Puella Magi Madoka Magika [2]

[tomrule123]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2013-12-07
DAMN. SO MANY PEOPLE VISITING THAT PREMIERE. ... well, better get cracking on seeing this (series and films). From what I've heard, I'm gonna be in a treat, aren't I?
(just realized something. Not crazy about dubs (unless showing this to friends), but: what if the dubbing goes through what Gurren Lagann went through: dub provided with series, no dub provided with movies. ... Aniplex, if you do that same structure to Madoka Magica films, you'll ruin the money's worth on your expensive DVD/Blu-ray sets!)

[LightDragonman]

All I can really say is that you're in for an experience, and that like Eva, you'll walk away with many opinions and feelings about it, for better or worse.

As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the greatest animes of all time.

[Redtophat]

The film felt like pure fanservice and outside of how Sayaka's character is written I found the story to be pretty shit. Sure the film was enjoyable for it's great art, action scenes, and soundtrack but its story felt really hollow and pointless, in fact towards the end I started nodding off in the theater because it hit fan-fic levels of wtfretardation.

I also find any comparison between this film and Q as superficial(if there are any) as they don't even share the same themes and also Q was by far the darkest piece in the Eva franchise besides EoE while I found the atmosphere in the Madoka tv series to be more dark than Rebellion story.

[LightDragonman]

I find it interesting that you say that the film felt like pure fan service, as that may have been one of the points of the film. Remember that all of that stuff was taking place inside a Witch's Barrier that Homura had unconsciously created, and that it was all a lie, with it slowly but surely breaking down as she began to uncover the truth. In a sense, it is implying that all this stuff that the fans tend to gravitate towards and focus on, the les yay subtext, memes, and happy alternate universes, are all an illusion, and that it isn't what we should be focusing on for the series. Just like Homura's barrier, it all must come crashing down, and reality must take a hold again.

So what you consider to be shallow, I saw as being intriguing. Also, I feel that if didn't see any themes between it and Q, you simply weren't looking hard enough, no offense. I point to my previous post/analysis. I'd really like to know why you didn't care much for the story, as I found it to be quite engaging and interesting, far more than Q, where I was face palming throughout the whole thing and found myself nodding off at the end.

[caragnafog dog]

I agree with June. Had it ended where most people wanted it to it would have been an extremely fun and satisfying epilogue, it didn't add much to the story.

[AR-99]

Only thing I need now is Xard's review.

Q and Meguka film have hardly anything in common, stylistically, storywise or in terms of characterization. At most they share grim edgyness but that's it, really.


Anyway, I love cake song but overall I found third PMMM film to be unnecessary appendix to what was a fine organism as is. The storyline is rather weak, film is awfully slow moving (I found first 30-40 minutes rather boring beyond cake song and InuCurry OD'ing on whatever they're taking) and it shits on the original series thematically and storywise in pointless, disgusting cash grab forced on the franchise by those money hungry bastards in Shaft. Poor Gen, I don't blame him if he bails out from now inevitable second season.

Speaking of which, it's blatantly easy to tell the ending was forcefully changed. The first 1h40mins or so build up logically towards conclusion Gen has outlined in some interviews as of late. Then they suddenly change gears in rapid LOLOLOLOLSATAN asspull tweeeeeeeeeeest and the film eventually peters out with way too long parallel sequence to film's opening.


It was not bad film and it did have great moments and amazing visuals through and through. However it's stretched beyond the point of comfort esp. at beginning and end, is utterly pointless addition storywise and most offensibly shits on original series and pre-established settei all for sake of stupid, greedy shot at second season that will most likely be underwhelming beyond belief.

6/10, I suffered more than Megukas.

No one has said how their theatrical viewing experience was yet.

Some of you may recall that I only saw Madoka relatively recently, around October. After finishing the series I bought a ticket to the 6 PM December 7 screening in SF at the 4-Star Theater and saw the first 2 movies. Last week I saw the camrip of Rebellion and was not very happy with the result. I was hoping that a second viewing would improve my opinion.

