Lessons Popular Culture Has Taught Me

The Dark Side of Obsession: Puella Magi: Madoka Magica

  To me, Homura Akemi from the anime Puella Magi: Madoka Magica has always been an enigma I can't quite completely figure out.  On one hand, I view her as a victim of Kyubey's vicious goal to achieve entropy and her loyalty to Madoka Kaname is something I could wish to witness for myself.  On the other hand though, I view Homura as dangerously obsessive over Madoka despite in each timeline only being there for a month or two each time, and see her action of dethroning Godoka as one of the most selfish acts I have ever seen in fiction.  I love Homura as a character, but constantly, I am on the fence as to whether or not I can consider her a good person when reviewing her actions in the series.  Sometimes, I come to the conclusion that she is misguided but well intentioned in her actions, while in other instances I conclude Homura was never a good person to begin with.  Even years after watching the anime for the first time, I still am on the fence on what to classify Homura as.

  However, the same case cannot be said for two other characters I adore in the series, Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki.  I can easily define what these two characters represent in the story without breaking into too much of a sweat.  Although it seems Kyoko is the selfish one of the bunch and Sayaka isn't, that is not the case at all.  Both characters are surprisingly selfish for a similar reason that makes the two of them important foils in the story; obsession.  Through the wishes these two girl have cast, Kyoko and Sayaka entered the dark side of love and paid dearly for their decisions.

  Kyoko Sakura is the simpler one to see in her journey of obsession.  She was born into a Catholic family whose father was excommunicated from the Church where he served as pastor after forming his own beliefs that were not in the Bible.  Because of these beliefs, Kyoko's father was outcasted from society, causing the family to enter a seemingly endless wave of poverty.  This personally got to Kyoko, who at the time was a young child.  It filled Kyoko with anger towards the people who mocked her family, wanting nothing more but for someone to listen to what her father said for once.  So when Kyubey came around offering Kyoko a wish that could potentially fix everything, she didn't think twice about using it to make her father's beliefs an accepted norm.  All Kyoko wanted at this point was for her father and his beliefs to be accepted, no matter what the cost.  As Kyoko later stated in the anime, this wish was one that caused the slow self destruction of her family that could have been avoided if she was not so obsessive over her father's happiness.

  From this unintentionally selfish wish, Kyoko basically hypnotized the human population to buy into a bunch of religious beliefs they normally would not have bought into.  They were brainwashed to see Kyoko's father as a saint, preaching his messages in a church of his own.  Meanwhile, Kyoko blindly devotes herself to Witch hunting, believing herself to be a hero working in the sidelines to preserve her father's ideals.  For the longest time, Kyoko thought this wish was going to help make the world a better place.  Little did she know though that the wish was controlling the mindsets of multiple people and her obsessive desire was actually selfish when looked at with an ice cold eye.

  Kyoko's dark obsession for her father led to the child leading him accidentally into his own downfall, after discovering Kyoko to have cast the wish that gave him all of his followers.  He viewed Kyoko from her actions as nothing more than a Witch that tainted people's hearts, a deep irony considering they were the creatures his daughter was devoting herself to protecting him from.  This led Kyoko's father into a destructive cycle of alcoholism and eventually the slaying of everyone but Kyoko in a self-made house fire.  In the end, Kyoko's wish completely destroyed her family and the young girl convinced herself to isolate herself from others completely so as to not fully come to realize the despair rising inside of her heart.  Kyoko is a prime example of obsession tainting her judgement, a harsh lesson that a girl as young as Kyoko had to swallow in a bitter pill.

  Then there is Sayaka Miki, the seemingly selfless one of the two.  Her wish was to heal the damaged hand of a boy she had a crush on, Kyosuke, so he could once again play the violin.  The wish allowed Kyosuke to follow his passion once again, and for Sayaka seemingly to take Mami's place as protector of Mitahara after her friend's untimely demise.  Sayaka viewed herself as the hero of her own story, promising to protect anyone Witches tried to mercilessly slaughter.  So when Kyoko tried to put Sayaka out of commission to take advantage of the large amounts of Grief Seeds she could receive by hunting the Witches herself, Sayaka was appalled by the selfish nature of the girl.  In Sayaka's mind, Kyoko was a person she could never stand behind for a moment.  After all, Sayaka was being the selfless hero while Kyoko was being the selfish villain.  Everything in Sayaka's mind was black and white.  However, after finding out about the dark nature of Soul Gems, Sayaka realized a harsh truth; she was just as selfish as Kyoko by making her wish.

  Sayaka only made her wish to satisfy the deep love she had towards Kyosuke.  It was never about helping to support him in his musical journey by giving him the ability to play the violin once again.  Kyosuke had never loved Sayaka like she adored him, and instead had long established feelings for Sayaka's best friend, Hitomi.  Blindly, Sayaka made her wish in an obsessive state, not seeing the true reality of her situation.  As a result, Sayaka had unknowingly signed her own death certificate, and in a short time would end up becoming a Witch herself from the despair her destructive obsession put upon her.

  Kyoko and Sayaka serve as perfect foils for each other not because of their differing ideals, but rather the different ways their obsession changed both of the girls' lives for the worse.  If both girls had deeply considered the effects their wishes would have brought upon their loved ones, they could have avoided the dark consequences each individual witnessed.  The term, " Be careful what you wish for," could not be taken in a more literal sense when talking about both characters.  Their ideals hurt various people, including the people they wanted to protect.  They are not villains, but rather misguided individuals who stared too closely at the sun.

  The lesson we can learn from Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki is to not only think about what will make us happy, but also what will make others happy.  By balancing out the two sides, you find a lot less heartbreak for yourself as well as those closest to you.  The people in your life matter as much as you, and without balance, chaos will ensue.  That is the lesson I see every time I rewatch Puella Magi: Madoka Magica when I witness Sayaka and Kyoko's storylines.  To be truly selfless, you need to make decisions that benefit everyone in your circle.  Otherwise, your choice runs into the dark lines of obsession.