Akemi Homura: She who flies against time.
You've relived the last month repeatedly and traversed several different parallel worlds by changing probabilities in the past,
in pursuit of the resolution you'd like for all of this.
Your presence here has answered a question of mine.
Namely, exactly why Kaname Madoka carries such great potential as a magical girl.
Now I can form a reasonable hypothesis.
The latent ability of a magical girl is determined by the relative effect of their role on fate.
I could understand if she was the princess of a country or some sort of hero,
but I was at a loss as to why Kaname Madoka, with her average life, was the collective centre of so much.
But say, Homura,
don't you think it'd make sense if Madoka became a powerful magical girl...
...because you've continued to relive the same time over and over?
I knew it. You're the cause.
I guess it'd be better to describe it as a side-effect of your magic.
What do you mean?
You've reversed time for a single reason.
You want to protect Kaname Madoka.
You've probably heavily intertwined a number of parallel worlds...
...by travelling back in time over and over for the same reason and purpose,
with Kaname Madoka at the centre of everything.
If, as a result, these "lines of fate" from other parallel worlds,
which under normal circumstances should never interact with each other, all connected to the Madoka in this timeline,
then I could see why she'd have such extraordinary power.
All of this fate, this cause and effect, circulating within the time period you've continued to live repeatedly...
...has spun together and linked to Madoka, because she is the reason for everything.
Excellent work, Homura.
You're the one responsible for making Madoka the strongest witch ever.
kawashita yakusoku wasurenai yo
交わした約束忘れないよ
I won't forget the promise we made.
me wo toji tashikameru
目を閉じ確かめる
I'll close my eyes and make sure of it.
oshiyoseta yami furiharatte susumu yo
押し寄せた闇 振り払って進むよ
Shaking off the darkness that closed in on me, I continue to move on.
itsu ni nattara nakushita mirai wo
いつになったらなくした未来を
When can I see once more the future that I lost?
watashi koko de mata miru koto dekiru no
私ここでまた見ることできるの？
Again and again, I'll tear apart...
afuredashita fuan no kage wo
溢れ出した不安の影を
...the shadow of distress that spilled out...
nando demo saite kono sekai ayundekou
何度でも裂いて この世界歩んでこう
...and walk on in this world.
tomedonaku kizamareta
とめどなく刻まれた
The time that ticked away...
toki wa ima hajimari tsuge
時は今始まり告げ
...ceaselessly now announces the beginning.
kawaranai omoi wo nose
変わらない思いをのせ
Putting my unchanging feelings into it,
tozasareta tobira akeyou
閉ざされた扉開けよう
I'll open the closed door.
mezameta kokoro wa hashiridashita mirai wo egaku tame
目覚めた心は走りだした未来を描くため
My heart awoke to draw the future where I'd start running.
muzukashii michi de tachidomattemo sora wa
難しい道で立ち止まっても空は
Even if I come to a standstill on a difficult road,
kirei na aosa de itsumo mattetekureru dakara kowakunai
きれいな青さでいつも待っててくれる だから怖くない
the sky is always waiting for me in a beautiful blue, so I'm not scared.
mou nani ga atte mo kujikenai
もう何があっても挫けない
By now, no matter what happens, I won't get broken.
Episode 11 The final sign left
The body of a second-year middle school student from the municipal institution Mitakihara Middle School, Miki Sayaka-san,
Miki
who went missing the twelfth of this month, was found in a hotel in the city.
The crime scene shows no signs of struggle and the police are continuing...
...the investigation by searching for evidence of a potential accident or crime.
Next up is the weather.
There will be a slightly strong breeze from the north-west accompanied by rain.
Welcome back.
Hey Madoka...
About Sayaka-chan...
You really don't know anything about what happened, right?
Yeah.
Sayaka-chan and Kyouko-chan died.
It's not really that surprising.
There have been signs, that everything would turn out this way, for a while now.
And you don't care?
But everyone died because of you!
Just to put an example out there, do you feel like you're inferior to a group of cattle?
Do you even know how the food comes to sit on your table?
Stop it!
Responding that way doesn't make any sense.
If you think what I just showed you was cruel, then you don't understand what's really going on.
By choosing to become part of a human household,
they breed free from opposing natural forces and are sheltered from survival of the fittest.
Cows, pigs, and birds, compared to wild animals, generally have a reproductive rate far better than the rest.
Wouldn't you say you humans have the perfect symbiotic relationship with them?
Are you trying to say you're the same?
Actually, we're treating you humans much fairer than you treat cattle.
While this may not be the best arrangement, we recognise that you are sentient beings when we negotiate with all of you.
You don't believe me?
