Manga Time Kirara Magica Vol.2
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The second volume of the bimonthly Manga Time Kirara Magica, released on August 9th, 2012. It features the sequel to Mahou Shoujo Oriko Magica, introduction to Madoka Magica Online and Hanokage's new manga, and interviews with Script Writer Gen Urobuchi and Mami Tomoe's Voice Actor, Kaori Mizuhashi.
Manga
Oneshots
- SUGAR, p.193. 「Mahou Shoujo Kirara☆Magica」
- Momoya Chika, p.199. 「Best Partner!」
Series
New series
Continuing from the previous volume
- Hige, p. 39. 「Mahou Shoujobu Madoka Magica」
- YAMADA Ishito, p. 63. 「Sute Ma! I Found a Magical Girl」
- HINATA Kotori, p. 69. 「Welcome to Café Grief Seed!」
- afro, p. 83. 「Mahou Shoujo Homura Tamura 〜Parallel Worlds Do Not Remain Parallel Forever〜」
- Tsukumo, p. 93. 「Pomu Magi」
- Golden Pe Done, p. 101. 「Homura's Revenge」
- PAPA, p. 133. 「The Veranda of Madoka」
- YAMADA Ishito, p. 143. 「Sute Ma! I Found a Magical Girl Again」
- Myama, p. 149. 「Mitakihara Anti-Materials」
- Arata Mai, p. 173. 「Mami's Everyday Life」
- linco, p. 219. 「Mitakihara Kindergarten Mahougumi」
- Nash, p. 231. 「Kuru Homu」
Interviews
Gen Urobuchi
- Screenplay - Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus)
How the movie production and script began. We ask Gen Urobuchi of his guidelines for Madoka Magica Movies and his opinion on the project.
| How the Project Got Started |
|---|
| Kirara The news of new project for the Madoka franchise, how did it reach you? |
| Gen We always joked about a sequel while producing the TV series. The actual moment when it became, "hurry and start drafting the plot!!" happened after the TV production finished. |
| Kirara Your state of mind back then? |
| Gen Sigh, honestly I thought of dropping everything and quitting (laugh). I never planned for a sequel while writing the original series. So I was still joking around, and suddenly I had to actually figure it out... Because of that, I was troubled for some time. |
| Kirara So the whole plot started from a blank slate? |
| Gen That's right. I didn't know where to start. However, it slowly came to me, after I completed the script, and had a chance to appreciate the final product. The power of the voice acting and art direction together formed a complete image, and helped me realized what it means to be 'Madoka Magica. If I persist at it, then maybe I can do it... that was my thought process. |
| Kirara How was the new project decided? |
| Gen We talked about a second season at the beginning. While thinking about how to make a second season work, suddenly it turned into, let's just make a movie. |
| Kirara Did the format change from a television series to a movie feature change your plot proposal? |
| Gen Not much changed. The script was developed from the original proposal. |
| Kirara It was said that during script writing, you would go around and ask the production staff around for advice. What were some of the suggestions? |
| Gen I don't want to mention any specifics to avoid spoilers. What I can say is Shinbo gave me some brilliant suggestions, and provided the general guidelines. In group discussions, even though no one said it explicitly, everyone used Shinbo's recommendations as starting points. |
| Kirara Were there any "I want a scene like this" or "I want to create this image" type of discussions? |
| Gen Nothing that specific. I didn't think about the direction of a story. However, I did try to judge whether a particular development made sense or not. |
| Kirara So there were plot points that even Mr. Urobuchi didn't anticipate? |
| Gen There were surprises, but their development did not feel unnatural. |
| Kirara Once the actual script writing began, did it flow out naturally? |
| Gen Quite rough, actually. Unlike a television script, I can't call it quits by the second draft (only rewrite once), although the story line largely stayed the same. I think most of the changes were small adjustments, in order to make the characters more empathetic and delicate. |
| Kirara Any restrictions while writing? |
| Gen This was my first time tackling a movie-length script, so I didn't have an intuition on how long it has to be. It wasn't just write a few lines of dialog and be done with it, like a television script. That's rather frustrating. Drawing the line is very hard. |
| Kirara How did you feel when you finished? |
| Gen A very strong "Thank god it's done" sensation (laugh). |
| Kirara Another obstacle overcame for you? |
| Gen Because of the group discussions, I didn't feel like I overcame the obstacles by myself. By working alongside the other creative leads of Magica Quartet, I was able to borrow everyone's strengths. So I felt everyone contributed to creating this script. |
| Kriara So this movie feature is a true collaboration? |
| Gen Exactly. There was a sense of everyone working hard towards a single direction. So, for this script, instead of saying it finished, it makes more sense to say it arrived. Akin to heading towards some place and finding the treasure at the end. It gives a "I arrived at the end of the maze," Indiana Jones kind of feeling. |
| The Purpose of a Movie Feature |
|---|
| Kirara Mr. Urobuchi is well known for being a movie fan. How does it feel to finally participate in movie production? |
