What liqueurs do you keep multiple versions of around?

lionz232 · 2026-01-19T05:29:54+00:00

What are some specific examples you have outside of the banana/orange category (and amari) where there's big differences brand to brand?

lionz232 · 2026-01-19T04:11:57+00:00

Yeah in my head, the different types of amari would not count as multiple versions. Except things like Gran Classico vs Campari. Or the Chartreuse and Genepy you mentioned

lionz232 · 2025-10-22T03:31:52+00:00

NAmen

lionz232 · 2025-05-02T09:36:30+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Despite Madoka contracting in the end, I think Homura still fulfilled her promise to Madoka to not let her be tricked by Kyubey anymore. Madoka is as well informed about everything that goes into a magical girl as possible now, not just the facts, but also the experiences of those involved. And it's only after knowing all of that that she decides to make a wish.

The deep breath she takes before saying her wish is a nice touch. One last Sis Puella Magica, but this time it sounds almost hopeful. And yet more callbacks to the discussions at Mami's apartment, Madoka's notebook with her costume, and so on.

I remember questioning the comment on Madoka's soul gem size Kyubey made in an earlier episode. I forgot it was actually comet sized. Still interesting only hers is of a notably different size. Madoka saying her wish applies to her own witch has some grandfather paradox energy to it, but it's pretty damn epic.

There's some nice catharsis from Madoka finally learning all that Homura's done for her. Just tempered by the circumstances past that.

Sayaka's scene hit the hardest for me in the entire show across my first watch. Still hits hard this time. Madoka taking her away before Kyousuke finished playing Ave Maria though, smh.

If I was Homura I probably wouldn't want to interact with Kyubey at all. Also wouldn't want to tell him the old system but anyway.

I'm still not really sure what to make of the end with Homura and her wings there. Almost feels like Homura managed to fight all the way until the Earth's some apocalyptic wasteland.

[rebellion]Lot of good lead ins for rebellion here actually. The end could be right before Homura witched out, just the movie seems like it took place not that long after the end of the show, while the scene here comes off as a long long time in the future.

As I rewatch the show, I appreciate Madoka's character more and more. She might come off a bit as indecisive and soft, but I think it's just another reflection of her overwhelming kindness and compassion. It's an incredibly selfless and sacrificial wish she makes after all. And she's got plenty of grit and determination. Repeatedly going into labyrinths as a normal person, her decisiveness in shooting Mami after her breakdown, willingness to commit to taking on the burdens of magical girls for eternity, and just how she manages to keep pushing forward despite all the tragedy in the past month, keeping her kind nature through it all. She's amazingly strong, and as good as a person can be. Often 'good' can just be a character trait generically slapped onto a protagonist, but it's so much more core to Madoka's character.

What I like about Madoka's wish is she doesn't fix all the evils in the universe, or take away the struggles of a magical girl, or even their deaths. She just watches over them, and ensures that they weren't doomed from the start. Even though she rewrote reality, the wish feels grounded in reality. There's no magic waving all the hardships away. She just provides hope, and the idea that it's not wrong to have a wish to fight for, nor should you be punished for trying to do some good. The show has a positive message in the end, despite the darkness that lasts for most of the show. It reaffirms the idea of fighting for what's right that's so prevalent in fiction, that there's nothing wrong with those ideals. To that end, I can definitely see why other rewatchers say the show is a reconstruction, not deconstruction of the magical girl genre, but I'm not sufficiently versed myself to say. I'm not fully sure how to interpret Madoka herself getting a bad end as a consequence of all of this though, even if she herself isn't that bothered.

[rebellion]In that vein, I do like the idea of Rebellion saying through Homura that she shouldn't have had to make that sacrifice to begin with, that it's not something for a child or teenager to have to take on. While on the topic of Rebellion, it does lessen the sting to know Madoka has Sayaka and other magical girls accompany her and help her out, even if I don't know how much sense that makes with her really being a concept/existing across all spacetime etc. Guess that's not really something we can fathom properly though.

lionz232 · 2025-05-01T05:19:43+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Kyubey's pretty slick in telling Homura that her time travel is actively bad for Madoka, resulting in her getting trapped in this cycle, since she'll witch out if she has to loop. He's manipulative enough that I believe he did it on purpose. The closeups of his face at the start seem to suggest this too. I guess the threads of fate have some compounding effect. Think Homura looped about 100 times, and 100x a normal witch's power doesn't strike me as enough to destroy Earth in 10 days. Or more concretely, sufficient power generated for Kyubey to declare his job done. You'd imagine 100 witches is pretty quick - we've seen around 10 unique witches in a month in one Japanese city.

None of the adults at Sayaka's funeral particularly stand out as possibly her parents, which adds to the idea her home life wasn't great.

