others can salvage their work to improve, moving the cycle. Just a theory.
I'd say Homura didn't necessarily want to "possess" Madoka. Rather, Homura wanted Madoka to be happy (as in have a happy life happy not being satisfied with sacrificing everything happy) and would have hypothetically been okay with something like sacrificing herself or otherwise being separated from Madoka, but since Madoka's own wish is to save everyone even at the expense of her own happiness, then Homura can only achieve her own wish by restraining Madoka or by keeping the shitty parts of the world hidden from her. But yeah, this conflict is ultimately "I'll sacrifice myself to save you (and everyone else)" "no I'll sacrifice myself to save you (because fuck everyone else they're delusional pkers)" "no I'll..." and the only satisfactory solution I could see was maybe some sort of compromise or working together to find a solution that doesn't require sacrifice.
@bruce wayne The wording of Homura's wish doesn't matter. There is no wish without a cost. Madoka's ability to protect Homura and everyone else comes with a cost, be it dieing to defeat Walpurgisnacht, running out of grief seeds (or choosing to give them away) and witching out or being mercy killed, or wiping herself out from existence. Homura can only gain the power to protect Madoka by taking on the cost, which for this particular wish is intense emotional trauma and disillusionment with both the world and ultimately herself. It just took Homura until Rebellion to realize that. If Homura made any other wish to help Madoka, Homura would still be taking on a cost to protect Madoka from her own wish's cost, and Homura would still be putting inflicting harm onto herself and thus arguably be undoing Madoka's efforts to protect her from harm. Anyway, yes, their wishes are paradoxical, since they desire the wellbeing of the other, but they can't achieve their wishes without sacrificing their own wellbeing.
Love, like any emotion, left uncontrolled, & unchecked is a dangerous force of desctruction just awaiting the right opportunity to express itself. In some cases, with deadly consequences.
I think that Homura IS a god, but just a demon-god, and her case is the exact opposite of Modoka's, with the same ending: Becomes a god, effects world forever.
Essentially she transcended and became a deity just the same as Madoka. Light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness cannot exist without light. They need each other to define each other.
In the beginning Homara was a shy girl when you remember the scene is framed that madoka is standing on the left and Homara to the right but after all she is been through in the future, Homara is now standing on the left and madoka to the right therefore creating The mirror effect. Slyness = confidence Confidence = slyness
It insane how someone adolescent allows since extreme thoughts of absolute. There passion they drive us our youth doesn't exactly feel the same older. Watthewut video really does speak the distance people will go to without understand how to love. Congrats on 10k
Homura's story is so depressing but so interesting, imagine loving someone so deeply that you would pass several lifetimes trying to save them but at the end you know you will never be together, like it was impossible for you two to exist at the same time, so now that deep love becomes an obsession and that obsession could destroy the person you love the most...sounds horrifying if you ask me
@@aiya5777 it was suggested at almost the end of rebellion that Homura wanted madoka to take her so they could finally be together, only Homura and Madoka. This is really my own perspective but i felt like Homura only wanted to save Madoka in the first place so she could haver her for herself
@@majito-6176 before homura chose the devil path, she was ready to kill herself for the sake of preventing the law of cycle from popping up in kyubey's presence kyubey told homura that as long as he could confirm the existence of the law of cycle, he might be able to control her one day homura obviously quite angry and didnt want anyone to threat madoka's life, but madoka and the others stopped her then homura had no choice but to subdue kyubey by becoming the devil
God, I love this show. The apathy of the incubators, the plot, the story, the feeling of love that is both power and corruption, the value of love, the layers are all too perfect. It's a beautifully presented show. Having a wish come true does not mean it will come true and you will have to learn the hard way. It's such a good show.
Love is Destruction Did not expect the Evangelion route on this film. Thank you to you and Craftsdwarf for finally getting me to watch it. Im astounded fans did not like it. I never felt the original was an exactly happy or conclusive ending. My biggest thought after the original was "Well, what about Homura?" And this film followed it up in a very satisfying manner, as you both have so eloquently put. Besides, it has some of the coolest art direction and audio/visual presentation I have ever seen. It was a very intense cinematic experience!
When the video ended I just leaned back, let out an elongated "DAAAAMN" and clicked like. This is SO good, I honestly dont have the vocabulary to describe how this video made me feel. This was amazing, thank you so much for you work.
Amazing essay, I knew the writing of Madoka Magica was genius but I never viewed it this symbolistically and didn't thought about the adults' speeches that much.
But in Rebellion, Homura's intention changes to: I want Madoka to be happy and safe whether I live or die. Isn't that why she considers herself to be Madoka's possible enemy? She's sacrificing her relationship with Madoka. Seriously, how can she be together with Madoka if the two of them become enemies? Homura's self-loathing gets worse and now she thinks she doesn't deserve Madoka anymore. If anything, I can only see in the next movie that Homura tries to stay away from Madoka and avoid her as much as possible, and only observes her from far distance, and worst of all, willing to be destroyed by her. She just doesn't care anymore.
This video is really something you know? I love how you address selfworth and selflove as the cause and confliction that moved everything, and that's so important because for the things that you mentioned and described, I love this show so much. The path to self love is so convoluted and complicated even if you're not a teenager. Sometimes we're stuck in this mindset for so long that we can't tell anymore what love and hate really are, and this is depicted in the show and the video oh so well! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
Wow. That was amazing. Every time u watch a video of yours, a new thought about an anime enters my mind. I learn new possible aspects to a show and my appreciation for an anime grows. I never thought about how powerful the power of love is, amazing job.
Comprise huh, I think Homura just presented that at the end of rebellion everyone was alive and happy, Mami not alone anymore, Sayaka and Kyouko finding happiness from each other, Madoka technically still keeps every magical girl from becoming witches and Homura gets what she wants to be with Madoka, So does that mean it technically ended in happy one? Everyone gets what they want? I think? This reeeeeally needs a sequel that will answer everyone prayers or just destroy them
I know its a 4 year comment but still There is a person who is not happy and that is on purpose Homura doesn't allow herself to be happy, she purposely antagonizes the other girls and distances herself from Madoka because she sees herself as the villain who will be defeated in the end. She who betrayed Madoka doesn't deserve to be happy This shows with her familiars throwing tomatoes at her while talking to Sayaka showing that everything she said to her was a lie Homura is basically following the advice that Madoka's mother said in the anime that sometimes it's better to make a mistake for your friend even if he doesn't understand why and mistakes your intentions.
This is the most beautiful thing to come out of MM, and that's saying a lot. That's truly and deeply profound. I was one of those who said Homura did nothing wrong, and technically, I still am, but the singular argument that Madoka is reckless and suicidal and Horuma is right to rescue her from it doesn't hit the thematic head on the head, where NONE of the magical girls truly loves themselves. Not only do I think it's true, I wish there wasn't this sense of lingering that needs a comment on this. I wish Urobatchi would have come out after Rebellion and said: Consider this. None of the magical girls love themselves, Madoka is only the most visible. This story is important, like deeply spiritually important. It's one thing to like something, it's another to know it's a reflection of truth. And for that, I thank you, I really do.
I hope the FBI person that's seeing what I'm watching learns to love themselves. And is also emotionally broken after making them watch all of Madoka Magica and Rebellion.
Parts of this video could almost read like a bible reading lol. Spreading the good word of Godoka amiright? But bringing up that none of the girls loved themselves hit different, damn :( it was a great point and overall I really loved the analysis you gave
Your reading of this, imo, was so dramatic and entertaining that I felt the experience could only have been better if I were watching this in a theater with a bag of popcorn and a soda. 10/10, will share with all my friends
Its incredible how much despair an anime can bestow on you. And although it was quite a horrible time as I watched it, I cant let it go and still yearn to find something else that will have such a meaning to me
This videos makes so much sense! But I must admit because you’re talking so fast it made a little confusing. However, I love the passion behind it! It was amazing! This video was beautiful!!!
