I recently had an opportunity to see the double feature of movies based on the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, Beginnings and Eternal. The two films came to Atlanta at the Plaza Theater at a pretty reasonable ticket price, so I took a companion and headed down there. When I got there, the co-chairs of a local anime convention Momocon were there doing promotions and handed out 30 posters of Madoka movie 1 to the first fans who attended. One of the co-chairs was kind enough to allow me to help introduce the movie to the audience and promote a bit of Anime Weekend Atlanta in the process, for which I was genuinely honored.
The first movie starts similarly to the TV series in that the opening credits pop in with the TV theme, though the imagery is a bit different. That seems to be the theme of these movies come to think of it: familiar territory but some new imagery. We see two friends Madoka and Sayaka head to school and live their lives. However, one day a very striking girl named Homura arrives at the school as a new student and everyone is instantly fascinated by her presence. She only seems interested in however in talking with Madoka, whom she accompanies to the infirmary and talks to extensively about her life and goals.
Later, Madoka and Sayaka are walking and they find a small wounded little white creature called Kyubey who keeps calling Madoka telepathically. Kyubey is being attacked by someone trying to kill him… who turns out to be Homura. Just then, a beautiful blonde named Mami shows up to face Homura and displays some awesome powers in the process. Homura eventually backs down, saying that it’s already too late for what she wanted to accomplish. Mami begins to tell Madoka and Sayaka about the benefits of being a “magical girl,” who can gain incredible powers and protect humanity from beings called ‘witches’.” All a girl has to do is make a contract with Kyubey who will grant one wish in return for a lifetime of permanent service. Eventually, Madoka and Sayaka accompany Mami on a mission to defeat one of the witches and begin to learn the true horror of the fate this chosen lifestyle can bring…
The two films here cover the events of the TV series entirely, with some beautifully animated new sequences. Watching the story play out in these two films helps articulate the role that Madoka’s friends and associates play in shaping her destiny. The first film, “Beginnings” places a lot of emphasis on Sayaka’s development (and introduces another magical girl named Kyoko in the process), while the second, “Eternal” shows the extraordinary role Homura’s friendship plays as the terrible nature of Kyubey’s contracts and resulting consequences come to light. The incredible varying animation techniques by Shaft and several other studios articulate the crazy escalations that these girls must face.
Some fans have called Puella Magi Madoka Magica the ultimate deconstruction of the magical girl genre, and this is an assessment I’ve come to agree with. In the span of 4 hours, very compelling story is told and is nothing like anything I’ve seen in anime. As a whole, they tell the story a bit better than the TV series. If you can get a chance to see these to see them at a theater, please do so. The animation holds up and comes across bigger than life as truly a visual spectacle. The price isn’t so bad and it’s a bit rare to see an anime film (let alone two) on the big screen in the U.S. relatively close to their release date. So definitely avail yourselves the opportunity to see them should it come.
Grade: A
