I'm not going to lie about this: Despite acting all rough and manly, I am quite a pussy when it comes to sad or touching stories.
Maybe it's because at some point I got fed up with the overdose of humor and stupidity that we are mostly exposed to in the world of entertainment and on the internet but I really think that it is quite nice to discover every now and then how great it can feel to discover that beside amusement and anger there are still other feelings in our hearts that can be triggered by a nice piece of art.
So far, I mainly experienced this in well written anime and while there's nothing greater for some people than getting a decent amount of fan service or action, for me it is a good cry at the end of a show that shows that it has truly been worth the time.
Some of my favorite tearjerkers are:
Clannad (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2167/Clannad) + After Story (http://myanimelist.net/anime/4181/Clannad:_After_Story)
Probably the most effective one out there and definitely one of my favorites. If you consider yourself Rambo and don't know the meaning of the word tears, feel officially challenged because this one IS going to make you cry... That is if you are willing to watch a 47 episode anime. But all I can promise is that it will be worth the time. Some people described it as "Clannad is life", as that actually is what it is trying to be. It shows the ups and downs in the life of a young man growing up and learning the happy and sad lessons of life.
Kanon (2006) (http://myanimelist.net/anime/1530/Kanon_%282006%29)
Yes, the infamous "uguu~" anime. The problem is that most people will just turn away and consider it moeblob bullshit after watching 30 seconds of a certain video on Youtube that shows some scenes from this anime. The eyes are way too big, supposedly cute verbal tics are initially overused and the archetypes of the characters seem to be so obvious, that most people probably won't give it a chance. Additionally it has quite a slow start and it will take a while to get into it.
The story features a young man, returning to a town where he spent a major part of his childhood and slowly starts to unfold episode by episode. Be warned though: While essentially being a kind of softhearted modern fairytale, it also features a rather dark side and cunning plot twists.
Once you get sucked into the story you are completely absorbed and all in all Kanon is simply one of the most beautiful and most touching anime that I have ever watched.
Ano Hana (http://myanimelist.net/anime/9989/Ano_Hi_Mita_Hana_no_Namae_wo_Bokutachi_wa_Mada_Shiranai)
A kind of classical ghost story... The protagonist of this show starts seeing the spirit of one of his decreased childhood friends one day and isn't sure whether he's just going insane or if he can really see a ghost that has an unfulfilled wish. Eventually he gives in and starts to gather the old gang of childhood friends that has drifted apart after the tragic incident.
So, how about you? What are your favorite stories, images, short films, shows or movies that have moved you to tears?
Charlottes Web
i've never cried over anything fictional, but i've come close a few times. spirited away, grave of the fireflies, the last few episodes of bebop and some scenes of katawa shoujo come to mind.
Quote from: rtil on February 6, 2012 11:44 PMsome scenes of katawa shoujo come to mind.
know that feel mayne
I get angry more than I get tearful
Quote from: lionsef on February 6, 2012 11:15 PM
Charlottes Web
the old 70s cartoon version
beautiful work
usually i never cry at fictional stuff unless it hits really close to home but when i saw up for the first time i was pretty close. ano hana was the saddest to me for sure, 'cause it hit extremely close to home. same with welcome to the nhk but not as much so as ano hana. also this is really weird 'cause i almost just cried at an episode of angel beats and felt really lame afterwords and then opened up tba and this was here.
so yeah i would definitely recommend welcome to the nhk for anyone who's been to some dark places. my friend's been trying to make me watch angel beats for the longest time and i was really reluctant 'cause i don't like the art in it at all but it's actually pretty good and not over the top when it comes to emotional stuff like a lot of animes do.
also the haruhi movie. god damn that was sad. though you'd have to watch the series first and the movie's like 3 hours but it is definitely worth it.
i got fairly emotional watching AI artificial intelligence. i think that movie's got one of the saddest endings of all time
2 games i can think of that have done the trick over the years
[spoiler]Metal Gear Solid
first game i've ever cried during, back when i was about 8 or 9, when i played it for the first time, sure the game can be seen as complicated and overly wordy, but some of the scenes spoke out to me in a way that i hadnt seen or thought about in the typical wargame scenario. the most prevalent was human emotion- this wasn't the sole badass 'kill everything' regime that action movies drown you in, but actually contained a reason to keep on going, the characters that were introduced as simplistic killing machines turn out to be complex individuals that life fucked over pretty well, certainly teaching that life isn't fair. the deaths of two particular characters spark not only an emotional reaction from the player, but a philosophical epiphany as well.
