2011-02-26, 02:03 AM
Most of this is copypasta from when I was IMing, so you'll have to pardon me on some of the grammar, since I broke sentences up sometimes into different messages, as well as writing without perfect grammar. I did rearrange, and change the order of a few things because I was pretty much doing free thinking the entire time, and jotted down whatever came to mind.
[spoiler=Madoka Episode 8 Thoughts and Thoughts on Sayaka's Characterization]
I really enjoyed this episode.
The episode leaves us on a strong cliffhanger with 3 things going on: Homura's conversation with Kyuubey, Madoka possibly looking for Sayaka, and Sayaka transforming into a witch [Ein Narr?] while Kyouko is there. Madoka's pressure on her to become a magical girl is approaching its height. Sayaka somewhat guilting her into wanting to become one, and her guilty thoughts as well as her more altruistic tendencies led her to be more susceptible to Kyuubey's persuasion and pressure into becoming one.
The direction they took Sayaka's character was genuinely interesting as well. I really found it compelling how they portrayed her as a tragic hero as well as displaying some characteristics of an anti-hero, and I found her character to have had a very realistic response to all that was going around her. I was just thinking about some of the factors, development, and characterization that ultimately led her to become a witch, mostly from this episode.
She became a witch because in the end, what it really boils down to, is that Sayaka gave up, or as she herself phrased it, she fell into despair. I don't know exactly if it was "sin" that necessarily brought Sayaka closer and closer to becoming a witch. Rather, to be more specific: hatred, nihilism, anxiety, and despair ultimately turned her into a witch.
Sayaka lost her meaning to fight for survival because she gave up on Kamijo, her motivation. Sayaka saw her condition of having her body becoming merely a shell with the side effects of immortality and eternal youth as something that made her inhuman, and separated from normal people. Whereas other people would mature, Sayaka would remain unchanged; and in addition, Sayaka wouldn't be able to live the course of a natural life. Sayaka felt that these traits would ultimately make her lonely and isolated, not just as a "freak", but that she would never be able to end her life satisfied and would merely spend an eternity alone. It's because of this that she gave up prematurely, and let herself play the role of a victim of her circumstances instead of taking an active role.
One of thing I found really interesting about her character was how the supernatural, or what happens with her as a Puella Magi fighting witches and their familiars inside of the barriers, and the real world interact with each other. When Sayaka jealously looks at Kamijo and Hitomi talking to each other on the bench, I really like how we start to see something resembling the inside of a witch's barrier, and then it cuts to Sayaka overextending herself against fighting familiars. I thought this was a very well played out scene, and a very brilliant move as a director on Shinbou's part. One thing this shows is how Sayaka's bottled up jealousy and anxiety is transformed into anger, and from anger to hatred in how Sayaka's character interacts with both worlds and deals with them.
On that note, hatred is played out in Sayaka's character in a few ways. Although Sayaka has very noble ideas and very pure intentions, I think Sayaka is very unforgiving and believes in following through her ideals very stubbornly and rigidly. Sayaka really hates the things she wants to fight against. Consequently, her crusade against injustice and apathetic morals build up her hatred towards these things more and more. Her nihilism was created out of her hopelessness that her ideals will ever prevail and that she just plain gave up due to feeling meaningless in life.
These, I think, are what ultimately made her in to a witch.
[/spoiler]
I have a few thoughts in regards to the themes that the series expresses, as well as my own theories, but I'll do that another time.
[spoiler=Madoka Episode 8 Thoughts and Thoughts on Sayaka's Characterization]
I really enjoyed this episode.
The episode leaves us on a strong cliffhanger with 3 things going on: Homura's conversation with Kyuubey, Madoka possibly looking for Sayaka, and Sayaka transforming into a witch [Ein Narr?] while Kyouko is there. Madoka's pressure on her to become a magical girl is approaching its height. Sayaka somewhat guilting her into wanting to become one, and her guilty thoughts as well as her more altruistic tendencies led her to be more susceptible to Kyuubey's persuasion and pressure into becoming one.
The direction they took Sayaka's character was genuinely interesting as well. I really found it compelling how they portrayed her as a tragic hero as well as displaying some characteristics of an anti-hero, and I found her character to have had a very realistic response to all that was going around her. I was just thinking about some of the factors, development, and characterization that ultimately led her to become a witch, mostly from this episode.
She became a witch because in the end, what it really boils down to, is that Sayaka gave up, or as she herself phrased it, she fell into despair. I don't know exactly if it was "sin" that necessarily brought Sayaka closer and closer to becoming a witch. Rather, to be more specific: hatred, nihilism, anxiety, and despair ultimately turned her into a witch.
Sayaka lost her meaning to fight for survival because she gave up on Kamijo, her motivation. Sayaka saw her condition of having her body becoming merely a shell with the side effects of immortality and eternal youth as something that made her inhuman, and separated from normal people. Whereas other people would mature, Sayaka would remain unchanged; and in addition, Sayaka wouldn't be able to live the course of a natural life. Sayaka felt that these traits would ultimately make her lonely and isolated, not just as a "freak", but that she would never be able to end her life satisfied and would merely spend an eternity alone. It's because of this that she gave up prematurely, and let herself play the role of a victim of her circumstances instead of taking an active role.
One of thing I found really interesting about her character was how the supernatural, or what happens with her as a Puella Magi fighting witches and their familiars inside of the barriers, and the real world interact with each other. When Sayaka jealously looks at Kamijo and Hitomi talking to each other on the bench, I really like how we start to see something resembling the inside of a witch's barrier, and then it cuts to Sayaka overextending herself against fighting familiars. I thought this was a very well played out scene, and a very brilliant move as a director on Shinbou's part. One thing this shows is how Sayaka's bottled up jealousy and anxiety is transformed into anger, and from anger to hatred in how Sayaka's character interacts with both worlds and deals with them.
On that note, hatred is played out in Sayaka's character in a few ways. Although Sayaka has very noble ideas and very pure intentions, I think Sayaka is very unforgiving and believes in following through her ideals very stubbornly and rigidly. Sayaka really hates the things she wants to fight against. Consequently, her crusade against injustice and apathetic morals build up her hatred towards these things more and more. Her nihilism was created out of her hopelessness that her ideals will ever prevail and that she just plain gave up due to feeling meaningless in life.
These, I think, are what ultimately made her in to a witch.
[/spoiler]
I have a few thoughts in regards to the themes that the series expresses, as well as my own theories, but I'll do that another time.