You get to be Batman
Jun. 18th, 2011 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swatkatAfter promising L for months that I would watch anime (any anime, because I've watched very little apart from random episodes of Sailor Moon back in the days), I ended up watching the first six episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica*. Now, I have zero knowledge of the genre or its conventions - and if this really is meant for an adult male audience, the adolescent girls in their tiny little skirts is extremely male gaze-y (like a lot of superhero comics) - but apart from that, I've really enjoyed it so far.
a.) I, um, sort of know the ending (not all the details, just the most important one about the protagonist) - SORRY, I BLAME TUMBLR, HOW WOULD I KNOW I WAS GOING TO WATCH IT? - and so it's very easy to see certain things. Like the fact that it's not being set up for a happy ending. The hints are all there - Madoka's first dream and Kyubey's words; the narration that sometimes says things like 'Or so I thought'. Kyubey himself - I don't know what he is, but even if he's not outright malevolent, he is, at least, extremely manipulative and dangerous. The first clue is the creepy cuteness. The second clue is the way he is clearly manipulating Madoka and Sayaka at every move. Your friend is in danger, OH NOES - quick, TAKE THE CONTRACT. The third is the way he doesn't mind setting them up against each other, or the way he does not react when someone dies. I don't know what he gains from this (don't tell me), but it's evident that he sees them as a means to an end. The fourth clue is that Homura wants to kill him, and I really like Homura, okay? More on that later.
b.) The way the power of these girls are being set up is very interesting. Kyubey frames it as a sort of empowerment - a gift: witches are born out of curses and magical girls out of wishes. But here's the thing, the wish, while seemingly positive, is a selfish thing - even Sayaki's wish has an element of selfishness (the boy will thank her). And that's not how it works, generally. Granted, I have no frame of reference here, but this exchange between Kyubey and the girls, this contract - it's not the same thing as, say, Buffy being the Chosen One. There is no reward to being the Slayer. No payment, no final trophy. Or, in the famous words of Martha Wayne, 'You don't get heaven or hell. Do you know the only reward you get for being Batman? You get to be Batman.' So Kyubey's offer here comes across as duplicitous, framed in such a manner to lure these girls into becoming puella magi. Which is probably why Homura does not want Madoka to fall into the same trap.
c.) Homura's fixation on Madoka is thisclose to crossing the 'no heterosexual explanation' line.
d.) Madoka is not a fiesty protagonist. She is, in fact, rather docile and extremely sweet. She's not very good at anything, except doing the right thing. She has her heart in the right place.
e.) Did I mention I really like Homura? I want her backstory.
f.) I love that Madoka's mother is a positive role model. I'm not sure why the English teacher who can't get a man exists in the story.
g.) I LOVE the surreal world of the witches. LOVE.
It only has 12 episodes, so I expect I'll watch the rest soon.
* Yes, I am shirking work. Editing is really boring okay? Especially when it's a book about taxes. I have also written about 2000 words of fan fiction, except they're part of many different stories.
a.) I, um, sort of know the ending (not all the details, just the most important one about the protagonist) - SORRY, I BLAME TUMBLR, HOW WOULD I KNOW I WAS GOING TO WATCH IT? - and so it's very easy to see certain things. Like the fact that it's not being set up for a happy ending. The hints are all there - Madoka's first dream and Kyubey's words; the narration that sometimes says things like 'Or so I thought'. Kyubey himself - I don't know what he is, but even if he's not outright malevolent, he is, at least, extremely manipulative and dangerous. The first clue is the creepy cuteness. The second clue is the way he is clearly manipulating Madoka and Sayaka at every move. Your friend is in danger, OH NOES - quick, TAKE THE CONTRACT. The third is the way he doesn't mind setting them up against each other, or the way he does not react when someone dies. I don't know what he gains from this (don't tell me), but it's evident that he sees them as a means to an end. The fourth clue is that Homura wants to kill him, and I really like Homura, okay? More on that later.
b.) The way the power of these girls are being set up is very interesting. Kyubey frames it as a sort of empowerment - a gift: witches are born out of curses and magical girls out of wishes. But here's the thing, the wish, while seemingly positive, is a selfish thing - even Sayaki's wish has an element of selfishness (the boy will thank her). And that's not how it works, generally. Granted, I have no frame of reference here, but this exchange between Kyubey and the girls, this contract - it's not the same thing as, say, Buffy being the Chosen One. There is no reward to being the Slayer. No payment, no final trophy. Or, in the famous words of Martha Wayne, 'You don't get heaven or hell. Do you know the only reward you get for being Batman? You get to be Batman.' So Kyubey's offer here comes across as duplicitous, framed in such a manner to lure these girls into becoming puella magi. Which is probably why Homura does not want Madoka to fall into the same trap.
c.) Homura's fixation on Madoka is thisclose to crossing the 'no heterosexual explanation' line.
d.) Madoka is not a fiesty protagonist. She is, in fact, rather docile and extremely sweet. She's not very good at anything, except doing the right thing. She has her heart in the right place.
e.) Did I mention I really like Homura? I want her backstory.
f.) I love that Madoka's mother is a positive role model. I'm not sure why the English teacher who can't get a man exists in the story.
g.) I LOVE the surreal world of the witches. LOVE.
It only has 12 episodes, so I expect I'll watch the rest soon.
* Yes, I am shirking work. Editing is really boring okay? Especially when it's a book about taxes. I have also written about 2000 words of fan fiction, except they're part of many different stories.
