Madoka Magica Episode 8: I Was Stupid… So Stupid
| I'm Such a Fool あたしって、ほんとバカ | |
|---|---|
| First airing | 24 February 2011 |
| Script | Gen Urobuchi |
| Storyboard | Shin'ichi Omata |
| Episode director | Takashi Kawabata |
| Animation Director | Tomoyuki Matsumoto Yuuji Kondou |
Summary
Sayaka finishes off Elsa Maria, but refuses to use the Grief Seed, giving it to Kyouko, and doesn't feel well afterwards. Madoka helps her go back home. They are sitting on a bench with Madoka crying over Sayaka's actions. Sayaka tells that all that is left for her in life is fighting witches. Madoka tells that she wants to make Sayaka happy, but Sayaka runs away, telling Madoka not to follow her, while her Soul Gem is dimming.
Kyouko and Homura are talking about Walpurgisnacht in Homura's apartment, Kyubey appears uninvited and tells them about Sayaka's current condition. Madoka goes to Sayaka's apartment to find out that she's been absent since the day before. As Hitomi and Kyousuke are walking home, the two of them stop in a park and have a lively conversation. Sayaka watches from afar.
Homura speaks with Sayaka, trying to get her to use a Grief Seed, but Sayaka refuses. Sayaka accuses Homura of putting up false pretenses and always lying to them. Homura admits she is just doing things for Madoka's sake and prepares to kill Sayaka, but Kyouko interferes. Homura uses a flashbang grenade and escapes.
Sayaka is riding in a train where two men are discussing and badmouthing their girlfriends and generally acting misogynistic. She interferes, asking them how they can speak this way about women who love them. Her train of thought grows progressively more nihilistic as she wonders why she bothered trying to save such a worthless world, and she begins to transform into darkness.
Madoka talks with Kyubey and he tells her about her apparent power. She seems to almost agree to become a Puella Magi, but Homura suddenly appears and riddles Kyubey's body with bullets before she can form a contract with him. Homura then breaks down in tears in front of Madoka, who has a strange moment of realization and asks if she has met Homura before. Before Homura can answer Madoka excuses herself and goes searching for Sayaka, ignoring Homura's calling out to her. Another body of Kyubey appears and eats his previous dead body. Kyubey realizes that Homura is a person from another time, and Homura says Kyubey's real identity is that of an "Incubator."
Kyouko finds Sayaka and sees that her Soul Gem is almost completely dark. Sayaka says that the hope and despair must always be in balance, starts crying, and her Soul Gem explodes, creating a maze with Sayaka apparently becoming a witch.
The episode ends with Kyubey noting "since this country calls women who are still growing up shoujo (少女 girls), for girls who on the way of becoming majo (魔女 witches), it's logical to call them mahou shoujo (魔法少女 magical girls)."
Runes
This episode made a more intensive use of the musical font. See Runes of episode 8
Observations
- In Homura's apartment, there are a number of documents pertaining to Walpurgisnacht on display. Images of these documents have been archived at the article: Homura Residence.
- Homura's room is laid out like the surface of a clock. There are gears on the ceiling.
- The artist Paul Klee made a painting called "Walpurgis Night". Not only does it have a strangely familiar name, it also seems fairly similar to Sayaka transforming into a witch.
Images
Parallel between the witch from episode 1 and the sketches in Homura's house.
Analysis chart for episode 8.
Homura's apartment is laid out as a clock. Note the gears coming from the ceiling.
Musical runes appearing during Sayaka becoming a witch. See Runes:Episode 8. The duplicate figures of the man in the background appears to be an orchestral conductor.
Chart that appears to be typical explanation of timeline split.
An older scan from a feature in Newtype relying on the same wordplay as Kyubey's line in this episode.
The grief seed Homura gives to Sayaka.
Sayaka's healing music circle.
Sayaka transforming during the train scene.
A billboard featuring an upside-down girl with umbrellas.
The painting "Walpurgis Night" by Paul Klee. It resembles Sayaka's transformation animation on the train, and is similar to Gertrud's silhouette.
Sayaka's transformation into a witch.
- WitchSayaka1.jpg
Fan redrawing of Sayaka in witch form.
- WitchSayaka2.jpg
Annotated fan redrawing of Sayaka in witch form.
Screenshots off which the redrawings are based on.
Comparison between Homura’s home and one of the sites which appears in “Le Portrait de Petit Cossette” (an OVA directed by Akiyuki Shinbo)
Fanart Reaction to Episode 8
This section contains fanart images
Everything in the following fan gallery is created, or the comments accompanying them are created, for entertainment value and should not be confused with actual canon events of the Puella Magi franchise.- Qblives.jpg
Fans' reaction to Episode 8
- The Lets Kill Kyubey Club.jpg
By then the "Lets Kill Kyubey" crowd was already thinking ways to kill this magic pet from Hell
- Puella Magi Nichijou.png
Annotations
- By Episode 8 Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica has passed the original series of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu as the most popular current anime ever on the Japanese discussion board 2channel (２ちゃんねる)[1].
See also
- Kyubey is Evil Theory. A theory that emerged as soon as episode 1 aired, and that has been confirmed in this episode. Please note that this page explains the initial theory and, hence, may be inacurrate.
- Witches as Fallen Magical Girls Theory. A theory explaining the link between witches and magical girls. As for the above, this is the original version of the theory, that may then not really fit this episode's content.
External links
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|---|---|---|
| Previous episode | Current episode | Next episode |
| Episode 7 Can You Face Your True Feelings? | Madoka Magica Episode 8: I Was Stupid… So Stupid I Really Am an Idiot | Episode 9 I'll Never Allow That |