#pmmm analysi

[silvermoon424]

Can't remember if this is ever said explicitly, but I really vibe with the idea that Sayaka summons multiple cutlasses because Mami- who does the same unlimited weapon trick- was the first (and only) magical girl Sayaka saw in action.

[biggesthomuradefender]

kinda long homura rant/analysis

“homura doesn’t care about anybody but madoka !!!!”

literally homura:

originally tried to save all of the girls before she eventually gave up bc it was literally impossible,

literally ran like hell to get sayaka’s soul gem back after madoka chucked it off the bridge and even closely inspected it w such care to make sure it wasn’t damaged at all,

admitted that she has hurt people (most likely the magica quartet, aka all of her friends, bc who else?) and feels immense guilt abt it and wishes she could erase it all (she literally says that hurting mami hurt HER),

can’t bare to kill mami (she looks so conflicted and sad when pointing the gun at her) and can’t even look at her when she shoots her in the leg bc she rly doesn’t want to hurt her,

subconsciously created a desired reality that she brought all of her friends (even kyosuke and hitomi, implying that she even cares for them as well) into where alive, happy, and together (ppl seem to forget that homura’s labyrinth was literally what she’s wanted deep down before it started to fall apart as she realized it was fake; sayaka literally points out how a witch who just wants to keep everyone happy and out of harm can’t be that bad, and kyuubey points out how homura would have most likely preferred to stay in this fake, happy world instead of realizing the horrible truth),

apologizes to kyoko for “getting her involved in this” after she realizes that she herself is the witch, aka most likely apologizing for wasting kyoko’s time when she asked her to go to kazamino city w her and for calling her,

rewrote reality in order to bring sayaka and bebe back to life and give everyone the happy life they always desired and deserved (she is literally willing to proclaim herself as “evil” and “the devil” and be unhappy if it means that madoka and everyone else gets to be happy and alive, safe from all the pain and the incubators who are still trying to prey on them and all magical girls)

… but she only cares abt madoka?

[ber--32]

i love how despite kyoko's death reflecting her father's, the nature behind it is completely different.

like they both died in the process of killing someone else but kyoko's father died with his actions being a sign of violence & corruption, while kyoko died with her actions being a sign of mercy & redemption

also fire imagery :3

[atamascolily]

There is a tendency I see in PMMM analyses and discussions to treat the witches simply as monsters that can be overcome with sufficient force regardless of other circumstances--and thus Homura's failure to ever win against Walpurgisnacht on her own terms is something that could be easily fixed with more firepower and different tactics. And while there's nothing wrong with this interpretation, it's not one that particularly interests me, either.

What I like about PMMM and what makes it so engaging for me, is that it can be read on multiple levels--both as a literal journey and as a symbolic one. In-universe, witches are the shadow selves of magical girls; is it really so surprising that they also serve as narrative foils to those who face them, thus making victory or defeat as much of a character issue as a tactical one?

It is not a coincidence that Mami Tomoe, a girl who was forced to grow up too fast and who could have wished to save her dying parents but didn't, meets her end at the hand of a particularly childish and immature witch, a lumpen, misshapen doll that transforms into a clown--a girl who never grew up, who could have wished to save her dying parent but didn't. Mami, an experienced veteran who wiped the floor with the Rose Witch and her familiars earlier, is completely caught off-guard and is eaten alive by a witch who embodies all of the issues she herself struggles with and has yet to overcome within herself.

Yes, Mami was careless and overconfident, which led to her doom--but she had also fulfilled her role of introducing Madoka to the world of magical girls. On a narrative level, her death was necessary--not only to free Madoka from her impulsive promise to become a magical girl too early in the story, before she'd learned all the facts and could make a fully informed decision, but also to teach Madoka one final, horrific lesson about what life as a magical girl is really like.

This is not to say that AUs where Mami survives are wrong or missing the point--I've written them myself and I love them! (It helps that Mami's survival is usually the result of someone else's interference, not something she accomplishes on her own.) Nor do I mean to suggest that Mami's death is a moral failing on her part--merely that I think that Charlotte represents Mami's own particular brand of kryptonite at that particular point in her life, one she might have been able to survive if she had been able to move beyond the psychological issues hobbling her.

Meanwhile, Homura is able to easily defeat Charlotte, because metaphorically she's moved beyond the childish worldview that Mami is still stuck in. From that same symbolic perspective, it's this relative level of maturity, as much as her time stop and pipe bombs, that allows her to win.

Likewise, it is not an accident that the next witch Madoka encounters is one that specializes in extracting the memories of its victims, trapping Madoka in a spinning carousel as she is tormented by her own grief and guilty conscience over Mami's death. She is freed by Sayaka, who has moved beyond such angst by her decision to take on Mami's role as an idealized magical girl protector. Later on, Sayaka's descent into dualistic thinking is symbolized by her fight against a witch whose world is literally black and white--whom Sayaka defeats, but only at the cost of pushing herself dangerously to her limits.

As with Mami, Sayaka's death is directly tied to her own psychological issues--in this case, by her incredibly strict rules about how magical girls should behave and her refusal to cut herself any slack whatsoever. Her metaphorical self-denial results in literal self-denial, and her death as a magical girl and rebirth as a witch.

Then we come to Walpurgisnacht, a witch made of cogs and gears--the one witch Homura cannot beat, no matter what she does. Homura is stuck in her loops, unable to imagine a future beyond them, increasingly isolated from any meaningful connections or relationships--Walpurgisnacht may be the "fool that spins in a circle", but so is Homura. The inside mirrors the outside; when we watch Homura fight against Walpurgisnacht, we are also watching Homura's struggle with herself. Unlike Mami and Sayaka, Homura's magic allows her to fight this battle over and over again--again and again she is forced to retreat and start over, unsatisfied with the results and determined to do better next time. She doesn't die, but she doesn't win, either--instead, she's locked into perpetual stalemate with no end.

Madoka, however, is able to see beyond the vicious cycle represented by Walpurgisnacht and thus easily and repeatedly defeats an enemy that Homura cannot, regardless of her relative power levels in any given timeline. It's probably too simplistic to say that hope triumphs over despair--and yet, that's exactly what happens, every single time. Homura has numbed herself through repeated exposure to where she no longer feels hope or despair, thus existing in perpetual stasis with her purpose the only thing driving her. Paradoxically, the one thing she needs to do to win is the one thing she cannot do--and the thing that Madoka can do all too easily.

(This is not to say that Madoka doesn't have her own issues--she does!--just that her issues are different from Homura's, meaning she's not tripped up by this particular obstacle in the same way that Homura is. And it's not that Homura's struggles were pointless--they were what allowed Madoka to get to point where she had both the power and the knowledge that she could save everyone, including Homura.)

Homura's final battle with Walpurgisnacht shows Homura going to insane lengths, including a wall of C-4 explosives inside a refinery, a flaming oil tanker, and a submarine with Type 88 Surface-to-Ship missiles--none of which has any lasting effect on Walpurgisnacht whatsoever. That episode goes to great lengths to show that Homura's approach to fighting Walpurgisnacht fundamentally isn't working; I don't think adding more nukes would help.

The one time Homura gets the closest to her happy ending is the one timeline where she and Madoka fight and fall together--the one timeline where they are shown as equals, and the one where they debate becoming witches together and destroying the whole world before Madoka thinks better of it. This is also not a coincidence. If there is ever to be a truly happy end to this franchise--or an end at all--Homura and Madoka must be equal and willing partners, not one protecting/sacrificing themself for the other again and again. It is also likely that they will remake the universe in the process, through the combined power of their mutual wish.

[It also wouldn't surprise me if that line foreshadowed future plot elements--after all, Madoka technically became a witch in the final episode of the TV series (she got better, thanks to the nature of her wish), and so did Homura in Rebellion--but we shall see if the series ever follows up on this.]