| Gen For live production, I imagine movie and television production are very different processes. For an anime production though, the differences between the two are not many. Of course, a movie's production quality will be substantially higher. As a result, I felt rather indifferent. The difficulty from a scriptwriter's stand point, was the longer story length compared to a television script, so the plot must able to remain gripping for the audience. Besides this, how to utilize the big screen and surround sound to create an experience largely rests with the other production staff. |
| Kirara So that's how it is. |
| Gen Also, Shinbo taught me this. The experience of watching with others makes television and movie very different. The audience must realize this as well. At the live screening of "Fate/Zero Episode 15" in Seattle, I had a chance to sit with the audience together to watch that TV animation. I definitely got a "watching with so many people together, it really feels like watching a movie" feeling. Because of that, I think watching in a theater will naturally give a whole different flavor. |
| Kirara -Indeed, sitting in front of the big screen, while surrounded by other audience and hearing their reactions, the impression will be totally different. |
| Gen The last three episodes of Madoka Magica premiered together. I thought that felt like a movie as well. Maybe we can get an effect like that. |
| Kirara -It was definitely like that back then. Even though it was past midnight, everyone watched together while glancing at twitter. I can still remember that strong sense of comradery from back then. Not only that, the broadcast finished over a year ago, yet the Madoka-craze has absolutely not died down. Despite how fast anime now tend to depreciate and be forgotten. |
| Gen For a single cour anime to remain relevant til now, I am extremely pleased. To tell the truth, I myself was also rather surprised. To be involved with a genre that I am not familiar with, I never dared to imagine this level of success. |
| Kirara For Mr. Urobuchi, what kind of work is "Madoka Magica"? |
| Gen For me personally, not much has changed. This is because "I designed the series concept myself" and "I wrote the finished script myself" - these two points made it very personal and special. It was my first time of having such a level of creative freedom. The acclaim given to the script, is largely due to all the people that helped build it up from that foundation. Because of this, I want to take this moment to tell everyone involved in this project, "we did it." I am very grateful to everyone for creating such a well received work together... Probably this kind of feeling. To be the scriptwriter of this type of work, I feel is a great honor. |
| Kirara - Two months from now, the first two compilation movies will be premiering. Does Mr Urobuchi have anything left to tell our readers? |
| Gen Everything has already been said, I don't have anymore requests for them. |
| Kirara - Any changes or addition to the dialogue? |
| Gen Nope. |
| Kirara - I heard you visited the voice recording session for the movie re-recording, any thoughts about that? |
| Gen Ah, the voice actors' characterizations had become even more superb. That startled me! Everyone wanted to surpass their performance from the TV edition, so more intended in their interpretation... I deeply felt their sincerity. You could feel the tension in the recording studio. The fans of the TV series will be very satisfied just from the new voice acting. |
| Kirara - This series brought together many powerful voices, and everyone cared deeply about this work. |
| Gen Very grateful for everyone being so deeply invested. That contributed greatly to the quality of this work. |
| Kirara -By the way, any thoughts from watching the compilation? |
| Gen It made sense, that surprised me (laugh). |
| Kirara - Any new discoveries? |
| Gen This...Ah, I realized again, "this story went too far" (laugh). The completion of the script had been a long, long time ago, so I felt like appreciating someone else's work. I even got some "what was the writer thinking?" kind of feeling (laugh). Especially all the melancholy scenes in the first movie, this feeling was particularly intense. However, the second movie ended up as a very wholesome story. In any case, I thought the story makes sense even when watching it for the first time. But you can certainly discover new things by re-watching the TV version after. |
| Kirara - Finally, please say something to the fans. |
| Gen What becomes of the Madoka Magica franchise after this, how will it develop, is something that even I can't control. Despite this I am extremely grateful of the fan's patience and trust. I may not able to control this story, or perhaps I was never in control of it to begin with. It feels much more like watching a daughter growing up (laugh). In the future, I would like to raise a few more such daughters. Please keep watching. |
| Retranslated from this Chinese translation
[END] |
Mizuhashi Kaori
Voice Actor of Mami Tomoe - Mizuhashi Kaori
Mami might be the character that elicited the strongest fan reaction. What are Mizuhashi Kaori's feelings for this role?
