Homura's Backstory is BRUTAL 

So the reason Homura's weapon went from golf club to guns and explosives is because her magical girl weapon is her shield, which has time stop and an infinitely deep pocket. She herself has no weapon, so she steals guns in every timeline and learned how to craft bombs and carries them in said pocket

I love the consistency of Mami "losing her head" even metaphorically, in each timeline

The worst thing about Gloopy is that it isn't a liar. Technically. It's not a liar, but it sure as hell knows how to twist and obscure the truth. It doesn't have emotions, but it has _ambitions_ and it is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure these come to pass. It knows that lying outright will only work in the short term, so its best bet is to shift the blame to the children it manipulated so they doubt themselves and each other. "I never lied. You just never asked. I don't think of you as disposable, this is simply for the greater good. Maybe if you'd become a magical girl earlier, your friend wouldn't have died"

So the reason Homura is reluctant to use Madoka's first name is because in Japanese culture, using someone's first name (especially without honorifics) means you are close to them. So Madoka is telling Homura "let's be besties!" and Homura, who's meek and shy, can't wrap her head around it. Which is another reason Madoka cries when Homura uses her first name, because they're finally friennds.

It’s so unbelievably fitting that this was posted on Valentine’s Day.

20:30 Someone somewhere mentioned that Homura says "Sorry" because Sayaka expressed earlier how she fears to be blown up one day by Homura's sudden explosions.

there’s clever foreshadowing to this in the first episode, sayaka says “maybe she knew you in another universe” or something along those lines

The scene where Mami kills Kyoko and talks about how they all have to die to avoid becoming witches is dark as hell, but it shows how and why Mami is such a great leader at the same time. She knows becoming witches will just be the worst outcome for everyone. And as fucked as it is, her killing everyone and herself in comparison is the better option

A lot of people have talked about Sayaka's connections to mermaids, and specifically the little mermaid, but not much about Kyoko's connection to horses/unicorns. Her witch form Ophelia, which doesn't show up in the anime, is that of a Headless Horseman, her head being replaced by a candlestick, and the horse she rides is implied to be a unicorn that's lost it's horn; that being symbolic of losing one's innocence. Her last name, Sakaura, could also be a reference to sakura niku, a name for horse meat. And the witch's name, Ophelia, is a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet; a girl who went mad after her father's death and drowned herself. So it seems like that scene of the unicorn and mermaid is foreshadowing Kyoko's murder-suicide of Sayaka or is just representative of the two in general and their clashing of ideals; it doesn't really have much to do with Madoka, she's just there XD

the bacstory episode changes EVERYTHING. It shows WHY homura acts the way she does. she's not just emotionally numb just because of trauma, but because literally everything she's done hasn't stopped anything, so she's gonna act distant and solve things from the shadows, determined to stop madoka becoming a magical girl. She doesn't trust Mami because she saw that if pushed to her limits mami FUCKING SNAPS and murders everyone hence why she's so antagonsitic towards her in episode 1. And that's not even getting into her own tragedy. As you said she was madoka's BEST FRIEND in the original timeline. But now madoka barely knows her, and the other girls distrust her. She's sacrificed EVERTYHING just for this one girl. (yes homura and madoka is ALSO a top tier ship for this show) also: homura stole all her weapons from yakuza. Jut a neat detail as to how a japanese middle schooler got her hands on such high level weapons (in japan it's not legal for anyone to even have ACCESS to guns except police officers, let alone be able to buy one)

Sayaka's story has many parallels with Hans Christian Anderson's original little mermaid story. Kyoko also has theming related to water and drowning because of her connection with Sayaka and her dying trying to save her. Relevant trivia: Kyoko can't swim. Also her witch form, which is never revealed in the show but does come up in the spin off games, is named Ophelia. You know, the girl from Hamlet who drowns?

Homura cannot stop, she has to relive it. Because the second she slows down, the second she realizes it’s hopeless, she’ll give into despair and transform into a witch. It’s incredibly tragic.

"I don't know enough about periods or symbolism." That's a line that's going to live in my head for a while.

7:45 tbh the mermaid represents Sayaka (her witch form is a mermaid; she has a lot of water imagery; her story is similar to the original Little Mermaid story...) So the fact that that red-head girl is framed with the mermaid ties her to Sayaka. You figured it out at about 11:45, but...yeah. Sayaka's a mermaid to draw parallels between her tragic story and The Little Mermaid (not the Disney version) not sure exactly what the unicorn represents, but you're probably right about what it means

Sub or Dub, Homura's scream when she shoots Madoka's Soul Gem is VISCERAL.

