Pmmm Kyoko - Tumblr Posts
Practicing drawing anger with Kyoko!
She looks real mad, so I guess I did well!
This is so lovely and exemplifies the feelings of loneliness Mami must feel.
Abandoned by Kyoko (who later forms an "eternal bond" with Sayaka), and abandoned by Madoka ("stolen away" by Homura).
Mami is the only character who truly doesn't have anyone. Of course, she somewhat has Bebe, but Bebe can't truly fill Mami's emotional needs.
you're fine alone
This is such a cool analysis and interpretation of Kyoko's character! I never thought about the Little Match Girl when it came to potential inspirations for Ophelia (too hung up over the Hamlet reference) but it makes alot of sense and is generally quite cool!
Dya ever wonder why Ophelia is a candle? Too fuckin bad, I’m about to tell you: it’s cause I think Kyoko is partially inspired by the little match girl.
Now I hear you dear reader, “what the fuck is the little match girl” and firstly I must say you are privileged to not have had your heart gutted from you watching the short film, however I am happy to summarize.
An impoverished little girl is huddled in an alley in the dead of winter with nothing but a box of matches she has failed to sell. She doesn’t go home, though wether she is orphaned or her father will beat her for failing to sell her matches varies based off the iteration. Never the less, cold and starving, she lights one of her matches and sees a beautiful feast and is warmed by the flame. Though swiftly the wind blows it out. So this continues, as one by one, she lights a match, sees a comforting vision, and the match is snuffed away. She then dies in the alley way.
Does that not sound like the story of Kyoko Sakura? An impoverished girl goes out to help her father, though what she does fails at pleasing him and thus can’t return to him lest she be harmed. So instead she indulges in fantasy after fantasy: living as a hero, living for her and her alone, and saving Sayaka Miki. One by one the flames are snuffed until she is left with nothing but the hope of a pleasant dream as she dies.
Also in terms of her powers, it’s notable that she had the abilities to create illusions, much like what the girl saw in the flames.
Doing a little more examination of Ophelia’s design, it’s noteworthy that she rides on a horse, as horse meat in Japanese is “Sakura.” Her riding on it could imply that she sees either her past life or her family as just a vessel that got her where she is, or perhaps that she thought she was destined to fail; just a lamb to the slaughter.
God for being my least favorite of the holy quintet, Kyoko is so fucking cool. Maybe meguca is just good actually and none of its characters are ba- oh right Kyubey, fuck Kyubey.
"Whoopsie daisy we accidentally said it was the birthday of a character with an unconfirmed birthday 🤭🤪"
Nonono you just gave her a birthday no take backs.
Fuck Aniplex 5/9 her official birthday now I decree it as such
The apple scene between Kyoko and Sayaka feels both like "a proper introduction between enemies who no longer wish to fight" and "a final invitation to connect with someone and pull yourself back from the edge".
Sayaka tossing aside Kyoko's gifted apple feels like her making a conscious choice to fully go crazy and a denial of Kyoko's attempt to reach out to her.
Additionally, Kyoko giving away to Sayaka something that holds significance for her (food, which she considers incredibly precious) without any expectation of something in return aside from "connection" is an interesting moment for a character previously depicted as "selfish" and constantly against Sayaka.
Kyoko sharing her story TO Sayaka is a moment of vulnerability, later matched by her sharing her story WITH Sayaka by sacrificing herself when she likely could've defeated Oktavia without dying in a effort to ensure Sayaka wouldn't be alone anymore.
I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD HIDE THIS IN TAGS!
The apple scene between Kyoko and Sayaka feels both like "a proper introduction between enemies who no longer wish to fight" and "a final invitation to connect with someone and pull yourself back from the edge".
Sayaka tossing aside Kyoko's gifted apple feels like her making a conscious choice to fully go crazy and a denial of Kyoko's attempt to reach out to her.
Additionally, Kyoko giving away to Sayaka something that holds significance for her (food, which she considers incredibly precious) without any expectation of something in return aside from "connection" is an interesting moment for a character previously depicted as "selfish" and constantly against Sayaka.
