Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal suffers from the “middle child” conundrum common in trilogy series. The second chapter must continue development of the plot and characters, but must not bring closure to the overarching universe (which is the ultimate purpose of the final installment). The movie does an excellent job continuing the story, but it does not create a satisfying conclusion. The story development introduces many new questions about the characters and their world, and yet offers no definitive answers or even hints. Some may consider this a strength, garnering fan’s interest and excitement for the final movie. Regardless, it leaves an unsettling feeling of incomplete development.
This fault lies in movie’s purpose, rather than the story. In the final episode of the anime, Madoka wishes to save all magical girls from their doomed fate, and the world we knew unravels at the seams. After watching the despair, desolation, and downfall of our protagonists, the show takes a reversal in tone to discuss the concept of hope. This controversial ending redirects the attention onto the psychological states of the characters, not the witch-hunt story. When a new universe is revealed in the final moments of the show, there’s no need to explain everything: the final message is about hope. However, the second movie does not convey this idea. Instead it remains focused on plot development for the third chapter.
The movie’s limitations also contribute to the sense of incompleteness. The first movie condenses the first eight episodes into one 120-minute movie. The streamlined story is more engaging as it accelerates the story and character development, but at cost of tension and drama. The second movie is shorter and covers fewer episodes, but disappointingly the pacing is even more uneven. Some of the most critical and powerful scenes in the show were tragically cut short. The absolutely essential initial confrontation between Kyuubey and Madoka, so well-executed in the show, was reduced to its barest bones. That was one of the biggest disappointments I had with the movie.
There was one mistake in particular that almost ruined the experience: Homura’s backstory. As expected, the movie would need to cover episode ten — the biggest revelation of the series. We learn that Homura is a time traveler repeatedly going back in time in order to save Madoka. The problem is not the story itself, but how it was included into the movie. Immediately after the Sayaka-Kyoko conflict, there is a long, narrated CG scene followed by a count-up to ten, clearly identifying the original’s episode count to that point. I question Shinbou’s judgement with this transition; it ruins the tension from the last battle. The movie then uses the original anime opening exactly like how it appears in the show. However, the opening was never used in the movies up to this point. Why is this moment, when the show hangs precipitously on a dramatic high note, the time to spring the opening on us? These jarring transitions completely ruin the atmosphere and tone of the story. Shinbo Akiyuki attempts at pandering to the fans backfires, disrupting the overall experience of the movie.
It is clear that Shaft has no intention on simply recreating the original. As I stated in the previous review, these movies are clearly a love-letter to the fans. Like the first movie, the second has outstanding audio and visual upgrades. However, it has even more problems than the first. This movie is just good — not bad, but not great. Despite my complaints, this is still a wonderful experience for both newcomers and old fans alike. Most importantly, both movies succeed in rekindling love for the franchise and building interest for the third installment.