The Death of Sniper Wolf (Metal Gear Solid, 1998) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-xUbqcVc0#ws)
"I became a sniper. Hidden.. watching everything through a rifle scope. Now I could see war not from inside, but the outside... as an observer. I watched the brutality... the stupidity of mankind through the scope of my rifle."
Metal Gear Solid - Death of Grey Fox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPXwXd7SKbI#)
"Snake, we're not tools of the government or anyone else! Fighting was the only thing... the only thing i was good at. But... at least I always fought for what I believed in..."
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
This one is definitely more recent, persona 4 is a very lengthy game(about 60-70 hours), and the biggest chunk of it all is spent with the social links, essentially becoming better and better friends with the characters. Teddie, the strange dude you meet on the other side of the tv world, and is quite a mystery throughout, (doesn't know who he is, where he came from) as you approach the GOOD ending, teddie disappears and comes back a few days later [spoiler]nanako dies, a few days prior, and teddie says good bye to her as he disappears. she comes back to life, in a coma[/spoiler]
whenever teddie reappears in the velvet room, you discover where he's been and what he's been up to. his realization of what he truly was, and the sense of hopelessness he has makes me fucking misty-eyed TO THIS DAY
Persona 4: What Teddie Is, Can't Pinpoint Adachi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4#ws)
"What the other Teddie said before... in the end, it was all true. No matter how much I search for myself, I have no self... there was no me to begin with. I'm just a shadow that took a different form so humans would like me..."
[/spoiler]
THAT'S IT I'M DONE GUSHING
Man I could talk about all the hidden meanings and general greatness of Welcome to the NHK for hours. I recommend that too, especially for 'internet' people. I didn't see it as a tearjerker, but it was pretty depressing in the long run
Quote from: cipher on February 7, 2012 04:30 AM
Man I could talk about all the hidden meanings and general greatness of Welcome to the NHK for hours. I recommend that too, especially for 'internet' people. I didn't see it as a tearjerker, but it was pretty depressing in the long run
sorry i guess i should have established that. not really a tearjerker but heavy in it's own way for sure.
Quote from: W.A.S.I.M. on February 7, 2012 04:48 AM
* the phillip j fry uncle episode. brotherly love
yeah there are also definitely some futurama moments that hit pretty hard.
never really cried cuz of a story but there's been a few moments that hit pretty hard:
-the simpsons, the first episode with homer's mom (unfortunately more eps with her ended up being made, ruining the ending completely)
-that part in the royal tenenbaums where [spoiler]richie attempts suicide[/spoiler]
-mary and max, the entire film
-the wrestler, especially the ending
-schindler's list, red coated girl. fuck you spielberg
-blackadder goes forth, the ending of the final episode
Nothing in recent memory has made me teary-eyed, but I can think of some pretty emotionally strong parts of some games, mainly the following:
Breath of fire 4 - Elena, Nina's sister who you've been searching for for most of the game, turns out to be...well....you can watch and see.
Breath of Fire 4 - Elina (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wDS8uNuDnM#)
MGS4 - Big Boss being all awesome and stuff.
104 Metal Gear Solid 4 Big Boss Explains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2aNXuHI0g#)
Demon's Souls - Maiden Astrea & Good Ending. For a game with very little in direct narrative, DS does a great job with those few situations in which the story really pulls through.
Demon's Soul's Walkthrough - Maiden Astraea / Garl Vinland Boss Fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9wJVpldUPU#noexternalembed-ws)
Demon's Souls Boss Battle - Last Boss & Good Ending (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YMHRHVvSS8#ws)
Red Dead Redemption - I have a cure for all ailments Mr. Marston....
Red Dead Redemption Ending - HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKafS8zn5TI#ws)
And literally ever bit of Bastion. All of it.
