I don't know why you may find it cringe but the video is very well written and edited, not too short nor long. I'd like to see other analysis of other anime from you. Like Made in abyss before the second season come out, or Houseki no Kuni which I personally love a lot. There are many other examples but its fine, keep it at your pace, you're doing great!
@@kira6353 I guess it makes me cringe because I can only see all the mistakes I made. It's difficult for me to look at it in another pov, but hearing your thoughts and others definitely helps! I was actually thinking of possibly covering Made in Abyss next, as I've been wanting to rewatch it lately. We shall see, either way thanks for wanting to see them! that's very cool to me B) (and I did start watching Houseki no Kuni, I'm a few episodes in... it's very good)
This isn't homura's paradise. This is a personalized hell for Homura, disguised as a paradise. You can tell because of her "familiars" constantly mocking her, jumping off cliffs, and just generally all the suicidal imagery associated with Homura after she did this. She hates herself for this.
I think it started as her paradise. I think it turned into a lucid dream sort of thing later, where she realized what she had done and THEN the self hatred came about and turned into all that imagery and stuff
If we're starting with her witch's barrier, then yes, it did start as a paradise for her and everyone involved. She willfully turned it into a personalized hell for herself when she realized what she'd done.
I feel like Homura is kind of playing the role of the unrepentant devil in an attempt to keep herself stable. If Homura was honest with herself I don't think she'd be able to go against Madoka without the guilt eating her alive, but if its the devil going against god, she can wash herself of the blame by telling herself she never had a choice.
@@fantage20012 the way I interpret it, it's self flagellation. But tbh, self harm is a destructive coping mechanism so we could both easily be right. I don't think she's necessarily washing herself of the blame though, I think she's redirecting her pain to make it bearable (the usual purpose of self harm). Remember the suicidial imagery? Self harm is an extremely common tool suicidal people use to cope.
This an not the plot twist is what I find troublesome with the movie. Homura won. Madoka is back and all the law of cycles now lacks is not integral to it's functioning: Madoka the human. You WON, girl. No need to get mopey about it.
This movie is everything I wanted out of Madoka, pure fanservice at the beginning (because my pee pee brain just want to see these girls be happy for once) and pure angst for the rest of it. Escapism fantasy is one of my favorite trope, so this movie is right up my alley!!
The fanservice was fucking horrible, though. It's full of insipid shit and often stands in contradiction with the narrative and characterization presented in the original series. So much of it is just there to pander. It's indefensibly awful and the fact that people are saying it's okay nowadays is sickening, as though Magia Record's putrid cash cow-milking existence brought in a bunch of brain-rotted gacha whales who were okay with the entire setting, its themes, and aesthetic being cheapened as long as they got to beat their meat to cheap wish-fulfillment smiles.
Bruh I was so confused when I saw that people hated Rebellion, I was like "This is actually a perfectly logical conclusion to Homura's mental state after 12 years of this shit". I also want to mention the song Mata Ashita, which is considered Madoka's theme. Reading the lyrics it's... really kind of sad, I think it almost gives more credence to the idea that Madoka is lonely as a God and she truly wanted to just be with her friends normally. I don't think people also seem to realize the implication behind Homura's wish: "I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. Instead of being protected _by_ her, I want to protect her!" The wording of wishes in this series is very important. Her wish trapped her; she couldn't become a witch during the loop because she can't protect Madoka as a witch. She can't DIE because if she dies, she can't protect Madoka, do you get it? Basically her seemingly high mental fortitude was the effect of being dragged along by her wish for 12 years. Even fate itself would save Homura; remember Mami going crazy after finding out about Witches and Madoka shoots her gem right before Mami would have killed Homura? I'm not entirely unconvinced fate moved in this way because of Homura's wish, the irony being that Madoka had to protect Homura again just to solve the wish paradox that Homura dying would have created.
I think what the people who hate Rebellion for what they did to Homura fail to realize is that this is exactly what she was doing in the main series, but on a larger scale: doing what she can to save Madoka while actively self-destructing. Even at the end end if Rebellion, when she got Madoka and all their friends, she says that she knows when they eventually get out of her spell, they will all hate her, especially Madoka. The subtext is that she's not doing this even because she wants to, but because she feels that this is the only option. That her giving Madoka the life she deserves (or at least that Homura feels she deserves) is more important than whether Madoka hates her or not, even though Madoks is the most important person in her life. It is both tremendously selfish and selfless at the same time.
i find it interesting too that at the end of the original series; the very last episode, homura was never okay nor accepted madoka’s wish. she was begging her not to leave, and never shook that feeling. she just missed her, she wanted her back. rebellion makes complete sense and made the series so much better than it already was.
I was heartbroken when it came out and everyone hated on it (especially the ending) because I absolutely loved it. They all said it was “confusing” and “badly done” or “a horrible continuation to the Madoka franchise.” Funny enough the ones that seemed to hate Rebellion then, now LOVE Magia record. (I don’t like Magia record) so it’s just weird to see how divided this fandom is. I’m happy now people are finding out they actually like Rebellion.
Yeah, I can see why people could get upset, but even still it’s not a good reason to dislike a movie. As someone new to the fandom (so, relatively unbiased nostalgia wise), it was genuinely a great movie, so idk, people just gotta get with it. 😎
Imo the first season of magia record was mediocre, it felt so cheap, haven't seen the second season yet so idk about it, but im not to convinced that ill like it
i dont like magireco either. im not watching it until the final season finish airing. watched season 1 with as little as "this is madoka magica" as possible. Just a new story. doesn't need to be crazy good. still manage to disappoint.
Meh, Magia Record anime adaptation is trashy, I don’t even bothered watching final season, (first season was really promising but it downhill in second season and they have to seriously removed Walpurgisnacht battle that supposed be in final arc)
Homura is just the best character ever! Her appearance in Rebellion is outstanding, and that plot twist at the end makes perfect sense when you consider Homura's journey
7:08 I get what you meant, but it can't be stressed enough that Homura was the one who subconsciously invited everyone into the labyrinth while Kyubey's barrier just kept everyone from leaving. The first act was the only unfiltered view into Homura's subconscious desires we get in the whole series. She's not just obsessing over Madoka 24/7 like some would believe, but she's happily living alongside the other magical girls. This is reflected in the world she creates at the end of the movie with everyone living happy lives. Before her fight with Mami, Homura even lamented on how acting coldly towards the others pained her deeply, and she even made an effort to cheer up Mami when they were talking in the apartment over tea. I think Homura's a good person at heart who's been put under impossible circumstances, so judgements of her moral character have always come off as unreasonably harsh.
As for her ultimate decision, I believe Homura was completely genuine when she told Madoka that all she really wanted is "a world in which you can be happy". Hell, Homura's belief that madoka wasn't "saved" as a concept is what allowed her to overwrite Godoka in the first place (Homura retaining her memories and time magic from the previous universe is proof that her wish of being "strong enough to protect Madoka" subsisted as well). Regarding the flower field scene, the fact that Madoka doesn't represent the Law of Cycles, but who Madoka was before she made her wish is the whole point. It's quite clear that leaving her life behind and becoming a concept would pain her deeply (it's not like she wished for that in the first place), but since she was the only one with the power to do so, she felt responsible for the salvation of magical girls and acted accordingly. Homura just felt she deserved better than, what she and Mami called in ep 12, "a fate worse than death". Even then, Homura wasn't even fully convinced that was the real Madoka until Kyubey spelled it out for her which is why Homura said "so that really was..." as the labyrinth was collapsing. And if all that wasn't convincing enough, there's other media that supports this. The ED for episode 1 and 2 of the anime "Mata Ashita" is actually Madoka's character song sung by her VA. The song is about Madoka lamenting over the life she lost as a God post-series. Here's the final verse and chorus: Instead of "See you later" I should've said, "I'll stay for a little longer" I wanted and hoped that you would realize it But with the words "See you later" I lie to myself again And hide my true feelings beneath my usual smile. Saying, "See you later," I wave my hand Cracking a smile, yet I'm feeling lonely The truth is, I still have more to talk about But with the words "See you later" I say we'll meet again, but it's a lie and with my usual smile, I say "See you tomorrow" And if _that_ wasn't enough, the concept movie for the next installment made by Magica Quartet plainly spells out how heaven is deprived of the joys of a mundane life and how Homura "took pity on the goddess" by splitting her in two.
What I find strange in the ending that Madoka and everyone else is quite unhappy about what Homura did for some reason. For me it looks like what Madoka did was to create some kind of afterlife for all magical girls where they go after they die since Kyubey was also puzzled that something is not completely right with laws of reality because rather then turning into witches magical girls disappear. Then he puts Homura on observation to see what will happen at the moment when she should turn into a witch. And then all former magical girls come to bring madoka to the new afterlife. As I understand in the end madoka is inviting Homura to her world where all other magical girls live already but rather then following her, Homura drags Madoka to her own world herself. Judging from the fact that at that moment pretty much every girl is a witch already, Homura probably also is a witch and all that world is her labyrinth. Also girls probably received some psychological help in the madoka's world because now they are ok with their witch forms.
One thing not touched on in the video is the fact that Homura actually creates a perfect world for everyone...but herself. In the end, everyone is reunited, they don't become witches, they live their lives as if it was a generic harmless magical girl series. Not Homura **cannot** interact with Madoka for fear of Madoka regaining her me.lries and shattering this new reality. In the end Homura stands in front of a half moon (literally segmented, not just the moon phase) and drops herself off a half hill. She is only partly fulfilled by this turn of events - she successfully saved Madoka but still is forever denied a cheerful happy life together with her. Everyone gets a happy ending. Aside from Homura, who sacrificed it all for everyone else just like Madoka did, only in a much more selfish manner. They are two sides of the same coin and their sacrifices are mirror images of one another. Homura pulled herself out of the world for Madoka's sake, she can't enjoy it herself
@@Pikayumyums I think it was different message. What really happened is Homura noticed that she has to take everything in her own hands if she wants things to go right. Unfortunately she did not save Madoka she turned Madoka into her pet. Madoka never cared about Homura she maybe saved the world but Homura was not different from anyone else to Madoka
@@deltaxcd I disagree, Madoka cared about Homura from the very beginning. In the first timeline they became friends, *however* due to constantly going back in time Homura was able to build on the relationship while Madoka started from scratch every time. She just wasn't at the level Homura was at bc she didn't have those additional timelines interacting with her and bonding. Even at the very end of the series, Madoka has a moment with Homura before she becomes the Law of Cycles which shows how Madoka feels about her and how they've gotten closer, as well as gifts her red ribbons to Homura. If Madoka saw her as "not different from anyone else" then she wouldn't have done all that
I’m so happy you liked rebellion. This is honestly one of my favorite movies and I think it took the series into an amazing place, so I am happy to find someone who liked it instead of hating it based on the final twist in the movie.
I seriously couldn’t agree more. It’s an amazing movie, I get people don’t liked a character they love being turned into an antagonist, but it’s so good???? I loved it.
@@Hanlunn Part of Homura's wish was to be "strong enough to protect Madoka"... When Madoka became a god, the power standard for "strong enough" leveled up quite a bit. I think this is why Homura was able to power-match Madoka. But also, it just makes sense for Homura's character to still try to protect Madoka even when Madoka is a god beyond time and space. Homura even allowed herself to become evil in order to have a tiny chance at giving Madoka a normal life. It's such an intense love. I don't view Homura as the antagonist here, but the true protagonist. It's philosophically interesting, analogous to the difference between preference utilitarianism (caring about people's preferences) and ordinary utilitarianism (caring about people's happiness), except in this case focused on one person. It's such a complex theme. Homura cares only about Madoka's happiness; she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness, the happiness of the rest of the world, and even Madoka's own stated goals, in that pursuit. Is that love? It's a real conflict that sometimes happens, when the person you love sacrifices themselves for others, or throws themselves into danger.
The thing that I love about this is what the initial trigger for Homura was. During the scene on the roof right before the people lose their faces, Homura was laughing with her friends; However the moment she recognizes that she is genuinely happy, the music changes to *_"Something, Everything is Wrong"_* and from that point the world starts falling apart because she is rejecting it. She rejected the tailor made paradise because she couldn't accept happiness. Homura knew that there could be no peace for her because at the end of the day, her wish wasn't fulfilled and all of her efforts didn't save Madoka; It gave her a fate far worse than death. After Paradise fell, only her insanity remained and by talking to the brainwashed/memory erased version of Madoka in the field of flowers, she fell from a Witch to The Devil, in all but form, right there.
7:43 there are hints that Madoka actually felt that way, and not just because of her incomplete memories during that scene. First, when madoka reaches out to homura, we can see her arm coming down through a window. That arm is covered in scars, showing that she is suffering in her current abstract and lonely existence. Then, there's a hint in the main series itself (so those who reject Rebellion as non-canon at least can't deny that Godoka is suffering). That hint is cleverly hidden in the ending credits of episodes 1 and 2. If you read the lyrics without context, it's just a cutesy, if a bit melancholic, song that contributes to the great episode 3 deception. But if you re-read those lyrics with episode 12 in mind, then they take a whole new meaning.
And Godoka herself actually said (before she gave the ribbons to Homura) that now she can see everything in the past and future and that she is grateful for everything Homura did for her.
Your also forgetting the most important thing with the altered memory hypothesis. None of the 3 that snuck in had their memories altered by Homulily. Madoka did it to herself to help sneak past Kyubey.
@@SanvelloSerapiega Yeah, this is a huge point. So many people just take Kyubey at its word that Homura was the one who rewrote Madoka's memories even though once the battle begins Sayaka and Bebe directly contradict that and Kyubey is completely blindsided by them. It's clear that Kyubey just did not know what was actually going on.
I want to add that I think Homura falling into despair is actually more than just wanting to be with Madoka. A part of it is Homura coming to terms that she is unhappy with Madoka’s original wish. Being in self denial about it, and trying to convince herself that there is no way she’d feel that way, because that would not be honoring Madoka’s wish. Which is why when she finds out she’s the one that caused this, and she’s the witch all the more painful. If that were the only case she could have very much gone off with Madokami near the end. She is however too self loathing and self sacrificial to such destructive degrees. Notice how she declares her love only when she’s finally the devil. She probably believes her love for Madoka is wrong, and it probably doesn’t help that she canonically grew up in a Catholic environment. That is probably why she did what she did in the end, because of her talk with Madoka in the flowers. That wasn’t her version of Madoka, that really was Madoka saying she’d never want to be away from Homura, her friends, and family. Madoka came in that labyrinth wanting to rescue Homura in the first place. Also consider characters like Kyoko and Mami acted and reacted like themselves, because it was truly their genuine selves. Sorry this is long I get very passionate about this series. I wanted to say this is a wonderful video, and it’s refreshing to see someone talk positively about this movie. I also prefer this movie, and you made me realize even more why that is.