Kyoko sharing her story TO Sayaka is a moment of vulnerability, later matched by her sharing her story WITH Sayaka by sacrificing herself when she likely could've defeated Oktavia without dying in a effort to ensure Sayaka wouldn't be alone anymore.
It is literally foreshadowed in her name Kyoko is bound to suicide with Sayaka as sakura's are heavily associated with kamikazes. Besides aforementioned timeline; In Portable, during the scheduled downfall of Sayaka, and eventual death at Homura's hands, Kyoko has a breakdown switching between laughing, crying, until eventually screaming in pain as she turns to Ophelia, saying she was stupid to think she could save Sayaka. Ophelia's labyrinth literally has little fish floating around, it's so clearly underwater, it's so clearly tied to Sayaka, there are staves with musical notes coming out of the ground of the labyrinth. And as if that isn't enough, the music playing is relatively similar to Symposium Magarum, at the very least a part of it, altered, slower, on a different instrument - it's there however if you listen close. Kyoko is so tied to Sayaka in her mind that even if in series they weren't on the best of terms, it affects her in death. Her feelings are obvious once stirred through enough, it's Sayaka that refuses any aid, or a chance at another way. There IS, another way, that through Kyoko, however Sayaka's ideation of a magical girl is heavily tied to Mami's image (not Mami herself, but how she presented, lacking the vulnerability she shared with Madoka) who is in complete contrast to Kyoko. The full "you die a hero or live long enough become a villain". No matter how much she runs away from it however, I feel that in Rebellion Sayaka embraces both sides (and creating the doppel system by proxy). On another note, and parallel, Sayaka chose to "give her life away", becoming a magical girl meant suicide to her in the end and, the argument with Madoka in the rain may had still lingered in the back of her mind, so Kyoko choosing suicide to keep her company mirrored that and maybe, just maybe, she felt understood through it. It was the ultimate sacrifice Sayaka made for love and association could be made to believe that Kyoko's suicide is also her confession. The magnet metaphor is due the blue/red but also you need to hold them in a certain way for them stick (as the same ends will push one another away, the same they did under the same condition) and when they do, they're insepparable.
Thank you for the opportunity to ramble ^^
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!!
I've never been able to play/watch play throughs of the portable games, so I lack a lot of context when it comes to events and information presented in it.
Kyoko has a strange mild obsession with Sayaka and saving Sayaka, which almost reminds me of Homura and Madoka's relationship.
I feel the warped (not in the toxic sense, just unconventional sense) ideas that Kyoko has about expressing her love to Sayaka reflects her past and the wish she made for her father. To Kyoko, love means absolute devotion and sacrifice. In Japan, there's a myth that two lovers who commit suicide together are reborn as twins and/or reborn as the same person. Kyoko truly does see kamikazeing herself into Oktavia as a way for her to fully express the feeling of "I love you and I swear I won't leave you alone or abandon you for someone else".
While I believe Kyoko originally intended to warn Sayaka about wishing for others (sorta how Mami did), and pitied her because the circumstances of Sayaka's wish were so similar to her own, she fell fast and hard.
They're both so similar and yet oppositionally different. They're both so, so, deeply and desperately lonely and Kyoko sees this and sees a way for the two of them to overcome their loneliness together. But Sayaka has such a strong idea of "a good magical girl" and "a good person" she won't allow herself to connect with anyone else, especially not Kyoko, who she views as "evil" (I believe Mami played a part in this view).
They could've had a happy ending and saved eachother if only Sayaka wasn't so stubborn and Kyoko could take a gentler approach. The very direct "full-force love" style they both have, with the added "inability to properly confess without use of secretive acts of devotion" is why we got the ending we did.
I know you're asking anonymously, but I'm pretty sure I know who you are based off the expansion from a previous reblog/post lol. Thank you so much for ranting like this!!! I'm so happy you expanded on the previous ideas!!!
(Still on anon I'm sorry to be shy still qwq) Do you get the feeling that maybe in saving Sayaka, Kyoko looked for closure for her own pains? If she could save her, it would be easy to pretend she also saved herself in a way, if that makes sense. I always had the feeling she needed to help her due how similar their situations are, she would hate to see her own story unfold before her own eyes again, she sees too much of herself in Sayaka and, she became the person that would had helped her younger self in a time of need. But Kyoko can't turn time like Homura can, nor be young again, Sayaka is the closest match. In turn, this is the mix of selfish/selfless Sayaka also posseses that ties them together further.