All About My Dog - Marimo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQVX8iGbgk#)
If you've ever owned a dog this will make you cry ;_;
Quote from: rtil on February 6, 2012 11:44 PM
spirited away bebop katawa shoujo
+ metal gear solid 4, but only the last time i played it, when [spoiler]naomi syringes herself to death in front of otacon while he can't do shit to stop her but cry because he's watching it over a monitor[/spoiler], and in madoka magica, when [spoiler]madoka finally understands homura's pain when they become all spacey and homura just fuckin cries out that made me really sad[/spoiler]
Quote from: harrison2142 on February 7, 2012 05:44 AM
MGS4 - Big Boss being all awesome and stuff.
104 Metal Gear Solid 4 Big Boss Explains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2aNXuHI0g#)
Demon's Souls - Maiden Astrea & Good Ending. For a game with very little in direct narrative, DS does a great job with those few situations in which the story really pulls through.
Demon's Soul's Walkthrough - Maiden Astraea / Garl Vinland Boss Fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9wJVpldUPU#noexternalembed-ws)
Demon's Souls Boss Battle - Last Boss & Good Ending (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YMHRHVvSS8#ws)
And literally ever bit of Bastion. All of it.
agreed, all of these are super moving, but not to tears as you mentioned
especially this:
Meeting Zia in Prosper Bluff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Mrqt0f0VA#ws)
Quote from: Jon on February 7, 2012 03:12 AM
i got fairly emotional watching AI artificial intelligence. i think that movie's got one of the saddest endings of all time
this movie has made me cry every time i have ever seen it
Quote from: sev on February 7, 2012 05:54 AMin madoka magica, when [spoiler]madoka finally understands homura's pain when they become all spacey and homura just fuckin cries out that made me really sad[/spoiler]
THIS PART OF THE SHOW ^ made me just bawl especially because homura is my waifu
Kaiba made me tear up a few times, Elfen lied (jesus that is a depressing show), the movie Moulin Rouge has made me cry (i am a sucker for sad romance movies)
the mangas mardock scramble and what a wonderful world! have made me pretty sad too
eh that's all i can think of right now （￣ _ゝ￣）
Quote from: sev on February 7, 2012 05:54 AM
Quote from: rtil on February 6, 2012 11:44 PM
agreed, all of these are super moving, but not to tears as you mentioned
especially this:
Meeting Zia in Prosper Bluff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Mrqt0f0VA#ws)
That, and the ending in which you [spoiler]carry Zulf as the Ura shoot at you[/spoiler] were my favorite parts of that game.
yeah the zulf part was really sad too, i forgot about that.
Quote from: Magyar on February 7, 2012 05:49 AM
All About My Dog - Marimo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQVX8iGbgk#)
If you've ever owned a dog this will make you cry ;_;
oh my god ;_______________;
Nearly cried when Ash was turned to stone in the first pokemon film. You all pretty much mentioned other things that tugged at emotional strings.
Quote from: ZennyPLUS on February 7, 2012 07:50 AM
Nearly cried when Ash was turned to stone in the first pokemon film. You all pretty much mentioned other things that tugged at emotional strings.
i did too when i was a kid. in the theater.
then this happened
Dewgong Cries for 10 Minutes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGH9qvStuaM#)
Watership Down and When the Wind Blows
dear zachary, hotel rwanda, and the diving bell and the butterfly all made me cry like a little girl first time around. the ending of city lights makes me tear up a bit
Quote from: sev on February 7, 2012 09:09 AM
Quote from: ZennyPLUS on February 7, 2012 07:50 AM
Nearly cried when Ash was turned to stone in the first pokemon film. You all pretty much mentioned other things that tugged at emotional strings.
i did too when i was a kid. in the theater.
then this happened
Dewgong Cries for 10 Minutes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGH9qvStuaM#)
pokemon movie was so sad as a kid ;__;
now it's just kind of over the top
Quote from: stusader on February 7, 2012 09:18 PMnow it's just kind of over the top
Pokemon has always been over the top, rather, shounen animes in the same vein as pokemon. Just look at Beyblade, I've never seen anyone so damn excited to play a game of spinning tops, really, I mean, wow.
when you attach stakes to something, kids always buy into it
like how in yu gi oh the fate of the world depends on little pieces of card
First thing I remember making me cry was the end of The Snowman. That still hits me.
Pokemon twice, in Bye Bye Butterfree and when Ash lost the pokemon league, although those were more angry tears.
