Minou

Minou
Japanese Name	ミヌゥ

Minou (ミヌゥ, Minū) is an antagonist in Puella Magi Tart Magica: The Legend of "Jeanne d'Arc" alongside her sisters Corbeau and Lapin.

General info

Physical features

• Eye colour: Yellow
• Hair colour: Blonde

Other

• Soul gem: Diamond above her chest
• Weapon: Various instruments of torture (notably a cat o' nine tails whip)
• Witch form: Capricieux
• Wish:That mother (Isabeau) shall not be defeated by any type of magical girl in existence.
• Japanese pronoun: Watakushi (私/わたくし)
• Known relatives: Corbeau (older sister), Lapin (oldest sister), Isabeau (mother)

Story

Backstory

Warning, this section contains spoilers.

As a young girl, Minou was chosen alongside her sisters Lapin and Corbeau to be among the first magical girls Isabeau contracted due to their closely interwoven fates. Isabeau grew to become like a mother to the three girls she took in. However, she eventually turned into a witch and was poised to kill the three girls, of whom only Corbeau had as yet contracted to become a magical girl. This lead to Lapin making her wish for her mother to “return to how she was.” Since the transformation from magical girl to witch is irreversible, her wish lead to Isabeau’s witch mind inhabiting the now empty husk of her former physical body. Isabeau was no longer mindless and now retained her original powers that were granted to her from her own wish. Even so, she still retained her witch’s ambition to destroy all of France.

During Tart Magica

Minou first appeared in Chapter 1 as an unnamed antagonist. As Tart, Riz, Melissa, and Elisa attempt to stop her, she calls Lame to her defense. Lame is easily defeated, prompting Minou to summon a magical branding iron and burns Lame with it. This causes Lame to transform into a witch, allowing Minou to escape through a portal. She later reports the defeat of Lame to her mother Isabeau.

In Chapter 5, Minou stands with Lapin and Corbeau as they finish slaughtering the soldiers of Orleans, a stronghold that held four thousand soldiers. Corbeau threatens the last of the injured soldiers as Lapin jeers and taunts them and Minou cuts off their retreat with her cat-o-nine tails. Before Corbeau can finish off the commander of the troops, someone fires an arrow at her. Etienne appears, having been searching for Jean and assists him to stand. Minou notices what is happening and lashing at them with her whip, but the two are able to limp away to safety.

Back at the outskirts of Orleans, at the fort of Saint-Loup, Lapin is busy singing as she walks along the edge of the outermost wall, kicking the dismembered limbs of dead soldiers out into the distance. Corbeau asks her to go easy with the gore, claiming she's making a huge mess. Minou appears and relays orders to her sisters, leaving Flèche with Corbeau to take care of Tart as Minou takes Lapin back home for the time being.

Towards the end of the battle between Corbeau, Tart, and Riz, Minou appears before an unconscious Flèche. She had planned to gather up what was left of her but instead she conjures a seal with her magic and presses it to Fleche, causing her to scream. As Corbeau summons black feathers around her, Minou walks over and calls out to Corbeau. She tells her she knows better than to use *that* while there are still English troops in the vicinity. Corbeau warns Minou away since she will automatically absorb any impurities in Corbeau's soul gem. But Minou isn't worried and tells her Lapin had been asking for her. She tells Corbeau to leave everything to Fleche instead. The two disappear into Minou’s portal, leaving Tart and her friends to fend against a now transformed Flèche.

Several months later at the city of Patay, Minou, Corbeau and Lapin stand at the head of the English forces as Lapin relishes the idea of ‘playing’ with the French forces opposing them. Before Minou can say anything, Lapin had already began her attack on Tart, Riz, Melissa, and Elisa. Unfortunately, the four magical girls are able to deflect most of Lapin’s initial attacks, hitting her with their weapons several times and causing Lapin’s soul gem to darken. Minou warns Corbeau away from their sister as her soul gem transforms into a grief seed and hatches Lapin’s witch form. After transforming, Lapin activates her ability to possess any and all weapons in her vicinity, including that of her English allies (with the exception of Tart and Elisa as their weapons have magical abilities imparted on them by Pernelle. She telepathically causes them to fly at her enemies and damaging them. She even forms a towering sword-like shape composed of the weapons she’s amassed and drops it at the opposing magical girls. Tart is able to deflect this massive attack on her friends even as Lapin activates her secondary ability: the ability to cause magical girls to lose their magical girl state temporarily. As Lapin in her witch form continues to battle the magical girls, Corbeau takes this opportunity to continue her fight with Riz earlier.

