Mami Tomoe: The MOST IMPORTANT Character in Madoka Magica | Anime Discussion

mami, (when said fast within the show sounds like mommy~ which agree, she was more like a mom to the other magical girls, as she was the "first" magical girl the show, showed. and she guide the others when they become a magical girl.... also going into doctor who here,, mami's death may be a fixed point in time. so no matter what timeline we're in, she has to die to progress......

So, her Selflessness and the unknown are her weakness all the time.

I also feel that it’s bc of the saying that goes a bit like if a person is drowning they tend to drag those down nearest to them too
That’s prob why mami was so insistent on sayaka & madoka becoming magicial girl, for companionship through this dangerous crazy job. And the thing is, it’s supposed to be something that someone evil would do but we can’t even fault mami for that…it’s all she knows and she’s willing to take anything at that point

And mami is definitely a physical manifestation of the typical stereotypical magical girl, one who is perfect, never falters or stumbles, one who’s always smiling….it’s like the old school magical girls ppl grew up with like sailor moon or cardcaptor sakura etc. and showcasing mami gave ppl this false impression/expectations that this is what the show is gonna be about…only for it to be destroyed by a sledgehammer

But according to Homura. Mami was the biggest threat of Madoka’s safety

OOOOHH! She got dizzy warming up because of her weak body but when her soul and body were separated- her body is nothing more she’s a Magical Girl now. She wouldn’t be so weak, her body would be stronger-faster

so rell

Mami Tomoe Is My Waifu

Very nice Video I like your energy

Poor Mami 😭

Mami is my favorite character she is such a beautiful person & i would love to be her friend & end her loneliness. ♥️

Mami is everything
She's the role model, a pop idol, a mentor, a figure for the Magius, the cheese, and the meme for this franchise

"I'm very bad at what I DO. "

I lol'd :D :D Then I thought, "Yeahhhhh.... not so much."

These vids are fantastic. Thanks so much for making them!

One thing I love about this show is how you can feel the impact of Mami’s death throughout the whole thing.

In most other anime she’d be mourned, sure, but the characters kinda move on to other things and don’t bring previous deaths up unless they’re reminiscing or something. Or they tend to focus on a few specific deaths which are tied into the plot. In PMMM, Mami was “just” the mentor who technically didn’t need to live or die, but her impact on Madoka and Sayaka hangs right over them in a super believable way.

Hell, her memory is a super overlooked part of Sayaka’s downfall bc Sayaka never saw Mami’s true, vulnerable self, so she was trying to live up to an unrealistic standard.

I love that whenever I fall hard for an anime - I can guarantee you'll have a really thoughtful video up about it already.

she certainly did set the tone of the series.

She’s the one that gives out all of the exposition about Kyubey and the risks involved with the soul gems.

It’s the same with Erza Scarlett in Fairy Tail. They explain the universe that you’re in.

I should know. I’m a writer myself working on a novel inspired by anime.

But not too much so…

what was the music used in the background :D

I don't really know about all this personality stuff, but god damn Mami's fighting is the best magical girl fighting I've ever seen.

Mami is probably my favorite character from this anime and I never thought of her as a bad person but a victim to the "curse" that is being a magical girl and shows how the aliens take advantage of tragedy. Approaching teenage girls when they are in trouble or danger. Mami is a victim of circumstance.

Poor Mami because Homura stoped Madoka from being a maguka she was all alone and sad at the start of the series

Btw I feel pmmm fans who hates Mami should see how heartbreaking this character is, Mami is probably one of the most tragic characters who still fights for the greater good while the others simply yeah y'know survivors do exactly what they wanted in the future... But Mami is a different magical girl who doesn't have a plan for the future but all she can do is fights for justice to save many innocent lives and combats the loneliness she has which leading to her psychological issues. Her real desire is she just wants a happy life like everyone has But she's too afraid becomes a heavy burden to everyone else All she thinks what she's up to, her doings, behaviors, personality, ideals as a magical girl is like a part of her responsibilities. She's not wrong either for being kept alive (if Mami were gone many people in the city probably will die at the hands of witches and her friends' behaviors won't changes imo) 😢😢😢.

