Mami Tomoe

Mami Tomoe (Japanese: 巴 マミ, Hepburn: Tomoe Mami) is a fictional character from the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Mami is a veteran magical girl and a third-year student at Mitakihara middle school. She acts as a mentor to Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki should they choose to become magical girls by making contract with Kyubey. Mami plays a pivotal role in the first arc of Magia Record, appearing as one of the primary antagonists.

Mami Tomoe
Puella Magi Madoka Magica character
Mami Tomoe wielding her flintlock rifle, artwork by Ume Aoki
First appearance"As If I Met Her in My Dream…"
Created by
Voiced by
In-universe information
Species
GenderFemale
Weapon

Character design

Designed by Ume Aoki, Mami's color motif was initially red per Gen Urobuchi's suggestion, but Aoki changed it to yellow; red was used instead for Kyoko Sakura.[2] The color of her soul gem is orange,[3] and when transforming into her magical girl outfit, her hair ornament is attached to the right side of her head.

Appearances

In Madoka Magica

An experienced magical girl, Mami rescues Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki from a witch's barrier and decides to act as a mentor to them should they choose to become magical girls.[4] She lives alone in an apartment after the death of her parents in a car accident, during which she was only able to survive by contracting with Kyubey to save her own life. Mami fights with the belief that she would protect others from the threat of witches and their familiars, and her appearance had a great influence on Madoka and Sayaka.[5] However, although she appears as a reliable senior in front of them, beneath this facade is someone who deeply suffers from loneliness. Mami laments to Madoka that her job as a magical girl has left her lonely. Hearing this, Madoka confesses to Mami that she wants to become a magical girl like her and fight alongside her, making Mami feel joy and happiness. Mami then shows off by fighting the doll-like witch Charlotte only for the witch to suddenly transform into a huge caterpillar-like creature that kills Mami right before Madoka’s eyes.[6] As the series progress, it is revealed by Kyubey that Mami never learned the truth about witches and magical girls; as witches are the final forms of magical girls.[7] Having been ignorant of the magical girls' purpose and the witches' true nature, Mami learned the truth in one of the previous timelines in Homura’s timeloops.[8] Acting calmly and calculative upon learning this revelation, seeing it as the only way to prevent more witches from appearing, Mami murdered Kyoko and attempted to kill Homura before being killed by Madoka.[9][10] Mami is later revived in the new timeline by Ultimate Madoka along with Kyoko as they support Homura.[11]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion shows that Mami has the potential to become one of the most powerful magical girl if in peak form, when she isn’t held back by her crippling loneliness, as a result of her becoming close friends with Charlotte’s original form Nagisa in the guise of Bebe. After Homura rewrites reality, Mami is seen saving Nagisa from falling packages of cheese, implying the two remain friends.

Other appearances

Mami has appeared in several manga related to Madoka Magica. She is the main protagonist alongside Kyoko Sakura in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story manga, which reveals that Mami had previously been Kyoko's partner but was left alone after they fought over their ideals.[12] She also appears in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc manga, set between the Eternal and Rebellion films, where she fights the wraiths with Kyoko and Homura.[13] In Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Mami investigates the magical girl killings then she encounters a girl named Kirika Kure, who is revealed to be killing magical girls as per Oriko's requests. The two engage in a battle.[14] She also appears in a novel adaptation of the original series written by Hajime Ninomae, illustrated by Yūpon and published by Nitroplus.[15] She also appears in manga adaptation of the anime series, written and illustrated by Honakogae, and published by Houbunsha.[16][17]

Mami is a playable character in every Madoka Magica video game, including Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable (the 2012 PlayStation Portable action game developed by Namco Bandai Games)[18] and the 2013 PlayStation Vita game Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram.[19] Mami also appears in many Madoka Magica pachinko games, including Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2013), Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2 (2016),[20] CR Pachinko Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2017),[21] SLOT Puella Magi Madoka Magica A (2017),[22] and Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (2019).[23] She has also appeared in several crossover games, such as Kaden Shoujo,[24] Chain Chronicle,[25] Million Arthur,[26] Girl Friend Note,[27] and Phantom of the Kill.[28]

Cultural impact

Mami has been popular in Japan. In 2012, her death was voted the most memorable anime death by BIGLOBE users.[29] In another poll of "Which Anime Character They Wish Hadn’t Died", had Mami placed second.[30] In a 2014 Charapedia poll, Mami’s death took third place that left the biggest impact.[31] In another 2015 Charapedia poll, Mami was voted second character “Who Deserve Their Own Anime Series”.[32] Mami is also one of Shaft’s most popular heroines, placing ninth on its 2016 Top 10 Shaft Heroines list.[33] Mami placed 6th, with 277 votes, in a Charapedia poll asking fans to list the 20 best anime magical girls.[34] In 2017, “GooRanking” voted Mami’s death as the second most shocking anime death.[35] In 2020, Mami was voted the 9th best magical girl character in a poll by Anime! Anime!.[36]