I...finally understand the story of madoka magical! Thank you so much WattheWut I loved this amime but it was so confusing beforehand. Now I know and love it even more because of how beautiful it truly is
"Love is the world's infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood"
Once you make a wish you’re already a witch. Homura is able to become a demon not just because she took a piece of the law of cycles but because she was able to embrace herself as a witch
Thank you so much for making this, it really opened my eyes to the true gravity of the theme of love in this series and how Homura isn’t as wonderful as I thought she was, none of them are fully good but they also can’t be considered villains, and the self love was something that was covered really well Thank you so much for making this!
This video was... amazing. None of the girls were good people, but none of them were bad. I’ve been trying to learn to love myself, and to accept myself for who I am, but it’s hard. I appreciate this video, to many people search for love as if it’s the only cure to their sadness, and forget that self love is the most important thing. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, it’s good to put others above yourself as long as your not doing it all the time. Care and respect yourself, be yourself and make sure to step back and put meaning in yourself. If you are nothing without others then you need to work on that. Self love is more important then your love for another, just as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.
♡︎ This was amazing. I really feel like this show taught me to love myself more, and appreciate what I have. This will forever be one of my favorite animes.
I dunno man, between Homura's initial willingness to die in the labyrinth to protect Madoka, the clara dolls, the flower scene, the epilogue, and listening to Homura's final words again, I can't help but feel like you're making homura's actions out to be a little more selfish than I think they really are. Edit: I also believe that Homura giving Madoka her red ribbons back at the end of the movie signified Homura accepting the real Madoka for who she is and not just an idealized copy that she can be possessive of, even if that means they'll eventually be at odds with each other in the future.
If that were the case homura would have accepted madoka’s choice and left her to be the law of cycles instead of taking that away from her. The real madoka was the one that isn’t affected by Homuras idealistic beliefs of her. The whole reason why homura did what she did was that she believed what madoka was doing to herself was horrible and didn’t think she had the mental fortitude to make that wish even though she did. If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart. It’s like someone’s lover is in a coma because of a terminal illness that caused them pain. If the lover said “if I ever end up in a coma or in a situation where you could pull the plug then pull it” but then the person decides to not do that, become a doctor to find a cure, and keeps this person on life support. Do you think they made a choice out of the kindness of their heart? Or out of selfishness for their lover?
@Covered Donuts "Homura didn't think she had the mental fortitude to make that wish, even though she did." That's wrong, actually. At the end of the flower field scene, Homura directly tells Madoka "When the time comes, you do have the strength to make that decision. You're far kinder and stronger than you know." Homura is far more self-aware than I feel some people give her credit for. She's knows that Madoka is strong-willed, but that doesn't change the fact that she wouldn't have left her friends and family behind it she didn't have a self-imposed obligation to become a savior. "Mata Ashita" was proof enough back in 2011, and that point was driven home again in the movie.
@@covereddonuts1279 Hi I know this is an old comment and I mean no disrespect in responding, but I take issue with this "If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart." Although shes been through the same month several times, Homura is still a 14 yr old girl. She's still a child. This child had her friend go away and permanently become the Law of Cycles. And that friend's family, friends, etc don't even know that she really existed anymore and she cant just go see them. I don't think simply because she disagreed with Madoka's decision that means that she didnt really truly love her. In real life you can love someone and make a decision that people think is incorrect or wrong. Adults make mistakes in love and Homura is still just a kid who went through the same month a bunch of times and made a forceful decision that many people see as being wrong. In truth we don't know if Madoka was truly right in what she ultimately did, maybe she could have made a different wish that would have still brought about some kind of proper resolution. But again, ultimately she did still clearly love Madoka, she just made a particular choice.
@@covereddonuts1279 Hi I know this is an old comment and I mean no disrespect in responding, but I take issue with this "If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart." Although shes been through the same month several times, Homura is still a 14 yr old girl. She's still a child. This child had her friend go away and permanently become the Law of Cycles. And that friend's family, friends, etc don't even know that she really existed anymore and she cant just go see them. I don't think simply because she disagreed with Madoka's decision that means that she didnt really truly love her. In real life you can love someone and make a decision that people think is incorrect or wrong. Adults make mistakes in love and Homura is still just a kid who went through the same month a bunch of times and made a forceful decision that many people see as being wrong. In truth we don't know if Madoka was truly right in what she ultimately did, maybe she could have made a different wish that would have still brought about some kind of proper resolution. But again, ultimately she did still clearly love Madoka, she just made a particular choice.
Loved both Craftsdwarf video and yours. Those final thoughts about the characters needing to appreciate themselves really make a lot of sense... Hope the series ends like that. Thank you.
I know this is an old video but WOW! I was BLOWN away by this analysis! I feel like it's exactly right! What's so great about this show is the philosophical questions and implications it raises. When you said at 3:30 Love grants you power But is always destroying Because without love directed inward Love only has the potential to corrupt That really resonated with me because I have seen it again and again in my life and the lives of people around me. It's always those you love the most that you hurt the most. And always those who love you the most that hurt you the most. When you love someone you give them power over you. Far greater power than anyone else can have over you. A bad relationship can permanently ruin your life and permanently scar and traumatize you for life. While some rando you don't even care about can't hurt you the way someone you love can. If someone rando said you're ugly who cares you might upset for a day but ultimately it has no effect on your life. But if someone you deeply love tells you that your ugly.....that wound is permanent.
I've always opposed the idea that Homura was planning on betraying Madoka at any time before she was rescued from despair. A lot of people I see seem to think that it was her plan all along ever since that flower field scene, but that scene ends with Homura telling Madoka that she's strong and brave enough to make the sacrifice she did at the end of the original series and basically being okay with it while she goes off to willingly turn into a Witch to stop the Incubators. But this interpretation here is one I really like. I can 100% see the idea that only upon that last unintentional trampling of her wish thanks to the kindness of Madoka did she decide to force her wish upon the world, because as she says she "won't hesitate anymore."
Your review deserves a billion views. Seriously, not only did you go into depth that everyone, including someone who did not watch the show(me),but to all madoka fans. Beautiful, just beautiful
I really enjoyed this video and the Mistaken Burden video. I love the Madoka Magica series, but these analytical videos just INCREASED my appreciation for the series even more!
Huh, so basically, it’s the same message about love as that of Evangelion. Heck, I’d go so far as to say it does it in an even more subtle and thought-provoking manner.
Madoka Magica brilliantly exposes just how meaningless the distinction between selfish and selfless is. And yet people still go on and on and on about it. How trite. I wish for once someone familiar with the underlying philosophy would attempt to discuss this work.
Man, great work!! I re-watched Madoka recently with my younger brother - I first time watched when I was 15 - and I must say, Great analysis. I would take it in a little bit diffrent direction, but reasoning was strong and understanding of underlying rules of the show makes it a great watch. Keep up the great work, man. I will be subscribing to your channel for sure. Godspeed, brother!
so this video is basically telling me madoka magica is evangelion but with magical girls in terms of both being a dark remix of the genre but also in its themes of loving yourself and taking care of yourself
This video is so good my god! This is exactly my thoughts! As a kid watching, i felt like Madoka was an angel and a hero. But now as an adult I can see so many issues with the whole casts‘s ideology and decitions. You can see that this is way too much responsibility for some teenage kids and it really reminds me of eva as well.
If there could be a sequal to rebellion, I would love the idea of it being about madoka and homura learning to love themselves and using that power to defeat kyubey and turn everything to normal.
@@lebro4401 And that was not humorus, but very, very rude and vulgar even. Not everyone react like you do and can see more, video above is an example. Some people also can be asexual, so do not be so sure == Take care of your underwear, I beg you pardon, not of some strangers in internet. I was not rude to ya, just surprised.
