After the third episode ended, the ED (ending) finally stopped pretending and switched directly from a warm art style to a dark one.
Normally, the magical girl series anime is for people with a girly heart, or for children. It promotes love and peace, encouraging children to make friends and spreading positive thoughts, hoping they will bear fruit one day.
Elysia used to be attracted to such beautiful magical girl anime, which is also the main reason she likes to display magical abilities.
But what was the result? What did Bronie do?
Along with Mami Tomoe's head falling off, Elysia's girly heart fell too!
"It's 12+! The anime I made is 12+, definitely not for very young children. But I think it's okay to let them experience a bit of darkness early on and reduce a bit of naivety. At least it might make Kiana a bit more mature, right?"
"Really?"
Elysia couldn't quite believe Bronie's words. After all, the following plot would surely take a sharp turn into darkness, wouldn't it?
"Let's just keep watching! And I really need to go to the bathroom!"
This time, Elysia finally let go of Bronie, and Bronie left the scene looking sheepish, really seeming like she was going to the bathroom.
Before long, Bronie came back, and Elysia focused her attention on the fourth episode.
Just as she expected, all the beauty took a sharp turn for the worse. Even the dependable and cool seniors were completely ruined in the battles against witches. The harsh reality shattered their beautiful fantasies.
Sayaka, holding onto some sort of wish in her heart, seemed to have some thoughts. The turning point was her childhood friend Kyousuke Kamijou, who couldn't play the violin due to an accident.
When the doctor told him that he couldn't fulfill his dream of performing on stage, and he began to accept the despairing future, he lost control of his emotions after Sayaka brought him a new music CD and said some hurtful things.
Just as Mami Tomoe said, Sayaka was never clear whether her wish was to heal Kyousuke unconditionally or to become his savior. During her short time with Mami, Sayaka witnessed the justice of magical girls, admired it, and also rejected the unjust thoughts in her heart.
But after seeing Kyousuke's outburst, she didn't want to see the boy she liked fall into despair because of his condition more than she feared the battles magical girls faced. In the end, she chose to become a magical girl, deciding to fight silently in exchange for Kyousuke's ability to perform music.
Elysia realized that with this kind of mindset, the end would not be good. It was truly heartbreaking...
Meanwhile, Madoka was also in despair. Mami Tomoe died just like that, quietly, without anyone knowing she had ever fought, and few would remember her existence. After developing a fear of magical girls, Madoka thought about giving up becoming one. But if she gave up, would the witches leave everyone alone?
Madoka's friend was bewitched by a witch and nearly died. Madoka herself was trapped in the witch's barrier. If Sayaka hadn't arrived in time, Madoka might not have survived.
"Is it really okay?" Elysia asked.
"What?"
"Becoming a magical girl and all, there's a big problem with Kyubey's words. It smells like lies!"
"Strictly speaking, Kyubey doesn't lie. Everything it has said so far is the truth."
"But Kyubey is leading them into becoming magical girls!"
Watching the new episode, where Madoka worried about Sayaka's safety as a magical girl, but Sayaka reassured her that everything was fine. Sayaka pursued justice, hoping her magic could bring happiness to others, wanting to protect Mitakihara's peace like Mami and eliminate all witches.
"Yes, indeed. Kyubey's job is to make contracts with girls and create more magical girls. So it's not surprising, right?"
"That's true..."
Madoka no longer needed to become a magical girl, and Mami Tomoe's duty to protect Mitakihara was passed on to Sayaka. On the rooftop at dusk, Sayaka watched Kyousuke Kamijou, who was happy to play the violin again, and she smiled, feeling content to protect him.
How could she regret making a wish for someone else?
Sayaka thought, as if she were a veteran general on stage making bold declarations.
A peaceful life wouldn't last; Mami Tomoe's death was just the beginning.
Kyubey spread the news of Mami's death to other magical girls.
One named Kyouko Sakura came to Mitakihara, even letting a witch's familiar that Sayaka was chasing escape.
If the familiar consumed enough humans, it could turn into a witch, yielding more grief seeds, essential for magical girls to sustain their soul gems. Sayaka hadn't realized this until Kyouko pointed it out. It was like a food chain: humans were eaten by familiars, familiars were controlled by witches, and magical girls hunted witches.
Kyouko's words shook Sayaka's sense of justice. To maintain her sense of justice and prove Mami wasn't wrong, Sayaka fought Kyouko. Their conflict even escalated into a brutal fight.
Fortunately, Homura Akemi kept her promise and appeared before Madoka, temporarily resolving the conflict between the two magical girls.
"Isn't Sayaka adorable?" Bronie asked mischievously.
"She's really worrying, She realized that she's just an ordinary magical girl. Being a magical girl isn't about justice."
"Yeah, isn't Sayaka's pursuit of justice adorable?"
