3 Episode Rule
There is a system through which the audience assesses the initial impression of an anime, according to a discussion in anime communities. The so-called “three-episode rule” made an impression before it became a meme. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (hereinafter Madoka Magica) was initially presented accidentally as a rule. The audience is supposed to evaluate the first impression only after watching the first three episodes.
In the third episode of the anime, Mami Tomoe becomes the primary subject of the rule. Her character is initially seen in the anime dying after having Charlotte, a frightening creature, eat her head. The monster of countless girls destined to be magical girls, Mami is the model of the magical girl. She is fully independent, even though she is just 14 years old. The rule was established as a result of her corpse becoming a monster with pointed teeth that ate her whole.
If fans had any doubts about the death in the story of episode three, the reality is shocking in any case. When the females pass away one by one, the loop in the series will only get stronger. Other magical girls, on the other hand, rely on strengthening such stereotypes to the point where they penalize all characters.
Sailor Moon
The deconstruction of the magical girl tradition has long existed by pursuing such a practice. It contrasts the innocence of little girls with obnoxious older ladies. It establishes Madoka Magica as having a narrative arc when combined with the use of non-linear storytelling. The show offers a favorable interpretation in the end. Contrary to popular opinion, the innovative aspect of the series turns out to be useful.
It suggests that the purity of ironic beauty may be regressing. It executes to cause trouble rather than question an archetype. All of the characters are sentenced to impurity. However, the magical girl or mahou shoujo subgenre didn’t take off until 1992, with the release of Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon. The custom of using magical things to transform into a feminine version of each character means that the characters will wear ruffled, ribboned, and colorful costumes.
The cliche about a “crisp but beautiful warrior girl” has existed in Japanese anime since the 1960s. Since there are typically many female characters in these genres, it is uncommon for magical girls to engage in solitary combat. Female artists described the genre as traditionally aimed at young girls. However, unlike Cardcaptor Sakura, female creative authority does not necessarily translate into female output.
Magical Girl Anime
The idea of a magical girls is complicated in an academic sense. Although it is only temporary, the empowerment of female characters in the genre counts as empowerment. In conclusion, empowering female characters in the genre may empower women if consumerization becomes the primary purpose. But as time has gone on, the magical girl anime has never placed much emphasis on the story.
The answer is straightforward: it turns into a commercial vehicle. Fans of the genre will readily turn magical weapons and other items into commodities when defining the genre. Finally, mahou shoujo offers a way to gain power. It is strong due to its tight focus and implies a fit with the general public. The normative performance ultimately makes up for how magical girls are more likely to come across as warped in other ways.
On the plus side, the general public represented the genre in a way that successfully met the expectations set. Nevertheless, nature continues to be the genre’s major character. One of the few female-dominated genres of anime is gradually evolving into “magical girl” anime. The genre’s empowering simplicity appeals to many female followers. Characters in this genre tend to be highly feminine.
The Masculine Feminine Code
It features a masculine code of power that a girl will follow in terms of strength, much like Sailor Moon. It alludes to the series’ plot being driven by strong female characters. On the other hand, male characters like Tuxedo Mask serve as examples of the idea. In other words, the young girl characters don’t pretend to perceive things from a man’s perspective. Instead, the world of the genre teaches the protagonists how to keep their emotions in check.
Madoka Magica grounds the genre in the history of magical girls. The main character of the series, Madoka Kaname, turns into a magical girl. The protagonist of the series refers to a magical girl along with all of her sidekicks. It keeps viewers from interpreting Madoka as a continuation of the magical girl subgenre. People are unable to join the universe of the series once they realize that it directly addresses the genre.
The interpretation of the deviation must therefore take the magical girl genre more into account than the critique. The depiction of witches and labyrinths for each character in the series has drawn harsh criticism for its superficial portrayal of a female character.
Labyrinth and Passivity
The labyrinth functions as a narrative setting that is within the power of each character. The labyrinth transforms into a complex narrative and a nonlinear idea at the same time, changing the surroundings. Through individualized performance, it makes a powerful statement about who it is. The story itself stands out among others in the genre by giving each character a three-dimensional yet intimate expression.
By rejecting binary representation and taking the representation of women as a form from a pessimistic viewpoint, the series seeks to upend such dichotomies. The magical girls in the series are not particularly pure as a result. When a character’s soul gem is destroyed, they only transform into wizards. Homura Akemi believed that since becoming a magician was inevitable, all magical girls would have to complete corrupt levels.
Being brutal is the only way to stop corruption. For instance, Kyouko Sakura’s nature means that it takes her longer to develop into a magical girl. She constantly attacked Sayaka Miki because of her frailty, displaying brutality. Witch familiars don’t scatter grief seeds in such a situation. But it changed into a deadly wizard and murdered numerous people. The purity of Kyouko costs human lives. Her passivity failed to foresee a middle school girl’s death by blasphemy.
Conventional Construction of Gender
Traditional notions about magical girls became unstable as a result of Kyoko’s nature. Purity, like gender, has nothing at all to do with identity. But in the conventional magical girl conceptions of a certain gender, purity becomes a key construction. Purity, like gender, has nothing at all to do with identity. Nonetheless, a specific gender is constructed in how purity begins to play a significant role.
It establishes a gender construction when the facts from the series represent the taboo purity of women’s code. As a result, each character in the series can express themselves, be creative, and bring about sadness. Their own stories shape the world around them. Madoka, for instance, doesn’t intervene to save other magical girls as she battles the hopelessness of magical girls. When magic and wishes failed, she ensured their destruction instead, which only served to cage them more.
Once more, the show portrays Madoka’s elevation to godhood as a happy conclusion. It illustrates how being passive may be advantageous. In other words, magical girls don’t merit the ability to express themselves through their labyrinths. Thus, the case for general passivity is made very convincingly. Madoka Magica is notable for avoiding emphasizing conventional magical girl themes.
Instead, the idea has produced a new system. People need to keep in mind how magical girl anime has a long tradition of portraying strong, independent women. To underline that suffering is a part of life for everyone, the series promotes apathy.
Bibliography
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- Race, K. (2008). The use of pleasure in harm reduction: Perspectives from the history of sexuality. International journal of drug policy, 19(5), 417-423.