| After Re-recording First Movie Finished |
|---|
| Kirara A few days ago, re-recording wrapped for the compilation movie. How did it go? |
| Mizuhashi Only Part I is finished! This movie thing really takes a lot of time. The re-recording was done very diligently, so it took a full two days. |
| Kirara Since it's a compilation, Mami will suffer the same fate as the TV series? |
| Mizuhashi Certain parts will be cut out to help with the transitions, but the plot remains roughly the same as the TV series. |
| Kirara So we can only wait for her death? |
| Mizuhashi I have said this often, but it bears repeating. Death in anime, compared to death in real life, is a wholly different concept. In anime, a character only truly dies when treated like thin air. Rather than people asking "who's she again," being remembered is better. |
| Kirara In fact, Mami is their favorite character for many people. |
| Mizuhashi She may have died within the story, but she lives as a character. You may even say her life has just begun. I was often asked, "How do you feel about Mami-san's death?" If I can respond honestly, I actually feel quite happy. Because rather than a disposable character, her death made her memorable. |
| Meeting Mami Tomoe at the Perfect Time |
|---|
| Kirara Can you discuss your feelings about Mami Tomoe again? |
| Mizuhashi I feel my meeting with Mami was by fate, because I had been wanting to switch my voice acting roles. There are many voice actors looking for change, but no matter how much they shout "I can do this!" the opportunity rarely presents itself. Not only that, just switching is insufficient. You must have impact. You need a role and a creative title that can completely change everyone's impression of you. That's why when I was picked for Mami-san's role, I had a feeling that my archetype would change forever. In fact, I wanted for that to happen. Sometimes I wonder, "if I didn't accept Mami-san, what would I be doing now?" Those thoughts make me shudder. Not able to escape being typecast-ed is a terrible thing. |
| Kirara How do you feel about Madoka Magica itself? |
| Mizuhashi If I had no connection with the work, if I wasn't one of its voice actors, I would probably have fallen deeper for it. As a participant, I have to practice self-restraint. If not, I would be lining-up along with everyone at Comiket already (laughs). I think I'd get really into it. |
| Kirara To participate in a work you enjoy must been a real blessing. |
| Mizuhashi I was often asked, "you must feel really happy." Once you empathize you would understand. Even when happy, you must repress those feelings. It's a complicated mix of emotions (laughs). But it's also a privilege, and I am truly grateful that I can feel this way. |
Chiwa Saito (Homura Akemi), Kaori Mizuhashi (Mami Tomoe) and Eri Kitamura (Sayaka Miki) at Madoka PSP Promotional Event
| I Want to Watch with the Fans! |
|---|
| Kirara The TV airing ended over a year ago. From the fan reactions, can you still sense the popularity of Madoka? |
| Mizuhashi I still hear "I just finished watching recently" from people often, so it seem to have staying power. Its impact appears to be growing from word of mouth too! Within the business, it seems quite trendy, whether it's addicting to watch and such. I am really happy to hear that even now. |
| Kirara After broadcast there have been many Madoka live events. You attended the ones in Osaka and Nagoya too. |
| Mizuhashi Previously, I didn't have a chance to learn why people enjoy Madoka. After attending these events, I realized many of the fans are attending these type of events for the first time. Almost half of the attendees are newbies. I really want to thank them for "giving your first time" to Madoka. |
| Kirara Many that never attended offline events before came out for you, that must be nice to hear. |