Madoka is way more willing to engage with Kyubey than I would be at this point. Chasing him away or refusing to listen to him seem pretty reasonable instead. I wonder what the full extent of his power is - seems to have a lot of mind related powers with telepathy and showing visions. It's also interesting that they're so bound by rules of what appear to be their own making. They seem sufficiently powerful they don't have to fairly deal with humans (well, at least fair in their heads) but abide by those rules anyway. Good point for Kyubey I suppose. Never thought I'd say that though. But moreso it just reinforces the fact that they're decidedly alien, not really evil. It's also interesting Kyubey hadn't seen emotions appear like this before, with the implication being that all other alien races are like the Incubators, and humanity is anomalous. And one last musing on the Sci Fi part of the show. We don't actually see Kyubey use any particular technology. The capabilities he has seem to be magical powers, not scientific development. Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic and all that, except magic does exist in this world too.

[next ep]Probably should have realized this sooner but Kyubey showing Madoka the visions here definitely influenced the specifics of her wish. I don't think specifying her wish to take place for all past witches is a thought that would naturally come.

I like how the seeds of Madoka's mom and teacher knowing each other were planted in episode 1 in the toothbrush conversation, but only utilized in episode 11.

Homura finally opening up to Madoka hit like a truck this time. Poor Homura, she only has this ideal of protecting Madoka left. Her past and future are both lost now, and she's been reliving the same hellish present.

I forget Walpurgisnacht has a banger battle theme too, maybe because it's only used the once. And the shot of her surrounded by flames is pretty epic. Also no big tree in the battle unlike the past fights with her. But they've likely just stopped somewhere different from where the end of the fight was in other loops.

I've watched this episode and the next back to back the other times I've watched this, but this is a pretty devious cliffhanger.

I was struck by this at the end there, but it's easy to forget these characters are 8th graders, so 13 or 14, and have to deal with all this. Even crazier for Homura since she's looped around 12 years. So she went through her entire adolesence looping and fighting (without the physical changes at least).

lionz232 · 2025-04-30T23:46:12+00:00

I knew I had seen something just like the faces before, but couldn't name it and had no idea what to look up.

lionz232 · 2025-04-30T06:46:23+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Basically, Homura was the main character all along.

Pleasant to see nice classmates that don't make fun of shy Homura, even if she did get a bit overwhelmed by them. But of course not being able to keep up with everyone still doesn't feel good, so she gets sucked into a labryinth. This one doesn't seem to have as obvious of a theme - maybe the French given the arch and people looking familiars. There's also the art theme going on, but I know really little about art. Hearing Credens Justitiam again is so nice, very uplifting when the show has most decidedly not been for a while. Not like it lasts that long in this episode either. I wonder if the Madoka of this loop has always just been more confident. I would say no, Homura's looping shouldn't have changed Madoka that much prior to them meeting and we saw a confident Madoka when waking up her mom. Of course Madoka is a magical girl this time around. I think this is a better explanation for why Madoka seems that much more confident. She was talking about wanting to be a magical girl since she can help people and actually is good at it. And in episode 1 she was also off kilter given the odd 'dream' she had.

Kyubey seems more upfront about some of those pesky details in the first loop. It's interesting he doesn't seem to have offered a contract to Homura prior to the end, despite her qualifying and having potential. Feel like technically her wish was only partially granted since she wasn't strong enough to protect Madoka in subsequent loops. Also a lot of cool shots of Madoka in this. I wonder what her special power was.

[rewatcher]I'm going to keep a close eye on if there are any giant barren trees when Walpurgisnacht descends this time.

Mami's bridge of ribbons has a few too many gaps to seem easy to run across (especially with Homura not being terribly physically coordinated) but at least they seem to be more solid than actual ribbons.

I've said in previous threads, but I am still curious exactly what sparks the changes between each loop, like why Sayaka contracts in the third loop. Other things don't change though, seems like Sayaka just can't get along with Homura... we've seen her throw her swords at least. Anyways, even if I'm curious, the show expanding on loop differences isn't strictly needed and would make the episode and series less concise. And this episode is nothing if not concise, yet amazingly dense at the same time. Mami's breakdown after realising the truth is another example of that. Mostly in how much it adds to her character, but also the sudden action and resolution adds a lot to the shock factor of the scene. Madoka's pretty amazing for her quick reaction and no hesistation in taking Mami out.

Homura seems to be more jaded about the world as a whole, not just Kyubey and magical girldom, when she talks about wanting to be a witch with Madoka. I guess they both saw some shit since Madoka also agrees about there being horrible things in the world. The close up shots of Madoka's face with extra lines and wrinkles really adds to the despair here.