How about I show you then?
I'll show you the history through which the Incubators and humanity have walked together.
We got involved with your world before your recorded history.
Countless numbers of girls have formed contracts with Incubators,
had their hopes realised, and lost themselves to despair.
It starts with a wish or desire and ends with them being cursed or falling into despair.
It's a cycle which many magical girls have repeated.
This includes girls who have changed history forever and led your society to new stages.
Stop it already!
Everyone... Everyone trusted you.
They trusted you and you betrayed them!
We were not the ones to betray them.
It was their own desire.
No matter the desire, if it's something irrational,
then it will always distort reality in some way if it comes true.
Then it's obvious that natural law dictates that only bad could eventually come from that.
If you want to call the result of that action "betrayal",
then having the wish in the first place would be the mistake.
But I won't call it foolish.
You could also say their sacrifices have further advanced the story of human history.
Thus all the tears shed until now have led to the foundation...
...on which your current society is based, your current style of life.
If you understand that,
then how can you treat the fate of a few humans, at most, differently than the rest of humanity's?
Have you felt nothing watching all of those girls all this time?
Didn't you try to understand just how much they were going through?
If we were able to understand,
we wouldn't have had to go out of our way to come to this planet in the first place.
In our civilisation, the phenomenon you call emotions is regarded as nothing more than an extremely rare mental disorder.
That's why we were surprised when we found you humans.
The existence of a world where every single individual carries their own emotions...
...and coexists never even crossed our minds.
If none of you ever came to this world...
You'd probably still be unclothed living in caves, I suppose.
Losing a student like this is pretty hard...
I'd imagine.
It's even worse that they don't know what happened.
There's another girl missing amongst the seniors...
The last staff meeting was a complete mess.
I guess they don't know anything, do they?
It sounds like Sayaka-chan had some relationship trouble.
She was pretty damaged by the whole incident.
Normally it'd all end with everyone the wiser, but for it to turn out like this...
The police seem like they're just going to end the investigation...
...saying she died because of the stress she endured running away from home.
It's not like they have any leads.
How's Madoka-chan faring?
I have no clue.
My intuition tells me she knows something,
but it doesn't seem like she's lying.
This is the first time I haven't been able to tell what she's really up to.
Pretty pathetic on my part. She's my daughter, and I just don't know.
I never thought I'd hear you be negative.
She's seemed kind of weird lately.
I'd assumed that she's just been dealing with a lot by herself,
but no matter how long I wait, she never comes to ask me for help.
I thought she relied on me a little bit more than that.
Kids that age sometimes become adults in the blink of an eye.
I'm sure it's quite jarring to the parents, though.
So that's what's going on?
You'll just have to believe in her.
I'm sure what Madoka-chan needs at this point is some time to sort out her feelings.
You need to give her some space.
It's pretty difficult not being able to do anything.
I guess that's something you've always had trouble with, huh, Junko?
Mi Homura
Can I come in?
The Walpurgis Night...
Kyouko-chan said that the two of you were going to kill a witch so powerful that she wouldn't be able to do it alone.
You've been getting ready for that here this whole time, right?
Is the entire city in danger?
Unlike the witches you've seen so far, this one has no need to hide in barriers to protect itself.
Just by its taking form, several thousands of people will be sacrificed.
Just as the others, it can't be seen by average people.
So the damage will merely be misinterpreted as an earthquake, tornado, or some other natural disaster.
Then I guess we have no choice but to defeat it, right?
Kyouko-chan's dead too.
You're the only magical girl left who can fight. That means-
I'll be fine by myself.
Even though it may not be possible for Sakura Kyouko, I am capable of ending the Walpurgis Night myself.
I never really needed Kyouko's support in the first place.
I just wanted to give her a chance to save face.
Really?
I don't get it...
I want to believe you. I don't want to think you're a liar.
But I can't make myself believe that you'll be okay...
I can't make myself believe you're telling the truth.
There's no way I can tell you how I really feel.
Homura-chan...
I mean...
I mean... I'm living in a different time than you!
I've come from the future, you know?
I've met you over and over again, and each time, I've seen you die.
How can I save you?
How can I change your fate?
I've been looking for that answer and that answer only.
I've gone back and started from the beginning over and over again.
That means... Huh?
I'm sorry.
I'm sure you don't get any of this.
I'm sure you're put off by all of this.
To you, I haven't even known you for a month. I'm just some transfer student.
But to me, you...
Each time I repeat all of this, the time you and I live grows further apart.
Our feelings grow further apart, and my words stop reaching you.
I think I lost myself a long time ago.
Homura-chan...
My desire to save you:
The first emotion I had that started this all.