On the other side of the field, Minou watches the skirmish between the magical girls. Talbot asks if she is not going to join the fray and support her comrades but Minou only giggles in response. While she may worry about her older sisters, getting too close to the witch would relieve her of her own weapon and she would only serve as a hindrance. Eventually Tart and Elisa are able to defeat Lapin, who reverts to her human form. Corbeau picks up her sister and hands her to Minou, who retreats into one of her portals and leaves Corbeau behind to unleash her Danse Macabre. Following the defeat of Corbeau at the hands of Tart, she lands against the trunk of a tree and falls to her knees, greatly weakened. Tart aims her blade at Corbeau, telling her this is the end as Corbeau tries to stand. But all Corbeau can think of is her two sisters, Lapin and Minou. Before she can deliver the finishing blow, a portal appears behind Corbeau and Minou steps through. While Corbeau is overfilled with joy at the sight of her sister, Minou kneels down and takes Corbeau’s soul gem in her hands, informing her this is the end. Confused, Corbeau asks her why and if she doesn't see how much she loves her and Lapin. Minou confirms that this is what she suspected and says she stopped serving their benefactor a long time ago. As Corbeau yells out once more to Minou asking her why she can't understand how much she loves them, Minou shatters Corbeau's soul gem and tells her she doesn't love her any longer. Corbeau falls forward, calling out her sisters' names as she dies. Minou tells her that at the very least she will tell Lapin that Corbeau died honorably in battle. Tart angrily demands she explain herself as Riz calls her heartless. As Minou summons a portal, she giggles and says it'll be something to look forward to as she gathers Corbeau's body and takes it back with her, leaving the heroines alone in the woods. The two turn to go, knowing the battle isn't over yet.

After the coronation of the Dauphin Charles, many of his courtiers were celebrating this triumphant moment when several of the women in attendance suddenly ignite in flame as the lights cut out. Isabeau suddenly appears without warning accompanied by Minou. As Charles stammers and crawls away from her, he begs Tart to save him and demands she kill the queen. At his word Tart rushes forward and stabs her sword straight through the queen's heart as she stands there. Charles initially laughs at this display, but the queen smiles as a white miasma escapes from the queen's wound and she merely stands there smiling. Tart leaps back, certain she had injured the queen but thinking to herself that it didn't feel like she had stabbed her. Riz summons her shadowy tendrils and ties the queen up as Elisa and Melissa both swing their weapons directly at her. Isabeau merely smiles more broadly, completely unharmed from both their attacks. She raises her finger and shoots a beam of magical energy at the two girls, causing them to be knocked away hard. As Minou knocks Riz away with her whip, Tart unleashes her “La Lumiere” attack on Isabeau. However Isabeau remains completely unharmed. As Minou begins to admonish Charles, Isabeau faints, prompting Minou to catch her in her arms. Isabeau whispers to Minou, who declares to all that in one year’s time death shall befall Tart. Minou and Isabeau leave through Minou’s portal as Charles cries and the magical girls tend to their wounds. From here on, the four magical girls travelled the lands of France for several months, possibly years in search of Isabeau’s stronghold in order to thwart her plan to spread grief seeds throughout France and allow them to hatch into witches. With the chaos brought on by these incidents, Isabeau planned to deliver these lands into the hands of the English army and their allies and thus bring the country under her influence.

In May 1430 in Compiegne, Tart, Riz, Melissa and Elisa arrive at a witch’s barrier just outside of the town. Minou greets them from inside the barrier as she calls their daily battles ultimately futile. Minou then summons her portal and lets through an army of mind-controlled magical girls. She raises her hand and several brands drop down onto the girls, causing them to be consumed by despair and transformed into witches. She commands the witch army forward as she declares this to be the appointed time at which death would befall La Pucelle. As the four magical girls fight off this army of witches, Minou watches the battle rage on before her and decides that this small contingency of witches won't be enough to stop them and turns to where Lapin now stands. She tells her this is her chance to avenge the death of their sister Corbeau as Lapin stands there seething, promising to tear them limb from limb. Lapin demands revenge for the death of her sister, having been told by Minou that it was Tart and her friends who ended Corbeau’s life. Despite having defeated Lapin’s human and witch form once more, Lapin only reappears each time with her soul gem cleansed. Minou laughs to herself, as this is just the outcome she had hoped for. As Riz tosses a grief seed to Melissa to replenish her magic, Minou lashes with her whip and knocks the grief seed away. She then summons a portal beneath Melissa as Elisa races to protect her. Minou smiles and transports both of them away to an unknown location. As Tart calls out for her friends, a worm-like witch lashes at her with its tongue but Riz cuts it down with one of her daggers. She warns Tart not to lose focus as they try to cut their way out of the throng.