The Iron Giant
The ending of Blackadder goes Forth.
I teared up a bit at the end of All Star Superman. The music really helped that.
Aaaand Toy Story 3. You know the scene I'm talking about.
Quote from: vegeta on February 8, 2012 06:16 AM
when you attach stakes to something, kids always buy into it
like how in yu gi oh the fate of the world depends on little pieces of card
Children's card games is srs business.
Quote from: stusader on February 7, 2012 02:58 AM
so yeah i would definitely recommend welcome to the nhk for anyone who's been to some dark places. my friend's been trying to make me watch angel beats for the longest time and i was really reluctant 'cause i don't like the art in it at all but it's actually pretty good and not over the top when it comes to emotional stuff like a lot of animes do.
also the haruhi movie. god damn that was sad. though you'd have to watch the series first and the movie's like 3 hours but it is definitely worth it.
Oye, good titles! But I gotta agree that NHK is more depressing and sometimes even a little too ironic to be sad... That collective-suicide episode for example was quite emotional but a little goofy at the same time so I wasn't really sure whether I should be amused or depressed.
Angel Beats has really effetive moments as well... The ending is... uhm... should I say heartbreaking?(hurr~sob)
And the Haruhi movie was pretty nice too, ye
Quote from: Flee on February 7, 2012 03:08 AM
there was an anime based off a visual novel called AIR.
Oye, it actually is by the same studio that animated Clannad and Kanon so if you enjoyed Air, you will love those as well!
Quote from: Magyar on February 7, 2012 05:49 AM
If you've ever owned a dog this will make you cry ;_;
Hehe I remember this one... quick and effective
Quote from: iinnkk on February 7, 2012 06:04 AM
Quote from: sev on February 7, 2012 05:54 AMin madoka magica, when [spoiler]madoka finally understands homura's pain when they become all spacey and homura just fuckin cries out that made me really sad[/spoiler]
THIS PART OF THE SHOW ^ made me just bawl especially because homura is my waifu
Kaiba made me tear up a few times, Elfen lied (jesus that is a depressing show), the movie Moulin Rouge has made me cry (i am a sucker for sad romance movies)
Yes, Madoka actually had some pretty well executed scenes in the final episodes... I admit that I shed a couple of tears in the last episode as well.
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
I have just finished the second season of Ef - A tale of Memories/Meoldies and I have yet again experienced it... a really artistic and well directed show, carrying great meaning, some wonderful messages and a lot of emotion... The only downside is that whenever I have finished an anime like that I feel kind of depressed and cannot get myself to do anything productive anymore on the same day...
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 08:01 PM
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
[spoiler]but in the end she didn't really save them from much at all except from becoming witches. they still all met kyubey, made a contract and hunted a different form of witch, i think they were calling them demons.. i thought the whole point of the story was that no matter what you do you can't change the course of time, only a different variation of what has already taken place will occur again. madoka's sacrifice was partly in vain, and we don't really know what the fate of a puella magi is in the new timeline. it may be better but it wasn't what madoka really wanted.[/spoiler]
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 10:17 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 08:01 PM
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
[spoiler]but in the end she didn't really save them from much at all except from becoming witches. they still all met kyubey, made a contract and hunted a different form of witch, i think they were calling them demons.. i thought the whole point of the story was that no matter what you do you can't change the course of time, only a different variation of what has already taken place will occur again. madoka's sacrifice was partly in vain, and we don't really know what the fate of a puella magi is in the new timeline. it may be better but it wasn't what madoka really wanted.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]That is the dark essence of the message you can find at the end of the show, yes. Time travelling didn't solve any problems in the end and what's done cannot be undone except for a few exceptions which do make a great difference in my opinion:
Mami lives on as the witch who would have killed her never comes to existence. Sayaka still dies by wasting all of her energy in a battle out of total despair as her wish (which remained the same as before) didn't bring her the happiness she wanted but instead of being transformed into a vengeful beast full of hatred she is granted a little moment in the afterlife, allowing her to see what has become of her beloved one and giving her the chance to forget her hatred by being happy for him instead. As Sayaka just vanishes without any trace, Kyoko has no chance to sacrifice herself for her friend. All the destruction caused by the Walpurgisnacht has been negated and so has the increasing power of the witches in general which had slowly led to a vicious circle in the previous timelines as a stronger Witch would require an even stronger Magical Girl to be defeated which in the end, again, would have created an even stronger witch.
