Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Ep 3: Cruel Reality Check

Miki goes to the hospital to visit a friend who was a violinist. She later asks Mami whether the wish she wants has to be for her only, and suggested that maybe she would like to grant someone else’s instead. Mami tells her there’s a difference between wanting to fulfill the wish and being the person who fulfills the wish, and to reconsider it by thinking it over and understand which of the two matches her true intentions. Madoka asks her what her wish is where as Mami explains that she wasn’t really given the chance to think over it. It was either die, or live her life as a Magical Girl, which is why she sincerely wants them to use the time they had to think it over.
The next day while dropping by the hospital once more this time with Madoka, the two of them discover a Grief Seed and decides that one of them will go off to find Mami so that they won’t lose track of it. Upon returning and entering the Witch’s barrier, Madoka tells Mami about how she wishes to become a Magical Girl so that she can help people and be proud of it and that Mami had inspired her to want to do so. However hearing this, Mami insists that she isn’t worthy to be a role model, nor should be inspiring – when the truth is she is scared and hates being alone.
Akemi appears telling her to not face the witch since it is different from the others and leave it to her since she claims it to be her target. Mami ignores her and sets a trap binding Akemi so that she cannot move. When they fight the witch, she was confident and no longer afraid – only just when she thought she had won, she was eaten alive.

Impression:

… O_O;

Did Mami just get killed? *BLINKS AND REWATCHES THE SCENE AGAIN*
AM I JUST SEEING THINGS OR IS SHE REALLY DEAD?
…Okay yeah she was killed. Beheaded to be more accurate.
Well, I certainly did not see that coming. I always got a weird vibe from her – but her dying by the third episode – shit. That was, err – fast? Well she had it coming considering she did not heed Akemi’s warning, moreover just when things were looking up for her she gets killed. Gosh that happens so often in these kinds of plot!  Anyhow I do wonder how this will influence Madoka’s wish – the only way I see Mami coming back if Madoka decides to wish for her to live once again. Apparently according to Kyubey, Akemi and Mami, Madoka has a very large potential which allows her to become a threat in the competition for their wish to be granted. I am also surprised that neither Madoka nor Miki have agreed to the contract yet and take on the job. Without a doubt this horrifying reality check will have a large impact on their decision, but yet again I can see this as an encouragement so that they could protect more people with the idea of working as a team to watch each other’s backs.
Now about the Witch. So I was right that they weren’t going to go with those scrap-book monsters only, instead we actually had quality and a cute one until it became a monster and chomped Mami’s head off and ate her. I do find it interesting how they follow the modern animation art for the witches rather than the sketchy old-school for the character. Perhaps its their way of making them stand out more. Once more, I am hoping to see a human-like witch, because without a doubt that would be very interesting to see.
The animation quality, I felt is actually wasn’t that great. There were a few noticeable flaws, but as it got closer to the end of the episode, it significantly improved.
Preview: