Otona Anime Vol.20: Difference between revisions

From Puella Magi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
(bit late but added translation)
Line 85: Line 85:
*I understand who works (around animation) somehow a long time trends(wants) to draw stories among usual days.
*I understand who works (around animation) somehow a long time trends(wants) to draw stories among usual days.


== 'Leading from the everyday to a barrier: a gradient of nightmares ==
[[File:Scan-1302358251771.jpg|thumb]] Source:  Bottom of [[:File:Otona_Anime_V20_04.jpg|Page 4]] and [[:File:Otona_Anime_V20_05.jpg|Page 5]].


The world of "Mahou Shoujo ☆ Madoka Magika" is governed by absurd rules. To have their wish granted, girls contract with Kyuubey and become magical girls, and to repay that decision without incident, they must quickly cast aside their feelings.


As if to highlight that absurdity, the city Madoka and her friends live in is overflowing with cleanliness. A stream flows alongside their route to school, and there is a lot of greenery. It's like looking a new residential area, nature is arranged unnaturally. The glass-style classrooms of the school have an open feel to them, which the collapsible seats and the like contribute to, giving it a futuristic functional beauty.
In the hospital where the boy Sayaka fell in love with, Kyousuke, is hospitalized, the bed is depicted with a warm color palette, so the tension that's characteristic of a hospital isn't there. Madoka's own house has very high ceilings, the nature of the design being tall and spacious while giving a full sense of security. In other words, Madoka and her friend's living environment is unnatural but merely just a safe place. Even so, the characters progress through dialogue, and the city shows an unexpected side.
In Kyoko's first appearance scene, (in episode 4) she's looking down on the city, sitting on something similar to a radio tower. The scene's direction shows Kyoko turning up from the outside world, but also shows the existence of the city's "outskirts".  In addition, in the scene with Madoka and Homura's conversation coming home from school, the factory's complex silhouette can be seen.
This scenery of the outskirts, right after such orderly things as the school and hospital, is ugly in comparison. It gives rise to an indescribable uneasy feeling. Even if it's the radio tower, or the factory, the girls are middle schoolers, and their life has nothing to do with it. However, with such things as battle and death going on around the girls, entering the grotesque outskirts becomes necessary.
Possibly right after Kyoko's decision to rescue Sayaka, this is the scene where she requests cooperation with Madoka (episode 9). The cityscape has cobbled streets like that of Europe's allyways.  That scenery leads to more uneasiness, and listlessness. After Mami's fight, in the scene where Madoka and Sayaka confirm their decision (episode 3), the impression of the enormous stone bridge and the street lights remain. In brief, the girls exchange a conversation concerning their fate, and beautiful, distant scenery makes its appearance, as if they are in a different country.
Then, there's the factory and such, in the outskirts, that's like "passing through a foreign country", and the image of them having to experience the "barrier" where the witch is. The "barrier" is a creation of Gekidan Inu Curry; concerning the hair raising horror, I don't need to say anything. Due to the extensive collage, a completely different feeling from before surges into the picture. Inside the barrier, the cell shaded girls seem too ephemeral and helpless. It's impossible to say where the barrier's location will be, as they appear anywhere in the city. That randomness, above everything else, is frightening.
No, there might be some order to the barriers, as they never clash with Madoka and her friends' living space. The barriers appear at places far away from Madoka and her friends. However, before long it is revealed that a magical girl's soul gem that finishes being stained black gives birth to a grief seed. This absurdity risked the order of the everyday life the girls are living, and their hope falls to the very bottom. It may be an absurdity, but there's still reason in going through it. The nightmarish barriers that arise inside their pure daily life -- that structure is the genuine chaotic nature of "Mahou Shoujo ☆ Madoka Magika".


== Summary of Staff Comments ==
== Summary of Staff Comments ==

Revision as of 03:27, 30 March 2012

Sayaka and Madoka

Otona Anime Vol. 20 Scan 1.jpg

Madoka had her personality based on a "Aoki Ume character"

By contrast, Sayaka had her personality based on a "Urobuchi Gen character"


Kyubey Sounds

Scan-1302351780496.jpg

This scan reveals that the swallowing sound Kyuubey made after eating his corpse was an ad-lib.

Urobuchi: I want miyamoto-san to say "Kyuppui" when he finished eating. That was an ad-lib by Kato(Emiri)-san who is voice actor(Seiyu) as Kyubey.

