Puella Magi Wiki - User contributions [en]

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-29T20:09:52Z

KFYatek: Undo revision 48020 by 96.32.242.135 (talk)

{{Note|This article was originally posted on [http://yuis-musings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuis-musings.tumblr.com] on October 15th, 2012. It has been copied here for purposes of archiving and backup.}}

As a huge fan of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, I was ecstatic when I heard that [[Madoka Magica Movie|movies were being produced]]. Despite the fact that they were to be a retelling of the TV series in two parts, I felt it would still be exciting to see in the theaters. This opportunity was thanks to the fact that I moved to Japan from the United States a couple months before the movies were to be released; I made it a priority to get tickets to see them.

I was one of those fans that was able to see the first movie on opening day, 6 October 2012. Just before the movie started, I decided to try and remember any significant differences and document them later. As I have watched the series many, many times on Blu-Ray, I felt this was something I could handle.

So, I am going mainly off of memory and the fact that I re-watched the 1st movie again on 13 October 2012, when the 2nd movie premiered. I wish I had images to refer to, but I was not about to try and illegally film the movie.

I will be highlighting changes or differences as seen in the 1st movie in comparison with the Blu-Ray version of the series. The 1st movie covers events that happen from episode 1-8. Granted, for those that have seen the series, there is no real change to how the movie plot proceeds; if you’ve seen the series, there are no spoilers. If you have not, well, then you have been warned.

Generally, most if not all the scenes were redrawn/reanimated and/or have wider angles. Most of the backgrounds were given more detail, color, depth and contrast. Plus, a lot of the voice acting was redone for the main characters. I will not be going over all these changes unless they are significant. If scenes were cut, it is most likely for time, even though the movie runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This was a rather difficult, but fun project to do, as I rewatched the first 8 episodes to recount any differences I remembered from the movie and take note of those worth noting.

This effort was made especially for those English-speaking Madoka fans that cannot see the movies in Japan, or cannot make a trip to a “local” theater in their country that may be playing the movies. Don’t say I never give anything back!

That being said, this post is extremely long and text-heavy, so may not be for those with short attention spans. Even so, enjoy!

== Episode 1 ==

* As the slightly modified curtain rises in the movie, we are greeted with a modified title slate. Presumably the date on the bottom is changed to 2012, instead of 2011 as was in the series version.
* The countdown sequence has also been changed, to the symbols around the numbers being more circular and modern.
* The immediate and significant difference here is that we do not see Madoka’s dream sequence involving Homura fighting Walpurgisnacht,
** Instead see Madoka greeting her dad in the garden, asking her to go help Tatsuya wake up mom.
* As Madoka’s mom (Junko) leaves, the wall behind her has a static picture frame, rather the LCD picture frame that has the image change.
* As Madoka runs out of the house for school, the music for the movie OP Luminous by ClariS starts, which leads into a new OP animation. Try as I might, I may mix up the sequence of these in the opening animation.

== Opening Animation ==

* It features Madoka and Homura in white dresses, lying in what seems to be water, reaching for each other’s hands with smiles on their faces. They then dissolve into bubbles, followed by a wide shot of what seems to be Ultimate Madoka or Madoka in a very long white dress with her hands together and her head down.
* We then see scenes of Madoka as a baby, growing up several stages such as crawling, walking, going to school for the first time (a young Sayaka and Kyousuke are seen here too), to when her mother was pregnant with her little brother (Tatsuya) and her playing with him.
* There is an adorable scene of Madoka and Homura sitting in chairs in the middle of a green field. Madoka butts her head up against Homura’s, which surprises Homura, but she happily returns the gesture back. Such cute skinship between them! [[File:Movie OP Homumado.gif|center]]
** (Shame on you if you felt it was some sort of yuri fantasy. This type of behavior is common between friends in Japan, and is nothing sexual.)
* The five girls have cycling close-ups as the camera spins around to each of them. Then we get a close up of each girl followed by a wide shot of them after Madoka. Then Mami in her apartment. Kyoko in her dad’s chruch. Homura’s part zooms out from her right eye, as the background fills with gears, and a clock behind her.
* I forget if Sayaka has a scene here.
* Finally, we see a wide shot of Madoka running as the background literally flips between reality and witch barriers and then to the landscape after Walpurgisnacht appears.
* The final scene is Madoka in a white dress taking her ribbons out of her hair, as she floats on top of water and clouds quickly fly by. We get a nice shot of her smiling face and the wind blowing through her hair.
* All in all, a very pretty OP sequence to watch.

== Episode 1 (Continued) ==

* After the OP, Madoka runs up to Hitomi and Sayaka. The backgrounds here are really improved. Tje way to school is filled with more trees and has an increased sense of wilderness with the river nearby. Colors seem more vivid and there is more contrast.
** When Hitomi coughs in embarrassment as Sayaka harasses Madoka, they are much farther from school than shown in the series, as they are still on the path by the river.
* After the teacher’s rant about hard or soft-boiled eggs, Sayaka’s exclamation about how the transfer student should had been introduced first is more pronounced and her expression is more dramatic.
* Homura’s entrance has a very smooth and dynamic redrawn camera angle pan up from her legs up to her face, showing off more budget that Shaft had for this movie. It is not just a simple static pan up as seen in the series.
** When the curious students ask Homura questions, she does not respond to them.
* Before and after Homura asks Madoka to “take her to the nurses office”, Shaft takes the time to really show how extravagant the school is. The backgrounds are much more dynamic, showing more detail is shown in the flooring, the glass between the hall and classrooms and along the ceiling.
** It also more apparent the students are staring at Homura. When Madoka says something that bother’s Homura, such as calling her by her surname, her footsteps echo loudly.
* There is no scene of Homura performing her extraordinary physical talents on the school grounds. Kyuubey is also not shown hiding in a plant.
** Instead, we go to Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi in the restaurant after school.
* The restaurant is much more detailed, and the group is sitting at table rather than a booth as seen in the series. The background behind them as they talk shows the interior of the mall rather than windows and blank walls. This carries a more “inhabited” feeling. Even though we did not see it, Madoka still makes her comment about how she felt she met Homura in a dream, and Sayaka is the only one that laughs at it.
** When Madoka and Sayaka leave for the CD store, there is no scene of Homura pursuing Kyuubey.
** In the CD store’s backgrounds are enhanced and the store is advanced with touch screens, as the girls demonstrate when they choose a song.
** The song that Madoka listens to in the store is Luminous, instead of Connect.
** When Homura meets Madoka after she finds Kyuubey, the ambient light is predominately red.
** When Sayaka comes to Madoka’s rescue, she shoots the fire extinguisher from the right side instead of the left. The extinguisher fumes seem to be more substantial. She also throws the extinguisher at Homura in a more animated and violent manner.
* As the witch barrier appears, we are greeted with a sequence of several doors opening into each other.
* Gertrud’s witch barrier appears much more detailed, and creepy. As the familiars close in on the girls, a different BGM plays.
** Interesting note: When Mami first appear and walks in behind Madoka and Sayaka, she says “That was close. But you’re safe now”, her mouth does not move in either the series or in the movie.
* Mami’s transformation sequence is reanimated. It is smoother, and in a more elegant fashion that reflects Mami’s personality. She actually kicks off her shoes. Then her stockings change, following her skirt and top. Her beret and plume burst onto her head, making a trail of flower petals or ribbon pieces. Her corset then wraps around her from behind. Her boots appear and then her ribbon flies in and ties around her neck. This ends with a close up of her face, giving the camera a wink.

== Episode 2 ==

* Instead of Mami giving her self-introduction in a flashback of her series transformation animation and subsequent battle, she gives it as they all go to Mami’s apartment.
* There is no scene of Madoka waking up thinking it was a dream again. Also, there is no scene with Madoka and her mom telling her to call if she will be home late. There is no remark about Kyuubey being invisible to others.
* Madoka does not recall her meeting with Mami as a flashback, so mom never says what she would wish for if she was given the chance.
* Mami’s room has more ambient lighting from the sunset than in the series.
* As Mami explains the task given to all Puella Magi, the BGM is different.
** The conversation about how witches work is slightly truncated.
** Note: Mami’s head-in-lap reflection from the glass table exists both in series and movie
* After the talk of wishes, we see the scene where Sayaka takes a CD to Kyousuke and we learn about his injury. We also see how Sayaka admires Kyosuke’s violin playing. This does not happen until the start of episode 3 in the series.
** This scene in the movie shows many chairs in Kyosuke’s room, where the series version had no chairs minus the one Sayaka sits in. This scene takes the place of the following scenes:
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi the following morning does not occur.
** No “yuri undertones” as to why Madoka and Sayaka are staring at each other while talking through Kyuubey thanks to Hitomi.
** The situation where Kyuubey is at school does not occur. It is not made clear that they can communicate telepathically.
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Mami about Homura being a Puella magi and why seems to be against them does not occur. As such, the discussion about rewards of defeating witches is absent.
** The scene where Madoka is doodling in her notebook with Sayaka falling asleep in class does not occur.
* After the Sayaka/Kyousuke scene, we go to the school rooftop where the two girls discuss wishes. Some dialogue is omitted as being redundant.
** In the series, this is where we get a glimpse of Kyousuke silhouette in the hospital.
* The background for the rooftop is changed considerably. The side fences are much taller and the entire area is more decorated and detailed, also with more places to sit.
** Instead of being pure white, the structures on the roof appear more off-white. The changes also allow for detailed shadows to be cast across the roof.
* When Homura appears on the roof, the BGM is slightly different, reflecting the intensity of the situation.
** When Madoka asks Homura what her wish was, Homura is more visibly bothered by it.
** When Mami is overlooking this encounter, we only see her once and from a distance.
** The subsequent scene that follows the events in the morning with Hitomi after school does not occur. As such, the school girls do not ask Homura to go somewhere with them after school.
** '''Movie Consistency Error:''' The meeting between Mami and her two Puella magi prospects, Madoka shows her doodles of costumes as her way of being “prepared.” At first, all the drawings are monochrome, when it switches to a wide angle; the largest doodle of Madoka is colored in. When the scene changes again, it is monochrome again.
** Madoka’s face does not glow red in embarrassment, but her blushing is more subtle.
* As they are witch hunting, the conversation about how Mami should had finished off the witch yesterday, but wanted to protect Madoka and Sayaka instead is removed.
* As the distraught woman walks into the ruined building, the entrance is more decrepit and the German lines from “Faust” are harder to read. Later, when the girls walk by this same wall, the lines seem to be completely different and unreadable as a real language.
** After Mami saves the woman from committing witch-assisted suicide, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is more detailed and “shines” with dark sparkles.
** As they enter the barrier, they go through three doors as an intro.
** The BGM as they go through the barrier is changed to the one when Mami fights Charlotte in the series.
** They go through several single doors before reaching Gertrud. Perhaps reflecting how the stages in the PSP game operated.
** However, right before they reach Gertrud, they go through three doors.
* The area where Mami fights Gertrud is more detailed, such as more roses on the ground and detailing on the walls.
** The BGM as Mami fights Gertrud is the instrumental Quattro version of Magia.
** Mami’s battle animations are smoother, and overall, the fight is a bit shorter than in the series.
** Mami makes no mention as grief seeds as a reward as it would reference a past conversation that did not happen in the movie.
** The background with the confrontation with Homura is darkened.
** There scene where Madoka is coloring her doodles at her desk at home is not shown.

== Episode 3 ==

* The entire sequence where Mami fights the familiar Ulla, where she explains her wish when she became a Puella Magi, where Mami advises Sayaka to not make a wish she might regret is cut from the movie.
* After Kyuubey tells Madoka has the potential become a super powerful Puella Magi, the scene where her mom comes home drunk after work and needs help, along with the subsequent scene of her dad telling her how her mom treasures the life she has and is, in sorts, living her dream, is not shown.
* When Kyuubey sees the grief seed on the pillar by the bicycles, Madoka and Sayaka run up to it, and have to navigate through the bikes a bit. In the series, they seem to run just close, but are shown as if they did not run to it at all.
** The grief seed shares the same characteristics as the witch’s kiss in that it has “Dark sparkles” as the barrier starts to grow on the pillar.
** Sayaka’s dialogue about how she can’t leave the grief seed alone here is somewhat more determined.
** The backgrounds for the hospital during these scenes in the movie are different.
** When Madoka returns with Mami, Mami is visibly more upset with Madoka and Sayaka about how they went on without her.
** The camera angle where Madoka and Mami enter the barrier is shown from the side, similar to when they went into Gertrud’s barrier. We are also shown more doors when they first enter.
** The BGMs are during these scenes are subtle, but it builds better atmosphere.
* When Mami traps Homura in the ribbons, Homura sounds more desperate in her pleas for them to not fight this witch.
** Madoka voice is reflects more fear as they go through the barrier.
** On the bridge with the hanging headless bodies, the BGM changes to a somber piano and violin piece.
** Mami’s hand does not clip through her skirt as watch her walking from Madoka’s POV after she lets go of her hand.
** They (thankfully) redrew the scene where Mami and Madoka make a promise for her to join her Puella magi team.
** When Mami calls this a “Special day” and is about to transform, Madoka sounds more delighted, than frightened in the series.
* As Mami transforms with another new transformation, which is longer than the quick one in the series, our ears are treated to a new version of Credens Justitiam, but with lyrics in Japanese. ''[the song has been released as "Mirai" on Kalafina's "Hikari Furu" single --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]]]''
** During her fight with the familiars, which has better animation, we see her form her dual arm cannons. They also go back to the TV version where Mami has one leg up on the syringe.
** Mami does not say anything about her body being light, and only says, with total confidence “I’m not afraid of anything anymore… because I’m not alone anymore.”
* As Mami fights Charlotte in doll form, the BGM is different, which sounds like a witch playfully mocking the girls, building up perfectly to the point where Mami meets her end.
** As Charlotte ends Mami, we see her flower soul gem on her head shatter.
** Homura’s fight with Charlotte also has a new more fitting BGM.
** When Homura plants bombs that Charlotte eats, there are 3-4 of them on her tongue (only one in the series). Once Charlotte starts exploding multiple times, Homura does not throw explosive debris at her like in the series. As Charlotte swallowed more than one bomb in the movie, this makes sense.
* Sayaka’s cries for Homura to give the grief seed back to Mami are much more emotional. To match, Homura’s lines are much sterner. The girls are more shocked at what happened to Mami.
** Kyuubey face is redrawn so it does not look completely disproportionate after Homura leaves. It still didn’t look right for some reason.

== Episode 4 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka goes to see Kyousuke and she seriously considers using her wish for him, echoing what Mami warned her about is not in the movie.
* The scenes where the egg yolk of her breakfast reminds Madoka of Mami’s death, and where Sayaka forbids Madoka from talking about it on the way to school does not occur.
* During the lesson in school, we are zoomed into the word “ENOUGH” just to see “UGH” before it zooms out to show the entire board.
* The roof scene, again redrawn, where Madoka changes her mind to become a Puella magi despite her promise to Mami is more somber, and has several different angles throughout the ending conversation with Kyuubey.
* Sayaka makes no mention of Mami being a kind person, but instead goes right on to ask Kyuubey if another Puella magi will come.
* After the scene ends, Madoka’s “I’m sorry” to Mami is more emotional, and echoes longer in the theater.
* When Mami visits Mami’s apartment to leave the notebook behind, the BGM is more somber. Again, Madoka’s crying seems even more emotional than in the series.
* When they meet outside the apartment, Homura does not say Madoka’s name during their conversation.
* As they continue their conversation while walking together, the background of the industrial section is much darker and filled with red ambient lighting. This suggests this takes place later than it did in the series. Homura and Madoka walk in near darkness.
** However, we lose the effect of the sunlight being blocked by Madoka’s hair on and off as they walk, as it was shown on the Blu-Ray series.
** The BGM as they talk is very somber.
** Once Madoka stops walking to cry, Homura seems more concerned about her.
* Next scene is where Sayaka is with Kyousuke in his hospital room and he is listening to more music. The BGM is a sad sounding violin, which would have made sense in the first place for the series…
* As Madoka is walking by herself, there are no other shadows of people around her, which how it was in the series.
** The witch’s kiss on Hitomi’s neck, and the other people, matches the standard set from earlier in the movie.
** Madoka does not over react when she realizes she doesn’t have Homura’s cellphone number.
** The floor of the factory they all gather at is either see-through or very well-polished.
** A very spooky and chilling chorus BGM plays at this part.
** As the people are about to mix bleach and ammonia, there is no flashback to where Madoka’s mom tells her never to mix them.
** When Hitomi initial stops Madoka from interfering, her voice isn’t as stern as in the series.
** Once Madoka is locks herself into the room, there is more detail shown in the background.
** As the witch barrier propagates, carousel music starts to play and some undead horses are seen to run by rather close to Madoka.
* The classical music, accompanied with some playful sound effects is heard throughout this witch fight with Kirsten.
** There is more detail in the walls of the witch barrier.
** Sayaka is the only Puella magi to have a significant change to her costume design. On her left side of her head, her two hairclips change into a fortissimo symbol (ff) when she transforms.
* When Kyousuke wakes up to find his arm is healed, there is no BGM.
* The scene where Kyoko shows up and is talking to Kyuubey in the tower about how she’ll beat the hell out of the new girl does not occur.

== Episode 5 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka makes her wish and contract is not shown yet.
* The following scene with Hitomi explaining to Madoka and Sayaka how she doesn’t remember what happened the night before and how Sayaka says she should had stayed home instead, does not happen.
** Instead, it is the scene where we see a happy Sayaka acting proud about what’s she done, and how she will become an ally of justice.
** BGM is different during this scene.
* Next, Sayaka visits a partially healed Kyousuke. Here we see many chairs in the room in both in the series and movie.
** There is no consistency though, as the chairs that appear in each are different.
** As they are going up the roof in the elevator, the smile Sayaka gives Kyousuke is slightly delayed.
* Once Kyousuke starts playing Ave Maria on his violin, Sayaka closes her eyes, and we see a flashback of her making the contract with Kyuubey on the very same spot on the roof just a day before.
** It is stylized with a vignette border and is shown in black and white. There is more depth to the rose garden sections and smoother animation.
** There is no indication this was painful to Sayaka at all. During this, she makes her “I’ll never regret this” speech to Mami in thought.
** The silhouette of Sayaka against the sun is also against a fence… which oddly looks like a prison. There was no fence shown here in the series.
** Note: When Kyousuke stops playing the song, the BGM continues on. Just like in the series.
* Kyoko is seen watching this event from afar in the tower, and is seen eating a thin cream filled cracker/cookie. In the series, she is eating a waffle.
** Also is the first scene we see Kyoko in the movie.
* The scene were Madoka and Homura are talking in the restaurant about becoming friends with Sayaka does not occur.
** This also means we don’t see Homura make the Mami-loses-her-head reference with taking the lid off her cup (which she never drinks from… even though she tries to). Seeing that Homura tells Madoka to give up on Sayaka several times in the series, this scene is trivial.
** Instead, we see Sayaka in her room, psyching herself up to go hunt for witches. Kyuubey is seen lounging nearby, but in a slightly different position.
* Sayaka’s room is a bit darker and more detailed.
** When she meets Madoka outside, and grabs her hand, all ambient noise is cut. This is exemplifying that her hands are indeed shaking despite her air of confidence.
** Kyuubey does not give his speech about how dangerous it is, and how he talks to Madoka only about her own plans should Sayaka need help, and we don’t see the scene of them walking around during this witch hunt.
** Instead, we see a nice shot of Sayaka’s soul gem glowing brightly right before they go into an alley and spot the crazy crayon familiar, Anja.
** Once the familiar shows up, the BGM turns a little more intense.
* Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and she seems to swim though it in a fashion that a mermaid swims.
** Her transformation is rather modest compared to the series version. She seems to pull her sword on out her body as it materializes.
** Here we can see her hairclips changing into the fortissimo symbol.
* Kyoko’s tone why saying that it is just a familiar and won’t drop grief seeds is more harsh and berating of the new Puella magi.
** Kyoko is seen eating a bear taiyaki instead of the tradition fish taiyaki shown in the series.
** When Kyoko blocks Sayaka’s initial attack, there are more sustained sparks and Kyoko appears to not struggle at all.
** This entire fight sequence has more camera shake during action scenes. Also, the visuals on all the characters are more dynamic and flowing, and do not appear so flat. Shading and shadows in the alleyway helped improve that.
** Kyoko’s initial blow to Sayaka make is apparent that she hits her head on the water pipe.
** When Sayaka blocks Kyoko’s spear point-to-point, Kyoko is visually much more irritated. There is also no big energy ball that is created with the contact of weapons.
** The BGM is more fitting for a battle like this, semi-metal guitar.
** Homura’s entrance into the fight is less dramatic, but still does her signature hair flip.

== Episode 6 ==

* After the battle, once Homura walks away, Kyuubey does not make any suggestion that he might know something about Homura.
** But we do see a few water droplets suspended in midair, and then fall suddenly to match the watch pouring out the broken water pipe.
* There is no scene of Sayaka cleansing her soul gem with Kirsten’s grief seed, so we don’t learn that Kyuubey “eats” grief seeds, we don’t get the clue that a soul gem must remain clean, and Kyuubey doesn’t tell Sayaka that Madoka has great potential to be a Puella magi.
** Instead, we go the scene of Kyoko playing Dog Drug Reinforcement. The song is still the remix of “Connect” as played in the series.
** Kyoko is eating pocky, but it is strawberry flavored.
* The scene with Sayaka returning to place she fought Kyoko to find remnants of the familiar and her yelling at Madoka about how she can be friends with Puella magi that are just after grief seeds, does not occur.
* The next scene here Madoka goes downstairs when she hears her mom come home from work is slight different. In the movie, Madoka just goes downstairs and asks her mom if it is okay to talk.
** The BGM is different.
* Their conversation about making mistakes is slightly condensed and some lines are rearranged, but it still has the same message.
* When Sayaka is told Sousuke is discharged from the hospital, she doesn’t respond. Next scene, she is already at his front gate, and hears him playing his violin. In the movie, these events do not happen as fast as it appears in the series.
** When Kyoko shows up she is eating the same thing in both movie and series (churro-thing)
** The conversation between Kyoko and Sayaka is a little more intense as far as delivery goes.
* When Madoka is doing her homework on her computer, she is not in her school uniform, but in casual clothes (makes sense to me). The color of her laser keyboard is blue in the movie. It was orange in the series.
* Kyoko’s transformation consists of fire, a cartwheel kick and some fancy action moves with her spear. Her transformation is centered on her spear, as it materializes first out of her soul gem. All the while, she has what appears to be green tea pocky between her lips.
** We would get another Sayaka transformation but…
* When Madoka grabs Sayaka’s gem out of her hands, there is a very cool 3D zoom out she does so.
* When Homura sees this and vanishes, you can see her targe/shield glow purple just before she does vanish.
* When Kyoko grabs Sayaka and says she’s dead, the BGM turns more serious. This continues as Homura chases after the truck with Sayaka’s gem on it and into the next scenes.
* Sayaka’s body is laid on a rather ornamental part of the bridge and her body looks more lifeless due to the position of her hands and legs.
* Kyoko grabs Kyuubey’s head from the middle, not one of its ears like in the series. In one shot, it looks like she’s petting it…
* Kyoko’s expression makes her look even more furious about this than in the series.

== Episode 7 ==

* The scene where Sayaka yells at Kyuubey for never mentioning the issues regarding soul gemes does not happen yet, and is modified. Also, she is seen walking home and throwing her soul gem onto the desk before confronting Kyuubey. This does not happen in the movie.
* Next scene in the movie is the next day at school and Sayaka is absent. Madoka speaks with Homura on the roof about the details on the soul gems. The conversation takes place close to one of the towers on the roof, instead of by the side, next to the fence, as in the series.
** The revamped roof and towers cast a shadow over Homura as she speaks, giving a more ominous feel to their dialogue. Parts of the dialogue are changed and some elements are added to compensate for prior discussions about grief seeds being removed.
** BGM is a piano track, rather than a violin.
* The scene just prior to this one, where Sayaka is in bed holding and staring at her soul gem, is moved to here. Also, the scene where she yells at Kyuubey for deceiving them is shown here as a flashback.
** As with all of Sayaka’s flashbacks in the movie, they are shown in black and white with a vignette.
* Kyuubey explanation about what soul physically is, and why it places their soul into a gem for the girls’ benefit in battle, is removed.
* Kyuubey says nothing prior to climbing onto the desk and touching Sayaka’s gem to demonstrate the true effects of pain to her. In the series, it prefaces this by equating the upcoming pain with getting stabbed in the stomach with a spear.
** BGM is another piano track.
* Sayaka does not look as distraught as she recovers from the sudden rush of pain. This may be to display the disconnect between a Puella magi’s body and soul, or may be an element of Sayaka’s healing ability.
* Kyuubey doesn’t mention the possibility of blocking out pain during battle.
* When Sayaka opens to curtains to see Kyoko outside, Sakaya’s face is partially blocked by a section of window frame.
* The scene and conversation where Sayaka and Kyoko are walking down the path is not shown. Kyoko does not suggest to Sayaka that she should live on without regrets, like she does.
** Instead, they are right in front of Kyoko’s dad’s church. The interior is a little more detailed.
* In one point during the explanation of Kyoko’s past, the BGM turns into a somewhat deranged violin piece.
* Sayaka seems to have less interest in Kyoko’s history.
* After Sayaka asks Kyoko why would worry about her, we see a bright blue light against a black background. Perhaps Sayaka’s light of her soul?
* Overall, this scene was a bit faster than in the series. Also, some lines were altered or rearranged.
** There was a line said by Kyoko about living without regrets, which occurred during the walk to the church in the series.
* As Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi are walking to school the next morning, their positions while speaking are slightly altered. When Sayaka sees Kyousuke among a group of boys, the girls are on a higher level than them.
** BGM is a different piano piece.
* The conversation about Kyousuke between Hitomi and Sayaka takes place in the restaurant, but in chairs instead of booth seats. Also, Hitomi’s tone when speaking to Sayaka is a little less critical in the movie.
* BGM is a different piano piece during Sayaka’s breakdown when she is speaking to Madoka.
* As Kyoko watches Sayaka fight the witch from outside the barrier, she is eating an orange popsicle, rather than the blue one in the series.
* As Sayaka fights Elle, the BGM is enhanced with an opera-like chorus accompanying the instrumental.
* The walls of Elle’s barrier have more detail.
* The glow around all the girls black silhouettes stand out more.
* There seems to be less blood in this fight than in the series.
* There is no black screen with Madoka saying “No. Please Stop,” to Sayaka.

== Episode 8 ==

* The final moments of the Elle battle does not have a pause, as it continues straight through. There was a break between episode 7 and 8 in the series.
** The animation as the barrier disappears is different.
** The screen goes all black and silent before Sayaka says “I’m just a little tired.” It echoed perfectly in the theater.
** The next scene where Madoka helps Sayaka walk does not happen.
** Kyoko does not call Sayaka an idiot.
* Next scene is Madoka and Sayaka at the bus stop during the rain storm.
** There is no BGM, just ambient sounds of the rain and passing cars.
** There is no moment of a red tinted, crazed Sayaka showing her darkening soul gem to Madoka.
** Sayaka’s tone is harsher and Madoka shows more concern over Sayaka in her voice.
** Sayaka doesn’t make mention of Kyuubey telling her that Madoka has potential to be a powerful Puella magi.
** When Sayaka runs off after telling Madoka to not follow her, she doesn’t say how stupid it was to say that to her.
** We do see her tainted soul gem, however, as in the series.
* In Homura’s home, the walls containing Walpurgisnacht information have more detail in them.
** There is no BGM during this scene.
** After Kyoko points her spear at Kyuubey, there is no close shot of the spear in Kyuubey’s face.
** After Homura tells Kyuubey to leave, its footsteps are louder than in the series.
* The scene of Madoka in class, regretting not having followed Sayaka the night before, is not shown.
* This also corresponds to no scene a bit later of Madoka visiting Sayaka’s home after school in search of her.
** Instead we see the scene with Kyousuke and Hitomi walking home, as Hitomi is about to confess to him, with Sayaka watching from a distance.
* As Sayaka watches their conversation, the BGM is a low-fidelity version of the BGM in the series, which fades into a more familiar version of the song as Sayaka is shown desperately fighting familiars, screaming in agony. Her screams are more desperate in the movie.
** Next is a scene of Sayaka’s body falling face down as she is sinking in black water, her body gradually dissolving.
* There is no scene where Sayaka is confronted by Homura to accept her help, and cleanse her soul gem for Madoka’s sake, or die by her hand right there and then. Consequently, we don’t see Kyoko come to Sayaka’s rescue and we don’t get another hint of Homura’s abilities when Kyoko retrains her.
** Instead, we see Sayaka on the train, listening in on the conversation between the two men about how women should be treated like dogs.
** The conversation between the two men is truncated.
* This scene is in black and white with a vignette, with the white’s brightness blooming over the black. As Sayaka confronts the two men, the lights outside the train pulse in intensity as it moves along.
* When Kyuubey has the conversation with Madoka about how she could possible change Sayaka’s fate if she were to become a Puella magi for Sayaka’s sake, the majority of the conversation is seen through gaps in the streams of water that are colored by LED lights.
** The streams shift color and positions throughout the conversation. The fountain also has two vertical spouts that shoot water periodically as well.
** The fountain in the series only has one spout, and the streams do not move as much.
** The scene is shown mostly from a static wide angle, whereas in the series, it varies in distances.
** Portions of Madoka and Kyuubey’s lines are omitted.
** BGM is a lonely sounding flute.
* After Homura interrupts and kills Kyuubey, her pleas to Madoka to not call herself worthless are more desperate.
** When Madoka runs off to find Sayaka, Homura does not say Madoka’s name until after she is out of earshot, and when she does say it, it is under her breath between sobs.
** When Kyuubey returns from the dead and is standing on the fence, its eyes do not glow at all.
** When Kyuubey realizes what kind of magic Homura uses, her face shows more shock and concern.
* When Kyoko finds Sayaka in the train station and sits down next to her, it is a wider angle shot.
** Once Sayaka shows Kyoko how tainted her gem is, a more serious violin and chorus BGM plays, growing in intensity as the scene progresses.
** In her last moment of humanity, as her tear hits her soul gem, we get a clearer view of Sakura’s distorted face, which is a nothing but black with a white circle for the eye and a white trail from the tear that fell. This scene was not as clear in the series.
** When Kyoko cries out Sayaka’s name, it is much more bone chilling and echoed particularly well in the theater.
* The movie closes out with Kyuubey explaining the relationship between Puella magi and witches.
** Kyuubey has the same tone and face as seen in in the Blu-Ray version of the series.

== Ending Animation ==

* The song that plays is a new version of Magia, called Magia (Quattro). It is also the full version of the song.
* The visuals are much more dramatic, but are share similarities to the series ending sequence.
* The background is a distorted shot of a view of walking down a street.
* There are 5 or 6 colored silhouettes that are seen during the first verse, which could be presumably the Puella magi version of some of the witches, or maybe something different altogether.
* After these figures pass by, we see in the distance a pink figure which seems to be Madoka, as seen in the original ending. As the 2nd verse starts, she starts walking as in the original. She walks by herself for a bit.
* During the middle section of the song, larger silhouettes of the other four girls’ bodies, one at a time, show up on the screen. Each of them is represented by their respective color.
* Soon after, we see the visuals of Madoka walking by each of the four girls, her clothes ripping off, and then her running in the distance in same fashion as in the series ending, up until we see the lone figure of Madoka in a fetal position.
* This final part is an interesting change from the series. We see a large pink silhouette with long hair, and the floating figure of fetal position Madoka in the mid-section of this larger figure. It is presumed this larger figure is Ultimate Madoka, and this may relate to a plot device in Faust where Gretchen is pregnant with Faust’s baby.
* There are no after credit extras.

== Summary and General Observations ==

* There was much speculation that the movies may present a different story from the series version, however, from my own personal viewing of the movies twice, it seems there is little departure between the two versions after the first movie.
* The only character that had any sort of modification was Sayaka. Her hair clips transform into a fortissimo symbol as shown in music scores.
** After the second movie, there is speculation as to if this is significant, as she appears to be alive according to the trailer for the third movie.
* Kyuubey’s mouth is drawn more distorted in most scenes it is in. Perhaps to help illustrate that it is more alien than something cute.
* Sayaka’s face seems to be more concealed in various scenes in comparison with the series.
* Homura seems to have more trouble fighting back her emotions in her dialogues concerning Madoka.
* General improvement on scene backgrounds seems to have been a focus, and overall, improved most scenes in the movie.
* New Kajiura music and BGMs helped create better atmosphere for certain events.
* The Witch barriers were given more detail
* It is interesting the movie’s story would omit Mami’s wish when she decided to become a Puella magi, as it should be an important detail in regards to her character.

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the first movie and its comparison with what was shown in the series. I am currently working on a similar post for the second movie. Please look forward to it sometime this week!

[[Category:Community Content]]

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-27T21:38:10Z

KFYatek:

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-25T18:42:18Z

KFYatek:

{{Note|This article was originally posted on [http://yuis-musings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuis-musings.tumblr.com] on October 15th, 2012. It has been copied here for purposes of archiving and backup.}}

As a huge fan of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, I was ecstatic when I heard that [[Madoka Magica Movie|movies were being produced]]. Despite the fact that they were to be a retelling of the TV series in two parts, I felt it would still be exciting to see in the theaters. This opportunity was thanks to the fact that I moved to Japan from the United States a couple months before the movies were to be released; I made it a priority to get tickets to see them.