Knowing that even if she had succeeded, she would have destroyed the universe and everyone she loved, Madoka made the only possible wish that could prevent her and the world from this fate and that could save the souls of the other Magical Girls.
By wishing for destroying every Witch by her very own hands, she indirectly included her own Witch (the creature which was about to devour the earth in the very last episode). Thus she became a timeless being and negated her own existence by performing this indirect suicide. Additionally, she made it possible for every Magical girl in every timeline and every place to die with a smile instead of being eaten up by hatred and despair and destroying what they used to fight for and what they used to love.
The actual despair that was created in this wish mainly goes to Madoka herself as she is condemned to wander around and to fulfill her task for all eternity. One person sacrificing herself for the greater good of the masses; the Jesus metaphor in this one is obvious, especially because the creators postponed the last episode in order to air it on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. But I think well thought through concepts like these are the very reason why this show so awesome...
All in all her sacrifice was not in vain at all but rather a big achievement and it did make a significant difference as it did not only break the Witch-dilemma but also gave the girls the opportunity to rest in peace after their struggle. [/spoiler]
Damn... I'm way to obsessed with stuff like this...
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 11:09 PM
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 10:17 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 08:01 PM
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
[spoiler]but in the end she didn't really save them from much at all except from becoming witches. they still all met kyubey, made a contract and hunted a different form of witch, i think they were calling them demons.. i thought the whole point of the story was that no matter what you do you can't change the course of time, only a different variation of what has already taken place will occur again. madoka's sacrifice was partly in vain, and we don't really know what the fate of a puella magi is in the new timeline. it may be better but it wasn't what madoka really wanted.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]That is the dark essence of the message you can find at the end of the show, yes. Time travelling didn't solve any problems in the end and what's done cannot be undone except for a few exceptions which do make a great difference in my opinion:
Mami lives on as the witch who would have killed her never comes to existence. Sayaka still dies by wasting all of her energy in a battle out of total despair as her wish (which remained the same as before) didn't bring her the happiness she wanted but instead of being transformed into a vengeful beast full of hatred she is granted a little moment in the afterlife, allowing her to see what has become of her beloved one and giving her the chance to forget her hatred by being happy for him instead. As Sayaka just vanishes without any trace, Kyoko has no chance to sacrifice herself for her friend. All the destruction caused by the Walpurgisnacht has been negated and so has the increasing power of the witches in general which had slowly led to a vicious circle in the previous timelines as a stronger Witch would require an even stronger Magical Girl to be defeated which in the end, again, would have created an even stronger witch.
Knowing that even if she had succeeded, she would have destroyed the universe and everyone she loved, Madoka made the only possible wish that could prevent her and the world from this fate and that could save the souls of the other Magical Girls.
By wishing for destroying every Witch by her very own hands, she indirectly included her own Witch (the creature which was about to devour the earth in the very last episode). Thus she became a timeless being and negated her own existence by performing this indirect suicide. Additionally, she made it possible for every Magical girl in every timeline and every place to die with a smile instead of being eaten up by hatred and despair and destroying what they used to fight for and what they used to love.
The actual despair that was created in this wish mainly goes to Madoka herself as she is condemned to wander around and to fulfill her task for all eternity. One person sacrificing herself for the greater good of the masses; the Jesus metaphor in this one is obvious, especially because the creators postponed the last episode in order to air it on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. But I think well thought through concepts like these are the very reason why this show so awesome...
All in all her sacrifice was not in vain at all but rather a big achievement and it did make a significant difference as it did not only break the Witch-dilemma but also gave the girls the opportunity to rest in peace after their struggle. [/spoiler]
Damn... I'm way to obsessed with stuff like this...