Homura has done that month time loop for something like 10 years. Every day fighting and prepping and watching her friends die over and over. And after a while she stopped going to the other girls. She she’s been alone for a chunk of them. The fact that she maintained the mental fortitude for that long is a testament to her strength and love for Madoka. The single month of Madoka’s kindness and warmth was enough for Homura to dedicate the rest of her life to saving her.

"Your name is flame and you aren't sliding into class everyday on a ripstick? Are you ill?" Yeah she was "I can't believe you named our daughter flame!" "I'm sorry, I thought she'd be sick" SHE WAS!

I can't believe I watched this as a kid.The metaphors, themes, hidden meaning, just how absolutely emotional and dark it could be with such a cute show is insane

YEWEESS I SWEAR I LOVE HOMURA SHES LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARECTERS OF ALL TIME.

10:58 IIRC the red/blue swirling is a loose callback to similar character dynamcs in revolutionary girl utena, which is pretty neat. Could be wrong though. By this point Kyoko is pretty heavily injured but they didn't want to show her bleeding too heavily so it's a visual for that, too. These two episodes are the best

THE SHRIEK I JUST LET OUT WHEN I SAW THE TITLE-

As a fellow film nerd, I understood what you meant about the editing. There are multiple cuts in this show that make it seem like the reaction shots may not have happened at all and it's just an internal reaction instead. Love hearing your analysis on the different techniques they've been using in this anime!

8:26 Kill la Kill is also, kind of, a subversion of the magical girl genre, and a big part of the show is them getting naked, like the clothes (or lack thereof) is the plot

Other’s Valentines day: romantic, happy Danny Motta’s Valentine’s Day: devastated by Madoka Magica (welcome to the club)

The way I was stimming SO HARD watching this omg auuuuugh this show is genuinely art

Also the 15:38 "Are you ill?" And 16:00 "I thought she'd be sick" were so out of pocket I loved that.

10:40 madoka magica actually had a manga adaptation where it appears that its not period blood, blood from a wound on her stomach where sayakas witch stabbed her that just trickled down between her legs

Honestly the closer to the end you get the more exited I get to get to see your reaction to the movie

Please watch Madoka Magica Rebellion, this movie is a great sequel to the series

On the topic of timeline 1 Madoka telling Homura to use her first name, Japanese society and language puts a lot of emphasis on respect and formality. So, it's common and polite to address people using their family name/last name. Using given names is often reserved for close relationships. An example can be found in Jujutsu Kaisen with how Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara often address each other as Itadori, Fushiguro, Kugisaki respectively, as they've only known each other for a couple months.

1:42 if you think that's a bullshit power (from the characters' perspective at least), Mami's power was full control over ribbons. All those muskets she broadsided things with were made of her ribbons. She just made them metal and in the shape of guns. Mami is like, the definition of "their power sounds useless, but is secretly broken as hell."

You don't call someone by their first name in Japan very often, unless you are extremely close friends, family or lovers.

I'm also not smart enough to know how to describe it in technical terms or why it works so well, but I agree, the editing/cuts in this show are masterful and so unlike anything I've ever seen; they add to the creepy and unsettling atmosphere SO well, along with the music. Madoka is just a masterpiece ugh, there will never be anything like it ever again, I'm certain.

Hello! I’m here to explain the mermaid shit! So all the witches’ paper mache forms and their lairs have super heavy (albeit sometimes a little vague) symbolism to who they were and the nature of their wishes when they were magical girls. Sayaka’s witch form is a reference to The Little Mermaid bc her wish to heal Kyosuke parallels that of the mermaid giving up her voice to be with him. And at the end of both of their stories, they ultimately lose their prince to another girl and die because of their decision. Sayaka’s orchestral and music motif is also a reference to Kyosuke (since they met bc he played violin). She also has a knight motif (the cape and sword in her magical girl form, the strange armor-esque body in her witch form) bc her wish was to save Kyosuke & wanted to be a hero like Mami. But yeah! There’s been like an artbook explaining some of the other witches’ motifs + fandom speculation too! Look into them if you can, i really love the detail of Gekidan Inu Curry’s (the animation duo behind the witches) animation, they’re super cool!

Rewatching Madoka with your commentary is something I didn't know would turn into my fav entertainment but I ain't giving that up now!

8:03 The mermaid in that shot with Kyoko represents Sayaka. There has been a lot of mermaid and water based symbolism with her character. Most notably, her witch form is a mermaid. So Kyoko standing next to the mermaid represents her connection to Sayaka. EDIT: As for the reason why, its geberally acceoted that Sayakas story parallels the original, non-disneyfied version of the story of the little mermaid.