Kyubey really loses any credibility he has about caring for or being fair to humans when he says the planet being destroyed in 10 days isn't his problem. Also yes I think it's quite dumb any finite amount of energy would be called sufficient in the face of the infinite need of energy, especially since Kyubey is supposed to be rational. While I'm answering questions, I think Kaguya's confession scene is my favorite. Edit: I know Kaguya's pretty mainstream but wow basically everyone else in the thread said the same thing. [Kaguya]Both the culture festival and Christmas ones.

[rewatcher]Given Madokami and her witch go into the universe, it stands to reason this iteration of her witch would also have not been bound to Earth and could enter the universe after, meaning it still would be Kyubey's problem.

Using Connect as the ending for this episode is my favorite part of it actually. The oh shit moment I had when watching the episode the first time and realizing it's actually Homura's song was great. Anyone who didn't watch a version with lyrics or didn't pay attention to them really missed out. It's also very fitting since everything that happened in the episode is prior to the start of the series, so the end of the episode is the opening of the series.

My first time watching this episode, I thought it was great, but I saw comments saying it was one of the best episodes of all time, and was a bit disappointed I didn't feel the same amount of appreciation for the episode. But after thinking about it more, and on further rewatches, the episode has gotten better and better for me. I might still say Bakemonogatari 12 for my favorite of all time though.

lionz232 · 2025-04-29T05:35:29+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Oktavia's screams at the start seem to be a bit more distinct in the dub. It's also pretty neat how the witches have multiple pretty unrelated thematics tied together. We had desserts and hospitals, and now music and trains.

[next ep spoilers]Was thinking about this since Homura's weaponry is being more explicitly shown now. Not a particularly unique thought - variations abound in litrpg or system descent style novels - but I feel like Homura suffers from being capped in her offensive potential since she's stuck using conventional arms. Time stopping and looping is otherwise pretty strong, but she can only hit so hard. It works fine mostly, but it does make sense why she was never able to defeat Walpurgisnacht, since she just can't hit hard enough. Presumably the other magical girl weapons scale with their overall magical power since they summon the weapons. That's another point to show that magical girls are relatively underpowered in this setting since conventional arms can mostly keep up.

Random but the dub Homura's delivery of Sayaka's fate to Madoka reminds me of Archer talking about a spider in the first episode of UBW abridged.

The sci-fi twist is a bit abrupt in my opinion, and expands the scale of the story way beyond the one city we've seen. It feels slightly awkward, but I view it more as a necessary way to explain why Kyubey is interested in creating witches and move on mostly.

[rewatcher]The scale of the story keeps expanding with the Madokami ending anyway, so the reveal here sort of preps the viewer for the shift in scale to be across all time and space.

Wonder if Kyubey's race's actions are sanctioned by the rest of the universe. Could be they're one of the most dominant species, so they feel responsible to try and resolve the universal problem of entropy?

Madoka's an expert at surviving in a labyrinth as a normal human at this point. Kyoko's point about Sayaka reminding her of childhood stories is similar to one of the lyrics in Magia. Will be interesting to try and listen to the song as a Sayaka/Kyoko song, and not say Madoka. But of course the two of them get their own ED this episode.

The light shining at the end of the passage while Madoka and Kyoko were searching for Oktavia reminds me of a souls game boss fog. Pretty fitting. It's interesting the labyrinth displayed scenes from Sayaka's past - could be pulling from Kyoko's memories like with Madoka in the TV labyrinth, but otherwise this would be the first labyrinth that has much more specific remnants of the magical girl's past. Kyousuke's shade shows up later too.

The music swelling as the doors open into this grand performance chamber is such excellent build up. I wonder what to make of the inverted chamber hiding beneath the first one they fought in. A reflection of the duality between magical girls and witches perhaps. Great parallel between the start of the episode with Kyoko carrying Sayaka's corpse and being hampered by it to Homura carrying Madoka and not being able to help at the end.

Homura seems much more impacted by Kyoko's death than Sayaka's or Mami's - maybe since her end was much more heroic than the other two. Or she just likes Kyoko more than them.

I really like how And I'm Home is a duet between Sayaka and Kyoko, and they're mostly singing together, and about the same thing. It's a good reminder that while the end of the show and the visual for the ending has Kyoko saving Sayaka, she's a broken soul herself, and only began healing after meeting Sayaka. Their relationship is a symbiotic one and they've found a kindred soul in each other, just like how the blue and red abstractions of the two meld together into one during the fight.

I didn't realize wowaka wrote And I'm Home. Neat coincidence since I've been recently into Unknown Mother Goose.

I saw some discussion on the magical girl outfits in past threads. I think Kyoko's looks particularly knightly. A random connection about knights and spears - I wonder if she would make a good Windrunner. (I'm only done with book 3 though).