[spoiler]that is all true but they are still essentially slaves to kyubey's race, harvesting energy for the universe or whatever. but if madoka's witch would have been the one to end it all, who was walpurgisnacht?[/spoiler]
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 11:20 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 11:09 PM
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 10:17 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 08:01 PM
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
[spoiler]but in the end she didn't really save them from much at all except from becoming witches. they still all met kyubey, made a contract and hunted a different form of witch, i think they were calling them demons.. i thought the whole point of the story was that no matter what you do you can't change the course of time, only a different variation of what has already taken place will occur again. madoka's sacrifice was partly in vain, and we don't really know what the fate of a puella magi is in the new timeline. it may be better but it wasn't what madoka really wanted.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]That is the dark essence of the message you can find at the end of the show, yes. Time travelling didn't solve any problems in the end and what's done cannot be undone except for a few exceptions which do make a great difference in my opinion:
Mami lives on as the witch who would have killed her never comes to existence. Sayaka still dies by wasting all of her energy in a battle out of total despair as her wish (which remained the same as before) didn't bring her the happiness she wanted but instead of being transformed into a vengeful beast full of hatred she is granted a little moment in the afterlife, allowing her to see what has become of her beloved one and giving her the chance to forget her hatred by being happy for him instead. As Sayaka just vanishes without any trace, Kyoko has no chance to sacrifice herself for her friend. All the destruction caused by the Walpurgisnacht has been negated and so has the increasing power of the witches in general which had slowly led to a vicious circle in the previous timelines as a stronger Witch would require an even stronger Magical Girl to be defeated which in the end, again, would have created an even stronger witch.
Knowing that even if she had succeeded, she would have destroyed the universe and everyone she loved, Madoka made the only possible wish that could prevent her and the world from this fate and that could save the souls of the other Magical Girls.
By wishing for destroying every Witch by her very own hands, she indirectly included her own Witch (the creature which was about to devour the earth in the very last episode). Thus she became a timeless being and negated her own existence by performing this indirect suicide. Additionally, she made it possible for every Magical girl in every timeline and every place to die with a smile instead of being eaten up by hatred and despair and destroying what they used to fight for and what they used to love.
The actual despair that was created in this wish mainly goes to Madoka herself as she is condemned to wander around and to fulfill her task for all eternity. One person sacrificing herself for the greater good of the masses; the Jesus metaphor in this one is obvious, especially because the creators postponed the last episode in order to air it on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. But I think well thought through concepts like these are the very reason why this show so awesome...
All in all her sacrifice was not in vain at all but rather a big achievement and it did make a significant difference as it did not only break the Witch-dilemma but also gave the girls the opportunity to rest in peace after their struggle. [/spoiler]
Damn... I'm way to obsessed with stuff like this...
[spoiler]that is all true but they are still essentially slaves to kyubey's race, harvesting energy for the universe or whatever. but if madoka's witch would have been the one to end it all, who was walpurgisnacht?[/spoiler]
[spoiler]It is uncertain and often argued by many people. Some say that it could be a random witch from a completely different character that has never appeared in the show but most fans think, and that seems more likely, that Walpurgisnacht is
Homura's Witch.
Remember the witches getting some of the features and skills from their previous selves? Like Sayaka's Witch, controlling an entire orchestra, wielding a blade and having a mermaid tail (which was probably a reference to the original fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen in which the Little Mermaid actually dies to save the prince she falls in love with). It is assumed that Walpurgisnacht also has the ability to time travel and thus could exist before Homura even made her first wish by simply coming from a different timeline. That also would make a good the reason why Walpurgisnacht's strength kept growing with Homuras and why she could never defeat her.
The metaphors used for Walpurgisnacht also point at Homora being its root: The violet colors of the Witch's dress (resembling Homura's soul gem), the gears under her dress (included in her time travelling device) and the metaphor of spinning in circles aimlessly which is essentially what Homura does.[/spoiler]
hmm only thing that comes to mind that got me misty eyed were some episodes of Scrubs durf. For all the over-the-top shit in that show, they sure were good at getting real heavy real fast when they wanted to.
I guess spoilers if anyone cares
[spoiler]The extended version of the episode where JD and Elliot first get together and implode on each other is too much for my girlfriend to deal with
The whole episode where Brendan Fraser's character died and had been dead for most of the episode
The episode where Dr. Cox accidentally kills all those patients and then the next couple episodes.