Welcome to the Madoka Magica ruined my life club!! We’re glad to have you!

Homura is a survivor. I’d want her to save me like a princess during the end of the world.

For the mermaid/unicorn scene you mentioned the way I always interpreted it was that the unicorn represented Kyoko-her witch form is like a candle riding a horse and she uses a spear which I kinda associated with the unicorn horn especially with the dynamic/attack-ready pose the unicorn has-and the mermaid Sayaka-since that’s her witch form-and sort of foreshadowed their impending battle. However, you might be right and it may be referencing/foreshadowing the characters’ fate, Kyoko being on the mermaid’s side implying that she sort of annihilates with Sayaka and the unicorn implying certain…things about Madoka’s future. Also, for the end screen of episode 9 I read somewhere that it’s apparently canon that Kyoko can’t swim, so her diving after a drowning Sayaka in that end screen sure is something

12:55 I probably would not only be upset but I would've left an extensive comment about it

7:40 Huh. Never noticed that choice before. Mermaids in folklore are often associated with unrequited/lost love. But I think what's more significant for Kyoko specifically is how the mermaid is reaching her hand out, almost like reaching out for someone. Also, Octavia, Sayaka's witch form, is a mermaid in reference to the whole unrequited love association earlier.

Even better than not experiencing emotions, in the original subbed version I recall him explaining that the Incubators that /do/ experience emotion are considered to have a mental illness. Basically emotions = a disability to them.

"Breath of fresh air" about a psychological horror show is... a bold take. Love your Madoka reactions 😊

This show is just. Incredible. I’m so happy you stuck with it.

Hey Dannyyy, if you want a mind blow, go back to episode 1 and rewatch the beginning where Homura is introduced and Madoka "shows her around." The whole scene is a lot more heartbreaking with context of Homura's reliving her life over and over again.

You should definitely watch the movie right after the series It's a continuation of Madoka Magica, the movie "Rebellion"

And one of the biggest reveals is here! I **Adore** how this show handles its loose ends, just about everything has an explanation that keeps your attention and said explanation always fits with the established lore and rules in the world the writer created. It’s not often that I’m unable to say I noticed a plot hole or a narrative inconsistency in any work of fiction, much less one that stays entertaining instead of becoming a “tell don’t show” lore dump that almost removes all of the work’s intrigue, and this show pulled it off flawlessly. Every single time I rewatch Puella Magi: Madoka Magica, I notice new pieces of symbolism and each character’s personality becomes more clear. By far the best anime I watch.

Danny is going to SUFFER through the rest of this show

10:12 I FUCKING LOVE MY BLUE AND RED YURI I REMEMBER LOSING MY SHIT WHEN I FIRST SAW THAT SHOT

Danny, please make sure to watch Madoka Magica Rebellion! The show isn't over with the anime season, Rebellion tackles the necessairy continuation arc; In essence, Madoka tackles themes of obsession and inability of letting go, and it isn't complete without that!

Homerun-chan really is best girl. I can't believe Danny said "homerun" and didn't come across the community pun organically about Homura.

Sayaka witch form is more of Siren. Sirens and mermaids both represent broken hearts. Sayaka got heartbroken when the love of her life got with someone else and then her life as a magical girl got miserable. Her witch form also has some of her knight form. The train tracks present where she hatched. Kysoke? Her love is one of her fimilars that constantly play music. Hitomi? The green hair girl is also one of her fimilars that constantly dance for kysoke attention

I love how he quoted the I was stupid... So stupid... From the last episodes

Don't forget to watch Rebellion (3rd film, the 1st 2 films are recaps) after the series and then the PV to Walpurgisnacht (the 4th film)

I think the mermaid symbolism with kyuoko and sayaka is that they both made wishes for another person's sake and they ended up regretting it

HE'S GOTTEN TO HOMURA'S BACKSTORY Y'ALL WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Okay so fun fact! Around 20:55 you say Sayaka always turns into a witch, it's actually confirmed that in every time line in which Sayaka makes a contract with Kyubey, Octavia von Seckendorff (her witch) WILL appear. No exceptions. (There's also timelines where she never makes a contract in the first place, which would obviously be the best option.)

IM GONNA NEED YOU TO REACT TO THE MOVIE AFTER THIS.

