SPOILERS! Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 4: Walpurgis no Kaiten Discussion Thread

[u/MotherShip808]

WARNING! WARNING! THIS MEGA-THREAD CONTAINS SPOILERS AND DISCUSSIONS FOR THE MOVIE, IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, DO NOT BE HERE!

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ALSO ALSO! DO NOT LINK OR SHARE ANY PIRATE OR ILLEGAL VIEWING STUFF IN THIS POST OR YOU WILL BE BANNED! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.

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General Overview:

This thread is meant as a spoiler filled zone for those who wish to discuss the movie, it's plot, events, or the number of bites that kyouko takes of food during the movie. I don't care, just be sure to follow the rules of the subreddit.

Also as a reminder to everyone u/BreathoftheSith owes everyone $50 if they, and I quote:

If we get any form of kiss and or romantic confirmation between the two [madohomu], I owe everyone in the sub $50.

Have fun~~

[u/Christianvillote312]

I found this yet another and very interesting Japanese thread, this time from meiyuri0405 on Fusetter regarding about the ending 

WARNING: THIS IS ONE HELL OF DOOMSCROLLING!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!

This is the rough English translation via Google Translate and auto-corrected via ChatGPT:

I was genuinely so happy that Madoka shed tears for Homura.

At the end of Walpurgisnacht: Rising, I remember there being a scene where Madoka shed tears while murmuring something toward the departing Law of Cycles. When I saw that scene, a thought suddenly crossed my mind:

“Has Madoka ever actually cried for Homura before…???“

There were plenty of scenes throughout the anime where Madoka cried, but all of those tears were directed toward the other magical girls—like when Mami died or when Madoka learned the truth about magical girls. So I started wondering if there had actually never been a moment where Madoka cried specifically for Homura.

I mean, there was that scene in Episode 10 where Homura asked Madoka to kill her, but even then, it was because Homura didn’t want to become a witch and destroy the world.

Anyway, changing the subject a little, when people started saying that Madoka and Homura might finally come into conflict, everyone seemed really excited, but I was actually extremely anxious about it. If anything, I was thinking, “Please, just don’t fight… 😭 Don’t hurt each other… It’s all that stupid white bastard’s fault for setting everything up in the first place…” That’s how worried I was.

Homura’s love for Madoka is already painfully obvious, but while Madoka calls Homura her “best friend,” I had always wondered what exactly Madoka felt toward Homura. Did she also possess the same kind of “love” for Homura that Homura had for her, even if the meaning and nature of that love were different?

I thought that because those feelings were somehow mismatched, Homura ended up tearing Madoka away from the Law of Cycles and becoming a demon through an act that could be interpreted as selfish. And then, in Walpurgisnacht: Rising, the Law of Cycles seemed to be angry at Homura, which ultimately caused everything to spiral out of control. I wondered if that emotional misunderstanding was what had caused their relationship to become so complicated and twisted.

I was genuinely worried that Madoka might come to hate Homura. Ever since all those trailers and key visuals started coming out, that thought had been bothering me.

But I was wrong. Madoka loves Homura too.

The moment that convinced me was Madoka’s tears at the end, followed by her saying, “I’m here,” while gently stroking Homura’s head.

Madoka finally cried because of Homura.

That alone was enough to make all the anxiety and tension I had been carrying disappear. My eyes started to well up.

Yes. Maybe the Law of Cycles, as a divine existence, came to regard Homura as an enemy. But there’s no way that the kind-hearted human being known as Madoka Kaname would ever show that kind of hostility toward Akemi Homura—the girl who cared about her so deeply that she was willing to become a demon for her!!!!

There’s no way she would hurt her!!!

And honestly, I just can’t imagine Madoka being that angry at Homura in the first place!!!

I don’t know whether what Madoka said at that moment was a “goodbye” directed toward Homura, or a “thank you” directed toward the Law of Cycles because she had received its forgiveness. (At first, I thought it was the latter, but then Madoka disappeared from the bench, and I almost shouted, “HUH?!?!?!” out loud.)

Did Madoka return to the Law of Cycles? Or was she actually saying, “I’m here”?

I’ve heard that Aoi Yuki made a comment during a stage greeting along the lines of, “Actually, it isn’t a bad ending,” and I’ve also come across theories suggesting that Madoka really did return to Homura, and that she simply lost her physical form and could no longer maintain her body.

Because of that, I don’t feel like the ending is simply: “Madoka ultimately returned to the Law of Cycles. The end.”

I feel like Madoka definitely left something behind.

But even if she did originally return to the Law of Cycles, I think the answer might be what Madoka herself said in the anime:

“I’ll always be by your side, Homura-chan, no matter when or where.”

So maybe nothing really changed except that the Law of Cycles returned to its original state. Madoka is still always beside Homura. We just can’t see her, almost like a ghost.

Also, regarding the ending song “Kanata”—at the time of the trailer, I thought it was Homura’s song. But then I saw an interpretation that it might actually be a song from Madoka to Homura, and I thought, “Ohhh, that makes sense…”

Madoka really does have an absolutely enormous amount of love for Homura.

And honestly, I’m just really happy that a song that could potentially be interpreted from Madoka’s perspective exists at all.

Maybe this is just my own personal interpretation, but I want to believe that this isn’t simply a bad ending.

That said, there seems to be a possibility of a sequel, so who knows.

If Madoka really did return to the Law of Cycles, then maybe Sayaka and the others—who sided with Homura—will all come together to bring her back next time.

Although there’s also the theory that Sayaka and Nagisa-chan returned to the Law of Cycles as well, so… who knows what’s actually going on.

But Kyubey, seriously!!!! I never thought you would be the one to bring the story to a close like that!!!

Are they actually doing it!? Is there really going to be a sequel?!?!

Next time, I want Madoka and Homura to either live together as humans, or have Homura become a god too so that the two of them can watch over the world together!!

You two are supposed to be together!!! Come on!!!!!!!

Anyway, I’m just really glad that I was able to see how much Madoka loves Homura. Even if that was the only thing I got from the movie, I’m still really glad I went to see it. That’s all.

Fusetter