Ranked #49

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari

The Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise is a juggernaut. When it first aired in 2011, the series quickly became popular, appealing to fans around the world with its amazing visuals and suspenseful story. Riding on the success of the original series, Shaft decides to expand on the franchise with a movie trilogy.

Yet, was it needed?

Let's set the record straight: the first two movies cover the same story of the original series. However this is not a simple rehash of the original. It's a bit unfair to use the term "recap" simply because most fans know the story; the movie contains the same events, but everything in the film has been revamped. Newcomers will be treated with an amazing experience, and fans will be delighted by the subtle changes. Mostly.

After the first few seconds, it becomes quite clear that Shaft had no intention on simply recycling Blu-ray footage: it's even better. The visuals are absolutely stunning -- these changes extend beyond fixing the infamous "meduka meguca" quality drops; the art is much more polished, the animation is more fluid, and backgrounds are incredibly elaborate. The use of the paper-cut-out style returns, bringing an dynamic contrast between the two worlds. Fortunately, these changes are more than simply cosmetic. I have always praised Shaft for having amazing cinematography and this movie is no exception. Familiar scenes have subtle changes: pans, close ups, dynamic angles, head-tilts. When combined with the directing of Shinbo Akiyuki, all these tweaks enhance the tension and suspense.

Shaft also spent much time reworking the sound design. Compared to the original series, audio plays a more prominent role is establishing the atmosphere. Whispers and footsteps add to the eerie nature of the witch-hunts, while the crashes and explosions add power to the action. Of course, the biggest highlight would have to be the amazing soundtrack. Kajiura Yuki created an amazing score that reflects the magical yet horrific world. And just like the visuals, the movie boasts a few new tracks to please the returning fans.

The most controversial change is the pacing. By switching from a television format (12-episodes, 25 minutes each) to a movie format (120 minutes), the story is definitely accelerated giving a great sense of development and plot progression. The movie covers the first eight episodes of the original. The faster pace works to improve the drama (especially with Sayaka's arc later on) and help give more personality to the characters. However, this change is the Achilles' heel of the movie.

The original series excelled in "shock and awe" tactics. Before airing, there was mysterious nature to the show. The eerie aesthetics and haunting foreshadowing toyed with the audience's expectations in the early episodes, only to dramatically reveal its true nature in a stunning plot twist. By deconstructing the genre and using parallels to Goethe's Faust, it was a roller coaster of madness as the world witnessed the tragedy and downfall of our protagonists. Every week, we were treated with stunning revelations and jaw-dropping cliff-hangers. The pacing was slow yet methodical, only to enhance the suspense and drama. The movie does not have this. The story continuously progresses from scene to scene, granting no time to let it all settle. The audience has no chance to reflect. This isn't to say the movie is incompetent. The experience is all in the story and the directing, but it's clear sacrifices were made. This ultimately boils down to one question: What is the purpose of these movies?

Essentially, these movies are a love-letter to the fans. The enhanced audio and visuals definitely deliver a new experience, though the added benefit is quite minimal. Shaft could have simply reused old footage, but it's clear they chose to make something more. The movie is fantastic as a stand-alone product, but it's hard to critique it without comparing it to the original. Fundamentally, the story is faithful, yet it lacks the same emotional impact of the original. I'm confident that both die-hard fans and newcomers will enjoy this movie. However, for new fans I recommend the anime original instead. read more

Note: This is a review for both part one and two.

Airing in the Winter 2010 Season (Starting in January of 2011), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica was met with critical acclaim and gained a lot of popularity in the west and Japan due to its ambitious and thought provoking storyline hidden behind its frilly pink dresses. Shaft were a very popular studio before hand with hits like Bakemonogatari and Hidamari Sketch. But Madoka Magica's popularity exceeded even them. Because of it's success, Shaft decided to expand upon it by creating a trilogy of movies based on the series. The first two movies (Which I'm reviewing) are a recap of the series with new animation, re recorded dialogue and some new scenes. I've already reviewed the series so this review will be about the differences between both versions.

The basic story remains the same between the two versions. Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki meet Mami Tomoe, a magical girl. Along with her is a cat like companion named Kyubey. Kyubey says that he wants them to make contracts to become magical girls. As the story progresses, it becomes very clear that there is something different about Madoka Magica. And then the tone drastically changes turning it from slice of life with a little bit of supernatural into psychological horror with a very unique take on supernatural powers.