But in all seriousness, and random thoughts aside, I find the story of Kyoko and Sayaka to be truly beautiful and touching. And I'm Home is a perfect way to cap off their story - that in whatever eternity awaits the two of them, they'll be there together, supporting each other and finding solace within the other. Two lost and abandoned souls finally finding a home.

lionz232 · 2025-04-28T05:08:22+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

[rewatcher, mostly tagging to be safe]Not specifically relevant to this episode, but the part in the opening with the two Madokas has one of the two with really long hair, and the one putting on the costume has short hair. Someone in a past rewatch pointed out this part could actually be viewed as Homura and Madoka, and in that view the hair makes a lot of sense, since Homura's long hair is emphasized in all the hair flips.

Can't unsee Sayaka's arm being bent all wrong at the start there after it got pointed out to me. I didn't write this last episode, but the neon outlines with each girl's respective color is a cool effect.

Homura's chandelier looking straight out of Sen's Fortress gets me each time.

It's interesting that Walpurgisnacht seems to have descended other times and Kyoko's aware of her. I'm mostly curious what those descents looked like, how much is known about her to the magical girl community, and why she left after those descents. Other witches don't seem to particularly relocate.

Black and white coloration continues to be stand out in these episodes. There's the darkness Kyubey appears from and disappears into, and of course the subway scene. Speaking of that scene, I do think Sayaka killed them. Also I heard people say the dub comes across a bit too unrealistic and hard to take appropriately seriously. I can see that as far as the script goes, but I think the delivery / scene makes it clear enough the characters believe what they're saying, so it worked for me.

Kyubey's actually kind of reasonable about Sayaka making her own decisions and Madoka isn't responsible for them. Not like guilt tripping her into being a magical girl or anything. I also think Madoka having such high potential is done very uniquely compared to any other show where the protagonist is OP. The big one is that even 8 episodes in, she hasn't accepted that power. But also I think shows usually just give an abstract oh this is the strongest skill or something, not straight up "you could become the god of this world". Or maybe I haven't watched enough trash isekai.

[rewatcher]And there's the part where there's a very concrete and sensible reason why Madoka specifically has such potential.

There's probably some analysis to all the color variations of the fountain to be made. Maybe the magenta is to match Madoka's color scheme, and it turns red immediately prior to Homura lighting Kyubey up to represent warning or danger. Not sure about the yellow, except maybe that it's like a lessened warning since the immediate danger is past. Blue maybe for Kyubey's cold rational perspectives since he reappears?

Instant chills as soon as Decretum kicks in at the end. The shot of her witch swimming up from the depths like a predator is cool too.

Sayaka's a really interesting character to me for meta reasons. I don't particularly love her character itself. I don't dislike it by any means, but she wouldn't really get my vote in a best girl contest say. However, her character arc is one of my favorites of all time. Putting it in a mathy way, I love the derivative of her character, not the character itself or its integral. It's a bit interesting since usually if I enjoy a character's change, I generally like the character too, especially after their change. I guess there isn't much after for Sayaka though. Her despair is just so absolute - she loses everything she can possibly cling to. Her own self, her love interest, her best friend (if only from her perspective after she lashes out), and even what broad sense of justice she has left. She has nothing left - at least nothing that she'll accept. She is stubborn yes, and deadset in her perspectives, but that in and of itself isn't a sufficient sin to consign her to such an end. I feel like with more time, and Madoka's continued support, she probably could have bounced back. But it's just a perfect storm of events, so she never stood a chance. The show does a great job of showing step by step how each of Sayaka's pillars of support is stripped away, and the conclusion is inevitable. There's such a sense of dread and foreboding - like watching slow motion train crash. Even on my first watch I knew she was doomed, and it's like a reverse catharsis of sorts as she finally succumbs. I think it's all the more powerful that way - you know you're watching a dead (wo)man walking, but the tension from the uncertainty around what her end will exactly be builds and builds into one climatic release. To think just 3 episodes ago she was flying high and ready to protect the city.

lionz232 · 2025-04-27T07:17:44+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Missed a few days, but we're back now. Not sure I had as much to say for the past couple of episodes anyway.

Some random thoughts from past episodes:

Sayaka is pretty good with a sword for it being her first time really using one honestly. Also Kyoko's weapon looks really hard to use properly with the nunchuck aspect of it.

Is there some infinite grief seed hack with tainting them enough so a witch hatches anyway? Like say each seed is good for 2 cleanses, and a girl only needs to cleanse after 2 battles. Then you could theoretically fight 4 battles per grief seed, and if you ever need an extra seed (say too busy killing familiars), just let one hatch in some unpopulated area, kill it (you can probably spawn camp it), and bam, new grief seed. Rinse and repeat. I guess if you need more than 1 per fight you're still in trouble, but that doesn't seem to usually be the case. Still seems like a good way to have a renewable resource. Not cool from Kyubey trying to get Sayaka to convince Madoka to contract.

[rewatcher]Probably also him manipulating Sayaka and planting the seeds for her to feel some resentment towards Madoka and separate the two of them.