Oh absolutely!
I think part of Kyoko's "obsession" with Sayaka and saving Sayaka has a lot to do with her own past and wishing someone would have saved her. I think you described it all really well, but yeah, there's definitely a lot going on in Kyoko's head in relation to Sayaka.
"As much as I wish for the happiness of someone, someone else must be equally cursed."
This is Sayaka's most icon line (next to "I won't regret anything!") and for good reason. It describes herself, but also the entire concept of "magical girls".
Kyuubey grants the wishes, and in return, a girl becomes cursed becoming a magical girl. Every character (*at least in pmmm, not magia record) becomes cursed at the expense of helping someone else.
Madoka(mi) ends the curse for all magical girls and her friends, but she and Homura becomes the most cursed of all. Madokami bears the weight of the whole universe on her shoulders; Homura's love made her into an object of worship.
Homura ends Madokami's reign (therefore un-cursing Madoka) at the expense of becoming more cursed herself, and cursing the rest of magical girls. Homura losses herself, her mind, and Madoka all for the sake of allowing Madoka to become human again. She can't interact with Madoka, but she can watch her inside her gilded cage; and that's "all" Homura needs
Sayaka is the most poignant example of this; with her "role" being to showcase the ultimate curse of all magical girls. She's determined to make a "selfless" wish (disguising her true "selfish" desires) despite how much Mami warns her against it. Sayaka losses the control she wanted to gain, and losses her mind. Mami's facade left such an impact on her she's dedicated herself to portraying herself as the "perfect magical girl" that never existed nor could exist in the first place. She becomes more cursed bearing the curse Mami left for her, and pushing away the one person who could help her because Kyoko doesn't line up with Sayaka's deluded image of how a magical girl should be. Sayaka curses the people around her up until her curse is ended by Kyoko.
Kyoko makes the most selfless wish of them all, and the most people become cursed as a result. The ones she loved and wished for the sake of in a genuinely selfless way had enjoyed her wish for a while, until the wish could not longer protect them. Kyoko's whole family and life went up in flames as a direct consequence of her wish; because of that, she's decided to live only for herself because she understands best the curse that comes with selflessness; the curse that comes with love. I don't know if it's directly confirmed when Kyoko leaves Mami, but I theorize it was shortly after the death of Kyoko's family; the time Kyoko lost her selfless heart and could not longer connect with others as a result. Kyoko stays that way until Sayaka; Sayaka is the antithesis of Kyoko and yet the same as her. Kyoko relieves the curse on herself and Sayaka with their deaths; the only way to end the curse of a magical girl.
Mami's wish is the most selfish (*objectively) and so the fewest people are cursed (one could even argue that the only one cursed by Mami's wish was Mami herself). Mami's curse is a "self-fufilling prophecy" of sorts where she isolates herself and fully dedicates herself to being a magical girl from the fear that she'll end up alone again and/or that anyone she comes into contact will suffer/die. In a sense, this is true, as the rest of the Holy Quintet do in fact suffer, die, become witches, and so on. Mami didn't even really get to make a wish; she simply had an opportunity to survive and took it, and was forced to suffer as a magical girl because of it. The impact she leaves on Sayaka and her trying to convince Madoka to become a magical girl are curses she imposes without knowing the extent of her actions, nor that her actions are in any way bad; she's gotten swept up by the lies of the incubators and has become someone who curses as a result.
Nagisa is an interesting case because she deliberately curses herself and the people around her. She knows that she COULD wish to save her mom, but prefers the idea of making her mom indulge in her revenge: the world's tastiest cheesecake. The cheesecake Nagisa wished for instead of her mother's health. She becomes a magical girl, with the knowledge she'll never not be a magical girl again, all for the sake of revenge.
Happy pride month to my favorite queer friend group!
*NOT WHO YOU THINK THE FANBASE'S FAVORITE CHARACTER IS, WHO YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER IS
Yes!!! Exactly!!!