I was one of those fans that was able to see the first movie on opening day, 6 October 2012. Just before the movie started, I decided to try and remember any significant differences and document them later. As I have watched the series many, many times on Blu-Ray, I felt this was something I could handle.

So, I am going mainly off of memory and the fact that I re-watched the 1st movie again on 13 October 2012, when the 2nd movie premiered. I wish I had images to refer to, but I was not about to try and illegally film the movie.

I will be highlighting changes or differences as seen in the 1st movie in comparison with the Blu-Ray version of the series. The 1st movie covers events that happen from episode 1-8. Granted, for those that have seen the series, there is no real change to how the movie plot proceeds; if you’ve seen the series, there are no spoilers. If you have not, well, then you have been warned.

Generally, most if not all the scenes were redrawn/reanimated and/or have wider angles. Most of the backgrounds were given more detail, color, depth and contrast. Plus, a lot of the voice acting was redone for the main characters. I will not be going over all these changes unless they are significant. If scenes were cut, it is most likely for time, even though the movie runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This was a rather difficult, but fun project to do, as I rewatched the first 8 episodes to recount any differences I remembered from the movie and take note of those worth noting.

This effort was made especially for those English-speaking Madoka fans that cannot see the movies in Japan, or cannot make a trip to a “local” theater in their country that may be playing the movies. Don’t say I never give anything back!

That being said, this post is extremely long and text-heavy, so may not be for those with short attention spans. Even so, enjoy!

== Episode 1 ==

* As the slightly modified curtain rises in the movie, we are greeted with a modified title slate. Presumably the date on the bottom is changed to 2012, instead of 2011 as was in the series version.
* The countdown sequence has also been changed, to the symbols around the numbers being more circular and modern.
* The immediate and significant difference here is that we do not see Madoka’s dream sequence involving Homura fighting Walpurgisnacht,
** Instead see Madoka greeting her dad in the garden, asking her to go help Tatsuya wake up mom.
* As Madoka’s mom (Junko) leaves, the wall behind her has a static picture frame, rather the LCD picture frame that has the image change.
* As Madoka runs out of the house for school, the music for the movie OP Luminous by ClariS starts, which leads into a new OP animation. Try as I might, I may mix up the sequence of these in the opening animation.

== Opening Animation ==

* It features Madoka and Homura in white dresses, lying in what seems to be water, reaching for each other’s hands with smiles on their faces. They then dissolve into bubbles, followed by a wide shot of what seems to be Ultimate Madoka or Madoka in a very long white dress with her hands together and her head down.
* We then see scenes of Madoka as a baby, growing up several stages such as crawling, walking, going to school for the first time (a young Sayaka and Kyousuke are seen here too), to when her mother was pregnant with her little brother (Tatsuya) and her playing with him.
* There is an adorable scene of Madoka and Homura sitting in chairs in the middle of a green field. Madoka butts her head up against Homura’s, which surprises Homura, but she happily returns the gesture back. Such cute skinship between them! [[File:Movie OP Homumado.gif|center]]
** (Shame on you if you felt it was some sort of yuri fantasy. This type of behavior is common between friends in Japan, and is nothing sexual.)
* The five girls have cycling close-ups as the camera spins around to each of them. Then we get a close up of each girl followed by a wide shot of them after Madoka. Then Mami in her apartment. Kyoko in her dad’s chruch. Homura’s part zooms out from her right eye, as the background fills with gears, and a clock behind her.
* I forget if Sayaka has a scene here.
* Finally, we see a wide shot of Madoka running as the background literally flips between reality and witch barriers and then to the landscape after Walpurgisnacht appears.
* The final scene is Madoka in a white dress taking her ribbons out of her hair, as she floats on top of water and clouds quickly fly by. We get a nice shot of her smiling face and the wind blowing through her hair.
* All in all, a very pretty OP sequence to watch.

== Episode 1 (Continued) ==

* After the OP, Madoka runs up to Hitomi and Sayaka. The backgrounds here are really improved. Tje way to school is filled with more trees and has an increased sense of wilderness with the river nearby. Colors seem more vivid and there is more contrast.
** When Hitomi coughs in embarrassment as Sayaka harasses Madoka, they are much farther from school than shown in the series, as they are still on the path by the river.
* After the teacher’s rant about hard or soft-boiled eggs, Sayaka’s exclamation about how the transfer student should had been introduced first is more pronounced and her expression is more dramatic.
* Homura’s entrance has a very smooth and dynamic redrawn camera angle pan up from her legs up to her face, showing off more budget that Shaft had for this movie. It is not just a simple static pan up as seen in the series.
** When the curious students ask Homura questions, she does not respond to them.
* Before and after Homura asks Madoka to “take her to the nurses office”, Shaft takes the time to really show how extravagant the school is. The backgrounds are much more dynamic, showing more detail is shown in the flooring, the glass between the hall and classrooms and along the ceiling.
** It also more apparent the students are staring at Homura. When Madoka says something that bother’s Homura, such as calling her by her surname, her footsteps echo loudly.
* There is no scene of Homura performing her extraordinary physical talents on the school grounds. Kyuubey is also not shown hiding in a plant.
** Instead, we go to Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi in the restaurant after school.
* The restaurant is much more detailed, and the group is sitting at table rather than a booth as seen in the series. The background behind them as they talk shows the interior of the mall rather than windows and blank walls. This carries a more “inhabited” feeling. Even though we did not see it, Madoka still makes her comment about how she felt she met Homura in a dream, and Sayaka is the only one that laughs at it.
** When Madoka and Sayaka leave for the CD store, there is no scene of Homura pursuing Kyuubey.
** In the CD store’s backgrounds are enhanced and the store is advanced with touch screens, as the girls demonstrate when they choose a song.
** The song that Madoka listens to in the store is Luminous, instead of Connect.
** When Homura meets Madoka after she finds Kyuubey, the ambient light is predominately red.
** When Sayaka comes to Madoka’s rescue, she shoots the fire extinguisher from the right side instead of the left. The extinguisher fumes seem to be more substantial. She also throws the extinguisher at Homura in a more animated and violent manner.
* As the witch barrier appears, we are greeted with a sequence of several doors opening into each other.
* Gertrud’s witch barrier appears much more detailed, and creepy. As the familiars close in on the girls, a different BGM plays.
** Interesting note: When Mami first appear and walks in behind Madoka and Sayaka, she says “That was close. But you’re safe now”, her mouth does not move in either the series or in the movie.
* Mami’s transformation sequence is reanimated. It is smoother, and in a more elegant fashion that reflects Mami’s personality. She actually kicks off her shoes. Then her stockings change, following her skirt and top. Her beret and plume burst onto her head, making a trail of flower petals or ribbon pieces. Her corset then wraps around her from behind. Her boots appear and then her ribbon flies in and ties around her neck. This ends with a close up of her face, giving the camera a wink.

== Episode 2 ==

* Instead of Mami giving her self-introduction in a flashback of her series transformation animation and subsequent battle, she gives it as they all go to Mami’s apartment.
* There is no scene of Madoka waking up thinking it was a dream again. Also, there is no scene with Madoka and her mom telling her to call if she will be home late. There is no remark about Kyuubey being invisible to others.
* Madoka does not recall her meeting with Mami as a flashback, so mom never says what she would wish for if she was given the chance.
* Mami’s room has more ambient lighting from the sunset than in the series.
* As Mami explains the task given to all Puella Magi, the BGM is different.
** The conversation about how witches work is slightly truncated.
** Note: Mami’s head-in-lap reflection from the glass table exists both in series and movie
* After the talk of wishes, we see the scene where Sayaka takes a CD to Kyousuke and we learn about his injury. We also see how Sayaka admires Kyosuke’s violin playing. This does not happen until the start of episode 3 in the series.
** This scene in the movie shows many chairs in Kyosuke’s room, where the series version had no chairs minus the one Sayaka sits in. This scene takes the place of the following scenes:
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi the following morning does not occur.
** No “yuri undertones” as to why Madoka and Sayaka are staring at each other while talking through Kyuubey thanks to Hitomi.
** The situation where Kyuubey is at school does not occur. It is not made clear that they can communicate telepathically.
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Mami about Homura being a Puella magi and why seems to be against them does not occur. As such, the discussion about rewards of defeating witches is absent.
** The scene where Madoka is doodling in her notebook with Sayaka falling asleep in class does not occur.
* After the Sayaka/Kyousuke scene, we go to the school rooftop where the two girls discuss wishes. Some dialogue is omitted as being redundant.
** In the series, this is where we get a glimpse of Kyousuke silhouette in the hospital.
* The background for the rooftop is changed considerably. The side fences are much taller and the entire area is more decorated and detailed, also with more places to sit.
** Instead of being pure white, the structures on the roof appear more off-white. The changes also allow for detailed shadows to be cast across the roof.
* When Homura appears on the roof, the BGM is slightly different, reflecting the intensity of the situation.
** When Madoka asks Homura what her wish was, Homura is more visibly bothered by it.
** When Mami is overlooking this encounter, we only see her once and from a distance.
** The subsequent scene that follows the events in the morning with Hitomi after school does not occur. As such, the school girls do not ask Homura to go somewhere with them after school.
** Movie Consistency Error: The meeting between Mami and her two Puella magi prospects, Madoka shows her doodles of costumes as her way of being “prepared.” At first, all the drawings are monochrome, when it switches to a wide angle; the largest doodle of Madoka is colored in. When the scene changes again, it is monochrome again.
** Madoka’s face does not glow red in embarrassment, but her blushing is more subtle.
* As they are witch hunting, the conversation about how Mami should had finished off the witch yesterday, but wanted to protect Madoka and Sayaka instead is removed.
* As the distraught woman walks into the ruined building, the entrance is more decrepit and the German lines from “Faust” are harder to read. Later, when the girls walk by this same wall, the lines seem to be completely different and unreadable as a real language.
** After Mami saves the woman from committing witch-assisted suicide, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is more detailed and “shines” with dark sparkles.
** As they enter the barrier, they go through three doors as an intro.
** The BGM as they go through the barrier is changed to the one when Mami fights Charlotte in the series.
** They go through several single doors before reaching Gertrud. Perhaps reflecting how the stages in the PSP game operated.
** However, right before they reach Gertrud, they go through three doors.
* The area where Mami fights Gertrud is more detailed, such as more roses on the ground and detailing on the walls.
** The BGM as Mami fights Gertrud is the instrumental Quattro version of Magia.
** Mami’s battle animations are smoother, and overall, the fight is a bit shorter than in the series.
** Mami makes no mention as grief seeds as a reward as it would reference a past conversation that did not happen in the movie.
** The background with the confrontation with Homura is darkened.
** There scene where Madoka is coloring her doodles at her desk at home is not shown.

== Episode 3 ==

* The entire sequence where Mami fights the familiar Ulla, where she explains her wish when she became a Puella Magi, where Mami advises Sayaka to not make a wish she might regret is cut from the movie.
* After Kyuubey tells Madoka has the potential become a super powerful Puella Magi, the scene where her mom comes home drunk after work and needs help, along with the subsequent scene of her dad telling her how her mom treasures the life she has and is, in sorts, living her dream, is not shown.
* When Kyuubey sees the grief seed on the pillar by the bicycles, Madoka and Sayaka run up to it, and have to navigate through the bikes a bit. In the series, they seem to run just close, but are shown as if they did not run to it at all.
** The grief seed shares the same characteristics as the witch’s kiss in that it has “Dark sparkles” as the barrier starts to grow on the pillar.
** Sayaka’s dialogue about how she can’t leave the grief seed alone here is somewhat more determined.
** The backgrounds for the hospital during these scenes in the movie are different.
** When Madoka returns with Mami, Mami is visibly more upset with Madoka and Sayaka about how they went on without her.
** The camera angle where Madoka and Mami enter the barrier is shown from the side, similar to when they went into Gertrud’s barrier. We are also shown more doors when they first enter.
** The BGMs are during these scenes are subtle, but it builds better atmosphere.
* When Mami traps Homura in the ribbons, Homura sounds more desperate in her pleas for them to not fight this witch.
** Madoka voice is reflects more fear as they go through the barrier.
** On the bridge with the hanging headless bodies, the BGM changes to a somber piano and violin piece.
** Mami’s hand does not clip through her skirt as watch her walking from Madoka’s POV after she lets go of her hand.
** They (thankfully) redrew the scene where Mami and Madoka make a promise for her to join her Puella magi team.
** When Mami calls this a “Special day” and is about to transform, Madoka sounds more delighted, than frightened in the series.
* As Mami transforms with another new transformation, which is longer than the quick one in the series, our ears are treated to a new version of Credens Justitiam, but with lyrics in Japanese. ''[the song has been released as "Mirai" on Kalafina's "Hikari Furu" single --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]]]''
** During her fight with the familiars, which has better animation, we see her form her dual arm cannons. They also go back to the TV version where Mami has one leg up on the syringe.
** Mami does not say anything about her body being light, and only says, with total confidence “I’m not afraid of anything anymore… because I’m not alone anymore.”
* As Mami fights Charlotte in doll form, the BGM is different, which sounds like a witch playfully mocking the girls, building up perfectly to the point where Mami meets her end.
** As Charlotte ends Mami, we see her flower soul gem on her head shatter.
** Homura’s fight with Charlotte also has a new more fitting BGM.
** When Homura plants bombs that Charlotte eats, there are 3-4 of them on her tongue (only one in the series). Once Charlotte starts exploding multiple times, Homura does not throw explosive debris at her like in the series. As Charlotte swallowed more than one bomb in the movie, this makes sense.
* Sayaka’s cries for Homura to give the grief seed back to Mami are much more emotional. To match, Homura’s lines are much sterner. The girls are more shocked at what happened to Mami.
** Kyuubey face is redrawn so it does not look completely disproportionate after Homura leaves. It still didn’t look right for some reason.

== Episode 4 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka goes to see Kyousuke and she seriously considers using her wish for him, echoing what Mami warned her about is not in the movie.
* The scenes where the egg yolk of her breakfast reminds Madoka of Mami’s death, and where Sayaka forbids Madoka from talking about it on the way to school does not occur.
* During the lesson in school, we are zoomed into the word “ENOUGH” just to see “UGH” before it zooms out to show the entire board.
* The roof scene, again redrawn, where Madoka changes her mind to become a Puella magi despite her promise to Mami is more somber, and has several different angles throughout the ending conversation with Kyuubey.
* Sayaka makes no mention of Mami being a kind person, but instead goes right on to ask Kyuubey if another Puella magi will come.
* After the scene ends, Madoka’s “I’m sorry” to Mami is more emotional, and echoes longer in the theater.
* When Mami visits Mami’s apartment to leave the notebook behind, the BGM is more somber. Again, Madoka’s crying seems even more emotional than in the series.
* When they meet outside the apartment, Homura does not say Madoka’s name during their conversation.
* As they continue their conversation while walking together, the background of the industrial section is much darker and filled with red ambient lighting. This suggests this takes place later than it did in the series. Homura and Madoka walk in near darkness.
** However, we lose the effect of the sunlight being blocked by Madoka’s hair on and off as they walk, as it was shown on the Blu-Ray series.
** The BGM as they talk is very somber.
** Once Madoka stops walking to cry, Homura seems more concerned about her.
* Next scene is where Sayaka is with Kyousuke in his hospital room and he is listening to more music. The BGM is a sad sounding violin, which would have made sense in the first place for the series…
* As Madoka is walking by herself, there are no other shadows of people around her, which how it was in the series.
** The witch’s kiss on Hitomi’s neck, and the other people, matches the standard set from earlier in the movie.
** Madoka does not over react when she realizes she doesn’t have Homura’s cellphone number.
** The floor of the factory they all gather at is either see-through or very well-polished.
** A very spooky and chilling chorus BGM plays at this part.
** As the people are about to mix bleach and ammonia, there is no flashback to where Madoka’s mom tells her never to mix them.
** When Hitomi initial stops Madoka from interfering, her voice isn’t as stern as in the series.
** Once Madoka is locks herself into the room, there is more detail shown in the background.
** As the witch barrier propagates, carousel music starts to play and some undead horses are seen to run by rather close to Madoka.
* The classical music, accompanied with some playful sound effects is heard throughout this witch fight with Kirsten.
** There is more detail in the walls of the witch barrier.
** Sayaka is the only Puella magi to have a significant change to her costume design. On her left side of her head, her two hairclips change into a fortissimo symbol (ff) when she transforms.
* When Kyousuke wakes up to find his arm is healed, there is no BGM.
* The scene where Kyoko shows up and is talking to Kyuubey in the tower about how she’ll beat the hell out of the new girl does not occur.

== Episode 5 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka makes her wish and contract is not shown yet.
* The following scene with Hitomi explaining to Madoka and Sayaka how she doesn’t remember what happened the night before and how Sayaka says she should had stayed home instead, does not happen.
** Instead, it is the scene where we see a happy Sayaka acting proud about what’s she done, and how she will become an ally of justice.
** BGM is different during this scene.
* Next, Sayaka visits a partially healed Kyousuke. Here we see many chairs in the room in both in the series and movie.
** There is no consistency though, as the chairs that appear in each are different.
** As they are going up the roof in the elevator, the smile Sayaka gives Kyousuke is slightly delayed.
* Once Kyousuke starts playing Ave Maria on his violin, Sayaka closes her eyes, and we see a flashback of her making the contract with Kyuubey on the very same spot on the roof just a day before.
** It is stylized with a vignette border and is shown in black and white. There is more depth to the rose garden sections and smoother animation.
** There is no indication this was painful to Sayaka at all. During this, she makes her “I’ll never regret this” speech to Mami in thought.
** The silhouette of Sayaka against the sun is also against a fence… which oddly looks like a prison. There was no fence shown here in the series.
** Note: When Kyousuke stops playing the song, the BGM continues on. Just like in the series.
* Kyoko is seen watching this event from afar in the tower, and is seen eating a thin cream filled cracker/cookie. In the series, she is eating a waffle.
** Also is the first scene we see Kyoko in the movie.
* The scene were Madoka and Homura are talking in the restaurant about becoming friends with Sayaka does not occur.
** This also means we don’t see Homura make the Mami-loses-her-head reference with taking the lid off her cup (which she never drinks from… even though she tries to). Seeing that Homura tells Madoka to give up on Sayaka several times in the series, this scene is trivial.
** Instead, we see Sayaka in her room, psyching herself up to go hunt for witches. Kyuubey is seen lounging nearby, but in a slightly different position.
* Sayaka’s room is a bit darker and more detailed.
** When she meets Madoka outside, and grabs her hand, all ambient noise is cut. This is exemplifying that her hands are indeed shaking despite her air of confidence.
** Kyuubey does not give his speech about how dangerous it is, and how he talks to Madoka only about her own plans should Sayaka need help, and we don’t see the scene of them walking around during this witch hunt.
** Instead, we see a nice shot of Sayaka’s soul gem glowing brightly right before they go into an alley and spot the crazy crayon familiar, Anja.
** Once the familiar shows up, the BGM turns a little more intense.
* Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and she seems to swim though it in a fashion that a mermaid swims.
** Her transformation is rather modest compared to the series version. She seems to pull her sword on out her body as it materializes.
** Here we can see her hairclips changing into the fortissimo symbol.
* Kyoko’s tone why saying that it is just a familiar and won’t drop grief seeds is more harsh and berating of the new Puella magi.
** Kyoko is seen eating a bear taiyaki instead of the tradition fish taiyaki shown in the series.
** When Kyoko blocks Sayaka’s initial attack, there are more sustained sparks and Kyoko appears to not struggle at all.
** This entire fight sequence has more camera shake during action scenes. Also, the visuals on all the characters are more dynamic and flowing, and do not appear so flat. Shading and shadows in the alleyway helped improve that.
** Kyoko’s initial blow to Sayaka make is apparent that she hits her head on the water pipe.
** When Sayaka blocks Kyoko’s spear point-to-point, Kyoko is visually much more irritated. There is also no big energy ball that is created with the contact of weapons.
** The BGM is more fitting for a battle like this, semi-metal guitar.
** Homura’s entrance into the fight is less dramatic, but still does her signature hair flip.

== Episode 6 ==

* After the battle, once Homura walks away, Kyuubey does not make any suggestion that he might know something about Homura.
** But we do see a few water droplets suspended in midair, and then fall suddenly to match the watch pouring out the broken water pipe.
* There is no scene of Sayaka cleansing her soul gem with Kirsten’s grief seed, so we don’t learn that Kyuubey “eats” grief seeds, we don’t get the clue that a soul gem must remain clean, and Kyuubey doesn’t tell Sayaka that Madoka has great potential to be a Puella magi.
** Instead, we go the scene of Kyoko playing Dog Drug Reinforcement. The song is still the remix of “Connect” as played in the series.
** Kyoko is eating pocky, but it is strawberry flavored.
* The scene with Sayaka returning to place she fought Kyoko to find remnants of the familiar and her yelling at Madoka about how she can be friends with Puella magi that are just after grief seeds, does not occur.
* The next scene here Madoka goes downstairs when she hears her mom come home from work is slight different. In the movie, Madoka just goes downstairs and asks her mom if it is okay to talk.
** The BGM is different.
* Their conversation about making mistakes is slightly condensed and some lines are rearranged, but it still has the same message.
* When Sayaka is told Sousuke is discharged from the hospital, she doesn’t respond. Next scene, she is already at his front gate, and hears him playing his violin. In the movie, these events do not happen as fast as it appears in the series.
** When Kyoko shows up she is eating the same thing in both movie and series (churro-thing)
** The conversation between Kyoko and Sayaka is a little more intense as far as delivery goes.
* When Madoka is doing her homework on her computer, she is not in her school uniform, but in casual clothes (makes sense to me). The color of her laser keyboard is blue in the movie. It was orange in the series.
* Kyoko’s transformation consists of fire, a cartwheel kick and some fancy action moves with her spear. Her transformation is centered on her spear, as it materializes first out of her soul gem. All the while, she has what appears to be green tea pocky between her lips.
** We would get another Sayaka transformation but…
* When Madoka grabs Sayaka’s gem out of her hands, there is a very cool 3D zoom out she does so.
* When Homura sees this and vanishes, you can see her targe/shield glow purple just before she does vanish.
* When Kyoko grabs Sayaka and says she’s dead, the BGM turns more serious. This continues as Homura chases after the truck with Sayaka’s gem on it and into the next scenes.
* Sayaka’s body is laid on a rather ornamental part of the bridge and her body looks more lifeless due to the position of her hands and legs.
* Kyoko grabs Kyuubey’s head from the middle, not one of its ears like in the series. In one shot, it looks like she’s petting it…
* Kyoko’s expression makes her look even more furious about this than in the series.

== Episode 7 ==

* The scene where Sayaka yells at Kyuubey for never mentioning the issues regarding soul gemes does not happen yet, and is modified. Also, she is seen walking home and throwing her soul gem onto the desk before confronting Kyuubey. This does not happen in the movie.
* Next scene in the movie is the next day at school and Sayaka is absent. Madoka speaks with Homura on the roof about the details on the soul gems. The conversation takes place close to one of the towers on the roof, instead of by the side, next to the fence, as in the series.
** The revamped roof and towers cast a shadow over Homura as she speaks, giving a more ominous feel to their dialogue. Parts of the dialogue are changed and some elements are added to compensate for prior discussions about grief seeds being removed.
** BGM is a piano track, rather than a violin.
* The scene just prior to this one, where Sayaka is in bed holding and staring at her soul gem, is moved to here. Also, the scene where she yells at Kyuubey for deceiving them is shown here as a flashback.
** As with all of Sayaka’s flashbacks in the movie, they are shown in black and white with a vignette.
* Kyuubey explanation about what soul physically is, and why it places their soul into a gem for the girls’ benefit in battle, is removed.
* Kyuubey says nothing prior to climbing onto the desk and touching Sayaka’s gem to demonstrate the true effects of pain to her. In the series, it prefaces this by equating the upcoming pain with getting stabbed in the stomach with a spear.
** BGM is another piano track.
* Sayaka does not look as distraught as she recovers from the sudden rush of pain. This may be to display the disconnect between a Puella magi’s body and soul, or may be an element of Sayaka’s healing ability.
* Kyuubey doesn’t mention the possibility of blocking out pain during battle.
* When Sayaka opens to curtains to see Kyoko outside, Sakaya’s face is partially blocked by a section of window frame.
* The scene and conversation where Sayaka and Kyoko are walking down the path is not shown. Kyoko does not suggest to Sayaka that she should live on without regrets, like she does.
** Instead, they are right in front of Kyoko’s dad’s church. The interior is a little more detailed.
* In one point during the explanation of Kyoko’s past, the BGM turns into a somewhat deranged violin piece.
* Sayaka seems to have less interest in Kyoko’s history.
* After Sayaka asks Kyoko why would worry about her, we see a bright blue light against a black background. Perhaps Sayaka’s light of her soul?
* Overall, this scene was a bit faster than in the series. Also, some lines were altered or rearranged.
** There was a line said by Kyoko about living without regrets, which occurred during the walk to the church in the series.
* As Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi are walking to school the next morning, their positions while speaking are slightly altered. When Sayaka sees Kyousuke among a group of boys, the girls are on a higher level than them.
** BGM is a different piano piece.
* The conversation about Kyousuke between Hitomi and Sayaka takes place in the restaurant, but in chairs instead of booth seats. Also, Hitomi’s tone when speaking to Sayaka is a little less critical in the movie.
* BGM is a different piano piece during Sayaka’s breakdown when she is speaking to Madoka.
* As Kyoko watches Sayaka fight the witch from outside the barrier, she is eating an orange popsicle, rather than the blue one in the series.
* As Sayaka fights Elle, the BGM is enhanced with an opera-like chorus accompanying the instrumental.
* The walls of Elle’s barrier have more detail.
* The glow around all the girls black silhouettes stand out more.
* There seems to be less blood in this fight than in the series.
* There is no black screen with Madoka saying “No. Please Stop,” to Sayaka.

== Episode 8 ==

* The final moments of the Elle battle does not have a pause, as it continues straight through. There was a break between episode 7 and 8 in the series.
** The animation as the barrier disappears is different.
** The screen goes all black and silent before Sayaka says “I’m just a little tired.” It echoed perfectly in the theater.
** The next scene where Madoka helps Sayaka walk does not happen.
** Kyoko does not call Sayaka an idiot.
* Next scene is Madoka and Sayaka at the bus stop during the rain storm.
** There is no BGM, just ambient sounds of the rain and passing cars.
** There is no moment of a red tinted, crazed Sayaka showing her darkening soul gem to Madoka.
** Sayaka’s tone is harsher and Madoka shows more concern over Sayaka in her voice.
** Sayaka doesn’t make mention of Kyuubey telling her that Madoka has potential to be a powerful Puella magi.
** When Sayaka runs off after telling Madoka to not follow her, she doesn’t say how stupid it was to say that to her.
** We do see her tainted soul gem, however, as in the series.
* In Homura’s home, the walls containing Walpurgisnacht information have more detail in them.
** There is no BGM during this scene.
** After Kyoko points her spear at Kyuubey, there is no close shot of the spear in Kyuubey’s face.
** After Homura tells Kyuubey to leave, its footsteps are louder than in the series.
* The scene of Madoka in class, regretting not having followed Sayaka the night before, is not shown.
* This also corresponds to no scene a bit later of Madoka visiting Sayaka’s home after school in search of her.
** Instead we see the scene with Kyousuke and Hitomi walking home, as Hitomi is about to confess to him, with Sayaka watching from a distance.
* As Sayaka watches their conversation, the BGM is a low-fidelity version of the BGM in the series, which fades into a more familiar version of the song as Sayaka is shown desperately fighting familiars, screaming in agony. Her screams are more desperate in the movie.
** Next is a scene of Sayaka’s body falling face down as she is sinking in black water, her body gradually dissolving.
* There is no scene where Sayaka is confronted by Homura to accept her help, and cleanse her soul gem for Madoka’s sake, or die by her hand right there and then. Consequently, we don’t see Kyoko come to Sayaka’s rescue and we don’t get another hint of Homura’s abilities when Kyoko retrains her.
** Instead, we see Sayaka on the train, listening in on the conversation between the two men about how women should be treated like dogs.
** The conversation between the two men is truncated.
* This scene is in black and white with a vignette, with the white’s brightness blooming over the black. As Sayaka confronts the two men, the lights outside the train pulse in intensity as it moves along.
* When Kyuubey has the conversation with Madoka about how she could possible change Sayaka’s fate if she were to become a Puella magi for Sayaka’s sake, the majority of the conversation is seen through gaps in the streams of water that are colored by LED lights.
** The streams shift color and positions throughout the conversation. The fountain also has two vertical spouts that shoot water periodically as well.
** The fountain in the series only has one spout, and the streams do not move as much.
** The scene is shown mostly from a static wide angle, whereas in the series, it varies in distances.
** Portions of Madoka and Kyuubey’s lines are omitted.
** BGM is a lonely sounding flute.
* After Homura interrupts and kills Kyuubey, her pleas to Madoka to not call herself worthless are more desperate.
** When Madoka runs off to find Sayaka, Homura does not say Madoka’s name until after she is out of earshot, and when she does say it, it is under her breath between sobs.
** When Kyuubey returns from the dead and is standing on the fence, its eyes do not glow at all.
** When Kyuubey realizes what kind of magic Homura uses, her face shows more shock and concern.
* When Kyoko finds Sayaka in the train station and sits down next to her, it is a wider angle shot.
** Once Sayaka shows Kyoko how tainted her gem is, a more serious violin and chorus BGM plays, growing in intensity as the scene progresses.
** In her last moment of humanity, as her tear hits her soul gem, we get a clearer view of Sakura’s distorted face, which is a nothing but black with a white circle for the eye and a white trail from the tear that fell. This scene was not as clear in the series.
** When Kyoko cries out Sayaka’s name, it is much more bone chilling and echoed particularly well in the theater.
* The movie closes out with Kyuubey explaining the relationship between Puella magi and witches.
** Kyuubey has the same tone and face as seen in in the Blu-Ray version of the series.

== Ending Animation ==

* The song that plays is a new version of Magia, called Magia (Quattro). It is also the full version of the song.
* The visuals are much more dramatic, but are share similarities to the series ending sequence.
* The background is a distorted shot of a view of walking down a street.
* There are 5 or 6 colored silhouettes that are seen during the first verse, which could be presumably the Puella magi version of some of the witches, or maybe something different altogether.
* After these figures pass by, we see in the distance a pink figure which seems to be Madoka, as seen in the original ending. As the 2nd verse starts, she starts walking as in the original. She walks by herself for a bit.
* During the middle section of the song, larger silhouettes of the other four girls’ bodies, one at a time, show up on the screen. Each of them is represented by their respective color.
* Soon after, we see the visuals of Madoka walking by each of the four girls, her clothes ripping off, and then her running in the distance in same fashion as in the series ending, up until we see the lone figure of Madoka in a fetal position.
* This final part is an interesting change from the series. We see a large pink silhouette with long hair, and the floating figure of fetal position Madoka in the mid-section of this larger figure. It is presumed this larger figure is Ultimate Madoka, and this may relate to a plot device in Faust where Gretchen is pregnant with Faust’s baby.
* There are no after credit extras.

== Summary and General Observations ==

* There was much speculation that the movies may present a different story from the series version, however, from my own personal viewing of the movies twice, it seems there is little departure between the two versions after the first movie.
* The only character that had any sort of modification was Sayaka. Her hair clips transform into a fortissimo symbol as shown in music scores.
** After the second movie, there is speculation as to if this is significant, as she appears to be alive according to the trailer for the third movie.
* Kyuubey’s mouth is drawn more distorted in most scenes it is in. Perhaps to help illustrate that it is more alien than something cute.
* Sayaka’s face seems to be more concealed in various scenes in comparison with the series.
* Homura seems to have more trouble fighting back her emotions in her dialogues concerning Madoka.
* General improvement on scene backgrounds seems to have been a focus, and overall, improved most scenes in the movie.
* New Kajiura music and BGMs helped create better atmosphere for certain events.
* The Witch barriers were given more detail
* It is interesting the movie’s story would omit Mami’s wish when she decided to become a Puella magi, as it should be an important detail in regards to her character.

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the first movie and its comparison with what was shown in the series. I am currently working on a similar post for the second movie. Please look forward to it sometime this week!

[[Category:Community Content]]

Community talk:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-25T18:38:56Z

KFYatek:

Wasn't really sure what to do... but I found the link to the blog. The person just changed their URL: http://yuis-musings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look [[User:YazzyDream|YazzyDream]]
:Personally, I think it's still a good idea to have a local copy just in case. But thanks for the find anyway! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 18:38, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Madoka Magica Movie

2012-10-25T07:21:53Z

KFYatek:

__NOTOC__
{{Series navigation}}
{{Box
|border_color=#716ab0
|outer_style=margin-bottom:1em;
|background_color=#edebf9
|secondary_background_color=#e1dff9
|subcontent_style=font-weight:bold;
|content=This page is about the series '''Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie''' and its related products.
|subcontent=[[#External links|External links]]
}}

<blockquote>
''"Even the unchangeable destiny, shall be shattered."'' ~ Madoka☆Magica movie poster.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
''"Even if it's a deception, this is the future she wanted."'' ~ Madoka☆Magica movie poster.
</blockquote>

[[File:Madoka Movie Announcement.jpg|right|200px]]
{{Nihongo|'''''Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie'''''|劇場版魔法少女まどか☆マギカ|Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika}}, the anime movie adaptation of ''[[Madoka Magica|Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', was first announced on November 10, 2011 in [[NewType 2011-12]]. The movies are set to be a trilogy with the first two being recap of the anime series and the last one being a continuation of the Madoka Magica story. On April 1, 2012 the titles for the first two movies were announced at Anime Contents Expo. Both movies are set for an Autumn 2012 release. The third movie is scheduled to be released sometime in 2013.

==Movies==
*'''Puella Magi Madoka Magica {{Nihongo|The Beginning Story|始まりの物語|Hajimari no Monogatari}}''' is the first of the two recap movies, released on October 6, 2012. It features the theme song ''"Luminous"'' by ClariS and a new version of ''"Magia"'' by Kalafina. It is 130 minutes long and covers the first 8 episodes of the anime series.
*'''Puella Magi Madoka Magica {{Nihongo|The Everlasting Story|永遠の物語|Eien no Monogatari}}''' is the second of the recap movies, released on October 13, 2012. It features the theme song ''"Hikari Furu"'' by Kalafina. It is 109 minutes long and covers the remaining of the anime series.
*'''Puella Magi Madoka Magica {{Nihongo|The Rebellion Story|叛逆の物語|Hangyaku no Monogatari}}''' is the third movie, continuation of the Madoka Magica story, to be released in 2013.[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/12-1/third-madoka-magica-anime-movie-announced-as-hangyaku-no-monogatari]

==Trivia==
*On August 2012, a [[:file:New magical girl character magazine article 2012.jpg|picture]] of a magazine article was leaked to the internet, revealing what appears to be [[:file:2ch Asumi Original.jpg|a new character]] for the Madoka movie. It was quickly discovered that the magazine article was actually [[Translated_Official_Documents/Confirmed_Fakes#Jinna_Asumi|a fabrication]] by [http://2chnull.info/r/news4vip/1342419830/1-1001 2ch] to [http://ex14.vip2ch.com/i/responce.html?bbs=part4vip&dat=1342453877 deceive] Madoka fans.
*On October 2, 2012 Mezamashi TV [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fem01BT51Eo aired a feature on the first movie], showing scenes from the movie OP, new music, as well as new backgrounds and transformation sequences.

==Observation==
*Sayaka gets a new transformation sequence that takes place underwater.
*Sayaka's hair pins are also changed during her transformation, they're now in the shape of a fortissimo sign.
**In Italian, fortissimo means very strong, bright, tough/severe. In the music world, fortissimo is signed as ''ff'' and indicates that the piece should be played very loudly.
* Sayaka's face is concealed more often.
*Two of Mami's transformation sequences were changed.
*Mami's room became more lovely and has a loft.
*Kyoko has more variety of food in each scene she is in. She is seen eating green tea and strawberry Pocky in addition to her usual chocolate variety.
** The waffle during her binoculars scene has been replaced with a French cream sandwich cookie.
** The taiyaki she eats as she's fighting Sayaka in Episode 5 has been replaced with a similar bear-shaped pastry.
** The blue ice cream bar she eats at the end of Episode 7 has been replaced with an orange one.
** Snacks are sold around theaters which collaborated by Madoka-Magica and Yaokin who makes "Umai-Bo', that is original of "Ummai-Bo" which Kyoko has.
*SHAFT redraws a lot of the background.
*New Kajiura music
*New Credens Justitiam with the lyrics in Japanese.
*Homura and Madoka [[:file:Madoka homura chairs movie.jpg|sitting on chairs]] together in an open field. Chairs have a [[:file:Chairs s.jpg|significance]] with the Madoka animated franchise.
* ''Note: A detailed comparison between the first movie and the series can be viewed [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look|here]]''

==Official statements about ''The Rebellion Story''==
Very little has been revealed about the third movie. This section has been created to compile all official information about the third movie's contents.
* [[NewType 2011-12]]
* [[Sakura-Con 2012 Interview]]
* [[Otakon 2012]] - [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2012/otakon/4 Partial source]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt0NY8769Bw Audio from End-of-The-Everlasting-Story Preview]
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-13/madoka-magica-story-will-not-end-in-3rd-film ANN: Madoka Magica's Story Will Not End in 3rd Film]
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-16/new-madoka-magica-show-considered-after-3rd-film ANN: New Madoka Magica Show Considered After 3rd Film]

==Speculation==
*The very last part of the new ending animation features an unknown pink silhouette - most likely that of Ultimate Madoka - with another silhouette that is somewhat smaller and floating inside its belly, or womb (?)
**This has fueled speculation of a pregnancy. In Goethe's Faust, Gretchen was actually pregnant with Faust's baby and she was forced to murder her baby by drowning it.
*There have been hints that the witches will reappear in the new movie in some capacity.
**There have been hints that Madoka Kaname will reunite with Homura Akemi, which probably strengthens the speculation above.
*There are also mentions of Hitomi Shizuki and the word "Nightmare" associated with her, implying that she will play a prominent role in the third movie. How this is related remains to be seen.
*It is speculated that the third movie could be taking place in a different universe.

==Worldwide premiere==
The first two movies are set to open in 18 cities in eight countries and territories between October and December. Each country will have their own key visuals.
*[http://madokamagicausa.com/movie.php '''United States''']
** Los Angeles' Downtown Independent (October 19-25)
** New York's Big Cinema Manhattan (October 20-22)
** Chicago's Music Box (October 20)
** Houston's Alamo Drafthouse (October 20, October 21)
** San Francisco's New People (October 20, October 21)
*'''France'''
**Paris' Grand Rex (October 19)
*'''Italy'''
*'''San Marino'''
** San Marino Anime Festival (December 8)
*'''South Korea'''
** Megabox Dongdaemun (October 27)
*'''Taiwan'''
** Vie Show Cinemas Taipei Sun (台北日新威秀影城) (October 20 for the first movie, and October 21 for the second)
*'''Hong Kong'''
** MCL JP Cinema, Causeway Bay (MCL JP 銅鑼灣戲院) (October 20, October 27)
*'''Singapore'''
** Singapore Expo Hall 8 (November 10, November 11)
<gallery>
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual US.jpg|United States
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual France.jpg|France
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual Taiwan.jpg|Taiwan
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual Hong Kong.jpg|Hong Kong
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual US Poster ENG.jpg|US movie poster version.
</gallery>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Madoka Magica Movie website graphic.jpeg|From the official Madoka Magica website.
File:Manga Time Kirara Magica movie promo art 1.jpeg|Initial Key Visual #1
File:Manga Time Kirara Magica movie promo art 2.png|Key Visual #1 - "Even if it's a deception, this is the future she wanted." [[:File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual US larger.jpg|(clear version)]]
File:Madoka Movie 1 Key Visual US larger.jpg|Japanese Key Visual. Clean version.
File:Madoka magica movie poster theater.jpg|Key Visual #2 - "Even the unchangeable destiny, shall be shattered." [[:File:Madoka magica movie poster theater lean version.jpg|(clear version)]]
File:Movie Promo Flyer 01.jpg
File:Movie Promo Flyer 02.jpg
File:Movie Promo Flyer 03.jpg
File:Movie goods gayer gayer!.jpg|Complete set of all 3 Clear Files sold at the Goods counter at movie theaters. Each includes another clear file with a deco design and the girls' Soul Gem symbol and/or Kyubey silhouette.
File:Mami kyubey movie art official.jpg
File:Madoka homura movie art official.jpg
File:Sayaka kyoko movie art official.jpg
File:Madoka movie taniguchi.jpg
</gallery>
===Tickets===
<gallery>
File:Movie Ticket ACE Special Edition.jpg|Special Edition Advance tickets at ACE for a limited venue showing of the first two Madoka Magica movies.
File:Madoka Magica Movie Special Edition Advance Tickets.jpg|Closer look at the ticket for the two movies.
File:Kyoko int manga anime fair 2012 sample.jpg|Kyoto International Anime Manga Fair 2012 Tickets
</gallery>

====Movie differences====
<gallery>
File:Movie version diff.jpg|Differences in quality. The movie version will be of higher image quality.
File:Madoka-bd-movie-comparison3.jpg|More differences.
File:madoka-bd-movie-comparison.jpg|More differences. The movie versions are scanned from a flyer, so the images aren't perfect.
File:School Roof Animation Comparison.jpg|More differences.
File:SayakaMovieComparison1.png|More differences.
File:SayakaMovieComparison2.png|More differences.
File:SayakaMovieComparison03.png|More differences.
</gallery>

==Fanart==
{{Fanart}}
<gallery>
File:Homumado movie fanart.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Movie 1 Brochure]]
*[[Movie 2 Brochure]]
*[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look|''Yui's Musings'' - Madoka Magica Movie 1 : In-Depth Look]] A fan's detailed overview of observations and differences between the Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story movie and the TV series.

== External links ==
* [http://www.madoka-magica.com/ ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' official website]

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-25T07:20:27Z

KFYatek:

{{Note|This article was originally posted on [http://yuismusings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuismusings.tumblr.com] on October 15th, 2012, but that blog has been deleted since then. It is replicated here for archiving purposes.}}

As a huge fan of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, I was ecstatic when I heard that [[Madoka Magica Movie|movies were being produced]]. Despite the fact that they were to be a retelling of the TV series in two parts, I felt it would still be exciting to see in the theaters. This opportunity was thanks to the fact that I moved to Japan from the United States a couple months before the movies were to be released; I made it a priority to get tickets to see them.

I was one of those fans that was able to see the first movie on opening day, 6 October 2012. Just before the movie started, I decided to try and remember any significant differences and document them later. As I have watched the series many, many times on Blu-Ray, I felt this was something I could handle.

So, I am going mainly off of memory and the fact that I re-watched the 1st movie again on 13 October 2012, when the 2nd movie premiered. I wish I had images to refer to, but I was not about to try and illegally film the movie.

I will be highlighting changes or differences as seen in the 1st movie in comparison with the Blu-Ray version of the series. The 1st movie covers events that happen from episode 1-8. Granted, for those that have seen the series, there is no real change to how the movie plot proceeds; if you’ve seen the series, there are no spoilers. If you have not, well, then you have been warned.

Generally, most if not all the scenes were redrawn/reanimated and/or have wider angles. Most of the backgrounds were given more detail, color, depth and contrast. Plus, a lot of the voice acting was redone for the main characters. I will not be going over all these changes unless they are significant. If scenes were cut, it is most likely for time, even though the movie runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This was a rather difficult, but fun project to do, as I rewatched the first 8 episodes to recount any differences I remembered from the movie and take note of those worth noting.

This effort was made especially for those English-speaking Madoka fans that cannot see the movies in Japan, or cannot make a trip to a “local” theater in their country that may be playing the movies. Don’t say I never give anything back!

That being said, this post is extremely long and text-heavy, so may not be for those with short attention spans. Even so, enjoy!

== Episode 1 ==

* As the slightly modified curtain rises in the movie, we are greeted with a modified title slate. Presumably the date on the bottom is changed to 2012, instead of 2011 as was in the series version.
* The countdown sequence has also been changed, to the symbols around the numbers being more circular and modern.
* The immediate and significant difference here is that we do not see Madoka’s dream sequence involving Homura fighting Walpurgisnacht,
** Instead see Madoka greeting her dad in the garden, asking her to go help Tatsuya wake up mom.
* As Madoka’s mom (Junko) leaves, the wall behind her has a static picture frame, rather the LCD picture frame that has the image change.
* As Madoka runs out of the house for school, the music for the movie OP Luminous by ClariS starts, which leads into a new OP animation. Try as I might, I may mix up the sequence of these in the opening animation.

== Opening Animation ==

* It features Madoka and Homura in white dresses, lying in what seems to be water, reaching for each other’s hands with smiles on their faces. They then dissolve into bubbles, followed by a wide shot of what seems to be Ultimate Madoka or Madoka in a very long white dress with her hands together and her head down.
* We then see scenes of Madoka as a baby, growing up several stages such as crawling, walking, going to school for the first time (a young Sayaka and Kyousuke are seen here too), to when her mother was pregnant with her little brother (Tatsuya) and her playing with him.
* There is an adorable scene of Madoka and Homura sitting in chairs in the middle of a green field. Madoka butts her head up against Homura’s, which surprises Homura, but she happily returns the gesture back. Such cute skinship between them! [[File:Movie OP Homumado.gif|center]]
** (Shame on you if you felt it was some sort of yuri fantasy. This type of behavior is common between friends in Japan, and is nothing sexual.)
* The five girls have cycling close-ups as the camera spins around to each of them. Then we get a close up of each girl followed by a wide shot of them after Madoka. Then Mami in her apartment. Kyoko in her dad’s chruch. Homura’s part zooms out from her right eye, as the background fills with gears, and a clock behind her.
* I forget if Sayaka has a scene here.
* Finally, we see a wide shot of Madoka running as the background literally flips between reality and witch barriers and then to the landscape after Walpurgisnacht appears.
* The final scene is Madoka in a white dress taking her ribbons out of her hair, as she floats on top of water and clouds quickly fly by. We get a nice shot of her smiling face and the wind blowing through her hair.
* All in all, a very pretty OP sequence to watch.

== Episode 1 (Continued) ==

* After the OP, Madoka runs up to Hitomi and Sayaka. The backgrounds here are really improved. Tje way to school is filled with more trees and has an increased sense of wilderness with the river nearby. Colors seem more vivid and there is more contrast.
** When Hitomi coughs in embarrassment as Sayaka harasses Madoka, they are much farther from school than shown in the series, as they are still on the path by the river.
* After the teacher’s rant about hard or soft-boiled eggs, Sayaka’s exclamation about how the transfer student should had been introduced first is more pronounced and her expression is more dramatic.
* Homura’s entrance has a very smooth and dynamic redrawn camera angle pan up from her legs up to her face, showing off more budget that Shaft had for this movie. It is not just a simple static pan up as seen in the series.
** When the curious students ask Homura questions, she does not respond to them.
* Before and after Homura asks Madoka to “take her to the nurses office”, Shaft takes the time to really show how extravagant the school is. The backgrounds are much more dynamic, showing more detail is shown in the flooring, the glass between the hall and classrooms and along the ceiling.
** It also more apparent the students are staring at Homura. When Madoka says something that bother’s Homura, such as calling her by her surname, her footsteps echo loudly.
* There is no scene of Homura performing her extraordinary physical talents on the school grounds. Kyuubey is also not shown hiding in a plant.
** Instead, we go to Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi in the restaurant after school.
* The restaurant is much more detailed, and the group is sitting at table rather than a booth as seen in the series. The background behind them as they talk shows the interior of the mall rather than windows and blank walls. This carries a more “inhabited” feeling. Even though we did not see it, Madoka still makes her comment about how she felt she met Homura in a dream, and Sayaka is the only one that laughs at it.
** When Madoka and Sayaka leave for the CD store, there is no scene of Homura pursuing Kyuubey.
** In the CD store’s backgrounds are enhanced and the store is advanced with touch screens, as the girls demonstrate when they choose a song.
** The song that Madoka listens to in the store is Luminous, instead of Connect.
** When Homura meets Madoka after she finds Kyuubey, the ambient light is predominately red.
** When Sayaka comes to Madoka’s rescue, she shoots the fire extinguisher from the right side instead of the left. The extinguisher fumes seem to be more substantial. She also throws the extinguisher at Homura in a more animated and violent manner.
* As the witch barrier appears, we are greeted with a sequence of several doors opening into each other.
* Gertrud’s witch barrier appears much more detailed, and creepy. As the familiars close in on the girls, a different BGM plays.
** Interesting note: When Mami first appear and walks in behind Madoka and Sayaka, she says “That was close. But you’re safe now”, her mouth does not move in either the series or in the movie.
* Mami’s transformation sequence is reanimated. It is smoother, and in a more elegant fashion that reflects Mami’s personality. She actually kicks off her shoes. Then her stockings change, following her skirt and top. Her beret and plume burst onto her head, making a trail of flower petals or ribbon pieces. Her corset then wraps around her from behind. Her boots appear and then her ribbon flies in and ties around her neck. This ends with a close up of her face, giving the camera a wink.

== Episode 2 ==

* Instead of Mami giving her self-introduction in a flashback of her series transformation animation and subsequent battle, she gives it as they all go to Mami’s apartment.
* There is no scene of Madoka waking up thinking it was a dream again. Also, there is no scene with Madoka and her mom telling her to call if she will be home late. There is no remark about Kyuubey being invisible to others.
* Madoka does not recall her meeting with Mami as a flashback, so mom never says what she would wish for if she was given the chance.
* Mami’s room has more ambient lighting from the sunset than in the series.
* As Mami explains the task given to all Puella Magi, the BGM is different.
** The conversation about how witches work is slightly truncated.
** Note: Mami’s head-in-lap reflection from the glass table exists both in series and movie
* After the talk of wishes, we see the scene where Sayaka takes a CD to Kyousuke and we learn about his injury. We also see how Sayaka admires Kyosuke’s violin playing. This does not happen until the start of episode 3 in the series.
** This scene in the movie shows many chairs in Kyosuke’s room, where the series version had no chairs minus the one Sayaka sits in. This scene takes the place of the following scenes:
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi the following morning does not occur.
** No “yuri undertones” as to why Madoka and Sayaka are staring at each other while talking through Kyuubey thanks to Hitomi.
** The situation where Kyuubey is at school does not occur. It is not made clear that they can communicate telepathically.
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Mami about Homura being a Puella magi and why seems to be against them does not occur. As such, the discussion about rewards of defeating witches is absent.
** The scene where Madoka is doodling in her notebook with Sayaka falling asleep in class does not occur.
* After the Sayaka/Kyousuke scene, we go to the school rooftop where the two girls discuss wishes. Some dialogue is omitted as being redundant.
** In the series, this is where we get a glimpse of Kyousuke silhouette in the hospital.
* The background for the rooftop is changed considerably. The side fences are much taller and the entire area is more decorated and detailed, also with more places to sit.
** Instead of being pure white, the structures on the roof appear more off-white. The changes also allow for detailed shadows to be cast across the roof.
* When Homura appears on the roof, the BGM is slightly different, reflecting the intensity of the situation.
** When Madoka asks Homura what her wish was, Homura is more visibly bothered by it.
** When Mami is overlooking this encounter, we only see her once and from a distance.
** The subsequent scene that follows the events in the morning with Hitomi after school does not occur. As such, the school girls do not ask Homura to go somewhere with them after school.
** Movie Consistency Error: The meeting between Mami and her two Puella magi prospects, Madoka shows her doodles of costumes as her way of being “prepared.” At first, all the drawings are monochrome, when it switches to a wide angle; the largest doodle of Madoka is colored in. When the scene changes again, it is monochrome again.
** Madoka’s face does not glow red in embarrassment, but her blushing is more subtle.
* As they are witch hunting, the conversation about how Mami should had finished off the witch yesterday, but wanted to protect Madoka and Sayaka instead is removed.
* As the distraught woman walks into the ruined building, the entrance is more decrepit and the German lines from “Faust” are harder to read. Later, when the girls walk by this same wall, the lines seem to be completely different and unreadable as a real language.
** After Mami saves the woman from committing witch-assisted suicide, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is more detailed and “shines” with dark sparkles.
** As they enter the barrier, they go through three doors as an intro.
** The BGM as they go through the barrier is changed to the one when Mami fights Charlotte in the series.
** They go through several single doors before reaching Gertrud. Perhaps reflecting how the stages in the PSP game operated.
** However, right before they reach Gertrud, they go through three doors.
* The area where Mami fights Gertrud is more detailed, such as more roses on the ground and detailing on the walls.
** The BGM as Mami fights Gertrud is the instrumental Quattro version of Magia.
** Mami’s battle animations are smoother, and overall, the fight is a bit shorter than in the series.
** Mami makes no mention as grief seeds as a reward as it would reference a past conversation that did not happen in the movie.
** The background with the confrontation with Homura is darkened.
** There scene where Madoka is coloring her doodles at her desk at home is not shown.

== Episode 3 ==

* The entire sequence where Mami fights the familiar Ulla, where she explains her wish when she became a Puella Magi, where Mami advises Sayaka to not make a wish she might regret is cut from the movie.
* After Kyuubey tells Madoka has the potential become a super powerful Puella Magi, the scene where her mom comes home drunk after work and needs help, along with the subsequent scene of her dad telling her how her mom treasures the life she has and is, in sorts, living her dream, is not shown.
* When Kyuubey sees the grief seed on the pillar by the bicycles, Madoka and Sayaka run up to it, and have to navigate through the bikes a bit. In the series, they seem to run just close, but are shown as if they did not run to it at all.
** The grief seed shares the same characteristics as the witch’s kiss in that it has “Dark sparkles” as the barrier starts to grow on the pillar.
** Sayaka’s dialogue about how she can’t leave the grief seed alone here is somewhat more determined.
** The backgrounds for the hospital during these scenes in the movie are different.
** When Madoka returns with Mami, Mami is visibly more upset with Madoka and Sayaka about how they went on without her.
** The camera angle where Madoka and Mami enter the barrier is shown from the side, similar to when they went into Gertrud’s barrier. We are also shown more doors when they first enter.
** The BGMs are during these scenes are subtle, but it builds better atmosphere.
* When Mami traps Homura in the ribbons, Homura sounds more desperate in her pleas for them to not fight this witch.
** Madoka voice is reflects more fear as they go through the barrier.
** On the bridge with the hanging headless bodies, the BGM changes to a somber piano and violin piece.
** Mami’s hand does not clip through her skirt as watch her walking from Madoka’s POV after she lets go of her hand.
** They (thankfully) redrew the scene where Mami and Madoka make a promise for her to join her Puella magi team.
** When Mami calls this a “Special day” and is about to transform, Madoka sounds more delighted, than frightened in the series.
* As Mami transforms with another new transformation, which is longer than the quick one in the series, our ears are treated to a new version of Credens Justitiam, but with lyrics in Japanese. ''[the song has been released as "Mirai" on Kalafina's "Hikari Furu" single --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]]]''
** During her fight with the familiars, which has better animation, we see her form her dual arm cannons. They also go back to the TV version where Mami has one leg up on the syringe.
** Mami does not say anything about her body being light, and only says, with total confidence “I’m not afraid of anything anymore… because I’m not alone anymore.”
* As Mami fights Charlotte in doll form, the BGM is different, which sounds like a witch playfully mocking the girls, building up perfectly to the point where Mami meets her end.
** As Charlotte ends Mami, we see her flower soul gem on her head shatter.
** Homura’s fight with Charlotte also has a new more fitting BGM.
** When Homura plants bombs that Charlotte eats, there are 3-4 of them on her tongue (only one in the series). Once Charlotte starts exploding multiple times, Homura does not throw explosive debris at her like in the series. As Charlotte swallowed more than one bomb in the movie, this makes sense.
* Sayaka’s cries for Homura to give the grief seed back to Mami are much more emotional. To match, Homura’s lines are much sterner. The girls are more shocked at what happened to Mami.
** Kyuubey face is redrawn so it does not look completely disproportionate after Homura leaves. It still didn’t look right for some reason.

== Episode 4 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka goes to see Kyousuke and she seriously considers using her wish for him, echoing what Mami warned her about is not in the movie.
* The scenes where the egg yolk of her breakfast reminds Madoka of Mami’s death, and where Sayaka forbids Madoka from talking about it on the way to school does not occur.
* During the lesson in school, we are zoomed into the word “ENOUGH” just to see “UGH” before it zooms out to show the entire board.
* The roof scene, again redrawn, where Madoka changes her mind to become a Puella magi despite her promise to Mami is more somber, and has several different angles throughout the ending conversation with Kyuubey.
* Sayaka makes no mention of Mami being a kind person, but instead goes right on to ask Kyuubey if another Puella magi will come.
* After the scene ends, Madoka’s “I’m sorry” to Mami is more emotional, and echoes longer in the theater.
* When Mami visits Mami’s apartment to leave the notebook behind, the BGM is more somber. Again, Madoka’s crying seems even more emotional than in the series.
* When they meet outside the apartment, Homura does not say Madoka’s name during their conversation.
* As they continue their conversation while walking together, the background of the industrial section is much darker and filled with red ambient lighting. This suggests this takes place later than it did in the series. Homura and Madoka walk in near darkness.
** However, we lose the effect of the sunlight being blocked by Madoka’s hair on and off as they walk, as it was shown on the Blu-Ray series.
** The BGM as they talk is very somber.
** Once Madoka stops walking to cry, Homura seems more concerned about her.
* Next scene is where Sayaka is with Kyousuke in his hospital room and he is listening to more music. The BGM is a sad sounding violin, which would have made sense in the first place for the series…
* As Madoka is walking by herself, there are no other shadows of people around her, which how it was in the series.
** The witch’s kiss on Hitomi’s neck, and the other people, matches the standard set from earlier in the movie.
** Madoka does not over react when she realizes she doesn’t have Homura’s cellphone number.
** The floor of the factory they all gather at is either see-through or very well-polished.
** A very spooky and chilling chorus BGM plays at this part.
** As the people are about to mix bleach and ammonia, there is no flashback to where Madoka’s mom tells her never to mix them.
** When Hitomi initial stops Madoka from interfering, her voice isn’t as stern as in the series.
** Once Madoka is locks herself into the room, there is more detail shown in the background.
** As the witch barrier propagates, carousel music starts to play and some undead horses are seen to run by rather close to Madoka.
* The classical music, accompanied with some playful sound effects is heard throughout this witch fight with Kirsten.
** There is more detail in the walls of the witch barrier.
** Sayaka is the only Puella magi to have a significant change to her costume design. On her left side of her head, her two hairclips change into a fortissimo symbol (ff) when she transforms.
* When Kyousuke wakes up to find his arm is healed, there is no BGM.
* The scene where Kyoko shows up and is talking to Kyuubey in the tower about how she’ll beat the hell out of the new girl does not occur.

== Episode 5 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka makes her wish and contract is not shown yet.
* The following scene with Hitomi explaining to Madoka and Sayaka how she doesn’t remember what happened the night before and how Sayaka says she should had stayed home instead, does not happen.
** Instead, it is the scene where we see a happy Sayaka acting proud about what’s she done, and how she will become an ally of justice.
** BGM is different during this scene.
* Next, Sayaka visits a partially healed Kyousuke. Here we see many chairs in the room in both in the series and movie.
** There is no consistency though, as the chairs that appear in each are different.
** As they are going up the roof in the elevator, the smile Sayaka gives Kyousuke is slightly delayed.
* Once Kyousuke starts playing Ave Maria on his violin, Sayaka closes her eyes, and we see a flashback of her making the contract with Kyuubey on the very same spot on the roof just a day before.
** It is stylized with a vignette border and is shown in black and white. There is more depth to the rose garden sections and smoother animation.
** There is no indication this was painful to Sayaka at all. During this, she makes her “I’ll never regret this” speech to Mami in thought.
** The silhouette of Sayaka against the sun is also against a fence… which oddly looks like a prison. There was no fence shown here in the series.
** Note: When Kyousuke stops playing the song, the BGM continues on. Just like in the series.
* Kyoko is seen watching this event from afar in the tower, and is seen eating a thin cream filled cracker/cookie. In the series, she is eating a waffle.
** Also is the first scene we see Kyoko in the movie.
* The scene were Madoka and Homura are talking in the restaurant about becoming friends with Sayaka does not occur.
** This also means we don’t see Homura make the Mami-loses-her-head reference with taking the lid off her cup (which she never drinks from… even though she tries to). Seeing that Homura tells Madoka to give up on Sayaka several times in the series, this scene is trivial.
** Instead, we see Sayaka in her room, psyching herself up to go hunt for witches. Kyuubey is seen lounging nearby, but in a slightly different position.
* Sayaka’s room is a bit darker and more detailed.
** When she meets Madoka outside, and grabs her hand, all ambient noise is cut. This is exemplifying that her hands are indeed shaking despite her air of confidence.
** Kyuubey does not give his speech about how dangerous it is, and how he talks to Madoka only about her own plans should Sayaka need help, and we don’t see the scene of them walking around during this witch hunt.
** Instead, we see a nice shot of Sayaka’s soul gem glowing brightly right before they go into an alley and spot the crazy crayon familiar, Anja.
** Once the familiar shows up, the BGM turns a little more intense.
* Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and she seems to swim though it in a fashion that a mermaid swims.
** Her transformation is rather modest compared to the series version. She seems to pull her sword on out her body as it materializes.
** Here we can see her hairclips changing into the fortissimo symbol.
* Kyoko’s tone why saying that it is just a familiar and won’t drop grief seeds is more harsh and berating of the new Puella magi.
** Kyoko is seen eating a bear taiyaki instead of the tradition fish taiyaki shown in the series.
** When Kyoko blocks Sayaka’s initial attack, there are more sustained sparks and Kyoko appears to not struggle at all.
** This entire fight sequence has more camera shake during action scenes. Also, the visuals on all the characters are more dynamic and flowing, and do not appear so flat. Shading and shadows in the alleyway helped improve that.
** Kyoko’s initial blow to Sayaka make is apparent that she hits her head on the water pipe.
** When Sayaka blocks Kyoko’s spear point-to-point, Kyoko is visually much more irritated. There is also no big energy ball that is created with the contact of weapons.
** The BGM is more fitting for a battle like this, semi-metal guitar.
** Homura’s entrance into the fight is less dramatic, but still does her signature hair flip.

== Episode 6 ==

* After the battle, once Homura walks away, Kyuubey does not make any suggestion that he might know something about Homura.
** But we do see a few water droplets suspended in midair, and then fall suddenly to match the watch pouring out the broken water pipe.
* There is no scene of Sayaka cleansing her soul gem with Kirsten’s grief seed, so we don’t learn that Kyuubey “eats” grief seeds, we don’t get the clue that a soul gem must remain clean, and Kyuubey doesn’t tell Sayaka that Madoka has great potential to be a Puella magi.
** Instead, we go the scene of Kyoko playing Dog Drug Reinforcement. The song is still the remix of “Connect” as played in the series.
** Kyoko is eating pocky, but it is strawberry flavored.
* The scene with Sayaka returning to place she fought Kyoko to find remnants of the familiar and her yelling at Madoka about how she can be friends with Puella magi that are just after grief seeds, does not occur.
* The next scene here Madoka goes downstairs when she hears her mom come home from work is slight different. In the movie, Madoka just goes downstairs and asks her mom if it is okay to talk.
** The BGM is different.
* Their conversation about making mistakes is slightly condensed and some lines are rearranged, but it still has the same message.
* When Sayaka is told Sousuke is discharged from the hospital, she doesn’t respond. Next scene, she is already at his front gate, and hears him playing his violin. In the movie, these events do not happen as fast as it appears in the series.
** When Kyoko shows up she is eating the same thing in both movie and series (churro-thing)
** The conversation between Kyoko and Sayaka is a little more intense as far as delivery goes.
* When Madoka is doing her homework on her computer, she is not in her school uniform, but in casual clothes (makes sense to me). The color of her laser keyboard is blue in the movie. It was orange in the series.
* Kyoko’s transformation consists of fire, a cartwheel kick and some fancy action moves with her spear. Her transformation is centered on her spear, as it materializes first out of her soul gem. All the while, she has what appears to be green tea pocky between her lips.
** We would get another Sayaka transformation but…
* When Madoka grabs Sayaka’s gem out of her hands, there is a very cool 3D zoom out she does so.
* When Homura sees this and vanishes, you can see her targe/shield glow purple just before she does vanish.
* When Kyoko grabs Sayaka and says she’s dead, the BGM turns more serious. This continues as Homura chases after the truck with Sayaka’s gem on it and into the next scenes.
* Sayaka’s body is laid on a rather ornamental part of the bridge and her body looks more lifeless due to the position of her hands and legs.
* Kyoko grabs Kyuubey’s head from the middle, not one of its ears like in the series. In one shot, it looks like she’s petting it…
* Kyoko’s expression makes her look even more furious about this than in the series.

