Blu-Ray Volume 1 Booklet

A booklet is included with Puella Magi Madoka Magica Blu-Ray Disc Volume 1. The full contents are listed on the Products Page, and the BD is for sale on Amazon. The package also includes a drama CD titled "Memories of You".

Page 4: Akiyuki Shinbo

Translation by symbv from evageeks forum

I have insisted on the “mahou shoujo” part in the title. At the beginning, there were various proposals regarding the title, but precisely because this work was about “mahou shoujo,” I thought such text was necessary in the title.

It was Producer Atsuhiro Iwagami who suggested asking Ume Aoki-san for the original character design and Gen Urobuchi-san for the screenplay.

I thought the “mahou shoujo” that Aoki-san drew would definitely became popular. As for Urobuchi-san, previously I had the chance to read the novel “Fate/Zero” and found it very interesting, so I also wanted him to join.

When I saw the completed screenplay I was surprised. I was thinking it would be something centering around mahou actions like using tactics to deal with the weak points of the rival, but this was thrusting all-out a dramatic story about the “mahou shoujo”'s. It was more interesting than I expected.

In order to extract the strength of Urobuchi-san's screenplay, at the stage of storyboarding I put in effort to make Madoka and the girls lovable characters.

The animation staff also wanted to extract the strength of the characters designed by Aoki-san. They drew them while continually considering things like the angles, the outlines or the detailed drawing of the eyes. I also wanted to get it as close to Aoki-san's pictures as possible and did not want to make compromises. The animation staff took up my demand and worked their very best on that.

Thanks to that we could combine the strengths of Urobuchi-san and Aoki-san, and made “Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika” we have now.

And for the “witches” whom the “mahou shoujo” fought, I also wanted to break loose from the images like Medusa or the witch in Cinderella that usually come up in our imagination. For that I asked Gekidan Inu-Curry-san as I thought if we used them we could get some unconventional thing, something that is not bound by what had existed, created. They even created everything like the names and settings (settei) of the “witches” or the environment inside magic barrier.

For the background art, even though the stage is familiar locations like school or homes, I thought it important to have some refreshing design. For example, at the conversation scene at the washroom, it would not be interesting for the people to encounter each other at a narrow washroom and then have a conversation. Over the series I kept thinking how to put each and every scene in some interesting surrounding.

An original work is different from an adaptation. No matter what we did it would be difficult to have the staff fully grasped the direction for this work. Over the process I checked and fixed things one by one. I would be happy if the viewer could watch it many times and still feel it fresh.

Page 5: Interview with Aoi Yuuki

Translation by symbv from evageeks forum

What was your feeling when you were selected to voice Madoka?

I was very happy and I was in high spirits full of eagerness! Everyone in the staff and the cast were all people I love so much and respect. I felt relieved and comfortable so I said I had to give it all! (* ' ω ` )

How was it like when you started to voice-act as Madoka?

I thought I would work it out with everyone in the sessions and follow the instructions provided by the staff, and tried to act neutrally as an ordinary person who was closer to the view than anyone else. Although I do not want to notice it myself, when I saw Madoka I could see a lot of my weaknesses. I thought perhaps precisely because of it I tried to do it in a natural way.

Your thought of the work Madoka Magika

As it is a work that generates big shocks, I had a really deep attachment to it, because there are very few works that are not just look beautiful but can also deliver the messages to viewers and got you thinking, “This work squeezed in a lot of messages to convey and to appeal and it can be used to finally make friends you could trust and rely on!” In particular, I believe among all animation works Madoka Magika is close to the work of art category. While undergoing the after-recording sessions of this work, I acutely felt that perhaps precisely because it was an impulse that could not be expressed in text, something new was born.

How was it like during the After-recording sessions?

As this work has a heavy theme, everyone took upon herself to make a lot of noises with absolutely extremely happy topics ( ' ω ` )

It was wonderful to be able to create a work of art noisily with lots of girls. ♪