According to Urobuchi, "Rebellion" has nothing to do with the anime TV series. Seeing as it is, though, a sequel to the recap films it is up to debate whether this film is even canonical or not. Rebellion asks for a lot from viewers. It questions older fans by "severing" itself from the main series and develops Urobuchi's central themes in some unconventional ways. Simultaneously it begs the fanbase of the original series to follow along a confusing and often far-flung narrative in a new and possibly pretentious direction. Due to the position "away" from the TV series Urobuchi has asserted it leads me to believe that this film is both a belaboring of past concepts and strengthening of a young franchise whilst torpedoing into more abstract territory. Luckily though, the film rarely breaks into feeling dishonest about it's content. As it seems to set the stage for more Mahou Shoujo in the future, it is my opinion while this is not a masterpiece it certainly is a milestone achievement and should be watched. The Mahou Shoujo series may eventually become the centerpiece of Urobuchi's philosophy, and with the help of Shinbou Akiyuki may become a stylistic anime classic.
Let me begin with the ending. Rebellion quickly draws huge and obvious comparisons to The End of Evangelion for it's confusing and jumbled close. Unlike The End of Evangelion though there is extremely little closure. Most of the finale of the film is actually slightly incomprehensible. Sure, we as fans can try and decipher the meaning behind some of the films closing events but we really know nothing definitive yet. The film is rarely abstract in the sense of interpretation, but deals heavily in abstractions. While usually this is a misstep by writers that end up writing conclusions exerting self-importance, Urobuchi manages to keep us feasting on his heroines' misfortune. The difference between the two movies deemed the "deconstructions" of their respective genres though is that End of Evangelion reaches a catharsis that was underlying since the first episode. Anno's vehicle for explanation, Shinji, uses his movie time finally deciding whether it is best to live or die, much like Homura. Shinji's decision did not bring into question anything that was previously canonical, and strengthens the finale thematically. The ultimate flaw here was that by having Homura choose life in the final scene of the film, it is corrupting the original narrative slightly.
Madoka's TV series ending was of course up to interpretation, but it was clear that Akemi Homura was in a powerful love with Kaname Madoka. By having Homura pull Madoka back into the plane of physical beings it springboards a lot of questions about their relationship. Has Homura forsaken her love for Madoka and turned it into a lust? Are we supposed to believe that her succumbing to absence of Madoka put her under so much strain that she would snap? Did her life truly become so dependent on Madoka that she would do anything to keep her around? And if that last question is true, why would Homura want to become the embodiment of evil by theoretically killing God? The hardest to understand is Madoka here, who despite being a God at this point does little to vocalize her opinion of what Homura is doing. The end of the film is a massive cliffhanger. The film does promise more great work, but it does not do what it claims to have been doing. It does not provide a conclusion, neither thematically to the series nor definitively to the story. It leaves much to understand about Madoka and her power as a deity, and about Homura. We understood that Homura was miserable but how does she feel now? The conclusion is steeped in massive mystique, and despite delivering a wonderful character study, seems a bit too convenient.
What do I mean? There's a lot of convenience in this film in the narrative aspect, and it's often glossed over. There's a huge amount of content to unravel here, so it makes sense that not everything is explained, nor am I demanding it is. But there are certain plot points that just seem strikingly convenient - Why is Nagisa hidden the whole time as Bebe? If it was to not attract too much attention to the fact her memories had been altered, why wasn't it still simply obvious enough that Bebe was an extremely strange entity? Why were Charlotte and Sayaka chosen as the witches to guide Homura to Madoka? And the biggest question of all, why did Kyuubey and the Incubators care so much as to push Homura's Soul Gem to the limit? And didn't this twist seem rather non-sequitur? How did we get from the ending of the TV series where Homura was, to this "world in world" maze? Without explaining these things, the boundlessness and confusing nature of the Sci-Fi aspect in the Mahou Shoujo series seems to dwarf the tragedy aspect and make it harder to sympathize with. If the film aimed to create less "twist moments" we wouldn't be left with so many blatantly unexplained plot points and often paradoxical content.
But that's part of the fun of Madoka too! I mean it! The Mahou Shoujo series is butt-clenchingly entertaining! It's fun to try and follow the zany twists and turns of the labyrinth-like film, even to the point where paradoxes occur. The ultimate themes from Urobuchi transcend the narrative content, and he explains them in an outrageous manner: Selfishness vs. Selflessness, the tragedy of losing a loved one and it's aftereffects, and the paradoxical nature of human love... Urobuchi has created a work of art that is worth trying to understand. He's vocalized his most honest feelings about these topics, and he's done so believably! And through the mouths of 15-year-old girls! Even if this wasn't the closure you were hoping for after episode 12, this is certainly just as exciting. It's a writer really putting himself on the line, questioning his diehard fanbase by challenging them with new questions and innovating and debunking all sorts of anime cliches. He is doing something unexpected yet not contrary. How easily he could have put this series to rest. It may be convenient that Homura's motives are up to question at the end of the film, but thankfully it means more work from a great writer who loves what he is doing.
Also remember this film is about Homura. Is Sayaka the lead? No. Is Kyouko the lead? No. Is Mami the head? Hue. The other characters remain mostly static in the film, but that is okay. We have to remember that the other characters technically weren't even in this film. It's a one-man and one Incubator and one God show.
As for the animation, Shinbou Akiyuki really out does himself here, and the age-old complaint regarding Studio SHAFT's budget can be completely ignored. This movie has the production and innovative genius to outshine most all animated films before it. The use of stop-motion, interpretive setting, and distinct and disturbing imagery all help catapult this film leagues ahead of it's contemporaries. It's an ambitious thing, this direction. The sparsity and seemingly obsessively exact backgrounds leave each shot a photograph. And by the time the film has reached it's second half the quick cuts bring powerful imagery together by linking each frame. Even without dialogue this film would have an incredible visual narrative. I'd like to praise a particular moment when Madoka descends into Homura's maze and there's a rapid blast of shots showing the two together. An ethical tour-de-force brought on by the cunning direction. Not only a visual treat, it's a visual feast. The cinematography is outstanding, especially for an animated film. And by the time you get to the transformation sequences, you're very aware that SHAFT is simply showing off. I love it.
The original soundtrack draws on it's predecessors heavily, and for the most part uses that incredible score to liven and darken the mood. The new arrangements are all on par, not a tune out of place. Or should I say all but one. The Round Cake song. It's charming and gleeful, but at the same time... I definitely haven't been so disturbed by the series at any other point in the film. Good work keeping me baffled, SHAFT. The opening and ending songs were both nice. It seems SHAFT decided to play it safe in an experimental film and use the same bands to open and close. It's nice for a nostalgic effect but really these two songs add nothing of value to the film, as opposed to The End of Evangelion where Tumbling Down is the emotional height of the film. The soundtrack is still very strong, but the "dark" pop of Kalafina at the close gave a highly artificial feel. I don't even think the end of the film needed music.
So should you watch Rebellion? Absolutely. It's a movie that is going to get a lot of buzz, and not simply in the anime community. It's a strong film, and joins the ranks of other baffling anime films like The End of Evangelion and Adolescence of Utena. It leaves a lot to chew and can be re-watched several times and still feel fresh. Though it remains a confusing piece of history in the Mahou Shoujo series, it will no doubt be an important pivot in Urobuchi Gen's canon of writing.