"You're terrible!"
Elysia finally realized that just as they used Mami's demise, now they were targeting Sayaka. Despite being a cute, ordinary girl, she bravely charged into battles where death was always a possibility. Elysia saw her forced bravery, as did Madoka, but neither could do anything about it.
As Madoka said at Sayaka's apartment door, Sayaka redefined her sense of justice. She wouldn't spare any selfish magical girls, witches, or familiars!
After another encounter with Kyouko, Sayaka declared she would never forgive her, while Kyouko challenged her to a fight in a bridge, where might would decide the victor.
Knowing she might not win, Sayaka still charged in, and Kyubey informed Madoka, who also rushed to the scene. In this episode, the cruelest aspect of being a magical girl was revealed through Kyubey's cold, emotionless explanation.
To stop the fight and help Sayaka escape the responsibilities of being a magical girl, Madoka grabbed Sayaka's soul gem and threw it off the bridge, where it was run over by a passing truck.
The soul gem carried the soul, and without it, the body was meaningless.
Thus, Sayaka collapsed and died, shocking even Kyouko.
"Bronie~"
Elysia knew Mami's death would reveal the anime's true nature, but she hadn't expected the truth about magical girls to be so brutal!
"Lies don't necessarily hurt, but the truth often does. It's really good that Madoka didn't become a magical girl~"
But why is it still titled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica"? Elysia didn't understand, and Kyubey's cute image shattered in her mind. When the truth came out, she could only vent her frustration on Bronie.
Heavens! What kind of dark mind would create such cruel setting for magical girls? Souls bound to gems, giving up all hope for a single wish. Every battle afterward was to pay for that wish.
This is why Mami didn't recommend making wishes for others. Knowing the truth, Kyouko's attitude toward Sayaka softened. When they met again in an abandoned church where Kyouko once lived, Kyouko shared her past and her wish for her father, which destroyed her family, seeing her past self in Sayaka.
Sayaka would face immense despair, and Kyouko, having experienced it, wanted to warn her. Kyouko tsundere-ly expressed hope that Sayaka would choose a different path and not dwell in past sorrows.
Every magical girl who didn't believe in love and hope once did, which is why they became disillusioned. Elysia felt for Kyouko and Sayaka, who said she didn't regret her wish for others, believing her power could create more beauty. Mami was a role model in her heart, guiding her on the path of justice.
The next day, Sayaka pretended to be fine to avoid worrying Madoka.
But fate can be cruel. Her friend Hitomi confessed she also liked Kyousuke and gave Sayaka a day to confess to him, or she would.
But how could a magical girl, with a body like a zombie's, confess to her childhood friend? Sayaka even told Madoka she momentarily wished she hadn't saved Hitomi.
Emotional breakdowns happen in an instant, and Sayaka began doubting her justice, thinking her wish was for Kyousuke to like her.
Losing her prince, Sayaka clung to her sense of justice. In a witch's labyrinth, she fought furiously, black despair tainting her soul.
No one could help Sayaka, not even Madoka.
The final straw was seeing Kyousuke with Hitomi. Sayaka descended into darkness, questioning if the world was worth protecting after hearing men talk disgustingly about using girls.
Despair consumed Sayaka, and her soul gem turned black, shattering into a grief seed before Kyouko.
"A magical girl, turned into a witch!?" Elysia covered her mouth in disbelief.
Though she expected Sayaka might self-destruct, Elysia hoped her friends could help her through it. Kyubey's emotionless narration shattered her last hope. A girl in adolescence is a maiden; a mature magical girl becomes a witch.
The eighth episode ended abruptly, with the ED playing, unusually not skipped, as Elysia was too shocked to speak.
"Sadly, magic and miracles come with a price. The little mermaid sacrificed her voice for legs, and Sayaka did similarly."
"Why! Bronie! Isn't this supposed to be about magical girls and hope? Why did Sayaka end up like this?"
"Because they're just children, clueless, suffering because of their emotions, making them targets for Kyubey. The next episode will explain, but don't be too sad. I promise a happy ending."
"A bittersweet happy ending?"
"No! Do you think I'm that cruel?"
Bronie was helpless. The plot had shocked her too back then.
Sayaka died, Kyouko followed, Mami died early, and in Homura's memories, everyone died. The plot deeply affected Bronie.
"But how can you resolve this? Everyone's dead, and Homura said wishes can't revive people, not even Mami!"
"Three more episodes, hang in there!"
"Okay, but don't think a good ending will spare you! This isn't the magical girl show I wanted!"
"But, I think you'll like this story."
"The story isn't over, so I can't say for sure if I'll like it, but I feel you're implying something~"
Elysia stopped her restless hands and hugged Bronie tightly again.
"Just keep watching, and you'll see."