Shinbo: I think Kato-san was also suitable post(voice) (as Kyubey).

Urobuchi: It is rare that a villain's voice is cute.


Madoka Sequel

Scan-1302630137379.jpg

Q - In future, do you think you want to do more original anime?

Shinbo (S) - I have such thought, although I do not hate adapting anime from original works either.

Q - Any idea of what you want to do?

S - Not really. Mystery or something mysterious, and then Horror. But perhaps horror is not possible, because I have got to the point of not really watching much horror these days. And then I think perhaps it's good to have more mahou shoujo, but this time it is more slice-of-life and girl-next-door. I would like to try this different variation of mahou shoujo. And then there is also something like the world of Ikki Kajiwara. It may be interesting to do something like Ai to Makoto*, something that brings two polar opposite together.... But before that, I may need to do the second season of PMMM. If it is possible, I would definitely want to do that.

  • Ai to Makoto is a manga from 1973-1976 and was very popular in its days. It is about a well-bred girl from a very rich family crossing path with a juvenile delinquent boy. It was adapted into both tv drama and movies but I don't think there is anime adaptation.

-- Alternative translation of the same interview: Q: From now on, do you want to make original works?

Shinbo: Yeah, I have a feeling like this. Of course, it's not that I hate adapted works.

Q: Do you have any ideas as to what you'd want to do next?

Shinbo: Let's see. A detective in a strange story, maybe. And then, I'd like to do a horror anime. But it's getting harder and harder to do a horror anime. It doesn't seem like nowadays, many people want to watch a horror anime. And as for magical girls, I'd like to do a more slice-of-life anime. I think I'd like to try doing a different genre of magical girl anime. Also, I want to make something with a world like something Ikki Kajiwara would make. I think creating something as extreme as "Ai to Makoto"...oh, but before all that, I'd like to try for a second season of Madoka. (hahaha) If I could, I would definitely want to do it.

Lighting, Coloring and Composition: Check 1

April 2011 article part 3.png

Decrypting the Story from the lighting, color and composition!

Eliminating the unnecessary scenes and compressing more into each cut -- "Magical Girl Madoka Magica" is made from the tried and tested methods of Shinbo and SHAFT works. Let's compare it with other works, especially on the use of light, color and the composition of images.

Check 1: Light Source in the Image

From Episode 4, when Kyoko shows up. There are two light sources, one from the city and one on the tower. Since the light on the tower is behind her, it can't illuminate her directly. However, the light of the city make up the footlight (light from below), so Kyoko's face is being illuminated from below, and the ghastliness of her expression is being expressed.

Lighting, Coloring and Composition: Check 2

April 2011 article part 4.png

Check 2: The Color of the Characters

The color of the girls' Soul Gems match their hair and eye colors. Mami's Soul Gem is orange, so in the scenes in which she shows up, everything, including the street lights, is orange. The scenes where Kyoko and Sayaka talk are given red lighting to match Kyoko's Soul Gem. The flare of the red light on Sayaka emphasizes Kyoko's dominance.

Lighting, Coloring and Composition: Check 3 and 4

April 2011 article part 5.png

Check 3: Using Light Out of or Into the Scene

When Madoka and Homura are talking about Mami's defeat, the light is pointing out of the scene. However, when Madoka says, "I won't forget about Homura," the camera flips around and shoots from the other side, with light pointing into the scene. The direction of the light expresses the change in Homura's mental state.

Check 4: Effect of the Composition

Madoka's reflections pile up on one another in the opposing mirrors. The short flashback about her time with Mami hints that she is stepping into an unknown world.

Homura cuts into Madoka and Sayaka's conversation. The obstruction on Homura's side makes the left side of the image feel heavier. At the same time, Homura's presence is being felt more.

Lighting, Coloring and Composition: Check 5

April 2011 article part 6.png

Check 5: Action that Shifts from Horizontal to Vertical

As Sayaka chases down a familiar, Kyoko blocks her way. Sayaka's attack to Kyoko is shown from the side, but Kyoko's attack is shown from the front. Kyoko jumps upward as if she's pouncing on her prey, and moves out of focus.

The composition shifts from horizontal to vertical to put together this action that "can't be followed with your eyes."

Various Translations

Scan-1302511400606.jpg
  • ある程度やった人が生活ものに流れていく気持ちが分かりますね
  • I understand who works (around animation) somehow a long time trends(wants) to draw stories among usual days.