Melissa and Elisa look around for Tart and Riz as they stand inside a witch's barrier. Minou appears behind them as she promises they won't be bored here and summons several more magical girls from her portals. Once more, she raises her hand and several seals burn despair into the magical girls, causing them to transform into witches. The two girls begin to fight off the second horde of witches, Minou watching them and applauding their efforts. Elisa growls at Minou, incensed at her words. Minou laughs and readies her whip in order to "apologize" for her words when the ceiling of the barrier begins to crack and rain down on them. As Minou summons her portal, she can't believe that anyone would be able to dispose of so many witches, much less her sister Lapin as well. She looks inside her portal and sees Tart on her knees crying. She admires her for having been the only survivor and both Melissa and Elisa are stunned at these words. Despite having lost her only other sister, Minou is not bothered in the least and instead looks forward to what will come. As the barrier continues to shatter, she promises to allow Melissa and Elisa to spectate during La Pucelle's final curtain call, a battle that Minou intends for Tart alone. As the barrier dissipates, Tart is left alone to a small battalion of troops who capture her as a prisoner. It is after the Chamberlain advises King Charles to allow Tart to be sold off to the English to their advantage, it is revealed that he had been working under the orders of Minou and her sisters for some time.

Following the capture of Tart and her subsequent selling to her enemies in England, she is held capture in a prison tower in the town of Rouen near the border channel between England and France. Minou walks into the prison cell, followed by Isabeau and two maidens who hold the train of Isabeau's gown. Minou lashes at Tart and Kyubey with her whip, mocking them and accusing them of being the source of their troubles. Before she can continue to torture them, a large booming noise rings out causing the walls to shake. A soldier opens the door to the cell, informing Minou of reports of a French attack. She orders him to get rid of them, but the soldier informs her that it was a larger assault than they had expected since it seems there is a concerted effort throughout France to recapture Tart. She apologizes to Queen Isabeau for the disturbance and vows to go forth herself to handle this trouble. As Minou deals with the French forces outside, Elisa and Melissa fight their way towards her prison cell, disarming soldiers and sentries along the way.

Isabeau makes her way outside, Minou humbling herself before her. Isabeau waves her hands before her which causes the troops to collapse to their knees, their strength being sucked out from them. As she aims her hand forward, a magic circle having formed around it, Tart stabs a standard into the ground before her and blocks her next move. Minou orders the magical girl slaves she brought with her to stop Tart, but Elisa and Melissa hold them off so Tart can race in towards Isabeau. Once more her sword attacks seem to have no effect on the queen. Isabeau raises her hands once more and fires a beam of magic directly at her. As the dust settles, Tart looks up from behind her shield to find that Pernelle has blocked the attack with her own magic circle, explaining to Tart that Isabeau is immune to attacks due to someone else’s wish.

Warning, this section contains spoilers.