The goddamn finale (not that medical school bullshit), ooh man misty eyed.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 11:38 PM
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 11:20 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 11:09 PM
Quote from: rtil on February 19, 2012 10:17 PM
Quote from: Kott on February 19, 2012 08:01 PM
[spoiler]Especially when she negated her entire existiance to rescue all the other girls from their fates and starts encountering every single one of them, relieving them from their pain and then this damned music starts to play and argh![/spoiler]
[spoiler]but in the end she didn't really save them from much at all except from becoming witches. they still all met kyubey, made a contract and hunted a different form of witch, i think they were calling them demons.. i thought the whole point of the story was that no matter what you do you can't change the course of time, only a different variation of what has already taken place will occur again. madoka's sacrifice was partly in vain, and we don't really know what the fate of a puella magi is in the new timeline. it may be better but it wasn't what madoka really wanted.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]That is the dark essence of the message you can find at the end of the show, yes. Time travelling didn't solve any problems in the end and what's done cannot be undone except for a few exceptions which do make a great difference in my opinion:
Mami lives on as the witch who would have killed her never comes to existence. Sayaka still dies by wasting all of her energy in a battle out of total despair as her wish (which remained the same as before) didn't bring her the happiness she wanted but instead of being transformed into a vengeful beast full of hatred she is granted a little moment in the afterlife, allowing her to see what has become of her beloved one and giving her the chance to forget her hatred by being happy for him instead. As Sayaka just vanishes without any trace, Kyoko has no chance to sacrifice herself for her friend. All the destruction caused by the Walpurgisnacht has been negated and so has the increasing power of the witches in general which had slowly led to a vicious circle in the previous timelines as a stronger Witch would require an even stronger Magical Girl to be defeated which in the end, again, would have created an even stronger witch.
Knowing that even if she had succeeded, she would have destroyed the universe and everyone she loved, Madoka made the only possible wish that could prevent her and the world from this fate and that could save the souls of the other Magical Girls.
By wishing for destroying every Witch by her very own hands, she indirectly included her own Witch (the creature which was about to devour the earth in the very last episode). Thus she became a timeless being and negated her own existence by performing this indirect suicide. Additionally, she made it possible for every Magical girl in every timeline and every place to die with a smile instead of being eaten up by hatred and despair and destroying what they used to fight for and what they used to love.
The actual despair that was created in this wish mainly goes to Madoka herself as she is condemned to wander around and to fulfill her task for all eternity. One person sacrificing herself for the greater good of the masses; the Jesus metaphor in this one is obvious, especially because the creators postponed the last episode in order to air it on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. But I think well thought through concepts like these are the very reason why this show so awesome...
All in all her sacrifice was not in vain at all but rather a big achievement and it did make a significant difference as it did not only break the Witch-dilemma but also gave the girls the opportunity to rest in peace after their struggle. [/spoiler]
Damn... I'm way to obsessed with stuff like this...
[spoiler]that is all true but they are still essentially slaves to kyubey's race, harvesting energy for the universe or whatever. but if madoka's witch would have been the one to end it all, who was walpurgisnacht?[/spoiler]
[spoiler]It is uncertain and often argued by many people. Some say that it could be a random witch from a completely different character that has never appeared in the show but most fans think, and that seems more likely, that Walpurgisnacht is Homura's Witch.
Remember the witches getting some of the features and skills from their previous selves? Like Sayaka's Witch, controlling an entire orchestra, wielding a blade and having a mermaid tail (which was probably a reference to the original fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen in which the Little Mermaid actually dies to save the prince she falls in love with). It is assumed that Walpurgisnacht also has the ability to time travel and thus could exist before Homura even made her first wish by simply coming from a different timeline. That also would make a good the reason why Walpurgisnacht's strength kept growing with Homuras and why she could never defeat her.
The metaphors used for Walpurgisnacht also point at Homora being its root: The violet colors of the Witch's dress (resembling Homura's soul gem), the gears under her dress (included in her time travelling device) and the metaphor of spinning in circles aimlessly which is essentially what Homura does.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]if the witches possess the same abilities as their magi counterparts, i find this completely plausible. but they don't seem to hint at it at all in the show, leaving it to speculation.[/spoiler]
all this quoting
Quote from: lionsef on February 20, 2012 01:40 AM
all this quoting
[spoiler]all these spoilers[/spoiler]
Optimus Prime's death scene from the transformers film of 1987