Wow. Just wow. The power of the show to make you see in an indirect that love is all is amazing. I think the meaning of the magical girls is to express love to others and fulfill the wishes and desires. But with out knowing your corrupting your soul. People with the wish of loving others with out loving their selfs and making an equal force will fell onto despair. Either you die trying to make others feel good or make your on wish of selfishness relying on other people to make you feel good. Selfish is the only think we people rely on. But one day you will find happiness on something that will make you. Have a great day.
This is why some people theorize that the person you love is both someone you wish to be better AND someone you can contend with simultaneously. You can't have one and not the other, as too much of one leads to despair.
I may be a year late but I genuinely do appreciate how much thought was put into this amazingly put together video and after reading/watching other peoples views and interpretations on the show, this was the video that was the final nail that gave me the proper closure that I wanted to hear! :)
i love how theoretical madoka magica is. whilst making it understandable and realistic (obv not including the magical stuff) there are so many things you can interpret differently. one of my favorites is that madokas wish was never the ultimate selfless wish, i dont think that fit her character. we see her being very insecure and looking up to people that are able to make a change. she tries her hardest to stand out as someone who actually contributes to the world. (she has theme songs that point towards this too i believe)i dont think shes capable of something like that, i guess? she was a normal human being too, all of the other girls wishes were selfish in one way or another. the way things turned out were only a benefit to others, but my theory is basically that she only made that wish because she wanted to be important. she wanted to have a reason to live, to be beneficial to society in the way homura, mami, sayaka and kyoko were. no one would remember her or be thankful for her actions after that wish, but shed have that self satisfaction. i cant find a way to word this in full detail but thats about what i think. in rebellion she says shed never do anything like what she did, that she wouldnt have the guts for it. homura sees this as madoka spaying she regrets her wish and alot of people talk about how this was a big misunderstanding on homuras part, becasue she had gone crazy, and theyre right, homura went nuts cause of her love for madoka, but what if she wasnt completely wrong? madoka was always a person. she has real human emotions, a 13 year old girls emotions, even. shes seen as and acts vulnerable, naive, insecure etc. throughout the whole of it, with her regular behavior, getting flustered easily, admiring people that are confident, and the case where sayaka gets mad at her for not deciding to become a magical girl for her. my point is that no matter how cool, or even self destructive if we look at it from another point of view, madoka was she is not strong enough to take on those curses by herself, alone, never being able to talk to anyone ever again. to conclude this, imo madokas wish was made so shed have self worth, and she regretted it and wished to come back because she was completely alone. sorry for the ramble, hehe. madoka magica is such an easy discussion subject
I just realized that Homura's world is an opportunity. I hope in Homura's world, the girls get a chance to actually solve their own problems. Talk about them. Put them behind. Not...sacrifice their lives because they can't handle it anymore but they don't want to hurt people. P.S: I'm starting to understand the mindset behind the theory saying Madoka was actually planning to take her own life for a time now, and becoming a Goddess simply presented itself as an opportunity to do it and still be useful.
i honestly think homura did what she did because of the conversation she had with madoka on the flower field while in her labyrinth. homura told her she had a nightmare where madoka left far away, somewhere she could never see her again, and everyone forgot about her except for homura. madoka hugged her and told her that she would never do something like that and that doing a thing that would make homura cry so hard would break madoka's heart, and homura said something along the lines of "it would break your heart... leaving us behind would hurt you so much?" while madoka confirmed it. then she started the inner monologue thinking "youre right.. i knew it would hurt you more than anything" and blaming herself for letting madoka make that wish. i really think thats the moment homura decided to do it, and although she thinks it was the right thing to do, she also doesnt realize that madoka didnt remember the circumstances that lead her to making the wish, and homura undoing it is definitely not what she wants
Its pretty much an ancient symbolism or mythological phenomenon that is based on a Good book. Madoka came first a God, Representing Order/Good/Negentropy Then remember when homura grabbed goddess madoka and rip A part of her? to absorb her to become equal to god. Now Homura came second a Demon, Representing Chaos/Evil/Entropy and when joined together they become "Harmony". Such a great way of reconciling homura and madoka and also a great way of concluding the show. A Masterpiece 👌 of a Show.
I saw a comment chain arguing about the love homura had for madoka and it being friendship or romantic, I don't want to start that fight again so I'll put it here. Homura loves madoka to the highest degree above all other beings so isn't that romantic love? In real life wouldn't you consider the person that you would do almost anything for your significant other? Romantic love can exist without knowing about the character's sexual inclinations. Idk while watching the second movie and rebellion back to back all I could see was how much homura "loved" madoka. The little things like how she clung to the legs of statue madokami, the rant on how she should shatter this illusion because it's logical until she saw madoka looking for her, how much her voice changed when she just spoke to madoka all speak for that deep infatuation that she has in madoka. This is the only thing that has kept her going for the last 12 years of that repeated month and your going to try and convince me that she doesn't absolutely love madoka. Friendship is strong yes, but why is it that calling this "friendship" where there is only that one friend for her and no one else that occupies that much space in her heart romantic all of a sudden "unnecessary". I know applying real life to this is probably weird because obviously things become romanticized and pushed to the limit but it's all rooted in how humans emotionally perceive things. Idk it just left a bad taste in my mouth seeing people so vehemently try to deny the interpretation of love because you know that seeing this between a man and a women many more people would percieve this as romantic because that is our perception of what the highest form of love is in real life. I loved seeing homura's love grating away her sanity bit by bit until she ultimately forcefully creates that world in which she can live with madoka and I feel like trying to fit that obsession into the box of friendship almost detracts from the strength of those emotions
I might think your vid is better than mine but ur still lame
Get back in your grave you corpse
@@WatTheWut Can't we all just... get along? ;-)
@@Asehpe I'm sure they're actually friends. Usually RUclipsrs like this just fuck with eachother in a friendship type of way. They don't mean it, you don't have to worry
@@WatTheWut How can Homura make another wish when she is already a magical girl ?..the wish to become a devil
@@jidhindharanm.p9351 her wish is to be the ONE who protect madoka, it didn't came true, until she became a demon to protect the God from the world
Moral of the story, Homura and Madoka should get a relationship counselor and teenage girls shouldn't be making deals with Intergalactic mephistopheles wannabes
Madoka is straight.
Yet another issue.
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 Evidence? The Wraith Arc Manga says that the reason for Homura retaining her memories of the Old World is that her and Madoka's "strong reciprocal feelings" literally caused a miracle to happen.
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 ok where does it say that? The series never shows her having a crush on a guy, and it seems near the beginning she has sort of a crush on Mami (though that could have just been their mutual desire to not be lonely)
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 /Says whooooooo?/
Hot take: romantic love and platonic love are equal. Just because someone really cares about someone else doesn’t mean they want to get in their pants.
"When neither of them loved themselves, how could either of them understand the feelings and wishes of the other..."
Holy shit... Hoooly shit... That's it. Their whole dynamic makes sense now! But... Damn that's heartbreaking...
That line was.... *perfect*
that hit me in the face pretty hard, I had some very hard times with depression and I have almost none self-worth, I just started feeling a little love for myself after long years of suffering.
And, I still didn't care for myself as long as someone else loved me, and I could give them my love.
Madoka's mom teachings are a big punch on the gut for me.. in a weirdly good way '-')
well, if acting like you have secret admirers is a good way to feel self worth then here I goo
This part hit me in a way I didn't think this video could...
But on another note (also don't wanna be that person but) did your comment include a Jojo reference? Lol
I feel like there entire problematic dynamic could be solved in a couple quick conversations
Yeah it makes sense now
Everyone: love conquers all.
Homura: allow me to introduce myself.