There’s something awfully beautiful about Homura’s imperfections. She’s closer to a flawed human than any of the other characters and I love her for that. There’s also so much meaning put behind her labyrinth and her magical girl transformation at the start that I love every scene she’s in. Needless to say, I thought this movie was great lol Edit: Homura not Humora
I agree that rebellion was even better than the series; it's one of, if not my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time. I don't agree that Madoka's story wasn't interesting; she's my favorite, Homura being my second one-but I do agree that Rebellion stepped up from the series. The series was needed set up; rebellion, for me, was the pay off. Rebellion elevated the original series into new heights, and I'm always delighted to see when people love it just as much as I do!
I’m glad we agree on the importance stuff, I definitely understand why your favourite is Madoka though. Just not my cup of tea I guess! I’m happy people have been positive! When I was told the fandom was split, I expected more criticism for such a positive review, but people have been so kind. lots of others love the movie, which is great 😊 thanks for your comment.
Rebellion is my second favorite animated movie I’ve ever seen, behind only Kimi no Na W (Your Name). And that’s saying something because I love a whole lot of animated films. I just don’t know if there’s any other movie that has such an impressive combination of soundtrack, visuals and story as Rebellion does. It’s not just a movie it’s a whole art gallery, symphony and Shakespearean tragedy wrapped up in one.
I remember watching this movie YEARS ago, and it's funny how much my opinion on this series as a whole changed. I used to not like Homura's obsessive nature with Madoka, but after rewatching this multiple times, I realized how much Homura had suffered. Visually, Rebellion is a stunning film. I love how the girls transform with the music changing each time with each girl. Can't wait for the next movie.
I completely agree. I love Homura as a character, despite her faults and obsession with Madoka (that is a little creepy LOL). I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t heard more about this film… like you said, it is breathtaking and some of the shots/visuals were just… 👌. I’m super excited to have joined this fandom and I am now EXTREMELY excited to see what happens with Homura in the next film. Thanks for your comment!! ❤️
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.
Thing is, the girls have mostly all solved their problems except Homura. Besides, Sayaka is still capable of remembering the Law of Cycle, as well as other characters noticing something is off. Not to mention, Homura did go against Madoka's wish, so there is conflict there, but it's not easy to deduce whether Madoka will want to go back to that or live her life. Madoka's issue is that she doesn't know what value she brings, but if she begins to understand Homura's perspective, she could realise she is valued highly for her kindness, not just because she can save magical girls from doom. Also, I don't really agree with the theory that she wanted to die. She wanted to grow older (when she spoke with her mother about getting to drink alcohol one day), and wanted to be live happily with her family and friends. She just didn't know how to go forward, and a lot of kids feel aimless during that age.
10:15 I think Madoka's whole potential being actually due to Homura's time travels being focused around Madoka also takes away a lot from Madoka feeling like the powerhouse protagonist by herself. We see in the first timeline she would have been a pretty decent, but not anywhere near as outstanding magical girl and it is entirely because of Homura she ends up that way. I think that is a large part of the reveal of the series; Madoka was never special as a magical girl. However, her abundant, self-sacrificing kindness combined with Homura falling in love with her because of that means we end up with a self-perpetuating cycle of Madoka sacrificing herself and Homura inevitably resetting the timeline. To me, Madoka always felt like the focus because Homura, and therefore everyone else, was focused on her. Madoka is what we expect to see in a protagonist as an unwaveringly nice girl, but it's the presence of Homura that elevates Madoka's importance in universe and therefore for us, the audience. Something that is only really revealed when we are told about the timelines near the end of the show. I personally appreciate this approach even more since it explains why a more plain character is the focus versus other series where she'd just be the hero because she's the nice pink one, lol. Also, this video was great and I'm really glad someone else felt this way about the movie since it seemed obvious to me at the end of the tv series that Homura could never be satisfied with a Madoka that she could not be with and didn't ultimately save from disappearing. ❤
A great interpretation! Urobuchi, before he wrote Madoka Magica, had mentioned in an afterward for Fate/Zero's novels that he wasn't sure he could ever write a story about hope. He felt utterly incapable of it and it had affected his writing as such, but he thought maybe someday it could happen. Eventually, when Madoka Magica was about to air, he "decieved" the audience by posting "I finally wrote a story about hope" on twitter (fans called him a troll when the episode 3 aired, but he was cleverly referring to the ending). Later on, when asked in an interview about this comment, he said he used to feel that "hope" as a concept was something unrealistic, but while writing the story of Madoka Magica, he realized that maybe the right circumstances really can give the right kind of person the power to bring about justified hope after all!
Glad to see another fan enjoy Rebellion so much, I can't wait until the next film comes out to give us more story. I want them to be happy, but also like, to give more depth to Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka
I felt deeply that Homura had possibly the saddest ending in the anime so I’m glad Rebellion exists to address that. To me the movie took the story from a 10/10 masterpiece to an ♾/10 masterpiece.
Now I wonder if rebellion ending is not even sadder because Homura was so desperately trying to save Madoka and now she had to become her master. Madoka is now just Homura's pet and everyone else too. Also looks like now Madoka even hates Homura. Homura now is all alone in the whole world.
I never knew where to watch this until I found it on American youtube two months ago, and when I tell you Rebellion catapulted me back into the PMMM fandom I mean it! This movie is so brilliant, I'm really stoked for the next movie!
I'm pretty sure that Rebellion is my single favourite movie I've ever watched. It's an audiovisual experience, and it treads ground rarely seen elsewhere. Honestly, I don't think I can put it any better than what I said during last year's /r/anime rewatch: "What can't be said about Rebellion? Nothing." I somehow managed to build up a library of 38 different screenshots from the movie over time.
Rebellion truly surprised me, as I was impressed with Madoka Magica, but this movie brought it to a whole new level. So, I absolutely agree with you. It’s an extremely underrated piece of cinema, and I don’t think that’s an understatement. For the visuals and soundtrack alone it’s incredible. I think it’s underrated due to the fact that you need to watch something else before you can understand the plot. If it was its own highlighted story somehow, then I feel this movie would be highly regarded. I mean, I usually hear about good animated movies just in the conversations I have, so I was genuinely surprised that I hadn’t heard about Rebellion at all. All to say, it’s a great fucking movie.
I love this movie so much, more than any other it portrayed love in probably the best way I have ever seen, not as a good thing or a bad thing but the root of all things how all characters in the original series have a different relationship with love and how they deal with it from the obsessive homura that loved only madoka to madoka that loved everyone except for herself, one selfish and one selfless, there are a few movies I can think of that did this yet still not many. But what sets this one apart for me is that no view point is seen as better or worse by the show, we see how both extremes have their ups and downs and that love and hate, selfless and selfishness and good and bad are all tied together in limitless possibilities every one having its own unique messy yet orderly end. Sorry for the rant I just rly like this movie
I never looked at Madoka’s character as someone who “loved everyone but never loved herself”. That’s such a great way to put it! Thank you for your comment, I’m glad you love the movie, it’s an amazing movie.
@@Hanlunn thx, when I said the madoka didn't love herself I meant more in a way that she put herself last, in her mind everyone always came before her I think it's more a deep feeling of inadequacy compared to the rest of the girls, also something of note is that with each time reset homura did madoka became less and less.. confident, I don't really know how to put it but when I rewatched episode 10 I found madoka to change a lot more, which makes sense because the point of the time loops is to protect her but still it's almost as if she is a different character
@@jayoudshoorn5392 Aaaah I see, thanks for clarifying. And that’s an interesting idea, that Madoka slowly began to change the stronger she became. She does seem different in episode 10, so who knows?
Very nice analysis. I watched the show and Rebellion movie for the first time over the past 2 weeks and I think they both were truly worth watching. Instantly one of my favorite anime series of all time and I don't think I've ever felt such a closeness with characters from a show before. Homura really is just so compelling and shes my favorite character followed by Madoka. They're all characterized in a way that I think just hits the right notes for those who are watching it. In general, I really feel for Homura. She's gone through so much and in the end I hope she can be truly happy at the end of the 4th movie. Really hoping for a good resolution to all of their stories at the end of it as well.
I didnt know than there was people hating this movie, this is by far my favorite movie of all time, it has an amazing end and even knowing than there is another movie on the way, Im not sure if I want to see it because, I love this movie, I love to see how an story like this ends with the "bad ending" which is already weird enough but also gives a lot of plot twist on the way, its not just "the bad guy wins" which is as I saidm weird to see but its also a "the good girl wins and saves her loved one" but at the same time she is the bad girl now, I loved that end where the bad one wins by saving her loved one life and how that isnt bad but the story is that good than it is and thats the end, there was not a Hero stoping the devil, the movie ended with the hero becoming the villian and still wining by doing the same thing than she wanted to do even when she was the hero, just perfect, a perfect end, a perfect movie Im not sure if i want to see another end to this story
Rebellion is absolutely a masterpiece, the series as a whole is. I am so happy that I got to see rebellion for the first time at my local movie theatre back in 2013. Seeing that homura vs mami scene for the first time on the big screen was insane! I think the reason people dislike this movie so much is that most plot points aren’t shown to you on a silver platter, people like to have quick understanding and payoff in their media but Madoka is very psychological and requires deep thought to understand it fully which at least to me, means its written well. I always enjoy deep dives like this because it shows just how fleshed out these characters arcs are.
I recently rewatched all of Madoka and Rebellion (probably like 20 times at this point) and I stumbled upon your video! With the next movie coming ever closer, i just HAD to rewatch my favorite series of all time. I've been a constant supporter of the "Homura did nothing wrong" movement and you explain how I feel really well! Homura is COMPLICATED. But rightfully so. Homura has been my favorite character for a decade now (oh my god its been that long) and she will continue to be that for me with how relatable and well-written she is.
i love love loveeeee this movie, i've watched it more times than i can count from the moment in came out in 2013!! i always love to see people praise it because there are a lot of people who seriously don't like it which is beyond me. while homura's decision at the end is controversial there's really no denying that it makes sense-- homura would never settle for a world where all those years she spent in a time loop would ultimately amount to erasing madoka's existence which is the very OPPOSITE of what she wanted. i also think rebellion developed sayaka in a better way than the series did. while sayaka is pretty much battling tragedy the entire time in the series (and downright evil to homura in multiple timelines), to see her fight for homura and having fun with everyone is such a treat and it made her one of my fave characters after homura!! really excited to see where the new movie takes us there's so many possibilities >-
Madoka gave a piece of herself for Homura to remember her by.. The ribbon. Madoka magica was a great anime but it was missing something for me.. Then I watched Rebellion and everything changed, now Madoka Magica is by far the greatest anime that I have ever seen.
Great video. Really cool that you liked the movie and you took notice of the flower scene in tour first view, it's amazing how many people miss that detail. If you want to go more in depth with the series I really recommend the PMMM Different Story manga, only must read manga of the franchise in my opinion ;)
Great video, I also loved Rebellion. One of my favorite movies, and likely my 11th favorite film of all time. I could've put it in the Top 10, but due to the new Madoka Magica film coming up, I'm curious how the series may come with, Especially since Madoka herself is still a god, but Homura is just preventing her from remembering that. Maybe we can see Madoka and Homura battle it out, but you never know, and I want to see the other 4 girls which are Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Nagisa have a lot more screen time as well. My Top 10 list of favorite movies might possibly change someday. Anyways, yeah Rebellion is awesome. However remember in the original series where the whole mystery of the show was? We didn't know where Witches came from until episode 8, we didn't know why Homura was acting emotionless and wanted to prevent Madoka from being a magical girl until episode 10, we didn't know why Kyoko acted like an anti-hero until episode 7, and so on. It had quite an intense mystery that was well written. The same can be said with Rebellion. In rebellion, we didn't know why Homura acted normal and Madoka was here until we realized it was actually the fake Mitakihara city and it was Homura's labyrinth created by the Incubators. Like I love how both the show and rebellion were able to be this mysterious which is what I loved from this series. It's not just the mystery, the music was awesome like usual especially from Yuki Kajira my favorite composer. The fights were amazing, especially the gunfight with Homura and Mami, battling the nightmares, and the girls trying to save Homura from sacrificing herself. And yes I do enjoy the cake song and thought it was cute, but also funny at the same time. And yes Homura had a reason to fight Mami especially due to the fact that Homura realizes something is wrong while the other girls don't (Except for Nagisa and Sayaka). Yeah the ending felt kinda ending, but there were reasons why Homura turned into a demon. Her love is what made her fall into despair, she also kept wanting to save Madoka over and over again, which is why she took part of Madoka's physical form and took some of her powers (Which yes her demon form is on par with Goddess Madoka). Also Madoka is still a goddess, she just doesn't know yet because of Homura rewriting the laws which all makes sense. Her wish was dedicated to Madoka after all, even if it was for selfish reasons and turned her to be evil. So yeah I loved Rebellion. It's a fantastic film that makes me love the series a lot. The writing and animation was awesome and outstanding. I'm also really excited for the upcoming movie, and really excited to see how the series will continue. After all I didn't think the series was over just yet, the mystery is yet to be solved.
at the timestamp "a true masterpiece" i couldn't have said it better. This anime has always been my favorite since i have first seen it and this movie has to be personally and debatably my favorite movie of all time. and it is difficult for me to actually choose a single show or film to be my favorite considering i like a huge variety of genres. Thank you for putting this is perfect wording!!
