For all her troubles, Akari is thrown into a Jail Cell (which every school should have). To be quite fair, her actions are incredibly selfish. Though admittedly the decision she has to make is very difficult, she is allowing people to die due to her indecision, while avoiding any kind of emotional repercussion. Akari is one of the few with the powers to protect, and as one wise man said, 'With great powers, come great responsibilities'. If no one else can protect those people apart from you, then protect them, even if there is an ultimate cost at the end.
Genei introduces the premise that Akari can hear the voices of the Daemonia, and is apparently the sole person who can. This offers a great contribution to the plot, since another perspective is revealed to everyone, along with a voice of reasoning. She also comes to empathise with said man, a human ruined by the death of his own son, and was driven to the edge of insanity. What interests me about the setup of this show is that it challenges the old absolute of “Thou Shalt Not Kill” (which, if you look at the actions of most major political or religious leaders in history, is not really much of an absolute at all) by exploring when it is not only okay to kill, but when it is right to do so.
Whatever the case, Akari’s decision reeks of Madoka Ex Machina. She is sacrificing herself up as some kind of therapist for the soon-to-be dead, one who will take on the pain of the humans trapped in the Daemonia, and then help them in the only way she can – by liberating them (in other words, by killing them). She will listen and remember, so that they will not be completely forgotten. Shouldering the burden of all despair in order to bring hope is an admirable act. However, in effect, she is taking so much despair as burden that it may end up absolutely crushing her. I don't want another Madoka ending, something original please.
Coincidentally (or not), it would seem every female character in our Magica Quartet bears emotional baggage. Akari has to face the truth that she's erased her cousin from existence; Seira struggles to justify her reluctant killing; Luna has always been 'damaged goods', and though Ginka doesn't show any signs of letting up, there’s plenty of potential to go into despair-ville for her. In fact, she one who seems to float effortlessly by might be the one to crack the hardest. I'd just like to fall back on Luna, who seems to embody 'The Moon Loves the Sun' motif. Akari resembles Luna's older sister, the only person who ever thought she was worth anything. She won't stand down in defending Akari's decisions, even if they're off the rails. A moment which brought back a beautiful moment from PMMM.
To conclude, after hearing a Daemonia plead for death, Akari comes to the understanding that to kill in this situation is to deliver mercy upon the unfortunate soul. She finally comes to a conviction (which they should've done in the last episode), and I'll reiterate, this series is ready to kick some butts. I still wonder what path this show will eventually take, and whether the world will allow the characters to have their way. There are, broadly speaking, two choices: the light path, and the dark. Akari is trying to take the light path, of taking a third option and finding a way to fix the system so they can exterminate the Daemonia before innocent lives are lost, but will the world allow it? She must walk the dark path in the meantime, of slaying the Daemonia and the humans they have taken over. Will she slowly come to accept this as the only path, her idealism slowly crushed by the inexorable reality of the world?
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