The Long-Awaited Madoka Magica Movie
“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” is an iconic anime series that aired in 2011. The series celebrated its ten year anniversary last year, and with it, announced the 4th movie in the series. Fans were overjoyed at this announcement, as they never thought it would come. However, its reveal is more important once the history behind this series is understood.
“Madoka Magica” was a deconstruction of the magical girl genre, which is associated with young girls aided by an animal companion fighting to save the day with magical powers. This genre was popularized with anime releases such as “Sailor Moon.” Madoka, however, created a darker story where magical girls make wishes that come back to haunt them, and reveal that it is a magical girl's destiny to die or become the enemy they were fighting the whole time. The original series ends with the main character, Madoka, sacrificing herself to become a god and save magical girls from becoming witches. Her sacrifice ends the cycle of another girl named Homura, who had been going through time with a mission to save madoka from becoming a magical girl.
After the success of the first series, the studio adapted the story into two full length movies. However, they proceeded to make a third film, a sequel to the original series in 2013. The movie was well received, however a plot twist happens at the end that changes the whole game. Instead of Homura being sent to heaven with Madoka, she tricks Madoka to trap her and all her friends in another world where they can be happy, becoming a devil. The movie hints at future developments like how Madoka and Homura will one day fight and become enemies. However the movie proceeds to end at this moment. This left fans confused and wanting answers, expecting a new movie to follow up after this cliffhanger.
For seven years, though, no such movie came. A spinoff game and series, which fans enjoyed, launched, but they still wanted a conclusion. Many fans had given up on the cliffhanger ever being resolved and came to terms that the movie would never get a sequel. This made “Madoka Magica” fans ecstatic when the next movie was announced and revealed to have all the same staff returning. The long ten years of waiting make this movie much more important than previously thought of.
