Puella Magi Madoka Magica LOVE! Akuma Homura and Kyubey Version
Interview with Akiyuki Shinbo
Director Akiyuki Shinbo, who helmed the Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica series, shared insights about Akemi Homura and Devil Homura.
“Devil Homura was born as a counterpart to the Law of Cycles.”
―When creating the TV series Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica, how did you approach depicting the character of Akemi Homura?
Before production began, I didn’t feel that the five magical girls were particularly distinct from each other. I wanted to differentiate them at least a little in the visuals, so I added a gesture where Homura brushes her long hair aside with her hand. In hindsight, the characters Aoki-san created were already distinct, the voice actors were excellent, and Urobuchi-san’s script brought out each character’s personality so well. Thinking back, I might not have needed to add that gesture at all.
―Homura is the only magical girl to use firearms. Did you find that unusual in any way?
At first, I thought, ‘Is she really a magical girl?’ (laughs). Urobuchi-san explained, ‘Homura is weak, so she uses firearms.’ Homura has the power to control time, but that alone isn’t enough. That’s why she uses guns, and we agreed it was fine. When she started using incredibly powerful weapons in Episode 1 of the TV series, even Urobuchi-san said, ‘Isn’t this going a bit too far?’ (laughs). Personally, I thought it was fine.
―Episodes 1 and 10 of the TV series featured a variety of firearms and heavy weaponry.
Homura’s shield can store any kind of large weapon. Since she’s a magical girl, I figured that much was acceptable.
―Episode 10 of the TV series, which revealed Homura’s past, became a major topic of discussion.
For me, that episode marked the beginning of the story. That’s why we included the opening theme at the end of the episode.
―The lyrics of the opening theme, “Connect,” almost feel like they express Homura’s emotions.
The lyrics fit perfectly.
―Were there additional elements in Homura’s depiction in the [Part 1/Part 2] recap films compared to the TV series?
Since [Part 1/Part 2] are compilations of the TV series, there weren’t many new additions. However, we re-recorded the voice acting. The cast had already experienced the TV series, so performing again felt like the world was looping—like Homura rewinding time once more. For us, [Part 1/Part 2] represented a few more loops in the timeline beyond the TV series. That’s why we reused the audio from the TV series for Homura’s past scenes (corresponding to Episode 10 of the TV series). Since those scenes represent the past in a looping world, re-recording them would have changed the overall feel of the timeline. Also, the performances in the TV series had an unmatched intensity we felt couldn’t be replicated, so we kept them as they were.
―Homura’s room had a unique design. What image did you have for it?
To me, it was a room that projected holograms. The script originally described it as an old wooden Japanese-style apartment, but I’m not good at creating that kind of pitiful atmosphere. So, I envisioned it as a room with various images being projected.
―So, the witch information displayed like tapestries in the air was also holograms?
Exactly. The concept was inspired by the holodeck from the Western TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation—a virtual room that projects lifelike 3D environments. I thought the room could transform into various spaces, but there wasn’t time to explore that in the main story. For example, the graveyard where Homura and Kyubey converse in [Part 2] can also be interpreted as a projection from her room.
―I see. The graveyard scene in [Part 2] was very striking, especially with Yuki Kajiura’s music.
The music was excellent. One of my aims was to highlight Kajiura-san’s music by using long, continuous shots instead of cutting between scenes. While it’s not explicitly stated, the graveyard could also represent tombstones for the magical girls who had died. That scene serves as a narrative turning point in [Part 2], and I think it came together beautifully.
―Among the magical girls, do you have a favorite?
I always thought Sayaka in the TV series was particularly unfortunate. Normally, in such situations, we’d try to make the tragedy even more dramatic. If the events are going to be tragic, we’d emphasize that to make them stand out. But Sayaka’s situation was so pitiful, I wondered if something could be done to help her. That’s why Rebellion included all the magical girls together in some form of resolution.
―Finally, let’s talk about Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica The Movie: Rebellion. How did the concept for Devil Homura come about?
As we developed the concept for Rebellion and held discussions, someone suggested that it might be interesting if Homura was not taken into the Law of Cycles but instead came into conflict with Madoka. If they were to oppose each other, we thought the term ‘Devil’ would fit Homura as a symbolic representation.
―How was Devil Homura’s design decided?
Aoki Ume-san designed her after reading the script. We didn’t provide any specific requests.
―What about the settings for the Children of the False City, the Homura Soldiers, and Homura’s black dress?
Those were all created by Gekidan Inu Curry. Since the stage was the witch’s barrier space, we left the designs entirely to Inu Curry without adding unnecessary input.
―In Rebellion, Homura has lizard motifs incorporated throughout.
That’s right. Lizards appear in various places on the screen, and her earrings after becoming Devil Homura are also lizard-inspired. This was another idea from Inu Curry. When I think of lizards, I associate them with The Black Lizard (a novel by Edogawa Ranpo), so I felt that the motif fit perfectly with Homura, whose theme color is black.
―That’s fascinating. Did Inu Curry also design Homura’s witch?
When the witch’s design came back from Inu Curry, it included elements like a split-open head and cuts where it falls from above, which made me a bit anxious—it seemed like it could turn out too grotesque. I asked Director Yukihiro Miyamoto to ‘try to avoid making it overly graphic.’
―At the end of Rebellion, the Devil Homura scene was re-recorded with Chiwa Saito. What led you to decide to redo the recording?
After the initial recording, sound director Yota Tsuruoka kept asking me, ‘Are you sure you’re satisfied? No regrets, right?’ I had no regrets, but something felt off. We wrapped up for the day, but I couldn’t stop mulling it over afterward. The recording session had been on a Saturday, and I spent the following Sunday feeling heavy-hearted. I thought, ‘What if the audience ends up rejecting Homura’s behavior? What if she falls completely into the dark side, and her popularity as a character is ruined? Did we go too far?’ Then, on Monday, I met with Mitsutoshi Kubota (SHAFT President and animation producer), and he said, ‘I’m not sure about that.’ I also heard that Atsuhiro Iwakami (Aniplex producer) was concerned. Since everyone had their doubts, I figured it might be better to re-record.
―It sounds like the decision to re-record was a collective one.
Exactly. For the scenes where Homura becomes the Devil, we used the storyboards during recording, and they were quite intense. Naturally, when Saito-san saw them, her performance reflected Homura’s descent into the dark side. On our end, we intended to redraw Homura’s expressions to ensure they didn’t go too far and carefully balance the visuals, but it turned out to be quite challenging.
―It was surprising to see the “HOMURA 1st Take Version” included as a special feature in the limited editions of the Blu-ray and DVD.
We thought it would be fine to let viewers hear the first take after they’d already seen the theatrical version. If someone were to hear the first take first, they’d probably come away with a completely different impression of the work.
―In the final scene of Rebellion, Homura dances under the moon. What meaning did you intend to convey in that scene?
I wanted the audience to feel the lingering resonance of the film’s conclusion. I hoped people would freely imagine what might happen next.