But I respect your opinions anyway without watching other spin-offs about Mami's character tho. You should read The Different Story manga definitely HIGHLY recommended, She's indeed a best girl to everyone with a strong psychological morals.

Keep in mind that Madoka in previous timelines joined Mami pretty much immediately. Homura joins the school the same day everytime, but the first time around she gets saved my Madoka and Mami and Madoka states she's only been a magical girl for a week.

Without present Homura's looming presence Madoka would've joined Mami much earlier and they all would've tragically died against the Walpurgisnacht.

Really liked your in depth analysis of her character; she has been one of my favorite characters in anime since ive read The Different Story manga. You got yourself another sub!

Making Mami’s loneliness issues worse is that they were self-inflicted. Kyubey never actually tells Mami or the other girls to stop hanging out with regular people or remove themselves from human life completely to focus exclusively on fighting witches and as we see in the spin offs there are plenty of magical girls who manage to balance fighting witches with their social lives (having fun, working etc). Unfortunately due to having extremely guilty about not being able to save her parents, Mami feels the only way to atone for that is to save people by fighting witches even if that means denying herself some happiness

Love this video BTW. It got me thinking of another series I started not too long ago. You could make the same argument for All Might for MHA as with Mami. It's not as tragic though, but it sounds very similar to me.

dude, this video made me tear up for Mami. I never did while watching it. You give a truly tragic glimpse into this characters life.

mommy

Although I know it's just you not speaking perfectly the way I do- I find it funny how you pronounce Mami as Mom E, while I personally pronounce as Ma'm E so it doesn't sound weird.

A few may not know but she actually becomes a witch in I think one of the timelines. Idk but her witch form is Candelaro. Candelaro is the dress up witch with a lonely nature. She never let's anyone get out of her labyrinth, desperately trying to fill in the loneliness she used to have. Her familiars are Du poliynacs (I don't know how to spell their names) and their duty is to carry Candelaro around. They also resemble Mami's friends.

Fun Fact: Candelaro is so small she can fit inside a tea cup.

You completely changed my perspective on Mami.

I've rewatched recently Madona Magica and the movies, but I missed this understanding of her character. It's clear that she manipulated the girls to accept the pact, but I thought she did it because she liked the way she lived. I missed that she manipulated then in order to have friends and stop being lovely, that everything was selfish. This is a extra lower to a sacrifice character that would be 2 dimensional in other stories, tho Gen knows how to make a great plot.

I'm pretty sure the "fabulous cake" bit is a joke than anything else. I seriously doubt she'd be serious about that

Y’know.
I Just Think Charlotte/Bebe/Nagisa Thought Mami Was Cheese
So She Took A Friendly Bite 😀

Mami was actaully the character that drew me into watching the, and I loved her character, her glamour and learning about her vulnerabilities. When she died, I felt like I was stranded in this cruel world that I was enticed into, the same way Madoka and Sayaka were.

Two little theories/details; the fact het color palette is the complimentary palette to Homura and why I think her weapons of choice are guns, which are actually actually kind of complimentary to Homuras weapons.
Yellow and purple are complimentary colors in color theory, both being opposite ends of the color wheel. Mixed together, they make grey or a desaturated brown at best (that's more literal when applying to things like paint, but you get my point). In various art mediums, a way to tone down the vibrancy and saturation of a color is t add a small amount of the complimentary color. To apply this literal example in a narrative way, it would be to make something more realistic in finding a middle ground. To go even further, not only do they have yellow vs. purple, but the bright and yellow also narratively compliments the muted gray and purple. The brightness of Mami's palette is obviously something bold that draws your attention, it's an ideal and alluring yo try and encourage Madoka (and Sayaka) to join her while Homura's whole plan is the opposite in trying to steer Madoka away from it. You could even go further to say that the grayness of Homura's colors reflects how muddy, muted and watered down her morals have become as each timeline has eroded them.
In regards to their weapons, Mami's use of guns reflects a motif of being distant and something quick and hands-off. Homura has a wider variety of weapons and that's obviously from having to change so much in her various attempts to help Madoka. The lack of variety outside of the quick, loud and distant themes of guns just seems to parallel that to Homura having just about anything for any situation. I might be wrong on that since I don't know enough about guns to know if all the guns Mami uses are within a similar style or family or whatever, but it just seems like she is meant to be the anti-Homura in a lot of ways.

