Madoka's Notebook || The Symbolism of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

This theory/video essay focuses on the symbolic role of Madoka's notebook in the Puella Magi Madoka Magika anime.
When Madoka first met Mami in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, she was so inspired by Mami's elegant magical costume that she began imagining what kind of costume she herself would wear whenever she would finally make her contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl. And Madoka sketched these costume ideas in a notebook, which appears at least four times in three separate episodes throughout the series. And in this video I ask what this notebook can tell us about Madoka's desire to become a magical girl, and how it effects our interpretation of the series as a whole.
Most viewers and fans of Madoka Magika tend to think of Madoka as a uniquely selfless hero. And I think that's true! But as I explain in the video, if we pay special attention to Madoka's notebook and use it to interpret her own ideas about what it means to become a magical girl, we will see that there is also an egocentric dimension to Madoka's heroic calling. Madoka certainly wants to help other people, but that's not the only thing she wants; she also wants to wear an elegant costume and be amazing and splendid in the same way that Mami appeared to her in the early episodes of the series. And that's important to keep in mind!
This video also touches on the meaning of Madoka's final wish to save all magical girls from the fate of becoming witches.
Thanks for watching! :)
#madokamagica #anime #manga #puellamagimadokamagica

[@WhaleMilk]

I love how it would have been really easy for Mami to be a narrative tool used only for the shock factor and transition into the darker side of the show, but instead they actually made a lot of good use out of her as a symbol throughout the show. The fact that Madoka Magica isn't only about the sudden break-neck transition in tone and actually uses the fact that the show was relatively normal up to episode 3 as a foundation for the thematic conversations for the rest of the runtime, constantly tying back to things that were set up in those first three episodes and re-introducing them in a different contexts after everything went to shit, really adds a level of sophistication that I think a very large majority of shows trying to imitate what Madoka Magica did miss. The notebook is a perfect example of this, using both Mami and a perfectly innocuous notebook that was just a thing that Madoka had in the first three episodes as a way of encoding what Madoka actually *did* at the end by presenting them to the viewer at the end under completely different contexts.

[@ChumpyGames]

What an eloquent comment! I love this idea that the notebook is part of this broader effort to integrate the naive/happy tone of episodes 1-3 into the lessons and experience that the girls acquired after the ‘twist’ into darkness

[@lillianadkins5378]

My favorite thing about Madoka's drawings is they are the drawings of a voice actor. We could have just straght up not had them but their inclusion really adds a lot

[@ChumpyGames]

That's an incredible detail that I had not heard about! They really do represent the true spirit of hopeful childhood!

[@AlwaysTuesday]

Thank you for pointing out this great piece of symbolism I missed, the notebook representing madoka's naive hope being left behind when mami dies, and then given back to her BY mami when she "becomes hope itself" is so incredibly brilliant. Can't believe I missed it!

[@ChumpyGames]

Thanks for watching! It’s a very moving piece of symbolism!

[@B_u_L_i]

Didn't Madoka leave the notebook in Mami's appartment after her death?

[@ChumpyGames]

Great observation, I think you're right! I forgot about that detail when I was making the video!

[@xm2895]

Yesssss!!! It all makes sense

[@candyswans4423]

It really highlights her idolisation towards Mami Tomoe and how Mami shaped her view of Magical Girls and the notebook showed how Madoka wasn’t aware of the complexity, risks and the fate of Magical Girls in this universe. Madoka viewed it in a very straight forward way and if Mami didn’t die, Madoka would likely hold this view for longer due to her lack of understanding on the matter😊

[@ChumpyGames]

You expressed that so well! Mami's death is what gave Madoka a true understanding of the risks of being a magical girl

[@leeeeee6746]

Isn't it the anime where they are witches and have painful transformation

[@ChumpyGames]

Hey dabloon! That’s the one!

[@ChumpyGames]

@@leeeeee6746 Oh, because if you remember, I originally gave you the link to this YT page when you asked for it through TikTok, and when you got it you commented on one of my Berserk videos under this username saying you were dabloon. And I remembered bc I know you from so many of your kind comments on my TikTok videos!

[@leeeeee6746]

@@ChumpyGames OHHH I'm sorry I didn't remember

[@xm2895]

It is very interesting to me the question Kyubey asks, if she wants to become powerful… in the end I think it was the nature of her wish, due to her feeling powerless

[@frecio231]

Next year Puella Magi Madoka Magika (anime) will be as old as Kaname Madoka (character) is on the anime.

[@ChumpyGames]

Wow!

[@SonyShock]

I've watched Madoka Magica many times and I know quite a bit about the series, so I was avoiding this video for a while, but I actually really enjoyed it! You put it in a very simple and sweet way! Good job!

[@ChumpyGames]

Hey thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!