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Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movies – Part 1: Beginnings & Part 2: Eternal

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There is no denial from me that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a fantastic anime series that successfully delivered a dark and engrossing “Magical Girl” storyline, quite unlike anything the anime industry had seen before. From every battle being a creative barrage of aesthetic ecstasy to how the entire storyline fit sufficiently in twelve episodes, it was the many positive aspects that saw it walk away as The Otaku’s Study Australian Anime Release of the Year 2012 – managing to easily take the top spot from Siren Visual’s Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai and Madman’s own Cardcaptor Sakura that year.

With no second TV season underway, SHAFT and the Puella Magi Madoka Magica production team shifted their attention towards a trilogy of films that were released in Japan between 2012 and 2013. After a theatrical release of all three, the first two films have now landed in Australia…

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While the third film features a completely new storyline, Part 1 and Part 2 are essentially enhanced recap episodes of the original 12-episode TV series, coming in at a whopping 241 minutes long. When I first heard about this decision I was skeptical, as recap episodes (or films for that matter) generally tend to be unnecessary for a majority of anime series that are under 26-episodes long at least. In some ways I feel my skepticism was justified, but in other ways this felt like a genuine “definitive edition” of what Gen Urobuchi et al hoped the series would deliver, and in terms of a home video or cinematic release would allow people to become immersed in their creation without the need for prior knowledge. After all… buying anime over in Japan isn’t cheap in comparison to the US or even Australia.

Amongst the original content are a few new scenes and amendments, which ultimately do not have that much impact on the storyline already constructed by SHAFT. Through evidently careful omission and addition of content at particular moments, the flow throughout both movies are maintained.  Despite these amendments, some more subtle than others, no character heavily loses time spent on their character development and the storyline’s integrity is maintained.

Sure some minor scenes may have been cut, but you will more or less be receiving an identical experience by picking up either the TV series release of the film adaptation. In fact, the drop in runtime is so little that you could in some way consider this to be a marathon edition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica that lacks the opening/ending sequences every 20-25 minutes.

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One of the biggest issues with Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movies 1 & 2 is not the visual quality, which is just as good if not slightly better than the TV release, but that picking up a Blu-ray copy of the films requires you to purchase a limited edition copy. While pricing isn’t that big of an issue considering that the DVD-exclusive Standard Editions cost $29.95 each (Compared to $69.95 for both films on Blu-ray), there is a risk that these editions could go out of print and potentially never be available agian. That being said, irrespective of if you choose to watch with DVD or Blu-ray, SHAFT’s distinct and aesthetically pleasing visual and animation styles are present once again and still just as impressive.

Just like the TV series, both movies feature the original Japanese dub and a newer English dub, with the new scenes at the very least recorded by the original English voice cast. The English voice cast is solid and suit the characters well, although I personally preferred the Japanese dub in this instance which was completely re-recorded. In addition to the re-recorded Japanese dub, ClariS also provided a brand new opening theme (Luminous). It may not have that immediate “wow” factor as Connect did, but was nevertheless a beautiful song complimented by some great animation.

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Both Part 1: Beginnings and Part 2: Eternal feature a small set of bonus on-disc features including a textless opening sequence, original trailers, a teaser trailer for Part 3: Rebellion and more, although nothing that would last you more than a couple of minutes after watching the films. Those who purchase the limited edition will also receive a nicely designed hardcover artbox to store both your discs and covers. Also included is a small 16-page softcover artbook which features a compilation of background artwork and promotional illustrations. It isn’t a book you would buy a Limited Edition exclusively for, but does help sweeten the deal when deciding to purchase both films on DVD or pay a bit extra for Blu-ray copies.

Considering that both movies are simply an adaptation of the original TV series, it is hard to deny that it was enjoyable to watch and deserves praise for not botching the overall Puella Magi Madoka Magica experience. However with the lack of new content, it may not be an adaptation that will be worth the extra $60-$70 if you already own the 3-volume series. It is however a great (and considerably cheaper) starting point for newcomers to the series, and will lead straight into Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 3: Rebellion when it hopefully hits store shelves next year.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.
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