So naturally, Sayaka doesn’t take the news of her soul being separate from her body very well. Kyubey gives the same explanation he gave to everyone else last episode though this time around, he does demonstrate what advantage such an arrangement would entail by using magic to emulate the pain Sayaka would feel if she got injured during combat and her soul was still connected. Even though the advantage is made crystal clear, to put Sayaka through such pain to prove a point is rather cruel (especially when you consider the episode’s ending). Worse is the fact that Kyubey doesn’t even consider it as cruel but rather just the most efficient way in showing what he’s been talking about. More and more, it’s becoming clear that Kyubey is hardly an ally to our main characters. He’s far too disconnected from their personal feelings to be considered one. No wonder Homura doesn’t like him.
Speaking of Homura, there’s another scene between her and Madoka. Homura confirms that she already knows about the true nature of Soul Gems and she never brought it up because no one believed her. Madoka expresses her objections over the severing of a magical girl’s soul from her body while Homura argues that a price is bound to be paid, especially when making a wish as miraculous as Sayaka’s. It’s funny; even though Homura antagonizes Kyubey, her line of thinking is a little similar to Kyubey’s. She too views things logically and as a matter of fact. Homura seems to be aware of that, even admitting to Madoka that she doesn’t see herself as human anymore. That said, keep that admission in mind for later. It’ll come into play when we learn more about Homura.
Meanwhile, you have Kyoko, who seems to have a slight change of heart towards Sayaka after what happened last episode. Rather than try to beat the other one up, she takes Sayaka to a church that belonged to her father and tells the latter her life story in the hopes of convincing her to change paths. As it turns out, Kyoko has a thematically similar background as Sayaka. Her father was an excommunicated and radical evangelist and Kyoko’s wish was for people to become his followers. When her father found out about the truth, he suffered a breakdown and, save for Kyoko, killed himself and his family. Suddenly, you realize why Kyoko is so selfish and dislikes Sayaka. She herself made a selfless wish and it completely backfired on her. Consequently, she’s decided that the only one she has to worry about is herself. Kyoko dislikes but also relates with Sayaka because the latter reminds her of her past self.
Even though Sayaka admits that she has misunderstood Kyoko, she refuses the message her peer tries to impart to her and she still vows to be the heroic magical girl that she strives to be. That decision is to be expected but instead of coming across as the better person in the room, Sayaka sounds stubborn and stuck up instead. Frankly, she’s adhering too closely to her ideals, right down to the fact that she refuses an apple Kyoko offers her on the presumption that Kyoko stole them. Kyoko doesn’t deny the allegation but even so, that is really darn petty. It just rubs me the wrong way.
If not idealistically, Sayaka is starting to experience a fallout on a personal level. After being warned so many times by the others, Sayaka is seeing her wish backfire as the person she wished for drifts away from her. Kyosuke has returned to school but Sayaka hesitates to talk to him. Now that she’s a magical girl and knowing that she’s not exactly human now, Sayaka fears that she can’t have a normal relationship with him. While I think Sayaka could maybe pull off a relationship with Kyosuke if she plays her cards right, there is a reason why Mami was a loner and we see with Kyoko how the truth eventually finds its way out. One can’t blame Sayaka for feeling so hesitant and hopeless.
There’s also Hitomi revealing to Sayaka that she’s in love with Kyosuke and that she plans on confessing to him if Sayaka doesn’t within 24 hours. It’s pretty out of the blue. I mean, this is the first time we’re hearing about Hitomi having feelings towards Kyosuke. If she really likes him, how come she didn’t visit him in the hospital like Sayaka did? I think this detail would feel more natural if you had both Sayaka and Hitomi visiting Kyosuke together. That said, I do see what the writing is going for. Kyosuke drifting away from Sayaka is already the expected outcome but it’s an even bigger blow for Sayaka’s own friend to make a move, with courage that Sayaka feels she lacks.
The ending certainly adds some ominousness to where Sayaka’s character arc is heading. The girl gets injured while fighting a witch but presses on, even as Kyoko offers to help, with complete disregard for her physical condition because her body is nothing but a shell now. The direction for this scene is superb; I love how everyone is in silhouette, especially with Sayaka as it puts a lot of attention on her wide smile to convey the inhuman nature of magical girls and Sayaka’s descent into madness.
You know, as horrifying as Mami’s death was, at least she suffered quickly. I don’t think Sayaka is “enjoying” that same kind of luxury.
This post was originally published on February 19, 2021
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