Wait a minute - is it just me or did you misinterpret some key elements of this movie? The way I saw it, Homura's Soul Gem never got tainted by "Love" - that's impossible since it was explained in the series that the only way for the Soul Gem to get tainted enough to cause the MG to turn into a witch was by either exhausting the power of the Soul Gem till the point it become corrupted due to overuse of magic, or having to reject/regret the wish the owner made when becoming a MG (Kyubey: "Tell me the wish that will make you Soul Gem shine!" - this not only servers as Kyubey fulfilling his part of the contrat, but also a trigger for turning witch). This is the main reason why Homura's life became intertwined with Madoka's - if Homura ever doubted herself or came to dislike Madoka (reject the wish Homura made to protect Madoka) even the slightest bit in the series, Homura would instantly turn witch. She was trapped. At the end of the series, Homura makes the only mistake she's ever done, and that's mention Madoka's name to Kyubey after Madoka becomes "Godoka". In the movie, Kyubey's race devise a theory that the "Law of the Cycle" is something unnatural, and they aim to prove that theory by performing an experiment in a controlled environment with Homura at its center. Kyubey even explains in the movie that they artificially induced the witch state into Homura's Soul Gem (he uses the phrase "like a chick who failed to break its shell and developed into an adult inside its egg" or something along those lines) so that they might be able to capture the thing that everyone called "The Law of the Cycle" of which only Homura seemed to have memories of. "Godoka" did arrive inside Homura's cage and at some point, her conscience got trapped inside Homura's Corrupted Soul Gem, as was the case with the consciousness of the other characters Homura was familiar with and were still alive (Kyouko, Mami, and Madoka's family) - the cage had the power to allow things/people/entities that Homura "invited" to enter, but prevented leaving. After everyone's consciousness manages to break out of the Corrupted Soul Gem, they also break the cage that Homura's body was in, thus allowing "Godoka" to arrive "in person" and do what was Madoka's new job she wished for at the end of the series - Reap Homura's Soul before she became a witch (yeah there's no way to sugarcoat it - Godoka is nothing but a Soul Reaper that basically "kills" magical girls just before they have the chance to turn witch.) It is at that moment, that Homura is finally free of the wish she made to become a MG in the first place, and because of the experiment, she is reborn as an entity that is outside Godoka's (extremely limited) abilities. At that point, Homura is neither a magical girl, nor a witch - she is a being nobody has any concept of and the whole universe has to be rewritten to accept the existence of such an entity, just like when Godoka was created. At the end of the movie, what you see is not a world that Homura created, it is the result of how the universe was rewritten in order to accept Homura as a new unknown entity existing in it. The reason Homura calls herself "a devil" is, IMO, a tactic to scare off the Kyubey as to never attempt the experiment (that almost succeeded) like the one they subjected her to, ever again. Homura briefly mentioned "Love" as a concept feeling that not even humans have a complete grasp on, nor do they know the results it would bring up (think of all the Yandere who kill in the name of what they think is "love"), let alone the Kyubeys (which paradoxically created a way in which the Kyubeys could create energy from concepts they themselves lacked or did not understand - probably the only plothole in the story). Homura doesn't mind playing the "bad guy" and getting shunned by other characters as long as Madoka has a physical body so she can be with her family again and, conversely, is somewhere within Homura's reach, where Homura ca do what she'd been doing all this time: protect Madoka. So yeah, this was how I interpreted the Rebellion movie and the knowledge with which I am expecting the next movie.
@HeraYourQueen Bee Homura became "free" of her wish that turned her into an MG the moment her body and Soul Gem were put inside the cage the Kyubeys made and forcefully induced the witch state inside Homura's Soul Gem. When the MG becomes a witch, the wish they made to turn into a MG holds no more meaning or power over them. What the Kyubeys did to Homura is break the rules of the contract. In the movie, Kyubey explains that after studying the Soul Gems (not just Homura's) they discovered that the end purpose of the Soul Gem was to turn into a Grief Seed, thus creating the witch and generating huge amounts of energy that could be harvested. The wish served as a natural trigger for the Soul Gem to turn into a Grief Seed, but because of Madoka's wish, that was no longer possible. Godoka would arrive at the second the trigger was made and break/steal/take away the Soul Gem. In the movie, the Kyubeys completely bypass the wish mechanism of Homura's Soul Gem. By forcefully turning Homura soul inside the Soul Gem into that of a witch (because that's what a witch is: the Soul's energy manifested in physical form, with the Grief Seed as its core), Kyubey basically tore Homura's contract apart and her original wish had no more meaning or effect. The mechanism by which the MG turns witch is internally built inside the Soul Gem when it's created, and it has 2 switches I mentioned before: the main and most common one is for the MG to reject the wish they made when forming the contract, and the second is when they overuse the magic produced by the Soul Gem (only Urobuchi-sensei knows how that works, so maybe he could explain it better how use of magic causes a negative charge to build up in the Soul Gem and eventually transitions towards a Grief Seed). Homura did protect everyone till her "dying breath", and everyone working together managed to save Homura soul, but everything happened in such a roundabout way, her transition from MG to witch was so unnatural, that it caused Homura to be reborn as a new, undefined entity in their world. An entity Godoka had no power over, since Godoka's power is only limited to normal MGs, whereas Homura becomes some combination of both Magical Girl and Witch when she awakes. Why and how Homura awoke with a power to separate Madoka from her godlike entity and seal a part of her into a "human" body is something we might find out in the next movie. Despite what everyone says, I never thought for a second Homura is a villain, even after she declared herself a "devil" in the movie's ending. I believe she is very much afraid of Kyubey and his race, even in her current form, since they already proved capable of creating something as supernatural as a device that turns emotions into energy, let alone create an entity like Godoka, who is capable of transcending both time and space when a certain condition is met (a MG is on the point of becoming a witch). So yes, even if "Godoka" and "Akuma Homura" appear like beings with powers of universal proportions, they are still concepts that can be analyzed, studied, captured, detained and even eliminated by Kyubey's race, since, at the end of the day, the Kyubeys are their makers.
I feel what madoka says in the flower scene is genuinely how she feels when you listen to ultimate Madokas voice lines in magia record. She wanted to stay with her family and friends but she felt like she had to make her wish, she felt she was the only one who could save all those poor magical girls (and she probably was)
Now that you watched rebellion, here's another must watch anime sequel movie: Made in Abyss Dawn of the Deep Soul. Looking forward to season 2 of made in abyss and 4th movie of madoka.
I’ve been putting off watching the Made in Abyss movies for so long, thank you for the reminder, I think I actually will pretty soon lol. I’ve just finished rewatching the anime so I think it’s time.
this masterpiece brings me so many things... it was very special to watch this video ^^ it was almost like a retrospective, it hurts a little... but I loved it ❤
When I watched Rebellion I didn't think Homora was going to split Madoka from her god form just out of pure obsession. Homora is on her villain arc guys I swear.
I remember the first time I watched rebellion I was so conflicted, I enjoyed it sure, but I couldn't understand why Homura did what she did, I felt so confused, but after some time, thinking about it and rewatching it, it started making sense, slowly but surely I understood what was going on and the why of Homura's choice, nowadays I love the movie and I can't wait for the sequel Also the soundtrack is amazing, like holly heck the music is superb!
Thats right, come one, come all people to meet this girl who is so down bad she killed herself for loving someone to much" Thats one way to describe Homuras character
Such a missed opportunity for the story was for the wraith arc to get some type of adaptation whether it was another season, or a movie before rebellion since it took place beforehand
I loved it and I hope the coming sequel can turn it around in some way because despite her becoming a demon I think her character as the ultimate heroin was measure just right.
AWESOME video. I love to see videos about rebellion. Istg I listen to the ost to this movie daily 💀 i love thinking abt rebellion I remember showing this movie to a guy i knew who liked anime, and the only thing he had to say about it was "Homura is evil" and AUUGGHH It hurt my SOUL. If I still knew this guy I'd totally send him this video. You summed this all up so well, thank you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Rebellion was necessary and inevitable because as the series ending stood without it, Homura never actually got her wish granted. She gets to keep going until she's strong enough to save Madoka (whatever that means to her), so it was never actually over.
I LOVED Rebellion, completely and truly. It tugged on my heartstrings in exactly the right way and also paved the way nicely for more Madoka content potentially which is great. I kind of think I’m a bit of a blend between Madoka and Homura personality-wise, so I connected to both characters extremely easily. My mom says I’m not allowed to make magical contracts with alien cats though! :p
I love this movie I remember being mad at Homura years ago but hearing from the director that she’s repeated time so many times I think he said 100+ but implied she lost count is terrifying and sad for her
I really adored your take on the Rebellion movie - originally, before watching this video, Homura was a character I both hated and loved. The way love drove her mad to the point where she so selfishly took Madoka away from everyone and only to herself to contrast Madoka’s selfless sacrifice was something I could never grasp, but your evaluation on this made me rethink and view her so much differently.
that’s so cool! I really love Homura as a character, so I’m glad I changed your thoughts a bit 😅 I think your original evaluation was valid though, it’s hard to see a character you know change so much
I loved your narration of this amazing movies! Another “magical girl” movie that has the same vibe as rebellion and just as trippy and gay with a larger underlying meaning is Adolescence of Utena the movie, also taken from an anime series. I think you’d enjoy it!
I never disliked this movie--in fact the more times I watch it the more I love it--but like many fans I think it felt incomplete, and that cliffhanger of an ending certainly suggests that it was only one half of a whole. I'm hoping that with the second (well, technically fourth) movie *finally* coming out that people who initially hated 'Rebellion' will be able to see it in that context and reassess its place within the overall PMMM story for the better. One thing I also know fans really disliked was Homura's characterization in 'Rebellion,' saying that her heel turn came completely out of nowhere, and while I understand that sentiment I don't agree with it. Remember, Homura's character has always been defined by cycles and repetition: over and over she watched Madoka die, then went back in time to try and keep it from happening again. She did this countless times, always unable to break out of this obsessive, destructive pattern she'd written for herself. It looked like she might have broken out of this pattern by the end of the series, but the only reason she appeared to accept Madoka's fate was because she thought that was what Madoka truly wanted, but her passionate feelings for her friend never truly went away, only became buried, as did her guilt. I think some part of Homura always felt she'd let Madoka down, and she was suffering with a huge amount of guilt because of it. Then in 'Rebellion' Madoka pretty much confirms this when she tells Homura how much being separated from her fiends and family would break her heart. Whether Homura believed this dream Madoka was speaking the truth or only telling Homura what she wanted to hear didn't matter; her guilt complex kicked in and she backslid into her old pattern of trying to protect Madoka at all costs. And it's possible Homura wouldn't even have gone that far initially, but when it became clear that the Incubators were planning to capture and control The Law of Cycles, Homura knew she had to take drastic measures to keep Madoka safe from them. I've seen many people say that Homura's power-up also came out of nowhere, but it makes perfect sense when you remember the nature of her wish: "I don't want to be protected by [Madoka]! I want to be the one to protect her!" So when she realized that she'd failed Madoka and also that she was in danger, Homura's wish granted her a power even greater than Madoka's, essentially become the devil to Madoka's goddess. I'm not suggesting that Homura's actions were entirely unselfish, either--clearly she was more than fine with separating Madoka from he Law of Cycles and trapping her within the new world she created--but is this really out of character for her? To say Homura never showed any signs of obsession or infatuation when it came to Madoka is entirely inaccurate, and given the threat posed by the Incubators, plus her lingering guilt and her association with destructive cycles, it's hardly surprising that she appeared to backslide the way she did. Was Homura's character progression somewhat undone in this film? I suppose in a way, but I'm not sure her progress was ever as solid as it seemed by the end of the series. Ultimately she couldn't do what she'd tried so hard over and over to do, and while she begrudgingly accepted Madoka's wish for her friend's sake, I don't think it ever truly sat well with her, and deep down she felt like a failure. It also probably didn't help that she had absolutely no one to talk to about all this (except Kyubey for some inexplicable reason), and that feeling of isolation only deepened her suffering. Anyway, I just hope the final film gives us some long-awaited answers to some of these questions, as well as finally gives fans of the series some closure. I'm just know I'm super excited for it :)
Homura's power-up made a lot of sense to me. Just like Madoka is bound by the karmic destiny, Homura is the one causing it by time-travelling - shouldn't the same thing apply to her? Homura faced despair upon despair every single timeline and that's about a hundred timelines she went through. While a regular magical girl might succumb to the pressure in a single one of those. Homura's grief-seed SHOULD have an extreme amount of power when it bursts open. The reason she was probably be able to remain clear-headed, is because she justified all the pain and suffering in the name of "love". When magical girls sink in their despair, they have all these bitter emotions; anger, sadness, the wish to lash out, or the wish to disappear. They lose themselves and turn into a witch. Homura has all of these thoughts and balls them up, holds them to her chest and smiles that this is "her love for Madoka". And her end goal, to save Madoka, never changes even and perhaps especially when she feels this way, because this is the way she has managed to survive all those timelines. It's a coping mechanism that turned her feelings into that of obsession.
the whole situation reminds me of how people form weird friendships with famous people in a way where they see the famous person as their friend, forgetting that the person legit doesnt know them.. but homura is the fan and madoka is the famous one my point is homura had repeated a month about 100 times, so she wouldve been about 22 if she never went back in time at all. during the anime, you can see homura never really spent time with madoka, and it was probably like that the other times. homura doesnt really know madoka anymore, and madoka only knew homura for a month like you said, the version of madoka at the end of the story is very memory altered and homura and madoka arent close anymore. if madoka never asked homura to go back in time and everything, none of this wouldve happened! madoka probably wouldnt have asked that if she knew homura for longer. maybe homura thought she couldve fixed everything in one try, but it didnt work out. kyubey came off as such a sweet and innocent character that homura seemed like a villian and liar. i guess it became a lifelong task that homura dedicated herself to without realizing what she was doing. while she was trying to same madoka, she was also loosing her bond with her and stuff.. and ruining her life and everything. tbh homura shouldve just re-did that one day where madoka became a magical girl over and over. also, it was kinda odd of madoka to ask such a thing to homura. if homura becomes a magical girl to go back in time, she would eventually become a witch. and a suuper powerful one, because of the wish she made.
rebellion reminds me a lot of the end of evangelion, and the series as a whole. shinji and homura are both pushed beyond their breaking point. everything that can go wrong goes wrong, and both characters enter their personal hells. and they're both 14, which also brings their emotions to the brink naturally. and both movies emotionally destroyed me:))
Just so you know, there’s a manga that took place between the show and the movie called Wraith Arc, which is why the change from Wraiths without Madoka to Nightmares with Madoka is so jarring. As for anime, next is Magia Record which adapts the now shut down mobile game. I don’t know how relevant it will be in the upcoming movie but it could involve the various manga spinoffs or PSP game for all I know.
@@wanderperrucho3588 I have yet to see any official statement on the matter yet. From what I have seen on the subject the general consensus is that it’s uncertain for now, or in other words, ambiguously canon.
@@wanderperrucho3588 Except we have confirmation there is a connection before the Magia Record even came out. It’s already been confirmed that alternate timelines were a thing in the main show and other works such as Homura Tamura confirmed alternate universes. The Puella Magi series is much more than just the anime and it’s not logical to dismiss Magia Record until we get confirmation on its canonicity.
I hated the movie the first week after I watched it but once time passed to understand it, I realized that yes it made the story much better, and from a very good story it made it into a masterpiece of story telling.
whatever happens in the fourth movie, hopefully it isn't predictable like Homura sacrificing herself to save Madoka, simultaneously ending her own suffering and returning the world to the law of cycles
your video is what motivated me to watch rebellion because ive been putting it off! thanks for such a wonderful video, i appreciate the recap bc it was really hard for me to follow some parts of the movie so your clarification was really nice and helped me understand everything better. i couldnt agree more about homura completely outshining madoka in this movie, it’s just something about her selfishness for a simple life that’s so relatable! the suddenness in that sentiment scene with her and madoka in the flower fields had me crying the whole time hahaha, i felt like a lot of the moments in this movie were just ripping out tears and shock from me in all sorts of unexpected ways! and of course, from an art perspective, the animation and mixed media approach was so wonderful to watch. im subscribing for more videos to come from you because i really enjoyed it! thank you for sharing your thoughts with us ^__^
also, what you said about the movie being better than the show, i couldnt help but be reminded of a similar phenomena for evangelion. the end of evangelion is truly what elevated the series to its full potential and i definitely agree that a similar sentiment is shared in rebellion too!