Mermaids symbolise rebirth or the toxic change of a person (mainly being used in a toxic or unhealthy way) in Greek mythology for centuries

I have so much to say that I can't say anything but I love you calling Madoka a poor sweet strawberry macaroon. Like yeah. Yeah that's correct .... god this show is such a fucking gem i cant even UAAGHHHH. punching the air rn bc i can't possibly express everything running though my head when i watch it, but its SO so so good

4:44 I like to phrase it as "externalizing her internal dialogue"

Mermaids are often conflated with sirens, so Madoka is listening to the sirens call I would assume. And will eventually be dragged under.

Danny's reaction at 19:14 had me cackling

Kyoko isn't a mermaid- she's a Siren. Her wish was that people would listen to her father, so she calls to people and summons them to their death. Like her Father's Flock, like her Family, like Siaka. All of the people she calls to end up dead. The significance of her standing over Siaka's body and keeping it fresh is that she's trying to use that Siren power to call her back to her body. But that's not how it works. When she's standing across from Madoka, it's...... Ah..... Foreshadowing. Kinda.

about the mermaid symbolism, it was a popular analysis a while ago- the mermaid links into the the tale of the little mermaid, ariel sold her voice for legs to a witch underwater- this represents the magical girls selling their souls for a wish/to become magical girls !!

It's been hinted that she had been reliving that one month for YEARS. It makes sense that "She sucks at explaining things!", because she gave up on trying, likely a long time ago

HOW were you not spoiled for this? I'm so glad you weren't but damn. I never thought I would see someone else experience this fresh.

The mermaid bit is like the original story where the mermaid falls in love with a boy but he doesn't love her and she dies

who’s gonna tell him that theres also a movie, and that its good.

I don't why but hearing Danny say how much he hates us for recommending this show is funny af 😂

You gotta watch Ascendance of a Bookworm, it's a little fluffy Isekai about a nerdy librarian who gets squished to death by a bookshelf and reincarnates as a sick little girl in a world without books, so she looks for a way to invent books. It's kinda like dr. Stone but they teach you how to make books and simple things like handmade shampoo instead of bombs.

Hooray for putting Danny through the emotional ringer. Can’t wait for his reaction to rebellion.

I was crying so hard over a show I finished and I was like „oh I need to watch some Danny content, pls I hope he posted smt” and the first thing i see what I open yt is ur vid and I smiled and clicked it immediately I love ur vids bro u always make me laugh

You definitely need to watch the movie Rebellion after this because its like the continuation of the season and it’s absolutely amazing

7:55 the unicorn mermaid shot is foreshadowing. Sayaka's witch form is literally a mermaid so kyoko standing next to it is for shadowing that she is going to be killed by it whereas madoka being the unicorn is foreshadowing how she is going to eradicate all witches since the pose of the unicron seems like its going to attack the mermaid.

When you realize that Homura can never stop trying to prevent the future, cause the moment she does she'll lose all hope and turn into a witch...

Mermaids are often associated with unrequited love, hence Sayaka being one. And the I’m pretty sure the unicorn is a reference to Kyoko’s Witch design from the mobile game? I’m pretty sure there’s also plenty of unicorn symbolism that suits her but I just can’t remember it at the moment. Tldr: the unicorn & mermaid wind chimes represent Kyoko & Sayaka If you’re interested in the symbolism of the show I’d recommend checking out some videos by The Judgemental Critter! They’ve made a bunch of breakdown videos explaining the Witches way better than I could and it’s all super cool stuff!

Rewatched this reaction and think I have a guess at Sayaka’s mermaid imagery. Sayaka and the original Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen's tale share a profound thematic similarity centered around self-sacrifice and unrequited love. Both characters make life-altering sacrifices for the boys they love, with little consideration for the personal cost. Sayaka uses her wish to heal the boy she loves, Kyosuke Kamijo, so he can play the violin again - despite knowing her feelings might not be reciprocated. Similarly, the Little Mermaid sacrifices her voice and undergoes great physical pain to gain a human form to be with the prince she loves. In both stories, their sacrifices do not yield the love they yearn for: Kyosuke end up with Sayaka’s friend Hitomi, and the prince marries the temple woman whom he mistakenly believes is who saved him from drowning, when it was really the Little Mermaid. This leads to tragic transformations: Sayaka becomes a witch, consumed by despair, while the Little Mermaid, facing death, is offered a form of redemption by ascending to a spiritual realm. The tales diverge in their conclusions but are united by themes of tragic love, sacrifice, and transformation, with both characters facing dark fates due to their unrequited affections.

