Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R
Thanks a lot, Coldlight. 
At the end of the day, I think that Sayaka gets hated on for pretty much the same reasons that Superman gets hated on. In other words, for being an idealistic hero with strong moral beliefs that some fans find overly strict (i.e. "Lawful Good").
However, while some dislike The Man of Steel for this reason, it's also for this exact same reason that many people do like him, and I think that The Blue Puella Magi is the same. I like Sayaka a lot largely for the same reasons I like Superman a lot (the differences being that Sayaka also is a moe genki girl, but Superman is much less tragic of course).
With modern entertainment dominated by anti-heroes and cynical protagonists, I find characters like Superman and Sayaka Miki quite refreshing. |
This is an interesting observation, and I think it might show up where we differ on Sayaka. For the record:
I love Sayaka. I wanted her to come around. I wanted her so much to have a happy end. Her story was so heartbreaking...
I never ever cared for Superman. And it's indeed the "lawful good" thing I can't stand.
When people talk about Sayaka healing Kamijou's hand as "noble", my impulse is to roll my eyes. Not so much because I disagree, but because words like "noble" tend to distract from the life that's going on right before you.
Take Sayaka's situation. Sayaka was quick to understand Mami's distinction: why do you make that wish? Do you want to heal him? Or do you want to make him your boyfriend? But because of a strict moral code, she didn't know how to handle it.
Some people here think Sayaka was "noble", others that she was "selfish". Me, I think that's a phony distinction. It's quite possible to want
both. Sayaka felt like a horrible person for hoping for gratitude or... more. Poor Sayaka. It's perfectly normal to hope that; you're
not a horrible person because of that. Chances are you will be disappointed; how will you deal with this, then?
Here, I think, her morals got in the way. If this was supposed to be a "good" wish, she couldn't possibly have stake in it. The two guys on the train? While it's pure speculation, I don't think it's implausible to assume that "Dark Sayaka" made the connection between them and Kamijou. Women sacrifice themselves for the ones they love, and they just laugh it off and call them annoying. So
that's what we're doing it for? Sayaka can only face her feelings in terms of higher morals, and that's crippling her, I think.
Kyouko's suggestion to break Kamijou's limbs shows the opposite approach; taking feelings in extremes of passion. Red flame, blue ice. Polar opposites. Both positions are perilous, but Kyouko's way seems to be a better soul-gem-stress-relief method. What neither positions take into account is Kamijou's feelings. [In both positions he's basically the ungrateful jerk.]
What Sayaka would have needed to do is figure out the difference between hoping something would happen as a result of her sacrifice, and a condition placed by her on sacrificing. Both impulses could be called "selfish", but in the former you're merely facing what you'd like to have in return. Accepting that will prepare you for disappointment. But Sayaka's fixation on "selfish = bad" got in the way, and she couldn't see that. As a result, the disappointment turned bitter and found no release.
But how could I hate her for that? It's so tragic. If only somebody would have told her that it's alright to hope for your own happiness ("good selfishness"), as long as your realise that you may be disappointed and don't hold that disappointment against others ("bad selfishness"). (And wasn't that pretty much her ending?)
Selfish? Noble? Besides the point (in my viewing), but poor Sayaka beat herself up over that very distinction. And it's an isoluble mess, because people aren't either/or.
If Sayaka were my daughter (showing my age here, lol), I'd be so proud of her. But I'd also tell her to loosen up on two counts: a) if you don't allow yourself to want things for yourelf you're going to be miserable, b) if you keep demanding your morals from others, you're going to be constantly disappointed (except by people who conveniently die before they have the chance *cough* Mami *cough*).