This is why I'm so excited that Walpurgis no Kaiten seems to be laying the groundwork for Homura creating her own enemies and her greatest enemy being herself--once again, making the metaphorical literal. I'm excited about the prospect of Homura getting a do-over with Walpurgisnacht, which would represent a chance for her to confront her narrative foil one more time, and show us how her character has changed. Though it may play out on a larger stage, the real battle will be inside Homura's mind and heart--and, I would argue, always has been. The only way the outcome will change--the only way we can move beyond what's been and into something new--is if/when she changes.

I want to be clear that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the strictly literal interpretation of witches, and I think people should write what they want to write; if that's the story you want to tell, then go for it! For me, however, I find it far more compelling--not to mention richer and truer--if the actions and words on-screen correspond to the characters' emotional and psychological journeys, and there's no question that this preference how I interpret media in general, and PMMM in particular. And it's not that I think Homura couldn't defeat Walpurgisnacht in an AU scenario--merely that any story where she achieves this victory without changing in any way or addressing her own psychological issues in some fashion removes exactly the elements that drew me to this series in the first place.

[windchimelilly]

hear me out. homura placed the role of being a savior on herself, she vowed that she will put an end to the cycle of suffering that madoka will encounter should she be a magical girl. but then, madoka is the one who actually managed to save. she saved homura in the first timeline from being a witch's victim, she gave homura her last grief seed in one of the loops, she saved homura from possibly losing against walpurgisnacht, and even cared to enter in homura's labyrinth in rebellion to help out to the extent that she momentarily forgot her essence as a god.

homura wanted to save madoka and ultimately failed in each timeloop, but madoka manages to be the one to save homura instead. i could just imagine homura asking why is she always the one to be saved when she couldnt do anything for madoka.

ok thats all, i need to do an output for my school club now before i begin sobbing and bawling my eyes out over this doomed yuri ship again, thank you.

[burnorgetburned]

EVEN MORE CLARA DOLL DETAILS:

So you know how the Dolls have their own distinctive clothes?

Guess who else has their own distinctive clothes!

That’s right. The multiple Homuras are actually Clara Dolls.

And that’s why ‘Homura’ is smiling.

Here they are! The one with the striped hat is Nekura (Gloominess or Pessimism) and the one with the flower is Mie (Vanity).

Here’s their descriptions from the art book.

[The second one to come was Gloominess. Walking out with a tapping sound, she sneered at Good-for-Nothing. “This is Good-for-Nothing! How very unbecoming.” These dolls are only disciples of Freedom, and are devoted to their lust for it.]

[The tenth to come running is Vanity. She exaggeratedly avoids Good-for-Nothing's head and says a few words. “I wouldn't be able to bear dirtying my cape with that sticky blood!” These dolls make fun of the witch's self-mutilation.]

Good-for-Nothing is Homura, by the way, but the Clara Dolls seem to consider Good-for-Nothing to be good for something after all after she splits Madoka. She turns into the Devil, and the Clara Dolls are stated to be “okay” with the Devil. If the young voices in the trailer belong to the Clara Dolls, then they also call her “Akuma-sama” now. Something like Mistress Devil, implying a sense of respect.

[… if they are not summoned, they will simmer. There are orders they will comply with, and also orders they will disobey. What they are and the witch herself's own magic are not well understood.]

At the end of Rebellion, Homura gave Madoka her ribbon back. She declared that they might become enemies in the end. Honestly, I thought that Homura would try her best to avoid Madoka entirely. The trailer suggested that Homura was meeting Madoka, though. Here’s the answer: it wasn’t Homura herself, but Gloominess, who wants freedom.

Now, I’m not sure how this situation works out. Do Clara Dolls have free will? Are they obeying Homura’s orders? Acting out Homura’s true emotions? Is Homura perhaps directly puppeteering them in order to fulfill her goals, or do they act on their own?