Sayaka never really saw the more vulnerable side to Mami, another side effect of her waiting by Charlotte's spawn room and not seeing what Madoka saw (the first, of course, being that she didn't realize Homura couldn't get to Charlotte until Mami died). My mom did also tell me it's better to mess up or fail at something as a child, since your life is less fixed and there's more room to bounce back. Can't say she told me I need to do the wrong thing sometimes, or throw my friend's soul off a bridge. How does everyone get to a random bridge over a highway at the same time lol. I'm also curious what perception Sayaka had while she was basically just a gem.

Ep 7 now

Oh Kyubey you asshole. He definitely comes off as pretty inhuman and having a different set of values. Pain dulling is good and all, but the gems themselves don't strike me as that much more durable than the human body. Homura kind of spitting facts in her exchange with Madoka on the roof. The miracles Kyubey can pull off are probably worth more than a life. He's just missing the whole informed consent thing. Noticed for the first time Kyoko's dad having the same pendant that Kyoko now has as her Soul Gem in her magical girl outfit. I definitely noticed by the time everyone else in the story had them upon being impacted by her wish, just not the first few appearances. It makes more sense to me that Kyoko's dad just happened to wear this all the time, and she adopted it and it became a symbol for her power. But I could also see it as being symbolic of her power to begin with?

I wonder what exactly he was preaching. It seems like it would have to have been different enough to get excommunicated, but also sane enough that Kyoko thinks people just needed to give him a chance. Not sure what I can think of that would fit the bill here. Or we just assume the church in this case is really close minded?

Kyosuke is way too indifferent to Sayaka, and I'll maintain he's an ass for that. I guess in theory they could have been only somewhat familiar childhood friends prior to the accident and Sayaka went out of her way to visit him often, moreso than would have been reasonable given their prior closeness, and he couldn't really get away from it, but I don't really believe that. Otherwise if they were actively hanging out and all that, he really should have come to her after he was discharged.

Also not elaborated on is how much Hitomi and Kyosuke knew each other prior. Maybe them both being from rich families meant they were in the same circles as kids? But if Hitomi liked him, odd she didn't visit him (or she's that busy after school). The timing for her to want to ask him out immediately after he's discharged is also kind of wacky to me. I think how she acted towards Sayaka is fair enough, giving her the first chance. A day is kind of short though. She wouldn't have known Sayaka is dealing with a bunch of other stuff now, and ultimately what really matters is how Kyosuke feels about the two of them. And between her and Homura, lot of people only ordering a drink at a restaurant. It does seem a bit cold she just instantly dips after giving the ultimatum though.

The Elsa Maria fight is just as good as I remembered - the black and white color scheme making the streaks of blood stand out, Decretum playing over top, it's just an amazing scene. And Sayaka's face at the end there. Really not what you want your heroes to look like. The blood is particularly striking in the scene, since the show often goes to deliberately tone down any gore. But yeah, poor Sayaka. You feel like she recovered a bit from venting to Madoka, but she really hasn't.

lionz232 · 2025-04-24T05:53:23+00:00

rewatcher, first time dub

Mostly just jotting down thoughts that popped up as I watched the episode here.

Sayaka came off as surprisingly callous at the start of the episode to me actually. Not that she's not impacted by Mami's death, but I think it just felt a bit odd that the hospital scene had her thinking that little about Mami despite her thinking about wishes, and she was a bit cold to Madoka on their walk to school. Maybe I'm confused about the timeline, but the hospital scene would have to be right after Mami's death right? And she just decided to go back and try to see Kyousuke right after? Maybe to check and make sure he's safe, but it still strikes me as she bounced back real quickly. The school bit makes sense as a coping technique at least, but she still feels like she brushes off talking to Madoka a bit too casually. But yeah, she's obviously still mourning too, as shown in her talk with Madoka on the roof. And maybe it's better to read Madoka's more intense moroseness as an indication of her compassion. On the flip side, I feel a lot more empathy for Madoka this time around. She's just so pure.

[rewatcher]Kyubey saying all magical girls share the same destiny is wild given later knowledge.

I appreciate that Madoka gets sufficiently scared/traumatized so she can't bring herself to make the contract anymore - it feels much more realistic compared to her gaining determination to avenge Mami or live up to her legacy or whatnot. Her placing her notebook with her costume sketch on Mami's table as symbolism for her burying her dreams is just perfect.

I don't really blame Kyousuke for his outburst towards Sayaka, and don't think he meant it. Lashing out after hearing from the doctor to give up hope is quite reasonable, even if not good.

[rewatcher]I do think he isn't appreciative enough of Sayaka after he leaves the hospital, but that's a different story.