She's my favourite character in anime for a reason

Sayaka and Mami are my favorite magical girls (and characters) in Madoka Magica. It's such a shame that they're often joked about or hated just because.

A few other things. Mami and Homura are opposites. Mami is yellow and Homura is purple complementary colors. Homura was considered the bad girl arch type and Mami the good. If you rewatch the first 3 episodes have a border which in Japan is called a "Lie" meaning everything you're viewing is not true. After Mami death its taken away and we get a new ending theme song. There is alot of imagery to the story of Faust, and I get it. Its about a deal with a demon. But why was there so much imagery for German things. Also Mami and her witch form called Callendrom(sp?) Is a reference to a family in Italy which she named her moves after

Mami is my most favorite character in Madoka Magica due to her personality and her character in general. I am glad that you talk about her here and I agree with you as well.

I just finished watching this show and I enjoyed how relatable it was to me and how powerful certain episodes were. I really get a kick out of this show tbh. ever since those horrific events that happened months ago, watching any type of anime for me has been a bit of a challenge, but I pushed through and finished this one. mami is definitely best girl and this was a great vid. keep up the great work bud 👍

"[Mami] is OK with Madoka wasting her wish (by wishing for a cake) as long as she has someone with her." Hm, I tend to disagree. I think Mami didn't mean it seriously -- she was amused at Madoka's apparent lack of desire for anything material: she doesn't want the perfect boyfriend, or eternal youth, or lots of money... she just wants to be a magical girl, which is the result, not the wish... 'You might as well get something out of it,' she tells Madoka. But Madoka doesn't, so as a joke she says, 'well why not a cake then, since it doesn't matter to you?'...

Mami's tragedy, I think, is not just loneliness, but also the burden she carries. Loneliness tends to sting not only because we have nobody to enjoy, but also because there is no one to help us carry the burden of life; and in her case, the burden probably includes a lot of traumatic events. After all, if she, the magical girl, can get her head bitten off in battle just because she let herself be distracted by emotions, what kinds of monstruous things could happen to humans trapped by accident inside the labyrinth as Mami came in to fight the witch?... When I think of Mami, I imagine her coming back home late at night, tired, still shaken from whatever she saw this time, quickly swallowing some leftover cake and drinking some water, brushing her teeth with trembling hands, then undressing, getting into bed, wrapping herself in her blanket, and doing her utmost to forget whatever she saw... hoping that, at least this time -- just this time! -- she'd be able to sleep and the images wouldn't come back in her nightmares to make her sob and cry and wail, all crumpled up like an old piece of paper thrown into the garbage...

"Her motions in battle are smooth and fluent, like catching a cup of tea after the finishing blow"
Tfw, while Homura dealt the finishing blow, Mami DID catch her cup of tea in Episode 3...

...Well, what was left of her did, anyway.

This was really eye opening.. Thankyou for this!💗

Here we go: Mami is a broken mess and should have been the target to kill. Mami either dies or kills/attacks her group in every timeline. Dead before Walpurgisnaught is down, tries to become a witch until Madoka offers to take her place as a magical girl so she can off herself, kills Kyoko and attempts to off everyone during a mental break, twice. Hell, Homura shows up and as soon as she doesn’t team up with her Mami becomes a snarky popular chump. All because Kyubey won’t stop harassing her and being downright broken. Yeah she’s flawed but in a way where you just feel so sorry for her offing seems to be the best thing for everyone.

Don’t think you Kyoko. Mami was Kyoko’s apprentice and friend. She left Mami after her family’s suicide because she lost her illusion magic and felt SHE would slow Mami down.

Haha Mami kinnie moment

Mami is best girl

Definitely the moment I realized how tragic a character Mami is was when she was so willing to let Madoka waste her wish. Thanks for mentioning it.