== Episode 7 ==

* The scene where Sayaka yells at Kyuubey for never mentioning the issues regarding soul gemes does not happen yet, and is modified. Also, she is seen walking home and throwing her soul gem onto the desk before confronting Kyuubey. This does not happen in the movie.
* Next scene in the movie is the next day at school and Sayaka is absent. Madoka speaks with Homura on the roof about the details on the soul gems. The conversation takes place close to one of the towers on the roof, instead of by the side, next to the fence, as in the series.
** The revamped roof and towers cast a shadow over Homura as she speaks, giving a more ominous feel to their dialogue. Parts of the dialogue are changed and some elements are added to compensate for prior discussions about grief seeds being removed.
** BGM is a piano track, rather than a violin.
* The scene just prior to this one, where Sayaka is in bed holding and staring at her soul gem, is moved to here. Also, the scene where she yells at Kyuubey for deceiving them is shown here as a flashback.
** As with all of Sayaka’s flashbacks in the movie, they are shown in black and white with a vignette.
* Kyuubey explanation about what soul physically is, and why it places their soul into a gem for the girls’ benefit in battle, is removed.
* Kyuubey says nothing prior to climbing onto the desk and touching Sayaka’s gem to demonstrate the true effects of pain to her. In the series, it prefaces this by equating the upcoming pain with getting stabbed in the stomach with a spear.
** BGM is another piano track.
* Sayaka does not look as distraught as she recovers from the sudden rush of pain. This may be to display the disconnect between a Puella magi’s body and soul, or may be an element of Sayaka’s healing ability.
* Kyuubey doesn’t mention the possibility of blocking out pain during battle.
* When Sayaka opens to curtains to see Kyoko outside, Sakaya’s face is partially blocked by a section of window frame.
* The scene and conversation where Sayaka and Kyoko are walking down the path is not shown. Kyoko does not suggest to Sayaka that she should live on without regrets, like she does.
** Instead, they are right in front of Kyoko’s dad’s church. The interior is a little more detailed.
* In one point during the explanation of Kyoko’s past, the BGM turns into a somewhat deranged violin piece.
* Sayaka seems to have less interest in Kyoko’s history.
* After Sayaka asks Kyoko why would worry about her, we see a bright blue light against a black background. Perhaps Sayaka’s light of her soul?
* Overall, this scene was a bit faster than in the series. Also, some lines were altered or rearranged.
** There was a line said by Kyoko about living without regrets, which occurred during the walk to the church in the series.
* As Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi are walking to school the next morning, their positions while speaking are slightly altered. When Sayaka sees Kyousuke among a group of boys, the girls are on a higher level than them.
** BGM is a different piano piece.
* The conversation about Kyousuke between Hitomi and Sayaka takes place in the restaurant, but in chairs instead of booth seats. Also, Hitomi’s tone when speaking to Sayaka is a little less critical in the movie.
* BGM is a different piano piece during Sayaka’s breakdown when she is speaking to Madoka.
* As Kyoko watches Sayaka fight the witch from outside the barrier, she is eating an orange popsicle, rather than the blue one in the series.
* As Sayaka fights Elle, the BGM is enhanced with an opera-like chorus accompanying the instrumental.
* The walls of Elle’s barrier have more detail.
* The glow around all the girls black silhouettes stand out more.
* There seems to be less blood in this fight than in the series.
* There is no black screen with Madoka saying “No. Please Stop,” to Sayaka.

== Episode 8 ==

* The final moments of the Elle battle does not have a pause, as it continues straight through. There was a break between episode 7 and 8 in the series.
** The animation as the barrier disappears is different.
** The screen goes all black and silent before Sayaka says “I’m just a little tired.” It echoed perfectly in the theater.
** The next scene where Madoka helps Sayaka walk does not happen.
** Kyoko does not call Sayaka an idiot.
* Next scene is Madoka and Sayaka at the bus stop during the rain storm.
** There is no BGM, just ambient sounds of the rain and passing cars.
** There is no moment of a red tinted, crazed Sayaka showing her darkening soul gem to Madoka.
** Sayaka’s tone is harsher and Madoka shows more concern over Sayaka in her voice.
** Sayaka doesn’t make mention of Kyuubey telling her that Madoka has potential to be a powerful Puella magi.
** When Sayaka runs off after telling Madoka to not follow her, she doesn’t say how stupid it was to say that to her.
** We do see her tainted soul gem, however, as in the series.
* In Homura’s home, the walls containing Walpurgisnacht information have more detail in them.
** There is no BGM during this scene.
** After Kyoko points her spear at Kyuubey, there is no close shot of the spear in Kyuubey’s face.
** After Homura tells Kyuubey to leave, its footsteps are louder than in the series.
* The scene of Madoka in class, regretting not having followed Sayaka the night before, is not shown.
* This also corresponds to no scene a bit later of Madoka visiting Sayaka’s home after school in search of her.
** Instead we see the scene with Kyousuke and Hitomi walking home, as Hitomi is about to confess to him, with Sayaka watching from a distance.
* As Sayaka watches their conversation, the BGM is a low-fidelity version of the BGM in the series, which fades into a more familiar version of the song as Sayaka is shown desperately fighting familiars, screaming in agony. Her screams are more desperate in the movie.
** Next is a scene of Sayaka’s body falling face down as she is sinking in black water, her body gradually dissolving.
* There is no scene where Sayaka is confronted by Homura to accept her help, and cleanse her soul gem for Madoka’s sake, or die by her hand right there and then. Consequently, we don’t see Kyoko come to Sayaka’s rescue and we don’t get another hint of Homura’s abilities when Kyoko retrains her.
** Instead, we see Sayaka on the train, listening in on the conversation between the two men about how women should be treated like dogs.
** The conversation between the two men is truncated.
* This scene is in black and white with a vignette, with the white’s brightness blooming over the black. As Sayaka confronts the two men, the lights outside the train pulse in intensity as it moves along.
* When Kyuubey has the conversation with Madoka about how she could possible change Sayaka’s fate if she were to become a Puella magi for Sayaka’s sake, the majority of the conversation is seen through gaps in the streams of water that are colored by LED lights.
** The streams shift color and positions throughout the conversation. The fountain also has two vertical spouts that shoot water periodically as well.
** The fountain in the series only has one spout, and the streams do not move as much.
** The scene is shown mostly from a static wide angle, whereas in the series, it varies in distances.
** Portions of Madoka and Kyuubey’s lines are omitted.
** BGM is a lonely sounding flute.
* After Homura interrupts and kills Kyuubey, her pleas to Madoka to not call herself worthless are more desperate.
** When Madoka runs off to find Sayaka, Homura does not say Madoka’s name until after she is out of earshot, and when she does say it, it is under her breath between sobs.
** When Kyuubey returns from the dead and is standing on the fence, its eyes do not glow at all.
** When Kyuubey realizes what kind of magic Homura uses, her face shows more shock and concern.
* When Kyoko finds Sayaka in the train station and sits down next to her, it is a wider angle shot.
** Once Sayaka shows Kyoko how tainted her gem is, a more serious violin and chorus BGM plays, growing in intensity as the scene progresses.
** In her last moment of humanity, as her tear hits her soul gem, we get a clearer view of Sakura’s distorted face, which is a nothing but black with a white circle for the eye and a white trail from the tear that fell. This scene was not as clear in the series.
** When Kyoko cries out Sayaka’s name, it is much more bone chilling and echoed particularly well in the theater.
* The movie closes out with Kyuubey explaining the relationship between Puella magi and witches.
** Kyuubey has the same tone and face as seen in in the Blu-Ray version of the series.

== Ending Animation ==

* The song that plays is a new version of Magia, called Magia (Quattro). It is also the full version of the song.
* The visuals are much more dramatic, but are share similarities to the series ending sequence.
* The background is a distorted shot of a view of walking down a street.
* There are 5 or 6 colored silhouettes that are seen during the first verse, which could be presumably the Puella magi version of some of the witches, or maybe something different altogether.
* After these figures pass by, we see in the distance a pink figure which seems to be Madoka, as seen in the original ending. As the 2nd verse starts, she starts walking as in the original. She walks by herself for a bit.
* During the middle section of the song, larger silhouettes of the other four girls’ bodies, one at a time, show up on the screen. Each of them is represented by their respective color.
* Soon after, we see the visuals of Madoka walking by each of the four girls, her clothes ripping off, and then her running in the distance in same fashion as in the series ending, up until we see the lone figure of Madoka in a fetal position.
* This final part is an interesting change from the series. We see a large pink silhouette with long hair, and the floating figure of fetal position Madoka in the mid-section of this larger figure. It is presumed this larger figure is Ultimate Madoka, and this may relate to a plot device in Faust where Gretchen is pregnant with Faust’s baby.
* There are no after credit extras.

== Summary and General Observations ==

* There was much speculation that the movies may present a different story from the series version, however, from my own personal viewing of the movies twice, it seems there is little departure between the two versions after the first movie.
* The only character that had any sort of modification was Sayaka. Her hair clips transform into a fortissimo symbol as shown in music scores.
** After the second movie, there is speculation as to if this is significant, as she appears to be alive according to the trailer for the third movie.
* Kyuubey’s mouth is drawn more distorted in most scenes it is in. Perhaps to help illustrate that it is more alien than something cute.
* Sayaka’s face seems to be more concealed in various scenes in comparison with the series.
* Homura seems to have more trouble fighting back her emotions in her dialogues concerning Madoka.
* General improvement on scene backgrounds seems to have been a focus, and overall, improved most scenes in the movie.
* New Kajiura music and BGMs helped create better atmosphere for certain events.
* The Witch barriers were given more detail
* It is interesting the movie’s story would omit Mami’s wish when she decided to become a Puella magi, as it should be an important detail in regards to her character.

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the first movie and its comparison with what was shown in the series. I am currently working on a similar post for the second movie. Please look forward to it sometime this week!

[[Category:Community Content]]

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-25T07:20:05Z

KFYatek:

{{Note|This article was originally posted on [http://yuismusings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuismusings.tumblr.com] on October 15th, 2012, but that blog has been deleted since then. It is replicated here for archiving purposes.}}

As a huge fan of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, I was ecstatic when I heard that [[Madoka Magica Movie|movies were being produced]]. Despite the fact that they were to be a retelling of the TV series in two parts, I felt it would still be exciting to see in the theaters. This opportunity was thanks to the fact that I moved to Japan from the United States a couple months before the movies were to be released; I made it a priority to get tickets to see them.

I was one of those fans that was able to see the first movie on opening day, 6 October 2012. Just before the movie started, I decided to try and remember any significant differences and document them later. As I have watched the series many, many times on Blu-Ray, I felt this was something I could handle.

So, I am going mainly off of memory and the fact that I re-watched the 1st movie again on 13 October 2012, when the 2nd movie premiered. I wish I had images to refer to, but I was not about to try and illegally film the movie.

I will be highlighting changes or differences as seen in the 1st movie in comparison with the Blu-Ray version of the series. The 1st movie covers events that happen from episode 1-8. Granted, for those that have seen the series, there is no real change to how the movie plot proceeds; if you’ve seen the series, there are no spoilers. If you have not, well, then you have been warned.

Generally, most if not all the scenes were redrawn/reanimated and/or have wider angles. Most of the backgrounds were given more detail, color, depth and contrast. Plus, a lot of the voice acting was redone for the main characters. I will not be going over all these changes unless they are significant. If scenes were cut, it is most likely for time, even though the movie runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This was a rather difficult, but fun project to do, as I rewatched the first 8 episodes to recount any differences I remembered from the movie and take note of those worth noting.

This effort was made especially for those English-speaking Madoka fans that cannot see the movies in Japan, or cannot make a trip to a “local” theater in their country that may be playing the movies. Don’t say I never give anything back!

That being said, this post is extremely long and text-heavy, so may not be for those with short attention spans. Even so, enjoy!

== Episode 1 ==

* As the slightly modified curtain rises in the movie, we are greeted with a modified title slate. Presumably the date on the bottom is changed to 2012, instead of 2011 as was in the series version.
* The countdown sequence has also been changed, to the symbols around the numbers being more circular and modern.
* The immediate and significant difference here is that we do not see Madoka’s dream sequence involving Homura fighting Walpurgisnacht,
** Instead see Madoka greeting her dad in the garden, asking her to go help Tatsuya wake up mom.
* As Madoka’s mom (Junko) leaves, the wall behind her has a static picture frame, rather the LCD picture frame that has the image change.
* As Madoka runs out of the house for school, the music for the movie OP Luminous by ClariS starts, which leads into a new OP animation. Try as I might, I may mix up the sequence of these in the opening animation.

== Opening Animation ==

* It features Madoka and Homura in white dresses, lying in what seems to be water, reaching for each other’s hands with smiles on their faces. They then dissolve into bubbles, followed by a wide shot of what seems to be Ultimate Madoka or Madoka in a very long white dress with her hands together and her head down.
* We then see scenes of Madoka as a baby, growing up several stages such as crawling, walking, going to school for the first time (a young Sayaka and Kyousuke are seen here too), to when her mother was pregnant with her little brother (Tatsuya) and her playing with him.
* There is an adorable scene of Madoka and Homura sitting in chairs in the middle of a green field. Madoka butts her head up against Homura’s, which surprises Homura, but she happily returns the gesture back. Such cute skinship between them! [[File:Movie OP Homumado.gif|center]]
** (Shame on you if you felt it was some sort of yuri fantasy. This type of behavior is common between friends in Japan, and is nothing sexual.)
* The five girls have cycling close-ups as the camera spins around to each of them. Then we get a close up of each girl followed by a wide shot of them after Madoka. Then Mami in her apartment. Kyoko in her dad’s chruch. Homura’s part zooms out from her right eye, as the background fills with gears, and a clock behind her.
* I forget if Sayaka has a scene here.
* Finally, we see a wide shot of Madoka running as the background literally flips between reality and witch barriers and then to the landscape after Walpurgisnacht appears.
* The final scene is Madoka in a white dress taking her ribbons out of her hair, as she floats on top of water and clouds quickly fly by. We get a nice shot of her smiling face and the wind blowing through her hair.
* All in all, a very pretty OP sequence to watch.

== Episode 1 (Continued) ==

* After the OP, Madoka runs up to Hitomi and Sayaka. The backgrounds here are really improved. Tje way to school is filled with more trees and has an increased sense of wilderness with the river nearby. Colors seem more vivid and there is more contrast.
** When Hitomi coughs in embarrassment as Sayaka harasses Madoka, they are much farther from school than shown in the series, as they are still on the path by the river.
* After the teacher’s rant about hard or soft-boiled eggs, Sayaka’s exclamation about how the transfer student should had been introduced first is more pronounced and her expression is more dramatic.
* Homura’s entrance has a very smooth and dynamic redrawn camera angle pan up from her legs up to her face, showing off more budget that Shaft had for this movie. It is not just a simple static pan up as seen in the series.
** When the curious students ask Homura questions, she does not respond to them.
* Before and after Homura asks Madoka to “take her to the nurses office”, Shaft takes the time to really show how extravagant the school is. The backgrounds are much more dynamic, showing more detail is shown in the flooring, the glass between the hall and classrooms and along the ceiling.
** It also more apparent the students are staring at Homura. When Madoka says something that bother’s Homura, such as calling her by her surname, her footsteps echo loudly.
* There is no scene of Homura performing her extraordinary physical talents on the school grounds. Kyuubey is also not shown hiding in a plant.
** Instead, we go to Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi in the restaurant after school.
* The restaurant is much more detailed, and the group is sitting at table rather than a booth as seen in the series. The background behind them as they talk shows the interior of the mall rather than windows and blank walls. This carries a more “inhabited” feeling. Even though we did not see it, Madoka still makes her comment about how she felt she met Homura in a dream, and Sayaka is the only one that laughs at it.
** When Madoka and Sayaka leave for the CD store, there is no scene of Homura pursuing Kyuubey.
** In the CD store’s backgrounds are enhanced and the store is advanced with touch screens, as the girls demonstrate when they choose a song.
** The song that Madoka listens to in the store is Luminous, instead of Connect.
** When Homura meets Madoka after she finds Kyuubey, the ambient light is predominately red.
** When Sayaka comes to Madoka’s rescue, she shoots the fire extinguisher from the right side instead of the left. The extinguisher fumes seem to be more substantial. She also throws the extinguisher at Homura in a more animated and violent manner.
* As the witch barrier appears, we are greeted with a sequence of several doors opening into each other.
* Gertrud’s witch barrier appears much more detailed, and creepy. As the familiars close in on the girls, a different BGM plays.
** Interesting note: When Mami first appear and walks in behind Madoka and Sayaka, she says “That was close. But you’re safe now”, her mouth does not move in either the series or in the movie.
* Mami’s transformation sequence is reanimated. It is smoother, and in a more elegant fashion that reflects Mami’s personality. She actually kicks off her shoes. Then her stockings change, following her skirt and top. Her beret and plume burst onto her head, making a trail of flower petals or ribbon pieces. Her corset then wraps around her from behind. Her boots appear and then her ribbon flies in and ties around her neck. This ends with a close up of her face, giving the camera a wink.

== Episode 2 ==

* Instead of Mami giving her self-introduction in a flashback of her series transformation animation and subsequent battle, she gives it as they all go to Mami’s apartment.
* There is no scene of Madoka waking up thinking it was a dream again. Also, there is no scene with Madoka and her mom telling her to call if she will be home late. There is no remark about Kyuubey being invisible to others.
* Madoka does not recall her meeting with Mami as a flashback, so mom never says what she would wish for if she was given the chance.
* Mami’s room has more ambient lighting from the sunset than in the series.
* As Mami explains the task given to all Puella Magi, the BGM is different.
** The conversation about how witches work is slightly truncated.
** Note: Mami’s head-in-lap reflection from the glass table exists both in series and movie
* After the talk of wishes, we see the scene where Sayaka takes a CD to Kyousuke and we learn about his injury. We also see how Sayaka admires Kyosuke’s violin playing. This does not happen until the start of episode 3 in the series.
** This scene in the movie shows many chairs in Kyosuke’s room, where the series version had no chairs minus the one Sayaka sits in. This scene takes the place of the following scenes:
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi the following morning does not occur.
** No “yuri undertones” as to why Madoka and Sayaka are staring at each other while talking through Kyuubey thanks to Hitomi.
** The situation where Kyuubey is at school does not occur. It is not made clear that they can communicate telepathically.
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Mami about Homura being a Puella magi and why seems to be against them does not occur. As such, the discussion about rewards of defeating witches is absent.
** The scene where Madoka is doodling in her notebook with Sayaka falling asleep in class does not occur.
* After the Sayaka/Kyousuke scene, we go to the school rooftop where the two girls discuss wishes. Some dialogue is omitted as being redundant.
** In the series, this is where we get a glimpse of Kyousuke silhouette in the hospital.
* The background for the rooftop is changed considerably. The side fences are much taller and the entire area is more decorated and detailed, also with more places to sit.
** Instead of being pure white, the structures on the roof appear more off-white. The changes also allow for detailed shadows to be cast across the roof.
* When Homura appears on the roof, the BGM is slightly different, reflecting the intensity of the situation.
** When Madoka asks Homura what her wish was, Homura is more visibly bothered by it.
** When Mami is overlooking this encounter, we only see her once and from a distance.
** The subsequent scene that follows the events in the morning with Hitomi after school does not occur. As such, the school girls do not ask Homura to go somewhere with them after school.
** Movie Consistency Error: The meeting between Mami and her two Puella magi prospects, Madoka shows her doodles of costumes as her way of being “prepared.” At first, all the drawings are monochrome, when it switches to a wide angle; the largest doodle of Madoka is colored in. When the scene changes again, it is monochrome again.
** Madoka’s face does not glow red in embarrassment, but her blushing is more subtle.
* As they are witch hunting, the conversation about how Mami should had finished off the witch yesterday, but wanted to protect Madoka and Sayaka instead is removed.
* As the distraught woman walks into the ruined building, the entrance is more decrepit and the German lines from “Faust” are harder to read. Later, when the girls walk by this same wall, the lines seem to be completely different and unreadable as a real language.
** After Mami saves the woman from committing witch-assisted suicide, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is more detailed and “shines” with dark sparkles.
** As they enter the barrier, they go through three doors as an intro.
** The BGM as they go through the barrier is changed to the one when Mami fights Charlotte in the series.
** They go through several single doors before reaching Gertrud. Perhaps reflecting how the stages in the PSP game operated.
** However, right before they reach Gertrud, they go through three doors.
* The area where Mami fights Gertrud is more detailed, such as more roses on the ground and detailing on the walls.
** The BGM as Mami fights Gertrud is the instrumental Quattro version of Magia.
** Mami’s battle animations are smoother, and overall, the fight is a bit shorter than in the series.
** Mami makes no mention as grief seeds as a reward as it would reference a past conversation that did not happen in the movie.
** The background with the confrontation with Homura is darkened.
** There scene where Madoka is coloring her doodles at her desk at home is not shown.

== Episode 3 ==

* The entire sequence where Mami fights the familiar Ulla, where she explains her wish when she became a Puella Magi, where Mami advises Sayaka to not make a wish she might regret is cut from the movie.
* After Kyuubey tells Madoka has the potential become a super powerful Puella Magi, the scene where her mom comes home drunk after work and needs help, along with the subsequent scene of her dad telling her how her mom treasures the life she has and is, in sorts, living her dream, is not shown.
* When Kyuubey sees the grief seed on the pillar by the bicycles, Madoka and Sayaka run up to it, and have to navigate through the bikes a bit. In the series, they seem to run just close, but are shown as if they did not run to it at all.
** The grief seed shares the same characteristics as the witch’s kiss in that it has “Dark sparkles” as the barrier starts to grow on the pillar.
** Sayaka’s dialogue about how she can’t leave the grief seed alone here is somewhat more determined.
** The backgrounds for the hospital during these scenes in the movie are different.
** When Madoka returns with Mami, Mami is visibly more upset with Madoka and Sayaka about how they went on without her.
** The camera angle where Madoka and Mami enter the barrier is shown from the side, similar to when they went into Gertrud’s barrier. We are also shown more doors when they first enter.
** The BGMs are during these scenes are subtle, but it builds better atmosphere.
* When Mami traps Homura in the ribbons, Homura sounds more desperate in her pleas for them to not fight this witch.
** Madoka voice is reflects more fear as they go through the barrier.
** On the bridge with the hanging headless bodies, the BGM changes to a somber piano and violin piece.
** Mami’s hand does not clip through her skirt as watch her walking from Madoka’s POV after she lets go of her hand.
** They (thankfully) redrew the scene where Mami and Madoka make a promise for her to join her Puella magi team.
** When Mami calls this a “Special day” and is about to transform, Madoka sounds more delighted, than frightened in the series.
* As Mami transforms with another new transformation, which is longer than the quick one in the series, our ears are treated to a new version of Credens Justitiam, but with lyrics in Japanese. ''[the song has been released as "Mirai" on Kalafina's "Hikari Furu" single --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]]]''
** During her fight with the familiars, which has better animation, we see her form her dual arm cannons. They also go back to the TV version where Mami has one leg up on the syringe.
** Mami does not say anything about her body being light, and only says, with total confidence “I’m not afraid of anything anymore… because I’m not alone anymore.”
* As Mami fights Charlotte in doll form, the BGM is different, which sounds like a witch playfully mocking the girls, building up perfectly to the point where Mami meets her end.
** As Charlotte ends Mami, we see her flower soul gem on her head shatter.
** Homura’s fight with Charlotte also has a new more fitting BGM.
** When Homura plants bombs that Charlotte eats, there are 3-4 of them on her tongue (only one in the series). Once Charlotte starts exploding multiple times, Homura does not throw explosive debris at her like in the series. As Charlotte swallowed more than one bomb in the movie, this makes sense.
* Sayaka’s cries for Homura to give the grief seed back to Mami are much more emotional. To match, Homura’s lines are much sterner. The girls are more shocked at what happened to Mami.
** Kyuubey face is redrawn so it does not look completely disproportionate after Homura leaves. It still didn’t look right for some reason.

== Episode 4 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka goes to see Kyousuke and she seriously considers using her wish for him, echoing what Mami warned her about is not in the movie.
* The scenes where the egg yolk of her breakfast reminds Madoka of Mami’s death, and where Sayaka forbids Madoka from talking about it on the way to school does not occur.
* During the lesson in school, we are zoomed into the word “ENOUGH” just to see “UGH” before it zooms out to show the entire board.
* The roof scene, again redrawn, where Madoka changes her mind to become a Puella magi despite her promise to Mami is more somber, and has several different angles throughout the ending conversation with Kyuubey.
* Sayaka makes no mention of Mami being a kind person, but instead goes right on to ask Kyuubey if another Puella magi will come.
* After the scene ends, Madoka’s “I’m sorry” to Mami is more emotional, and echoes longer in the theater.
* When Mami visits Mami’s apartment to leave the notebook behind, the BGM is more somber. Again, Madoka’s crying seems even more emotional than in the series.
* When they meet outside the apartment, Homura does not say Madoka’s name during their conversation.
* As they continue their conversation while walking together, the background of the industrial section is much darker and filled with red ambient lighting. This suggests this takes place later than it did in the series. Homura and Madoka walk in near darkness.
** However, we lose the effect of the sunlight being blocked by Madoka’s hair on and off as they walk, as it was shown on the Blu-Ray series.
** The BGM as they talk is very somber.
** Once Madoka stops walking to cry, Homura seems more concerned about her.
* Next scene is where Sayaka is with Kyousuke in his hospital room and he is listening to more music. The BGM is a sad sounding violin, which would have made sense in the first place for the series…
* As Madoka is walking by herself, there are no other shadows of people around her, which how it was in the series.
** The witch’s kiss on Hitomi’s neck, and the other people, matches the standard set from earlier in the movie.
** Madoka does not over react when she realizes she doesn’t have Homura’s cellphone number.
** The floor of the factory they all gather at is either see-through or very well-polished.
** A very spooky and chilling chorus BGM plays at this part.
** As the people are about to mix bleach and ammonia, there is no flashback to where Madoka’s mom tells her never to mix them.
** When Hitomi initial stops Madoka from interfering, her voice isn’t as stern as in the series.
** Once Madoka is locks herself into the room, there is more detail shown in the background.
** As the witch barrier propagates, carousel music starts to play and some undead horses are seen to run by rather close to Madoka.
* The classical music, accompanied with some playful sound effects is heard throughout this witch fight with Kirsten.
** There is more detail in the walls of the witch barrier.
** Sayaka is the only Puella magi to have a significant change to her costume design. On her left side of her head, her two hairclips change into a fortissimo symbol (ff) when she transforms.
* When Kyousuke wakes up to find his arm is healed, there is no BGM.
* The scene where Kyoko shows up and is talking to Kyuubey in the tower about how she’ll beat the hell out of the new girl does not occur.

== Episode 5 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka makes her wish and contract is not shown yet.
* The following scene with Hitomi explaining to Madoka and Sayaka how she doesn’t remember what happened the night before and how Sayaka says she should had stayed home instead, does not happen.
** Instead, it is the scene where we see a happy Sayaka acting proud about what’s she done, and how she will become an ally of justice.
** BGM is different during this scene.
* Next, Sayaka visits a partially healed Kyousuke. Here we see many chairs in the room in both in the series and movie.
** There is no consistency though, as the chairs that appear in each are different.
** As they are going up the roof in the elevator, the smile Sayaka gives Kyousuke is slightly delayed.
* Once Kyousuke starts playing Ave Maria on his violin, Sayaka closes her eyes, and we see a flashback of her making the contract with Kyuubey on the very same spot on the roof just a day before.
** It is stylized with a vignette border and is shown in black and white. There is more depth to the rose garden sections and smoother animation.
** There is no indication this was painful to Sayaka at all. During this, she makes her “I’ll never regret this” speech to Mami in thought.
** The silhouette of Sayaka against the sun is also against a fence… which oddly looks like a prison. There was no fence shown here in the series.
** Note: When Kyousuke stops playing the song, the BGM continues on. Just like in the series.
* Kyoko is seen watching this event from afar in the tower, and is seen eating a thin cream filled cracker/cookie. In the series, she is eating a waffle.
** Also is the first scene we see Kyoko in the movie.
* The scene were Madoka and Homura are talking in the restaurant about becoming friends with Sayaka does not occur.
** This also means we don’t see Homura make the Mami-loses-her-head reference with taking the lid off her cup (which she never drinks from… even though she tries to). Seeing that Homura tells Madoka to give up on Sayaka several times in the series, this scene is trivial.
** Instead, we see Sayaka in her room, psyching herself up to go hunt for witches. Kyuubey is seen lounging nearby, but in a slightly different position.
* Sayaka’s room is a bit darker and more detailed.
** When she meets Madoka outside, and grabs her hand, all ambient noise is cut. This is exemplifying that her hands are indeed shaking despite her air of confidence.
** Kyuubey does not give his speech about how dangerous it is, and how he talks to Madoka only about her own plans should Sayaka need help, and we don’t see the scene of them walking around during this witch hunt.
** Instead, we see a nice shot of Sayaka’s soul gem glowing brightly right before they go into an alley and spot the crazy crayon familiar, Anja.
** Once the familiar shows up, the BGM turns a little more intense.
* Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and she seems to swim though it in a fashion that a mermaid swims.
** Her transformation is rather modest compared to the series version. She seems to pull her sword on out her body as it materializes.
** Here we can see her hairclips changing into the fortissimo symbol.
* Kyoko’s tone why saying that it is just a familiar and won’t drop grief seeds is more harsh and berating of the new Puella magi.
** Kyoko is seen eating a bear taiyaki instead of the tradition fish taiyaki shown in the series.
** When Kyoko blocks Sayaka’s initial attack, there are more sustained sparks and Kyoko appears to not struggle at all.
** This entire fight sequence has more camera shake during action scenes. Also, the visuals on all the characters are more dynamic and flowing, and do not appear so flat. Shading and shadows in the alleyway helped improve that.
** Kyoko’s initial blow to Sayaka make is apparent that she hits her head on the water pipe.
** When Sayaka blocks Kyoko’s spear point-to-point, Kyoko is visually much more irritated. There is also no big energy ball that is created with the contact of weapons.
** The BGM is more fitting for a battle like this, semi-metal guitar.
** Homura’s entrance into the fight is less dramatic, but still does her signature hair flip.

== Episode 6 ==

* After the battle, once Homura walks away, Kyuubey does not make any suggestion that he might know something about Homura.
** But we do see a few water droplets suspended in midair, and then fall suddenly to match the watch pouring out the broken water pipe.
* There is no scene of Sayaka cleansing her soul gem with Kirsten’s grief seed, so we don’t learn that Kyuubey “eats” grief seeds, we don’t get the clue that a soul gem must remain clean, and Kyuubey doesn’t tell Sayaka that Madoka has great potential to be a Puella magi.
** Instead, we go the scene of Kyoko playing Dog Drug Reinforcement. The song is still the remix of “Connect” as played in the series.
** Kyoko is eating pocky, but it is strawberry flavored.
* The scene with Sayaka returning to place she fought Kyoko to find remnants of the familiar and her yelling at Madoka about how she can be friends with Puella magi that are just after grief seeds, does not occur.
* The next scene here Madoka goes downstairs when she hears her mom come home from work is slight different. In the movie, Madoka just goes downstairs and asks her mom if it is okay to talk.
** The BGM is different.
* Their conversation about making mistakes is slightly condensed and some lines are rearranged, but it still has the same message.
* When Sayaka is told Sousuke is discharged from the hospital, she doesn’t respond. Next scene, she is already at his front gate, and hears him playing his violin. In the movie, these events do not happen as fast as it appears in the series.
** When Kyoko shows up she is eating the same thing in both movie and series (churro-thing)
** The conversation between Kyoko and Sayaka is a little more intense as far as delivery goes.
* When Madoka is doing her homework on her computer, she is not in her school uniform, but in casual clothes (makes sense to me). The color of her laser keyboard is blue in the movie. It was orange in the series.
* Kyoko’s transformation consists of fire, a cartwheel kick and some fancy action moves with her spear. Her transformation is centered on her spear, as it materializes first out of her soul gem. All the while, she has what appears to be green tea pocky between her lips.
** We would get another Sayaka transformation but…
* When Madoka grabs Sayaka’s gem out of her hands, there is a very cool 3D zoom out she does so.
* When Homura sees this and vanishes, you can see her targe/shield glow purple just before she does vanish.
* When Kyoko grabs Sayaka and says she’s dead, the BGM turns more serious. This continues as Homura chases after the truck with Sayaka’s gem on it and into the next scenes.
* Sayaka’s body is laid on a rather ornamental part of the bridge and her body looks more lifeless due to the position of her hands and legs.
* Kyoko grabs Kyuubey’s head from the middle, not one of its ears like in the series. In one shot, it looks like she’s petting it…
* Kyoko’s expression makes her look even more furious about this than in the series.

== Episode 7 ==

* The scene where Sayaka yells at Kyuubey for never mentioning the issues regarding soul gemes does not happen yet, and is modified. Also, she is seen walking home and throwing her soul gem onto the desk before confronting Kyuubey. This does not happen in the movie.
* Next scene in the movie is the next day at school and Sayaka is absent. Madoka speaks with Homura on the roof about the details on the soul gems. The conversation takes place close to one of the towers on the roof, instead of by the side, next to the fence, as in the series.
** The revamped roof and towers cast a shadow over Homura as she speaks, giving a more ominous feel to their dialogue. Parts of the dialogue are changed and some elements are added to compensate for prior discussions about grief seeds being removed.
** BGM is a piano track, rather than a violin.
* The scene just prior to this one, where Sayaka is in bed holding and staring at her soul gem, is moved to here. Also, the scene where she yells at Kyuubey for deceiving them is shown here as a flashback.
** As with all of Sayaka’s flashbacks in the movie, they are shown in black and white with a vignette.
* Kyuubey explanation about what soul physically is, and why it places their soul into a gem for the girls’ benefit in battle, is removed.
* Kyuubey says nothing prior to climbing onto the desk and touching Sayaka’s gem to demonstrate the true effects of pain to her. In the series, it prefaces this by equating the upcoming pain with getting stabbed in the stomach with a spear.
** BGM is another piano track.
* Sayaka does not look as distraught as she recovers from the sudden rush of pain. This may be to display the disconnect between a Puella magi’s body and soul, or may be an element of Sayaka’s healing ability.
* Kyuubey doesn’t mention the possibility of blocking out pain during battle.
* When Sayaka opens to curtains to see Kyoko outside, Sakaya’s face is partially blocked by a section of window frame.
* The scene and conversation where Sayaka and Kyoko are walking down the path is not shown. Kyoko does not suggest to Sayaka that she should live on without regrets, like she does.
** Instead, they are right in front of Kyoko’s dad’s church. The interior is a little more detailed.
* In one point during the explanation of Kyoko’s past, the BGM turns into a somewhat deranged violin piece.
* Sayaka seems to have less interest in Kyoko’s history.
* After Sayaka asks Kyoko why would worry about her, we see a bright blue light against a black background. Perhaps Sayaka’s light of her soul?
* Overall, this scene was a bit faster than in the series. Also, some lines were altered or rearranged.
** There was a line said by Kyoko about living without regrets, which occurred during the walk to the church in the series.
* As Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi are walking to school the next morning, their positions while speaking are slightly altered. When Sayaka sees Kyousuke among a group of boys, the girls are on a higher level than them.
** BGM is a different piano piece.
* The conversation about Kyousuke between Hitomi and Sayaka takes place in the restaurant, but in chairs instead of booth seats. Also, Hitomi’s tone when speaking to Sayaka is a little less critical in the movie.
* BGM is a different piano piece during Sayaka’s breakdown when she is speaking to Madoka.
* As Kyoko watches Sayaka fight the witch from outside the barrier, she is eating an orange popsicle, rather than the blue one in the series.
* As Sayaka fights Elle, the BGM is enhanced with an opera-like chorus accompanying the instrumental.
* The walls of Elle’s barrier have more detail.
* The glow around all the girls black silhouettes stand out more.
* There seems to be less blood in this fight than in the series.
* There is no black screen with Madoka saying “No. Please Stop,” to Sayaka.

Episode 8:

* The final moments of the Elle battle does not have a pause, as it continues straight through. There was a break between episode 7 and 8 in the series.
** The animation as the barrier disappears is different.
** The screen goes all black and silent before Sayaka says “I’m just a little tired.” It echoed perfectly in the theater.
** The next scene where Madoka helps Sayaka walk does not happen.
** Kyoko does not call Sayaka an idiot.
* Next scene is Madoka and Sayaka at the bus stop during the rain storm.
** There is no BGM, just ambient sounds of the rain and passing cars.
** There is no moment of a red tinted, crazed Sayaka showing her darkening soul gem to Madoka.
** Sayaka’s tone is harsher and Madoka shows more concern over Sayaka in her voice.
** Sayaka doesn’t make mention of Kyuubey telling her that Madoka has potential to be a powerful Puella magi.
** When Sayaka runs off after telling Madoka to not follow her, she doesn’t say how stupid it was to say that to her.
** We do see her tainted soul gem, however, as in the series.
* In Homura’s home, the walls containing Walpurgisnacht information have more detail in them.
** There is no BGM during this scene.
** After Kyoko points her spear at Kyuubey, there is no close shot of the spear in Kyuubey’s face.
** After Homura tells Kyuubey to leave, its footsteps are louder than in the series.
* The scene of Madoka in class, regretting not having followed Sayaka the night before, is not shown.
* This also corresponds to no scene a bit later of Madoka visiting Sayaka’s home after school in search of her.
** Instead we see the scene with Kyousuke and Hitomi walking home, as Hitomi is about to confess to him, with Sayaka watching from a distance.
* As Sayaka watches their conversation, the BGM is a low-fidelity version of the BGM in the series, which fades into a more familiar version of the song as Sayaka is shown desperately fighting familiars, screaming in agony. Her screams are more desperate in the movie.
** Next is a scene of Sayaka’s body falling face down as she is sinking in black water, her body gradually dissolving.
* There is no scene where Sayaka is confronted by Homura to accept her help, and cleanse her soul gem for Madoka’s sake, or die by her hand right there and then. Consequently, we don’t see Kyoko come to Sayaka’s rescue and we don’t get another hint of Homura’s abilities when Kyoko retrains her.
** Instead, we see Sayaka on the train, listening in on the conversation between the two men about how women should be treated like dogs.
** The conversation between the two men is truncated.
* This scene is in black and white with a vignette, with the white’s brightness blooming over the black. As Sayaka confronts the two men, the lights outside the train pulse in intensity as it moves along.
* When Kyuubey has the conversation with Madoka about how she could possible change Sayaka’s fate if she were to become a Puella magi for Sayaka’s sake, the majority of the conversation is seen through gaps in the streams of water that are colored by LED lights.
** The streams shift color and positions throughout the conversation. The fountain also has two vertical spouts that shoot water periodically as well.
** The fountain in the series only has one spout, and the streams do not move as much.
** The scene is shown mostly from a static wide angle, whereas in the series, it varies in distances.
** Portions of Madoka and Kyuubey’s lines are omitted.
** BGM is a lonely sounding flute.
* After Homura interrupts and kills Kyuubey, her pleas to Madoka to not call herself worthless are more desperate.
** When Madoka runs off to find Sayaka, Homura does not say Madoka’s name until after she is out of earshot, and when she does say it, it is under her breath between sobs.
** When Kyuubey returns from the dead and is standing on the fence, its eyes do not glow at all.
** When Kyuubey realizes what kind of magic Homura uses, her face shows more shock and concern.
* When Kyoko finds Sayaka in the train station and sits down next to her, it is a wider angle shot.
** Once Sayaka shows Kyoko how tainted her gem is, a more serious violin and chorus BGM plays, growing in intensity as the scene progresses.
** In her last moment of humanity, as her tear hits her soul gem, we get a clearer view of Sakura’s distorted face, which is a nothing but black with a white circle for the eye and a white trail from the tear that fell. This scene was not as clear in the series.
** When Kyoko cries out Sayaka’s name, it is much more bone chilling and echoed particularly well in the theater.
* The movie closes out with Kyuubey explaining the relationship between Puella magi and witches.
** Kyuubey has the same tone and face as seen in in the Blu-Ray version of the series.

== Ending Animation ==

* The song that plays is a new version of Magia, called Magia (Quattro). It is also the full version of the song.
* The visuals are much more dramatic, but are share similarities to the series ending sequence.
* The background is a distorted shot of a view of walking down a street.
* There are 5 or 6 colored silhouettes that are seen during the first verse, which could be presumably the Puella magi version of some of the witches, or maybe something different altogether.
* After these figures pass by, we see in the distance a pink figure which seems to be Madoka, as seen in the original ending. As the 2nd verse starts, she starts walking as in the original. She walks by herself for a bit.
* During the middle section of the song, larger silhouettes of the other four girls’ bodies, one at a time, show up on the screen. Each of them is represented by their respective color.
* Soon after, we see the visuals of Madoka walking by each of the four girls, her clothes ripping off, and then her running in the distance in same fashion as in the series ending, up until we see the lone figure of Madoka in a fetal position.
* This final part is an interesting change from the series. We see a large pink silhouette with long hair, and the floating figure of fetal position Madoka in the mid-section of this larger figure. It is presumed this larger figure is Ultimate Madoka, and this may relate to a plot device in Faust where Gretchen is pregnant with Faust’s baby.
* There are no after credit extras.

== Summary and General Observations ==

* There was much speculation that the movies may present a different story from the series version, however, from my own personal viewing of the movies twice, it seems there is little departure between the two versions after the first movie.
* The only character that had any sort of modification was Sayaka. Her hair clips transform into a fortissimo symbol as shown in music scores.
** After the second movie, there is speculation as to if this is significant, as she appears to be alive according to the trailer for the third movie.
* Kyuubey’s mouth is drawn more distorted in most scenes it is in. Perhaps to help illustrate that it is more alien than something cute.
* Sayaka’s face seems to be more concealed in various scenes in comparison with the series.
* Homura seems to have more trouble fighting back her emotions in her dialogues concerning Madoka.
* General improvement on scene backgrounds seems to have been a focus, and overall, improved most scenes in the movie.
* New Kajiura music and BGMs helped create better atmosphere for certain events.
* The Witch barriers were given more detail
* It is interesting the movie’s story would omit Mami’s wish when she decided to become a Puella magi, as it should be an important detail in regards to her character.

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the first movie and its comparison with what was shown in the series. I am currently working on a similar post for the second movie. Please look forward to it sometime this week!

[[Category:Community Content]]

Community:Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story: In-Depth Look

2012-10-25T07:18:47Z

KFYatek: reposted the famous in-depth look post, as the original blog has been deleted

{{Note|This article was originally posted on [http://yuismusings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuismusings.tumblr.com] on October 15th, 2012, but that blog has been deleted since then. It is replicated here for archiving purposes.}}

As a huge fan of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime series, I was ecstatic when I heard that movies were being produced. Despite the fact that they were to be a retelling of the TV series in two parts, I felt it would still be exciting to see in the theaters. This opportunity was thanks to the fact that I moved to Japan from the United States a couple months before the movies were to be released; I made it a priority to get tickets to see them.

I was one of those fans that was able to see the first movie on opening day, 6 October 2012. Just before the movie started, I decided to try and remember any significant differences and document them later. As I have watched the series many, many times on Blu-Ray, I felt this was something I could handle.

So, I am going mainly off of memory and the fact that I re-watched the 1st movie again on 13 October 2012, when the 2nd movie premiered. I wish I had images to refer to, but I was not about to try and illegally film the movie.

I will be highlighting changes or differences as seen in the 1st movie in comparison with the Blu-Ray version of the series. The 1st movie covers events that happen from episode 1-8. Granted, for those that have seen the series, there is no real change to how the movie plot proceeds; if you’ve seen the series, there are no spoilers. If you have not, well, then you have been warned.

Generally, most if not all the scenes were redrawn/reanimated and/or have wider angles. Most of the backgrounds were given more detail, color, depth and contrast. Plus, a lot of the voice acting was redone for the main characters. I will not be going over all these changes unless they are significant. If scenes were cut, it is most likely for time, even though the movie runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This was a rather difficult, but fun project to do, as I rewatched the first 8 episodes to recount any differences I remembered from the movie and take note of those worth noting.

This effort was made especially for those English-speaking Madoka fans that cannot see the movies in Japan, or cannot make a trip to a “local” theater in their country that may be playing the movies. Don’t say I never give anything back!

That being said, this post is extremely long and text-heavy, so may not be for those with short attention spans. Even so, enjoy!

== Episode 1 ==

* As the slightly modified curtain rises in the movie, we are greeted with a modified title slate. Presumably the date on the bottom is changed to 2012, instead of 2011 as was in the series version.
* The countdown sequence has also been changed, to the symbols around the numbers being more circular and modern.
* The immediate and significant difference here is that we do not see Madoka’s dream sequence involving Homura fighting Walpurgisnacht,
** Instead see Madoka greeting her dad in the garden, asking her to go help Tatsuya wake up mom.
* As Madoka’s mom (Junko) leaves, the wall behind her has a static picture frame, rather the LCD picture frame that has the image change.
* As Madoka runs out of the house for school, the music for the movie OP Luminous by ClariS starts, which leads into a new OP animation. Try as I might, I may mix up the sequence of these in the opening animation.

== Opening Animation ==

* It features Madoka and Homura in white dresses, lying in what seems to be water, reaching for each other’s hands with smiles on their faces. They then dissolve into bubbles, followed by a wide shot of what seems to be Ultimate Madoka or Madoka in a very long white dress with her hands together and her head down.
* We then see scenes of Madoka as a baby, growing up several stages such as crawling, walking, going to school for the first time (a young Sayaka and Kyousuke are seen here too), to when her mother was pregnant with her little brother (Tatsuya) and her playing with him.
* There is an adorable scene of Madoka and Homura sitting in chairs in the middle of a green field. Madoka butts her head up against Homura’s, which surprises Homura, but she happily returns the gesture back. Such cute skinship between them! [[File:Movie OP Homumado.gif|center]]
** (Shame on you if you felt it was some sort of yuri fantasy. This type of behavior is common between friends in Japan, and is nothing sexual.)
* The five girls have cycling close-ups as the camera spins around to each of them. Then we get a close up of each girl followed by a wide shot of them after Madoka. Then Mami in her apartment. Kyoko in her dad’s chruch. Homura’s part zooms out from her right eye, as the background fills with gears, and a clock behind her.
* I forget if Sayaka has a scene here.
* Finally, we see a wide shot of Madoka running as the background literally flips between reality and witch barriers and then to the landscape after Walpurgisnacht appears.
* The final scene is Madoka in a white dress taking her ribbons out of her hair, as she floats on top of water and clouds quickly fly by. We get a nice shot of her smiling face and the wind blowing through her hair.
* All in all, a very pretty OP sequence to watch.

== Episode 1 (Continued) ==

* After the OP, Madoka runs up to Hitomi and Sayaka. The backgrounds here are really improved. Tje way to school is filled with more trees and has an increased sense of wilderness with the river nearby. Colors seem more vivid and there is more contrast.
** When Hitomi coughs in embarrassment as Sayaka harasses Madoka, they are much farther from school than shown in the series, as they are still on the path by the river.
* After the teacher’s rant about hard or soft-boiled eggs, Sayaka’s exclamation about how the transfer student should had been introduced first is more pronounced and her expression is more dramatic.
* Homura’s entrance has a very smooth and dynamic redrawn camera angle pan up from her legs up to her face, showing off more budget that Shaft had for this movie. It is not just a simple static pan up as seen in the series.
** When the curious students ask Homura questions, she does not respond to them.
* Before and after Homura asks Madoka to “take her to the nurses office”, Shaft takes the time to really show how extravagant the school is. The backgrounds are much more dynamic, showing more detail is shown in the flooring, the glass between the hall and classrooms and along the ceiling.
** It also more apparent the students are staring at Homura. When Madoka says something that bother’s Homura, such as calling her by her surname, her footsteps echo loudly.
* There is no scene of Homura performing her extraordinary physical talents on the school grounds. Kyuubey is also not shown hiding in a plant.
** Instead, we go to Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi in the restaurant after school.
* The restaurant is much more detailed, and the group is sitting at table rather than a booth as seen in the series. The background behind them as they talk shows the interior of the mall rather than windows and blank walls. This carries a more “inhabited” feeling. Even though we did not see it, Madoka still makes her comment about how she felt she met Homura in a dream, and Sayaka is the only one that laughs at it.
** When Madoka and Sayaka leave for the CD store, there is no scene of Homura pursuing Kyuubey.
** In the CD store’s backgrounds are enhanced and the store is advanced with touch screens, as the girls demonstrate when they choose a song.
** The song that Madoka listens to in the store is Luminous, instead of Connect.
** When Homura meets Madoka after she finds Kyuubey, the ambient light is predominately red.
** When Sayaka comes to Madoka’s rescue, she shoots the fire extinguisher from the right side instead of the left. The extinguisher fumes seem to be more substantial. She also throws the extinguisher at Homura in a more animated and violent manner.
* As the witch barrier appears, we are greeted with a sequence of several doors opening into each other.
* Gertrud’s witch barrier appears much more detailed, and creepy. As the familiars close in on the girls, a different BGM plays.
** Interesting note: When Mami first appear and walks in behind Madoka and Sayaka, she says “That was close. But you’re safe now”, her mouth does not move in either the series or in the movie.
* Mami’s transformation sequence is reanimated. It is smoother, and in a more elegant fashion that reflects Mami’s personality. She actually kicks off her shoes. Then her stockings change, following her skirt and top. Her beret and plume burst onto her head, making a trail of flower petals or ribbon pieces. Her corset then wraps around her from behind. Her boots appear and then her ribbon flies in and ties around her neck. This ends with a close up of her face, giving the camera a wink.

== Episode 2 ==

* Instead of Mami giving her self-introduction in a flashback of her series transformation animation and subsequent battle, she gives it as they all go to Mami’s apartment.
* There is no scene of Madoka waking up thinking it was a dream again. Also, there is no scene with Madoka and her mom telling her to call if she will be home late. There is no remark about Kyuubey being invisible to others.
* Madoka does not recall her meeting with Mami as a flashback, so mom never says what she would wish for if she was given the chance.
* Mami’s room has more ambient lighting from the sunset than in the series.
* As Mami explains the task given to all Puella Magi, the BGM is different.
** The conversation about how witches work is slightly truncated.
** Note: Mami’s head-in-lap reflection from the glass table exists both in series and movie
* After the talk of wishes, we see the scene where Sayaka takes a CD to Kyousuke and we learn about his injury. We also see how Sayaka admires Kyosuke’s violin playing. This does not happen until the start of episode 3 in the series.
** This scene in the movie shows many chairs in Kyosuke’s room, where the series version had no chairs minus the one Sayaka sits in. This scene takes the place of the following scenes:
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi the following morning does not occur.
** No “yuri undertones” as to why Madoka and Sayaka are staring at each other while talking through Kyuubey thanks to Hitomi.
** The situation where Kyuubey is at school does not occur. It is not made clear that they can communicate telepathically.
** The conversation between Madoka, Sayaka and Mami about Homura being a Puella magi and why seems to be against them does not occur. As such, the discussion about rewards of defeating witches is absent.
** The scene where Madoka is doodling in her notebook with Sayaka falling asleep in class does not occur.
* After the Sayaka/Kyousuke scene, we go to the school rooftop where the two girls discuss wishes. Some dialogue is omitted as being redundant.
** In the series, this is where we get a glimpse of Kyousuke silhouette in the hospital.
* The background for the rooftop is changed considerably. The side fences are much taller and the entire area is more decorated and detailed, also with more places to sit.
** Instead of being pure white, the structures on the roof appear more off-white. The changes also allow for detailed shadows to be cast across the roof.
* When Homura appears on the roof, the BGM is slightly different, reflecting the intensity of the situation.
** When Madoka asks Homura what her wish was, Homura is more visibly bothered by it.
** When Mami is overlooking this encounter, we only see her once and from a distance.
** The subsequent scene that follows the events in the morning with Hitomi after school does not occur. As such, the school girls do not ask Homura to go somewhere with them after school.
** Movie Consistency Error: The meeting between Mami and her two Puella magi prospects, Madoka shows her doodles of costumes as her way of being “prepared.” At first, all the drawings are monochrome, when it switches to a wide angle; the largest doodle of Madoka is colored in. When the scene changes again, it is monochrome again.
** Madoka’s face does not glow red in embarrassment, but her blushing is more subtle.
* As they are witch hunting, the conversation about how Mami should had finished off the witch yesterday, but wanted to protect Madoka and Sayaka instead is removed.
* As the distraught woman walks into the ruined building, the entrance is more decrepit and the German lines from “Faust” are harder to read. Later, when the girls walk by this same wall, the lines seem to be completely different and unreadable as a real language.
** After Mami saves the woman from committing witch-assisted suicide, the Witch’s Kiss on her neck is more detailed and “shines” with dark sparkles.
** As they enter the barrier, they go through three doors as an intro.
** The BGM as they go through the barrier is changed to the one when Mami fights Charlotte in the series.
** They go through several single doors before reaching Gertrud. Perhaps reflecting how the stages in the PSP game operated.
** However, right before they reach Gertrud, they go through three doors.
* The area where Mami fights Gertrud is more detailed, such as more roses on the ground and detailing on the walls.
** The BGM as Mami fights Gertrud is the instrumental Quattro version of Magia.
** Mami’s battle animations are smoother, and overall, the fight is a bit shorter than in the series.
** Mami makes no mention as grief seeds as a reward as it would reference a past conversation that did not happen in the movie.
** The background with the confrontation with Homura is darkened.
** There scene where Madoka is coloring her doodles at her desk at home is not shown.

== Episode 3 ==

* The entire sequence where Mami fights the familiar Ulla, where she explains her wish when she became a Puella Magi, where Mami advises Sayaka to not make a wish she might regret is cut from the movie.
* After Kyuubey tells Madoka has the potential become a super powerful Puella Magi, the scene where her mom comes home drunk after work and needs help, along with the subsequent scene of her dad telling her how her mom treasures the life she has and is, in sorts, living her dream, is not shown.
* When Kyuubey sees the grief seed on the pillar by the bicycles, Madoka and Sayaka run up to it, and have to navigate through the bikes a bit. In the series, they seem to run just close, but are shown as if they did not run to it at all.
** The grief seed shares the same characteristics as the witch’s kiss in that it has “Dark sparkles” as the barrier starts to grow on the pillar.
** Sayaka’s dialogue about how she can’t leave the grief seed alone here is somewhat more determined.
** The backgrounds for the hospital during these scenes in the movie are different.
** When Madoka returns with Mami, Mami is visibly more upset with Madoka and Sayaka about how they went on without her.
** The camera angle where Madoka and Mami enter the barrier is shown from the side, similar to when they went into Gertrud’s barrier. We are also shown more doors when they first enter.
** The BGMs are during these scenes are subtle, but it builds better atmosphere.
* When Mami traps Homura in the ribbons, Homura sounds more desperate in her pleas for them to not fight this witch.
** Madoka voice is reflects more fear as they go through the barrier.
** On the bridge with the hanging headless bodies, the BGM changes to a somber piano and violin piece.
** Mami’s hand does not clip through her skirt as watch her walking from Madoka’s POV after she lets go of her hand.
** They (thankfully) redrew the scene where Mami and Madoka make a promise for her to join her Puella magi team.
** When Mami calls this a “Special day” and is about to transform, Madoka sounds more delighted, than frightened in the series.
* As Mami transforms with another new transformation, which is longer than the quick one in the series, our ears are treated to a new version of Credens Justitiam, but with lyrics in Japanese. ''[the song has been released as "Mirai" on Kalafina's "Hikari Furu" single --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]]]''
** During her fight with the familiars, which has better animation, we see her form her dual arm cannons. They also go back to the TV version where Mami has one leg up on the syringe.
** Mami does not say anything about her body being light, and only says, with total confidence “I’m not afraid of anything anymore… because I’m not alone anymore.”
* As Mami fights Charlotte in doll form, the BGM is different, which sounds like a witch playfully mocking the girls, building up perfectly to the point where Mami meets her end.
** As Charlotte ends Mami, we see her flower soul gem on her head shatter.
** Homura’s fight with Charlotte also has a new more fitting BGM.
** When Homura plants bombs that Charlotte eats, there are 3-4 of them on her tongue (only one in the series). Once Charlotte starts exploding multiple times, Homura does not throw explosive debris at her like in the series. As Charlotte swallowed more than one bomb in the movie, this makes sense.
* Sayaka’s cries for Homura to give the grief seed back to Mami are much more emotional. To match, Homura’s lines are much sterner. The girls are more shocked at what happened to Mami.
** Kyuubey face is redrawn so it does not look completely disproportionate after Homura leaves. It still didn’t look right for some reason.

== Episode 4 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka goes to see Kyousuke and she seriously considers using her wish for him, echoing what Mami warned her about is not in the movie.
* The scenes where the egg yolk of her breakfast reminds Madoka of Mami’s death, and where Sayaka forbids Madoka from talking about it on the way to school does not occur.
* During the lesson in school, we are zoomed into the word “ENOUGH” just to see “UGH” before it zooms out to show the entire board.
* The roof scene, again redrawn, where Madoka changes her mind to become a Puella magi despite her promise to Mami is more somber, and has several different angles throughout the ending conversation with Kyuubey.
* Sayaka makes no mention of Mami being a kind person, but instead goes right on to ask Kyuubey if another Puella magi will come.
* After the scene ends, Madoka’s “I’m sorry” to Mami is more emotional, and echoes longer in the theater.
* When Mami visits Mami’s apartment to leave the notebook behind, the BGM is more somber. Again, Madoka’s crying seems even more emotional than in the series.
* When they meet outside the apartment, Homura does not say Madoka’s name during their conversation.
* As they continue their conversation while walking together, the background of the industrial section is much darker and filled with red ambient lighting. This suggests this takes place later than it did in the series. Homura and Madoka walk in near darkness.
** However, we lose the effect of the sunlight being blocked by Madoka’s hair on and off as they walk, as it was shown on the Blu-Ray series.
** The BGM as they talk is very somber.
** Once Madoka stops walking to cry, Homura seems more concerned about her.
* Next scene is where Sayaka is with Kyousuke in his hospital room and he is listening to more music. The BGM is a sad sounding violin, which would have made sense in the first place for the series…
* As Madoka is walking by herself, there are no other shadows of people around her, which how it was in the series.
** The witch’s kiss on Hitomi’s neck, and the other people, matches the standard set from earlier in the movie.
** Madoka does not over react when she realizes she doesn’t have Homura’s cellphone number.
** The floor of the factory they all gather at is either see-through or very well-polished.
** A very spooky and chilling chorus BGM plays at this part.
** As the people are about to mix bleach and ammonia, there is no flashback to where Madoka’s mom tells her never to mix them.
** When Hitomi initial stops Madoka from interfering, her voice isn’t as stern as in the series.
** Once Madoka is locks herself into the room, there is more detail shown in the background.
** As the witch barrier propagates, carousel music starts to play and some undead horses are seen to run by rather close to Madoka.
* The classical music, accompanied with some playful sound effects is heard throughout this witch fight with Kirsten.
** There is more detail in the walls of the witch barrier.
** Sayaka is the only Puella magi to have a significant change to her costume design. On her left side of her head, her two hairclips change into a fortissimo symbol (ff) when she transforms.
* When Kyousuke wakes up to find his arm is healed, there is no BGM.
* The scene where Kyoko shows up and is talking to Kyuubey in the tower about how she’ll beat the hell out of the new girl does not occur.

== Episode 5 ==

* The opening scene where Sayaka makes her wish and contract is not shown yet.
* The following scene with Hitomi explaining to Madoka and Sayaka how she doesn’t remember what happened the night before and how Sayaka says she should had stayed home instead, does not happen.
** Instead, it is the scene where we see a happy Sayaka acting proud about what’s she done, and how she will become an ally of justice.
** BGM is different during this scene.
* Next, Sayaka visits a partially healed Kyousuke. Here we see many chairs in the room in both in the series and movie.
** There is no consistency though, as the chairs that appear in each are different.
** As they are going up the roof in the elevator, the smile Sayaka gives Kyousuke is slightly delayed.
* Once Kyousuke starts playing Ave Maria on his violin, Sayaka closes her eyes, and we see a flashback of her making the contract with Kyuubey on the very same spot on the roof just a day before.
** It is stylized with a vignette border and is shown in black and white. There is more depth to the rose garden sections and smoother animation.
** There is no indication this was painful to Sayaka at all. During this, she makes her “I’ll never regret this” speech to Mami in thought.
** The silhouette of Sayaka against the sun is also against a fence… which oddly looks like a prison. There was no fence shown here in the series.
** Note: When Kyousuke stops playing the song, the BGM continues on. Just like in the series.
* Kyoko is seen watching this event from afar in the tower, and is seen eating a thin cream filled cracker/cookie. In the series, she is eating a waffle.
** Also is the first scene we see Kyoko in the movie.
* The scene were Madoka and Homura are talking in the restaurant about becoming friends with Sayaka does not occur.
** This also means we don’t see Homura make the Mami-loses-her-head reference with taking the lid off her cup (which she never drinks from… even though she tries to). Seeing that Homura tells Madoka to give up on Sayaka several times in the series, this scene is trivial.
** Instead, we see Sayaka in her room, psyching herself up to go hunt for witches. Kyuubey is seen lounging nearby, but in a slightly different position.
* Sayaka’s room is a bit darker and more detailed.
** When she meets Madoka outside, and grabs her hand, all ambient noise is cut. This is exemplifying that her hands are indeed shaking despite her air of confidence.
** Kyuubey does not give his speech about how dangerous it is, and how he talks to Madoka only about her own plans should Sayaka need help, and we don’t see the scene of them walking around during this witch hunt.
** Instead, we see a nice shot of Sayaka’s soul gem glowing brightly right before they go into an alley and spot the crazy crayon familiar, Anja.
** Once the familiar shows up, the BGM turns a little more intense.
* Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and she seems to swim though it in a fashion that a mermaid swims.
** Her transformation is rather modest compared to the series version. She seems to pull her sword on out her body as it materializes.
** Here we can see her hairclips changing into the fortissimo symbol.
* Kyoko’s tone why saying that it is just a familiar and won’t drop grief seeds is more harsh and berating of the new Puella magi.
** Kyoko is seen eating a bear taiyaki instead of the tradition fish taiyaki shown in the series.
** When Kyoko blocks Sayaka’s initial attack, there are more sustained sparks and Kyoko appears to not struggle at all.
** This entire fight sequence has more camera shake during action scenes. Also, the visuals on all the characters are more dynamic and flowing, and do not appear so flat. Shading and shadows in the alleyway helped improve that.
** Kyoko’s initial blow to Sayaka make is apparent that she hits her head on the water pipe.
** When Sayaka blocks Kyoko’s spear point-to-point, Kyoko is visually much more irritated. There is also no big energy ball that is created with the contact of weapons.
** The BGM is more fitting for a battle like this, semi-metal guitar.
** Homura’s entrance into the fight is less dramatic, but still does her signature hair flip.

== Episode 6 ==

* After the battle, once Homura walks away, Kyuubey does not make any suggestion that he might know something about Homura.
** But we do see a few water droplets suspended in midair, and then fall suddenly to match the watch pouring out the broken water pipe.
* There is no scene of Sayaka cleansing her soul gem with Kirsten’s grief seed, so we don’t learn that Kyuubey “eats” grief seeds, we don’t get the clue that a soul gem must remain clean, and Kyuubey doesn’t tell Sayaka that Madoka has great potential to be a Puella magi.
** Instead, we go the scene of Kyoko playing Dog Drug Reinforcement. The song is still the remix of “Connect” as played in the series.
** Kyoko is eating pocky, but it is strawberry flavored.
* The scene with Sayaka returning to place she fought Kyoko to find remnants of the familiar and her yelling at Madoka about how she can be friends with Puella magi that are just after grief seeds, does not occur.
* The next scene here Madoka goes downstairs when she hears her mom come home from work is slight different. In the movie, Madoka just goes downstairs and asks her mom if it is okay to talk.
** The BGM is different.
* Their conversation about making mistakes is slightly condensed and some lines are rearranged, but it still has the same message.
* When Sayaka is told Sousuke is discharged from the hospital, she doesn’t respond. Next scene, she is already at his front gate, and hears him playing his violin. In the movie, these events do not happen as fast as it appears in the series.
** When Kyoko shows up she is eating the same thing in both movie and series (churro-thing)
** The conversation between Kyoko and Sayaka is a little more intense as far as delivery goes.
* When Madoka is doing her homework on her computer, she is not in her school uniform, but in casual clothes (makes sense to me). The color of her laser keyboard is blue in the movie. It was orange in the series.
* Kyoko’s transformation consists of fire, a cartwheel kick and some fancy action moves with her spear. Her transformation is centered on her spear, as it materializes first out of her soul gem. All the while, she has what appears to be green tea pocky between her lips.
** We would get another Sayaka transformation but…
* When Madoka grabs Sayaka’s gem out of her hands, there is a very cool 3D zoom out she does so.
* When Homura sees this and vanishes, you can see her targe/shield glow purple just before she does vanish.
* When Kyoko grabs Sayaka and says she’s dead, the BGM turns more serious. This continues as Homura chases after the truck with Sayaka’s gem on it and into the next scenes.
* Sayaka’s body is laid on a rather ornamental part of the bridge and her body looks more lifeless due to the position of her hands and legs.
* Kyoko grabs Kyuubey’s head from the middle, not one of its ears like in the series. In one shot, it looks like she’s petting it…
* Kyoko’s expression makes her look even more furious about this than in the series.

== Episode 7 ==

* The scene where Sayaka yells at Kyuubey for never mentioning the issues regarding soul gemes does not happen yet, and is modified. Also, she is seen walking home and throwing her soul gem onto the desk before confronting Kyuubey. This does not happen in the movie.
* Next scene in the movie is the next day at school and Sayaka is absent. Madoka speaks with Homura on the roof about the details on the soul gems. The conversation takes place close to one of the towers on the roof, instead of by the side, next to the fence, as in the series.
** The revamped roof and towers cast a shadow over Homura as she speaks, giving a more ominous feel to their dialogue. Parts of the dialogue are changed and some elements are added to compensate for prior discussions about grief seeds being removed.
** BGM is a piano track, rather than a violin.
* The scene just prior to this one, where Sayaka is in bed holding and staring at her soul gem, is moved to here. Also, the scene where she yells at Kyuubey for deceiving them is shown here as a flashback.
** As with all of Sayaka’s flashbacks in the movie, they are shown in black and white with a vignette.
* Kyuubey explanation about what soul physically is, and why it places their soul into a gem for the girls’ benefit in battle, is removed.
* Kyuubey says nothing prior to climbing onto the desk and touching Sayaka’s gem to demonstrate the true effects of pain to her. In the series, it prefaces this by equating the upcoming pain with getting stabbed in the stomach with a spear.
** BGM is another piano track.
* Sayaka does not look as distraught as she recovers from the sudden rush of pain. This may be to display the disconnect between a Puella magi’s body and soul, or may be an element of Sayaka’s healing ability.
* Kyuubey doesn’t mention the possibility of blocking out pain during battle.
* When Sayaka opens to curtains to see Kyoko outside, Sakaya’s face is partially blocked by a section of window frame.
* The scene and conversation where Sayaka and Kyoko are walking down the path is not shown. Kyoko does not suggest to Sayaka that she should live on without regrets, like she does.
** Instead, they are right in front of Kyoko’s dad’s church. The interior is a little more detailed.
* In one point during the explanation of Kyoko’s past, the BGM turns into a somewhat deranged violin piece.
* Sayaka seems to have less interest in Kyoko’s history.
* After Sayaka asks Kyoko why would worry about her, we see a bright blue light against a black background. Perhaps Sayaka’s light of her soul?
* Overall, this scene was a bit faster than in the series. Also, some lines were altered or rearranged.
** There was a line said by Kyoko about living without regrets, which occurred during the walk to the church in the series.
* As Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi are walking to school the next morning, their positions while speaking are slightly altered. When Sayaka sees Kyousuke among a group of boys, the girls are on a higher level than them.
** BGM is a different piano piece.
* The conversation about Kyousuke between Hitomi and Sayaka takes place in the restaurant, but in chairs instead of booth seats. Also, Hitomi’s tone when speaking to Sayaka is a little less critical in the movie.
* BGM is a different piano piece during Sayaka’s breakdown when she is speaking to Madoka.
* As Kyoko watches Sayaka fight the witch from outside the barrier, she is eating an orange popsicle, rather than the blue one in the series.
* As Sayaka fights Elle, the BGM is enhanced with an opera-like chorus accompanying the instrumental.
* The walls of Elle’s barrier have more detail.
* The glow around all the girls black silhouettes stand out more.
* There seems to be less blood in this fight than in the series.
* There is no black screen with Madoka saying “No. Please Stop,” to Sayaka.

