Summary:

Sayaka goes to visit Komijo Kyousuke but is unable to because he’s in rehab. As hinted previously, he was a very talented violin player but now, it’s impossible for him to use his main hand much less play the violin again. Sayaka laments the fact that Kyousuke has to suffer like he is and if her wish to make him healthy again would make him fine again. In narration, Sayaka comments that she had been naive and unaware of miracles and the price you had to pay for them.

As a new day dawns, Madoka is clearly struggling – she is still shocked and hurting at Mami’s sudden death. Madoka is quiet and introspective while Sayaka is trying her hardest to act like she usually does. During lunch break, they head to the roof top to talk. Both girls are trying to deal with Mami’s death in their own but the one thing that’s clear is that they both don’t really want to be a Puella Magi anymore. Sayaka asks who will take over Mami’s territory and Kyubey tells them with Mami gone and her territory up for grabs, another Puella Magi is bound to show up sooner or later. And on that note, he bids them farewell as they do not intend to forge a contract with him.

After school, Madoka goes to Mami’s apartment and leaves her notes there, crying as she apologizes for being weak. While leaving, she comes across Homura. Homura and her walk together and the former tells Madoka to not blame herself so much and that its good that she was able to change her own fate. They talk about Mami a bit and Homura reveals that she’s seen too many Puella Magi die that way and that when they die within a witch’s maze, their body in the real world disappears. That’s the final stop for any Puella Magi. They talk a bit more before Homura leaves.

Sayaka meanwhile visits Kyousuke who is in one hell of a bad mood. He asks if Sayaka comes to visit him with the purpose of bullying/teasing him? He can’t play music anymore so why does she force him to listen to it when he doesn’t want to. He slams his hand into his cd player, injuring his hand before he breaks down crying. Sayaka tells him not to give up but he reveals that he was told to give up by his sensei in person. Sayaka is shocked at the reveal but urges him to believe in magic and miracles. And as she says this, she looks up out the window to see Kyubey sitting on the window ledge.

On her way back home, Madoka runs into Hitomi. But Hitomi’s got a witch’s seal on her neck. Worried for her friend, Madoka follows her to an abandoned factory. A small group of people gather and clearly they’re gonna try to kill themselves by drinking some dangerous chemicals (I have no idea what those bottles are to be honest..dish washing liquid? Acid? I can’t tell – but Madoka remembers her mother warning her to be careful when using them or else it could result in death). Madoka desperately tries to reason with Hitomi but it’d be easier to get a better reply from a wall. Madoka screams and pushes Hitomi away before she runs to grab the bucket with the liquid in it. She tosses the bucket out the window but then has to deal with a bunch of extremely pissed-off group. She locks herself in a small room unfortunately, that’s where the witch was.

Literally screaming (and some kicking), Madoka is pulled into the witch’s maze where she’s pulled like she’s the taffy in a taffy pulling contest. Just when you think that Madoka’s number is number. A streak of blue light zooms by her, beating the creepy angel dolls and the creepy television monitors. Madoka is shocked to see Sayaka as a Puella Magi but Sayaka tries to brush it off in her usual manner. Homura however is less than pleased to see Sayaka in her new form and Kamijou is shocked to realize that he can properly move his hand. In top of a tall electric tower, Kyubey is having a conversation with another Puella Magi. And she seems like a real DOLL. Rude, brash, bad mouth and determined to defeat Sayaka to get her hands on Mami’s territory.

Score: A/A+

In some ways, this episode was just what I had expected and in some ways, it wasn’t what I had expected. It was clear that Sayaka was gonna be using her wish to cure Kyousuke yes but what I hadn’t  taken into account was that another Puella Magi was gonna show up so soon. And THAT hints at something a tad…disturbing to me. Every Puella Magi has her own territory that she manages and if one of em dies, another comes to take over and if there’s two, they fight. Does anyone ELSE get Igura style vibes from this? That this is a bit like one big battle game? And that this is gonna get a hell lot more cut throat than we’re being let on? By GOD I HOPE SO.

AHA! *dramatic finger pointing followed by jumping around from foot to foot in glee* I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIIIIIGHT~ It IS Yuki Kajiura on Music! I know her music style anywhere! 😀 The way she does the violin in her tracks is just SO distinguishable! Plus, no one else can pull off elegant, mysterious, creepy in ONE track the way she does. Magi proves it XD AND ITS A BATTLE TRACK TOO. HOW MUCH MORE AWESOME CAN THIS MUSIC GET?

