#**Main Series Discussion**
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##**Show Information:**
[MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/9756) | [AniList](https://anilist.co/anime/9756/Mahou-Shoujo-MadokaMagica) | [ANN](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=12120) | [Kitsu](https://kitsu.io/anime/mahou-shoujo-madoka-magica) | [AniDB](https://anidb.net/anime/8069)
*(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)*
**[Official Trailer](https://www.viewpure.com/6CTHwEZK2JA?start=0&end=0)** (wrapped in ViewPure to avoid any spoilers in recs)
##Legal Streams:
**Main Series:**
[Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GRDQK39GY) | [Funimation](https://www.funimation.com/shows/puella-magi-madoka-magica/) | [Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/puella-magi-madoka-magica-085f5007-1b32-4dd7-9aea-41397554fb9b) | [VRV](https://vrv.co/series/GRDQK39GY)
(Livechart.me suggests that at least in the US both HBO Max and Netflix have lost the license since last year; HBO Max isn’t a surprise with the rest of what the new suits have done to it, Netflix is.)
**Rebellion:**
No legal streams; as of 2022 the movie was available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video, otherwise you will need to go [sailing](#piracy).
##**A Reminder to Rewatchers:**
Please do not spoil the experience for our first timers. In particular, Mentioning ~~beheading~~, ~~cakes~~, ~~phylacteries/liches~~, ~~the **ma**hou shou**jo** pun~~, ~~aliens~~, ~~time travel~~, or the like outside of spoiler tags before their relevant episodes is a fast way to get a referral to the subreddit mods. As Sky would put it, you’re probably not as subtle as you think you’re being. Leave that sort of thing for people who *can* do subtle… namely the show’s creators themselves. (Seriously, go hunt down all the visual foreshadowing of a certain episode 3 event in episode 2, it’s fun!)
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##**After-School Activities Corner!**
Now, on to our regular scheduled activities:
**Episode 12** [**Visual of the Day Album**](https://imgur.com/a/hx2RiL9)
(I may have missed one, if I missed yours let me know. Note: Tagging your Visuals of the Day as “[X] of the Day” makes them easier for me to find!)
**Theory of the Day:**
Hey would you look at that: it’s the series finale and yet we have a dual award today, one for a first-timer and one for a rewatcher!
First, hey look, a [Walrus theory](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1351416/rewatch_puella_magi_madoka_magica_episode_12/jihg4l4/) courtesy of u/Blackheart595:
> So then for what I expect to be a rather spicy take on Walpurgisnacht. The witches were said to be born from curses, or in other words they’re the incarnation of rejection for the world and/or its aspects. Walpurgisnacht is the festival of witches, she oversaw the entire show from the raising curtains at the beginning of the first episode up to Madoka’s sacrifice, and its familiars were magical girls. So, what’s the curse? Walpurgisnacht is the rejection of the world made by Kyubey and his cruel witch-crafting magical girl system. In other words she had a secret agenda. The entire show was staged by Walpurgisnacht for the sole purpose of breaking out of that system. Madoka turning Mater Gloriosa is Walpurgisnacht’s ultimate objective and magnum opus. And she’s the witch of theater because this whole game of hope and despair is staged by Kyubey, who is ultimately the one that introduced karmic curses to Earth be that in the form of witches or in the form of miasma and wraiths.
Second, u/080087 has a [Kyubey theory](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1351416/rewatch_puella_magi_madoka_magica_episode_12/jihje4w/):
> I think now is finally time for a pet theory about “why was Kyubey trying to cash out on one massive win (in Madoka) vs a renewable source forever (Magical Girls)”
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> We know that Madoka gets stronger every time that Homura loops, and every part of the magical girl lifecycle (how big a wish can be, how strong they are as a magical girl, how strong they are as a witch) corresponds to how much energy they release.
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> How much stronger?
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> Looking at how strong Madoka was originally and going with the WoG that Homura went through 100 loops, if Madoka was scaling linearly (i.e. her potential was getting combined with her potential from alternate lives), she would be nowhere near strong enough to one shot Walpurgisnacht or subsequently destroy the world. *
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> My theory is that Madoka isn’t benefiting from the potential of just her alternate lives, but the entire alternate universe. When Homura went through those 100 loops, Madoka effectively had the potential of 100 universes worth of energy.
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> This explains why Kyubey thought it was worth cashing her out (100 extra universes worth of energy doesn’t solve the problem forever, but it does buy a mind boggling amount of time to find another solution). And it also explains why Madoka has enough energy to basically become a universal law
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> *There’s a bit of fiddliness associated with the conversion rate between energy output and strength of the magical girl, especially since Madoka wished for power in at least one of the timelines.
**Analysis of the Day:**
Hey look, more new blood for X of the Day in the finale. [This time](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1351416/rewatch_puella_magi_madoka_magica_episode_12/jihbquh/) it’s courtesy of u/Spec64z:
> I like how at every turn, Madoka effortlessly dismantles Kyubey’s statements and proves her wish does in fact override any law or rule imposed by the universe. She nullifies even her own despair, an accumulation of all the despair from across every age, and saves the universe from destruction. Kyubey posits that Madoka will be forgotten, unable to be felt, and these assertions are later debunked by Homura and the seeming lingering impressions of Madoka left on those closest to her, as well as the impression left upon the viewer if we want to get meta.
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> So let’s get meta. I think that the decision to have her become a concept that is everywhere at once, the incarnation of hope, has an interesting implication when combined with the film reel ending. We are deliberately reminded that this is a story; the characters cannot exist beyond the confines of it.
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> An omnipresent entity, on the other hand… perhaps something like can transcend such temporal barriers.
**Question(s) of the Day:**
1) So… how was the show? First-timers and first-time rewatchers: Did it live up to the hype?
2) Final thoughts on our main cast (Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, Kyouko, Mami, Kyubey)?
3) Final thoughts on our secondary cast (the Kaname family, Saotome-sensei, Hitomi, Kyousuke)?
4) Final thoughts on our OP (Connect) and our EDs (Mata Ashita, Magia, And I’m Home, Connect)? (Note: First-timers and rewatchers who haven’t seen them before may be interested in [the lyrics of Mata Ashita](https://wiki.puella-magi.net/See_You_Tomorrow#Lyrics) before answering.)
5) Final thoughts on the OST and its use?
6) Is there anything you would take out of the series if you were making it yourself? Is there anything you would *add*?
7) Rebellion First-Timers: What are you expecting from the movie?
8) Rebellion Rewatchers: [Rewatchers] >!Welcome to cinema! Will you enjoy the movie this time around?!<
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EDIT: Whoops I forgot something very important for our first-timers who have not experienced it yet. Let me introduce anyone who missed it yesterday to [meduka meguca](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrgxHDoe8gA)!
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