I find it likely that it’s a mix of both: some of them obey her, and some of them will try and fulfill her (probably very conflicting) desires, as familiars usually do. Gloominess is likely part of Homura who wants the freedom to talk to Madoka, for example, but Vanity seems to me like a Clara Doll who is obeying Homura. After all, she still needs magical girls to fight wraiths, at least until she finds a way to wipe them out.

[I'm Vanity (Mie). I'm pushing myself to the limit for someone.] And she is, of course. All of the theatrics, the calls, the organization of magical girls. These are things that Vanity is shown to engage in. All of this is for Madoka.

We see with Gloominess, at least, that she seems to be fulfilling a specific desire: in the background are white spider lilies. Instead of the red spider lilies that mean death, final goodbyes, and lost love, white spider lilies mean a hope for the future and a fresh start. Maybe this really is the first meeting for these two in a while, and she wants to be friends again?

Or maybe, being Gloominess, she wants to warn her about something.

[I'm Gloominess (Nekura). Forcing smiles tires me out.]

Then there’s this Homura.

Nothing about her clothes is very different. She is wearing ribbons as Homura in the wraith universe does, but look closely: the ribbons are different. They have some wavy stripes on them, while Madoka’s ribbons are plain. She does not correspond to any known Clara Doll.

However, there’s mentioned to be a fifteenth Clara Doll that is not yet born: Ai, representing love. This could be her. Is it love for others? Or love for herself? I’m hoping it’s the latter, but very likely it’s love for Madoka and her friends. This would explain why she’s trying to fight Homucifer in the poster, as Homura believes that she’s a danger to everyone else.

How can this be? Well, here’s a few options:

- The Clara Dolls are grown-up familiars. They ate souls, and they became a copy of their witch. This is a process that was explained to us in the original series, where some magical girls are stated to farm familiars by letting them eat people so that they would grow souls/grief seeds.

- The Clara Dolls are not familiars, or wraiths, but instead a secret third thing. “What they are and the witch’s own magic are not well understood”, as said in the Rebellion art book. They could be magical constructs of a different kind, but I do think that this would get into overcomplicated explanations quickly, so I favor the familiar explanation.

- The Clara Dolls could be familiars, but instead of eating souls they’re simply powerful enough to change their shape. Their strength is equal to the strength of a magical girl…. when Homura was a witch, before Homura became something more. It could also be energy from the contracts making them stronger. Maybe it’s me being sentimental, but I don’t like the idea of Homura letting anyone’s soul be nommed on.

Now, before there’s a panic about how they’ll juggle fifteen extra characters, here’s a few thoughts:

- Just because they seem different doesn’t mean they’re actually different. It might be that the Clara Dolls are a way for Homura to present herself. As Vanity, she might show off more, or have dramatic flourishes like her throne and her dress. As Gloominess, it might be that she doesn’t believe that her plans will work, so she tries to do what makes her happy. It’s likely that the Clara Dolls are just extra ways to explore Homura’s character. They’re parts of her soul, after all, and right now she is extremely powerful. She might simply want to keep her true self away from humans.

- They could work like projections. Homura wants more bodies to work with, but she has to filter herself through the Dolls’ personalities. This could result in a lot of juicy character interactions, as the things she tries to keep hidden are closer to the surface.

- Will ‘Ai/Mystery Homura’ fight against Devil Homura? Very likely! How can this be when they’re the same person? Well, who hates Homura more than Homura? That’s right. Nobody. Anyone can fight and argue with their self, it’s just usually not on the level that a reality-warper like Homura can manage.

If this is true, there’s plenty of interesting directions they can take it.

- Because the Clara Dolls have a degree of separation from Homura, they can show other characters things that Homura herself has ignored or locked away. Bad memories, affection for her friends, the resentment she must feel - everything from concern to a cry for help can be plausibly shown through them as the actors.

- Manuke (Stupidity) is specifically more naive/sincere than the others. Maybe interacting with this Doll would show the Quintet that there’s something more going on than a Devil who wants to hurt other people.

- If Ai represents a love for other people, Ai can have a strange character arc where she learns to value Homura/herself, and become self-love.