'Leading from the everyday to a barrier: a gradient of nightmares

Scan-1302358251771.jpg

Source: Bottom of Page 4 and Page 5.

The world of "Mahou Shoujo ☆ Madoka Magika" is governed by absurd rules. To have their wish granted, girls contract with Kyuubey and become magical girls, and to repay that decision without incident, they must quickly cast aside their feelings.

As if to highlight that absurdity, the city Madoka and her friends live in is overflowing with cleanliness. A stream flows alongside their route to school, and there is a lot of greenery. It's like looking a new residential area, nature is arranged unnaturally. The glass-style classrooms of the school have an open feel to them, which the collapsible seats and the like contribute to, giving it a futuristic functional beauty.

In the hospital where the boy Sayaka fell in love with, Kyousuke, is hospitalized, the bed is depicted with a warm color palette, so the tension that's characteristic of a hospital isn't there. Madoka's own house has very high ceilings, the nature of the design being tall and spacious while giving a full sense of security. In other words, Madoka and her friend's living environment is unnatural but merely just a safe place. Even so, the characters progress through dialogue, and the city shows an unexpected side.

In Kyoko's first appearance scene, (in episode 4) she's looking down on the city, sitting on something similar to a radio tower. The scene's direction shows Kyoko turning up from the outside world, but also shows the existence of the city's "outskirts". In addition, in the scene with Madoka and Homura's conversation coming home from school, the factory's complex silhouette can be seen.

This scenery of the outskirts, right after such orderly things as the school and hospital, is ugly in comparison. It gives rise to an indescribable uneasy feeling. Even if it's the radio tower, or the factory, the girls are middle schoolers, and their life has nothing to do with it. However, with such things as battle and death going on around the girls, entering the grotesque outskirts becomes necessary.

Possibly right after Kyoko's decision to rescue Sayaka, this is the scene where she requests cooperation with Madoka (episode 9). The cityscape has cobbled streets like that of Europe's allyways. That scenery leads to more uneasiness, and listlessness. After Mami's fight, in the scene where Madoka and Sayaka confirm their decision (episode 3), the impression of the enormous stone bridge and the street lights remain. In brief, the girls exchange a conversation concerning their fate, and beautiful, distant scenery makes its appearance, as if they are in a different country.

Then, there's the factory and such, in the outskirts, that's like "passing through a foreign country", and the image of them having to experience the "barrier" where the witch is. The "barrier" is a creation of Gekidan Inu Curry; concerning the hair raising horror, I don't need to say anything. Due to the extensive collage, a completely different feeling from before surges into the picture. Inside the barrier, the cell shaded girls seem too ephemeral and helpless. It's impossible to say where the barrier's location will be, as they appear anywhere in the city. That randomness, above everything else, is frightening.

No, there might be some order to the barriers, as they never clash with Madoka and her friends' living space. The barriers appear at places far away from Madoka and her friends. However, before long it is revealed that a magical girl's soul gem that finishes being stained black gives birth to a grief seed. This absurdity risked the order of the everyday life the girls are living, and their hope falls to the very bottom. It may be an absurdity, but there's still reason in going through it. The nightmarish barriers that arise inside their pure daily life -- that structure is the genuine chaotic nature of "Mahou Shoujo ☆ Madoka Magika".

Summary of Staff Comments

オトナアニメ

新房「…あ、でもその前に『魔法少女まどか☆マギカ』の第2期を

    やらなきゃいけないかも知れません(笑)。

    もしできるのであれば、ぜひやりたいですね」

イヌカレー「魔女文字はもともと解読される予定ではなかったので驚きました

       しかし以降はすべて意味のある文章を書く必要が生まれたので

       魔女文字も使いにくくなってしまいました」

虚淵「人間としての主人公はほむらになると思うんです」

岩上「僕個人としてはパート2をやりたいくらいなんですよ」

Shinbo - Well.. but before that perhaps I must do the second season of Puella Magi Madoka Magika first.. If this is possible, I would really want to do it."

Inu-Curry - We never expected the witch runes would be decrypted so we were surprised. But from now on there is this need to write up all the sentences that carry meanings, and this means it gets more difficult to use the witch runes.

Urobuchi Gen - I think the human protagonist is actually Homura.

Iwagami - Personally for me I now feel the urge to do a part 2.

Gallery

See Also