18:13 fun fact, in one timeline Mami dies from the Monday blues

A detail I always think is interesting is Madonna has a lot of agency in the previous loops but homura looping back and trying to help slowly strips her of her agency. Like her in the first of timeline vs her at the start of the show is wild.

7:53 so my take. Unicorns are often associated with purity, and at this moment Madoka is untouched/tainted by Kyubey's magic. Like mentioned, they are also seen as rare, but I think the purity aspect is more prevalent in this case. The mermaid could also be seen as a siren, which are bad omens since they lure sailors to their deaths by mimicking the voices of their loved ones, giving them false hope to see their loved ones again.

It's also such a delight seeing this series again since I first watched it, not to mention Madoka x Homura spawning jaw dropping fanarts since the dawn of time with their tragic relationship. I just commented in a another video but I think with this episode of Homura's backstory, I now really actually need you to watch Summer Time Rendering for a reaction series or even just on your free time :)

14:57 DANNY NOT THE TIME TO BRING UP GRANDFATHER'S MINE JUST DIED FROM THE UWU DISEASE

The mermaid and unicorn battling was foreshadowing Sayaka and Kyoko's battle because Sayaka is represented as a mermaid (since her story is heavy based off the little sea maid) and Kyoko is represented as a horse (forgot why but her witch form is shown as a fire horse) there really is a lot of symbolism in every corner of this show there's even a reason why Kyoko eats in every scene she's in, it's the little things that makes this anime so cool

Madoka Magica is one of the best written anime series that has ever existed. There is a canon movie as well. Continues the story. Don't know if you still do movies or not.

8:28 "get the censor bar ready" makes me think that Tom has it stashed in his closet and has to go get it out every time. 15:39 "why aren't you dresseed like Rengoku right now" and "How DARE this girl turn into an introvert" killed me. ...you asked for analysis so I hope you're ready because I love this show, it's legit my fave. Well then. Sayaka in her magical girl form wore a cape and used swords, and her witch form, Oktavia, wears an armor...her theme is that of a knight. She wanted to be Kyouske's "knight in shining armor", appearing out of nowhere, saving the day and getting the guy. But her fairy tale was actually The Little Mermaid and not the Disney one. She loves a human, but she can never be with him, she's a different being (magical girl) that can never live in the same world as him. Cool details: - Her tail has a heart as her fin - In her armor you see a sword piercing a heart in her tunny - If you look closeley in the flashback there are little Hitomi dancings, while in this timeline she only has an orchestra of violins because Kyouske plays the violin. - The mermaid and unicorn are Sayaka and Kyoko, as Kyoko fights with a lance.

Great reaction. I'm glad you're enjoying Madoka! It basically single-handedly reshaped all magical girl anime after it came out in 2011, lol. Other comments may have mentioned it, but season 2 comes out this year. There's also a movie that follow's up season 1 and is absolutely wild. (There's actually 3 movies, but the first 2 are just the first season re-told with a few new scenes)

Sayaka's Witch is inspired by the little mermaid, the OG, where she left her home and risked it all for love and died. Her swords protrude from her back to show her suffering was self-inflicted.

this was my first anime and I can confirm it really set the bar high from the start

After you finish the anime, there's also the movie, Madoka Magica: Rebellion, which is a direct continuation. It is a must-watch! Especially with the new movie coming!

I ended up binge watching this anime because of your reactions. And i was legit sat there in tears at the end like 'it got so much worse. I wonder what Danny is gunna think by the end of it.' 😂😂😂

YOU GOTTA WAHTCH THE MOVIE HOLY SHIT IT ADDS SO MUCH PLEASE

Homuras crying before she has to kill Madoka always makes me cry 😭💔

I love Homura's backstory. Madoka Magica and Steins;gate hit me so hard in the feels. In the only way such painful shows can.

We truly getting Homura's Backstory in Valentine's Day, HUH? Oh the glorious golden threads of fate.

If you think your life is over because you're watching, imagine the moment you realize you won't something so good as this anytime soon

I just noticed that kyubey is a specie of hive mind individuals that are not connected to one specific and only body but rather have their own bodys only sharing their mind, which means that that one scene where homura shot him to death and them he eats his "own body" is rather another kyubey eating his old "brother"

"how many gloopies are dooping around out there?" is not a sentence I thought I would ever hear, yet here we are.

Seeing the "What the fuck is this shit" to "this is the best thing i've ever seen" pipeline is always my favorite part of introducing people to madoka magica omfg ❤

Sayaka is a mermaid because she was outcast wanting to be saved and Kyoka forced people to hear her voice just like a siren (type of mermaid).