- On the other hand, Ai can represent self-love from the start, and because Homura looks very fucking unhealthy in the trailer, she only wants to stop her because she’s hurting herself. This option plays into the themes of self-sacrifice and happiness, which I believe to be some of the major themes that they’re going for.

- The poster could be misleading and Ai ends up fighting everyone but Homura. I find this the funniest option.

- Homura can hug herself. It’s possible. In fact, every character can hug Homura 15 different times.

Smiles are a Clara Doll’s default expression. We have yet to see Homura smile for real.

Is this going to get very ambiguous and confusing? Probably. But rewatching for details was the fun part in Rebellion, so I’m looking forward to it!

[bitchliteraria1906]

Mami's fighting style includes showing off. Big guns, pretending to be caught just to go "Ha, as if I would let that happen", never dropping the smirk, taking her time with her transformation and with killing the witches to seem unbothered.

Because she has to set an example for other magical girls. Because she needs to look confident and unbothered and make it seem easy if she wants to attract juniors.

Kyoko's fighting style includes energetic movements, never taking time to breathe, insulting the opponent sometimes, almost looking like she's having fun.

Because she's constanly trying to convince herself that her ruthlessness is the way to go. That she's fine with her "Live for yourself only" mindset.

Sayaka's fighting style is the closest one to something noble. Throwing all of herself in the fight, because she'll heal anyways. No attempts at being flashy or having fun, because that's not what it means to be a magical girl. Very painful and exhausting for herself, but effective for killing witches and finishing battles quickly without anyone having to get hurt.

Because she desperately wants to be a hero, and she thinks that means following this strict moral code in which she's constanly sacrificing herself.

[st2r-b0y]

Something rlly beautiful yet tragic abt madoka magica is that the reason madoka so powerful to begin with was just because she is madoka, and her just being herself is enough

Imo, the reason Homura unintentionally made Madoka into a god is because that’s the way she views her.

Even before all the crazy shit, when it was just a girl coming back to school after being in the hospital, Homura couldn’t fathom why someone like Madoka would even bother talking to her or trying to harbor a friendship because from her perspective, she was hopeless.

In her mind, a person like Madoka shouldn’t even exist in theory because she sees her as perfect, an angelic being whose kindness literally saved her life.

And Madoka doesn’t see herself as anything special, but through her just being kind and attentive, she was able to completely change someone’s life

The difference in perspective is so interesting and beautiful to me

The fact that madoka and Homura both see themselves as unremarkable but to the other, they’re more important than anything

[musicallypan]

No cuz you guys don't understand.

Homura rejected HER OWN PERFECT WORLD because it was trampling on the wish Madoka made for all magical girls.

She REJECTED the PERFECT MADOKA FOR HER because she knew that the Madoka she LOVED was a self-sacrificing idiot who would never choose herself over others.

Would Homura like it if Madoka stayed? Yes. Absolutely. That is literally her wish. For her to be with Madoka.

BUT! Would the real Madoka stay? No.

And that's the thing. Homura wants the real Madoka even tho she knows that she could never have her. She wants to be with Madoka but she knows that it would never happen even though that's what she wants.

The Madoka that would reject her is the one Homura loves.

And isn't that tragic?

That Homura put herself in such a horrible unending paradoxical cycle with feasibly no exits... And would do it all over again just for the sake of seeing Madoka just one more time?

Whatever Homura feels for Madoka is beyond simple words. It's an amalgamation of complex human nature that is so incomprehensible yet so understandable... It's honestly beautiful.

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

The way Kyoko Sakura is so misunderstood

What's crazy about how Kyoko is perceived by both the other characters and the fandom alike (from what I've seen) or at the very least it's not like... talked about very much, is the fact that Kyoko is one of the most selfless characters in Madoka Magica, only second to Madoka herself.