Anyway, I saw Rebellion with my cousin who had convinced me to watch the series to begin with. I had wanted to go to Japantown first before heading over to the 4-Star but he came down from Sacramento later than I expected so I decided to park near the theater first then go to a local comic store nearby to kill time. However when driving by it there was already a line so we got into it after parking about 3 blocks away. I really wanted to get one of the mini shikishi boards that were being given away while supplies lasted as the first 50 people in line were guaranteed to end up with one at each of this theater's screenings We were in the mid #20s in line. The first people queued just before 4.


The theater was the smallest one I've ever seen a movie at. It has 2 screens and only 1 toilet for each gender. Within 10 feet of entering you step inside one of the screening rooms. What you can't really tell from the picture is how cold it was, around 40° F/4.4° C. You cold weather people shrug that off but that is cold by California standards. Would have been on my phone more to kill time but it wasn't worth it to keep my hands exposed for that long, so I talked with the people in line behind me. The most exciting thing that happened was we saw a cab driver provoke an argument when he honked the car in front of him at the intersection and that driver took offense and got out to speak his mind. They didn't get into a fight but when the cab went around the car to go ahead through the intersection, a pedestrian who was crossing stopped right in front of him to stop him and beckoned the first car to go ahead.

After nearly 2 hours of waiting we were let in and I secured my shikishi, which was enclosed in a silver slipcase. There are 5 designs but ieveryone who got them ended up with the Homura design, not my first choice but I'm happy with it (Ultimate Madoka is my last choice). The theater either got all Homuras or a mix of the designs and didn't shuffle them. The illustrations are by Umi Aoki.


As for viewing experience itself, that was something. I got the sense that everyone else was a more serious fan and hadn't seen the camrip. In the beginning especially I thought people were overreacting to what was going on, shits and giggles to battling the first Nightmare, Sayaka x Kyoko hijinks, cake song, every time Bebe/Nagisa mentioned cheese. But, that might be more of the fan base reacting to the fan service. After Homura started to question what was going on people went quiet. When the credits started I yelled out not to go as there was something afterwards and practically everyone stayed. Reaction seemed to be mixed from what I gathered but didn't hear any blatant complaints. Outside were the people waiting for the 8:45 screening. Brrr. The line continues past the entrance to the grocery store.


From the second viewing my opinion was revised upwards from negative to hmmm . How the series is resolved satisfyingly I think has not gotten easier.

For those of you who missed them or want to get more shikishis, you'll find more on Yahoo Japan Auctions than ebay although someone has listed all the schwag US premiere attendees got + a bonus repro shikishi of Madoka from the 2012 US screening. Better than the shikishis though might be the films strips, some of which the Japanese fans are really getting bid up on YJA.

[LightDragonman]

You know, thinking back to the film, the more the ending makes sense, at least to me. I believe it was said that it was emotions that either purified or corrupted one's Soul Gem, and while Hope and Despair were the strongest ones, they weren't the only emotions that could do it. So Homura's Soul Gem corrupting thanks to her love and desire isn't as farfetched as it seems. Not to mention her talk with Madoka, who may or may not have been the real one, foreshadowed what she was going to do in the end.

From a thematic standpoint, it also ties into the whole selfishness vs. selflessness theme that has driven many of the characters in the show. Not to mention that, like Evangelion before it, it can also be read as a swipe at the fans who create their own fix fics in an attempt to make things "better", or are only focused on the superficial aspects of the series.

But more than anything, I feel that it takes the character of Homura to her most logical endpoint, and also forces us to re-examine how exactly pure motives and actions driven completely by love are. At what point does it stop being selfless, and start to seem more like the selfish actions of one who is unwilling to simply let things go. Say, that sound very Eva esque as well.