Hanlunn: sees everyone who isn't the holy quintet as muddy blobs Nakazawa(the boy that is answers the egg question )and hitomi: what are we chopped liver
Love your review, you should look into the other Madoka Magica arcs! I highly recommend the Different Story manga, the side story that tells of the anime prequel continued with the scenario of Mami surviving her death in Ep 3. I love PMMM but that manga was the arc that made me obsessed with the franchise, it completely explored the girls' characters in greater depth, especially Mami and Kyoko since it mostly focused things from their point of view. Like Rebellion, it also relied on the foundation of the anime for the readers to appreciate the story, but my opinion (and a lot of readers out there) I like it way better than the anime! When you do, I definitely would love to hear on what you think of it as well :)
thank you lauren! your comment has completely convinced me to read the different story manga, in fact I’m excited now lol. Once I’m done with Nausicaa’s manga I’ll start it. I’ll try to remember to update my thoughts on it here :] or make a video if I have anything to comment on (which I imagine I will from what you said hehe). thank you 🙏🏻
4:38 look closely here, Mami's yellow ribbon flutters out and attaches to Homura, that explains/foreshadows what happens in the fight they have afterwards.
If we take everything as a trilogy - the original series being the first entry, Rebellion being the second, and Walpurgisnacht: Rising being the third - the overall outcome of the events in Rebellion start making more sense, I feel. Homura, styling herself as the villain, has all but won by splitting the Law of Cycles and creating a new universe dictated by herself. In a technical sense, it is the heroes' darkest hour; they've suffered a crushing defeat by inadvertently allowing Homura to backslide to her current state, and now have to pick up the pieces in order to succeed in the final climactic confrontation. God, the new movie can't come out soon enough.
@@orrorsaness5942 the first two movies are bigger budget recaps of the anime, with the first one, Beginnings, compiling episodes 1 - 8 and the second one, Eternal, compiling episodes 9 - 12. Because of this, Rebellion is considered the third, and Walpurgisnacht: Rising would be the fourth don't even bother watching the recaps though, they're not as good as the original anime with the exception of the new ost
I agree Rebelleon is better than Madoka Magica, which is already a masterpiece, it is the perfect progression of the story. We all wanted Homura to save Madoka and defy the rule that someone must be sacrificed for others to live.
It's been about a year since they announced the 4th movie now. Madoka Magica is my favorite anime which is probably why I play magia record. Anyway, I like watching the movie concept just in hope that one day we will receive the 4th movie
I liked that movie and how it ended too, but it still left a lot unexplained as how exactly Homura managed to take over entire universe ? Also for some reason now everyone is in the cult of Madoka considering her as infallible god who cannot opposed and Homura seem to be considered a some kind of heretic who is endangering the world. In the end it is also stated that Madoka is now Homura's enemy. So it looks like the previous world was created by Madoka(who did the same thing as homura) where Homura was inprisoned then in some way Homura snached it from her and turned into the new master of the universe, swapping places with Madoka (who seems to be not very happy about loss of her divine position). From the perspective of love, the moral of the story is that to get things right you need to take initiative in your hands. Being passive does not help.
As the show begins with a quote from Faust, it is very interesting that Homura should become the Devil. All the girls begin in a submissive role, working for Kyubey to get a wish granted as the good doctor did in a way, but Madoka breaks that. I'll have to watch the show again after i decide which version of Faust to read, it has a few interpretation being classical literature and all.
I always discribe Rebillion movie as the Berserk eclips arc of Magical girls 1 it opens up so many possibilities to go from the ending and 2 its structured like an origin story of an epic not so different from how lucifer was an angel cast down from the heavens and his relationship to his God like Homura and Madoka
I think about Rebellion from time to time. Some days ago a lot of Madoka content popped up on my TikTok and I realized something. I didn’t get why Homura was so cruel towards Sayaka in particular - particularly in the end (erasing her memory). But then I rewatched and I got it. Homura is very jealous. She thought she was the only person in the entire universe who remembered Madoka as she was. So when she realized others remembered and knew about original madoka, even if there were others Madoka herself incorporated into the law of cycles (because she loved her other friends!) she wasn’t happy. I don’t even think it’s romantic jealousy, but it feels like her plight and fight is undermined. So she *wasn’t* the only person that remembered Madoka as she was? I really think Rebellion is a movie about desire (love) opposing order, but also the wishes and desires of the “desired” or the other (the loved, Madoka). But then again, Madoka self-sacrificed herself. So is Homura putting herself first…. Or is she doing this for Madoka? Is it all just selfishness, or not? I wish the upcoming movie is about this lol. I think this is what the ending of Rebellion is about. As Nietzsche said: That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil. Nevertheless, absolute banger video, subbed
Madoka found a less bloody alternative to solve the entropy, and it's still not enough ? That's not being logical. That's being arrogant. They can't accept there's a higher force than them. And the worst part is, both the solution and the proccess behind it were completely logical !
What sucks even more is when Homura convinced herself that Madoka didn’t want to be a god and stop existing, you find out that one of her familiars (the blimps, I forget what they’re called) is solely meant to insure that all the characters acted out a script, rewriting their memories and forcing them to act the way they do, to be how Homura wanted them to be. So Madoka was literally just telling Homura she never wanted to leave, because that is what Homura wanted Madoka to be like.
Wait, Rebellion is really getting a follow-up at some point? The alleged continuation has been delayed so long I thought it was intentional. A bittersweet ending wouldn't be out of place in a series about growing up. Still, if The Devil is a Part-time can get a follow-up, hope springs eternal! I have heard of Magia Record, but I know little about it
Urobuchi (the writer) himself said he felt Rebellion "completed" Homura's story and that was enough for him. He intended to retire from the franchise after Rebellion and let someone else take on the next step. A few years later, we got a concept trailer for another sequel, but it wasn't clear who wrote it. Then, last year, we got a teaser for an actual sequel movie and Urobuchi posted on his twitter that he had written the draft for the story that was used in the concept trailer after all. It's unclear what Urobuchi's direct involvement in the new sequel movie (due to arrive in 2023) is, but he was credited as its "writer" again, so I'm hoping he comes back to realize his draft!
I'm confused how people can come away from watching the original series thinking that Madoka would be 100% ok with being un-personed, forced to work 24/7 forever and never see her family or friends again (aside from maybe the ones who became magical girls). It's pretty clear to me she only did it because it was honestly the only way to actually help? Anyhow, I hope that Madoka and Homura can come to some kind of compromise in the new movie. It'd be cool to see them become something like yin and yang or something, because honestly a world where magical girls just disappear is kind of sad in itself, even if it's less sad than them turning into witches
yes 👏👏 I feel she only did it both for Homura and to save the world, but I think she would have preferred to continue living her life happily. I hope they get a resolution after all they’ve gone through in the show, they deserve it.
It's complicated. If you notice throughout the original series, Madoka sorely lacks self-esteem and confidence before she turns into a magical girl. On the other hand, she's _really_ assertive in the timelines in episode 10 where she has already become a magical girl. There's also the scene where she's thinking about what she would wish for and she talks about how she feels powerless and talentless sometimes. She says "Maybe I do just want power?", indicating her desires lay where she has an active role in her own decisions. This later factors into her wish when she very strongly adds "kono te de" ("by my own hands") to her wish, ensuring she would be able to control her own fate and not leave her wish's success up to anyone else. She truly does derive strength from helping other people. In addition to this, while very few scenes from the original draft/script were cut in the final product, the draft/script was actually published as a book in Japan and there is one important scene missing from the final product where Homura and Madoka are talking on the school roof and Madoka says she's sure she wouldn't regret her wish, whatever her wish ends up being. This scene was later added back into the compilation films, but the original draft/script shows us it was always intended to be part of the original story. _However,_ we also know from interviews that producer Iwakami raised doubt that a middle school girl could really carry the fate of all magical girls on her shoulders, and that this doubt spurred writer Urobuchi to reconsider Madoka's position and capabilities. Rebellion doesn't outright reject that Madoka is still capable of carrying this burden, but we see normal Madoka express that she would never desire to leave Homura behind and we later see a scene where Ultimate Madoka's giant arm is covered in scars, suggesting the burden is not painless for her either. Similarly, the concept trailer expresses in its narration that Ultimate Madoka may have robbed herself of her own true happiness by separating herself from her friends and family. Whatever burden Madoka is actually capable of carrying, Homura is now the anti-thesis of Madoka's desire to control her own destiny, so they are, for now, in a conflict of interest over Madoka's true desires. I can't wait for Walpurgisnacht's Turnaround to follow up on this theme!
@@Junosensei Oh yeah. She always did seem much happier as a magical girl (until she realized the price). I don't think she hates everything about what her wish brought her, but yeah, I still don't think it's to the point where she's totally fine with not being remembered by and never be able talk to people she loves again. But even if, for argument's sake, she was perfectly 100% fine with it... there's a thing even beyond Madoka about her wish that bugs me. I've heard a lot about how Madoka's wish affects Madoka, how its great that Madoka got to grow to being the kind of person she wanted(?) to be and how awful Homura is for taking that from her, but not many take into account that Madoka stripped everyone else of /their/ choice wishing what she wished. It was understandable why Madoka wished for what she wished for, of course, but are magical girls really not even allowed to /try/ to carve out a compromise between disappearing and turning into witches? No? They just have to submit to disappearing forever and that's that? Sounds kind of tyrannical to me. Yup! Really excited for that movie.
@@hrb9679 I'm pretty sure the reason that magical girls don't get a choice between disappearing and turning into a witch comes down to three factors: 1. The fact that magical girls and witches are fundamentally linked together through emotion, 2. How wishes manifest, and 3. Madoka's own belief in the idea of "magical girls". Reason 1 is significant because we clearly see in the story that the despair in a magical girl's soul gem AND the rest of the gem both get absorbed by Madoka when she's purifying them as Madokami. The reason for this likely being that the despair a magical girl accumulates in their soul gem is a part of themself that comes about through using their soul to wield magic. Madoka can't just take the despair out of the soul and then leave the girl intact because these two things are tied together too fundamentally to be distinguished. Reason 2 is significant because we often see wishes manifest in a very straightforward, "efficient", way. I don't believe I have to cite any examples for why I think this here, though I'll admit that this interpretation is somewhat subjective. In other words, magical girls disappear and are absorbed into happyland inside Madoka's soul gem because that's apparently the most straightforward way to grant her wish. And finally, reason 3 is significant because it was one of the driving factors that caused Madoka to make the specific wish that she did. If she didn't like the concept of "magical girl" so much then couldn't she have just wished for a world where magical girls never existed? Of course, that would be quite the paradox; she probably intended to make the wish that was most likely to actually succeed with the least chance of outright negative consequences. But I definitely think that there's a strong argument that Madoka wants to believe in magical girls; and that this affected the way she made her ultimate wish. Basically, I think that magical girls don't get a choice because there simply isn't a middle-ground between disappearing and turning into a witch; or at least, there isn't due to the way Madoka's wish was worded and came about. Perhaps they can find a better way in the next movie, though I wouldn't get my hopes up.
@@rerver8842 I mean that's how it is now, yeah (or at least before the end of Rebellion.) It still seems cowardly and defeatist to accept to the point of insistence that the only solution to the witch problem is submitting to death, though. I mean maybe you're right and there isn't a solution to the issue other than those two things. But maybe you're wrong and girls will forever die earlier than they need to because they don't have the guts to defy how things are.
I love Madoka Magika because it was soooo masterpiece. So masterpiece to the point all in comment Section of all Madoka review video bacame essay to tell how Masterpiece it was.
Literally one of my most favorite series. Theres so much angst and trauma, I love it. Its so beautiful yet so sad. And the fact that she came back as a human again was kinda shocking but now I also am excited too to watch Walpurgis no Kaiten (No they didn't defeat Walpurgis, its dead already. Idiot)
Did you ever imagine a crossover between "Manhunt" and "Madoka Magica" ? Just imagine for a moment. A girl who is told by Kyubey that the evil behind the city is all being caused by the witches. But as the story progresses, and the more time the girl spends with the protagonist, seeing how the city's evil was also caused by humans alone, there's a point in which she just gives up, and after Lionel's demise, she becomes a witch continuing on his job, and her executioner is none other than Kyoko, the girl who represents humanity's greed.
![Sayaka's Motives in Rebellion [Puella Magi Madoka Magica - REBELLION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FFjCVobHrcA/mqdefault.jpg)
thank you for watching! :)
I don't know why you may find it cringe but the video is very well written and edited, not too short nor long. I'd like to see other analysis of other anime from you. Like Made in abyss before the second season come out, or Houseki no Kuni which I personally love a lot. There are many other examples but its fine, keep it at your pace, you're doing great!
@@kira6353 I guess it makes me cringe because I can only see all the mistakes I made. It's difficult for me to look at it in another pov, but hearing your thoughts and others definitely helps! I was actually thinking of possibly covering Made in Abyss next, as I've been wanting to rewatch it lately. We shall see, either way thanks for wanting to see them! that's very cool to me B) (and I did start watching Houseki no Kuni, I'm a few episodes in... it's very good)
This isn't homura's paradise. This is a personalized hell for Homura, disguised as a paradise. You can tell because of her "familiars" constantly mocking her, jumping off cliffs, and just generally all the suicidal imagery associated with Homura after she did this. She hates herself for this.
I think it started as her paradise. I think it turned into a lucid dream sort of thing later, where she realized what she had done and THEN the self hatred came about and turned into all that imagery and stuff
If we're starting with her witch's barrier, then yes, it did start as a paradise for her and everyone involved. She willfully turned it into a personalized hell for herself when she realized what she'd done.
I feel like Homura is kind of playing the role of the unrepentant devil in an attempt to keep herself stable.
If Homura was honest with herself I don't think she'd be able to go against Madoka without the guilt eating her alive, but if its the devil going against god, she can wash herself of the blame by telling herself she never had a choice.
@@fantage20012 the way I interpret it, it's self flagellation. But tbh, self harm is a destructive coping mechanism so we could both easily be right. I don't think she's necessarily washing herself of the blame though, I think she's redirecting her pain to make it bearable (the usual purpose of self harm). Remember the suicidial imagery? Self harm is an extremely common tool suicidal people use to cope.
This an not the plot twist is what I find troublesome with the movie. Homura won. Madoka is back and all the law of cycles now lacks is not integral to it's functioning: Madoka the human.
You WON, girl. No need to get mopey about it.
This movie is everything I wanted out of Madoka, pure fanservice at the beginning (because my pee pee brain just want to see these girls be happy for once) and pure angst for the rest of it. Escapism fantasy is one of my favorite trope, so this movie is right up my alley!!
it’s one of my favourites too!