Kyoko acts like she only lives for herself, but the truth is that is clearly just a facade she puts up to protect her heart. The moment someone she comes to care about is in danger she will literally lay down her life for them. Like Sayaka in the main series and Mami in The Different Story. Even in Rebellion, when Homura was about to turn into a witch while talking to Kyoko on the phone, Kyoko sensed something was up and immediately asks Homura to tell her where she is and that she'll come get her. Over and over, Kyoko would come to anyone's aid that needs her. Claiming that she just wants to protect those close to her.

If we consider all the spin-offs to be canon (which geez it's so hard to find out what is and isn't canon so don't attack me here) then may I please point out how Kyoko basically adopted Yuma Chitose. There's probably a lot of other little moments as well that I'm missing. It's kind of ironic how the other characters call Kyoko "selfish" (especially Sayaka saying it) when as I said prior, she really is one of the most selfless and caring characters in the group. She's such a complex and interesting character. Can we please talk about and appreciate her more Madoka fans?

I also love how she subtly has a pretty decent friendship with the whole cast (except Nagisa I guess, we haven't really seen them interact). She is an old friend of Mami's and in some timelines they do become friends again, then we got her whatever she's got going on with Sayaka, and her secret friendship with Madoka

Honestly I think Madoka was one of the only characters that really understood Kyoko now that I think about it.

But that's a discussion for a different day once I re-over-analyze their scenes together.

Then there's the fact that (and maybe this is just me) it feels like she's the only person other than Madoka that Homura trusts. And that says A LOT. Despite everything, I think the characters at least subconsciously can sense her caring nature that she keeps locked away.

Can you tell Kyoko is my favorite? I think about her lore at least once a week :')

[silvermoon424]

It just occurred to me that, in every timeline, Madoka always believes Homura. Even when no one else does, even when what Homura is saying doesn't seem to make sense.

The two biggest examples I can think of happen in the main series. In one of the timelines in episode 10, we see Sayaka brushing off Homura's warnings about Kyubey and the true nature of Witches. She even accuses Homura of trying to sow discord in the group because she's in cahoots with Kyoko.

But later on in that same timeline, Madoka uses her last remaining Grief Seed on Homura because she is aware that Homura is a time traveler. We don't know when that happened because it's not shown, but it's very possible she learned Homura's backstory in that same conversation with Sayaka. And unlike Sayaka, she wholeheartedly believes Homura's story, to the point of using her one and only lifeline on Homura and explicitly asking her to prevent this tragedy from happening.

Also, in the main series timeline, Homura tearfully reveals her past to Madoka in episode 11. She offers no concrete proof and acknowledges that what she's saying is crazy, but all she asks is that Madoka allow Homura to protect her. In the next episode, before finally making her wish, Madoka acknowledges that Homura has always been watching over and protecting her. Madoka sincerely thanks Homura, promising that she won't allow Homura's hard work to go to waste. And again, this is before she becomes a goddess and remembers all the other timelines. All she has is Homura's word, and she believes it.

Multiple times throughout the series, Homura expresses her frustration and despondence over the fact that nobody believes her or heeds her warnings. But someone does. It's just that that "someone" happens to be the person she's trying to keep away from everything.

[jazzymusicorn28]

I love the stark contrast between these two shots of Homura and Madoka. Like look at the colors schemes and background details!

Rays of light are shining down on Madoka, symbolizing her positivity and energy. She’s surrounded by pink roses and daisies, corresponding with her joy, innocence, and purity. The background of the shot is very vibrant and full of life, like Madoka here.

Meanwhile we have Homura, who’s intentionally shading herself from the light with her umbrella, causing shadows to be cast across her face. This represents her keeping everyone in the dark about her plans, especially Madoka. The background of the shot is more monochromatic, corresponding with Homura’s uncertainty and secrecy.

