OH MY GOD THE PARALLELS!!!

OH MY GOD THE PARALLELS!!!

Thank you so much for adding onto my Mami-Gertrud stuff and adding in the Sayaka-Elsa Maria stuff!

Elsa Maria's probably my favourite witch, so I feel like a fool for not recognising the parallels between her and Sayaka earlier!

I always thought there were probably some similarities between Sayaka and Elsa Maria: but you explained the "self-proclaimed hand of righteousness" very well!

Something I find really neat and subtle amoung Madoka Magica's (many) foreshadowing and narrative contrast-y moments is Mami's fight against Gertrud.

Gertrud has a strong flower and butterfly motif, and Mami's soul gem is shaped like a flower (and maybe a stretch but in one of Mami's transformations she does an action that resembles a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis).

I think there's some parallels between the two that make Gertrud a surprisingly clever and well designed first enemy. (But perhaps I'm stuck in Mami fan mode, and just see Mami in everything)

I'm pretty sure it's because the weight of her wish (the wish to end Walpurgisnoct, the most powerful witch made from several magical girls) overwhelmed her to the point her soul gem instantly (or shortly after wishing) darkened.

I think that's it (at least it's what I gathered from watching the scenes where Madoka becomes Gretchen)

It's mentioned that in every timeline Sayaka contracts and becomes a magical girl, she becomes Oktavia.

I think this says a lot about Sayaka's mental state. Even if Hitomi doesn't confess to Kyousuke, even if Sayaka and Kyousuke were to date, Sayaka would still become Oktavia.

Maybe it's a case of regretting what she wished for, or falling out of love with Kyousuke, or that her relationship with Kyousuke didn't work out how she had wanted it to. Regardless, something always goes wrong when she makes her wish; and I find that very fascinating.

I don't mean to sad Madoka post but also I wonder if after Mami's death, Madoka looks at the drawing she made of Mami in rememberance of her. I also wonder if she made drawings of Sayaka's magical girl form after Sayaka became a magical girl.

The "faux justice" part of Sayaka is my favourite part of her character, and I definitely failed to convey it in the og post lol.

I think ever since her talk with Mami about being careful about who and what you wish for, Sayaka definitely started to delude herself about her intentions.

She became a literal white knight for Kyousuke, and felt so much entitlement to him it drove her crazy especially when she pushed aside her feelings and still refused to see her own misdoings. When deciding on her wish, she only considered wishing for others (adding to that selfless justice persona).

Her Witchifications are absolutely more than just boy-crazy. I like using Kyousuke as a symbolic object for Sayaka's mental state and characterization, but I failed in my original post to convey the idea I had.

It's mentioned that in every timeline Sayaka contracts and becomes a magical girl, she becomes Oktavia.

I think this says a lot about Sayaka's mental state. Even if Hitomi doesn't confess to Kyousuke, even if Sayaka and Kyousuke were to date, Sayaka would still become Oktavia.

Maybe it's a case of regretting what she wished for, or falling out of love with Kyousuke, or that her relationship with Kyousuke didn't work out how she had wanted it to. Regardless, something always goes wrong when she makes her wish; and I find that very fascinating.

In a sense, Homura is the "audience" that dictates who gets the spotlight while the incubators are the "directors" who decide what that spotlight entails.

Madoka is the center of Homura's everything (time travel, attention, affection, ect) and therefore she becomes the center of the universe too.

Madoka being the protagonist of the story just further cements that Homura's timeloop could never have worked. No matter what, Madoka would always be in the spotlight, she could never be just a normal person, not after this.

MUTUALIFICATION!

MADOKA MAGICA BRAINROTTERS, ASSEMBLE!