So yeah, I personally find the ending to be satisfying, and even better the more I reflect on it, which is the opposite reaction I had to 3.0. And my fellow theatergoers who saw the film were more or less thrilled by how it ended, though a lot of them were also confused, with some saying that it surpassed End Of Evangelion in terms of surreal storytelling and visuals.

Feel free to debate though.

[Shinoyami65]

^I suppose, like many things in Eva, if you analyse it more it become clearer and you can take a deeper meaning from it. On the other hand, that meaning may not be visible or favourable to everyone. For the most part I was satisfied with the message of Selfish Love v. Pure Love, although once again I wish it had been communicated subtly instead of in what I felt was an abrupt and unnatural manner.

[AR-99]

I can't have been the only person to have seen Rebellion over the last week to have gotten a mini shikishi board now am I? The rest of you missed out?

[hui43210]

Anyone else seeing this for the first time tonight?

[caragnafog dog]

I can't have been the only person to have seen Rebellion over the last week to have gotten a mini shikishi board now am I? The rest of you missed out?

The Boston showing had a bigger turnout than I anticipated, and due to some fuckups with my sister's roommates I only got there 45 minutes early. Even though I skipped the line the boards were gone

I should mention that the theater was wonderful and the crowd was brilliant. They reacted frequently to the movie in the funniest way possible without being too loud or intrusive. I expected an insecure bunch of quiet people but was pleasantly surprised with how rowdy and talkative they were.

Saw some great Mumi cosplay too.

[AR-99]

I expected an insecure bunch of quiet people but was pleasantly surprised with how rowdy and talkative they were.

You would think this of a "typical" otaku but among fellow brethren they usually let their hair down I've noticed, unless they're also really antisocial or shy.

[caragnafog dog]

You would think this of a "typical" otaku but among fellow brethren they usually let their hair down I've noticed, unless they're also really antisocial or shy.

It was definitely a varied assortment of people but yeah, they seemed quite comfortable. Was fun talking to them.

[CJD]

I can't have been the only person to have seen Rebellion over the last week to have gotten a mini shikishi board now am I? The rest of you missed out?

Me and June got one. I got Madokami he got KyouSay which I believe he traded for a Mami Nagisa? He'll have to correct me if I'm wrong on that one.

[Kazuki_Fuse]

Heads up: I'm not trying to bait or anything with this post.

That was one of the greatest endings in any movie, animated or not, that I have ever seen. Of course, a satisfying, conclusive ending where everything is gonna be ok, and we have closure would have been nice. But the fact that I had managed to remain unspoiled prior to viewing just made the twist all the more delicious. It completely blew me away.

Straight up 10/10 from me.

[hui43210]

Very beautiful film, artistically amazing. I'm not usually one for magic girls transformation sequences, but wow were they cool in this movie.

As for the ending

SPOILER: Show

I can tell why some are pissed. You can tell where the movie was supposed to end, and the parts afterwards felt tacked on. Since I'm not as invested in the characters in Madoka as Eva or many other Anime, it didn't bother me. In fact I liked it cuz I thought Satan-Homara was cool.

So yea, good movie overall.

[caragnafog dog]

Very beautiful film, artistically amazing. I'm not usually one for magic girls transformation sequences, but wow were they cool in this movie.

As for the ending

SPOILER: Show

I can tell why some are pissed. You can tell where the movie was supposed to end, and the parts afterwards felt tacked on. Since I'm not as invested in the characters in Madoka as Eva or many other Anime, it didn't bother me. In fact I liked it cuz I thought Satan-Homara was cool.

So yea, good movie overall.

Angry as I was, the design was pretty fucking neato.

[nervshatter]

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

Featuring Bill Murray as Mami.

[Omegagouki]

Nervshatter: I know the guy who drew that! Funnily enough, he was my Secret Santa last year.

But yeah, the twist at the end of Rebellion Story is pretty crazy, but also pretty neat.

SPOILER: Show

Many Madohomu tears were shed and it made Homura a better character overall. I didn't dislike her in the first place, but she works better as a villainous character than a heroic one.