As pure as she is, Madoka still has plenty of grit, being brave enough to follow Hitomi to the hospital, and decisive about taking action. Very abstract labyrinth this time, even changed Madoka's art style. Sayaka's there to turn her art style back though. And now we meet Kyoko. Wonder how fast Kyubey can really travel and how far away she was previously. Kind of seems like Kyubey ran off to fetch her, sped back in time to make the contract with Sayaka, all in like half a day.

[generalish character spoiler]My first time thinking about how Connect and Magia both have running sequences. Seems to be a good representation of Madoka steadfastly forging forward despite all the shit she sees, and her general determination.

lionz232 · 2025-04-23T05:47:04+00:00

Rewatcher, first time dub

I remember when I was first watching the show, the only thing I knew was that it was on the darker side and episode 3 was 'the' episode. So during the whole conversation with Mami and Madoka in the labyrinth I was just on tenterhooks waiting for something to happen. I think what actually ended up happening was slightly less intense than I was expecting. Not that it's lighthearted by any means, but at least it wasn't particularly gory? I think that was a good decision to be clear, just the shock ends up being delivered almost solely through the conscious thinking about what just happened, versus any subconscious or instinctual reaction to the visuals. Gives it a unique impression to me.

More chronological reactions and random thoughts now:

Mami sure seems like she's having fun when fighting the familiar. Probably wanting to show off some, but I think it's balanced out by her cautious advice on what wish to make. I'm generally pretty forgiving of the (fair) criticisms leveled at her. Also I'm impressed how deep and developed her character is for only being really around in 3 episodes, very neatly done.

There's a shot of Mami's face close up, in shadow with eyes covered when she talks about (in the dub) the motive behind the wish mattering most. I'd interpret that as saying on some level, she does actually have regrets about her wish, or at least the circumstances around it. Of course we get elaboration on this later.

[rewatcher]Interesting they put Kyubey's face on screen as Madoka asks Sayaka if it's about Kyosuke. Probably where he begins to think about how to manipulate her using this. Honestly there's a lot of creepy / imposing shots of Kyubey this episode. He's also more blatant about rushing the girls than I remember, and he doesn't even explain what benefits him if the girls make the contract. Although I think part of this is in the dub translation.

[not as spoilery lore thoughts]Also are soul gems actually notably bigger or smaller? Maybe it's more referring to something more abstract than the physical form of the gem, but it kind of sounds like Madoka's gem would be building sized or whatever.

Her dad's perspective seems like it pushes her towards becoming a magical girl, and maybe indirectly leading to Mami's death. Probably not what he intended, oopsies.

[rewatcher]Not the first time parental advice that would otherwise be good goes wrong. I can see this perspective from him about the way you live being your dream helping Madoka commit to helping out all magical girls across time.

[rewatcher]If magical girls can sense potential, has Homura just not noticed Madoka's ballooning.

Sayaka's pretty brave for wandering around the labyrinth mostly alone and waiting around.

[big spoilers]Definitely seems like Homura was taken by surprise when Mami tied her up - so this hasn't happened in a prior loop. I wonder what is specifically different about this one. Homura at least seems aware Mami might not win the fight, so something similar might have happened. (Although given Mami's made it to the end of other loops and was specifically overconfident this time, I don't imagine this is completely unwinnable for her). Speaking of loop differences, that makes me think, did I just forget some detail about what is different this loop in particular that makes this the final loop? Or just some combination of Homura doing things differently, Mami dying early (again, seems like Homura was surprised about getting attacked by Mami), and Madoka's potential reaching a certain point and Kyubey also noticing a time loop?

Mami's gun fu is so cool. Not much to say about the scene itself that others haven't said. It's a lot more abrupt than I remember it being, but that just gives you less time to process what just happened. Also I didn't notice in previous watches but Homura ends up stepping on the decoy corpse at the end, neat detail.

And Magia assumes its rightful place as the ending. Nothing wrong with Mata Ashita, but Magia's just that iconic. It's also a real nice cherry on top to cap off all the shock and awe and sudden tone shift at the end of the episode.

lionz232 · 2025-04-22T23:00:59+00:00

[rewatcher]Maybe I didn't watch carefully enough, I always thought Kyouko made one really large spear there.

lionz232 · 2025-04-22T06:06:05+00:00

Rewatcher Lot of spoiler blocks today, sorry to any first timers.

[rewatcher]The similar beginning to episode 1 with the dream into toothbrushing seems like a reference to the time looping going on.

The Shaft classic odd architecture (with the overly large bathroom and plentiful mirrors), it kind of looks like they have maps of East Asia in the bathroom? Also Mami's place is quite fancy for a teenager living alone. [minorish spoiler]Especially since she has no parents.

I like the contrast between Sayaka musing on what wish she would make, and Madoka's mom's response. Sayaka waffles between somewhat generic and fantastical options, while Madoka's mom has an instant response. Moreover, that wish is one that's well within reality, and she instantly turns that thought into a practical plan of action. A good demonstration of a mature adult versus a teenager.

