#not a phantom fan just a pmmm fan who dabbles in musical theatre knowledge

[glitter-bunny420]

I just had a theory

So we all know Madoka Magica makes many illusions to fairy tales/classical literature in some cases. One of the most notable examples of this is with Sayaka. Given her whole water/mermaid motif (especially in her witch form) and her experience with unrequited love, it’s easy to conclude that she heavily draws from “The Little Mermaid”. However, call me crazy but I think Sayaka’s story might also be based off “The Phantom of the Opera” in some way. Let me explain:

1. Both Sayaka and Erik/Phantom became attracted to their object of affection through music. Erik admired Christine’s talent for singing and dubbed her his “angel of music” while Sayaka was amazed by Kyosuke’s skill as a violinist at a young age. Music is what keeps these two pairs together: Sayaka often brought classical music CDs to the hospital so she and Kyosuke could listen to them together while Erik appointed Christine as his protegee and uses his passion for music to tutor her.

2. Both view themselves as unlovable/monstrous. Throughout both the book and the musical, Erik has many deep-seeded insecurities over his deformities and is frequently referred to by others as a “monster” or a “demon”. Likewise, upon learning the truth about Soul Gems, Sayaka’s self-esteem takes a nose-dive and in episode 8, she directly says to Madoka “I’ve been turned into a monster”.

3. Once they realise their love is unrequited, they literally become the monsters they believe themselves to be. Upon overhearing Raoul’s promise to protect Christine (which for all you theatre kids is the song “All I Ask of You”), Erik swears revenge and repeatedly attempts to destroy their relationship throughout the latter half of the book/musical, fully transforming into the cruel and grisly being everyone viewed him as. Similarly, when Sayaka overhears Hitomi confessing to Kyosuke who appears to reciprocate, Sayaka finally falls into despair and transforms into a witch, becoming a literal monster.

Side note: when I was looking at the plot summary for the book, I learned that there’s a scene in it where Christine is visiting her father’s grave and she encounters a man (who is heavily implied to be Erik) playing a violin. Granted, this kinda muddles with the main core of this theory that Sayaka is playing Erik’s role and Kyosuke is playing Christine’s role, but I still think it was a pretty neat detail and worth mentioning.

I admit, this isn’t a very concrete theory but it’s the best I could do. What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to let me know in the replies!