| Mizuhashi Many attendees are not hardcore anime fans; Some were fans but have grown up and graduated; Some watched Madoka only due to their girlfriend's glowing reviews, only to end up ignoring the girls and start buying figures instead. There were really all kinds (laughs). Everyone's reactions were interesting. Of course, character discussion was very popular. Some requested for me to "Talk about what you had for lunch or whatever! Just use Mami voice please~!" (laughs) |
| Kirara The attendees react noticeably cooler towards personal things? |
| Mizuhashi Definitely cooler, but I am still happy. Anecdotes from the recording story tend to grab everyone's attention, that makes me happy. |
| Kirara The Anime Contents Expo 2012 was held on April 1st. All six primary actors met on stage. |
| Mizuhashi It was very enjoyable. Throughout that I was constantly thinking, "Why is there only one of me?" If there's another, I would definitely be sitting with the audience, and crying too (laughs). Rather than on stage, I would rather watch the girls gather as part of the audience. |
| Wouldn't the Sequel be Great if Everyone can be Together Again? |
|---|
| Kirara What do you think of a dedicated Madoka magazine like this? |
| Mizuhashi I thought people were kidding originally (laughs). I even had to eat my words when it actually came out. I really enjoy reading the Volume 1 pre-prints, especially "Mami Tomoe Age 31" (Mami's Everyday Life). That one really shocked me (laughs). |
| Kirara All the other girls are engaged or married, only Mami remain single (laughs). |
| Mizuhashi Yea, that's how it is. This is going off-topic, but as the saying goes, "if that person looks to marry early, she'll definitely be left behind." If a prospect is available, hurry and introduce him. Otherwise, it'll get worse! (laughs) |
| Kirara In this volume they're attending a wedding. |
| Mizuhashi That's just sad (laughs), and Mami-san pretend to have a boyfriend too. That's a lie you can't be making, or else no one will introduce you, that makes for a very grim prospect. Ah, the last stand... (laughs) Then, there's that everyone-is-family story. |
| Kirara The one where all five magical girls are sisters, The Veranda of Madoka, right? |
| Mizuhashi My favorite scene was when Mami was eating a slice of cake by herself. She said "Even though it's only dessert, I still feel like saying grace." (laughs) It's something you can say in your daily lives. Before eating dessert and such, say "Thanks for the food... Hah, it's only dessert, but I can't help but say grace" and such (laughs). It feels like a natural slice of life. I enjoy these kind of down to earth stories that I can identify with. And it ends with those beautiful words, "to be continued." I am looking forward to it. And finally, one story was about Mami-san and Akemi-san co-habituating (Mitakihara Anti-Materials), I like that one too. |
| Kirara The Mami-Homura combination might be less popular. |
| Mizuhashi But the plot was reasonable. Homura lacked living experiences, so Mami asked "What do you eat usually? Why not live with me?" This kind of development feels very natural. To come up with this scenario and draw such a comic, it's very novel... If I wasn't a voice actor and was addicted to Madoka, I would probably be drawing doujin too. I would probably be bullying Mami-san too (laughs). Since Madoka was an anime original, I feel like the audience are part of the creative process. No one decides "that's that!" Everyone has the freedom to let their imagination run wild. I think that's delightful. |
| Kirara You already mentioned the first movie. What about your hope and expectations for rest of the trilogy? |
| Mizuhashi I hope in the final movie, we can all be together again. Even though some people due to complicated reasons became the law of cycles; some passed away; some guided away. I wish that all the cast members could meet again, with no one missing. Getting everyone together will definitely not be easy. But no matter how arduous the journey, wouldn't it be great? By the way, I have no clue about the content for the final movie. I just wish everyone can fight together. |
| Retranslated from a Chinese source
END |