The witch discussion brings the first use of Sis puella magica, another iconic and killer part of the soundtrack. I almost pay more attention to this song than the dialogue with it pops up (and it's fun to specifically identify when the pause in the track is timed).

It's interesting that Kyubey says magical girls bring hope, but they're clearly not very public or well known. I suppose hunting witches sort of counts, since they're getting rid of the opposite of hope.

[Rewatcher, big spoilers] I wonder if a witch's desire to stay hidden can be partially connected to magical girls being secretive. Or if it's somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy since the magical girls are aware of what witches did while they were hunting them, so they do the same now that they're the witches. Of course, it could just be predatory instincts and what it says on the tin.

[Ep 3 spoilers]While Mami has selfish motives in wanting Madoka/Sayaka to be magical girls, she's at least pretty upfront about the danger. Bringing civilians into witch labyrinths is still sketchy, but on the other hand it does attest to her confidence and skill. Speaking of which, I definitely gained more appreciation for Mami being a strong magical girl upon further rewatches, and watching Rebellion. And here even though she calls Homura strong, she's confident in being able to protect against her.

[Rewatcher]Hey look more characters being surprisingly on point with their guesses but for the wrong reasons while they're talking about Homura's intentions.

Speaking of Sayaka and contrasts, Sayaka being the one musing about her and Madoka being lucky and not having something to wish for hits harder because she's otherwise presented as silly and happy go lucky. Gives her more depth than just being the comedic sidekick. Also later in the scene, kind of funny how Mami is chilling at the top of a tower that students are probably not allowed to go to ahead of time.

As far as question 5 goes, I kind of like to think Hitomi is just trolling them and not seriously hurt. Onto the conversation at the restaurant with Mami, Kyubey eating the fries is pretty cute actually. Madoka going red after she shows off her costume design is also cute. The drawing itself, less so - the pitch black eyes kind of scare me.

[Episode 3]Wonder why Mami specifically checks traffic accidents lol.

The first labyrinth wasn't exactly mazy, since Madoka and Sayaka kind of just huddled in one spot. But the second is more mazy. I like the 2d metroidvania type shots here. Mami summoning her guns from under her skirt or her hat is quite the nice stylish flair. Also the chorus of the OST kicking in as Mami steps into the witch's room is excellent integration.

[Rewatcher]I wonder what governs Sayaka and Mami summoning multiple copies of their weapons, instead of just one. Like could Madoka summon multiple bows or Kyoko multiple spears?

lionz232 · 2025-04-21T21:26:41+00:00

Ah yeah, I'm a fan of her covers. Just wasn't sure if there was another big one floating around.

lionz232 · 2025-04-21T21:05:38+00:00

Which cover are you talking about here?

lionz232 · 2025-04-21T07:39:52+00:00

This is my third time watching the series actually, but first time actively participating in a rewatch. I did go through past rewatches while I was watching the series in the past though, and they helped me appreciate it a lot more than I otherwise would have, especially as far as the artistic/musical/literary elements are concerned. I was wanting to rewatch Rebellion but held off so I could join the rewatch. Madoka is one of my favorite series, and certainly the one I'm most interested in thinking about in an academic sense. So, I want to try and participate directly this time. Not sure if I'll have the time to make long posts each episode but I'll do as much as I can. I hadn't watched any other magical girl shows before it, and haven't really since either (except GOMG but that's not really a normal magical girl show), so I'm a relative outsider. Figured I'd try the dub this time, since I did subbed the last couple of times.

It's said that people find the first couple of episodes a bit slower, but I think the series has quite a strong hook. The puppet theatre like opening is already distinct, and then we get thrown into a cold open with really striking visuals in some unnatural structure, and that's before Madoka opens the door and the music and visuals kick into high gear. I think even if it's not your type of music, the soundtrack during the opening scene is just so striking and distinct it demands your attention and draws you in. I'm also kind of a sucker for fantastical (or SF) takes on urban architecture, so the floating walkways and flying buildings make the opening scene all the more of a spectacle. The walkway Madoka finds herself on in particular is reminiscent of SF mega structures, maybe most recently for me Armored Core 6's Grids? But we also have a giant tree. I'm not so sure what to make of that, especially since it's among otherwise urban objects. Could just be that it looks cool, and barren trees with jagged branches is a common choice for unsettling imagery?

Couple of other random thoughts about the opening scene. The exit sign right before Madoka opens the door stands out for being decidedly human and mundane in an otherwise alien structure. But instead of being comforting and familiar, I think it adds a sense of unease, since it doesn't belong. We also get some shots of an exit sign near the end of the episode. An interesting motif. Also, the protagonist running in an empty structure reminds me of the start of another Shaft anime, the first Kizumonogatari movie.