The movie does suffer a little plot wise compared to the TV version. The pacing doesn't work quite as well with the movie format. Some scenes move too quickly and some move too slowly. Although I have to give Shaft credit for not removing any major plot details. The reason this movie works as an alternative to watching the show is because it makes perfect sense on its own. Not many recap movies can do that. Death Note's recap movies tried to condense 37 episodes into 2 movies. Needles to say, they cut out a lot of important plot details and it made no sense on its own. 'Death and Rebirth of Evangelion' fairs even worse with 24 episodes condensed into just an hour. Even with the show that movie made no sense. Madoka on the other hand is a perfect alternative to the show. While the pacing is better in the show, everything is covered in the movie. If you have limited time or you just don't feel like watching the show, you won't lose too much if watch the movies first.

Now onto the art. Ume Aoki's Hidamari Sketch esque art style helps to hide its dark side in the early parts while not being entirely ill fitting when it becomes darker in the later parts. The animation has also had a big step up in quality to fit the higher budget for the movies. You won't find any 'Meduka' animation or extra fingers in this. This movie's art and animation is absolutely flawless. Yes that's right. I just called the animation in a Shaft production flawless. The character models in general also have some extra detail put into them. Sayaka's hair pins have had some minor changes but it's nothing to write home about. There are also some minor changes in the design of the city and the witches Labyrinths. A few scenes also have some minor cosmetic changes but once again, it's nothing to write home about. But the new transformation sequences need to be mentioned. Visually, they were already stunning in the show. But the movie turns in up a notch with some very elaborate sequences. Mami's in particular was jaw dropping. The new animation is one of the biggest draws and rightfully so. While it's not the best I've seen with a movie budget, it still looks amazing. Easily the best looking Shaft animation has ever looked.

Another one of the big draws is the new soundtrack. Madoka Magica is what I consider to be Yuki Kajiura's best work. It's mix of choirs singing gibberish, ominous strings, hard rock, Jpop and classical music worked perfectly in every scene. The movies improve on the soundtrack by using more fitting music in some scenes and adding new music into parts that were previously silent. Hearing the score booming through the cinema speakers is a thrilling experience to say the least. The opening is 'Luminous' by the Jpop duo ClariS who also performed the opening for the show. This has to be the only time I've ever gotten goosebumps by just watching the opening sequence. Hell, I got goosebumps again at the start of the second movie when they played it again. Also scattered throughout the two movies are new songs from the group Kalafina who performed the show's ending theme. A remix of Credens Justitiam (Or 'Mami's theme) with Japanese lyrics, A remix of 'Magia' with some added instrumentation as the ending them for the first movie and 'Hikari Furu' the ending theme for Movie 2. Overall an amazing soundtrack that improves even further on the already superb score for the show.

Since I've already discussed it in my actual review, there's not much point in talking about the characters since there aren't many differences. However, the movies have some flaws compared to the TV show. Mami's backstory has been removed completely. Her importance in the show was questionable as it was but the removal of her backstory highlights this flaw even more. The reason this is a flaw is because it became even more apparent that she didn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Sure, she triggers the change in tone but the fact that she's so insignificant in the movies is problem. Overall, the characters are the same as the show. However, the change in pacing means that some characters are focussed upon a bit more than in the show. I felt a bit more attached to Madoka than in the show. The characters in the show are great and they remain mostly the same in the movies. Not much else needs to be said.

Overall, these movies are a solid retelling of one of the best anime series in the past few years. If you liked the show, watch it. The new animation and music are a real treat and not just a gimmick. If you haven't seen the show, watch the show then watch the movies. Or you could just watch one or the other. What you take from this movie boils down to personal preference. Maybe you prefer the quicker pace of the movies. Or, like me, you could prefer the slower pacing of the show. While I think the movie is slightly inferior to the TV series, it's a great recap of one of my all time favourites with some interesting improvements which make it stick out from the TV show. If you like Madoka, watch it. If you don't like it, don't watch it. If you like the series (Or haven't seen it yet) and you're lucky enough for this movie to be screened in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend you go see it. read more