Cortez Films *Homura
Kyubey: Oh, does it now? *twirls non-existent handle-bar mustache* We'll see about that :3
I would say Homura is the embodiment of that phrase actually
Homura is the embodiment of love conquers all
Everyone: love conquers all.
Homura: Yes.
You said that all of these girls' problem was that they didn't love themselves. You 're right. That left me with a thought though. Why would someone who loved themselves as they were make a wish to change? The answer is they wouldn't. And that is the true evil of the incubators' plot, of their apathy. The system is set up so the only ones who fall prey to it are those who are already vulnerable
I thought that was the whole point! If I remember right, the incubator once said that more emotion means more energy to be released, therefore the universe could be sustained for a longer time. So by getting kids that are already emotionally vulnerable, you get higher output of energy, therefore energy to sustain the universe heh
Yup, precisely what Kyubey means when he says a girl "qualifies" .
So that's why Hitomi wasn't chosen!
DANG.
It is very interesting that, with this insidious plot in mind, Kyuubi stated that there was once a magical girl who lasted, despite all this vulnerability and exploitation, and managed to live till 30 or something... Incubators are really some kind of devil cause wtf
"the road to hell is paved with good intentions"
Thats deep
@@jow932 we already know it's deep dood
actually that is so true
and the road to heaven is paved with bad intentions,
it is ultimately through selfishness that we do good,
And the opposite is true for heaven.
The entire show is based on a simple logic, all action is reaction.
The universe tends to equalize itself to 0, so if you create happiness, an equal amount of despair will comeback to you.
Sayaka is the most wise of them all! XD
''The entire show is based on a simple logic, all action is reaction.''
Did Newton reincarnated into a Phoenix ??
Am I remembering it wrong or did kyubey say something like this like “any wish you make is warping the universe so the universe tries to snap back and correct yourself so any wish will fall apart”
except happiness is subjective,
for example some people love seeing people suffer, or even relish in geting hurt or killed,
its also possible to stay happy regardless of situation it really is subjective, the universe is more of a chaos theory where everything is random,
Homura created happiness for all that live in her world. So it's likely that everyone in her world would despair just as she did.
Imagine if Homura and Madoka could love themselves
That’d be like if Shinji could
@@tatarsauce6314 Shinji does now, though. That's why he rejected Instrumentality.
@@yoursinisterdoge2785 Actually Shinji just knows that he can love himself as he still stated at the end of the movie that he hates himself.
@@tatarsauce6314 ENTER THE FUCKING ROBOT SHINJI!!!
-sorry couldnt resist-
@@uneterostardust8233 He would be entering his own mom, which is incest...
They both love each other so much more than they love themselves that they both feel unworthy of the other.
I loved the comment about how Homura would be perfectly fine with death if she was still together with Madoka. In that scene shown, Homura just flat out argues in favour of becoming witches, but only if both of them do. The only reason Madoka wasn't on board was because she loved everyone else as strongly as they each loved each other and couldn't risk sacrificing anyone other than herself.
In regards to Homura's decision in Rebellion, I think you're forgetting about two crucial points.
First is that the Incubators we're still a threat and there was absolutely nothing stopping them from trying their stunt over and over again until they successfully take control of the Law of Cycles.
My second point is at Homura wasn't in the right state of mind, remember, the experience of being a Witch is pretty much mind rape. Absolutely no one could go through something like that without being affected.
It's also pretty clear that Homura isn't really happy with what she's done. The Clara Dolls (familiars that are representations of her self hatred) are throwing Tomatoes at her and killing themselves, and the film ends with Homura dancing off a cliff.
I think there's more than enough evidence that she's out right suicidal.
Indeed
How are those little rabbits a threat anyway, they constantly get destroyed and yet they think they can control Madoka.
Even at the start of errr... The very first time she met Madoka, I think she might be suicidal. Then Madoka became her light, and she now wanted Madoka, to be happy, to be living, to be with her. I was like "damn right" when he said Homura wanted to possess Madoka. Yes she did love her, but I'd say her love is quite unhealthy.
Good points!
Do you happen to have a scene in mind where the Clara dolls kill themselves?
I guess I always overlooked that and didn't notice
@@abcxyz9852 when Sayaka is confronting Homura at the end of the movie. Right after the dolls threw tomatoes at Homura.
People often skip over the fact that without homura there is no God madoka her reseting the timeline over and over is what gave madoka the karma to have her wish granted while madoka's name is in the title it's always been homura's story
I don't know. Ask "The Legend of Zelda". :P
@@Medulan45 since this is made at 2019, how about asking Dororo too
Objection! I like to believe that the story has always been about Madoka! Yes, the Madoka Magica wouldn't exist if it I wasn't for Homura being gay and down bad, but Madoka is the centre of the story, everything Homura did, is for her, everything that happened in the series is because of her existence. It's just my own opinion but I disagree when others say it's Homura's story because it's always been about Madoka, and for Madoka.
Mania, in it's original Greek form, was known as a form of love, but not a positive one (unlike eros, philia, or agape). Mania was a consuming, obsessive love, a love that sought to control and/or own a person, to keep them close and never let them go, regardless of the other person's desires, and even dismissive of their thoughts and feelings. With that definition of mania, Homura fits it to a T.
@bruce wayne I had thought that mania was the word, because I did look it up, but I'm not a linguistics expert by any means and maybe I should've looked further. I did know about the other forms of love (all seven others) and even that some manic love can be caused by an inbalance of ludus and eros, but I left them out because I didn't find them particularly revelant. But you're right in the way it started, but thanks to the movie, sadly manic is where it ended up.
I guess so, Homura did become a yandere in Rebellion.
But I stand by the fact Homura had a good intention all along, it’s not her fault.
As a greek I have to say that while the word mania means an obsessive love, our people hardly ever use it nowadays for this meaning. They use mania for other meanings such us, psychosis, obsession, fury, hatred and a weather phenomenon to its extremes metaphorically. The word or better phrasing we use for obsessive love, is just that. An obsessive love. But, well done for the research you did. :)
THIS! Fuck, I kept forgetting the term but this is it. And Mania is seen as a horrific emotion.
@@Scailalia ΑΓΑΠΑΜΕ ΜΑΝΤΟΚΑ ΜΑΤΖΙΚΑ
Madoka content in 2019... thank you.
Magia Record just isn't enough to quench our thirst for Megucas and Despair
Watch out for Magia Record, the anime on 4th of January 2020 !!
@@nellyd6344 the magia record anime is going to (at one point or another) tie in to the main story. Change my mind
@@franciscoaparicio434 I dunno. If it's based around the game, it's gonna take place in a different alternate "universe" in which Madoka's wish doesn't really apply.
Nelly D it’s bombbbbbbnbbbb!
“The power of love can only corrupt if it is never directed inward” I had to stop and re-hear this three times a great work.
But love only for oneself is equally destructive. A balance of love both outward and inward is necessary
That's incredible. If Madoka did what her mother said in the first episode, _none of this would have happened!_
Moral of the story: mOtHeR kNoWs bESt
@@spaghetti5914 I hate this comment, but you have a point...So I have too.......
@@figurefactory5299 don't worry I hate it too
Wait what did her mom say again? 👁👄👁
@@_once_upon_a_toast_1109 "I don't have secret admirers!" "But you should act and behave like you do, that's a secret every pretty girl should know."
Madoka acts like she doesn't matter exactly counter to what her mom told her, and because of that, she didn't understand why Homura would care about her.
The conclusion: You need to love yourself first before you can love others. Otherwise, the love you want to give isn´t grounded. Interestedly my master thesis about ppl with borderline deals with the same kind of topic. :)
What's your master thesis abt?