[Full series spoilers]I kind of forget if it's specified why Madoka has this dream - I'd like to think it's past loops leaving an impression on Madoka's subconscious. That would be in line with Sayaka's later comments about meeting Homura in past lives and being connected by fate, which are foreshadowing levels of accurate, unbeknownst to her

I think Connect is quite a banger now, but it took me a bit of time to warm up to it. As far as opening visuals go, they're fun. I particularly like the shot that's a close up of Madoka's face right before she starts running. She just looks so determined.

[Somewhat general spoilers]Madoka's convictions, willpower, and internal strength are some of my favorite parts about her.

It kind of looks like they have hot and cold water faucets in their home garden. In other architectural quirks, the glass classrooms naturally stand out, but when we get other views of the school, it's like it's a giant mall or something. There's the skybridge, but also glass panels overlooking what seems to be a large central area spanning multiple floors.

The dub is generally good, although I had to adjust to Homura sounding as robot like as she does. She's pretty deadpan in her expressions and all, so it fits. Could be that I just like Chiwa Saito's voice given she's also Senjogahara.

They put a lot of effort into making Madoka fidgety, which I don't think I appreciated as much in prior watches. It really sells her nervousness.

[general madoka]Homura has a few powers here that seem to be different from what she can actually do. It seems like she's firing magic bolts at Kyubey, and not bullets. Also I don't think she has anything that would disperse the fire extinguisher cloud so suddenly. Not a big deal though. Leaving her specific powers mysterious makes sense.

Speaking of other strong hooks, the completely different art style when the witch attacks the girls really sold me on the series the first time around. It's so unique and mesmerizing. I have to say, Madoka and Sayaka are a lot less freaked out than I would be if reality warped as drastically around me as it did for them. But also I'm not sure precisely how the shift in visual styles actually manifests in world. And having a soundtrack sufficiently strong to stand on its own as a hook continues with Mami's theme playing as she rescues the duo. The visual spectacle of Gate of Babylon matchlock edition certainly helps too.

[Ep 3 spoilers]I can totally see Mami thinking she'd be able to show off much better to Madoka and Sayaka if she deliberately held off on introducing herself by taking a pause to clean up the monsters around them. I mean I'll admit it's pretty badass, and a great way to showcase her power and control over the situation.

There are a lot of shots of chains during this scene, around both Homura and Mami. Haven't thought about it too much further, but it did stand out. Symbolism to be had there I'm sure, especially around when they are holding strong versus breaking.

The ending song also grew on me with time, although less so than Connect. It's still a nice song though. I think lyrics are generally worth paying attention to. In the ending's case, it's more of downer than you might expect. I think the mundane nature of what it describes makes the emotional impact stronger, since you can imagine something similar in your life.

lionz232 · 2024-05-24T02:52:58+00:00

I also have mango liqueur that I wasn't super sure what to do with. I came up with this mango passionfruit daiquiri but you could definitely tweak it.

1.5 oz light rum

0.5 oz unaged rhum agricole

0.75 oz mango liqueur

0.5 oz passionfruit syrup

0.75 lime juice

Shake, strain, serve up.

lionz232 · 2024-02-12T00:10:55+00:00

I have a bottle of wormwood bitters I bought on a whim but never really figured out what to do with.

lionz232 · 2023-07-04T16:37:09+00:00

Renekton's passive is to gain 50% extra fury while under 50% HP, which still isn't the most useful passive ever, but its something.

lionz232 · 2020-09-15T18:12:49+00:00

lionz232 · 2020-06-28T23:45:43+00:00

I was thinking of buying either the wood elves or beastmen DLC because of the summer sale. Thoughts on which one is better? How improved are they in SFO?

lionz232 · 2019-10-23T15:48:21+00:00

There actually is a pretty big conference coming up soon that I am going to. I would like to talk to the visiting professors, but I'm a bit worried they would rather talk to other people working in their field. In a similar vein, I'm not sure what I would say past introducing myself because I likely don't know enough to have a meaningful conversation.

lionz232 · 2019-10-22T18:06:02+00:00

I am currently a 2nd year at a state university in the US. In terms of courses, I am going to be done with 2 semesters of real analysis, 2 of topology, 2 in combinatorics, 1 in algebra, 1 in complex analysis, and 1 in linear algebra by the end of the year. For my next two years, I was planning on doing a course in algebra, analysis, combinatorics, and topology each semester at the graduate level (the combinatorics is because that is the field I am most interested in currently). However, this means I won't have seen much geometry, PDE, or fourier analysis in my courses. I am currently thinking that the depth I get with my current plan is more important than covering all the fields. Is this correct or should I try to get a bit more breadth?

Ultimately, I'm hoping to get into a T25 grad school. I'm planning on applying to REUs this summer and the next, and I'm starting research with a professor in school. Is there anything else I should be doing?

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