So, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I watched the first three episodes, and now want advice from those who have watched it to completion before I watch any more. Potential spoilers ahead for the first three episodes.
Fb sne, vg unf orra zbqrengryl tbbq. Abg gur nznmvat gung jnf cebzvfrq va cnfg zrqvn guernqf, ohg V npxabjyrqtr gung gung fbeg bs guvat jvyy bsgra gnxr n srj rcvfbqrf gb ernyyl trg fgnegrq.
Ohg bar guvat vf ernyyl tengvat ba zl areirf. Gur punenpgref’ furre… fghcvqvgl jvgu ertneqf gb guvf jvfu guvat. Ybbx, V xabj gung znxvat n tbbq jvfu pna or uneq. Vg vf n tbbq guvat gb guvax guebhtu gur bcgvbaf naq pbafrdhraprf pnershyyl orsber znxvat n jvfu. Gurer vf ab funzr va qrsreevat znxvat n jvfu sebz gur srne gung lbh unir abg pbzr hc jvgu n tbbq bar lrg, pbzvat hc jvgu n tbbq jvfu vf uneq. V rira qba’g rkcrpg nyy punenpgre’f gb tb nyy UCWRI naq hfr gurve jvfu gb znkvznyyl bcgvzvmr gur havirefr.
Ohg gb abg rira or noyr gb guvax bs bar fvatyr cbgragvny jvfu gb znxr!? V yvgrenyyl pnaabg vzntvar jung pbhyq or tbvat guebhtu gur urnq bs fbzrbar jub guvaxf gung. Gb guvax gung gur jbeyq nf vg vf abj vf gur orfg bs nyy cbffvoyr jbeyqf lbh pna vzntvar… Gung arrqf n fcrpvny glcr bs fghcvqvgl.
BX, svar. V nz trggvat gbb uhat hc bire fbzrguvat abg jbegu trggvat uhat hc ba. Ohg rirel gvzr V jngu na rcvfbqr guvf tengrf ba zl areirf yvxr n svyr ehaavat bire zl enj areir raqvatf. Vg vf npghnyyl zragnyyl cnvashy sbe zr gb jngpu gung.
Vg’f cebonoyl whfg zr jub unf guvf cnegvphyne unathc, naq lbh nyy cebonoyl guvax V nz orvat fvyyl. Jryy, znlor guvf whfg uvg n fber cbvag sbe zr be fbzrguvat. Ohg vs V nz gb pbagvahr jngpuvat guvf (juvpu V jbhyq yvxr gb nf vg jnf uvtuyl erpbzzraqrq va cnfg zrqvn guernqf), gura V jbhyq yvxr fbzrbar jub unf jngpurq vg nyernql gb pbasvez bar bs gurfr guvatf:
Rvgure
1) Fur hfrf gur jvfu nyernql, naq trgf vg bire jvgu. Znlor gb oevat Znzv onpx gb yvsr be fbzrguvat, gung jbhyq or n ernfbanoyr (vs abg irel perngvir) jvfu. Ohg gung vf hayvxryl nf fur vf boivbhfyl gur Bov-Jna svther, naq fb, sbe cybg ernfbaf, zhfg erznva qrnq.
Be
2) Gur cerivbhfyl nyyhqrq gb nznmvatarff fgnegf, naq fbba. Vs vg vf nf nznmvat nf crbcyr unir orra fnlvat, gura V thrff gung pbhyq chfu guvf fber cbvag gb gur fvqr.
Naljnl, cyrnfr ernffher zr va guvf ertneq. V jbhyqa’g jnag gb zvff bhg ba na nznmvat navzr orpnhfr bs bar fghcvq ovg, ohg ba gur bgure unaq, vg’f ernyyl, ernyyl naablvat. Lrnu, gur jubyr guvat fbhaqf fvyyl jura V jevgr vg qbja, ohg gunax lbh sbe gnxvat lbhe gvzr naljnl gb nqivfr zr ba guvf. Vg vf zhpu nccerpvngrq.
I almost stopped watching after three episodes as well—it starts out fairly slow. It was totally worth watching though, I’d wholeheartedly recommend going on.
One problem that a lot of people have with the series is that Madoka doesn’t really seem all that protagonisty, and her inability to make a decision about what to wish for no doubt contributes to this. The non-spoiler response is that there is a reason for this, which I personally found to be highly satisfying (your personal milage, of course may vary). The heavilly spoiler version is: Juvyr fur qbrf trg n punapr gb fgrc hc va n fvtavsvpnag jnl yngr va gur frevrf, gur ernfba Znqbxn srryf fb ha-cebgntbavfgl rneyl ba vf orpnhfr sbe gur ohyx bs gur frevrf, fur vfa’g gur cebgntbavfg: Ubzhen vf.
There’s a non-meta reason. (Well, a differently meta reason.)
Even heavier spoiler: Madoka is so indecisive because Ubzhen ercrngrqyl qrfgeblrq havirefrf jurer Znqbxn znqr n qrpvfvba, va beqre gb fryrpg sbe n Znqbxn uncyrff rabhtu gb or cebgrpgnoyr. Jr frr guvf ba pnzren!
