Madoka Magica Episode 9: I'd Never Allow That to Happen
| I'll Never Allow That そんなの、あたしが許さない | |
|---|---|
| First airing | 3 March 2011 |
| Script | Gen Urobuchi |
| Storyboard | Noriko Shichishima |
| Episode director | Masahiro Mukai |
| Animation Director | Miyuki Katayama |
Summary
Sayaka becomes a witch and Kyouko enters her maze, holding Sayaka's now soulless body. Homura saves Kyouko and while they are walking off, they meet Madoka, worried upon seeing Sayaka's body. Homura explains everything to Kyouko and Madoka.
When Madoka is crying alone in her room, Kyuubey enters and explains everything in detail to her. He reveals that he is a member of an extraterrestial, emotionless society, worried about the total energy in the universe lowering due to entropy[1]. Puella Magi and witches are a way to counter this, creating energy from wavering emotions of young girls. As Kyuubey and his peers are emotionless, they are unable to produce such energy themselves. Because of this, they also don't understand the concept of human morals. Madoka is saddened and angry because of all those revelations she has just heard.
Kyouko is maintaining natural heat of Sayaka's body using her magic. She asks Kyuubey whether it is possible to recover Sayaka's Soul Gem. He dodges the question, saying that nobody ever tried it before and due to the very existence of Puella Magi is contradictory, such achievement wouldn't surprise him.
The following day, Hitomi attempts to speak to Madoka but Madoka avoids her. Kyouko makes Madoka skip school, with a quest to rescue Sayaka instead. She explains her plan to ignite human emotions in the witch whom Sayaka became, by having her best human friend talk to her. Madoka agrees, and they go to witch-Sayaka's maze. Madoka tries talking with Kyouko protecting her, but with no effect. Kyouko commits suicide, also killing the witch, while Homura (who went out from school and entered the maze to protect Madoka) takes fainted Madoka out.
The episode ends with Homura and Kyuubey talking in Homura's house, with Kyuubey revealing that rescuing Sayaka was in fact impossible, but he didn't stop Kyouko from doing so to make Madoka become a Puella Magi, given that Homura alone will not be able to win against Walpurgis. Homura says that she won't allow it.
Runes
Speculations and Observations
- Per the image at the right, the chairs seen in Madoka's bedroom may be a homage to Bokurano, a manga and anime series that deconstructed a children's mecha anime called Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh. In Bokurano, children are called by a strange man and an evil-looking mascot character to pilot a giant robot and defend their world from invaders from an alternate time-line. If they lose, the loser's universe is destroyed. They are also told by the mascot only after the first battle that the robot's fuel source is the life of the person who pilots -- in other words, each of them will only be able to pilot one time. Accordingly, the first pilot slumps down and dies right after the end of his battle. The chairs in Bokurano are reflections of the personalities of the selected pilots, drawn from their memories and manifested in the robot's cockpit. After a pilot dies, their vacant seat remains.
- During the fight with Kyouko, Sayaka's lower body turns into one of a mermaid. Many speculate that Sayaka's tragedy is similar to that of the Little Mermaid's story because of the similarities. You can read a summary of the story here.
- The mermaid tail may also be referencing the story of Melusine. Goethe wrote a version of Melusine titled Die Neue Melusine or The New Melusina.
- Sayaka's witch name is Oktavia von Seckendorff. In real life, Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff was a german poet who wrote a novel called Das Rad des Schicksals = The Wheel of Fate (which explains the wheels, there was also mention of fate in her barrier). He also put 'The King in Thule' (a poem by Goethe, part of Faust1) to music.
- The wheels used in Oktavia's attacks may also symbolize the Wheel of Fortune from tarot, whose popular interpretations include "possibilities, opportunities, new developments, sudden changes", which fit Sayaka's life from when she encountered Kyubey to when she became a Witch.
- Alternatively, Sayaka was at a train station when she transformed. Her attacks may be inspired by train wheels.
- Kyouko's use of Umaibou as a sign of friendship with Madoka in this episode can be seen as baton passing, as her main role ended in this episode. It's also possible that she choose Umaibou due to its extremely low price (9 yen) being something that she can afford, since Sayaka didn't accept stolen goods back in episode 7.
- In Episode 7 the Witch Elsa Maria was praying with her back turned (as if ignoring Sayaka) facing a monstrance. In Episode 9 Kyouko almost looks like she is praying while facing Oktavia von Seckendorff, as if the prayer is for Sayaka's soul. See the gallery below for a visual comparison.
- Some suggest that Kyubei's solution for entropy is just flawed and downright impossible. Defenders like to point out that Kyubei is from an advanced alien civilization, so maybe their understanding of the universe is far superior than that of humans. This picture summarizes the paradox in a simplified way.
- This blog explains why Kyubei's solution regarding entropy is just downright irrational[2].
- The musical score seen in the beginning of the episode is the beginning of the background music playing during the scene in Oktavia's barrier.
- A hidden hairpin on Kyoko merges with her Soul Gem kept on her chest before she unleashes her suicide attack.
- This episode reverted back to no ending sequence like in episodes 1 and 2.
Images
Some information regarding images and symbols in Episode 9
The image reads: ＬＯＶＥ ＭＥ ＤＯ！！ ＼(*´3｀*)／ "Love me Do" could be a reference to a Beatles song or a h-manga by Kensoh Ogawa (aka Fukudahda).
Transcript of the musical sheets seen in the episode; link to MIDI on file page
Sayaka's witch form. The armor could be a reference to the von Seckendorff family's knightly heritage.
comparison between Sayaka's coat of arms and the Seckendorff family coats of arm
a silhouette of what looks like Kamijou with his back turned holding a violin
The image on the left is from Revolutionary Girl Utena, the image on the right is from Episode 9 with Sayaka and Kyouko
Sayaka's witch name is Oktavia von Seckendorff, a possible reference to the poet Karl von Seckendorff (see above).
- Human emotion energy end entropy.png
According to Kyubey, to solve the entropy problem human emotions must be used as a form of energy. In exchange for their sacrifices, girls are given one wish.
Kyouko's Soul Gem is dimmed prior to fighting with Oktavia presumably due to using her power to maintain Sayaka's body.
Parallel between Elsa Maria (episode 7) and Kyouko (episode 9)
- Infinite power.png
Kyubey's flawed solution to the entropy, explained with a no break. See further explanations above.
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Annotations & References
- ↑ What Kyuubey is describing is called the Heat Death of the Universe: To elaborate, this term describes the point at which the universe has reached a state of maximum entropy -- when all available energy has moved to places of less energy. Once this has happened, no more work can be extracted from the universe. Since heat ceases to flow, no more work can be acquired from heat transfer. This same kind of equilibrium state will also happen with all other forms of energy. Since no more work can be extracted from the universe at that point, it is effectively dead.
- ↑ At this point some fans suspect that Kyubei is actually lying just as his explanation that he can not understand how to trick humans sounds spurious (or the time he tricked Kyouko that Sayaka could be saved so she would die in the process), but it is to be seen in future Episodes where the truth lies. There is speculation that Urobuchi got the entropy idea from another show (Star Driver) as a away to mislead his fans. It is believed that Urobuchi introduced the changes at the last minute for Episode 9.
See also
External links
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|---|---|---|
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| Episode 8 I'm Such a Fool | Madoka Magica Episode 9: I'd Never Allow That to Happen I'll Never Allow That | Episode 10 I Won't Depend on Anyone Anymore |