Kory Cerjak of The Fandom Post said Mami's death "hits hard" and praised her English voice actress, Carrie Keranen, for providing "a voice that sounds at once young-ish and motherly", stating that "it's comforting just to listen to her speak because of the parental demeanor in it."[37] Mami's character in the spin-off manga The Different Story was praised by Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network, who called her a "fascinating" character and liked her connection with Madoka, stating that "Mami could have been Madoka as she has the requisite selflessness that all true magical girls exhibit."[38] Silverman enjoyed the manga for exploring Mami's guilt and for knowing "Mami as a character rather than a tragedy", and stated that her story "is perhaps a way to see what happens when being human wins out over being a magical girl."[39]

References
  1. 新房昭之×虚淵玄×蒼樹うめ×シャフト 1大プロジェクト始動 [Akiyuki Shinbo × Gen Urobuchi × Ume Aoki × Shaft: The Start of One Large Project]. Megami Magazine (in Japanese) (127): 115. October 25, 2010.
  2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook: You Are Not Alone (in Japanese). Houbunsha. p. 105. ISBN 978-4832240612.
  3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook: You Are Not Alone (in Japanese). Houbunsha. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-4832240612.
  4. "As If I Met Her in My Dream...". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 1. January 7, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  5. "That Would Be Truly Wonderful". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 2. January 14, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  6. "I'm Not Afraid of Anything Anymore". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 3. January 21, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  7. "Can You Face Your True Feelings?". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 7. February 18, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  8. "I Won't Rely on Anyone Anymore". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 10. March 11, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  9. Magica Quartet（原作） 『魔法少女まどか☆マギカ KEY ANIMATION NOTE vol.5』 シャフト、シャフト、2012年7月31日。ISBN 978-4896106435
  10. Magica Quartet（原作）・虚淵玄（シナリオ） 『魔法少女まどか☆マギカ The Beginning Story』 ニュータイプ（編）、角川書店、2011年12月10日。ISBN 978-4-04-110045-5
  11. "My Very Best Friend". Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Episode 12. April 21, 2011. MBS & TBS.
  12. Hanokage (2012). "Chapter 4". Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Volume 1. Houbunsha. ISBN 978-4832-24203-6.
  13. Hanokage (2016). "Chapter 4". Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, Volume 2. Houbunsha. ISBN 978-4-8322-4705-5.
  14. Kuroe Mura (2011). "Chapter 3". Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Volume 1. Houbunsha. ISBN 978-4-8322-4016-2.
  15. Amazon.co.jp 小説版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ 初回限定版 [Novel Edition Puella Magi Madoka Magica Limited Edition] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  16. 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ×まんがタイムきららフォワード 驚愕の3大プロジェクト始動 [Puella Magi Madoka Magica × Manga Time Kirara Forward: The Start of Three Large Surprising Projects] (in Japanese). Houbunsha. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  17. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 7, 2012). "Hanokage to Launch New Madoka Magica Manga (Update)". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  18. Loo, Egan (February 24, 2012). "Madoka Magica Portable PSP Game's 3rd Promo Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  19. Loveridge, Lynzee (September 11, 2013). "Madoka Magica Gets Vita Action Game This Winter (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  20. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 1, 2016). "Madoka Magica Slot Machine Boasts New Animated Footage". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  21. "CR Pachinko Puella Magi Madoka Magica". Kyoraku. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  22. "SLOT Puella Magi Madoka Magica A Official Site". slot-madokamagica. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  23. "「SLOT劇場版魔法少女まどか☆マギカ[新編]叛逆の物語」，本日配信スタート". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  24. Green, Scott (June 29, 2015). "Smartphone Game Turns "Madoka Magica" Cast into Magical Consumer Electronics Girls". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  25. Dennison, Kara (November 4, 2016). "Beef Up Your "Chain Chronicle" Ranks with Madoka and Friends". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  26. "7/1(金)より復刻 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ[新編]叛逆の物語 コラボガチャ part1が登場！". Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  27. Ressler, Karen (August 9, 2016). "Girl Friend Note Rhythm Game Gets Web Anime in October". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  28. "Huge Phantom of the Kill Crossover with Madoka Magica Begins!". Gamasutra. January 26, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  29. Green, Scott (April 12, 2012). "SPOILERS Japanese Fans Name Anime's Saddest Deaths". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  30. Green, Scott (June 19, 2012). "Japanese Fans Name Which Anime Character They Wish Hadn't Died". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  31. Loveridge, Lynzee (December 11, 2014). "10,000 Anime Fans Pick Which Character's Death Left the Biggest Impact". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  32. Green, Scott (January 16, 2015). "Japanese Fans Name the Support Characters Who Deserve Their Own Anime Series". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  33. Green, Scott (May 12, 2016). ""MadoGatari" Nagoya Exhibit Announces Results Of Top Ten (Plus Two) Favorite Shaft Anime Girls". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  34. Baseel, Casey (May 14, 2016). "The 20 best anime magical girls, as chosen by 10,000 Japanese fans". Charapedia. SoraNews24. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  35. Green, Scott (May 15, 2017). "Character Deaths: Which Shocked Anime Fans the Most?". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  36. "アニメに登場する、好きな魔法少女キャラは？「CCさくら」木之本桜を抑えたトップは…". animeanime (in Japanese). February 8, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  37. Cerjak, Kory (September 10, 2014). "Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Parts 1–2 Limited Edition Blu-ray Anime Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  38. Silverman, Rebecca (April 22, 2014). "Midnight in Vinland". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  39. Silverman, Rebecca (December 16, 2014). "Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
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