Right it’s one of my favorite movies
I love how fanservice to us is just seeing the characters not suffering for a change
then i’m sure you’d like omori
The fanservice was fucking horrible, though. It's full of insipid shit and often stands in contradiction with the narrative and characterization presented in the original series. So much of it is just there to pander. It's indefensibly awful and the fact that people are saying it's okay nowadays is sickening, as though Magia Record's putrid cash cow-milking existence brought in a bunch of brain-rotted gacha whales who were okay with the entire setting, its themes, and aesthetic being cheapened as long as they got to beat their meat to cheap wish-fulfillment smiles.
Bruh I was so confused when I saw that people hated Rebellion, I was like "This is actually a perfectly logical conclusion to Homura's mental state after 12 years of this shit". I also want to mention the song Mata Ashita, which is considered Madoka's theme. Reading the lyrics it's... really kind of sad, I think it almost gives more credence to the idea that Madoka is lonely as a God and she truly wanted to just be with her friends normally.
I don't think people also seem to realize the implication behind Homura's wish: "I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. Instead of being protected _by_ her, I want to protect her!" The wording of wishes in this series is very important. Her wish trapped her; she couldn't become a witch during the loop because she can't protect Madoka as a witch. She can't DIE because if she dies, she can't protect Madoka, do you get it? Basically her seemingly high mental fortitude was the effect of being dragged along by her wish for 12 years. Even fate itself would save Homura; remember Mami going crazy after finding out about Witches and Madoka shoots her gem right before Mami would have killed Homura? I'm not entirely unconvinced fate moved in this way because of Homura's wish, the irony being that Madoka had to protect Homura again just to solve the wish paradox that Homura dying would have created.
I think what the people who hate Rebellion for what they did to Homura fail to realize is that this is exactly what she was doing in the main series, but on a larger scale: doing what she can to save Madoka while actively self-destructing. Even at the end end if Rebellion, when she got Madoka and all their friends, she says that she knows when they eventually get out of her spell, they will all hate her, especially Madoka. The subtext is that she's not doing this even because she wants to, but because she feels that this is the only option. That her giving Madoka the life she deserves (or at least that Homura feels she deserves) is more important than whether Madoka hates her or not, even though Madoks is the most important person in her life. It is both tremendously selfish and selfless at the same time.
It's just plain abuse
@@hectordelafuentegarciathe alternative was to leave Madoka to a fate worse than death😅
i find it interesting too that at the end of the original series; the very last episode, homura was never okay nor accepted madoka’s wish. she was begging her not to leave, and never shook that feeling. she just missed her, she wanted her back. rebellion makes complete sense and made the series so much better than it already was.
I was heartbroken when it came out and everyone hated on it (especially the ending) because I absolutely loved it. They all said it was “confusing” and “badly done” or “a horrible continuation to the Madoka franchise.”
Funny enough the ones that seemed to hate Rebellion then, now LOVE Magia record. (I don’t like Magia record) so it’s just weird to see how divided this fandom is. I’m happy now people are finding out they actually like Rebellion.
Yeah, I can see why people could get upset, but even still it’s not a good reason to dislike a movie. As someone new to the fandom (so, relatively unbiased nostalgia wise), it was genuinely a great movie, so idk, people just gotta get with it. 😎
Imo the first season of magia record was mediocre, it felt so cheap, haven't seen the second season yet so idk about it, but im not to convinced that ill like it
i dont like magireco either. im not watching it until the final season finish airing. watched season 1 with as little as "this is madoka magica" as possible. Just a new story. doesn't need to be crazy good. still manage to disappoint.
I've always loved Rebellion, it was just such a captivating love story.
Meh, Magia Record anime adaptation is trashy, I don’t even bothered watching final season, (first season was really promising but it downhill in second season and they have to seriously removed Walpurgisnacht battle that supposed be in final arc)
Homura is just the best character ever! Her appearance in Rebellion is outstanding, and that plot twist at the end makes perfect sense when you consider Homura's journey
absolutely! her character arc is part of what makes this movie so great
7:08 I get what you meant, but it can't be stressed enough that Homura was the one who subconsciously invited everyone into the labyrinth while Kyubey's barrier just kept everyone from leaving.
The first act was the only unfiltered view into Homura's subconscious desires we get in the whole series. She's not just obsessing over Madoka 24/7 like some would believe, but she's happily living alongside the other magical girls. This is reflected in the world she creates at the end of the movie with everyone living happy lives.
Before her fight with Mami, Homura even lamented on how acting coldly towards the others pained her deeply, and she even made an effort to cheer up Mami when they were talking in the apartment over tea.
I think Homura's a good person at heart who's been put under impossible circumstances, so judgements of her moral character have always come off as unreasonably harsh.
As for her ultimate decision, I believe Homura was completely genuine when she told Madoka that all she really wanted is "a world in which you can be happy". Hell, Homura's belief that madoka wasn't "saved" as a concept is what allowed her to overwrite Godoka in the first place (Homura retaining her memories and time magic from the previous universe is proof that her wish of being "strong enough to protect Madoka" subsisted as well).
Regarding the flower field scene, the fact that Madoka doesn't represent the Law of Cycles, but who Madoka was before she made her wish is the whole point. It's quite clear that leaving her life behind and becoming a concept would pain her deeply (it's not like she wished for that in the first place), but since she was the only one with the power to do so, she felt responsible for the salvation of magical girls and acted accordingly. Homura just felt she deserved better than, what she and Mami called in ep 12, "a fate worse than death". Even then, Homura wasn't even fully convinced that was the real Madoka until Kyubey spelled it out for her which is why Homura said "so that really was..." as the labyrinth was collapsing.
And if all that wasn't convincing enough, there's other media that supports this. The ED for episode 1 and 2 of the anime "Mata Ashita" is actually Madoka's character song sung by her VA. The song is about Madoka lamenting over the life she lost as a God post-series. Here's the final verse and chorus:
Instead of "See you later"
I should've said, "I'll stay for a little longer"
I wanted and hoped that you would realize it
But with the words "See you later"
I lie to myself again
And hide my true feelings beneath my usual smile.
Saying, "See you later," I wave my hand
Cracking a smile, yet I'm feeling lonely
The truth is, I still have more to talk about
But with the words "See you later"
I say we'll meet again, but it's a lie
and with my usual smile, I say
"See you tomorrow"
And if _that_ wasn't enough, the concept movie for the next installment made by Magica Quartet plainly spells out how heaven is deprived of the joys of a mundane life and how Homura "took pity on the goddess" by splitting her in two.
What I find strange in the ending that Madoka and everyone else is quite unhappy about what Homura did for some reason.
For me it looks like what Madoka did was to create some kind of afterlife for all magical girls where they go after they die since Kyubey was also puzzled that something is not completely right with laws of reality because rather then turning into witches magical girls disappear. Then he puts Homura on observation to see what will happen at the moment when she should turn into a witch. And then all former magical girls come to bring madoka to the new afterlife.
As I understand in the end madoka is inviting Homura to her world where all other magical girls live already but rather then following her, Homura drags Madoka to her own world herself.
Judging from the fact that at that moment pretty much every girl is a witch already, Homura probably also is a witch and all that world is her labyrinth.
Also girls probably received some psychological help in the madoka's world because now they are ok with their witch forms.
One thing not touched on in the video is the fact that Homura actually creates a perfect world for everyone...but herself. In the end, everyone is reunited, they don't become witches, they live their lives as if it was a generic harmless magical girl series. Not Homura **cannot** interact with Madoka for fear of Madoka regaining her me.lries and shattering this new reality. In the end Homura stands in front of a half moon (literally segmented, not just the moon phase) and drops herself off a half hill. She is only partly fulfilled by this turn of events - she successfully saved Madoka but still is forever denied a cheerful happy life together with her.
Everyone gets a happy ending. Aside from Homura, who sacrificed it all for everyone else just like Madoka did, only in a much more selfish manner. They are two sides of the same coin and their sacrifices are mirror images of one another. Homura pulled herself out of the world for Madoka's sake, she can't enjoy it herself
@@Pikayumyums I think it was different message. What really happened is Homura noticed that she has to take everything in her own hands if she wants things to go right.
Unfortunately she did not save Madoka she turned Madoka into her pet. Madoka never cared about Homura she maybe saved the world but Homura was not different from anyone else to Madoka
@@deltaxcd I disagree, Madoka cared about Homura from the very beginning. In the first timeline they became friends, *however* due to constantly going back in time Homura was able to build on the relationship while Madoka started from scratch every time. She just wasn't at the level Homura was at bc she didn't have those additional timelines interacting with her and bonding. Even at the very end of the series, Madoka has a moment with Homura before she becomes the Law of Cycles which shows how Madoka feels about her and how they've gotten closer, as well as gifts her red ribbons to Homura. If Madoka saw her as "not different from anyone else" then she wouldn't have done all that
I’m so happy you liked rebellion. This is honestly one of my favorite movies and I think it took the series into an amazing place, so I am happy to find someone who liked it instead of hating it based on the final twist in the movie.
I seriously couldn’t agree more. It’s an amazing movie, I get people don’t liked a character they love being turned into an antagonist, but it’s so good???? I loved it.
@@Hanlunn Part of Homura's wish was to be "strong enough to protect Madoka"... When Madoka became a god, the power standard for "strong enough" leveled up quite a bit. I think this is why Homura was able to power-match Madoka. But also, it just makes sense for Homura's character to still try to protect Madoka even when Madoka is a god beyond time and space. Homura even allowed herself to become evil in order to have a tiny chance at giving Madoka a normal life. It's such an intense love. I don't view Homura as the antagonist here, but the true protagonist.
It's philosophically interesting, analogous to the difference between preference utilitarianism (caring about people's preferences) and ordinary utilitarianism (caring about people's happiness), except in this case focused on one person. It's such a complex theme. Homura cares only about Madoka's happiness; she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness, the happiness of the rest of the world, and even Madoka's own stated goals, in that pursuit. Is that love? It's a real conflict that sometimes happens, when the person you love sacrifices themselves for others, or throws themselves into danger.
The thing that I love about this is what the initial trigger for Homura was. During the scene on the roof right before the people lose their faces, Homura was laughing with her friends; However the moment she recognizes that she is genuinely happy, the music changes to *_"Something, Everything is Wrong"_* and from that point the world starts falling apart because she is rejecting it. She rejected the tailor made paradise because she couldn't accept happiness. Homura knew that there could be no peace for her because at the end of the day, her wish wasn't fulfilled and all of her efforts didn't save Madoka; It gave her a fate far worse than death. After Paradise fell, only her insanity remained and by talking to the brainwashed/memory erased version of Madoka in the field of flowers, she fell from a Witch to The Devil, in all but form, right there.
7:43 there are hints that Madoka actually felt that way, and not just because of her incomplete memories during that scene.
First, when madoka reaches out to homura, we can see her arm coming down through a window. That arm is covered in scars, showing that she is suffering in her current abstract and lonely existence.
Then, there's a hint in the main series itself (so those who reject Rebellion as non-canon at least can't deny that Godoka is suffering). That hint is cleverly hidden in the ending credits of episodes 1 and 2. If you read the lyrics without context, it's just a cutesy, if a bit melancholic, song that contributes to the great episode 3 deception. But if you re-read those lyrics with episode 12 in mind, then they take a whole new meaning.
And Godoka herself actually said (before she gave the ribbons to Homura) that now she can see everything in the past and future and that she is grateful for everything Homura did for her.
Your also forgetting the most important thing with the altered memory hypothesis.
None of the 3 that snuck in had their memories altered by Homulily.
Madoka did it to herself to help sneak past Kyubey.
@@SanvelloSerapiega Yeah, this is a huge point. So many people just take Kyubey at its word that Homura was the one who rewrote Madoka's memories even though once the battle begins Sayaka and Bebe directly contradict that and Kyubey is completely blindsided by them. It's clear that Kyubey just did not know what was actually going on.
was gonna point this out, but you beat me to it 👍
I like to think Madoka felt this way before kyubey showed her the magical girls of the past and their suffering
I want to add that I think Homura falling into despair is actually more than just wanting to be with Madoka. A part of it is Homura coming to terms that she is unhappy with Madoka’s original wish. Being in self denial about it, and trying to convince herself that there is no way she’d feel that way, because that would not be honoring Madoka’s wish. Which is why when she finds out she’s the one that caused this, and she’s the witch all the more painful.
If that were the only case she could have very much gone off with Madokami near the end. She is however too self loathing and self sacrificial to such destructive degrees. Notice how she declares her love only when she’s finally the devil. She probably believes her love for Madoka is wrong, and it probably doesn’t help that she canonically grew up in a Catholic environment. That is probably why she did what she did in the end, because of her talk with Madoka in the flowers. That wasn’t her version of Madoka, that really was Madoka saying she’d never want to be away from Homura, her friends, and family. Madoka came in that labyrinth wanting to rescue Homura in the first place. Also consider characters like Kyoko and Mami acted and reacted like themselves, because it was truly their genuine selves.
Sorry this is long I get very passionate about this series. I wanted to say this is a wonderful video, and it’s refreshing to see someone talk positively about this movie. I also prefer this movie, and you made me realize even more why that is.
There’s something awfully beautiful about Homura’s imperfections. She’s closer to a flawed human than any of the other characters and I love her for that. There’s also so much meaning put behind her labyrinth and her magical girl transformation at the start that I love every scene she’s in. Needless to say, I thought this movie was great lol
Edit: Homura not Humora
I completely agree. Homura is one of the most human characters I know, her writing truly made this movie incredible.
how about Sayaka?
I agree that rebellion was even better than the series; it's one of, if not my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time. I don't agree that Madoka's story wasn't interesting; she's my favorite, Homura being my second one-but I do agree that Rebellion stepped up from the series. The series was needed set up; rebellion, for me, was the pay off. Rebellion elevated the original series into new heights, and I'm always delighted to see when people love it just as much as I do!
I’m glad we agree on the importance stuff, I definitely understand why your favourite is Madoka though. Just not my cup of tea I guess!
I’m happy people have been positive! When I was told the fandom was split, I expected more criticism for such a positive review, but people have been so kind. lots of others love the movie, which is great 😊 thanks for your comment.
Rebellion is my second favorite animated movie I’ve ever seen, behind only Kimi no Na W (Your Name). And that’s saying something because I love a whole lot of animated films. I just don’t know if there’s any other movie that has such an impressive combination of soundtrack, visuals and story as Rebellion does. It’s not just a movie it’s a whole art gallery, symphony and Shakespearean tragedy wrapped up in one.
I remember watching this movie YEARS ago, and it's funny how much my opinion on this series as a whole changed.
I used to not like Homura's obsessive nature with Madoka, but after rewatching this multiple times, I realized how much Homura had suffered.
Visually, Rebellion is a stunning film. I love how the girls transform with the music changing each time with each girl.
Can't wait for the next movie.
I completely agree. I love Homura as a character, despite her faults and obsession with Madoka (that is a little creepy LOL). I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t heard more about this film… like you said, it is breathtaking and some of the shots/visuals were just… 👌. I’m super excited to have joined this fandom and I am now EXTREMELY excited to see what happens with Homura in the next film. Thanks for your comment!! ❤️
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.