While on the subject of music. Yes it was amusing to find out that a girl like Sayaka was really into classical music and I totally get what she meant by it. I’m in the same boat. And clearly she and Kamijo used to study the violin together so that makes em childhood friends. But when Sayaka wonders “why did it have to be Kyousuke….why couldn’t it have been me?”….that raises my alarm meter. What happened for Kamijo to get THAT badly hurt? An accident? He was trying to save Sayaka? The last would make sense in the way that that would explain Sayaka coming to visit him so often ( a sense of responsibility + guilt).

Hitomi? no wait…HITOMI?!?!?!?!?!? She was in despair over something?! D: What when where why how?! Details need em nao please!

Sayaka’s narration at the start – the first domino falling which leads to the end of the world that we saw in the beginning? I do hope that we are later on explained in more detail why it was such a bad thing for a Puella Magi to make a wish for someone else instead of herself. Does it have anything to do with…like…if the person in ques…no wait that can’t be it. Gads I just REALLY wanna know what makes it such a bad thing.And while I’m in the area of speculations. I think if the OP is any kind of hint, Mami IS gonna make a come back. I suppose Madoka WILL use her wish to bring Mami back which could be another factor which leads to the destabilization of the world and the subsequent end of all things.

SPEAKING OF….when Madoka gets pulled into the witches maze? HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. O________________________O For a split second I literally thought “FUCK! SHE JUST EXPLODED INTO PIECES! oh wait shes alright WHEW thank GOD. GOD that was effin creepy.” And t’was most creepy indeed. Like those angel dolls. GRAGH. Those little bastards just looked….*runs away from them as fast as she can* I’m loving the visuals in the witches worlds SO. DAMN. MUCH. Like when Sayaka stabs the witch into the ground and then like the witch’s insides or what just..go WOOSH and then SPLOOSH on the ground. A part of you totalllly goes “EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW” and then “WHOA”.

Homura….oh Homura. Clearly you believe in the ‘cruel to be kind’ approach in life. Which kinda makes me sad for you cause I can’t help but think how lonely an existence you have. And makes me wonder what your back story is. Did Kyubey somehow betray you or didn’t properly fulfill your wish? Did you get jaded by seeing all the Puella Magi die before you and then you decided that no more?And given her reaction to the wishes thing….anyone else think that she used her wish for someone else and then wound up getting royally burnt cause of it? Which could be another reason why she doesn’t want other girls to make a wish for someone else when becoming Puella Magi.

Come to think of, whats the ultimate aim of this whole Puella vs Witches thing. This is just the start I know and there HAS to be a bigger picture involved here right. I mean…like when Eureka started we just thought it was Gekko State vs the government but then it turned to be a whole massive story involving the Corelians and the Scub Coral and saving the Earth. I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing what the final end game/bigger picture/ Big Bad  is gonna be in this case. Gen-san, said that he was gonna do a “heart warming” story….Dude…SERIOUSLY? Episode 3 falls no where NEAR that term XD Can you define ‘heart warming’ story for me please? I think I may need to edit my own definition. But seriously. Keep it dark and confusing Gen-san! Keep us guessing.

Last episode I was ready to hang Kyubey up by his ears but now I’m a tad….on the fence bout him. On his twitter, Gen-san said (in not so many words) to not jump the gun on Kyubey. Assuming that Gen-san isn’t yanking our chains….then Kyubey ain’t the bad guy? Gragh no I still can’t totally believe that 😐 That’s like trying to convince me that Miran from Legendary was a good guy at heart AND I CAN NOT believe that. I still say that that little furball is NOT telling the whole story. And speaking of which….is Kyubey like one of a kind? WHAT THE HELL is Kyubey anyways? Where’d he come from? Are there more of his ‘kind’ out there recruiting Puella Magi’s?

Kyoko, our new girl. She’s gonna be the catalyst which will lead Madoka to become a Puella Magi. Perhaps she will threaten Madoka’s family? Oh and I don’t like her one bit. She just gives me the heeby jeebies. I mean, look at the way she was eating that crepe! It was like….dog like y’ know? Vicious bites…and there was her fang tooth. Plus the way she talked, the way she was sitting. And then when she so coldly said that she wasnt gonna give up the perfect territory to some rookie. AND IT looks like this one doesn’t have ANY problems cutting down the people in her path…be they friends or does. Cue one major D8 face. She’s gonna be a damn good fighter and is gonna wipe the floor with Sayaka, make no mistakes bout that. IF Madoka doesn’t become a Puella Magi by the end of the next ep, that means Homura will have to step in to save Sayaka. But WOULD she….also, would Homura step in to interfere with Kyoko? Homura could argue that she was already in the area before Mami bit the dust….that would lead to Homura vs Kyoko…which could be something to see…