Episode 8:

* The final moments of the Elle battle does not have a pause, as it continues straight through. There was a break between episode 7 and 8 in the series.
** The animation as the barrier disappears is different.
** The screen goes all black and silent before Sayaka says “I’m just a little tired.” It echoed perfectly in the theater.
** The next scene where Madoka helps Sayaka walk does not happen.
** Kyoko does not call Sayaka an idiot.
* Next scene is Madoka and Sayaka at the bus stop during the rain storm.
** There is no BGM, just ambient sounds of the rain and passing cars.
** There is no moment of a red tinted, crazed Sayaka showing her darkening soul gem to Madoka.
** Sayaka’s tone is harsher and Madoka shows more concern over Sayaka in her voice.
** Sayaka doesn’t make mention of Kyuubey telling her that Madoka has potential to be a powerful Puella magi.
** When Sayaka runs off after telling Madoka to not follow her, she doesn’t say how stupid it was to say that to her.
** We do see her tainted soul gem, however, as in the series.
* In Homura’s home, the walls containing Walpurgisnacht information have more detail in them.
** There is no BGM during this scene.
** After Kyoko points her spear at Kyuubey, there is no close shot of the spear in Kyuubey’s face.
** After Homura tells Kyuubey to leave, its footsteps are louder than in the series.
* The scene of Madoka in class, regretting not having followed Sayaka the night before, is not shown.
* This also corresponds to no scene a bit later of Madoka visiting Sayaka’s home after school in search of her.
** Instead we see the scene with Kyousuke and Hitomi walking home, as Hitomi is about to confess to him, with Sayaka watching from a distance.
* As Sayaka watches their conversation, the BGM is a low-fidelity version of the BGM in the series, which fades into a more familiar version of the song as Sayaka is shown desperately fighting familiars, screaming in agony. Her screams are more desperate in the movie.
** Next is a scene of Sayaka’s body falling face down as she is sinking in black water, her body gradually dissolving.
* There is no scene where Sayaka is confronted by Homura to accept her help, and cleanse her soul gem for Madoka’s sake, or die by her hand right there and then. Consequently, we don’t see Kyoko come to Sayaka’s rescue and we don’t get another hint of Homura’s abilities when Kyoko retrains her.
** Instead, we see Sayaka on the train, listening in on the conversation between the two men about how women should be treated like dogs.
** The conversation between the two men is truncated.
* This scene is in black and white with a vignette, with the white’s brightness blooming over the black. As Sayaka confronts the two men, the lights outside the train pulse in intensity as it moves along.
* When Kyuubey has the conversation with Madoka about how she could possible change Sayaka’s fate if she were to become a Puella magi for Sayaka’s sake, the majority of the conversation is seen through gaps in the streams of water that are colored by LED lights.
** The streams shift color and positions throughout the conversation. The fountain also has two vertical spouts that shoot water periodically as well.
** The fountain in the series only has one spout, and the streams do not move as much.
** The scene is shown mostly from a static wide angle, whereas in the series, it varies in distances.
** Portions of Madoka and Kyuubey’s lines are omitted.
** BGM is a lonely sounding flute.
* After Homura interrupts and kills Kyuubey, her pleas to Madoka to not call herself worthless are more desperate.
** When Madoka runs off to find Sayaka, Homura does not say Madoka’s name until after she is out of earshot, and when she does say it, it is under her breath between sobs.
** When Kyuubey returns from the dead and is standing on the fence, its eyes do not glow at all.
** When Kyuubey realizes what kind of magic Homura uses, her face shows more shock and concern.
* When Kyoko finds Sayaka in the train station and sits down next to her, it is a wider angle shot.
** Once Sayaka shows Kyoko how tainted her gem is, a more serious violin and chorus BGM plays, growing in intensity as the scene progresses.
** In her last moment of humanity, as her tear hits her soul gem, we get a clearer view of Sakura’s distorted face, which is a nothing but black with a white circle for the eye and a white trail from the tear that fell. This scene was not as clear in the series.
** When Kyoko cries out Sayaka’s name, it is much more bone chilling and echoed particularly well in the theater.
* The movie closes out with Kyuubey explaining the relationship between Puella magi and witches.
** Kyuubey has the same tone and face as seen in in the Blu-Ray version of the series.

== Ending Animation ==

* The song that plays is a new version of Magia, called Magia (Quattro). It is also the full version of the song.
* The visuals are much more dramatic, but are share similarities to the series ending sequence.
* The background is a distorted shot of a view of walking down a street.
* There are 5 or 6 colored silhouettes that are seen during the first verse, which could be presumably the Puella magi version of some of the witches, or maybe something different altogether.
* After these figures pass by, we see in the distance a pink figure which seems to be Madoka, as seen in the original ending. As the 2nd verse starts, she starts walking as in the original. She walks by herself for a bit.
* During the middle section of the song, larger silhouettes of the other four girls’ bodies, one at a time, show up on the screen. Each of them is represented by their respective color.
* Soon after, we see the visuals of Madoka walking by each of the four girls, her clothes ripping off, and then her running in the distance in same fashion as in the series ending, up until we see the lone figure of Madoka in a fetal position.
* This final part is an interesting change from the series. We see a large pink silhouette with long hair, and the floating figure of fetal position Madoka in the mid-section of this larger figure. It is presumed this larger figure is Ultimate Madoka, and this may relate to a plot device in Faust where Gretchen is pregnant with Faust’s baby.
* There are no after credit extras.

== Summary and General Observations ==

* There was much speculation that the movies may present a different story from the series version, however, from my own personal viewing of the movies twice, it seems there is little departure between the two versions after the first movie.
* The only character that had any sort of modification was Sayaka. Her hair clips transform into a fortissimo symbol as shown in music scores.
** After the second movie, there is speculation as to if this is significant, as she appears to be alive according to the trailer for the third movie.
* Kyuubey’s mouth is drawn more distorted in most scenes it is in. Perhaps to help illustrate that it is more alien than something cute.
* Sayaka’s face seems to be more concealed in various scenes in comparison with the series.
* Homura seems to have more trouble fighting back her emotions in her dialogues concerning Madoka.
* General improvement on scene backgrounds seems to have been a focus, and overall, improved most scenes in the movie.
* New Kajiura music and BGMs helped create better atmosphere for certain events.
* The Witch barriers were given more detail
* It is interesting the movie’s story would omit Mami’s wish when she decided to become a Puella magi, as it should be an important detail in regards to her character.

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the first movie and its comparison with what was shown in the series. I am currently working on a similar post for the second movie. Please look forward to it sometime this week!

File:Movie OP Homumado.gif

2012-10-25T07:16:57Z

KFYatek: Homura and Madoka cuddling with each other. Originally posted as an illustration to the first movie's OP on [http://yuismusings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuismusings.tumblr.com].

Homura and Madoka cuddling with each other. Originally posted as an illustration to the first movie's OP on [http://yuismusings.tumblr.com/post/33573441213/madoka-magica-movie-1-in-depth-look yuismusings.tumblr.com].

Talk:Madoka Magica Movie

2012-10-24T21:41:56Z

KFYatek: /* Trailer for Movie 3 */

Huh. The subtitles for these films are, uh, unexciting. Are they going to go ahead with a "Story" motif for the third film's title? If so, maybe they'll go with something as pompous as "The Greatest Story Ever Told." (Of course, with no Swedish Jesus in sight ;-).) [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:21, 1 April 2012 (UTC)
:I thought it was pretty nice that they name the first film "[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story|The Beginning Story]]". --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 08:50, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

The movie is going to be a simultaneous release, any idea how long is the duration? Something tells me hardcore fans will try to watch both of them together on the same day--[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 09:40, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

==link==
[[File:Madokagoodies comiket.jpg|right]]
*[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-10953.html anyone knows what it says?]--[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:27, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/interest/2012-08-03/madoka-magica-fate/zero-comiket-exclusives-revealed Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero's Comiket Exclusives Revealed]
*[https://wiki.puella-magi.net/File_talk:New_magical_girl_character_magazine_article_2012.jpg New character Hoax] Damn trolls --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 06:52, 9 August 2012 (UTC)

==Differences, Quality==
[http://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/news/2012-08-25/madoka-magica-films-ad-streamed-with-theme-by-claris-duo Madoka Magica Films' Ad Aired With New Theme by ClariS]

''A 30-second commercial began airing for the first two Puella Magi Madoka Magica films on Saturday, and it features the new theme song "Luminous" by the teenaged female duo ClariS.'' (yep, new song) --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 10:35, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

<gallery>
File:Movie version diff.jpg
</gallery>
the movie version quality will be different than the tv and blu-ray. are we going to add a new subsection for that? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 10:35, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

[http://youtu.be/Fem01BT51Eo Mezamashi TV just aired a feature this morning] with clips from the movies that features a fancied up transformation sequence for both Sayaka and Mami (as well as completely new material). [http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-12156.html Screens can be found here] in case the YT link gets taken down.--[[User:Ren|ren]] 23:53, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Premiere==
[[File:Madoka Magica in the fucking Grand Rex.jpg|right|300px]]
Is anyone is going to go or can go? If so, would anyone like to take notes or pics so it can be contributed to the wikia? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 02:29, 15 September 2012 (UTC)
:I plan on going to the NYC one, so I'll try to take notes if I can. No guarantees on pictures. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 02:31, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

:I'm going to the San Francisco one and don't mind taking photos/notes. --[[User:Ren|ren]] 05:34, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
::Back from the San Francisco show. I got some shots of the crowd and have some notes from memory ready to type out, but it'll take a while... all I'll say for now is watching with a non-JP audience might have ruined the experience a bit.--[[User:Ren|ren]] 10:26, 21 October 2012 (UTC)

:I'm heading to the LA one on a Saturday. I can't believe it's almost upon me already. I'll be sure to acquire someone's camera so I can snap some photos as keepsake, and I'll try to purchase everything. M-maybe I can purchase multiples of some things and give them away as gifts to #madoka. [[User:Holycrap|Holycrap]] 08:14, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

*[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=433609743340911&set=a.197162296985658.38734.196941927007695&type=1&relevant_count=1 Madoka Magica Premiere at San Francisco & L.A. meetup facebook]
*[https://twitter.com/aniplexUSA/status/250373658902675456 Attn Houston Fans: Tickets are now on Sale for the Madoka Screening at the Alamo Drafthouse.] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 06:04, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Premiere in Japan==
Has the movie premiered yet in Japan? (I get a bit confused by the time difference) If so, is there any news out? --[[User:Silvermoon424|Silvermoon424]] 16:02, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

It already premiered about a day ago or so. Some kind Japanese Anon already offered a write up of the most notable things. Here it is:

-------
Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story

I watched this yesterday and want to write down my observation and thoughts, just for your curiosity. Excuse me for my poor English though, it’s not my mother tongue.

Also, SPOILER WARNING

First of all;

1) They said it was going to be a recap. I say, SHINBO THE MASTER TROLLER. Every scenes have got certain changes-more or less-and, as far as I remember, all nearly all of the highlights scenes have been REDRAWN. It’s not merely a recap; I would call it a complete overhaul.

2) Those changes are so significant that, even though I had recently watched Madoka all over again-for my fourth time-on Niconico last week, it just felt like a completely new anime. If you haven’t watched Madoka for a while, I guarantee, it will be just as fresh as it was in 2011.

Story

1) There are not many changes or differences and most of them seem to be insignificant. I recognized some changes in the order of certain scenes, probably to join all the separate episodes together into a single continuing piece.

2) The first part, as it was revealed earlier in the morning, covers the first 8 episodes; it ends with ‘I’m such a fool’ and that god damn Kyubey lecturing us about the meaning of mahout-shojo.

Scenes

1) Apparently, there are few scenes that have been cut out, like the one with Madoka in a cafe asking Homura if she could help Sayaka. The dialogue itself seems to be absorbed into the other scene on the school’s roof. The scene where Sayaka makes her contract is also made very brief, with no dialogue at all.

2) There are four transformation sequences; new ones each for Sayaka and Kyoko, TWO FOR MAMI. They are of course much better than the ones on the TV series. Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and clearly resembles that of the little mermaid, or maybe her fate. Kyoko performs a nice dance with her spear while transforming, if you know what I mean.

3) It shows Mami’s Soul Gem getting shattered into pieces when Charlotte does MOGUMOGU. The entire sequence -Mami vs Charlotte- has actually become a little bit more crual, although I can’t explain why and how. Maybe because the way Charlotte moves, or it could be something about that new soundtrack.

4) For those who are concerned about all those beautiful shaft necks; rejoice. You can enjoy those nice angles of 90 degrees on the huge cinema screen.

5) THAT INU-CURRY WORLD FILLING THE ENTIRE CINEMA SCREEN.

6) The very last part of the new ending animation features an unknown pink silhouette -most likely that of Godoka- with another silhouette that is somewhat smaller and floating inside its belly, or womb?

Music

1) This is where I'm giving the most credit. Kajiura has once again done a magnificent job. I just can’t imagine the Madoka universe anymore without her works.

2) There are a number of new soundtracks; including the other two of which I haven't even heard so far. There are three -so far as I’ve counted- newly rearranged Sis Puella Magica(the main theme), two for Conturbatio(the Sayaka theme); one of those is a vocal version and played during the Sayaka vs Elsa Maria. It sounds something like an aria -like one from opera-makes the scene even more tragic. It is so heart breaking.

3) Credens Justitiam also has got a vocal version, definitely by Kalafina. You can assume how much Shaft cares about Mami.

4) The Homura vs Charlotte battle has got a new soundtrack, as well as the scene where Sayaka turns into a witch ;_; If you prefer Decretum, you might be a bit disappointed, although the new soundtrack is just as amazing.

5) EVEN WITCHES HAVE GOT THEIR OWN THEME SOUNDTRACK. Both Charlotte and Television-chan. the Charlotte theme is pretty nice. You can hardly wait for the release of the new soundtrack. I think there is one for Elsa Maria as well, but not sure if it was just the vocal version of Conturbatio which I have just mentioned above.

6) The ending theme is the movie arrange of Magia, at the full length. The new ending animation is, put it simply, an extended version of the original TV one, featuring silhouettes of several unknown magical girls before those of the main characters appear in the way like they did in the original one.

Trivia

1) They're now studying in a cathedral. I'm not even joking.

2) Mitagihara City now looks more urbanized then even NYC. Must be renamed St.Madokaburg or something.

3) Mrs Kaname is just as bro as she is in the TV series.

4) The teacher is still struggling with fertility stuff. No peace for poor Nakazawa-kun.

5) For the first time, they say, Madoka appears in a plain clothe! Remember that previously in the TV serious she shows only three types of outfit; school uniform, magical girl’s dress, and pajama.

-----

Archive of the thread is here: http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72622214/

[[User:MochaCoffee|MochaCoffee]] 18:05, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

:Oh, my gosh, this sounds INCREDIBLE! This will definitely please everybody who is complaining about two "recap" movies being released. I can't wait to see screencaps! --[[User:Silvermoon424|Silvermoon424]] 01:07, 8 October 2012 (UTC)
:4chan is going crazy with that pregnancy speculation, /u/ is going nuts, talking about Madoka and Homura's baby! --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 13:45, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Another madoka movie thread http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72986699/ --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:27, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

-----
*[http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=30620855 someone saw and liked the movie] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 01:26, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
-------
*how was the second movie? Any good news? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 07:37, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://beatarai.blog90.fc2.com/blog-entry-2639.html Japanese fan comments about the movie] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 02:32, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Thread /a/==
I am not keeping a track on these threads, but if anyone is willing to do so, try to see if they can be done in order.

*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72622214/
*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72986699/
*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/73059493

== Luminous Lyrics ==

Found a romaji translation of the full lyrics. Not sure if its 100% accurate, but it seems legit after listening to Luminous while reading the lyrics.

:Tsutaeatta kokoro no ondo wo
:Sotto daiji sou ni kakae aruite ita

:Kotae no nai negai no naka de
:Kotoba wa mirai kaete

:Osanai koro zutto yume ni mite ita watashi ni wa mada
:Tooi kedo kimi ga ireba
:Sukoshi wa tsuyoku nareru ki ga shite
:Ashita no iro wo kasane nutta

:Yonda kibou tadotte tometa sekai wo koeta
:Akiramenai omoi itsu shika kokoro tsunageta
:Naite itatte waratte ashita mukae ni yukou
:Kimeta chikai tsurakute taorete mo
:Kimi no kokoro wo mamoru tame

:Kioku no nai toki no nagare ni
:Kitto motomete ita atatakasa wa atte

:Tsutsumareta shunkan subete no
:Omoi wa kimi he meguru

:Sora ni mukatte hashiri te ni shita
:Ikutsu mono toutoi hikari mune ni shimatte
:Watashi no naka no kagayaki ni kae
:Mayoi wo zenbu haratte tobou

:Seikai no mienai irikunda meiro wo nuke
:Kimi ga nagashita namida de kokoro mezameta
:Soshite shitta sekai wa konna ni mo mada kirei de
:Atarashii kanousei wo umu darou
:Toki no kakera no negai kara

:Sukui shinjite wareta omoi
:Watashi ga hajimari ni tatte
:Kimi no egao torimodosu yo
:Shinjitsu no kiseki ni natte

:Yonda kibou tadotte tometa sekai wo koeta
:Akiramenai omoi itsu shika kokoro tsunageta
:Naite itatte waratte ashita mukae ni yukou
:Kimeta chikai tsurakute taorete mo
:Kimi no kokoro wo mamoru tame
:Kimi no soba ni iyou

Source: http://beautifulsonglyrics.blogspot.com/2012/10/claris-luminous-lyrics.html#ixzz297dSwvLQ

EDIT: WELP, I seem to have found someone on tumblr who roughly translated the lyrics already in english. http://sparklyspacehugs.tumblr.com/post/33149041498/this-translation-is-a-work-in-progress-sup

--[[User:Riga92|Riga92]] 21:23, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

== Film Strips ==

Here are galleries of the film strips the Japanese fans have been posting. Looks like quite a number of scenes have been reanimated. --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 17:13, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://imgur.com/a/U4qoU#0 Gallery #1]
*[http://imgur.com/a/X7XiZ#0 Gallery #2]
*[http://imgur.com/a/D9a9E#0 Gallery #3]
*[http://imgur.com/a/ScwZg#0 Gallery #4]
*[http://imgur.com/a/BORT4#0 Gallery #5]
*[http://imgur.com/a/2ZOzn#0 Gallery #6]

[http://himarin.net/archives/6675148.html another source of film strips] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:26, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

==Audio from End-of-The-Everlasting-Story Preview==
Translated by /a/:

"Witches— The most evil harbingers of despair. As well as the accursed final form of magical girls who have fallen into despair. Once before, I had repeated the same time again and again, to wage war against that cruel fate. And in the end, with a single girl as a sacrifice, the cruel cycle of hope and despair was broken. The world was guided towards a new truth. Or so it seemed…

Mami: "Don't even think of chasing me… or we'll have to fight."

Kyoko: "Isn't that Hitomi's nightmare's…"

Sayaka: "Hitomi must have it rough, huh. She tried to make that insensitive blockhead her boyfriend and all…"

QB: "I'm almost certain that that's the very ability of those witches you once told me about…"

Kyoko: "You really don't look like you're trying to make fun of me. You're serious, aren't you?"

Homura: "There's nothing but a cycle of sadness and hatred. I dream of the day that sorely missed smile comes back to this hopeless world."

Madoka: "Sorry for making you wait. You've always been giving it your all, haven't you?"

Homura: "…Madoka."

Madoka: "Let's go now. From now on, we'll be together forever."

:An alternate, more literal(?) and independently done translation, courtesy of ANN user Juno016. Includes physical descriptions of preview. [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:14, 14 October 2012 (UTC)
:*the preview starts with the camera panning across rubble with painted figures of each of the magical girls

:Homura (narration): Witches-- Those are the disaster "demons" (lit. "Magic users") who spread despair. And, the magical girls who have fallen into despair, and in the end, are reduced to a cursed form. The me living then, repeating the same time over and over, to fight against that cruel fate. And finally, a lone girl's sacrifice, therefore cutting the cruel chains of hope and despair, expectantly guiding the world to a new truth. ...or so it would seem...

:*actual clips from the third movie

:*Mami talking to someone off-screen with a cautious grin on her face

:Mami: "Don't think of following me..."

:*we see Mami and Kyouko in their magical girl forms in a parking lot(?), weapons ready

:Mami: "...or did you come to fight..."

:*Kyouko running through the street, talking into a cellphone

:Kyoko: "Shizuki Hitomi's nightmare...?" (ED. Note: the earlier translation seemed to indicate that Hitomi's so-called nightmare found a physical manifestation, but now I'm not so sure, considering there's no possessive marker. Then again, it must be important enough to mention in the preview.... [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:14, 14 October 2012 (UTC))

:*Sayaka in her school outfit(?), nervously grinning

:Sayaka: "Hitomi must be having trouble, huh. She made that insensitive guy her boyfriend and..."

:*Kyuubey's face

:Kyuubey: "Exactly. It's just like the value/ability of the witches you explained once, huh."

:*Kyouko, with her back turned to the screen

:Kyouko: "Calling me an 'idiot'... That's... not what you're doing, huh..."

:*she shaft-head-tilts toward the screen, with a serious look on her face

:Kyouko: "You're... serious, aren't you."

:*Kyuubey is shown with something reflecting in his eyes

:Homura (narration): "Nothing but sadness and hatred repeat. In this word that cannot be saved..."

:*closer inspection reveals the reflection to be Ultimate Madoka's silhouette in the starry sky

:Homura: "...the hope to chance upon that dear/missed smile once again..."

:*Ultimate Madoka's silhouette reflects in a shaft-head-tilting Sayaka's eyes as well, in space(?)

:Madoka: "Sorry to make you wait. Until now, you've continuously done your best, haven't you~"

:*Homura's face, surprised

:Homura: "...Madoka..."

:*the actual silhouette of Madoka, but she's on a rocky, moon/asteroid-like rock formation surface now, possibly in front of Homura

:Madoka: "Okay~ Let's go~"

:*coming 2013 screen

== Movie ending ==

Where has all of this new info about the movie ending being radically different from the anime series come from? I hope it's not all just from the audio preview for the third movie... --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 06:19, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:Mmmmmmyeah, I have a feeling this speculah has come from the audio. From what impressions I've read and skimmed, there are no changes to the ending's content-- for instance, I don't see anything being said about there being no Majuu (demons) or Sayaka not dying. I have a feeling that the third film might simply pick up sometime before that latter particular scene. [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 08:13, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::It would really bother me if the reason Sayaka is back to life is because of ''Madoka Ex Machina'', it would really undermine the whole plot of the anime series as well as the cruel system that Urobuchi put in place. The reason Sayaka had to die (and insisted she needed to die) was to show that magical girls can still die, if he were to walk back from that by saying, "I decided to cheat and bring back Sayaka because of magic" would really be a cruel joke... --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 11:15, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:::But there's nothing actually confirming that Sayaka has come back to life. Hearing her voice in the preview could mean anything: it could be a dream or a flashback, you name it. Like Animerican-Redeemed above, I haven't heard of any content changes, especially not something as drastic that would create wild speculations about a new universe. The reason I brought it up in the first place is because this information is already spread out on three pages (this one, 12th Episode, Yuri undertones). Frankly, even with it labelled as being highly speculative, until more people actually have access to the movies, I think the information is more confusing than anything. --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 14:11, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

==Ticket Sales==
We need info on ticket sales in Japan as well as international viewing, is there a way to have this info and post it on the page? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:08, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:(Also how much money the movie made in Japan and overseas too. If possible have a column showing their foreign currency and next to it changed into dollars --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:15, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-09/1st-madoka-magica-film-opens-at-no.7-with-over-us$1-million 1st Madoka Magica Film Opens at #7 With Over US$1 Million]
*[http://www.mangahere.com/news/puella-magi-madoka-magica-movies-tickets-sold-out/ Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movies Presale Tickets Sold Out in a Cinema in SFO]
I tried looking for some info regarding ticket sales, not a lot to work on. --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 15:47, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:Does anyone know where to find box office/ticket sales reliable data? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 15:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/15-1/otaku-legions-mobilize-for-second-madoka-magica-movie Movie #2 opening stats]. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 21:06, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-15/2nd-madoka-magica-film-ranks-no.2-with-us$2.18-million 2nd Madoka Magica Film Ranks #2 With US$2.18 Million] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:53, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

==New World Speculation==
The New World: Movie Version and Differences

<big>''(WARNING: THIS IS HIGHLY SPECULATIVE UNTIL RELEASE OF THE THIRD FILM)''</big>

There is speculation that the New World version of the movie is not the same from the anime series version. The New World concept of the movie version radically departs from the anime version that it alters the anime storyline. If the creators have made the story from the movie version a different story from that of the anime version, so we must consider both versions to be equally valid. If we consider the New World of the movie version and anime version to be canon then one acceptable explanation is that these two Worlds are from different universes. How these two Worlds are connected has not been explained. Since the universe from the anime series and the universe from the movie version share similarities but radical differences, they will both be treated as separate universes. The universe from the anime version will be indicated as '''Universe A''', and the universe from the movie version will be indicated as '''Universe M''', just as a matter of pragmatism.

*At first it seems like the cycle of suffering has been broken and that Witches have never existed in the New World of '''Universe M''', but this is proven to be false.
*Despair continues to haunt magical girls in the New World of '''Universe M'''.

*Sayaka is alive in '''Universe M'''. In '''Universe A''', Sayaka gave her life as a sacrifice and Ultimate Madoka accepted Sayaka's fate and wish. Not only does Madoka accept Sayaka's decision, but helps her to transition to what it is speculated to be the afterlife, so Sayaka's doesnt have any regrets from her choice. Why is Sayaka still alive in ''Universe M'' is not known. It is not clear yet if this is the result of Ultimate Madoka's interfering with Sayaka's fate or something else at work.
*Ultimate Madoka is able to show herself to Homura and perhaps interact with '''Universe M'''. In '''Universe A''', only Madoka's voice and presence could be felt by Homura.

:Perhaps Universe M is a prototype to Universe A, I mean, Madoka is a 4th grader, there is no way she would know how to completely tune the Universe from curse to hope in just one try. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 20:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::Alternatively, it could be that the Incubators began a counter attack that somehow jeopardized Madoka's Universe, I mean, there is a whole multiverse of timelines she has to watch over and if her wish works like a ripple effect then some time axis might be still undergoing transition. That also helps explaining the Online Game. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 20:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
: In my opinion, I think someone may be overthinking this.--[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 22:18, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::My guess: Nothing from the anime ending is changed, there's no alternate universe, the scene with Homura holding the ribbons after Sayaka dies comes halfway through the third movie, Homura reacts that way because it's her first time seeing a girl actually get taken away by Madoka, QB reports Homura's reminiscing to the mothership and they research it, they find a new and creative way to exploit girls, QB tests it on Hitomi, it does not go as planned, out-of-control test subjects turn into witches, and QB will drop by Homura's apartment to casually mention that he wouldn't mind her help cleaning up, since the deaths of all humans on Earth would interfere with reaching his quota in a timely manner. [[User:KM|KM]] 21:27, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
Look, I know that there's a disclaimer about it being highly speculative, but still, this statement-- "The New World concept of the movie version radically departs from the anime version that it alters the anime storyline"-- sounds much too assumptive, much too "definitive" a statement from one making mere speculation. Again, is there anything at *all* in the second movie itself, discounting the trailer that has Sayaka's voice in it, that indicates a New World different from the one seen in the series? I've yet to hear anything about there being altered plot developments in the second movie; it sounds like everything shown in the series ending-- the Majuu, Madoka's wish, Sayaka's death, etc.-- hasn't been taken out. And even if Sayaka was brought back to life, would that really imply a "radically different" universe? [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 00:21, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
::The way I see is this, if Sayaka is brought back from the death, it undermines the argument of the cycle of suffering and the system in place since magical girls can be brought back to life (unless there is an acceptable explanation). On the other hand, if the story was an "What If" scenario or a different universe where Sayaka didnt die it wont undermine the concept that magical girls die. --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:47, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

:I saw the movie today and don't get what difference from the anime version. They look the same. After ED, however, there is some introduction about the 3rd movie, which is very different. Are you talking about that? --[[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 10:26, 21 October 2012 (UTC

:I can confirm Sayaka dies at the end of the second film, and they have the scene with Homura and "witch" wings. That hasn't changed at all. The simplest explanation is Sayaka's appearance in the third film's trailer is a flashblack. Less simple, but somewhat possible given some ambiguous statements from Urobuchi is that the Sayaka in the trailer is from a parallel timeline/universe/what have you. Or maybe we see her in the afterlife. As for Madoka being seen by Homura...the trailer actually does not have a scene or image where Homura sees Madoka. So it could all just be mental after all. --[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 01:29, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

==Alternate Timelines?==
Someone help me out here. I remember reading something which said (either in the movie brochure or the Sport Hochi interview) that said the third movie will include timelines that we're cut out the anime. I can't find the source though, so I don't know how accurate this is. Has anyone read something like this, and if so, where? Thanks --[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 01:59, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

==Trailer for Movie 3==
I went to one of the showings last night and recorded the movie 3 trailer for you guys. [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xui1co_pmmm-m3t_shortfilms Enjoy.] --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 17:04, 21 October 2012 (UTC)
:Thank you so much! [[Special:Contributions/208.120.155.143|208.120.155.143]] 03:39, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::You know that feeling of getting your conception of a happy ending kicked out of your groin? Well, I am kind of getting those vibes. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 04:14, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
:::Urobuchi lied about a happy ending! --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 07:26, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::::Another version [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8L2jpGe-yk&feature=player_embedded Click to see]-- 21:00, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::Somebody reuploaded mine somewhere else already? You move fast, fandom. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 13:03, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::::::Dang, taken down to copyright violation (both links!). Guess they're more or less enforcing the warnings that I hear were given in the Music Box Theater in Chicago (and presumably the other theaters): do any filming, and get kicked out. Sigh.... well, uh, any chance of uploading a link to a ''private'' video of it again? --[[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 16:39, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::::I hear you can search for the dailymotion link in the archive of a certain imageboard and find threads where there's mediafire links, but those sorts of things probably shouldn't be directly provided on the wiki now that we know they want it taken down. (very nice work capturing the preview, though, that was exciting) [[User:KM|KM]] 19:42, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::::I still have the original copy I recorded, so I guess I could make a throw-away youtube account and upload it privately if it doesn't turn up again. My theater never made any announcement about no recording, but in general, the NYC showing was the worst of all of them, so I guess this is the upside. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 20:01, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
::::::::"NYC showing was the worst of all of them" What do you mean by that? I had REALLY wanted to go, but... sold out tickets. :( So I'm curious to know what you mean. [[User:YazzyDream|YazzyDream]]
:::::::::There was not enough of the limited edition posters or signboards for even a fourth of the audience, there was absolutely no merchandise on sale, the audio had the bass so high that people close to the speakers were complaining of not being able to hear any dialogue, there was no intermission, the people working the projector were messing around with it during the showing so that the picture was made to be less than half of the original size before people complained and they put it back. All in all, it was a mess. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 22:20, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
::::::::::What day did you see it? I saw it on Monday, there was a break between the moves, the picture size was fine. I dunno about the sound since I was in the middle of the theatre, and I think the merchandise was Los Angeles only. --[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 01:17, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::::::::I was at the Saturday showing, and from what I've heard from other movie-goers, the NYC showing was the only one without merchandise for sale. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 01:58, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I ripped the YouTube video when it was still up, and uploaded it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?m1hmrctn6d3lc36

The archive is password protected; the password is the name of the witch famous for loving Mami just a bit too much, in all lowercase. --[[Special:Contributions/149.156.98.60|149.156.98.60]] 00:07, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:Hi guys, long time no see ;) I watched the trailer and all I can say is that... I clearly see Oktavia in the reflections. Time for speculah? I can't come up with any coherent explanation, but it seems that the new story will somehow revolve around Sayaka/Oktavia. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:17, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:: Really? Where? The image in Sayaka's eyes just looks like Ultimate Madoka to me.--[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 01:21, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:::Yeah, that's Ultimate Madoka, not Oktavia. I just double-checked on my larger version to be sure, but it's definitely Madoka. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 02:00, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
::::Hm, at the second look it really is Ultimate Madoka. Now I feel ashamed and don't even know how could I mistake her for Oktavia. -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 21:41, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
: Just noted something interesting: When Homura in the trailer is looking at the door that is exploding with light, the letters next to it say "[[Kasamino_City|KAZAMINO]]" with the M tilted over (the fact that it looks like the Greek Sigma character Σ may or may not be a coincidence.)--[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 02:18, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

==Yahoo auction==
*[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/21-1/madoka-x-homura-madoka-magica-film-strip-auctioned-for-over-1-million-yen Madoka x Homura "Madoka Magica" Film Strip Auctioned for Over 1 Million Yen]
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-10-20/madoka-magica-film-strip-auctioned-for-us$8300+ Madoka Magica Film Strip Auctioned for US$8,300+]
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-10-21/madoka-magica-film-strip-auction-ends-at-us$13600 Madoka Magica Film Strip Auction Ends at US$13,600]
*[http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d133919334 yahoo auction]

Talk:Madoka Magica Movie

2012-10-24T00:17:51Z

KFYatek: /* Trailer for Movie 3 */

Huh. The subtitles for these films are, uh, unexciting. Are they going to go ahead with a "Story" motif for the third film's title? If so, maybe they'll go with something as pompous as "The Greatest Story Ever Told." (Of course, with no Swedish Jesus in sight ;-).) [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:21, 1 April 2012 (UTC)
:I thought it was pretty nice that they name the first film "[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story|The Beginning Story]]". --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 08:50, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

The movie is going to be a simultaneous release, any idea how long is the duration? Something tells me hardcore fans will try to watch both of them together on the same day--[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 09:40, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

==link==
[[File:Madokagoodies comiket.jpg|right]]
*[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-10953.html anyone knows what it says?]--[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:27, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/interest/2012-08-03/madoka-magica-fate/zero-comiket-exclusives-revealed Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero's Comiket Exclusives Revealed]
*[https://wiki.puella-magi.net/File_talk:New_magical_girl_character_magazine_article_2012.jpg New character Hoax] Damn trolls --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 06:52, 9 August 2012 (UTC)

==Differences, Quality==
[http://www.animenewsnetwork.co.uk/news/2012-08-25/madoka-magica-films-ad-streamed-with-theme-by-claris-duo Madoka Magica Films' Ad Aired With New Theme by ClariS]

''A 30-second commercial began airing for the first two Puella Magi Madoka Magica films on Saturday, and it features the new theme song "Luminous" by the teenaged female duo ClariS.'' (yep, new song) --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 10:35, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

<gallery>
File:Movie version diff.jpg
</gallery>
the movie version quality will be different than the tv and blu-ray. are we going to add a new subsection for that? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 10:35, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

[http://youtu.be/Fem01BT51Eo Mezamashi TV just aired a feature this morning] with clips from the movies that features a fancied up transformation sequence for both Sayaka and Mami (as well as completely new material). [http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-12156.html Screens can be found here] in case the YT link gets taken down.--[[User:Ren|ren]] 23:53, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Premiere==
[[File:Madoka Magica in the fucking Grand Rex.jpg|right|300px]]
Is anyone is going to go or can go? If so, would anyone like to take notes or pics so it can be contributed to the wikia? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 02:29, 15 September 2012 (UTC)
:I plan on going to the NYC one, so I'll try to take notes if I can. No guarantees on pictures. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 02:31, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

:I'm going to the San Francisco one and don't mind taking photos/notes. --[[User:Ren|ren]] 05:34, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
::Back from the San Francisco show. I got some shots of the crowd and have some notes from memory ready to type out, but it'll take a while... all I'll say for now is watching with a non-JP audience might have ruined the experience a bit.--[[User:Ren|ren]] 10:26, 21 October 2012 (UTC)

:I'm heading to the LA one on a Saturday. I can't believe it's almost upon me already. I'll be sure to acquire someone's camera so I can snap some photos as keepsake, and I'll try to purchase everything. M-maybe I can purchase multiples of some things and give them away as gifts to #madoka. [[User:Holycrap|Holycrap]] 08:14, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

*[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=433609743340911&set=a.197162296985658.38734.196941927007695&type=1&relevant_count=1 Madoka Magica Premiere at San Francisco & L.A. meetup facebook]
*[https://twitter.com/aniplexUSA/status/250373658902675456 Attn Houston Fans: Tickets are now on Sale for the Madoka Screening at the Alamo Drafthouse.] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 06:04, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Premiere in Japan==
Has the movie premiered yet in Japan? (I get a bit confused by the time difference) If so, is there any news out? --[[User:Silvermoon424|Silvermoon424]] 16:02, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

It already premiered about a day ago or so. Some kind Japanese Anon already offered a write up of the most notable things. Here it is:

-------
Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Beginning Story

I watched this yesterday and want to write down my observation and thoughts, just for your curiosity. Excuse me for my poor English though, it’s not my mother tongue.