Kyubey and Pernelle explain to Tart that Isabeau is now part magical girl, part witch, and part incubator thanks to her and Lapin’s wish. Minou declares to all that she wished for Isabeau to be undefeated by any magical girl. Isabeau transforms into her witch state as the empty shell of her human body sits cradled in an enormous hand jutting from the ground nearby. As Tart, Elisa and Melissa continues the struggle against the witch Crepuscule de la Reine (Twilight of the Queen), all of their attacks having no effect on the witch. Tart’s soul gem grows black with impurities as she reaches her limit, when she suddenly hears the voice of Riz reminding her of her sword training back in her home village. From before Tart, Riz's soul gem materializes from a shadow as Riz tells her that her final vow was for her soul to remain with her from that day forward. Even if Riz's body was lost, her soul remained behind like her shadow, always by Tart's side. Tart’s gauntlet turns black with Riz’s soul gem encased on the back. As Tart’s soul gem crackles with impurities, she slashes her sword down and successfully injures the witch. Due to Riz’s wish, Tart’s soul gem has been prevented from transforming into a grief seed, making her more than just a magical girl. Enraged, Minou threatens to tear Tart apart for having dared to hurt her mother. She lashes her whip repeatedly at Tart, who blocks the whip with her weapon. Minou continues her assault, not letting up for a second as Tart advances towards her, continuing to block each blow. She swings her sword down at Minou who is knocked backwards by the might of the attack. Before Tart can finish her off, Isabeau's body begins to shake as a larger body emerges from underneath, a second larger witch form that causes the cathedral to crumble under the size and might of this new body as everyone gazes up in terror at the true form of Crepuscule de la Reine. However, Tart remains determined as ever as she faces down her foe. Isabeau begins to charge her cannon and aims it at Tart who immediately summons her standard and smashes through the center of it, causing the cannon to crumble. As Isabeau flies above the ruined cathedral, Tart summons a massive magic circle in the sky above her in an attack known as the Gate of Heaven. The center of the circle slides open like a gateway as crosses of light pierce Isabeau and hold her in place. Tart leaps up and swings her weapon down at the witch, slicing the massive body in half and then half again. As the pieces of the witch's corpse fall back to earth, the gate closes and disappears. Tart's shadowy gauntlet also begins to dissipate as Riz's soul gem crumbles. Tart thanks Riz for protecting her until the very end. {{spoiler|Pernelle hands the girls a grief seed to Tart but before they can do so, they're interrupted by the lamentations of Minou who stands over her mother's human yet empty body. Melissa and Elisa prepare themselves to defend Tart as Minou threatens to kill them herself no matter what may happen. Suddenly, Minou's soul gem shatters. She demands answers and Pernelle provides them: having been created by an imperfect creator she lost her powers the moment Isabeau was destroyed. Minou is devastated by the news and orders her soldiers to capture and kill them all. La Hire urges his men to pull out but Tart instead walks quietly towards the enemy soldiers with her hand over her chest. Minou promises that Tart will be the first to die and urges her men to kill her, however Tart instead offers herself as a prisoner in exchange for the lives of the French soldiers. Melissa begs her not to do this, but Tart holds Melissa's hands in her own and smiles. Tart turns back to the enemy soldiers and once more offers herself as prisoner on the condition they take no acts of aggression against anyone else. Minou cackles gleefully at the thought of at least being able to execute the "criminal who defiled mother". Alone, Minou knocks Tart to the ground and pins her down, promising her a merciless execution in which her sins will burn through her body until nothing but ash remains. The last scene of Minou shows her crying longingly over the empty body of her mother.

Minou in Magia Record

See Minou in Magia Record

Minou is one of the secondary antagonists in the three Tart events that were released for Magia Record. In it, she plays much the same role as she does in the original manga. She relays orders and information to and from Isabeau using her teleportation and orders the mindless Magical Girls that Isabeau has enslaved to further their plans. Her element is light. During the first event, Minou and her sisters go into Tart's dreams in order to cause Tart to lose hope and lose the fight for France. During the second event, Minou and her sisters attempt to rewrite history so Iroha and Yachiyo never exist and don't travel back in time to thwart their plans. During the final event, Minou attempts to erase Tart's memories so she'll be powerless to stop them.

For more information, see The Chiming Bell that Transcends Time (NA: The Maiden of Hope), Rebel of a Dawnless Land, and End of a Legend, the Limits of Light.

Powers

Minou is able to summon various instruments of torture as her weapons, such as a cat-o-nine tails whip and a branding iron.

Minou has demonstrated the ability to create portals, which she uses to travel long distances. She can also corrupt the soul gems of other magical girls.

Observations

Minou is the youngest sister of the three daughters of Isabeau and the last to be defeated. She speaks elegantly and never loses her cool, however she hides a dark soul and twisted mind as Corbeau has noted that torture and "information extraction" were Minou's specialty. Like her sisters, she wears an animal themed mask based on her name similar to the kind worn at masquerade parties. Until the final volume, Minou's face remained hidden from view even when she was not in her magical girl state.

Etymology

• Minou is the French word for "kitty".

Gallery

• 

  Minou's character bio from Tart Magica volume 4 (also featuring Lapin)

• 

  Colour page from volume 2

• 

  Colour page from volume 3, showing the villainous magical girls unmasked (Left to right: Minou, Corbeau, and Lapin)

• 

  Volume 4 colour insert

• 

  Minou, Lapine and Corbeau as children

• 

  Minou attacks with her cat o' nine tails whip

• 

  Minou conjuring a branding iron that causes soul gems to corrupt. Note the English lion on the seal

• 
• 

  Source