Well I mean just because I don’t love myself doesn’t mean I don’t and can’t love my friends and family
@@AkireraStraberri3 It's a shakey love because you might not think you're worthy of any love in return, which will sour your relationship with people. No one wants to deal with a perpetual debbie downer.
@Pubg islam Malaysia are you having a stroke?
And not hide you're feelings I guess and think everything is either black or white c::
Just a correction, Madoka's wish for saving the universe (yes, universe, alien maho shoujos exist too) was also a selfless wish with selfish intent, she admited that she felt worthless/useless and wanted to be important, and being the savior, well... guess what? she got her *Selfish* wish after all.
everyone is selfish, it's better to assume than pretend.
Holy sheet these likes. Thanks.
Unetéro Kenora she doomed the world for the expense of the temporary happiness of some
@@nisankajayasekara7803 who? madoka? she saved a lot of lives with her wish, you talking about homura? she did that because more sooner than later kyuubey would find how to control madoka's powers and return to the original system of witches, she did the necessary to save, even if their friends hate her for it.
Very true. Also, Madoka damned the universe with a now substandard system of counteracting entropy in the result of her wish. Fighting wraiths are no where near as effective as the previous system with witches. In return for saving magical girls, she closed the distance of the world and universe to it's doom than it was in before, making the wish quite imperfect in reality. It only truly benefited magical girls. Selflessness can be argued....
@@TackyAnimootions
In all honesty, it may not be a selfless wish for herself, but saving humanity at the cost of the universe is very selfish and arrogant of us. STILL, I don't object to it, she saved innocent people from the mental torture of being a witch, and when entropy kills the universe no one will be alive here to experience that anyway.
I thought that since madoka's god power is so big she could say 'fuck you' to entropy and create energy from nothing and save the universe, but her wish really limits her powers. like a colorful bird encaged.
Kyuubey intent was good, his/they methods were terrible .-.
@@TackyAnimootions : Nope. She made a more stable and fair system that eliminated lots of the bad feelings between the magical girls and the Incubators. At no point is it ever stated that the Incubators aren't getting ENOUGH energy in order to 'save the universe' (assuming that's what they are really doing, but their little disappearing act when Madoka becomes Gretchen in episode 10 might throw their honesty into question). I forget who, but one of the main creatives on this series said the Incubators are meant to represent a toxic form of utilitarianism, which he sees is one of the big problems with those running this world.
Sure Homura hated herself, but she was the only one to never regret her wish.
She knew exactly what the deal is, when she made the wish and judged, that it was still worth it.
She loved Madoka in the first palce, because of her selflessness, decided to protect her and just never backed away
She hated herself for not being good enough.
At "It's all right, Homura-chan" she was proven right, that all she did was worth it, but her wish was not yet fulfilled.
The exact moment Homura decided to take Madoka's powers is the flower field scene (just watch it again).
My interpretation is that despite hating herself for it, Homura accepted her role (devil) as long as it saved Madoka.
She just centered her morality around it and said fuck you to The World, Good and Evil
Thinking further about it Homura's wish was the only wish that wasn't actually granted(of the main 5), that is until the end of Rebellion, for now at least
@@variedadesonline3926 Her wish was almost granted she wished to meet Madoka again and this time to be stronger to protect her.
I'm sure Homura didn't know what outcome her wish would have
I think Homura's actions in Rebellion also make sense if you consider what EXACTLY it means for one to become a witch, and that is the loss of their purpose/wish. We only really get a look into Sayaka's and Homura's magical girl to witch cycles, but they both lose the things they truly wished for. Sayaka wished for Kyosuke to be healed, not because she truly wanted him to be happy but because she wanted him to return her feelings, and when he continued to shut her out instead of being indebted to her, she lost her purpose and fell into despair. The same happened with Homura: when Madoka wished to save the world and disappeared from it, Homura could no longer go back to meet and protect her, and thus her purpose was lost. She also began to lose sight of her wish just before Madoka made hers in the series finale, when Homura began to realize she would never save her and that it was pointless to try.
Sayaka, when Madoka becomes the Law of Cycles, sees the error of her ways in the end: how not only was her wish at its core selfish, but how it was foolish and naive of her to expect Kyosuke to ever have feelings for her when she never spoke up. Despite how she rags on him a little bit for his density, she still wishes him and Hitomi real, unconditional happiness. Homura never makes this revelation.
Ironically, by saving Homura, Madoka ultimately condemns her. By erasing herself from the world, Madoka contradicts Homura's entire reason for ever becoming a magical girl in the first place, and in so doing paves the way for Homura to inescapably fall into despair. Homura's turn in Rebellion, however, is also ironic--she splits up the Law of Cycles to keep Madoka for herself, driving an even bigger wedge between them, but if she had simply surrendered herself to the Law of Cycles, she could have been with Madoka as she desired. The Law of Cycles, through Sayaka and Bebe, is implied to be a sort of paradise for magical girls where Madoka can manifest, and Homura could have met her in that place again.
But this series doesn't hinge on happiness. :^)
Actually, the happy ending was only temporary. They failed to deal with the actual problem which is Kyube.
So instead of getting everything she wants, Homura gives it up in order to gain the power to protect everyone through betrayal.
This wasn't the ending that she wanted. In the end she always chooses to sacrifice herself for others.
She doesn't only care about Madoka. She does care about all the other girls, but in the end she probably felt that she didn't have what it takes to save all of them. When she finally gained "God" power, she rewrote things in a way that would make them happy. But how could she have known what would've made them happier if she was only focused on Madoka?? If you look at the changes, she clearly thought very deeply about what led to the unhappiness of each and every one of them.
She's definitely a hero. And I think that manifesting a ridiculous power like time travel/manipulation is proof.
Madoka made many wishes. It seems the first one was "to not be shy anymore",then save a cat's life,then turn Sayaka into a magical girl again,then help out other magical girls. The result was always the same,she either died or became a witch.
Just one wish was for herself. Changing her personality a tiny bit,she was still kind and cheerful,she was just less shy. And then all her wishes have no benefit for her. Save an unknown's cat life,having Sayaka back but how sure she is it won't happen again?,sometimes she didn't even KNOW the magical girls she helped.
All her wishes,so selfless... And it seems it was all because she didn't loved herself,and she thought *she didn't **_deserve_** a wish for **_HER_*
I wonder if the show was an allegory for heroes in real life. Not many heroes get recognized, often losing themselves to the work, in pursuit of an unattainable goal. Modoka would be a representation of the self-doubter who rises to the top, and Homura being the follower, who only leads herself more astray, witches as the disheartened former heroes who became so disheartened, only others can salvage their work to improve, moving the cycle. Just a theory.
I think it’s about capitalism
@@iloveverycoolcats3833How…?
You hit the nail on the head with this one... this is probably one of the best interpretations of the series I’ve seen bravo
Moral of the story: Don't give reality-warping powers to goddamn teenagers.
Qyuube says as much...right before homura bitches them into an eternity of servitude
I'd say Homura didn't necessarily want to "possess" Madoka. Rather, Homura wanted Madoka to be happy (as in have a happy life happy not being satisfied with sacrificing everything happy) and would have hypothetically been okay with something like sacrificing herself or otherwise being separated from Madoka, but since Madoka's own wish is to save everyone even at the expense of her own happiness, then Homura can only achieve her own wish by restraining Madoka or by keeping the shitty parts of the world hidden from her.
But yeah, this conflict is ultimately "I'll sacrifice myself to save you (and everyone else)" "no I'll sacrifice myself to save you (because fuck everyone else they're delusional pkers)" "no I'll..." and the only satisfactory solution I could see was maybe some sort of compromise or working together to find a solution that doesn't require sacrifice.