Also, SPOILER WARNING

First of all;

1) They said it was going to be a recap. I say, SHINBO THE MASTER TROLLER. Every scenes have got certain changes-more or less-and, as far as I remember, all nearly all of the highlights scenes have been REDRAWN. It’s not merely a recap; I would call it a complete overhaul.

2) Those changes are so significant that, even though I had recently watched Madoka all over again-for my fourth time-on Niconico last week, it just felt like a completely new anime. If you haven’t watched Madoka for a while, I guarantee, it will be just as fresh as it was in 2011.

Story

1) There are not many changes or differences and most of them seem to be insignificant. I recognized some changes in the order of certain scenes, probably to join all the separate episodes together into a single continuing piece.

2) The first part, as it was revealed earlier in the morning, covers the first 8 episodes; it ends with ‘I’m such a fool’ and that god damn Kyubey lecturing us about the meaning of mahout-shojo.

Scenes

1) Apparently, there are few scenes that have been cut out, like the one with Madoka in a cafe asking Homura if she could help Sayaka. The dialogue itself seems to be absorbed into the other scene on the school’s roof. The scene where Sayaka makes her contract is also made very brief, with no dialogue at all.

2) There are four transformation sequences; new ones each for Sayaka and Kyoko, TWO FOR MAMI. They are of course much better than the ones on the TV series. Sayaka’s transformation takes place underwater and clearly resembles that of the little mermaid, or maybe her fate. Kyoko performs a nice dance with her spear while transforming, if you know what I mean.

3) It shows Mami’s Soul Gem getting shattered into pieces when Charlotte does MOGUMOGU. The entire sequence -Mami vs Charlotte- has actually become a little bit more crual, although I can’t explain why and how. Maybe because the way Charlotte moves, or it could be something about that new soundtrack.

4) For those who are concerned about all those beautiful shaft necks; rejoice. You can enjoy those nice angles of 90 degrees on the huge cinema screen.

5) THAT INU-CURRY WORLD FILLING THE ENTIRE CINEMA SCREEN.

6) The very last part of the new ending animation features an unknown pink silhouette -most likely that of Godoka- with another silhouette that is somewhat smaller and floating inside its belly, or womb?

Music

1) This is where I'm giving the most credit. Kajiura has once again done a magnificent job. I just can’t imagine the Madoka universe anymore without her works.

2) There are a number of new soundtracks; including the other two of which I haven't even heard so far. There are three -so far as I’ve counted- newly rearranged Sis Puella Magica(the main theme), two for Conturbatio(the Sayaka theme); one of those is a vocal version and played during the Sayaka vs Elsa Maria. It sounds something like an aria -like one from opera-makes the scene even more tragic. It is so heart breaking.

3) Credens Justitiam also has got a vocal version, definitely by Kalafina. You can assume how much Shaft cares about Mami.

4) The Homura vs Charlotte battle has got a new soundtrack, as well as the scene where Sayaka turns into a witch ;_; If you prefer Decretum, you might be a bit disappointed, although the new soundtrack is just as amazing.

5) EVEN WITCHES HAVE GOT THEIR OWN THEME SOUNDTRACK. Both Charlotte and Television-chan. the Charlotte theme is pretty nice. You can hardly wait for the release of the new soundtrack. I think there is one for Elsa Maria as well, but not sure if it was just the vocal version of Conturbatio which I have just mentioned above.

6) The ending theme is the movie arrange of Magia, at the full length. The new ending animation is, put it simply, an extended version of the original TV one, featuring silhouettes of several unknown magical girls before those of the main characters appear in the way like they did in the original one.

Trivia

1) They're now studying in a cathedral. I'm not even joking.

2) Mitagihara City now looks more urbanized then even NYC. Must be renamed St.Madokaburg or something.

3) Mrs Kaname is just as bro as she is in the TV series.

4) The teacher is still struggling with fertility stuff. No peace for poor Nakazawa-kun.

5) For the first time, they say, Madoka appears in a plain clothe! Remember that previously in the TV serious she shows only three types of outfit; school uniform, magical girl’s dress, and pajama.

-----

Archive of the thread is here: http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72622214/

[[User:MochaCoffee|MochaCoffee]] 18:05, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

:Oh, my gosh, this sounds INCREDIBLE! This will definitely please everybody who is complaining about two "recap" movies being released. I can't wait to see screencaps! --[[User:Silvermoon424|Silvermoon424]] 01:07, 8 October 2012 (UTC)
:4chan is going crazy with that pregnancy speculation, /u/ is going nuts, talking about Madoka and Homura's baby! --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 13:45, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Another madoka movie thread http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72986699/ --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:27, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

-----
*[http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=30620855 someone saw and liked the movie] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 01:26, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
-------
*how was the second movie? Any good news? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 07:37, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://beatarai.blog90.fc2.com/blog-entry-2639.html Japanese fan comments about the movie] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 02:32, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

==Movie Thread /a/==
I am not keeping a track on these threads, but if anyone is willing to do so, try to see if they can be done in order.

*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72622214/
*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/72986699/
*http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/73059493

== Luminous Lyrics ==

Found a romaji translation of the full lyrics. Not sure if its 100% accurate, but it seems legit after listening to Luminous while reading the lyrics.

:Tsutaeatta kokoro no ondo wo
:Sotto daiji sou ni kakae aruite ita

:Kotae no nai negai no naka de
:Kotoba wa mirai kaete

:Osanai koro zutto yume ni mite ita watashi ni wa mada
:Tooi kedo kimi ga ireba
:Sukoshi wa tsuyoku nareru ki ga shite
:Ashita no iro wo kasane nutta

:Yonda kibou tadotte tometa sekai wo koeta
:Akiramenai omoi itsu shika kokoro tsunageta
:Naite itatte waratte ashita mukae ni yukou
:Kimeta chikai tsurakute taorete mo
:Kimi no kokoro wo mamoru tame

:Kioku no nai toki no nagare ni
:Kitto motomete ita atatakasa wa atte

:Tsutsumareta shunkan subete no
:Omoi wa kimi he meguru

:Sora ni mukatte hashiri te ni shita
:Ikutsu mono toutoi hikari mune ni shimatte
:Watashi no naka no kagayaki ni kae
:Mayoi wo zenbu haratte tobou

:Seikai no mienai irikunda meiro wo nuke
:Kimi ga nagashita namida de kokoro mezameta
:Soshite shitta sekai wa konna ni mo mada kirei de
:Atarashii kanousei wo umu darou
:Toki no kakera no negai kara

:Sukui shinjite wareta omoi
:Watashi ga hajimari ni tatte
:Kimi no egao torimodosu yo
:Shinjitsu no kiseki ni natte

:Yonda kibou tadotte tometa sekai wo koeta
:Akiramenai omoi itsu shika kokoro tsunageta
:Naite itatte waratte ashita mukae ni yukou
:Kimeta chikai tsurakute taorete mo
:Kimi no kokoro wo mamoru tame
:Kimi no soba ni iyou

Source: http://beautifulsonglyrics.blogspot.com/2012/10/claris-luminous-lyrics.html#ixzz297dSwvLQ

EDIT: WELP, I seem to have found someone on tumblr who roughly translated the lyrics already in english. http://sparklyspacehugs.tumblr.com/post/33149041498/this-translation-is-a-work-in-progress-sup

--[[User:Riga92|Riga92]] 21:23, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

== Film Strips ==

Here are galleries of the film strips the Japanese fans have been posting. Looks like quite a number of scenes have been reanimated. --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 17:13, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://imgur.com/a/U4qoU#0 Gallery #1]
*[http://imgur.com/a/X7XiZ#0 Gallery #2]
*[http://imgur.com/a/D9a9E#0 Gallery #3]
*[http://imgur.com/a/ScwZg#0 Gallery #4]
*[http://imgur.com/a/BORT4#0 Gallery #5]
*[http://imgur.com/a/2ZOzn#0 Gallery #6]

[http://himarin.net/archives/6675148.html another source of film strips] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:26, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

==Audio from End-of-The-Everlasting-Story Preview==
Translated by /a/:

"Witches— The most evil harbingers of despair. As well as the accursed final form of magical girls who have fallen into despair. Once before, I had repeated the same time again and again, to wage war against that cruel fate. And in the end, with a single girl as a sacrifice, the cruel cycle of hope and despair was broken. The world was guided towards a new truth. Or so it seemed…

Mami: "Don't even think of chasing me… or we'll have to fight."

Kyoko: "Isn't that Hitomi's nightmare's…"

Sayaka: "Hitomi must have it rough, huh. She tried to make that insensitive blockhead her boyfriend and all…"

QB: "I'm almost certain that that's the very ability of those witches you once told me about…"

Kyoko: "You really don't look like you're trying to make fun of me. You're serious, aren't you?"

Homura: "There's nothing but a cycle of sadness and hatred. I dream of the day that sorely missed smile comes back to this hopeless world."

Madoka: "Sorry for making you wait. You've always been giving it your all, haven't you?"

Homura: "…Madoka."

Madoka: "Let's go now. From now on, we'll be together forever."

:An alternate, more literal(?) and independently done translation, courtesy of ANN user Juno016. Includes physical descriptions of preview. [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:14, 14 October 2012 (UTC)
:*the preview starts with the camera panning across rubble with painted figures of each of the magical girls

:Homura (narration): Witches-- Those are the disaster "demons" (lit. "Magic users") who spread despair. And, the magical girls who have fallen into despair, and in the end, are reduced to a cursed form. The me living then, repeating the same time over and over, to fight against that cruel fate. And finally, a lone girl's sacrifice, therefore cutting the cruel chains of hope and despair, expectantly guiding the world to a new truth. ...or so it would seem...

:*actual clips from the third movie

:*Mami talking to someone off-screen with a cautious grin on her face

:Mami: "Don't think of following me..."

:*we see Mami and Kyouko in their magical girl forms in a parking lot(?), weapons ready

:Mami: "...or did you come to fight..."

:*Kyouko running through the street, talking into a cellphone

:Kyoko: "Shizuki Hitomi's nightmare...?" (ED. Note: the earlier translation seemed to indicate that Hitomi's so-called nightmare found a physical manifestation, but now I'm not so sure, considering there's no possessive marker. Then again, it must be important enough to mention in the preview.... [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 06:14, 14 October 2012 (UTC))

:*Sayaka in her school outfit(?), nervously grinning

:Sayaka: "Hitomi must be having trouble, huh. She made that insensitive guy her boyfriend and..."

:*Kyuubey's face

:Kyuubey: "Exactly. It's just like the value/ability of the witches you explained once, huh."

:*Kyouko, with her back turned to the screen

:Kyouko: "Calling me an 'idiot'... That's... not what you're doing, huh..."

:*she shaft-head-tilts toward the screen, with a serious look on her face

:Kyouko: "You're... serious, aren't you."

:*Kyuubey is shown with something reflecting in his eyes

:Homura (narration): "Nothing but sadness and hatred repeat. In this word that cannot be saved..."

:*closer inspection reveals the reflection to be Ultimate Madoka's silhouette in the starry sky

:Homura: "...the hope to chance upon that dear/missed smile once again..."

:*Ultimate Madoka's silhouette reflects in a shaft-head-tilting Sayaka's eyes as well, in space(?)

:Madoka: "Sorry to make you wait. Until now, you've continuously done your best, haven't you~"

:*Homura's face, surprised

:Homura: "...Madoka..."

:*the actual silhouette of Madoka, but she's on a rocky, moon/asteroid-like rock formation surface now, possibly in front of Homura

:Madoka: "Okay~ Let's go~"

:*coming 2013 screen

== Movie ending ==

Where has all of this new info about the movie ending being radically different from the anime series come from? I hope it's not all just from the audio preview for the third movie... --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 06:19, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:Mmmmmmyeah, I have a feeling this speculah has come from the audio. From what impressions I've read and skimmed, there are no changes to the ending's content-- for instance, I don't see anything being said about there being no Majuu (demons) or Sayaka not dying. I have a feeling that the third film might simply pick up sometime before that latter particular scene. [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 08:13, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::It would really bother me if the reason Sayaka is back to life is because of ''Madoka Ex Machina'', it would really undermine the whole plot of the anime series as well as the cruel system that Urobuchi put in place. The reason Sayaka had to die (and insisted she needed to die) was to show that magical girls can still die, if he were to walk back from that by saying, "I decided to cheat and bring back Sayaka because of magic" would really be a cruel joke... --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 11:15, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:::But there's nothing actually confirming that Sayaka has come back to life. Hearing her voice in the preview could mean anything: it could be a dream or a flashback, you name it. Like Animerican-Redeemed above, I haven't heard of any content changes, especially not something as drastic that would create wild speculations about a new universe. The reason I brought it up in the first place is because this information is already spread out on three pages (this one, 12th Episode, Yuri undertones). Frankly, even with it labelled as being highly speculative, until more people actually have access to the movies, I think the information is more confusing than anything. --[[User:Knon|Knon]] 14:11, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

==Ticket Sales==
We need info on ticket sales in Japan as well as international viewing, is there a way to have this info and post it on the page? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:08, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:(Also how much money the movie made in Japan and overseas too. If possible have a column showing their foreign currency and next to it changed into dollars --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 12:15, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-09/1st-madoka-magica-film-opens-at-no.7-with-over-us$1-million 1st Madoka Magica Film Opens at #7 With Over US$1 Million]
*[http://www.mangahere.com/news/puella-magi-madoka-magica-movies-tickets-sold-out/ Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movies Presale Tickets Sold Out in a Cinema in SFO]
I tried looking for some info regarding ticket sales, not a lot to work on. --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 15:47, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
:Does anyone know where to find box office/ticket sales reliable data? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 15:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/15-1/otaku-legions-mobilize-for-second-madoka-magica-movie Movie #2 opening stats]. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 21:06, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-15/2nd-madoka-magica-film-ranks-no.2-with-us$2.18-million 2nd Madoka Magica Film Ranks #2 With US$2.18 Million] --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:53, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

==New World Speculation==
The New World: Movie Version and Differences

<big>''(WARNING: THIS IS HIGHLY SPECULATIVE UNTIL RELEASE OF THE THIRD FILM)''</big>

There is speculation that the New World version of the movie is not the same from the anime series version. The New World concept of the movie version radically departs from the anime version that it alters the anime storyline. If the creators have made the story from the movie version a different story from that of the anime version, so we must consider both versions to be equally valid. If we consider the New World of the movie version and anime version to be canon then one acceptable explanation is that these two Worlds are from different universes. How these two Worlds are connected has not been explained. Since the universe from the anime series and the universe from the movie version share similarities but radical differences, they will both be treated as separate universes. The universe from the anime version will be indicated as '''Universe A''', and the universe from the movie version will be indicated as '''Universe M''', just as a matter of pragmatism.

*At first it seems like the cycle of suffering has been broken and that Witches have never existed in the New World of '''Universe M''', but this is proven to be false.
*Despair continues to haunt magical girls in the New World of '''Universe M'''.

*Sayaka is alive in '''Universe M'''. In '''Universe A''', Sayaka gave her life as a sacrifice and Ultimate Madoka accepted Sayaka's fate and wish. Not only does Madoka accept Sayaka's decision, but helps her to transition to what it is speculated to be the afterlife, so Sayaka's doesnt have any regrets from her choice. Why is Sayaka still alive in ''Universe M'' is not known. It is not clear yet if this is the result of Ultimate Madoka's interfering with Sayaka's fate or something else at work.
*Ultimate Madoka is able to show herself to Homura and perhaps interact with '''Universe M'''. In '''Universe A''', only Madoka's voice and presence could be felt by Homura.

:Perhaps Universe M is a prototype to Universe A, I mean, Madoka is a 4th grader, there is no way she would know how to completely tune the Universe from curse to hope in just one try. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 20:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::Alternatively, it could be that the Incubators began a counter attack that somehow jeopardized Madoka's Universe, I mean, there is a whole multiverse of timelines she has to watch over and if her wish works like a ripple effect then some time axis might be still undergoing transition. That also helps explaining the Online Game. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 20:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
: In my opinion, I think someone may be overthinking this.--[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 22:18, 15 October 2012 (UTC)
::My guess: Nothing from the anime ending is changed, there's no alternate universe, the scene with Homura holding the ribbons after Sayaka dies comes halfway through the third movie, Homura reacts that way because it's her first time seeing a girl actually get taken away by Madoka, QB reports Homura's reminiscing to the mothership and they research it, they find a new and creative way to exploit girls, QB tests it on Hitomi, it does not go as planned, out-of-control test subjects turn into witches, and QB will drop by Homura's apartment to casually mention that he wouldn't mind her help cleaning up, since the deaths of all humans on Earth would interfere with reaching his quota in a timely manner. [[User:KM|KM]] 21:27, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
Look, I know that there's a disclaimer about it being highly speculative, but still, this statement-- "The New World concept of the movie version radically departs from the anime version that it alters the anime storyline"-- sounds much too assumptive, much too "definitive" a statement from one making mere speculation. Again, is there anything at *all* in the second movie itself, discounting the trailer that has Sayaka's voice in it, that indicates a New World different from the one seen in the series? I've yet to hear anything about there being altered plot developments in the second movie; it sounds like everything shown in the series ending-- the Majuu, Madoka's wish, Sayaka's death, etc.-- hasn't been taken out. And even if Sayaka was brought back to life, would that really imply a "radically different" universe? [[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 00:21, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
::The way I see is this, if Sayaka is brought back from the death, it undermines the argument of the cycle of suffering and the system in place since magical girls can be brought back to life (unless there is an acceptable explanation). On the other hand, if the story was an "What If" scenario or a different universe where Sayaka didnt die it wont undermine the concept that magical girls die. --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 00:47, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

:I saw the movie today and don't get what difference from the anime version. They look the same. After ED, however, there is some introduction about the 3rd movie, which is very different. Are you talking about that? --[[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 10:26, 21 October 2012 (UTC)

==Alternate Timelines?==
Someone help me out here. I remember reading something which said (either in the movie brochure or the Sport Hochi interview) that said the third movie will include timelines that we're cut out the anime. I can't find the source though, so I don't know how accurate this is. Has anyone read something like this, and if so, where? Thanks --[[User:Universalperson|Universalperson]] 01:59, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

==Trailer for Movie 3==
I went to one of the showings last night and recorded the movie 3 trailer for you guys. [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xui1co_pmmm-m3t_shortfilms Enjoy.] --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 17:04, 21 October 2012 (UTC)
:Thank you so much! [[Special:Contributions/208.120.155.143|208.120.155.143]] 03:39, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::You know that feeling of getting your conception of a happy ending kicked out of your groin? Well, I am kind of getting those vibes. --[[User:Derp101(3)|Derp101(3)]] 04:14, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
:::Urobuchi lied about a happy ending! --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 07:26, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::::Another version [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8L2jpGe-yk&feature=player_embedded Click to see]-- 21:00, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::Somebody reuploaded mine somewhere else already? You move fast, fandom. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 13:03, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
::::::Dang, taken down to copyright violation (both links!). Guess they're more or less enforcing the warnings that I hear were given in the Music Box Theater in Chicago (and presumably the other theaters): do any filming, and get kicked out. Sigh.... well, uh, any chance of uploading a link to a ''private'' video of it again? --[[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 16:39, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::::I hear you can search for the dailymotion link in the archive of a certain imageboard and find threads where there's mediafire links, but those sorts of things probably shouldn't be directly provided on the wiki now that we know they want it taken down. (very nice work capturing the preview, though, that was exciting) [[User:KM|KM]] 19:42, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
:::::::I still have the original copy I recorded, so I guess I could make a throw-away youtube account and upload it privately if it doesn't turn up again. My theater never made any announcement about no recording, but in general, the NYC showing was the worst of all of them, so I guess this is the upside. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 20:01, 23 October 2012 (UTC)
::::::::"NYC showing was the worst of all of them" What do you mean by that? I had REALLY wanted to go, but... sold out tickets. :( So I'm curious to know what you mean. [[User:YazzyDream|YazzyDream]]
:::::::::There was not enough of the limited edition posters or signboards for even a fourth of the audience, there was absolutely no merchandise on sale, the audio had the bass so high that people close to the speakers were complaining of not being able to hear any dialogue, there was no intermission, the people working the projector were messing around with it during the showing so that the picture was made to be less than half of the original size before people complained and they put it back. All in all, it was a mess. --[[User:CrownClown|CrownClown]] 22:20, 23 October 2012 (UTC)

I ripped the YouTube video when it was still up, and uploaded it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?m1hmrctn6d3lc36

The archive is password protected; the password is the name of the witch famous for loving Mami just a bit too much, in all lowercase. --[[Special:Contributions/149.156.98.60|149.156.98.60]] 00:07, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:Hi guys, long time no see ;) I watched the trailer and all I can say is that... I clearly see Oktavia in the reflections. Time for speculah? I can't come up with any coherent explanation, but it seems that the new story will somehow revolve around Sayaka/Oktavia. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:17, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

==Yahoo auction==
*[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/21-1/madoka-x-homura-madoka-magica-film-strip-auctioned-for-over-1-million-yen Madoka x Homura "Madoka Magica" Film Strip Auctioned for Over 1 Million Yen]
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-10-20/madoka-magica-film-strip-auctioned-for-us$8300+ Madoka Magica Film Strip Auctioned for US$8,300+]
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-10-21/madoka-magica-film-strip-auction-ends-at-us$13600 Madoka Magica Film Strip Auction Ends at US$13,600]
*[http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d133919334 yahoo auction]

Talk:Licensing in Italy

2012-04-19T19:06:51Z

KFYatek: /* Video quality */

[[File:Madoka magica to be broadcast in italy fanart comic japanese.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Kyoko is excited with the broadcast of Madoka in Italy, home of the Tiro Finale.]]

Italian anime fans are lucky. To have such fresh and great series in streaming and TV, and a DVD/BD release as the first nation in the West, even before the US... And not only Madoka, you'll get AnoHana as well... I don't know if living in Italy is that great, especially hearing about all that crisis and politics stuff, but still, it's certainly a great place for the anime fandom, I'm jealous.

The Italian BD release seems splendid as well. Too bad it's still pretty expensive... I mean, it's cheaper than both the Japanese and US releases, but still... eh... I have my hopes for a UK license, the releases there tend to be very cheap and have subtitles in a language I can understand ;) Too bad it looks like that's not going to happen :( --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:13, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

:It's not that hard living here. It's harder to find work than usual, that's true. Taxes taxes taxes... And we need a bomb on our Parlament to get rid of all those corrupt and greedy mob. However, I think we'll be fine in one or two years. I hope.
:About the Fan Edition... Yes, it's a bit expensive. But look: Nendoroid! That's around 40€ alone! What the hell? They caught me off guard with this. By the way, the shipping is free (because on Amazon.it if you buy more than 19€ you don't pay shipping). Don't know about Amazon in other countries. So only 124.17€ for me.
:I'm confident about the dub: most of the VAs I chose won :) [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 20:00, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

::Yeah, that Nendoroid is definitely the highlight of that Italian limited edition. But well... if I'm going to pay for an official release, I'd very much prefer to have subtitles in some language I can understand, to be able to actually watch the series off those discs instead of buying them just for the sake of buying. And I don't know any Italian, so unfortunately, your release is kind of out of question to me, regardless of the price...
::I'm not even dreaming about a Polish license, the anime market here is practically non-existent. A UK release would be perfect, especially considering that Amazon UK is shipping for free to Poland for orders over 20 or 25 GBP (I don't remember clearly). But I guess I'll need to go for the American or Australian version one day... Well, I want to have an official release, the show and the creators certainly deserve the money from me, but, well, call me stingy, but I'm not really comfortable with spending that much on it...
::That's good to hear that living in Italy is not that bad despite all that those recent affairs. I wish you all the best in getting out of that! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 21:55, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

:::IIRC, the Australian BD edition is only $35, $40 with the artbook. But the shipping would be pretty expensive I think, so it's not a very good choice.
:::I understand what you feel. It's pretty useless to buy something in a unknown language and just stare at it. That's why I don't buy so much. There's not so much anime to buy in Italy. Most editions are crap.
:::Best whises from Italy, hope Poland (and other countries too, anime is not that popular in Europe today) will get some good editions. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 22:37, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

::::I just checked it and it seems that the shipping rates from Australia are not that much different from the ones from the US. It depends on the shop of course, but still the Australian release may be the way to go.
::::Anyway, you made me look more into the Australian limited edition release, and, although it's hard to find any clear info about it, it seems to have everything the American one, except the other format disc, ie. you pay for either the DVD or the Blu-ray, not both. And no wonder it's much cheaper that way. Really, the DVD+BD editions are quite ridiculous for me. I don't know, maybe they are marketed towards hardcore fans (hence it's the collector's edition) who don't have a Blu-ray player yet, so that they can watch on DVD now, and enjoy glorious HD later when BD players become commonplace? But if I have a Blu-ray drive already, what's the point of owning a DVD as well for me? And paying almost twice the price for it...
::::Unfortunately, both the American and Italian releases go the DVD+BD way for the collector's editions... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:49, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

::Not to dampen the enthusiasm(i have preorderd all three boxes myself) but watch out for the nendoroid: it's still good, but it's not the complete one, is the petite version which is smaller and without accessories. The value of it would be around 5/6€ at max. Of course the petit nendoroid it's sold out by itself, so for collectors it can be interesting. --[[Special:Contributions/87.6.38.228|87.6.38.228]] 10:47, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

The sales rank of the first volume on amazon.it have reached the top spot [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/googlechromescreensnapz.png/ now] on the [http://www.amazon.it/gp/bestsellers/dvd/ref=pd_dp_ts_dvd_1 general] dvd category --[[Special:Contributions/87.6.38.228|87.6.38.228]] 10:32, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

== The dub ==
Well, not bad. Not bad. Madoka, Mami and Homura are ok for me. Kyubey it's a bit expressive but it's ok. Sayaka it's ok too. Other characters (Hitomi, Madoka's family, Kazuko) are good. Now for Kyoko we'll have to wait for some weeks.

Great dub afterall. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 10:30, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

:I managed to find a recording of the first episode from Rai4. I don't speak any Italian, but... this dub seems to work, it's quite good indeed! Madoka sounds a bit too cheerful to my opinion, and that deep voice of Homura... I don't know, maybe I got too used to Chiwa Saitou ;) And I can't believe they actually redubbed Anthonies' voices! xD And Mami is just perfect! She sounds almost like Kaori Mizuhashi, I can't believe it! Pretty good dub, overall! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 09:59, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

::Yeah, Anthonies were weird. I was like "wait WHAT?". Maybe they were dubbed for the sake of understanding?
::What do you think about Sayaka? I read on 4chan a lot had "eargasms". [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 12:56, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

:::Sayaka will always stay KitaEri to me, and it'll even take time for me to accept KitaEri in other roles as well ;) When I hear Karen in Nisemonogatari this season, I can't get Sayaka's image out of my head... and the fact that Karen acts all righteous and gallantly doesn't help either... so Italian Sayaka... not bad, but I still prefer the original. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:38, 9 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Oh, and... well, it may be terrible, but I think that any attempt at rating any dub of Madoka is too early before hearing ep10. I'm very curious how the dub VAs (both Italian and English) will handle the Voice Actors' Hell which is Madoka ep10... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:40, 9 February 2012 (UTC)
::::Yes, we need to hear how they will perform the tons (or litres) of tears. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 21:27, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

== The irony! ==
Today episode 3 aired. Dub pretty good and totally uncensored. I was browsing Animeclick expecting a shitstorm from new guys while waiting for ep 3 of Anohana. But then, instead of Anohana, Madoka ep 3 again! There was a problem in the studio and it was broadcasted two times in a row. They might broadcast eps 3-4 of Anohana next week, so when it comes they can broadcast Madoka's finale in one day (Anohana is only 11 eps afterall). [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 13:49, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
:So Italy decapitated Mami twice? --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 14:36, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
::Yes we did. We are bad guys ;)

== Unboxing ==

Maybe in the next days (the release date is 14) some other photos will appear but [http://www.pluschan.com/index.php?/topic/3344-mahou-shoujo-madoka-%e2%98%86-magica/page__view__findpost__p__190072 here] the first images of the LE Box 1 directly from a guy working for dynit (the encoder, in the same post there is the raw info of the blu ray). You can see that the box show two covers (1-2 of the original release) and the same is for the bd and dvd: they have reversible covers. It appears that there is some extra booklet or pages added, because the black booklet titled 'The witches book' was not present on the japanese booklets.