[biggesthomuradefender]

one thing i feel like some ppl forget, gloss over, or just don’t know abt madoka/madokami, is that her existence as a concept/god is much more than being lonely and unhappy, it also involves a cycle of endless and constant suffering and purification w absolutely no reward outside of saving magical girls from being witches.

let me explain:

when madoka made her wish, aka became a god, she swore to prevent all witches from the past, the present, and the future forever, meaning that madoka is CONSTANTLY sending herself everywhere at once all the time in order to do that, while also having to absorb the negative energy from their gems AND purify it all at the same time.

could you imagine just how absolutely fucking exhausting and lonely that is? not only does no one know or remember her, outside of homura, and she can’t even interact w anybody outside of her role as a savior and a god.

and she constantly has to purify all of the negative energy she absorbs 24/7. is an endless cycle with, as i said before, zero reward except for preventing witches.

there’s a scene in rebellion where madoka reaches for homura, and each time she does, you can see scars littered on her arm (s). not only is that a literal representation of her dying for the “sins”, aka wishes of all magical girls, but i also think that they’re meant to signify madoka’s pain, the pain she hides and lies about behind her god status and her genuine, loving demeanor.

it’s why the flower scene is so important and powerful; yes, it may have been madoka w/o her proper memories intact, but that’s exactly it: madoka is only able to be so honest w homura right then and there bc she doesn’t remember her godly obligations, all of her guilt and responsibilities at all.

and homura knows all of this. it’s why her reaction is so intense, desperate, and painful, esp after her fake world begins to rly fall apart; like madoka, homura very easily blames herself for a lot, even the stuff that isn’t rly her fault and she’s just being unfair/mean to herself.

[ber--32]

the fact that the moment kyoko realized sayaka was unsaveable was when Oktavia hurt madoka is so much sadder when you remember kyoko's dad was violent to her mom when he was going insane

[atamascolily]

The roses in this shot from the Walpurgis no Kaiten trailer are pretty obvious at first glance, but take a look at the arch in the background. Those are passionflowers (Passiflora sp.) and their symbolic meaning, like the roses, is abundantly clear: someone loves Madoka very much--passionately, even. I wonder who it could possibly be?

However, passionflowers are named for a different kind of passion--the passion of Jesus Christ, with Catholic priests likening different parts of the flower to his suffering and death. With a few exceptions, each flower only lasts for a single day before dying. Given Homura's Catholic background and propensity for self-sacrifice, that symbolism practically writes itself, especially since the flowers are also purple, the same color as her soul gem.

As if that were not enough, passionflowers are known in Japanese as tokeisō (時計草) or 'clock plant' and I just... this is not even remotely subtle anymore, is it? I cannot see enough detail to identify to species, and there are hundreds of them + cultivars, but the most likely suspect is the blue passionflower, P. caerulea, which is very common in cultivation.

Roses and passionflowers do not typically bloom at the same time, so this is another subtle indication that time no longer follows normal rules and reality is what Homura makes of it.

If the passionflowers represent Homura, then it makes sense that the pink roses likely represent Madoka--they are the same color as her hair, and they are heavily featured on her magical girl bow. Viewed in this light, the fact that these vines are on separate arched trellises could be a representation of how Homura and Madoka are separated from each other--that they are literally moving in different circles that do not touch or interact.

This will change, of course, with the sudden arrival of the doppelganger!Homura in the next shot, but once again, I am impressed at how much information SHAFT has managed to pack into a single seemingly innocuous shot.

[windchimelilly]

homura's emotionality and fragility are so overlooked in the main series and i think that wraith arc, the rebellion movie, and hopefully the upcoming walpurgisnacht rising movie, does her proper justice in this aspect of her character.

she's characterized primarily by her cold and distant disposition, someone who's known to be capable of pushing aside her own emotions and suppressing it for the sake of the one and only objective that exists in her mind, and to the point that she would sacrifice even herself for it. this came with the misinterpretation that she is a heartless and abusive individual who never cared for the feelings of the other casts, that she was unkind and never cared for her companions that arent madoka.

imo the "i dont really care if you live or die, i dont really care" quote that was popular with homura is nothing but a defense mechanism—that mechanism, feigning an act of emotional aridity, is a vital part of her development because it led to her feelings being bottled up that we're left with an explosion of suppressed and repressed thoughts in rebellion, that of which caused her to become a witch. being hurt so many times by the fact that her friends died repetitively throughout different timelines, she thought that her emotions caused her to waver when achieving her goal and thus swept them under the rug, never fully processing them.