Thing is, the girls have mostly all solved their problems except Homura. Besides, Sayaka is still capable of remembering the Law of Cycle, as well as other characters noticing something is off. Not to mention, Homura did go against Madoka's wish, so there is conflict there, but it's not easy to deduce whether Madoka will want to go back to that or live her life. Madoka's issue is that she doesn't know what value she brings, but if she begins to understand Homura's perspective, she could realise she is valued highly for her kindness, not just because she can save magical girls from doom.
Also, I don't really agree with the theory that she wanted to die. She wanted to grow older (when she spoke with her mother about getting to drink alcohol one day), and wanted to be live happily with her family and friends. She just didn't know how to go forward, and a lot of kids feel aimless during that age.
@@magicalgirl4 it wasn't my theory. I heard others say it. I merely adhered to it.
Love this movie. Gave me an existential crisis the first time I watched it. 10/10 Would break down again
break down is worth it
10:15 I think Madoka's whole potential being actually due to Homura's time travels being focused around Madoka also takes away a lot from Madoka feeling like the powerhouse protagonist by herself.
We see in the first timeline she would have been a pretty decent, but not anywhere near as outstanding magical girl and it is entirely because of Homura she ends up that way. I think that is a large part of the reveal of the series; Madoka was never special as a magical girl. However, her abundant, self-sacrificing kindness combined with Homura falling in love with her because of that means we end up with a self-perpetuating cycle of Madoka sacrificing herself and Homura inevitably resetting the timeline.
To me, Madoka always felt like the focus because Homura, and therefore everyone else, was focused on her. Madoka is what we expect to see in a protagonist as an unwaveringly nice girl, but it's the presence of Homura that elevates Madoka's importance in universe and therefore for us, the audience. Something that is only really revealed when we are told about the timelines near the end of the show. I personally appreciate this approach even more since it explains why a more plain character is the focus versus other series where she'd just be the hero because she's the nice pink one, lol.
Also, this video was great and I'm really glad someone else felt this way about the movie since it seemed obvious to me at the end of the tv series that Homura could never be satisfied with a Madoka that she could not be with and didn't ultimately save from disappearing. ❤
A great interpretation! Urobuchi, before he wrote Madoka Magica, had mentioned in an afterward for Fate/Zero's novels that he wasn't sure he could ever write a story about hope. He felt utterly incapable of it and it had affected his writing as such, but he thought maybe someday it could happen. Eventually, when Madoka Magica was about to air, he "decieved" the audience by posting "I finally wrote a story about hope" on twitter (fans called him a troll when the episode 3 aired, but he was cleverly referring to the ending). Later on, when asked in an interview about this comment, he said he used to feel that "hope" as a concept was something unrealistic, but while writing the story of Madoka Magica, he realized that maybe the right circumstances really can give the right kind of person the power to bring about justified hope after all!
Rebellion is an absolute masterpiece i wish it would get the recognition it deserves
me too 😔
Glad to see another fan enjoy Rebellion so much, I can't wait until the next film comes out to give us more story. I want them to be happy, but also like, to give more depth to Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka
glad you’re glad! I’m hyped to see where the characters go from here… should be cool to see.
I felt deeply that Homura had possibly the saddest ending in the anime so I’m glad Rebellion exists to address that. To me the movie took the story from a 10/10 masterpiece to an ♾/10 masterpiece.
you get it!
Now I wonder if rebellion ending is not even sadder because Homura was so desperately trying to save Madoka and now she had to become her master. Madoka is now just Homura's pet and everyone else too. Also looks like now Madoka even hates Homura. Homura now is all alone in the whole world.
I love the thumbnail. Homura is the queen of looking pissed/grunmpy lmao
I never knew where to watch this until I found it on American youtube two months ago, and when I tell you Rebellion catapulted me back into the PMMM fandom I mean it! This movie is so brilliant, I'm really stoked for the next movie!
I'm pretty sure that Rebellion is my single favourite movie I've ever watched. It's an audiovisual experience, and it treads ground rarely seen elsewhere. Honestly, I don't think I can put it any better than what I said during last year's /r/anime rewatch: "What can't be said about Rebellion? Nothing." I somehow managed to build up a library of 38 different screenshots from the movie over time.
Rebellion truly surprised me, as I was impressed with Madoka Magica, but this movie brought it to a whole new level. So, I absolutely agree with you. It’s an extremely underrated piece of cinema, and I don’t think that’s an understatement. For the visuals and soundtrack alone it’s incredible.
I think it’s underrated due to the fact that you need to watch something else before you can understand the plot. If it was its own highlighted story somehow, then I feel this movie would be highly regarded. I mean, I usually hear about good animated movies just in the conversations I have, so I was genuinely surprised that I hadn’t heard about Rebellion at all.
All to say, it’s a great fucking movie.
I love this movie so much, more than any other it portrayed love in probably the best way I have ever seen, not as a good thing or a bad thing but the root of all things how all characters in the original series have a different relationship with love and how they deal with it from the obsessive homura that loved only madoka to madoka that loved everyone except for herself, one selfish and one selfless, there are a few movies I can think of that did this yet still not many. But what sets this one apart for me is that no view point is seen as better or worse by the show, we see how both extremes have their ups and downs and that love and hate, selfless and selfishness and good and bad are all tied together in limitless possibilities every one having its own unique messy yet orderly end. Sorry for the rant I just rly like this movie
I never looked at Madoka’s character as someone who “loved everyone but never loved herself”. That’s such a great way to put it! Thank you for your comment, I’m glad you love the movie, it’s an amazing movie.
@@Hanlunn thx, when I said the madoka didn't love herself I meant more in a way that she put herself last, in her mind everyone always came before her I think it's more a deep feeling of inadequacy compared to the rest of the girls, also something of note is that with each time reset homura did madoka became less and less.. confident, I don't really know how to put it but when I rewatched episode 10 I found madoka to change a lot more, which makes sense because the point of the time loops is to protect her but still it's almost as if she is a different character
@@jayoudshoorn5392 Aaaah I see, thanks for clarifying. And that’s an interesting idea, that Madoka slowly began to change the stronger she became. She does seem different in episode 10, so who knows?
Very nice analysis. I watched the show and Rebellion movie for the first time over the past 2 weeks and I think they both were truly worth watching. Instantly one of my favorite anime series of all time and I don't think I've ever felt such a closeness with characters from a show before. Homura really is just so compelling and shes my favorite character followed by Madoka. They're all characterized in a way that I think just hits the right notes for those who are watching it. In general, I really feel for Homura. She's gone through so much and in the end I hope she can be truly happy at the end of the 4th movie. Really hoping for a good resolution to all of their stories at the end of it as well.
I didnt know than there was people hating this movie, this is by far my favorite movie of all time, it has an amazing end and even knowing than there is another movie on the way, Im not sure if I want to see it because, I love this movie, I love to see how an story like this ends with the "bad ending" which is already weird enough but also gives a lot of plot twist on the way, its not just "the bad guy wins" which is as I saidm weird to see but its also a "the good girl wins and saves her loved one" but at the same time she is the bad girl now, I loved that end where the bad one wins by saving her loved one life and how that isnt bad but the story is that good than it is and thats the end, there was not a Hero stoping the devil, the movie ended with the hero becoming the villian and still wining by doing the same thing than she wanted to do even when she was the hero, just perfect, a perfect end, a perfect movie
Im not sure if i want to see another end to this story
Rebellion is absolutely a masterpiece, the series as a whole is. I am so happy that I got to see rebellion for the first time at my local movie theatre back in 2013. Seeing that homura vs mami scene for the first time on the big screen was insane! I think the reason people dislike this movie so much is that most plot points aren’t shown to you on a silver platter, people like to have quick understanding and payoff in their media but Madoka is very psychological and requires deep thought to understand it fully which at least to me, means its written well. I always enjoy deep dives like this because it shows just how fleshed out these characters arcs are.
I recently rewatched all of Madoka and Rebellion (probably like 20 times at this point) and I stumbled upon your video! With the next movie coming ever closer, i just HAD to rewatch my favorite series of all time. I've been a constant supporter of the "Homura did nothing wrong" movement and you explain how I feel really well! Homura is COMPLICATED. But rightfully so. Homura has been my favorite character for a decade now (oh my god its been that long) and she will continue to be that for me with how relatable and well-written she is.
thanks so much rizumu! it means a lot to be validated by such a big fan of the series ❤️ Homura is incredible.
i love love loveeeee this movie, i've watched it more times than i can count from the moment in came out in 2013!! i always love to see people praise it because there are a lot of people who seriously don't like it which is beyond me. while homura's decision at the end is controversial there's really no denying that it makes sense-- homura would never settle for a world where all those years she spent in a time loop would ultimately amount to erasing madoka's existence which is the very OPPOSITE of what she wanted.
i also think rebellion developed sayaka in a better way than the series did. while sayaka is pretty much battling tragedy the entire time in the series (and downright evil to homura in multiple timelines), to see her fight for homura and having fun with everyone is such a treat and it made her one of my fave characters after homura!!
really excited to see where the new movie takes us there's so many possibilities >-
for sure! I loved Sayaka in this movie especially. Thanks for your comment😊 Hype for the new movie!!
I LOVE REBELLION AND I NEED TO REWATCH IT AGAIN!!1!!!1!! awesome video btw
Madoka gave a piece of herself for Homura to remember her by.. The ribbon.
Madoka magica was a great anime but it was missing something for me.. Then I watched Rebellion and everything changed, now Madoka Magica is by far the greatest anime that I have ever seen.
This is my favorite movie alongside Kill Bill! SOOO excited for the next onw
Kill Bill is sick!
Great video. Really cool that you liked the movie and you took notice of the flower scene in tour first view, it's amazing how many people miss that detail.
If you want to go more in depth with the series I really recommend the PMMM Different Story manga, only must read manga of the franchise in my opinion ;)
yoo I didn't know about that manga, thanks! I'll trust your opinion hahah. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, I appreciate it.
I love the series, i started watching 5 years ago. I cant believe that a sequel to this masterpiece has been announced after so many years!!!
they really take their time with these movies! thanks for your comment. hype for the sequel lets gooooooooo!!!
okay i started crying when the first scene appeared until the last frame
Great video, I also loved Rebellion. One of my favorite movies, and likely my 11th favorite film of all time. I could've put it in the Top 10, but due to the new Madoka Magica film coming up, I'm curious how the series may come with, Especially since Madoka herself is still a god, but Homura is just preventing her from remembering that. Maybe we can see Madoka and Homura battle it out, but you never know, and I want to see the other 4 girls which are Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Nagisa have a lot more screen time as well. My Top 10 list of favorite movies might possibly change someday.
Anyways, yeah Rebellion is awesome. However remember in the original series where the whole mystery of the show was? We didn't know where Witches came from until episode 8, we didn't know why Homura was acting emotionless and wanted to prevent Madoka from being a magical girl until episode 10, we didn't know why Kyoko acted like an anti-hero until episode 7, and so on. It had quite an intense mystery that was well written. The same can be said with Rebellion. In rebellion, we didn't know why Homura acted normal and Madoka was here until we realized it was actually the fake Mitakihara city and it was Homura's labyrinth created by the Incubators. Like I love how both the show and rebellion were able to be this mysterious which is what I loved from this series. It's not just the mystery, the music was awesome like usual especially from Yuki Kajira my favorite composer. The fights were amazing, especially the gunfight with Homura and Mami, battling the nightmares, and the girls trying to save Homura from sacrificing herself. And yes I do enjoy the cake song and thought it was cute, but also funny at the same time. And yes Homura had a reason to fight Mami especially due to the fact that Homura realizes something is wrong while the other girls don't (Except for Nagisa and Sayaka).
Yeah the ending felt kinda ending, but there were reasons why Homura turned into a demon. Her love is what made her fall into despair, she also kept wanting to save Madoka over and over again, which is why she took part of Madoka's physical form and took some of her powers (Which yes her demon form is on par with Goddess Madoka). Also Madoka is still a goddess, she just doesn't know yet because of Homura rewriting the laws which all makes sense. Her wish was dedicated to Madoka after all, even if it was for selfish reasons and turned her to be evil.
So yeah I loved Rebellion. It's a fantastic film that makes me love the series a lot. The writing and animation was awesome and outstanding. I'm also really excited for the upcoming movie, and really excited to see how the series will continue. After all I didn't think the series was over just yet, the mystery is yet to be solved.
Homura, my girl, she did nothing wrong 🤫
💪😔👌 say it louder for the people in the back
Nah, she did many things wrong, but that's precisely why we love her.
the term wrong is questionable here, because looks like what she did wrong was to do against the will of Madoka who is now infallible god.
4:50 Ahhhhh absolute configuration, the best battle OST in history
Rebellion is the only reason that Madoka Magica is so amazing in my mind and I just can't understand all of the hate for it, even from my own friends
at the timestamp "a true masterpiece" i couldn't have said it better. This anime has always been my favorite since i have first seen it and this movie has to be personally and debatably my favorite movie of all time. and it is difficult for me to actually choose a single show or film to be my favorite considering i like a huge variety of genres. Thank you for putting this is perfect wording!!
What a great video! I just love this movie and I am really looking forward to the sequel!!
Thanks so much Lena!! I’m hyped for it too.
Wait a minute - is it just me or did you misinterpret some key elements of this movie?
The way I saw it, Homura's Soul Gem never got tainted by "Love" - that's impossible since it was explained in the series that the only way for the Soul Gem to get tainted enough to cause the MG to turn into a witch was by either exhausting the power of the Soul Gem till the point it become corrupted due to overuse of magic, or having to reject/regret the wish the owner made when becoming a MG (Kyubey: "Tell me the wish that will make you Soul Gem shine!" - this not only servers as Kyubey fulfilling his part of the contrat, but also a trigger for turning witch). This is the main reason why Homura's life became intertwined with Madoka's - if Homura ever doubted herself or came to dislike Madoka (reject the wish Homura made to protect Madoka) even the slightest bit in the series, Homura would instantly turn witch. She was trapped. At the end of the series, Homura makes the only mistake she's ever done, and that's mention Madoka's name to Kyubey after Madoka becomes "Godoka".
In the movie, Kyubey's race devise a theory that the "Law of the Cycle" is something unnatural, and they aim to prove that theory by performing an experiment in a controlled environment with Homura at its center. Kyubey even explains in the movie that they artificially induced the witch state into Homura's Soul Gem (he uses the phrase "like a chick who failed to break its shell and developed into an adult inside its egg" or something along those lines) so that they might be able to capture the thing that everyone called "The Law of the Cycle" of which only Homura seemed to have memories of. "Godoka" did arrive inside Homura's cage and at some point, her conscience got trapped inside Homura's Corrupted Soul Gem, as was the case with the consciousness of the other characters Homura was familiar with and were still alive (Kyouko, Mami, and Madoka's family) - the cage had the power to allow things/people/entities that Homura "invited" to enter, but prevented leaving.
