On the forum, Lin Zhiyan posted about Puella Magi Madoka Magica every couple of days, such as:
"I originally wanted to win everyone over by being a healing anime director, but it turns out everyone prefers the dark, depressing stuff. Now you all call me 'Old Thief Lin'! Fine, I'll just have to make this anime even darker."
Or:
"Since everyone seems to love dark anime, I'm considering whether to kill someone off in every episode and leave no survivors at the end. Hmm, no other magical girl anime would dare do that, right? Sounds like it would be quite interesting."
Because he had a large personal fanbase and Puella Magi Madoka Magica was the most talked-about anime of the season, his posts always sparked a flood of online mockery:
"Everyone prefers dark stuff? Are you sure about that?"
"Old Thief Lin is shifting the blame! He's the one who made the anime dark, and now he's blaming us for wanting to watch dark stuff? Damn it, I started watching Madoka Magica because I wanted a healing magical girl anime!"
"Kill someone in every episode and leave no survivors? Stop it! Old Thief Lin, you're toxic! This is insane!"
"Scary~ I'm just a little viewer who likes magical girl anime. Please spare me."
"What do you mean 'no other magical girl anime would dare do that'? It means no other anime would be this brutal!"
"Don't try to stop me! I'm sending Old Thief Lin a blade!"
"@Supervising Director Lin Zhiyan, you'd better not go outside anytime soon. And if you do, don't let me see you, or I can't guarantee what I'll do."
Of course, Lin Zhiyan's sudden high-profile announcement had many netizens fooled:
"A trap! This must be a trap!"
"Got it. This is definitely another deceptive marketing stunt. They're emphasizing it's a 'heartbreaking' animation just to surprise us with a 'healing' element later."
"Is it healing or heartbreaking? It's one thing for Old Thief Lin to refuse to clarify, but now that he's admitted it, I'm genuinely confused."
"There's definitely something fishy going on. Old Thief Lin's schemes are never that easy to figure out."
"I'm starting to suspect they're about to drop some genuinely healing content next."
Whether it was teasing or suspicion, all of it fueled the hype surrounding Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The animation's promotional efforts were relentless, and Lin Zhiyan never hesitated to invest heavily when needed. The result was that the anime's popularity continued to rise rather than wane.
Then, at midnight on February 12th, the sixth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica aired.
Picking up from the previous episode, Kyoko, unable to decipher Homura Akemi's methods, decided to temporarily retreat.
After Kyoko leaped away and vanished, Homura Akemi stood with her back to the protagonist, her voice complex as she said, "How many times do I have to warn you? How stupid can you be? You shouldn't get involved. Haven't I told you that many times?"
"For fools like you, I'll do anything."
With that, she too walked away.
"Homura, why?" the protagonist asked, puzzled.
Kyubey, perched on her shoulder, reminded her, "No matter what, she's definitely plotting something. You must be careful."
After warning the protagonist, it couldn't help but mutter to itself, "Homura Akemi... could it be that you are...?"
It seemed Kyubey had already guessed Homura Akemi's situation.
Later, at Sayaka's house, Kyubey explained to her why Kyoko was so strong. He also mentioned that some people, even with no experience, could become magical girls who surpassed Kyoko through sheer talent—that person being the protagonist, Madoka Kaname.
"So, if you absolutely need the strength to confront Kyoko, asking Madoka is another option," Kyubey suggested.
Sayaka shook her head and refused, saying this was her battle and she couldn't involve Madoka.
Meanwhile, Homura Akemi approached Kyoko, proposing to hand over the town's protection to her.
Kyoko asked about Sayaka's situation. Homura replied that she would handle it herself and instructed Kyoko not to interfere.
As for her motives, Homura explained: "In two weeks, this town will face the Walpurgisnight."
If they defeated the Walpurgisnight, she would leave this town. But the Walpurgisnight wouldn't be easy to defeat—one person might not be enough; two would have a better chance.
She wanted to team up with Kyoko, who agreed.
Evening.
The protagonist continued to help Sayaka search for a Familiar, but not only did they fail to find one, but their differing attitudes towards Kyoko and Homura Akemi also led to a minor verbal spat between them.