@bruce wayne The wording of Homura's wish doesn't matter. There is no wish without a cost. Madoka's ability to protect Homura and everyone else comes with a cost, be it dieing to defeat Walpurgisnacht, running out of grief seeds (or choosing to give them away) and witching out or being mercy killed, or wiping herself out from existence. Homura can only gain the power to protect Madoka by taking on the cost, which for this particular wish is intense emotional trauma and disillusionment with both the world and ultimately herself. It just took Homura until Rebellion to realize that. If Homura made any other wish to help Madoka, Homura would still be taking on a cost to protect Madoka from her own wish's cost, and Homura would still be putting inflicting harm onto herself and thus arguably be undoing Madoka's efforts to protect her from harm.
Anyway, yes, their wishes are paradoxical, since they desire the wellbeing of the other, but they can't achieve their wishes without sacrificing their own wellbeing.
Love, like any emotion, left uncontrolled, & unchecked is a dangerous force of desctruction just awaiting the right opportunity to express itself. In some cases, with deadly consequences.
I think that Homura IS a god, but just a demon-god, and her case is the exact opposite of Modoka's, with the same ending: Becomes a god, effects world forever.
Essentially she transcended and became a deity just the same as Madoka. Light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness cannot exist without light. They need each other to define each other.
In the beginning Homara was a shy girl when you remember the scene is framed that madoka is standing on the left and Homara to the right but after all she is been through in the future, Homara is now standing on the left and madoka to the right therefore creating The mirror effect.
Slyness = confidence
Confidence = slyness
It insane how someone adolescent allows since extreme thoughts of absolute. There passion they drive us our youth doesn't exactly feel the same older. Watthewut video really does speak the distance people will go to without understand how to love. Congrats on 10k
Homura's story is so depressing but so interesting, imagine loving someone so deeply that you would pass several lifetimes trying to save them but at the end you know you will never be together, like it was impossible for you two to exist at the same time, so now that deep love becomes an obsession and that obsession could destroy the person you love the most...sounds horrifying if you ask me
wdym by obsession?
homura is turned into the devil to protecc madoka/the law of cycle from incubator/kyubey
@@aiya5777 it was suggested at almost the end of rebellion that Homura wanted madoka to take her so they could finally be together, only Homura and Madoka. This is really my own perspective but i felt like Homura only wanted to save Madoka in the first place so she could haver her for herself
@@majito-6176 before homura chose the devil path,
she was ready to kill herself for the sake of preventing the law of cycle from popping up in kyubey's presence
kyubey told homura that as long as he could confirm the existence of the law of cycle, he might be able to control her one day
homura obviously quite angry and didnt want anyone to threat madoka's life, but madoka and the others stopped her
then homura had no choice
but to subdue kyubey by becoming the devil
It is not enough to love another, if you cannot first love yourself.
God, I love this show.
The apathy of the incubators, the plot, the story, the feeling of love that is both power and corruption, the value of love, the layers are all too perfect. It's a beautifully presented show. Having a wish come true does not mean it will come true and you will have to learn the hard way. It's such a good show.
Your channel name
is exactly my reaction to the Madoka Magica plot
Samia dosita
Ari aditia
Sori arito asora...
Madoka: I think the world is precious!
Homura: I think you are precious
Love is Destruction
Did not expect the Evangelion route on this film. Thank you to you and Craftsdwarf for finally getting me to watch it. Im astounded fans did not like it. I never felt the original was an exactly happy or conclusive ending. My biggest thought after the original was "Well, what about Homura?" And this film followed it up in a very satisfying manner, as you both have so eloquently put. Besides, it has some of the coolest art direction and audio/visual presentation I have ever seen. It was a very intense cinematic experience!
When the video ended I just leaned back, let out an elongated "DAAAAMN" and clicked like. This is SO good, I honestly dont have the vocabulary to describe how this video made me feel. This was amazing, thank you so much for you work.
This vid is rlly good! This helped contextualize why Rebellion was needed; to tell that selfless love without self-love will end in despair.
Amazing essay, I knew the writing of Madoka Magica was genius but I never viewed it this symbolistically and didn't thought about the adults' speeches that much.
Madoka: I wanna die so everyone else can be saved
Homura: I want to be with Madoka whether we live or die
It's more like Homura wants Madoka to be happy.
But in Rebellion, Homura's intention changes to: I want Madoka to be happy and safe whether I live or die.
Isn't that why she considers herself to be Madoka's possible enemy? She's sacrificing her relationship with Madoka. Seriously, how can she be together with Madoka if the two of them become enemies? Homura's self-loathing gets worse and now she thinks she doesn't deserve Madoka anymore. If anything, I can only see in the next movie that Homura tries to stay away from Madoka and avoid her as much as possible, and only observes her from far distance, and worst of all, willing to be destroyed by her. She just doesn't care anymore.
This video is really something you know? I love how you address selfworth and selflove as the cause and confliction that moved everything, and that's so important because for the things that you mentioned and described, I love this show so much.
The path to self love is so convoluted and complicated even if you're not a teenager. Sometimes we're stuck in this mindset for so long that we can't tell anymore what love and hate really are, and this is depicted in the show and the video oh so well!
Thank you so much for sharing this!!
This is such a fantastic analysis of their wishes and the series as a whole. Great job!
Wow. That was amazing. Every time u watch a video of yours, a new thought about an anime enters my mind. I learn new possible aspects to a show and my appreciation for an anime grows.
I never thought about how powerful the power of love is, amazing job.
RuPaul: *”If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love anybody else? CAN I GET AN AMEN?”*
Comprise huh, I think Homura just presented that at the end of rebellion everyone was alive and happy, Mami not alone anymore, Sayaka and Kyouko finding happiness from each other, Madoka technically still keeps every magical girl from becoming witches and Homura gets what she wants to be with Madoka, So does that mean it technically ended in happy one? Everyone gets what they want? I think? This reeeeeally needs a sequel that will answer everyone prayers or just destroy them
I know its a 4 year comment but still
There is a person who is not happy and that is on purpose
Homura doesn't allow herself to be happy, she purposely antagonizes the other girls and distances herself from Madoka because she sees herself as the villain who will be defeated in the end. She who betrayed Madoka doesn't deserve to be happy
This shows with her familiars throwing tomatoes at her while talking to Sayaka showing that everything she said to her was a lie
Homura is basically following the advice that Madoka's mother said in the anime that sometimes it's better to make a mistake for your friend even if he doesn't understand why and mistakes your intentions.
This is the most beautiful thing to come out of MM, and that's saying a lot. That's truly and deeply profound. I was one of those who said Homura did nothing wrong, and technically, I still am, but the singular argument that Madoka is reckless and suicidal and Horuma is right to rescue her from it doesn't hit the thematic head on the head, where NONE of the magical girls truly loves themselves. Not only do I think it's true, I wish there wasn't this sense of lingering that needs a comment on this. I wish Urobatchi would have come out after Rebellion and said: Consider this. None of the magical girls love themselves, Madoka is only the most visible.
This story is important, like deeply spiritually important. It's one thing to like something, it's another to know it's a reflection of truth. And for that, I thank you, I really do.
I hope the FBI person that's seeing what I'm watching learns to love themselves.
And is also emotionally broken after making them watch all of Madoka Magica and Rebellion.
Same.
I hope my fbi agent is okay with me re watching the intro madoka and homura talking
Parts of this video could almost read like a bible reading lol. Spreading the good word of Godoka amiright?
But bringing up that none of the girls loved themselves hit different, damn :( it was a great point and overall I really loved the analysis you gave
Your reading of this, imo, was so dramatic and entertaining that I felt the experience could only have been better if I were watching this in a theater with a bag of popcorn and a soda. 10/10, will share with all my friends
Its incredible how much despair an anime can bestow on you. And although it was quite a horrible time as I watched it, I cant let it go and still yearn to find something else that will have such a meaning to me
Thanks for this. I die a little inside whenever somebody says Homura went yandere at the end of Rebellion.
Same.
This videos makes so much sense! But I must admit because you’re talking so fast it made a little confusing.
However, I love the passion behind it! It was amazing! This video was beautiful!!!
I so hope that the spin-off anime in the works is enough of a success that they'll FINALLY make the movie that the "concept movie" hinted at.
I...finally understand the story of madoka magical! Thank you so much WattheWut I loved this amime but it was so confusing beforehand. Now I know and love it even more because of how beautiful it truly is
Homura clearly never heard that song "If you love me let me go"
Been thinking about rewatching the series, and now Crafts and Wat do a video. Guess now's a good time.
I always wonder why the girls did not make wishes that both helped others and themselves.
"Love is the world's infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood"
Once you make a wish you’re already a witch. Homura is able to become a demon not just because she took a piece of the law of cycles but because she was able to embrace herself as a witch
Thank you so much for making this, it really opened my eyes to the true gravity of the theme of love in this series and how Homura isn’t as wonderful as I thought she was, none of them are fully good but they also can’t be considered villains, and the self love was something that was covered really well
Thank you so much for making this!
This video was... amazing. None of the girls were good people, but none of them were bad. I’ve been trying to learn to love myself, and to accept myself for who I am, but it’s hard. I appreciate this video, to many people search for love as if it’s the only cure to their sadness, and forget that self love is the most important thing. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, it’s good to put others above yourself as long as your not doing it all the time. Care and respect yourself, be yourself and make sure to step back and put meaning in yourself. If you are nothing without others then you need to work on that. Self love is more important then your love for another, just as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.
Holy moly this was incredible.
This is hands down the best Madoka analysis I've ever seen
Still better love story than Twilight.
Madoka Magica was a messed up but hopeful anime.
Really messed me up but made me see things in another light (or dark).
I’d love for Homura and Madoka to fight while screaming their ideologies at each other kinda like Sasuke and Naruto
Thank you! I wonder why these points weren't clear for everyone!
♡︎ This was amazing. I really feel like this show taught me to love myself more, and appreciate what I have. This will forever be one of my favorite animes.
This is by far the best analysis video of this series that I've watched. Bravo.
Moral of the story: You can't love someone in a healthy way if you don't love yourself
I dunno man, between Homura's initial willingness to die in the labyrinth to protect Madoka, the clara dolls, the flower scene, the epilogue, and listening to Homura's final words again, I can't help but feel like you're making homura's actions out to be a little more selfish than I think they really are.
Edit: I also believe that Homura giving Madoka her red ribbons back at the end of the movie signified Homura accepting the real Madoka for who she is and not just an idealized copy that she can be possessive of, even if that means they'll eventually be at odds with each other in the future.
If that were the case homura would have accepted madoka’s choice and left her to be the law of cycles instead of taking that away from her. The real madoka was the one that isn’t affected by Homuras idealistic beliefs of her. The whole reason why homura did what she did was that she believed what madoka was doing to herself was horrible and didn’t think she had the mental fortitude to make that wish even though she did. If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart.
It’s like someone’s lover is in a coma because of a terminal illness that caused them pain. If the lover said “if I ever end up in a coma or in a situation where you could pull the plug then pull it” but then the person decides to not do that, become a doctor to find a cure, and keeps this person on life support. Do you think they made a choice out of the kindness of their heart? Or out of selfishness for their lover?
@Covered Donuts "Homura didn't think she had the mental fortitude to make that wish, even though she did."
That's wrong, actually. At the end of the flower field scene, Homura directly tells Madoka "When the time comes, you do have the strength to make that decision. You're far kinder and stronger than you know." Homura is far more self-aware than I feel some people give her credit for.
She's knows that Madoka is strong-willed, but that doesn't change the fact that she wouldn't have left her friends and family behind it she didn't have a self-imposed obligation to become a savior. "Mata Ashita" was proof enough back in 2011, and that point was driven home again in the movie.
@@covereddonuts1279 Hi I know this is an old comment and I mean no disrespect in responding, but I take issue with this "If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart." Although shes been through the same month several times, Homura is still a 14 yr old girl. She's still a child. This child had her friend go away and permanently become the Law of Cycles. And that friend's family, friends, etc don't even know that she really existed anymore and she cant just go see them. I don't think simply because she disagreed with Madoka's decision that means that she didnt really truly love her. In real life you can love someone and make a decision that people think is incorrect or wrong. Adults make mistakes in love and Homura is still just a kid who went through the same month a bunch of times and made a forceful decision that many people see as being wrong. In truth we don't know if Madoka was truly right in what she ultimately did, maybe she could have made a different wish that would have still brought about some kind of proper resolution. But again, ultimately she did still clearly love Madoka, she just made a particular choice.
@@covereddonuts1279 Hi I know this is an old comment and I mean no disrespect in responding, but I take issue with this "If homura loved madoka, she would have respected her wishes, not take it away from her and try to give her an idealistic world that is fragile at heart." Although shes been through the same month several times, Homura is still a 14 yr old girl. She's still a child. This child had her friend go away and permanently become the Law of Cycles. And that friend's family, friends, etc don't even know that she really existed anymore and she cant just go see them. I don't think simply because she disagreed with Madoka's decision that means that she didnt really truly love her. In real life you can love someone and make a decision that people think is incorrect or wrong. Adults make mistakes in love and Homura is still just a kid who went through the same month a bunch of times and made a forceful decision that many people see as being wrong. In truth we don't know if Madoka was truly right in what she ultimately did, maybe she could have made a different wish that would have still brought about some kind of proper resolution. But again, ultimately she did still clearly love Madoka, she just made a particular choice.
Loved both Craftsdwarf video and yours. Those final thoughts about the characters needing to appreciate themselves really make a lot of sense... Hope the series ends like that. Thank you.
You are one of the few people I've seen make a video on this show and not blow it waaaaay out of proportion
Both yours and Crafts videos are amazing and further cement my frustration at not actually being able to watch Rebellion in any convenient fashion.
I know this is an old video but WOW! I was BLOWN away by this analysis! I feel like it's exactly right! What's so great about this show is the philosophical questions and implications it raises. When you said at 3:30
Love grants you power
But is always destroying
Because without love directed inward
Love only has the potential to corrupt
That really resonated with me because I have seen it again and again in my life and the lives of people around me. It's always those you love the most that you hurt the most. And always those who love you the most that hurt you the most. When you love someone you give them power over you. Far greater power than anyone else can have over you. A bad relationship can permanently ruin your life and permanently scar and traumatize you for life. While some rando you don't even care about can't hurt you the way someone you love can. If someone rando said you're ugly who cares you might upset for a day but ultimately it has no effect on your life. But if someone you deeply love tells you that your ugly.....that wound is permanent.
How I see it:
The cup is always full of air and Water. Compromises are the reason why I see the world as it is.
I've always opposed the idea that Homura was planning on betraying Madoka at any time before she was rescued from despair. A lot of people I see seem to think that it was her plan all along ever since that flower field scene, but that scene ends with Homura telling Madoka that she's strong and brave enough to make the sacrifice she did at the end of the original series and basically being okay with it while she goes off to willingly turn into a Witch to stop the Incubators.
But this interpretation here is one I really like. I can 100% see the idea that only upon that last unintentional trampling of her wish thanks to the kindness of Madoka did she decide to force her wish upon the world, because as she says she "won't hesitate anymore."
Your review deserves a billion views. Seriously, not only did you go into depth that everyone, including someone who did not watch the show(me),but to all madoka fans. Beautiful, just beautiful
What a great video, finally someone who seems to understand Homura and to me what seems to be the theme of the story.
I really enjoyed this video and the Mistaken Burden video. I love the Madoka Magica series, but these analytical videos just INCREASED my appreciation for the series even more!
