Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Ep. 3

Playing dumb over spoilers is an admittedly fruitless effort for a show that’s over a decade old and that has been so discussed by the anime community. But man, if you truly have no idea what happens in Puella Magi Madoka Magica and you plan on watching it, stop reading this post and get cracking. Enjoy that rock while you’re still living under it.

There’s an old notion in the anime community called the “three episode rule” where it’s recommended that you give an anime three episodes before you decide on finishing it or dropping it. Madoka is often cited as one of, if not, the anime that popularized this notion and when you watch the show, it’s easy to see why. 

The third episode of Madoka is arguably the show’s most famous one and if not that, it’s what put the show on people’s radars back in 2011. It certainly did for me. I remember watching this at anime club in high school with the first two episodes, completely in the dark over the story, before being tremendously thrown off by the third one and left considerably more interested in the show from that point on. Not that you wouldn’t necessarily get hooked at Episodes 1 and 2, there’s plenty about them that spurs intrigue, but if not those then the show will most likely grab your attention here.

Anyone who’s seen this episode knows exactly why it stands out. It’s the ending. Much of this episode plays out similarly as the last one. Madoka and Sayaka continue their magical girl open house. Mami fights another monster of the week. Homura remains vaguely adamant that Madoka must not become a magical girl. There is of course some progress being made but fundamentally, the episode plays out the same. That is, until you get to the end. Just when you think it’s business as usual…Mami dies…in very disturbing fashion no less. Three episodes in and one of the main characters is now dead. This is why I urge anyone who’s somehow new to this show to go watch it. The shock and surprise I felt when I and many others who got to this scene…you simply can’t replicate that.

The funny thing is that if you look closely, the signs pointing towards Mami’s death are there. In regards to the action, it’s actually to the show’s detriment that Mami sticks around. The girl is a badass but she’s so powerful to the point that you have to wonder how Madoka and Sayaka could even shine once they become magical girls. Early on in the episode, Mami reveals to Madoka and Sayaka that she was in a traffic accident when she became a magical girl and it’s implied that she impulsively wished for her life to be saved. That detail is worth keeping in mind for later but for now, it effectively makes the viewer aware of Mami’s mortality. Later in the episode, Homura confronts Mami about the witch and offers to fight it for her. Mami chooses to ignore her plea, having become agitated with Homura’s cold attitude, but you can’t help but think this decision will backfire in the end. Right before the big fight, Mami admits to Madoka that being a magical girl makes her feel lonely and that she selfishly wants her and Sayaka to become magical girls to give her company. When Madoka says she wants to be by her side, this fills Mami with renewed purpose and resolve. The witch she fights, Charlotte (that’s literally the only witch I know by name), is far too much of a pushover at first. All things considered, the death flags weren’t just raised, they were waving wildly in the wind.

Despite the telegraphing and the obvious fact that I know what’s about to happen, Mami’s death is still a punch to the gut. For the short time that she’s present (and alive), I really do sympathize with her situation. We spent a whole episode where she presents herself as the experienced mentor figure, only to now reveal a much more vulnerable side where she feels vain and lonely about her profession as a magical girl. The sudden shift in personality piques my curiosity and while she is being selfish, I can’t blame her for wanting someone to be a magical girl just like her. To suddenly see all that setup and that entire potential arc just come to a screeching halt without a proper resolution, let alone a satisfying one, it’s still going to provoke a reaction out of me.

What also stands out is how unceremoniously Mami is killed off too. Charlotte revealing its true form is a dirty trick but it’s extremely believable as why would it play fair in the first place? And the attack happens so quickly too. The death flags may be there but you’d think it’d be a long and grueling fight before Mami finally bites the dust. She instead dies the instant the tables are turned on her. Let’s not forget the manner in which she dies either. Mami is seemingly decapitated and devoured by the witch and that’s disturbing enough on paper but the direction makes it even worse. There’s no blood or gore. In one shot, you see Charlotte open its jaws right in front of Mami. In another, you see Mami’s now lifeless body revert back to its civilian form but with the head perfectly framed out. Its silhouette then falls to the ground and the “camera” cuts away right as Charlotte mangles it even further. Anything graphic is left to your imagination and the scene is more powerful that way.

Up until Mami’s death, Madoka and Sayaka are weighing on becoming magical girls and what they could wish for. Sayaka evidently has one wish in mind – curing a career-shattering injury of a violin player and her crush, Kyosuke Kamijo (Seiko Yoshida) – though Mami warns her about wishing on the behalf of someone else. Madoka meanwhile decides she’d just be content in simply being a magical girl but is forced to agree with Mami that she should wish for something. Both characters are still thinking over their prospects but after seeing Mami die, they’re now confronted with the fact that they may very well die on the job and they must decide if the risk outweighs the pros of whatever they may wish for.

As for Homura, she steps in to defeat Charlotte and save Madoka and Sayaka. Unlike Mami, Homura actually makes short work of the witch, dodging all of its attacks and killing it unscathed. That does make Mami’s death even more unceremonious though trust me, there is actually a reason why Homura is able to beat Charlotte. After the fight, Homura warns Madoka and Sayaka about forming a contract with Kyubey. Mami’s death pretty much proves her point. Being a magical girl isn’t fun or heroic. It’s a thankless and dangerous job that may result in death.

This episode is a strong reminder to why Madoka made a big splash when it aired. It’s where the show reveals its true colors, a magical girl series that’s clearly much darker than the more happy go lucky variant was and mostly still is ubiquitous to the genre. It was novel at the time and it was received so well that some magical girl anime that have aired since heavily borrows elements from it.

I’ll admit that upon rewatching this episode, the shock and awe is a bit lost to me. Even so, it does provoke a strong reaction out of me, which I think is a testament to the show’s craft and execution.

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This post was originally published on January 22, 2021

Watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu