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Puella Magi Madoka Magica (film series)

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Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Promotional poster for the third movie, Rebellion, featuring main character Homura Akemi.
劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ
(Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika)
GenreDark fantasy, Horror,[1] Magical girl, Tragedy
Anime film
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Beginnings
Directed byAkiyuki Shinbo
Produced byAtsuhiro Iwakami
Written byGen Urobuchi
Music byYuki Kajiura
StudioShaft
ReleasedOctober 6, 2012
Runtime130 minutes
Anime film
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Eternal
Directed byAkiyuki Shinbo
Produced byAtsuhiro Iwakami
Written byGen Urobuchi
Music byYuki Kajiura
StudioShaft
ReleasedOctober 13, 2012
Runtime110 minutes
Anime film
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
Directed byYukihiro Miyamoto
Produced byAtsuhiro Iwakami
Written byGen Urobuchi
Music byYuki Kajiura
StudioShaft
ReleasedOctober 26, 2013
Runtime115 minutes
Manga
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
Written byGen Urobuchi
Illustrated byHanokage
Published byHoubunsha
Original runNovember 12, 2013 – January 10, 2014
Volumes3 (List of volumes)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie (劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ, Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika) is a series of Japanese animated films produced by Aniplex and Shaft based on the 2011 television anime series of the same name. The first two films, Beginnings (始まりの物語, Hajimari no Monogatari) and Eternal (永遠の物語, Eien no Monogatari), were released in October 2012 and serve as a recap of the television series with redone voice acting and some newly animated footage. The third film, Rebellion (叛逆の物語, Hangyaku no Monogatari), is an all-new original work released on October 26, 2013, with a manga adaptation by Hanokage released by Houbunsha between November 2013 and January 2014. The films are distributed outside of Japan by Aniplex of America. Rebellion was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.

Plot

See also: List of Puella Magi Madoka Magica characters

In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, there are certain creatures that can grant a chosen girl any wish they may desire. In exchange for that wish, however, that girl must become a magical girl who must fight against witches, creatures born from despair that are responsible for accidents, disease and suicide. In the city of Mitakihara, a girl named Madoka Kaname is approached by a creature named Kyubey with the offer of becoming a magical girl. Meanwhile, another magical girl named Homura Akemi seeks to do everything in her power to stop Madoka becoming one. Madoka soon learns that the life of a magical girl is not the dreamlike fantasy she imagined and is instead filled with tragedy and despair.

Beginnings

In the city of Mitakihara, a girl named Madoka Kaname, along with her friend, Sayaka Miki, encounter a creature named Kyubey and are saved from witches by a magical girl named Mami Tomoe. Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka the chance to have any one wish granted in exchange for becoming a magical girl and fighting witches, whilst Homura Akemi, another magical girl who recently transferred into Madoka's class, is strongly against Madoka becoming one. Before Madoka can make a decision, however, Mami is killed by a witch, leaving Madoka too afraid to become a magical girl. Sayaka, however, decides to become a magical girl herself in order to heal the hand of her childhood friend, Kyosuke Kamijou. As Sayaka soon comes into conflict with another magical girl named Kyouko Sakura, they, along with Madoka, learn the shocking truth that their soul gems, the source of their magical powers, literally contain their souls. After Sayaka learns that her classmate, Hitomi Shizuki, plans to confess to Kyosuke, Sayaka falls deeper into despair and ends up darkening her soul gem, which turns into a Grief Seed, transforming Sayaka into a witch.

Eternal

Madoka learns from Kyubey, whose real identity is Incubator, that his species makes contracts to make girls into magical girls that inevitably become witches in order to use the energy that spawns from their despair to counter entropy in the universe. Kyouko, hoping for a chance that Sayaka can be made human again, takes Madoka with her to try and reach her humanity. This ultimately fails, with Kyouko choosing to sacrifice herself to destroy Sayaka with her. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Homura comes from another timeline, having relived the same month several times in the hope of saving Madoka from a grim fate at the hands of the ultimate witch, Walpurgisnacht. Homura attempts to face Walpurgisnacht, but is ultimately defeated and draws close to despair, feeling her efforts have become pointless. Just then, Madoka appears and uses the built up energy from several timelines to become a powerful magical girl capable of eliminating witches before they are born. This rewrites the law of the universe, with Madoka becoming nothing more than a concept and Homura being the only one who remembers her.

Rebellion

Madoka and the other magical girls reappear at Mitakihara fighting some new creatures born from humans' negative feelings known as "Nightmares" (ナイトメア, Naitomea), having no recollection about what previously happened. However, Homura realizes something is amiss and after some investigation recovers her lost memories and realizes that she, Madoka, the other girls and several of their friends are trapped into an alternate world inside a witch's barrier. As Homura realizes that said witch must be no other than herself, Kyubey appears and reveals that she had fallen into despair and when she was about to become a witch, he and the other incubators isolated her soul gem to set a trap for Madoka, in order to take control of her power. However, when Madoka appeared, she had forgotten about her duty as the Law of Cycle and her power as such, thus Kyubey kept observing her until that point. Having recovered her memories, Homura forces herself to complete the witch transformation at the cost of having her soul destroyed, to protect Madoka from the incubators. At that moment Sayaka and Nagisa Momoe, who had come with Madoka to help Homura, lead Madoka and the others to fight in order to break the barrier and reach Homura's real body. Madoka recovers her memories and power as the Law of Cycle and reaches for Homura, but the latter releases the curse in her soul gem which she reveals is not despair but love. With this power Homura suppresses Madoka's powers and becomes an existence far more powerful than a magical girl or a witch, which she refers to as the Devil. Afterwards Homura captures Kyubey and rewrites the laws of the universe once again to create a new world where Madoka can live in peace. At the end, however, she realizes that Madoka will eventually remember the truth and they might become enemies.

Production

The original television anime series of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a collaboration between Aniplex, Shaft and MBS. The series was written by Gen Urobuchi and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo with original character designs by Ume Aoki and music by Yuki Kajiura.

In November 2011, it was announced in the December issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype magazine that a three-part theatrical film project was in development by Shaft.[2] The first film, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Part 1: Beginnings (劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ[前編] 始まりの物語, Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika (Zenpen): Hajimari no Monogatari), covers the first eight episodes of the anime series.[3] The film was released in Japanese theaters on October 6, 2012.[4] The second film, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Part 2: Eternal (劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ[後編] 永遠の物語, Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika (Kōhen): Eien no Monogatari), covers the final four episodes of the anime series. The film was released in Japanese theaters on October 13, 2012.[4] The first two films feature redone voices and some scenes with new animation. They were screened in selected locations in the United States and seven other countries between October 2012 and February 2013,[5][6] as well as screened at Anime Festival Asia between November 10–11, 2012 in Singapore.[7] The first two films were released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on July 30, 2013 in standard and collector's edition sets and is available for import by Aniplex of America.[8]

The third film, Puella Magi Madoka Magica New Feature: Rebellion (劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ[新編] 叛逆の物語, Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika (Shinhen): Hangyaku no Monogatari), is an original story which takes place following the events of the previous films. The film was released in Japanese theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 26, 2013.[9][10] Special skits featuring characters from the Monogatari series will air prior to the film, with a different skit shown during each week of its screening.[11] The film was screened in North America by Aniplex of America in December of 2013.[12][13] The film will be released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD with English subtitles on April 2, 2014 in Japan and will be released by Aniplex of America as an import title in North America on April 8, 2014.[14][15][16]

The opening theme for the first two films is "Luminous" (ルミナス, Ruminasu) by ClariS, which was released on October 10, 2012.[17] The ending theme for the first film is "Magia (quattro)" by Kalafina, and the second film's ending theme is "Hikari Furu" (ひかりふる, Light Falling) by Kalafina, which was released on October 24, 2012.[18] For the third film, the opening theme is "Colorful" (カラフル, Karafuru) by ClariS, which was released on October 30, 2013,[19] and the ending theme is "Kimi no Gin no Niwa" (君の銀の庭, Your Silver Garden) by Kalafina, which was released on November 6, 2013.[20]

Other media

See also: List of Puella Magi Madoka Magica chapters

A film comic adaptation of the first two films, titled Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Film Memories, went on sale on May 26, 2012.[21] A manga adaptation of Rebellion illustrated by Hanokage, who previously did the television series' manga adaptation and The Different Story spin-off manga, was published by Houbunsha in three tankōbon volumes between November 12, 2013 and January 10, 2014.[22]

An action-adventure video game based on the films, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram, was released in Japan on December 12, 2013 for the PlayStation Vita. The game follows an alternate plotline to the first two films, in which Madoka makes a wish that all the magical girls could work together and defeat Walpurgisnacht.[23]

Reception

Beginnings grossed more than ¥500 million at the Japanese box office.[24] The Blu-ray Disc edition of the first two films sold over 80,000 in its first week.[25] Rebellion was one of 19 animated films submitted for Best Animated Feature for the 86th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[26] The film has earned over 1.93 billion yen in the Japanese box office, breaking the previous record held by K-On! the Movie for a film based on a late-night anime television series.[27] Rebellion was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year at the 37th Japan Academy Prize.[28]

Hope Chapman of Anime News Network gave the film a B rating, praising its gorgeous visuals and creativity, but citing the film's last-minute twist as "mean-spirited and ludicrously out-of-character."[29] Richard Eisenbeis and Toshina Kamura at Kotaku reviewed the film positively. Toshi's final thoughts being, "Aside from my aforementioned problems with the pace of the initial mystery, I loved everything else about the movie. It plays with your emotions like crazy, but at the same time, it’s emotionally fluid. While you might not agree with characters' choices and actions, they all make sense and are never forced." Richard's final thoughts were, "Personally, I loved it. It's a great character piece and a worthy addition to the franchise, but it is far from an uplifting cap to the series."[30]

Accolades

Year Name of Competition Category Result Recipient
2014 86th Academy Awards Best Animated Feature Submitted The Rebellion
37th Japan Academy Prize Animation of the Year Nominated The Rebellion
13th Tokyo Anime Award Animation of the Year (Film Category) Recognition Award The Rebellion

References

  1. ^ "Important Importables: Puella Magi Madoka Magica". Technology Tell. August 26, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  2. ^ "Madoka Magica Film Project Launches". Anime News Network. November 7, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  3. ^ "Madoka Magica: Beginnings May Be Better Than the Series". Kotaku. October 9, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Madoka Magica Films Slated for October 6 & 13". Anime News Network. June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "2 Madoka Magica Films to Play in 8 Global Territories in 2012". Anime News Network. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  6. ^ "Theater Listing New Showtimes Added!". Aniplex. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  7. ^ "Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie". Anime Festival Asia. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  8. ^ "Aniplex USA to Release 1st 2 Madoka Magica Films in July". Anime News Network. April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  9. ^ "3rd Madoka Magica Film's Footage Premieres on Japanese TV". Anime News Network. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  10. ^ "VIDEO: An Early Glimpse At "Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion"". Crunchyroll. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Madoka Magica, Monogatari Casts Teach Manners in Crossover Shorts". Anime News Network. October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  12. ^ "3rd Madoka Magica Film to Screen in U.S. This Winter". Anime News Network. July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "Madoka Magica USA Official Website, Theater Listing". Aniplex. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  14. ^ "Blu-ray & DVD" (in Japanese). Aniplex. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  15. ^ "3rd Madoka Magica Film's Blu-ray to Have English Subtitles". Anime News Network. January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  16. ^ "Aniplex USA Offers Madoka Magica -Rebellion- Blu-ray in April". Anime News Network. February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  17. ^ "ルミナス" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 25, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "ひかりふるス" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 10, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "カラフル". Oricon. Retrieved August 28, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "君の銀の庭". Oricon. Retrieved August 28, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Madoka Magica Anime Gets Its Own Dedicated Magazine". Anime News Network. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  22. ^ "Hanokage to Draw Madoka Magica: Rebellion Film's Manga". Anime News Network. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  23. ^ "Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram Set For Vita On December 12". Siliconera. September 18, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  24. ^ "Idolm@ster Movie Debuts at #5 With 150 Million Yen". Anime News Network. January 27, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  25. ^ "Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, July 22-28". Anime News Network. July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  26. ^ "Wind Rises, Madoka Magica, Momo Submitted for Oscar Nominations". Anime News Network. November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  27. ^ "3rd Madoka Magica Film Tops K-ON! Film's Box Office". Anime News Network. December 22, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  28. ^ "Wind Rises, Madoka, Lupin vs. Conan, Harlock, Kaguya Earn Japan Academy Prize Nods". Anime News Network. January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  29. ^ "Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 3: Rebellion". Anime News Network. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  30. ^ "The New Madoka Magica Movie is the Sequel You Never Knew Was Needed". Kotaku. October 29, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
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