I say you should stick with it. I suspect that, given what you’ve said, you’ll be similarly annoyed with a few characters not introduced yet. Several of the reveals and the ending will probably make up for it, though, especially since it kind of addresses some of your complaints.
Neither 1) nor 2). The awesomeness increases drastically, as the end of the series approaches. Most people I’ve talked to feel it was worth it (it’s only six or seven hours of footage), but some (including my boyfriend) disagree.
The character you said was a “Bov-Jna” is not a “Bov-Jna.” (Indeed, they don’t appear on the TV Tropes list. Also, shame on you for linking TV Tropes without a warning.)
EDIT: Looking at the episode list, I’d say the “awesomeness” (in the sense of, “holy shit, this isn’t just an average mahou shoujo anime”) really begins around episode six or seven.
I think you’re being a bit too literal. When someone says, “Nothing comes to mind,” they may have myriad thoughts ricocheting through their brain, but none of which are fully thought through or even partially fleshed out. ’Tis unreasonable to assume that if a character professes ignorance to others (and thus the audience) they are absent ideas.
While in general this is true, it is not in this case. The show is rather clear on this. When another character offers the suggestion of just wishing for a cake, Madoka takes it seriously as the first option she for a wish that she came across. She decides against it, for obvious reasons, but her reaction wasn’t “that’s a silly wish, I can think of a hundred better ones” but rather “Well, this is the first possible wish that I came across so far, but it doesn’t seem like a good one so I guess I will keep on looking.”
See, the cake example is a good example of a lower bound for wishs. At the very least, she should have come up with stupid examples like that. That she needed even this sort of wish pointed out to her is what I found annoying.
Madoka takes it seriously as the first option she for a wish that she came across. She decides against it, for obvious reasons, but her reaction wasn’t “that’s a silly wish, I can think of a hundred better ones”...
Perhaps your interpretation is correct—I don’t know. Keep in mind that one wouldn’t deny a another’s suggestion outright in Japanese culture; even if a suggestion were ridiculous, often one will show that they’ve considered it before offering some excuse to decline.
“Do you like cake? Wish for cake!” ″Hmm, I do like cake; some cake would be really nice right now. Maybe I should wait to hear other wishes first, though.”
Ok, yeah. I can accept it as a matter of interpretation. Maybe you are right. It is often hard to see interpretations other than one’s own. So lets not argue about it. Still, I don’t think that dialogue that you wrote is what was going on, that wasn’t how things were put, but I won’t argue the point, as this is something not worth arguing about. Again, maybe you are right.
So, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I watched the first three episodes, and now want advice from those who have watched it to completion before I watch any more. Potential spoilers ahead for the first three episodes.
Fb sne, vg unf orra zbqrengryl tbbq. Abg gur nznmvat gung jnf cebzvfrq va cnfg zrqvn guernqf, ohg V npxabjyrqtr gung gung fbeg bs guvat jvyy bsgra gnxr n srj rcvfbqrf gb ernyyl trg fgnegrq.
Ohg bar guvat vf ernyyl tengvat ba zl areirf. Gur punenpgref’ furre… fghcvqvgl jvgu ertneqf gb guvf jvfu guvat. Ybbx, V xabj gung znxvat n tbbq jvfu pna or uneq. Vg vf n tbbq guvat gb guvax guebhtu gur bcgvbaf naq pbafrdhraprf pnershyyl orsber znxvat n jvfu. Gurer vf ab funzr va qrsreevat znxvat n jvfu sebz gur srne gung lbh unir abg pbzr hc jvgu n tbbq bar lrg, pbzvat hc jvgu n tbbq jvfu vf uneq. V rira qba’g rkcrpg nyy punenpgre’f gb tb nyy UCWRI naq hfr gurve jvfu gb znkvznyyl bcgvzvmr gur havirefr.
Ohg gb abg rira or noyr gb guvax bs bar fvatyr cbgragvny jvfu gb znxr!? V yvgrenyyl pnaabg vzntvar jung pbhyq or tbvat guebhtu gur urnq bs fbzrbar jub guvaxf gung. Gb guvax gung gur jbeyq nf vg vf abj vf gur orfg bs nyy cbffvoyr jbeyqf lbh pna vzntvar… Gung arrqf n fcrpvny glcr bs fghcvqvgl.
BX, svar. V nz trggvat gbb uhat hc bire fbzrguvat abg jbegu trggvat uhat hc ba. Ohg rirel gvzr V jngu na rcvfbqr guvf tengrf ba zl areirf yvxr n svyr ehaavat bire zl enj areir raqvatf. Vg vf npghnyyl zragnyyl cnvashy sbe zr gb jngpu gung.
