On February 5th, at midnight, the fifth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica aired.
The episode's title was "How Could I Regret It?", taken from a line Sayaka had spoken.
The protagonist was deeply surprised by Sayaka's sudden transformation into a magical girl.
After school, on the grassy bank of the river, she asked Sayaka, "Don't you regret it at all?"
"Well, if I had to regret something, it would be my hesitation back then. Since I was going to do it anyway, I should have made up my mind sooner. If we had taken on that Witch together, Sister Mami might still be alive," Sayaka replied with a cheerful tone.
The protagonist felt a pang of shame, knowing that while Sayaka had become a magical girl, she herself had abandoned the idea out of fear.
Yet Sayaka comforted her, "Madoka doesn't need to become a magical girl."
After their conversation, Sayaka went to the hospital to visit Kyosuke Kamijo.
On the hospital rooftop, Sayaka watched Kyosuke Kamijo pick up his violin again and play. Her heart swelled with joy as she thought, "Sister Mami, my wish has come true. How could I possibly regret it? I'm happier than I've ever been."
Her radiant happiness seemed like a blatant act of tempting fate.
Recalling the line from episode 3, "There's nothing to fear anymore," many viewers couldn't help but secretly worry about Sayaka, fearing she'd soon fall victim to Old Thief Lin Zhiyan's cruel schemes within a episode or two.
But the trouble didn't end there.
Knowing she wasn't a magical girl and couldn't help Sayaka, the protagonist sought out Homura Akemi, begging her to be friendly with Sayaka and cooperate in fighting Witches. Homura, however, told her to abandon Sayaka, claiming she was already beyond saving.
In episode 3, Homura had already foreseen that the Witch would be too much for Senior Mami to handle. Given this, her pronouncement in episode 5 that Sayaka was beyond saving seemed alarmingly credible.
It felt like a death sentence had been passed on Sayaka, though the exact execution date remained unknown.
Meanwhile, the newly introduced magical girl Kyoko also seemed poised to stir up trouble.
Accompanied by the protagonist, Sayaka ventured out to hunt Witches and gather Grief Seeds.
They failed to find a Witch, only encountering a Familiar.
Familiars were different from Witches; they didn't possess Grief Seeds.
Sayaka believed that if left unchecked, someone would be killed. She couldn't allow that to happen, so even without a Grief Seed, she was determined to eliminate the Familiar.
However, before she could finish it off, Kyoko suddenly intervened, stopping her and letting the Familiar escape.
"Let's wait until it's eaten four or five people and becomes a Witch. Then we can get the Grief Seed," Kyoko argued.
She also claimed that someone like Sayaka wasn't suited to be a magical girl.
The clash of ideologies, coupled with the Familiar's escape, infuriated Sayaka, and they immediately began fighting.
Kyoko was formidable, having collected numerous Grief Seeds. This allowed her to use magic recklessly, and as an experienced veteran, she easily gained the upper hand against Sayaka, quickly subduing her.
However, Kyoko's true intention was to severely injure Sayaka, forcing her to recuperate for three months and calm down. She hadn't anticipated that Sayaka had become a magical girl through a healing wish, granting her an extraordinary recovery ability.
After being knocked down, Sayaka quickly rose to her feet and continued fighting Kyoko. The battle grew increasingly fierce, with both girls developing a desire to kill the other.
Ultimately, Kyoko's superior strength prevailed. Even with Sayaka's extraordinary healing abilities, she stood no chance.
The protagonist watched from the sidelines, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Kyubey urged her to sign a contract immediately, promising that becoming a magical girl would allow her to intervene and stop the fight.
Seeing Sayaka about to be defeated and killed by Kyoko, the protagonist began, "I..."
Just as she was about to sign the contract, Homura Akemi's voice rang out: "There's no need."
Homura intervened, effortlessly neutralizing Kyoko's attack and saving Sayaka's life.
With Homura's intervention, Sayaka was safe for the time being.
Yet, after this episode ended, viewers couldn't help but suspect that Sayaka would die within one or two episodes, likely regretting becoming a magical girl before her death.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica had once again become a widely mocked meme.
Just as everyone expected the animation's official account to continue promoting the show as "healing," a post suddenly appeared on a forum from an account verified as "Supervising Director Lin Zhiyan":
"It seems everyone has figured it out. Since that's the case, I'm dropping the act and coming clean: Puella Magi Madoka Magica is indeed a depressing anime. It's meant to be depressing. The next few episodes will be brutal and heartbreaking. Please prepare yourselves."
This was, of course, a post made by Lin Zhiyan himself.
The reason for posting was simple: everyone had already seen through the facade. Denying it would be pointless and embarrassing. It was better to admit it openly—perhaps even to create some confusion.
As long as the specific plot points remained hidden, anything else was manageable.
In another timeline, Gen Urobuchi, the scriptwriter for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, had also admitted early on that the show was a depressing anime that wouldn't drive viewers away. Instead, he argued it would increase its popularity, so there was no real issue.
Given Lin Zhiyan's current popularity and influence, his post naturally drew widespread attention.
Within minutes, a torrent of online discussion erupted:
"Old Thief Lin actually admitted Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a depressing anime! I thought he'd deny it until the very last episode."
"Looks like Sayaka's really doomed."
"Yeah, if Old Thief Lin says so, there's no way she's making it out alive."
"I bet Sayaka dies next episode, regretting becoming a magical girl right before her death. The problem probably lies with that Kyosuke Kamijo—Sayaka's likely to be hurt by him and die in a battle against a Witch, filled with bitter regret."
"Sayaka, run! If you don't, Old Thief Lin's going to kill you!"
"Wait, isn't this too obvious? Episode 5's title is 'How Could I Possibly Regret This?', Homura Akemi already said Sayaka's beyond saving, and Old Thief Lin himself confirmed it's a depressing anime and that things will get even more depressing. It's too obvious, too straightforward."
"Yeah, Old Thief Lin has always played by his own rules when it comes to animation. To openly admit something so obvious, so blatant... it makes me wonder if this is another one of his deceptive marketing tactics. He claims it's going to be depressing, but what if it actually turns out to be uplifting instead?"
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