God Mami Is Such An Interesting Character - Tumblr Posts

DERANGED RANT TIME. THE FLOOD GATE HAS BROKEN.

While the obvious witch comparison for Mami is Charlotte/Bebe because... Y'know... I feel like Gertrud is a good contender for Mami-parallel too.

During the fight between Mami and Gertrud, Mami is "showing off" for Madoka and Sayaka, trying to show them the coolness of being a magical girl (in hopes they'd contract). While that is it's own Mami character moment, I think it's significant that Mami specifically is fighting Gertrud specifically and showing off to Sayaka and Madoka specifically.

Mami, finally having friends and becoming happy from the possibility of fighting alongside other (potential) magical girls, kills the lonely, depressed, and trapped looking Gertrud: a symbolic "killing of the past self" for Mami.

ALSO! To expand on that "butterfly emerging from its chrysalis" type movement, it feels yet another change metaphor.

As for the "foreshadowy" moments of the fight... on the surface this is a standard introductory fight: show off what a magical girl is, show off what a witch is, show off how grief seeds and soul gems work. But crucially, this is the inciting incident of a tragedy. Aside from Kyuubey's invention to Madoka, Mami is the "salesman" and the fight against Gertrud is her "sales pitch".

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)