Kyoko's story suffers from subtly and being added late, however she's on par with the rest of the girls in terms of interesting story, parallels with other characters, and overall narrative significance.
Without Kyoko, Sayaka's story wouldn't have been as impactful and effective (as Kyoko plays a big role in Sayaka's story and spiral). And without Kyoko, Mami wouldn't be the cut-off magical girl so eager to have accomplices she loses her life over trying to show off.
I like Kyoko more the more I rewatch
*madoka magica spoilers*
When I first watched madoka magica, I thought that all the characters were cool but Kyoko was my least favorite. I still liked her but not as much. Then when I went to rewatch the series I didnt realise how late she was added to the show. I was able to see her as she was introduced and how she turned into what she did and I appreciated her much more.
I think that in the beginning, she is seen as abrasive, you still dont know whats going on, I wasnt looking for the meaning or the symbolsim, I was trying to figure out who the hell this random girl who came half way through the 12 episode series thta wasnt on the poster and apperently knows Mami is. I wasnt thinking about how her and sayaka reflect eachother, i was thinking about why she was like that.
The way that she interacted with the characters but mainly Sayaka really improved how I saw both of them, they were great contrasts of each other, both having used their wish for someone else and wanting to help, and in the end they were both corrupted. But this is where Kyoko spends her final time trying to save Sayaka, and even sacrificing herself when she realised it wouldnt work(I made a post about this on my main but Ill reblog it here) This isnt even talking about the backstory of her and Mami.
I dont say that shes my favorite, but honestly after watching the show so many times, I dont think that i have one. I love how all of the characters are a diffrent part of the plot and the way they are written are amazing.
But long story short, I love Kyoko Sakura.
✷✧ Kyoko Sakura Headcanons ✧✷
✷Kyoko's favorite flavour of pockey is strawberry
✷Kyoko is crazy good at climbing fences, trees, buildings, and ropes
✷Kyoko is famous at her local arcade due to her incredible DDR skills
✷Aside from DDR, Kyoko is incredibly good at fighting games and rhythm games
✷Kyoko and Sayaka recommend music to eachother, and Kyoko got Sayaka interested in hip-hop music
✷When her family was alive and flourishing from the church, Kyoko was involved in several extra curriculars (such as gymnastics and soccer)
✷Kyoko owns a Viking hat
✷Kyoko is a talented cook and baker, and used to enjoy cooking with Mami all the time
✷Kyoko is demi-romantic and lesbian (she strikes me as the type of person who doesn't fall in love or form crushes without understanding and relating to a person)
Welp, I guessed right!
My expectation was that Madoka and Homura would be in first and second (either for either spot), but it seems Madoka came in third instead! (Very surprising to me!)
Homura, because she's Homura.
Madoka, because she's the protagonist, has an iconic design, and is the center of the narrative. Madoka's a very lovable character in ways I can't exactly pinpoint.
Sayaka I had predicted to be third, but she's second! I had predicted her in third because of the amount of fanart and almost cult-following she has around her in the fandom (Sayaka fans are definitely the most dedicated and vocal in my experience)
Mami, Kyoko, and Nagisa I all predicted in their correct spots:
Mami is iconic for her unfortunate decapitation, her being the first proper magical girl we see, and generally getting a good amount of time to know her!
Kyoko suffers from the diseases of "not enough screen time" and "not enough focus" in the main show. She gets misrepresented as an accessory for Sayaka's narrative, but she has a standalone narrative and the same level of great writing as the rest of the girls. The full rant will not be here, but Kyoko is a good character and she needs more love.
Nagisa suffers from "condemned to side media"-itis. She was made simply because fans loved Charlotte, so I was very torn between thinking she'd be higher or lower. In the end I figured she'd be lowest since she really doesn't get much time to shine in the main story (not appearing in the main series and only showing up as a side character in one movie so far) and her backstory is hidden in Magia Record (RIP).
*NOT WHO YOU THINK THE FANBASE'S FAVORITE CHARACTER IS, WHO YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER IS
MY FRIEND MADE THIS GO WATCH IT ITS AMAZING >:DDD
ROTTEN CORE - kyoko sakura animatic is now posted ♡
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