And now that I've come this far, the only star left that will help guide my way...
You don't have to understand.
My words don't have to resonate within you.
But still, I beg you.
Let me protect you.
Mi Homura
The thunderstorm is separating and beginning to spin at an incredible rate.
It's clear it's going to turn into a supercell!
Give the instruction to evacuate at once!
At 7 am today, an evacuation notice was issued, due to extreme weather.
Everyone living in the vicinity is encouraged to move promptly to the nearest shelter.
This is the Mitakihara Town public announcement vehicle.
At 7 am today-
It's coming.
Are we having a sleepover?
Are we going to go camping?!
That's right. We're going camping.
Homura-chan...
This time...
I'll end it all.
What's wrong Madoka?
I need to use the bathroom.
Is it true that Homura can win by herself?
Even if I said no, would you believe me?
There's nothing I can really say to convince you at this point.
Just watch for yourself.
See just how far she can get against Walpurgis.
Why does she go that far to fight?
It's because she still seeks hope.
I imagine if it comes down to it, she'll nullify this timeline, like she has done in the past, and continue fighting.
She'll continue to repeat this meaningless chain of events having come out none the wiser.
Giving up and no longer moving forward holds the same meaning to her now.
The moment she's convinced that there's no way for her to change your fate, that all of this was pointless,
Akemi Homura will lose to her despair and change into a Grief Seed.
She knows this for herself.
That's why, to her, there is no choice.
It doesn't matter if she even has a chance to win. She has no choice but to fight.
You're saying that she has no chance for salvation as long as she holds hope?
That's right.
She's the same as all the magical girls in the past.
Madoka, you saw it too, didn't you?
But...
But...!
But...
Just where are you trying to go?
Mum.
I have to go save my friend.
Leave that to the firemen.
Civilians have to sit still.
It can only be me!
You're being selfish!
Do you even know how much the people around you-
I know!
I know that all too well.
I love you too, Mum. Dad too.
I know how much you all care about me.
I know just how much I have to value my own life.
That's why you're wrong.
Everyone's important to me.
I have to protect every single one of them.
That's why I can't be here. That's why I have to go.
You can't explain what's going on, can you?
Then take me with you.
I can't.
Stay by Dad and Tatsuya. Make sure they feel better.
You said I grew up to be a good kid, right?
That I don't lie and don't do anything bad.
Do you still believe that?
Will you trust that what I'm doing is right?
You won't mess up, will you?
Someone's not tricking you, right?
No.
Thank you, Mum.
If I let her progress any further, the shelter will be in danger!
I'll have to find a way to hold her here!
That can't be...
Why...
Why can't I beat her no matter how many times I do this?!
If I do this again, it will just weave even deeper into Madoka's fate.
The only thing I did in the end was...
That's enough.
That's enough, Homura-chan.
Madoka...
You can't be...!
Homura-chan, I'm sorry.
itsuka kimi ga hitomi ni tomosu ai no hikari ga
The light of love you lit in your eyes one day...
いつか君が瞳に灯す愛の光が
toki o koete
...transcends time,
時を超えて
horobiisogu sekai no yume o
and surely destroy one dream...
滅び急ぐ世界の夢を
tashika ni hitotsu kowasu darou
...of this world and hurries to its ruin.
確かに一つ壊すだろう
tamerai o nomihoshite
Swallow down your hesitation.
躊躇いを飲み干して
kimi ga nozomu mono wa nani
What is it that you wish for?
君が望むモノは何？
konna yokubukai akogare no yukue ni
On the path of yearning as greedy as this,
こんな欲深い憧れの行方に
hakanai ashita wa aru no
will there be a good future?
儚い明日はあるの？
kodomo no koro yume ni miteta
Like ancient magic...
子供の頃夢に見てた
inishie no mahou no you ni
...that I dreamed of when I was young,
古の魔法のように
yami sae kudaku chikara de
with the power to slash the darkness,
闇さえ砕く力で
hohoemu kimi ni aitai
I want to meet the smiling you.
微笑む君に会いたい
obieru kono te no naka ni wa
In these frightened hands of mine,
怯えるこの手の中には
taorareta hana no yuuki
I have the courage of hand-picked flowers.
手折られた花の勇気
omoi dake ga tayoru subete
My feelings alone are all that I rely upon,
想いだけが頼る全て
hikari o yobisamasu
a wish that awaken...
光を呼び覚ます
negai
...the light.
願い
Illustrator Buriki
If you told me it was wrong to harbour hope,
I would tell you that it wasn't wrong.
I'd say it as many times as necessary.
I'd keep saying it forever.
Episode 12 My best friend
My best friend.