That evening, the protagonist confided in her strong-willed mother, asking for advice. Her mother suggested, "Just let someone else make the mistake for that child who's too right."
Kyoko had promised not to attack Sayaka, but she couldn't resist finding her and mockingly taunting her.
Sayaka, who already disliked Kyoko intensely, couldn't stand this. She challenged Kyoko to a fight on a pedestrian overpass.
The protagonist was at home doing her English homework when Kyubey suddenly appeared, warning her that Sayaka was in danger.
Guided by Kyubey, the protagonist found Sayaka, while Homura Akemi materialized behind Kyoko.
Homura Akemi questioned Kyoko about breaking her promise, but Kyoko retorted, "You're too soft... The other side is fired up no matter what." She had no intention of giving up.
Seeing this, Homura Akemi relented. "Then I'll handle it. Don't intervene."
This time, Kyoko agreed without argument.
Across from her, Sayaka pulled out her Soul Gem, preparing to transform into a magical girl.
At that moment, Madoka remembered her mother's words. She rushed forward, saying, "Sayaka, I'm sorry," and snatched the Soul Gem from Sayaka's hand, throwing it off the overpass. A large truck happened to be passing by, and it sped away with the Soul Gem.
This move was completely unexpected.
Homura Akemi was startled, her body flickered, and she vanished.
"Madoka, what have you done?" Sayaka stepped forward, asking Madoka with a hint of displeasure.
"But if I hadn't..."
Madoka tried to explain, but before she could finish, Sayaka suddenly lost consciousness.
"Sayaka?" Madoka held Sayaka, puzzled.
"That was quite dangerous, Madoka," Kyubey said, hopping onto the overpass railing and wagging his tail with an innocent expression. "Throwing your friend off like that is very strange."
"What? What's wrong?" Madoka looked confused.
Kyoko ran behind Madoka, felt Sayaka's neck, and then lifted her by the neck.
She was stunned. "What's going on? Hey—isn't this guy supposed to be dead?"
After a few seconds of shock, she remembered Kyubey and demanded an explanation.
Kyubey didn't hide anything. "Magical girls can only control their bodies within a hundred-meter radius. Normally, you keep them close at all times, so accidents like this are rare."
"What are you talking about? Kyubey, save her! Don't let Sayaka die!" Madoka cried, pleading.
Kyubey sighed, looking resigned. "Madoka, that's not Sayaka—it's just an empty shell. Didn't you just discard her?"
"I can't let you fight Witches with bodies as fragile as ordinary humans. For magical girls, your original bodies are merely external objects. Your true selves—your souls—have been streamlined into a safer form that can more efficiently channel magical power."
"My mission in forming magical girl contracts with you is to extract your souls and transform them into Soul Gems."
This explanation left Madoka stunned.
Kyoko was also surprised, but more than that, she was furious.
She took two steps forward and grabbed Kyubey. "You little bastard, what have you done? Stop joking around! Are we going to end up like zombies?"
"Isn't that more convenient?" Kyubey replied calmly. "Even if your heart is pierced and all your blood drains out, as long as you use magic to repair your body, you can immediately move again. As long as your Soul Gem remains intact, you'll be invincible. Compared to the fragile human body, isn't that more advantageous in battle?"
"This is too much, this is too much!" the protagonist cried, tears streaming down her face.
Kyubey looked genuinely puzzled. "You always react this way. After I tell you the truth, you always respond the same way. I just don't understand why humans are so obsessed with the location of their souls."
Hearing this, Kyoko felt her scalp tingle, and tiny beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
The protagonist collapsed onto Sayaka, sobbing uncontrollably. At the critical moment, Homura Akemi managed to find Sayaka's Soul Gem, retrieve it, and place it back in her hand.
Sayaka regained consciousness, sat up, and looked around in confusion. "What? What's happening?"
End of Episode 6
Even though Lin Zhiyan had been saying since the end of Episode 5 that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a deconstructive anime and that the upcoming episodes would be brutal and depressing, the revelation about the true nature of the Soul Gem still shocked countless viewers, who hailed it as a "divine plot twist."
Then, the viewers went wild, furiously condemning Lin Zhiyan and calling him "Old Thief Lin" for being so ruthless.
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