underneath that mask of coldness, she is a frail girl that never wished to become strong—she was only forced to be so by the narrative and this is shown in rebellion. homura's witch labyrinth is a reflection of her psychological distress that erupted like a volcano and her perception of what the 'ideal' would be. in that movie, we were shown a version of homura most prevalent during the earlier timelines; someone who is meek and shy, but that remained herself regardless, the her in the labyrinth, and that labyrinth being a projection of her mental landscape.

she doesnt mind being the weakest magical girl among the holy quintet if that meant that she could be with the people she loved most, as long as that meant that they are alive then she doesnt mind, because she's already pleased with the fact that she was able to work beside them and live in a world with them again, just like how they used to. this ties in as well with my claims of her being so attached to an idealized past because this version of homura in rebellion is one that was cradled in her memories and it showed the dynamics that the holy quintet had, or at least she wished to have.

still, homura didnt want to lie to herself and pursued the truth of the labyrinth, merely following her intuition that told her something was incredibly off with the place. mitakihara was the only city in the labyrinth and i think that showed how small her focus is in this world, her perception of things have always been so narrow because she didnt want anything else other than to co-exist and work together with the other mitakihara magical girls.

another piece of media that showed homura's emotionality is wraith arc, and i think this is where her fragility is beautifully presented, because it allowed the readers to see what was really going on in her mind and how she managed with the fact that her madoka became a concept in itself.

in this arc, she was seen to rely on her feelings the most, and specifically that of love. this was to the point that when she doubted her love for madoka, she allowed the wraiths to consume what was left of the soul contained in her soul gem. these doubts and worries came into the scene when she began to question what was it that she originally wished for? because in the wraith arc, she had no memories of how she became a magical girl there, she had no idea on what existed in that timeline before her consciousness was transferred over there, and she had no idea what her magic turned into.

this was until the sooner chapters where it was revealed that her time manipulation magic had turned into a memory manipulation magic. this was a result of the strong emotions she felt during the time she was separated from madoka and with her refusal to ever forget her, but this came with her skepticism—was her concept of 'madoka' simply a creation of her own mind? was it created by her imagination to cope with the lonely reality of the world? did she really harbor feelings towards something that never 'existed' in the first place? if 'madoka' never existed, what was she originally fighting for to begin with, why did she become a magical girl? can she truly trust her love for 'madoka' when it was the thing that caused her to feel so disconnected from reality itself? is she finally waking up to the 'truth'? if 'madoka' never existed, then surely there wont be any more reason to protect this world and to serve as a magical girl, right?

because of questioning how she feels towards madoka and how she remembers madoka, she began to feel out of touch—offbeat—and lost her desire to fight wraiths, and this character neurosis evident in her resulted in becoming a victim of those wraiths. the wraiths absorbed her feelings to the extent that she ended up being an empty shell of a person, her soul that rested inside the confines of her soul gem was eaten up that her magic became efficient, and eventually null.

when gradually, to the end of the arc's manga, she began to think deeply if this was what she truly wanted? why did she ever distrust her memories of madoka? if 'madoka' never existed, then surely she wouldnt have been a magical girl to begin with, and if her wish in that timeline would be to remember madoka, does that mean she wanted to remember something? she could only remember a thing if it really was there. if she couldnt protect the world that her goddess had sacrificed herself for, was her wish really worth it? why did she ever doubt her love?

at that moment, the strength of the emotions she felt, despite that mask of nonchalance, she was able to regain her time manipulation ability and go back to the start to ensure that the wraiths wouldnt ruin madoka's world ever again. the things that she felt became a huge driving force that if she felt none, if she was truly cold and empty and emotionless and hopeless, then she wouldve stopped and given up a long time ago.

note: this post is not proofread and i literally just made this in one sitting. never let me yap about my special interest ever again. this is also just an interpretation i have on her character; everyone is allowed to create their own opinions.