So at long last, I’m finally at the first new post for the Madoka episode reviews. I’m still bummed that I didn’t finish covering the series for the 10th anniversary. It’s also kind of embarrassing to leave the show on hold with just three episodes to cover. But as the saying goes, better late than never.
I chose quite the episode to pause on, didn’t I? This happens to be the episode that reveals Homura’s past and her history with Madoka. This puts the current events on hold but the timing of this episode is otherwise impeccable. We’re right after Sayaka and Kyoko’s arc and right before the endgame. The show needs to address what the deal is with Homura at some point anyway and with her and Madoka being the only two main characters who will star in the endgame, finally learning their exact relationship right before then makes sense.
If you recall, Episode 8 revealed that Homura is a time traveler who has met Madoka before. This episode therefore begins right where the entire show originally began, with Homura transferring to Madoka’s school and the two meeting for first time. Immediately, it becomes clear that we’re in an alternate timeline. Homura has yet to become a magical girl and she’s a far cry from the mysterious transfer student that we’re used to. She’s instead frail and timid, her personality being a result of a heart condition that kept her hospitalized and away from school. Even her character design is different, sporting a pair of glasses with her hair styled with twin tails. Meanwhile, Madoka is already a magical girl under Mami’s tutelage. As a result, she’s noticeably more outgoing and confident too, greeting and befriending Homura from the get go. It’s not like the Madoka we’ve been following since day one, where she is just as kind but a lot more insecure by comparison.
Around the time she returns to school, Homura is attacked by a witch and she gets rescued by Madoka and Mami. Homura then accompanies the two, much like the current Madoka and Sayaka did with Mami earlier in the series. While it’s only been a few minutes, it becomes clear why Madoka means so much to Homura. Madoka is the first friend Homura ever had in her life and her admiration grows even more when she learns that Madoka is a magical girl who goes around fighting monsters and saving people. A lot of fans interpret Homura’s feelings towards Madoka as romantic. I don’t believe it was ever explicitly confirmed by anyone in the staff but Homura’s feelings do come across that way a lot of times and there’s no denying that it’s a big part of her character and the show’s narrative.
The episode then fast forward to the arrival of Walpurgisnacht. Mami dies fighting it, forcing Madoka to sacrifice her life to finish it off. Distraught by Madoka’s death, Homura makes a wish with Kyubey to redo her first meeting with Madoka and become strong enough to protect her. As a result, Homura becomes a magical girl and she gains the ability to travel back in time. From here, we see Homura attempt to change Madoka’s fate until she reaches the timeline that the show primarily takes place in. The episode shows three additional timelines but it’s implied that Homura has rewound time more than that.
In the second timeline, Homura joins Madoka and Mami and practices her time magic. You could probably infer the pros and cons of Homura’s abilities during previous episodes but in case you haven’t figured it out, this timeline presents a clearer picture. Homura activates her magic via the shield on her left arm. Obviously, being able to freeze time has its perks in combat but outside of that, Homura doesn’t really have a weapon to fight or defend with. To compensate for this drawback, Homura resorts to Google and learns how to create bombs (which I will admit is a little funny). Later in the next timeline, she steals a wide of assortment of firearms. Hence Homura’s fighting style in the current timeline. It’s a very interesting contrast to the other characters who all have magical weapons to fight with.
What’s really cruel about the second timeline is that technically, Homura does fulfill her wish. Thanks to her, Madoka survives the fight with Walpurgisnacht (Mami still dies but I guess that’s par for the course now). Because of the fight however, Madoka’s Soul Gem becomes corrupted and Homura witnesses her transformation into a witch (and by extension, realize that Kyubey neglected to tell everyone a lot of information). As a result, Homura is forced to rewind time again.
For whatever reason, the third timeline is where Sayaka and Kyoko show up again. The show doesn’t really explain why Sayaka isn’t a magical girl in the previous timelines or why Kyoko isn’t around until now. It’s all chalked up as some byproduct of Homura’s time traveling. Anyway, Homura tries to warn everyone the truth about their Soul Gems but no one believes her until Sayaka becomes a witch and the team is forced to kill her. Realizing that Homura was telling the truth, a distraught Mami turns her gun on her friends to prevent them from becoming witches. She manages to kill Kyoko but Madoka kills her before she can kill Homura.
I’ve always found this scene incredibly distressing and that’s saying something considering how dark Madoka has gotten. Mami’s breakdown is very disheartening and it really hammers in her obliviousness to all the lore we now know. Out of anyone in the main cast, Mami is the noblest and most dedicated magical girl. But as soon as she realizes that everything she knows about magical girls is wrong, she can’t take it anymore. This scene proves what Mami told Madoka back in Episode 3, that she’s not as strong as others believe her to be. Madoka being forced to kill Mami is also a heavy blow. While we are technically seeing various versions of the same character in this episode, I think this moment symbolically marks the point where Madoka’s heroism and confidence crumbles away and the show ends up with the timid and insecure girl that we see in the current timeline. Finally, there’s the manner in which Kyoko and Mami die. We know that everyone’s bodies become lifeless once they’re separated from their Soul Gems but it’s still very disturbing to see Kyoko and Mami drop dead once their gems shatter.
Once again, Homura and Madoka manages to beat Walpurgisnacht but they deplete their Soul Gems in the process. I really love how cruel the show is here. Homura is clearly strong enough to keep Madoka alive but fate keeps denying her a complete victory in some way. Thinking that this is the end of the road, Homura asks Madoka if she’d like to destroy the world with her as witches. Homura has certainly been broken by her time as a magical girl but the truth is that she’s always had a dour way of looking at things. It’s just that Madoka keeps her from giving up entirely.
Madoka then reveals that she has one last Grief Seed and she uses it on Homura’s Soul Gem, thus allowing Homura to travel back in time again. She also begs Homura to keep her from taking up on Kyubey’s offer. Surprisingly, the reason why Homura goes out of her way to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl later in the canon is because Madoka asked her to. Of course, that’s easier said than done because Madoka will always want to help others and therefore, the prospect of becoming a magical girl will always appeal to her. Before leaving, Homura agrees to kill Madoka before she becomes a witch. Part of me sees it as unnecessary since Homura is about to rewind time anyway but I do like that the only way Homura can save Madoka this time around is to kill her. That’s such a cruel note to end on this particular timeline.
In the fourth and final alternate timeline shown in this episode, we see Homura finally become the lone wolf we’re familiar with. She attempts to take on Walpurgisnacht all by herself and this is in fact the same scene as the dream Madoka had in the beginning of the series. The story has finally come full circle. Despite Homura’s efforts, she loses the fight and Madoka becomes a magical girl anyway. It’s worth noting that Madoka is considerably more powerful in this timeline, so much so that she defeats Walpurgisnacht and depletes her Soul Gem in an instant. Kyubey believes that her witch form will destroy the world in a manner of days. The show does explain this increase in power in the next episode but regardless, this falls in line with the current version of Madoka having so much potential.
With yet another failure, Homura rewinds time again and the show goes full circle with her ending up in the current timeline. At this point, you have to wonder what Homura can even do to save Madoka. Since Madoka has so much potential, it’s pretty much guaranteed that Kyubey will approach her. And as soon as she agrees to a contract, her fate is sealed. Unless Homura gives up or she somehow succeeds in saving Madoka, it’s a never-ending cycle. That said, there are two episodes to go (and two movies but don’t worry about that) so way or another, the cycle has to stop.
Watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu
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