After everyone's consciousness manages to break out of the Corrupted Soul Gem, they also break the cage that Homura's body was in, thus allowing "Godoka" to arrive "in person" and do what was Madoka's new job she wished for at the end of the series - Reap Homura's Soul before she became a witch (yeah there's no way to sugarcoat it - Godoka is nothing but a Soul Reaper that basically "kills" magical girls just before they have the chance to turn witch.) It is at that moment, that Homura is finally free of the wish she made to become a MG in the first place, and because of the experiment, she is reborn as an entity that is outside Godoka's (extremely limited) abilities. At that point, Homura is neither a magical girl, nor a witch - she is a being nobody has any concept of and the whole universe has to be rewritten to accept the existence of such an entity, just like when Godoka was created. At the end of the movie, what you see is not a world that Homura created, it is the result of how the universe was rewritten in order to accept Homura as a new unknown entity existing in it.
The reason Homura calls herself "a devil" is, IMO, a tactic to scare off the Kyubey as to never attempt the experiment (that almost succeeded) like the one they subjected her to, ever again. Homura briefly mentioned "Love" as a concept feeling that not even humans have a complete grasp on, nor do they know the results it would bring up (think of all the Yandere who kill in the name of what they think is "love"), let alone the Kyubeys (which paradoxically created a way in which the Kyubeys could create energy from concepts they themselves lacked or did not understand - probably the only plothole in the story). Homura doesn't mind playing the "bad guy" and getting shunned by other characters as long as Madoka has a physical body so she can be with her family again and, conversely, is somewhere within Homura's reach, where Homura ca do what she'd been doing all this time: protect Madoka.
So yeah, this was how I interpreted the Rebellion movie and the knowledge with which I am expecting the next movie.
@HeraYourQueen Bee Homura became "free" of her wish that turned her into an MG the moment her body and Soul Gem were put inside the cage the Kyubeys made and forcefully induced the witch state inside Homura's Soul Gem. When the MG becomes a witch, the wish they made to turn into a MG holds no more meaning or power over them. What the Kyubeys did to Homura is break the rules of the contract. In the movie, Kyubey explains that after studying the Soul Gems (not just Homura's) they discovered that the end purpose of the Soul Gem was to turn into a Grief Seed, thus creating the witch and generating huge amounts of energy that could be harvested. The wish served as a natural trigger for the Soul Gem to turn into a Grief Seed, but because of Madoka's wish, that was no longer possible. Godoka would arrive at the second the trigger was made and break/steal/take away the Soul Gem. In the movie, the Kyubeys completely bypass the wish mechanism of Homura's Soul Gem.
By forcefully turning Homura soul inside the Soul Gem into that of a witch (because that's what a witch is: the Soul's energy manifested in physical form, with the Grief Seed as its core), Kyubey basically tore Homura's contract apart and her original wish had no more meaning or effect. The mechanism by which the MG turns witch is internally built inside the Soul Gem when it's created, and it has 2 switches I mentioned before: the main and most common one is for the MG to reject the wish they made when forming the contract, and the second is when they overuse the magic produced by the Soul Gem (only Urobuchi-sensei knows how that works, so maybe he could explain it better how use of magic causes a negative charge to build up in the Soul Gem and eventually transitions towards a Grief Seed). Homura did protect everyone till her "dying breath", and everyone working together managed to save Homura soul, but everything happened in such a roundabout way, her transition from MG to witch was so unnatural, that it caused Homura to be reborn as a new, undefined entity in their world. An entity Godoka had no power over, since Godoka's power is only limited to normal MGs, whereas Homura becomes some combination of both Magical Girl and Witch when she awakes. Why and how Homura awoke with a power to separate Madoka from her godlike entity and seal a part of her into a "human" body is something we might find out in the next movie.
Despite what everyone says, I never thought for a second Homura is a villain, even after she declared herself a "devil" in the movie's ending. I believe she is very much afraid of Kyubey and his race, even in her current form, since they already proved capable of creating something as supernatural as a device that turns emotions into energy, let alone create an entity like Godoka, who is capable of transcending both time and space when a certain condition is met (a MG is on the point of becoming a witch). So yes, even if "Godoka" and "Akuma Homura" appear like beings with powers of universal proportions, they are still concepts that can be analyzed, studied, captured, detained and even eliminated by Kyubey's race, since, at the end of the day, the Kyubeys are their makers.
thank you i was so off put when madoka sent homura back to earth but the movie was worth that in my opinion
My favourite movie being apprecieted? Lessss go
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I feel what madoka says in the flower scene is genuinely how she feels when you listen to ultimate Madokas voice lines in magia record. She wanted to stay with her family and friends but she felt like she had to make her wish, she felt she was the only one who could save all those poor magical girls (and she probably was)
Now that you watched rebellion, here's another must watch anime sequel movie: Made in Abyss Dawn of the Deep Soul. Looking forward to season 2 of made in abyss and 4th movie of madoka.
I’ve been putting off watching the Made in Abyss movies for so long, thank you for the reminder, I think I actually will pretty soon lol. I’ve just finished rewatching the anime so I think it’s time.
this masterpiece brings me so many things... it was very special to watch this video ^^ it was almost like a retrospective, it hurts a little... but I loved it ❤
thanks so much 🙏🏻❤️ I felt that way when making it
When I watched Rebellion I didn't think Homora was going to split Madoka from her god form just out of pure obsession. Homora is on her villain arc guys I swear.
on god and I'm here for it. can't wait to see what happens in the new movie.
Just here to add that Homura did nothing wrong.
🙏🏻👌👍 correct
I remember the first time I watched rebellion I was so conflicted, I enjoyed it sure, but I couldn't understand why Homura did what she did, I felt so confused, but after some time, thinking about it and rewatching it, it started making sense, slowly but surely I understood what was going on and the why of Homura's choice, nowadays I love the movie and I can't wait for the sequel
Also the soundtrack is amazing, like holly heck the music is superb!
Thats right, come one, come all people to meet this girl who is so down bad she killed herself for loving someone to much"
Thats one way to describe Homuras character
Such a missed opportunity for the story was for the wraith arc to get some type of adaptation whether it was another season, or a movie before rebellion since it took place beforehand
I loved it and I hope the coming sequel can turn it around in some way because despite her becoming a demon I think her character as the ultimate heroin was measure just right.
I KNOW I am so excited to see what happens to her in the new movie
AWESOME video. I love to see videos about rebellion. Istg I listen to the ost to this movie daily 💀 i love thinking abt rebellion
I remember showing this movie to a guy i knew who liked anime, and the only thing he had to say about it was "Homura is evil" and AUUGGHH It hurt my SOUL. If I still knew this guy I'd totally send him this video. You summed this all up so well, thank you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Rebellion was necessary and inevitable because as the series ending stood without it, Homura never actually got her wish granted. She gets to keep going until she's strong enough to save Madoka (whatever that means to her), so it was never actually over.
I LOVED Rebellion, completely and truly. It tugged on my heartstrings in exactly the right way and also paved the way nicely for more Madoka content potentially which is great. I kind of think I’m a bit of a blend between Madoka and Homura personality-wise, so I connected to both characters extremely easily. My mom says I’m not allowed to make magical contracts with alien cats though! :p
I love how well edited the music is!
thank you!! audio for me is difficult to edit still so I try very hard to make it work well with the video :)
I love this movie I remember being mad at Homura years ago but hearing from the director that she’s repeated time so many times I think he said 100+ but implied she lost count is terrifying and sad for her
I really adored your take on the Rebellion movie - originally, before watching this video, Homura was a character I both hated and loved. The way love drove her mad to the point where she so selfishly took Madoka away from everyone and only to herself to contrast Madoka’s selfless sacrifice was something I could never grasp, but your evaluation on this made me rethink and view her so much differently.
that’s so cool! I really love Homura as a character, so I’m glad I changed your thoughts a bit 😅 I think your original evaluation was valid though, it’s hard to see a character you know change so much
I loved your narration of this amazing movies! Another “magical girl” movie that has the same vibe as rebellion and just as trippy and gay with a larger underlying meaning is Adolescence of Utena the movie, also taken from an anime series. I think you’d enjoy it!
I'm currently watching Revolutionary Girl Utena, will be my next video :) I'll give the movie a watch too, thank you!
@@Hanlunn !! that's so swag I'm looking forward to it
I never disliked this movie--in fact the more times I watch it the more I love it--but like many fans I think it felt incomplete, and that cliffhanger of an ending certainly suggests that it was only one half of a whole. I'm hoping that with the second (well, technically fourth) movie *finally* coming out that people who initially hated 'Rebellion' will be able to see it in that context and reassess its place within the overall PMMM story for the better.
One thing I also know fans really disliked was Homura's characterization in 'Rebellion,' saying that her heel turn came completely out of nowhere, and while I understand that sentiment I don't agree with it. Remember, Homura's character has always been defined by cycles and repetition: over and over she watched Madoka die, then went back in time to try and keep it from happening again. She did this countless times, always unable to break out of this obsessive, destructive pattern she'd written for herself. It looked like she might have broken out of this pattern by the end of the series, but the only reason she appeared to accept Madoka's fate was because she thought that was what Madoka truly wanted, but her passionate feelings for her friend never truly went away, only became buried, as did her guilt. I think some part of Homura always felt she'd let Madoka down, and she was suffering with a huge amount of guilt because of it.
Then in 'Rebellion' Madoka pretty much confirms this when she tells Homura how much being separated from her fiends and family would break her heart. Whether Homura believed this dream Madoka was speaking the truth or only telling Homura what she wanted to hear didn't matter; her guilt complex kicked in and she backslid into her old pattern of trying to protect Madoka at all costs. And it's possible Homura wouldn't even have gone that far initially, but when it became clear that the Incubators were planning to capture and control The Law of Cycles, Homura knew she had to take drastic measures to keep Madoka safe from them.
I've seen many people say that Homura's power-up also came out of nowhere, but it makes perfect sense when you remember the nature of her wish: "I don't want to be protected by [Madoka]! I want to be the one to protect her!" So when she realized that she'd failed Madoka and also that she was in danger, Homura's wish granted her a power even greater than Madoka's, essentially become the devil to Madoka's goddess.
I'm not suggesting that Homura's actions were entirely unselfish, either--clearly she was more than fine with separating Madoka from he Law of Cycles and trapping her within the new world she created--but is this really out of character for her? To say Homura never showed any signs of obsession or infatuation when it came to Madoka is entirely inaccurate, and given the threat posed by the Incubators, plus her lingering guilt and her association with destructive cycles, it's hardly surprising that she appeared to backslide the way she did. Was Homura's character progression somewhat undone in this film? I suppose in a way, but I'm not sure her progress was ever as solid as it seemed by the end of the series. Ultimately she couldn't do what she'd tried so hard over and over to do, and while she begrudgingly accepted Madoka's wish for her friend's sake, I don't think it ever truly sat well with her, and deep down she felt like a failure. It also probably didn't help that she had absolutely no one to talk to about all this (except Kyubey for some inexplicable reason), and that feeling of isolation only deepened her suffering.
Anyway, I just hope the final film gives us some long-awaited answers to some of these questions, as well as finally gives fans of the series some closure. I'm just know I'm super excited for it :)
Homura's power-up made a lot of sense to me. Just like Madoka is bound by the karmic destiny, Homura is the one causing it by time-travelling - shouldn't the same thing apply to her? Homura faced despair upon despair every single timeline and that's about a hundred timelines she went through. While a regular magical girl might succumb to the pressure in a single one of those. Homura's grief-seed SHOULD have an extreme amount of power when it bursts open. The reason she was probably be able to remain clear-headed, is because she justified all the pain and suffering in the name of "love". When magical girls sink in their despair, they have all these bitter emotions; anger, sadness, the wish to lash out, or the wish to disappear. They lose themselves and turn into a witch. Homura has all of these thoughts and balls them up, holds them to her chest and smiles that this is "her love for Madoka". And her end goal, to save Madoka, never changes even and perhaps especially when she feels this way, because this is the way she has managed to survive all those timelines. It's a coping mechanism that turned her feelings into that of obsession.
I love this, amazing and perfect explanation, right on point.
thank you ❤️❤️❤️
the whole situation reminds me of how people form weird friendships with famous people in a way where they see the famous person as their friend, forgetting that the person legit doesnt know them.. but homura is the fan and madoka is the famous one
my point is homura had repeated a month about 100 times, so she wouldve been about 22 if she never went back in time at all. during the anime, you can see homura never really spent time with madoka, and it was probably like that the other times. homura doesnt really know madoka anymore, and madoka only knew homura for a month like you said, the version of madoka at the end of the story is very memory altered and homura and madoka arent close anymore.
if madoka never asked homura to go back in time and everything, none of this wouldve happened! madoka probably wouldnt have asked that if she knew homura for longer. maybe homura thought she couldve fixed everything in one try, but it didnt work out. kyubey came off as such a sweet and innocent character that homura seemed like a villian and liar. i guess it became a lifelong task that homura dedicated herself to without realizing what she was doing. while she was trying to same madoka, she was also loosing her bond with her and stuff.. and ruining her life and everything. tbh homura shouldve just re-did that one day where madoka became a magical girl over and over.
also, it was kinda odd of madoka to ask such a thing to homura. if homura becomes a magical girl to go back in time, she would eventually become a witch. and a suuper powerful one, because of the wish she made.
rebellion reminds me a lot of the end of evangelion, and the series as a whole. shinji and homura are both pushed beyond their breaking point. everything that can go wrong goes wrong, and both characters enter their personal hells. and they're both 14, which also brings their emotions to the brink naturally. and both movies emotionally destroyed me:))
And at the end, Shinji and Asuka (the most emotionally unstable male and female teenager respectively) become the new Adam and Eve.....😮😅
Just so you know, there’s a manga that took place between the show and the movie called Wraith Arc, which is why the change from Wraiths without Madoka to Nightmares with Madoka is so jarring. As for anime, next is Magia Record which adapts the now shut down mobile game. I don’t know how relevant it will be in the upcoming movie but it could involve the various manga spinoffs or PSP game for all I know.
thank you for the info! I’ll have to dive into some madoka magica manga soon.
Magia Record it's not canon
@@wanderperrucho3588 I have yet to see any official statement on the matter yet. From what I have seen on the subject the general consensus is that it’s uncertain for now, or in other words, ambiguously canon.
@@calebgoodman2076 Magia Record only takes the name of the series but has no connection with the main anime
@@wanderperrucho3588 Except we have confirmation there is a connection before the Magia Record even came out. It’s already been confirmed that alternate timelines were a thing in the main show and other works such as Homura Tamura confirmed alternate universes. The Puella Magi series is much more than just the anime and it’s not logical to dismiss Magia Record until we get confirmation on its canonicity.
just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed this video!
THANK YOU!! I love to hear it! Happy you enjoyed!!!
Daily reminder: Homura did nothing wrong.
I don't Know why but i keep seeing this kind of message in madoka magica videos but i like this because i like homura no i love her ❤️💜
If you like Madoka I’d recommend Revolutionary girl Utena and princess Tutu
Thank you!! RGU is something I want to watch very soon. I’ll add princess tutu to my list 😊
I hated the movie the first week after I watched it but once time passed to understand it, I realized that yes it made the story much better, and from a very good story it made it into a masterpiece of story telling.
I’m glad you came around! 😁
waow :0
amazing video essay yay :D
whatever happens in the fourth movie, hopefully it isn't predictable like Homura sacrificing herself to save Madoka, simultaneously ending her own suffering and returning the world to the law of cycles
your video is what motivated me to watch rebellion because ive been putting it off! thanks for such a wonderful video, i appreciate the recap bc it was really hard for me to follow some parts of the movie so your clarification was really nice and helped me understand everything better. i couldnt agree more about homura completely outshining madoka in this movie, it’s just something about her selfishness for a simple life that’s so relatable! the suddenness in that sentiment scene with her and madoka in the flower fields had me crying the whole time hahaha, i felt like a lot of the moments in this movie were just ripping out tears and shock from me in all sorts of unexpected ways! and of course, from an art perspective, the animation and mixed media approach was so wonderful to watch. im subscribing for more videos to come from you because i really enjoyed it! thank you for sharing your thoughts with us ^__^
also, what you said about the movie being better than the show, i couldnt help but be reminded of a similar phenomena for evangelion. the end of evangelion is truly what elevated the series to its full potential and i definitely agree that a similar sentiment is shared in rebellion too!
I can't wait till Walpurgisnacht Rising comes out!
Hanlunn: sees everyone who isn't the holy quintet as muddy blobs
Nakazawa(the boy that is answers the egg question )and hitomi: what are we chopped liver
they ARE chopped liver!!!
I always wondered how he ended up getting pulled into the labyrinth. According to Kubey, everyone else received invitations delivered by Clara Dolls.
Love your review, you should look into the other Madoka Magica arcs! I highly recommend the Different Story manga, the side story that tells of the anime prequel continued with the scenario of Mami surviving her death in Ep 3. I love PMMM but that manga was the arc that made me obsessed with the franchise, it completely explored the girls' characters in greater depth, especially Mami and Kyoko since it mostly focused things from their point of view. Like Rebellion, it also relied on the foundation of the anime for the readers to appreciate the story, but my opinion (and a lot of readers out there) I like it way better than the anime!
When you do, I definitely would love to hear on what you think of it as well :)
thank you lauren! your comment has completely convinced me to read the different story manga, in fact I’m excited now lol. Once I’m done with Nausicaa’s manga I’ll start it. I’ll try to remember to update my thoughts on it here :] or make a video if I have anything to comment on (which I imagine I will from what you said hehe). thank you 🙏🏻
@@Hanlunn Awesomeee can't wait! XD Happy reading!
You cannot talk about this movie without talking about the F**KING GUN FIGHT. WHO NEEDS CORN WHEN YOU GOT THAT?!!!!
Nice Homura is my fav character yh Nice review and the fight with her and Mami was the best
I cant fuckin wait for the new movie.
Very well-written. I respect everything you say so much. Love it.
thank you so much 🙏🏻❤️
Love this show and movie so much
Great review!
thank you so much Homu!
4:38 look closely here, Mami's yellow ribbon flutters out and attaches to Homura, that explains/foreshadows what happens in the fight they have afterwards.
If we take everything as a trilogy - the original series being the first entry, Rebellion being the second, and Walpurgisnacht: Rising being the third - the overall outcome of the events in Rebellion start making more sense, I feel. Homura, styling herself as the villain, has all but won by splitting the Law of Cycles and creating a new universe dictated by herself. In a technical sense, it is the heroes' darkest hour; they've suffered a crushing defeat by inadvertently allowing Homura to backslide to her current state, and now have to pick up the pieces in order to succeed in the final climactic confrontation.
God, the new movie can't come out soon enough.
Apparently Walpurgisnacht: Rising is the 4th movie of Madoka Magica. Wherever the first movie is I don’t know.
@@orrorsaness5942 the first two movies are bigger budget recaps of the anime, with the first one, Beginnings, compiling episodes 1 - 8 and the second one, Eternal, compiling episodes 9 - 12. Because of this, Rebellion is considered the third, and Walpurgisnacht: Rising would be the fourth
don't even bother watching the recaps though, they're not as good as the original anime with the exception of the new ost
I agree Rebelleon is better than Madoka Magica, which is already a masterpiece, it is the perfect progression of the story.
We all wanted Homura to save Madoka and defy the rule that someone must be sacrificed for others to live.
It's been about a year since they announced the 4th movie now. Madoka Magica is my favorite anime which is probably why I play magia record. Anyway, I like watching the movie concept just in hope that one day we will receive the 4th movie
I liked that movie and how it ended too, but it still left a lot unexplained as how exactly Homura managed to take over entire universe ?
Also for some reason now everyone is in the cult of Madoka considering her as infallible god who cannot opposed and Homura seem to be considered a some kind of heretic who is endangering the world. In the end it is also stated that Madoka is now Homura's enemy.
So it looks like the previous world was created by Madoka(who did the same thing as homura) where Homura was inprisoned then in some way Homura snached it from her and turned into the new master of the universe, swapping places with Madoka (who seems to be not very happy about loss of her divine position).
From the perspective of love, the moral of the story is that to get things right you need to take initiative in your hands. Being passive does not help.
As the show begins with a quote from Faust, it is very interesting that Homura should become the Devil. All the girls begin in a submissive role, working for Kyubey to get a wish granted as the good doctor did in a way, but Madoka breaks that. I'll have to watch the show again after i decide which version of Faust to read, it has a few interpretation being classical literature and all.
I always discribe Rebillion movie as the Berserk eclips arc of Magical girls
1 it opens up so many possibilities to go from the ending and 2 its structured like an origin story of an epic not so different from how lucifer was an angel cast down from the heavens and his relationship to his God like Homura and Madoka
I think about Rebellion from time to time. Some days ago a lot of Madoka content popped up on my TikTok and I realized something. I didn’t get why Homura was so cruel towards Sayaka in particular - particularly in the end (erasing her memory). But then I rewatched and I got it. Homura is very jealous. She thought she was the only person in the entire universe who remembered Madoka as she was. So when she realized others remembered and knew about original madoka, even if there were others Madoka herself incorporated into the law of cycles (because she loved her other friends!) she wasn’t happy.
I don’t even think it’s romantic jealousy, but it feels like her plight and fight is undermined. So she *wasn’t* the only person that remembered Madoka as she was?
I really think Rebellion is a movie about desire (love) opposing order, but also the wishes and desires of the “desired” or the other (the loved, Madoka).
But then again, Madoka self-sacrificed herself. So is Homura putting herself first…. Or is she doing this for Madoka? Is it all just selfishness, or not?
I wish the upcoming movie is about this lol. I think this is what the ending of Rebellion is about. As Nietzsche said: That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.
Nevertheless, absolute banger video, subbed
its a shame how underwatched rebellion is
When I am asked to describe this show out of context I simply say it's God and Satan being lesbians to each other.
Madoka found a less bloody alternative to solve the entropy, and it's still not enough ? That's not being logical. That's being arrogant. They can't accept there's a higher force than them. And the worst part is, both the solution and the proccess behind it were completely logical !
What sucks even more is when Homura convinced herself that Madoka didn’t want to be a god and stop existing, you find out that one of her familiars (the blimps, I forget what they’re called) is solely meant to insure that all the characters acted out a script, rewriting their memories and forcing them to act the way they do, to be how Homura wanted them to be. So Madoka was literally just telling Homura she never wanted to leave, because that is what Homura wanted Madoka to be like.
Wait, Rebellion is really getting a follow-up at some point? The alleged continuation has been delayed so long I thought it was intentional. A bittersweet ending wouldn't be out of place in a series about growing up.
Still, if The Devil is a Part-time can get a follow-up, hope springs eternal! I have heard of Magia Record, but I know little about it
Urobuchi (the writer) himself said he felt Rebellion "completed" Homura's story and that was enough for him. He intended to retire from the franchise after Rebellion and let someone else take on the next step. A few years later, we got a concept trailer for another sequel, but it wasn't clear who wrote it. Then, last year, we got a teaser for an actual sequel movie and Urobuchi posted on his twitter that he had written the draft for the story that was used in the concept trailer after all.
It's unclear what Urobuchi's direct involvement in the new sequel movie (due to arrive in 2023) is, but he was credited as its "writer" again, so I'm hoping he comes back to realize his draft!
it actually has a side story which it really cool!
I'm confused how people can come away from watching the original series thinking that Madoka would be 100% ok with being un-personed, forced to work 24/7 forever and never see her family or friends again (aside from maybe the ones who became magical girls). It's pretty clear to me she only did it because it was honestly the only way to actually help?
Anyhow, I hope that Madoka and Homura can come to some kind of compromise in the new movie. It'd be cool to see them become something like yin and yang or something, because honestly a world where magical girls just disappear is kind of sad in itself, even if it's less sad than them turning into witches
yes 👏👏 I feel she only did it both for Homura and to save the world, but I think she would have preferred to continue living her life happily. I hope they get a resolution after all they’ve gone through in the show, they deserve it.
It's complicated. If you notice throughout the original series, Madoka sorely lacks self-esteem and confidence before she turns into a magical girl. On the other hand, she's _really_ assertive in the timelines in episode 10 where she has already become a magical girl. There's also the scene where she's thinking about what she would wish for and she talks about how she feels powerless and talentless sometimes. She says "Maybe I do just want power?", indicating her desires lay where she has an active role in her own decisions. This later factors into her wish when she very strongly adds "kono te de" ("by my own hands") to her wish, ensuring she would be able to control her own fate and not leave her wish's success up to anyone else. She truly does derive strength from helping other people.
In addition to this, while very few scenes from the original draft/script were cut in the final product, the draft/script was actually published as a book in Japan and there is one important scene missing from the final product where Homura and Madoka are talking on the school roof and Madoka says she's sure she wouldn't regret her wish, whatever her wish ends up being. This scene was later added back into the compilation films, but the original draft/script shows us it was always intended to be part of the original story.
_However,_ we also know from interviews that producer Iwakami raised doubt that a middle school girl could really carry the fate of all magical girls on her shoulders, and that this doubt spurred writer Urobuchi to reconsider Madoka's position and capabilities. Rebellion doesn't outright reject that Madoka is still capable of carrying this burden, but we see normal Madoka express that she would never desire to leave Homura behind and we later see a scene where Ultimate Madoka's giant arm is covered in scars, suggesting the burden is not painless for her either. Similarly, the concept trailer expresses in its narration that Ultimate Madoka may have robbed herself of her own true happiness by separating herself from her friends and family.
Whatever burden Madoka is actually capable of carrying, Homura is now the anti-thesis of Madoka's desire to control her own destiny, so they are, for now, in a conflict of interest over Madoka's true desires. I can't wait for Walpurgisnacht's Turnaround to follow up on this theme!
@@Junosensei Oh yeah. She always did seem much happier as a magical girl (until she realized the price). I don't think she hates everything about what her wish brought her, but yeah, I still don't think it's to the point where she's totally fine with not being remembered by and never be able talk to people she loves again.
But even if, for argument's sake, she was perfectly 100% fine with it... there's a thing even beyond Madoka about her wish that bugs me.
I've heard a lot about how Madoka's wish affects Madoka, how its great that Madoka got to grow to being the kind of person she wanted(?) to be and how awful Homura is for taking that from her, but not many take into account that Madoka stripped everyone else of /their/ choice wishing what she wished.
It was understandable why Madoka wished for what she wished for, of course, but are magical girls really not even allowed to /try/ to carve out a compromise between disappearing and turning into witches? No? They just have to submit to disappearing forever and that's that? Sounds kind of tyrannical to me.
Yup! Really excited for that movie.
@@hrb9679 I'm pretty sure the reason that magical girls don't get a choice between disappearing and turning into a witch comes down to three factors: 1. The fact that magical girls and witches are fundamentally linked together through emotion, 2. How wishes manifest, and 3. Madoka's own belief in the idea of "magical girls".
Reason 1 is significant because we clearly see in the story that the despair in a magical girl's soul gem AND the rest of the gem both get absorbed by Madoka when she's purifying them as Madokami. The reason for this likely being that the despair a magical girl accumulates in their soul gem is a part of themself that comes about through using their soul to wield magic. Madoka can't just take the despair out of the soul and then leave the girl intact because these two things are tied together too fundamentally to be distinguished.
Reason 2 is significant because we often see wishes manifest in a very straightforward, "efficient", way. I don't believe I have to cite any examples for why I think this here, though I'll admit that this interpretation is somewhat subjective. In other words, magical girls disappear and are absorbed into happyland inside Madoka's soul gem because that's apparently the most straightforward way to grant her wish.
And finally, reason 3 is significant because it was one of the driving factors that caused Madoka to make the specific wish that she did. If she didn't like the concept of "magical girl" so much then couldn't she have just wished for a world where magical girls never existed? Of course, that would be quite the paradox; she probably intended to make the wish that was most likely to actually succeed with the least chance of outright negative consequences. But I definitely think that there's a strong argument that Madoka wants to believe in magical girls; and that this affected the way she made her ultimate wish.
Basically, I think that magical girls don't get a choice because there simply isn't a middle-ground between disappearing and turning into a witch; or at least, there isn't due to the way Madoka's wish was worded and came about. Perhaps they can find a better way in the next movie, though I wouldn't get my hopes up.
@@rerver8842 I mean that's how it is now, yeah (or at least before the end of Rebellion.) It still seems cowardly and defeatist to accept to the point of insistence that the only solution to the witch problem is submitting to death, though.
I mean maybe you're right and there isn't a solution to the issue other than those two things. But maybe you're wrong and girls will forever die earlier than they need to because they don't have the guts to defy how things are.
I love Madoka Magika because it was soooo masterpiece. So masterpiece to the point all in comment Section of all Madoka review video bacame essay to tell how Masterpiece it was.
Yes hahahaha I love when fans write huge comments about their thoughts. it shows how much they love the franchise.
Literally one of my most favorite series. Theres so much angst and trauma, I love it. Its so beautiful yet so sad. And the fact that she came back as a human again was kinda shocking but now I also am excited too to watch Walpurgis no Kaiten (No they didn't defeat Walpurgis, its dead already. Idiot)
Did you ever imagine a crossover between "Manhunt" and "Madoka Magica" ? Just imagine for a moment. A girl who is told by Kyubey that the evil behind the city is all being caused by the witches. But as the story progresses, and the more time the girl spends with the protagonist, seeing how the city's evil was also caused by humans alone, there's a point in which she just gives up, and after Lionel's demise, she becomes a witch continuing on his job, and her executioner is none other than Kyoko, the girl who represents humanity's greed.