Huh, so basically, it’s the same message about love as that of Evangelion. Heck, I’d go so far as to say it does it in an even more subtle and thought-provoking manner.
“... but merely indifference. Apathy.”
APATHY IS DEATH
Madoka Magica brilliantly exposes just how meaningless the distinction between selfish and selfless is. And yet people still go on and on and on about it. How trite. I wish for once someone familiar with the underlying philosophy would attempt to discuss this work.
Its the selflessness that made them a witch in the first place. So love turning her into a demon shouldnt be shocking
Man, great work!! I re-watched Madoka recently with my younger brother - I first time watched when I was 15 - and I must say, Great analysis. I would take it in a little bit diffrent direction, but reasoning was strong and understanding of underlying rules of the show makes it a great watch. Keep up the great work, man. I will be subscribing to your channel for sure. Godspeed, brother!
so this video is basically telling me madoka magica is evangelion but with magical girls in terms of both being a dark remix of the genre but also in its themes of loving yourself and taking care of yourself
This video is so good my god! This is exactly my thoughts! As a kid watching, i felt like Madoka was an angel and a hero. But now as an adult I can see so many issues with the whole casts‘s ideology and decitions. You can see that this is way too much responsibility for some teenage kids and it really reminds me of eva as well.
If there could be a sequal to rebellion, I would love the idea of it being about madoka and homura learning to love themselves and using that power to defeat kyubey and turn everything to normal.
This is just an Intense Lesbian Yuri anime.
Yeah lol XD
So much talking,so much videos and debates and it is "JUST" lesbian anime ?
@@damesayo4656 God your panties is surely wet
@@lebro4401 And that was not humorus, but very, very rude and vulgar even. Not everyone react like you do and can see more, video above is an example. Some people also can be asexual, so do not be so sure ==
Take care of your underwear, I beg you pardon, not of some strangers in internet. I was not rude to ya, just surprised.
@@damesayo4656 Calm your tiddies holy shit. It's the internet.
This video is criminally underrated
Wow. Just wow.
The power of the show to make you see in an indirect that love is all is amazing.
I think the meaning of the magical girls is to express love to others and fulfill the wishes and desires. But with out knowing your corrupting your soul. People with the wish of loving others with out loving their selfs and making an equal force will fell onto despair. Either you die trying to make others feel good or make your on wish of selfishness relying on other people to make you feel good. Selfish is the only think we people rely on. But one day you will find happiness on something that will make you.
Have a great day.
This is why some people theorize that the person you love is both someone you wish to be better AND someone you can contend with simultaneously. You can't have one and not the other, as too much of one leads to despair.
I may be a year late but I genuinely do appreciate how much thought was put into this amazingly put together video and after reading/watching other peoples views and interpretations on the show, this was the video that was the final nail that gave me the proper closure that I wanted to hear! :)
WE'RE GETTING A NEW MOVIE EVERYONE! ITS HAPPENING!
The narration in this video is so good
Fr.
i love how theoretical madoka magica is. whilst making it understandable and realistic (obv not including the magical stuff) there are so many things you can interpret differently. one of my favorites is that madokas wish was never the ultimate selfless wish, i dont think that fit her character. we see her being very insecure and looking up to people that are able to make a change. she tries her hardest to stand out as someone who actually contributes to the world. (she has theme songs that point towards this too i believe)i dont think shes capable of something like that, i guess? she was a normal human being too, all of the other girls wishes were selfish in one way or another. the way things turned out were only a benefit to others, but my theory is basically that she only made that wish because she wanted to be important. she wanted to have a reason to live, to be beneficial to society in the way homura, mami, sayaka and kyoko were. no one would remember her or be thankful for her actions after that wish, but shed have that self satisfaction. i cant find a way to word this in full detail but thats about what i think.
in rebellion she says shed never do anything like what she did, that she wouldnt have the guts for it. homura sees this as madoka spaying she regrets her wish and alot of people talk about how this was a big misunderstanding on homuras part, becasue she had gone crazy, and theyre right, homura went nuts cause of her love for madoka, but what if she wasnt completely wrong?
madoka was always a person. she has real human emotions, a 13 year old girls emotions, even. shes seen as and acts vulnerable, naive, insecure etc. throughout the whole of it, with her regular behavior, getting flustered easily, admiring people that are confident, and the case where sayaka gets mad at her for not deciding to become a magical girl for her. my point is that no matter how cool, or even self destructive if we look at it from another point of view, madoka was she is not strong enough to take on those curses by herself, alone, never being able to talk to anyone ever again. to conclude this, imo madokas wish was made so shed have self worth, and she regretted it and wished to come back because she was completely alone.
sorry for the ramble, hehe. madoka magica is such an easy discussion subject
I just realized that Homura's world is an opportunity. I hope in Homura's world, the girls get a chance to actually solve their own problems. Talk about them. Put them behind. Not...sacrifice their lives because they can't handle it anymore but they don't want to hurt people.
P.S: I'm starting to understand the mindset behind the theory saying Madoka was actually planning to take her own life for a time now, and becoming a Goddess simply presented itself as an opportunity to do it and still be useful.
i honestly think homura did what she did because of the conversation she had with madoka on the flower field while in her labyrinth. homura told her she had a nightmare where madoka left far away, somewhere she could never see her again, and everyone forgot about her except for homura. madoka hugged her and told her that she would never do something like that and that doing a thing that would make homura cry so hard would break madoka's heart, and homura said something along the lines of "it would break your heart... leaving us behind would hurt you so much?" while madoka confirmed it. then she started the inner monologue thinking "youre right.. i knew it would hurt you more than anything" and blaming herself for letting madoka make that wish. i really think thats the moment homura decided to do it, and although she thinks it was the right thing to do, she also doesnt realize that madoka didnt remember the circumstances that lead her to making the wish, and homura undoing it is definitely not what she wants
Its pretty much an ancient symbolism or mythological phenomenon that is based on a Good book.
Madoka came first a God, Representing Order/Good/Negentropy
Then remember when homura grabbed goddess madoka and rip A part of her? to absorb her to become equal to god.
Now Homura came second a Demon, Representing Chaos/Evil/Entropy
and when joined together they become "Harmony".
Such a great way of reconciling homura and madoka and also a great way of concluding the show.
A Masterpiece 👌 of a Show.
I've watched this video countless times now yet it never fails to make me cry by the end
Yours is the video with the better thesis. Well done
I saw a comment chain arguing about the love homura had for madoka and it being friendship or romantic, I don't want to start that fight again so I'll put it here. Homura loves madoka to the highest degree above all other beings so isn't that romantic love? In real life wouldn't you consider the person that you would do almost anything for your significant other? Romantic love can exist without knowing about the character's sexual inclinations.
Idk while watching the second movie and rebellion back to back all I could see was how much homura "loved" madoka. The little things like how she clung to the legs of statue madokami, the rant on how she should shatter this illusion because it's logical until she saw madoka looking for her, how much her voice changed when she just spoke to madoka all speak for that deep infatuation that she has in madoka. This is the only thing that has kept her going for the last 12 years of that repeated month and your going to try and convince me that she doesn't absolutely love madoka. Friendship is strong yes, but why is it that calling this "friendship" where there is only that one friend for her and no one else that occupies that much space in her heart romantic all of a sudden "unnecessary". I know applying real life to this is probably weird because obviously things become romanticized and pushed to the limit but it's all rooted in how humans emotionally perceive things. Idk it just left a bad taste in my mouth seeing people so vehemently try to deny the interpretation of love because you know that seeing this between a man and a women many more people would percieve this as romantic because that is our perception of what the highest form of love is in real life. I loved seeing homura's love grating away her sanity bit by bit until she ultimately forcefully creates that world in which she can live with madoka and I feel like trying to fit that obsession into the box of friendship almost detracts from the strength of those emotions