>>240041406>soul gem corrupted by love is a complete asspullProfoundly wrong. Let's break down why. Homura wanted to be at Madoka's side. Failing that, she wanted to at least be able to save Madoka. By the end of the series, she completely failed to accomplish either of these things.
This is why, in Rebellion, the curse she raises when she becomes a witch is against herself, rather than some external factor. She hates herself, more than anything or anyone else. Why? For her failure to save Madoka in the past, and for endangering her again in the present.
What was Homura's motivating factor for trying to save Madoka, and for despising herself for her failure to do so? It was love. Her desire to save Madoka was driven by her love, and her failure to save Madoka drove her into despair.
Additionally, as explained in Rebellion, the more despair in her gem and the closer Homura got to being taken by the Law of Cycles, the more hope she had. Why? Because it brought her closer to seeing Madoka again. But, this renewed hope also slowed down the corruption in her gem and delayed her reunion with Madoka. Therefore, in the post-Madoka world, Homura's love for Madoka trapped her in an endless cycle of suffering, thematically identical though mechanically different from how Homura's love for Madoka trapped her in an endless cycle of suffering as she kept repeating time to save Madoka.
Acknowledging her love for Madoka and using the pain and suffering that love caused her ("Even my pain is dear to me now. It is proof of my love for Madoka.") as fuel to try to save Madoka again is a crowning moment of triumph in terms of both characterization and narrative. Even better, the mechanism by which she accomplished this was directly and competently foreshadowed in episodes 9, 11, and 12 of the TV show.
It's not an asspull. You just weren't paying attention.