Vg’f cebonoyl whfg zr jub unf guvf cnegvphyne unathc, naq lbh nyy cebonoyl guvax V nz orvat fvyyl. Jryy, znlor guvf whfg uvg n fber cbvag sbe zr be fbzrguvat. Ohg vs V nz gb pbagvahr jngpuvat guvf (juvpu V jbhyq yvxr gb nf vg jnf uvtuyl erpbzzraqrq va cnfg zrqvn guernqf), gura V jbhyq yvxr fbzrbar jub unf jngpurq vg nyernql gb pbasvez bar bs gurfr guvatf:
Rvgure 1) Fur hfrf gur jvfu nyernql, naq trgf vg bire jvgu. Znlor gb oevat Znzv onpx gb yvsr be fbzrguvat, gung jbhyq or n ernfbanoyr (vs abg irel perngvir) jvfu. Ohg gung vf hayvxryl nf fur vf boivbhfyl gur Bov-Jna svther, naq fb, sbe cybg ernfbaf, zhfg erznva qrnq.
Be 2) Gur cerivbhfyl nyyhqrq gb nznmvatarff fgnegf, naq fbba. Vs vg vf nf nznmvat nf crbcyr unir orra fnlvat, gura V thrff gung pbhyq chfu guvf fber cbvag gb gur fvqr.
Naljnl, cyrnfr ernffher zr va guvf ertneq. V jbhyqa’g jnag gb zvff bhg ba na nznmvat navzr orpnhfr bs bar fghcvq ovg, ohg ba gur bgure unaq, vg’f ernyyl, ernyyl naablvat. Lrnu, gur jubyr guvat fbhaqf fvyyl jura V jevgr vg qbja, ohg gunax lbh sbe gnxvat lbhe gvzr naljnl gb nqivfr zr ba guvf. Vg vf zhpu nccerpvngrq.
I almost stopped watching after three episodes as well—it starts out fairly slow. It was totally worth watching though, I’d wholeheartedly recommend going on.
One problem that a lot of people have with the series is that Madoka doesn’t really seem all that protagonisty, and her inability to make a decision about what to wish for no doubt contributes to this. The non-spoiler response is that there is a reason for this, which I personally found to be highly satisfying (your personal milage, of course may vary). The heavilly spoiler version is: Juvyr fur qbrf trg n punapr gb fgrc hc va n fvtavsvpnag jnl yngr va gur frevrf, gur ernfba Znqbxn srryf fb ha-cebgntbavfgl rneyl ba vf orpnhfr sbe gur ohyx bs gur frevrf, fur vfa’g gur cebgntbavfg: Ubzhen vf.
There’s a non-meta reason. (Well, a differently meta reason.)
Even heavier spoiler: Madoka is so indecisive because Ubzhen ercrngrqyl qrfgeblrq havirefrf jurer Znqbxn znqr n qrpvfvba, va beqre gb fryrpg sbe n Znqbxn uncyrff rabhtu gb or cebgrpgnoyr. Jr frr guvf ba pnzren!
I say you should stick with it. I suspect that, given what you’ve said, you’ll be similarly annoyed with a few characters not introduced yet. Several of the reveals and the ending will probably make up for it, though, especially since it kind of addresses some of your complaints.
Thanks for the advice. These are the words of reassurance I needed. I will stick with it, a bit more at least.
A Hansonian might say that Madoka Magica is not about Madoka!
Three eps in is not really much; give it a bit more time.
Neither 1) nor 2). The awesomeness increases drastically, as the end of the series approaches. Most people I’ve talked to feel it was worth it (it’s only six or seven hours of footage), but some (including my boyfriend) disagree.
The character you said was a “Bov-Jna” is not a “Bov-Jna.” (Indeed, they don’t appear on the TV Tropes list. Also, shame on you for linking TV Tropes without a warning.)
EDIT: Looking at the episode list, I’d say the “awesomeness” (in the sense of, “holy shit, this isn’t just an average mahou shoujo anime”) really begins around episode six or seven.
I think you’re being a bit too literal. When someone says, “Nothing comes to mind,” they may have myriad thoughts ricocheting through their brain, but none of which are fully thought through or even partially fleshed out. ’Tis unreasonable to assume that if a character professes ignorance to others (and thus the audience) they are absent ideas.
While in general this is true, it is not in this case. The show is rather clear on this. When another character offers the suggestion of just wishing for a cake, Madoka takes it seriously as the first option she for a wish that she came across. She decides against it, for obvious reasons, but her reaction wasn’t “that’s a silly wish, I can think of a hundred better ones” but rather “Well, this is the first possible wish that I came across so far, but it doesn’t seem like a good one so I guess I will keep on looking.”
See, the cake example is a good example of a lower bound for wishs. At the very least, she should have come up with stupid examples like that. That she needed even this sort of wish pointed out to her is what I found annoying.
Perhaps your interpretation is correct—I don’t know. Keep in mind that one wouldn’t deny a another’s suggestion outright in Japanese culture; even if a suggestion were ridiculous, often one will show that they’ve considered it before offering some excuse to decline.
“Do you like cake? Wish for cake!”
″Hmm, I do like cake; some cake would be really nice right now. Maybe I should wait to hear other wishes first, though.”
Ok, yeah. I can accept it as a matter of interpretation. Maybe you are right. It is often hard to see interpretations other than one’s own. So lets not argue about it. Still, I don’t think that dialogue that you wrote is what was going on, that wasn’t how things were put, but I won’t argue the point, as this is something not worth arguing about. Again, maybe you are right.