Got it. It's awesome.
[[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 12:47, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

== Video quality ==

Reportedly, video quality on the Italian BDs is better than on the Japanese ones :D - [http://tri4.net/subs/articles/14/mahou-shoujo-madoka-magika tri4 posted two screenshot comparisons for that]. That's... somewhat scary... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:27, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
:My monitor must be crap, I can't see the difference. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:07, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
::Sometimes it's hard to notice differences on BD quality levels if the two compared are of good quality... In any case [http://www.animeclick.it/notizia.php?id=31554 here] a review with some other comparison shots: look after the character boxes on the links 'giapponese' e 'italiana'. Most of them are differences in banding and details. [[Special:Contributions/79.12.42.38|79.12.42.38]] 17:14, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
:::It's visible on the right (ours) side of Homura's collar in the tri4 one, and just barely in Hitomi's eyes. [http://www.animeclick.it/prove/upload/img/News26614.png] and [http://www.animeclick.it/prove/upload/img/News26615.png] show it better. [[User:KM|KM]] 20:26, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
::::Also, on the first comparison on tri4's site ([http://tri4.net/subs/files/madomagi/img/etc/v3001-jp.png JP], [http://tri4.net/subs/files/madomagi/img/etc/v3001-ita.png IT]) - to the right of Hitomi, on the height of her ear, behind the big fencing you can see some building with a stripe pattern to it. It's much more clearly visible in the Italian encode. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:06, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in Italy

2012-04-16T11:27:44Z

KFYatek: /* Video quality */ new section

International Saimoe League

2012-02-25T18:18:57Z

KFYatek: /* Results */

The [http://www.internationalsaimoe.com International Saimoe League] is an annual contest intended to allow a broad international community to determine the most moe among anime girls. It was inspired by 2ch's [[Saimoe]] Tournament. Voting is open to everyone and multiple languages are supported in addition to the default English. The cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is participating in the 2012 tournament.

==Results==
[[File:Homunova.PNG|thumb|right|327px|Homura wins well-deserved points in Preliminary Phase 1 Day 4, but people who would pick Ayase and Mine Riko over Akarin and Chihaya need to seriously re-examine their lives.]]
===ISML 2012 Preliminary Period===

'''Phase I'''

Day 1:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 1) 3rd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 2) 4th 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 3) 2nd 

Day 2:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 7) 4th 
Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 

Day 3:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 3) 3rd 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 4) 2nd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 5) 3rd 

Day 4:

Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 
Miki Sayaka(Nova 10) 5th 

Day 5:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 2) 4th - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Sakura Kyōko(Nova 5) 2nd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 5) 3rd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 

Day 6:

Tomoe Mami(Nova 7) 4th - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st - '''advanced to Regular Session''' 

==Other Moe Contests==
*The cast of Madoka also participated in the 2011 [[Saimoe | Anime Saimoe Tournament]], in which [[Mami Tomoe]] won the championship.
*In Korea's [[Best Moe Tournament]], [[Homura Akemi]] won for 2011. Several of the other Madoka characters made it as far as the quarterfinals.

==External links==
*[http://www.internationalsaimoe.com Official Site]
*[http://saimoe.wikia.com/wiki/International_Saimoe_League English Saimoe Wiki]
*[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=109310 AnimeSuki Coverage Thread]

[[Category:Events and venues]]

International Saimoe League

2012-02-24T22:28:58Z

KFYatek: /* ISML 2012 Preliminary Period */

The [http://www.internationalsaimoe.com International Saimoe League] is an annual contest intended to allow a broad international community to determine the most moe among anime girls. It was inspired by 2ch's [[Saimoe]] Tournament. Voting is open to everyone and multiple languages are supported in addition to the default English. The cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is participating in the 2012 tournament.

==Results==
[[File:Homunova.PNG|thumb|right|327px|Homura wins well-deserved points in Preliminary Phase 1 Day 4, but people who would pick Ayase and Mine Riko over Akarin and Chihaya need to seriously re-examine their lives.]]
===ISML 2012 Preliminary Period===

'''Phase I'''

Day 1:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 1) 3rd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 2) 4th 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 3) 2nd 

Day 2:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 7) 4th 
Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 

Day 3:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 3) 3rd 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 4) 2nd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 5) 3rd 

Day 4:

Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 
Miki Sayaka(Nova 10) 5th 

Day 5:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 2) 4th - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Sakura Kyōko(Nova 5) 2nd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 5) 3rd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 

==Other Moe Contests==
*The cast of Madoka also participated in the 2011 [[Saimoe | Anime Saimoe Tournament]], in which [[Mami Tomoe]] won the championship.
*In Korea's [[Best Moe Tournament]], [[Homura Akemi]] won for 2011. Several of the other Madoka characters made it as far as the quarterfinals.

==External links==
*[http://www.internationalsaimoe.com Official Site]
*[http://saimoe.wikia.com/wiki/International_Saimoe_League English Saimoe Wiki]
*[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=109310 AnimeSuki Coverage Thread]

[[Category:Events and venues]]

International Saimoe League

2012-02-24T22:28:35Z

KFYatek: /* ISML 2012 Preliminary Period */ day 5 results are out, and these are conclusive

The [http://www.internationalsaimoe.com International Saimoe League] is an annual contest intended to allow a broad international community to determine the most moe among anime girls. It was inspired by 2ch's [[Saimoe]] Tournament. Voting is open to everyone and multiple languages are supported in addition to the default English. The cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is participating in the 2012 tournament.

==Results==
[[File:Homunova.PNG|thumb|right|327px|Homura wins well-deserved points in Preliminary Phase 1 Day 4, but people who would pick Ayase and Mine Riko over Akarin and Chihaya need to seriously re-examine their lives.]]
===ISML 2012 Preliminary Period===

Day 1:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 1) 3rd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 2) 4th 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 3) 2nd 

Day 2:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 7) 4th 
Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 

Day 3:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 3) 3rd 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 4) 2nd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 5) 3rd 

Day 4:

Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 
Miki Sayaka(Nova 10) 5th 

Day 5:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 2) 4th - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Sakura Kyōko(Nova 5) 2nd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 5) 3rd - moved to Preliminaries Phase II 

==Other Moe Contests==
*The cast of Madoka also participated in the 2011 [[Saimoe | Anime Saimoe Tournament]], in which [[Mami Tomoe]] won the championship.
*In Korea's [[Best Moe Tournament]], [[Homura Akemi]] won for 2011. Several of the other Madoka characters made it as far as the quarterfinals.

==External links==
*[http://www.internationalsaimoe.com Official Site]
*[http://saimoe.wikia.com/wiki/International_Saimoe_League English Saimoe Wiki]
*[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=109310 AnimeSuki Coverage Thread]

[[Category:Events and venues]]

Gisela

2012-02-22T21:47:44Z

KFYatek: /* Gisele in the PSP Game */

__NOTOC__
'''Gisela''' ({{Runes|GISELA}}) is a [[witch]] who battles [[Kyouko]] within the flashback scene in [[Episode 7]].

{{Card
|name = Gisela
|runes = GISELA
|image = File:Card_Gisela.png
|japanese_desc = 銀の魔女。その性質は自由。高速で移動する結界の中に潜んでいるが魔女自身は非常に愚鈍。残念ながら科学的な力は一切使えない。かつては全身目も眩むほどの銀色であったが、海岸線の夕日を眺めているうちにずいぶんと錆びてしまった。
|english_desc = The silver witch, with a liberal nature. She dwells in a barrier where everything moves at high speed, but the witch herself is dull. She unfortunately can not use any sort of scientific power. Her body was once dazzling with silver, but she has tarnished gazing upon the coastal sunset.
|type = Silver witch
|nature = Liberal
|episodes = [[Episode 7]]
}}

== Minions ==
{{Card
|name = Dora
|runes = DORA
|image = File:Card_Dora.png
|japanese_desc = 銀の魔女の手下。その役割は主張。体についたパイプから近所迷惑な爆音を撒き散らし気まぐれな砂嵐のように移動する。嫌いなものは磁石。
|english_desc = The silver witch's minion, whose duty is to declare her opinion. She makes a nuisance of herself with the roaring from the pipes extending from her body as she moves about like a freak sandstorm. She hates magnets.
|type = Silver witch's minion
|task = Declaring opinions
|episodes = [[Episode 7]]
}}

==Trivia==
*According to commentary from Inu Curry in the official [[Guidebook]], the Doras play the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWqKPWO5T4o Godfather theme] from their exhaust pipes.

==Gisela in the PSP Game==
*Makes a reappearance in a flashback scene and she can transform into a [[:file:Dengeki PlayStation 2012-03 2.jpg|motorcycle.]]

==Official Art==
<gallery>
File:Guidebook 0050.jpg|Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook "You Are Not Alone"
</gallery>

==Fan Art==
{{fanart}}
<gallery>
File:21540505_p0.png|Art of Gisela and Dora
</gallery>

== External links ==
*{{card_link|id=13}}
*{{card_link|id=14|name=Dora}}

[[Category:Witches]]

International Saimoe League

2012-02-21T18:47:44Z

KFYatek: /* ISML 2012 Preliminary Period */ only days 5 and 6 matter for advancing in Preliminaries Phase I, so there's no point

The [http://www.internationalsaimoe.com International Saimoe League] is an annual contest intended to allow a broad international community to determine the most moe among anime girls. It was inspired by 2ch's [[Saimoe]] Tournament. Voting is open to everyone and multiple languages are supported in addition to the default English. The cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is participating in the 2012 tournament.

==Results==
[[File:Homunova.PNG|thumb|right|327px|Homura wins well-deserved points in Preliminary Phase 1 Day 4, but people who would pick Ayase and Mine Riko over Akarin and Chihaya need to seriously re-examine their lives.]]
===ISML 2012 Preliminary Period===

Day 1:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 1) 3rd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 2) 4th 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 3) 2nd 

Day 2:

Miki Sayaka(Nova 7) 4th 
Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 

Day 3:

Sakura Kyōko(Nova 3) 3rd 
Kaname Madoka(Nova 4) 2nd 
Tomoe Mami(Nova 5) 3rd 

Day 4:

Akemi Homura(Nova 12) 1st 
Miki Sayaka(Nova 10) 5th 

==Other Moe Contests==
*The cast of Madoka also participated in the 2011 [[Saimoe | Anime Saimoe Tournament]], in which [[Mami Tomoe]] won the championship.
*In Korea's [[Best Moe Tournament]], [[Homura Akemi]] won for 2011. Several of the other Madoka characters made it as far as the quarterfinals.

==External links==
*[http://www.internationalsaimoe.com Official Site]
*[http://saimoe.wikia.com/wiki/International_Saimoe_League English Saimoe Wiki]
*[http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=109310 AnimeSuki Coverage Thread]

[[Category:Events and venues]]

User talk:0x99

2012-02-21T18:10:57Z

KFYatek:

Are you alright? [[User:Prima|Prima]] 00:40, 14 March 2011 (UTC)
:Me and [[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] are worried about you, too - we've already talked about that, see [[MediaWiki talk:Common.css]]... I hope your absence is nothing serious... And thank you for your awesome work making and maintaining this wiki! --[[User:KFYatek|KFYatek]] 02:16, 14 March 2011 (UTC)
::I'm fine, just got called for urgent work recently. Thanks for worrying. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:09, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

== New version of Runic font ==
[[User:FontAnon]] made a new version of the runic font, including the Q rune. It'd be nice if you could update the CSS-embedded font on the server, too. Thanks in a advance :) --[[User:KFYatek|KFYatek]] 22:07, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
:Done. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 22:45, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

== Hai ==

Hai!

Ima fellow wiki admin :) To be honest im in love with ur CSS the way it displays the logo on the upper part is amazing. I was hoping you can guide me and tell me where or how can I get that skin. I think its called magica skin. I greatly appreciate any help you can give me

Thnks alot :)

--[[User:Framadi|Framadi]] 09:28, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

:Magica skin is just an extension over MediaWiki's default Vector skin. There's nothing beyond the overrides found it [http://wiki.puella-magi.net/skins/magica/main.css magica/main.css] file. Top left logo is just a transparent PNG with actual logo in the [http://wiki.puella-magi.net/skins/magica/images/header.jpg header image]. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 09:33, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

Hai Ty so much for ur help :)
Ahm im afraid I am a little bit nobish :( so I was hoping :( if u can point out me out to the right direction on how to "override" the vector skin? or install the skin.

Thank you so much. I appreciate any help you ca give me :)

Cheers!

== Countdown ==

There used to be this countdown box when episodes were airing and I really loved it and wanted a countdown myself. I was wondering, how did you install the countdown extension? I seem to be unable to get it added. I created a Coundown.php files with the code from the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Countdown|Extension Countdown page] and added the file to the extention folder, and added an require_once line to LocalSettings.php, but that does not seem to work out.
It would be absolutely great if you could help me out with it. [[Special:Contributions/90.136.128.115|90.136.128.115]] 20:55, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

:Inside Countdown.php, on a line that wrote: <code>function renderCountdown($input, $argv, &$parser) {</code> change it to <code>function renderCountdown($input, $argv, $parser) {</code>. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 21:05, 20 June 2011 (UTC)
:: Thanks a lot! Will hopefully remember next time I will look up what php version the webhoster has... [[Special:Contributions/90.136.128.115|90.136.128.115]] 21:49, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

== Translations ==

I talked to symbv re: our current project with scans and he expressed interest in seeing them and helping out with translations. Seems like anytime would be good, he's fairly fast in getting translations out. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 04:44, 23 June 2011 (UTC)
:That's cool, though I've been busy at work this week; the scanning pace would be slower than I originally expected. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 05:07, 23 June 2011 (UTC)
::Just checking in to see if there's any possibility of having Otona Anime Volume 21 or 20 scanned? Or anything production-related we don't have translated yet? --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 03:27, 23 July 2011 (UTC)
:::Any prospect of getting more scans? We don't need Otona Anime. I will be acquiring those. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 03:22, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
::::Will start scanning starting Monday in release order. Any magazine scan you want it first? Sorry for the long delay, though, was very busy with my project (and will probably be busy again in the next few weeks...) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 11:14, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
:::::Nothing in particular, whatever you can do is good. Thanks. Also, I noticed there's a 2MB size limit on upload files. This is a problem for me since most high quality scans are larger than 2MB. Is there anything that can be done about that? --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 14:15, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
::::::Bumped to 20MB. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 14:35, 24 September 2011 (UTC)
:::::::Thanks! --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 14:54, 24 September 2011 (UTC)

== Namespace ==

Hello. I was wondering: shouldn't we create a namespace for all the runes translations? At the moment, the pages are just named "Runes:Episode x", which is apparently considered plain text, and not considered as namespace + page name (and I do not know how to make one). --[[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] 11:05, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

==WPC==
Hey, how's walpurgischan going? 
Just saying, on Wednesday it'll be 6 months since ep1 premiered. Would be classy if we had "something" to mark that day :) --[[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] 12:38, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
:Oh wow, that's right. OK my contribution will be to get the docs page ready by then with what we have, plus any new scans if you have the time, 0x99. This could be a nice addition to whatever cool, celebratory thing you all decide on doing. Also, with Aniplex licensing Madoka to the U.S., I expect we'll start seeing more visitors to the wiki at some point. Just something to think about if we have any long-term plans. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 13:46, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
::Actually, I don't think we have that much long-term projects, except that whole Documents thingy (and walpurgischan if that one's still holding, but it's not directly related to the wiki) --[[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] 22:04, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
:Sorry, getting way too busy with work lately (few weeks before project launch); will try to get it done before Wed. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 08:57, 3 July 2011 (UTC)
::Once again, if you want help with the coding, feel free to ask :) --[[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] 16:54, 3 July 2011 (UTC)
::PS: Nice, the Madoka-related captcha for non-logged users :) --[[User:Homerun-chan|Homerun-chan]] 16:54, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

== CloudFlare errors ==

Recently, I guess after you installed CloudFlare, I've been running into HTTP 502 or 503 errors with CloudFlare footer to them. They don't happen too often, but eg. today when I navigated to the wiki, I got an error and it showed up only after refreshing... It wasn't happening before, so you may want to look into it. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:14, 7 February 2012 (UTC)
:Thanks for reporting. I've turned off few stuff that might be the cause of this problem, please ping me if this happens again (either here or via email). I'll turn off CloudFlare if the problem persists. --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 23:35, 7 February 2012 (UTC)
::OK, I'm seeing it now. Will ask CloudFlare to inspect into this. I've disabled everything except CDN for the time being; let's see if the problem still persists (ping me if it does) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 00:31, 8 February 2012 (UTC)

I have no idea what may be the reason for this, but I uploaded an updated version of [[:File:Kyouko Sakura Place-in Design.jpg]] - 2 hours have since passed, but the updated version hasn't showed up. I think it's way too long to be normal. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 18:10, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Kazumi

2012-02-17T06:17:53Z

KFYatek: there has to be a link to Michiru's page; I know this is ugly, but please don't remove it unless you have a nicer proposal

<blockquote>''"They're not all happy memories, you know. You might have had plenty of regrets." "I'm fine with that. All of it has made me who I am now.''" - Nico Kanna and Kazumi, [[Puella_Magi_Kazumi_Magica#Chapter_7:_.22Gem_Picking.22|Chapter 7]].</blockquote>

{{Infobox_character
|name=Kazumi
|image=<center>[[File:Kazumi cover small.jpg]]</center>
|jname=かずみ (Kazumi)
|weapon=Cross-shaped staff
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Kazumi'''|かずみ}} is the eponymous main character of [[Kazumi_Magica|Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice]].

She is an amnesiac middle schooler with long, black hair, and a noticeable ahoge. She wakes up naked inside a large suitcase at the start of the story, having no recollection of her previous life, other than her name.

Other aspects of her previous life eventually are revealed. She is a Puella Magi, which she discovered after instinctively transforming during a battle.

She [[Misaki Residence |lives with her two friends]], [[Kaoru]] and [[Umika]], while their parents are working overseas. Kaoru and Umika are also fellow Puella Magi, and she fights alongside them and four other girls, collectively known as the [[Pleiades Saints]]. She also possesses spectacular cooking skills, being able to create a wide array of delicious dishes and desserts, for which she is often complimented.

{{spoiler|It is eventually revealed that she is actually the 13th clone of the original Kazumi (whose real name was {{Nihongo|'''Michiru Kazusa'''|和紗ミチル}} [[Michiru Kazusa|[link]]]) after the original Kazumi turned into a witch and died.}}

==Personality==
Kazumi is rather hotheaded. Her mood is very unstable, and can swing between extremes in a couple of seconds. Still, she is cheerful most of the time. Her reactions are very spontaneous: while rediscovering her old life, she is often seen with a very surprised expression.
She is kind of a ditz, especially (but understandably so) in situations she is only now rediscovering; for example, forgetting her skirt while transforming. Nonetheless, she is more than capable of rising up to the situation when it is required.

While getting reacquainted with her old life, she realizes she can't, or doesn't want to be, the "old" Kazumi. Instead, she decides to become a "new" Kazumi, starting with a new, and very sloppy, short haircut. However, she keeps her ahoge, claiming (and apparently, rightfully so) that it is a witch sensor.

While she is only getting to know her friends again, she cares deeply for them. She goes to great lengths to protect them, to the point that she lost a battle with a witch out of fear that her attack might hurt Kaoru, which happened in a previous battle.

Besides her cooking skills, she is also quite the glutton. Even after waking up naked in a briefcase after being kidnapped, her main concern is her empty stomach. Her tastes are quite open, eating most things happily. When hungry, she can be messy while eating. She also claims to be able to identify bad people from how they eat. According to to an advice she once received (possibly from Umika), a bad guy never finishes anything: therefore, a bad guy will never finish his food.
She is particularly fond of Umika's cooking.

Her earrings are very dear to her. They were a gift from her ailing grandmother and happen to be where she keeps her [[Soul Gem]]. Touching them can trigger her rage.

==History==
{{spoilers|media=kazumi}}
[[File:Kazumi concentrating.png|thumb|"Bibbity Bobbity Boo. Bomb, I'll stop you!"]]
Kazumi has so far only appeared in Kazumi Magica.

Prior to the events of the story, she contracted to become a Puella Magi, but never told anyone her wish. One day, she woke up naked, inside a briefcase, with no memory other than her name. She had been kidnapped and locked in there by an unknown party. While being carried {{spoiler|by Yuuri}}, the briefcase she was locked in was accidentally switched with another man's briefcase, which was carrying a bomb.

When she woke up in the would-be-bomber's house she had a fit of anger, but ultimately calmed down when she found the man didn't kidnap her. After she ate a meal, the kidnapper called-the-would-be the bomber, whose name is [[Souichirou Tachibana]], offering to exchange the bomb for Kazumi. Kazumi agreed to go along with it in order to find any clues about her past. At the mall, the police appears to arrest the bomber, but Kazumi jumps in his defense. She recollects a piece of advice once given to her and claims that someone who cleans his plate can't be a bad guy. Neither party backs down, and when explosion is imminent, Kazumi concentrates her mind on the bomb, attempting to make it stop somehow. Meanwhile, an unknown girl kicks the bomb to the ceiling, where it explodes harmlessly: it was a fake bomb, but it is implied it might have turned into a fake bomb by Kazumi's action.

The unknown girl, and a friend of hers, identify themselves as being [[Kaoru]] and [[Umika]], friends and roommates of Kazumi. They take her back to [[Misaki_Residence|their house]], where Kazumi quickly find her room and falls asleep. The other girls go out, and leave Kazumi a card warning her that the police detective from before will visit.

She takes the time until her arrival to reacquaint herself with cooking, preparing a [[wikipedia:Strogonoff|Strogonoff]]. Upon the detective's arrival, she offers her a dish. Kazumi then accuses the detective of setting up the entire incident with the bomb, and then coming to her house to kill Kazumi. This prompts the detective to break her plate in a fit of rage, therefore proving, according to Kazumi's rules, that she was a bad person. Infuriated, the detective attacks her, and transforms into a hideous praying mantis-like figure.

In the heat of the moment, Kazumi, much to her own surprise, reacts instinctively and dodges her attacks. She is eventually caught, but when the monster attempts to rip off her earrings, Kazumi suddenly has a series of flashbacks and she then kicks the monster away and transforms into a Puella Magi (again, to her own surprise). She then strikes back, finishing the fight with a powerful beam attack just as Umika and Kaoru - who had heard the battle over the phone - arrive.

[[File:Kazumi om nom.png|thumb|OM NOM NOM]]
Shortly after telling her friends she can use magic, Kazumi falls asleep from exhaustion and hunger. When she wakes up the next morning she attempts to transform, but all it does is cause a black cat to come inside. Going downstairs, she finds Umika making food and acting in a scary manner. Kaoru explains to Kazumi that Umika has writer's block, which causes her to act oddly. After eating, Umika takes them to the mall. During the trip Kazumi decides that she is different from the "old" Kazumi Umika and Kaoru know.

Suddenly a strange feeling comes over Kazumi. Investigating an alley, she finds another monster attacking people. As her friends run up, Kazumi tells them to stay back as she transforms.

Kazumi is having trouble against the monsters, which prompts Umika and Kaoru to reveal themselves as Puella Magi. They incapacitate the monster, which causes Kazumi to remember how they used to fight together. However, trying to re-enact this memory causes her to accidentally fire a shot at Umika. Kaoru saves her in time, but the monster gets away. Kazumi feels horrible for almost hurting one of her friends, though they tell her she shouldn't feel bad. When she insists upon being punished, they take her to a hair salon.

As they cut Kazumi's hair, Umika and Kaoru explain magic to her. Puella Magi are contracted by fairies ''(yousei)'' who grant wishes. Kazumi asks what her wish was, but she never told Umika or Kaoru. They then explain that Puella Magi have to fight witches, and that the monsters she fought previously were a new type of witch. At this point, Kazumi's haircut is finished, and it's all messy. Kazumi says it's just fine for the "new" Kazumi. However, she rejects Umika and Kaoru's attempts to cut off her ahoge, as she calls it a witch detector. The three of them then track down the witch, a cosmetic saleswoman. During the battle, they briefly encounter a [[Yuuri|mysterious Puella Magi]], who quickly flees.

They defeat the witch, turning her back into a human. Kazumi mentions that those who become witches aren't always bad people. Umika and Kaoru say that there is the possibility that anyone can turn into a witch...

Some time later, Kazumi, Umika and Kaoru are fighting another witch, but this one is dramatically different from the previous two, having the same properties as the witches from the anime. During the fight, Kazumi hesitates, not wanting to hit her friends again. This allows the witch devour her friends and escape. At this point four other magical girls appear: [[Saki]], [[Nico]], [[Satomi]], and [[Mirai]]. They introduce themselves as the [[Pleiades Saints]], and reveal that Kazumi, Umika, and Kaoru are members. Kazumi then gets a phone call from Umika and Kaoru, who are being protected by Umika's barrier. The Pleaides have five hours to find the witch before Umika's barrier runs out. As they search for the witch using their Soul Gems, Kazumi notices that her "witch detector" isn't working.

When the Pleaides split up to search for the witch, the mysterious magical girl from before disguises herself as Satomi and separates Kazumi from the others. She then reveals herself, which causes Kazumi to recognize her as the magical girl who locked her in the suitcase. In the resulting battle, Kazumi is incapacitated but is saved by the other Pleiades Saints, who realized they were tricked. The magical girl holds Kazumi at gunpoint, but Kazumi tells her teammates to attack anyway. The magical girl is driven away and Kazumi is unharmed.

Eventually, they finally track down the witch (after Kazumi makes everyone a meal; apparently her cooking hasn't changed). Kazumi is told to wait outside the witch's barrier while the other magical girls rescue Umika and Kaoru and then incapacitate the witch. At a signal from a communicator, Kazumi will fire into the barrier, destroying the witch. Though the plan hits a snag when Nico's communicator is broken, they manage to give Kazumi the needed signal via candy flutes, which were a bag of candy that Kazumi brought with her for Umika and Kaoru. Kazumi fires her ''Limiti Esterni'' at the source of the sound, and, defeating the witch, reunites with Umika and Kaoru, and the Saints all celebrate their victory.

But not for long. Kazumi is introduced to [[Jubey]], the fairy that made the Pleiades Puella Magi. Jubey cleans up their Soul Gems and then takes the Grief Seed from the recently defeated witch. However, it is then revealed that the previous two witches Kazumi fought were actually psuedo-witches, created by imitation Grief Seeds known as "Evil Nuts". It's then deduced that the mysterious magical girl from before created them.

As Kazumi asks why magical girls aren't working together, the mysterious magical girl attacks, incapacitating the entire team. Introducing herself as [[Yuuri]], the magical girl captures Kazumi, telling the others to meet her at Asunaro Dome at midnight. As she's being taken away, Kazumi asks Yuuri why she's doing all of this. Yuuri refuses to answer her. A small battle breaks out, causing Yuuri to flash back to another girl. Yuuri then ties Kazumi up.

When the Pleaides come to rescue her, Kazumi is tied to a chair on the other end of an impenetrable force-field. Yuuri then tells them that she will implant one of her Evil Nuts into Kazumi. Kazumi begs Yuuri to stop, telling her that they're comrades. Yuuri then laughs at her, hinting at some dark secret the Pleiades have. She takes off her hat, causing Umika to recognize her, announces she came back to get vengeance on the Pleaides, and shoves an Evil Nut into Kazumi's forehead.

However, the Evil Nut empowers Kazumi and lets her break out of the chair. Kazumi fights with Yuuri again, but is still overpowered. Yuuri claims that the other Pleiades had killed her, and says that they're a group that kills magical girls. She explains that she targeted Kazumi because she believes she was their most precious thing. At this point, Yuuri's blackened Soul Gem begins to crack and Jubey's fails to purify it. As it falls into Kazumi's hand, it turns into a Grief Seed. In shock, Kazumi asks why witches come out of Soul Gems as Yuuri transforms into a heart-shaped witch. Kazumi and the Pleiades Saints become trapped on crosses in the witch's barrier. Vines begin surrounding the Pleiades causing them to scream out in pain.

At this point, the witch shows to the magical girls a vision of her past as [[Airi]]. The witch then attacks Kazumi, seemingly crushing her head. In fact, the Evil Nut triggered a transformation in Kazumi, and she caught the attack with a row of sharp teeth. Biting that part of the witch off, she attacks with elongated limbs and breaks free from the cross. Her earring bell rings, turning her back to normal. Kazumi says that she thinks Airi wasn't a bad a person and actually tries to use her magic to turn her back to normal. The result is horrific: Yuuri's body bursts from the witch while still being merged with it. Speaking entirely in [[Deciphering_the_runes| runes]], she repeats the last spell she used on Kazumi.

At that point, the witch is shot by Saki, which frees the other Saints. As they prepare to attack the witch, Kazumi protests. Jubey appears and explains that nothing can change Yuuri back - the only thing they can do is kill her. Kazumi says she can't do it. Saki says she doesn't have to dirty her hands. One by one, the Pleaides attack the witch as Kazumi begs them to stop. However, seeing that her friends are as pained by this as she is, she fires Limiti Esterni on the witch, destroying it. As the witch's barrier disappears, Kazumi picks up [[Yuuri_Asuka| Yuuri]]'s spoon, saying that she'll share this burden with her friends. She then collapses crying in Umika's arms. (It is revealed in a short story called, "Puella Magi Kazumi Magica Special Edition ~ A Dream-Filled Spoon," that, while in the company of [[Kyubey]], Kazumi saved Yuuri Asuka from a witch in the past. Yuuri asked her to heal Airi, but Kazumi told her to make a contract herself instead.)

Later, Kazumi tells Umika and Kaoru to walk home without her, wishing to be alone. As Kaoru protests, Kazumi stumbles across Souchirou Tachibana, the would-be-bomber from the first chapter. He has become the manager of a new restaurant, and he gives Kazumi a bucket of parfait. As she eats it, Kazumi has a vision of Yuuri and Airi eating the same meal. She asks Souchirou to put the parfait on the menu. He declines, saying it's not profitable. As she continues to eat, Kazumi again sees a vision of Yuuri and Airi and starts crying, wondering why they couldn't get a chance to eat the parfait. Finally, she falls asleep, still holding the spoon.

The next morning, Kazumi thanks Souchirou for breakfast and is overjoyed to see the parfait on the menu. She then leaves when she sees Nico and Jubey walking out of the store. After talking for a bit, they head for the amusement park. Kazumi says she understands that the Pleiades hid the truth about witches from her so she wouldn't have any painful memories. Nico comments that Kazumi still doesn't have her memories back. Kazumi agrees, knowing that if Airi had erased her memories they would have come back. She asks Nico if there's any way to restore her lost memories. Nico tells Kazumi that she might have had plenty of regrets, but Kazumi says that all of it has made her what she is now, and she doesn't want to run away from her old self. Nico says they'll talk about it later as she suddenly confronts [[Ayase Souju]].

Ayase introduces herself, and reveals she collects the Soul Gems of magical girls. She insinuates the Pleiades are doing the same thing, something Kazumi doesn't understand. She then reveals her intent to add Nico and Kazumi to her collection, prompting a fight between Ayase and Nico. Kazumi watches and asks Jubey how Nico was able to copy herself, prompting him to explain to her Nico's wish and powers. The battle culminates with Nico using a mysterious spell on Ayase. Ayase abruptly destransforms and her Soul Gem appears in Nico's hand. Kazumi asks Nico if she killed her, but Nico responds that Ayase is only stunned. Suddenly Ayase's body begins talking and hits Nico with an attack that leaves her flying and wounded. She then transforms into a different costume. Kazumi asks Jubey if a magical girl could transform twice, but it's revealed that the girl is actually Luca Souju, and she shares a body with Ayase. This prompts Kazumi to wonder if Ayase/Luca is a magical girl with a split personality.

Kazumi and Luca proceed to battle one another. Luca is able to freeze Kazumi, but as she touches Kazumi's bell it starts ringing, which frees Kazumi. She then punches Luca right in the Soul Gem. Luca then uses both her gems to be Ayase and Luca at the same time, revealing her ultimate attack ''Pici Generati''. After being knocked about a few times, Jubey and Nico come up with a plan to defeat the Soujus' attack. Jubey reveals that Kazumi's magic is "sacrilege", then seems to correct himself and say it's destruction. By combining it with Nico's magic of reconstruction, they can create an attack that can defeat the Soujus. After some fits and starts, Kazumi, Nico, and Jubey are vitorious. However, the Soujus pull out a box of Evil Nuts and throws them at Kauzmi and Nico. Saki and the other Pleiades arrive just in time to save both of them. Kaoru says they'll be taking the Soujus' gems. Saki tells Kaoru not to do it in front of Kazumi, but Nico says Kazumi already saw her doing it. Kaoru pulls out both Ayase and Luca's gems with the spell Nico used earlier, ''Tocco del Mare''. Kazumi angrily asks the others why they're taking the Soul Gems of other magical girls, saying that she said earlier she would bear the burden with her friends. Against Saki's objections, Umika says she'll tell Kazumi the truth about the Pleiades Saints, but is interrupted by Nico's Soul Gem glowing. As she falls over, a witch appears.

As Nico's Soul Gem cracks, we see background text of her thinking that that she'll die without a trace, and she wants everyone to remember. She thinks she doesn't want to kill anyone anymore. The runes coming out of her Soul Gem read "We have no future as long as he's around." The Pleiades are shocked to discover Nico has become a witch. Repeatedly shouting "Cut", the witch turns her hands into a single pair of scissors. Kaoru transforms and blocks the attack using Capitano Potenza ("Captain Power"), which encases her arms in a black metallic substance. Umika encases herself, Kazumi, and Satomi in a barrier. Mirai uses her attack La Bestia ("The Beasts") causing an army of teddy-bears to appear and chew on the witch. The bears start hugging each other and turn into a giant bear that Mirai jumps on. The bear pounces on the witch and pulls it into a bear hug. Mirai leaps into the air, turns her wand into a giant sword, and cuts both the bear and the witch in half. The witch dies, yelling "Cut" one last time. She drops a Grief Seed (which notably looks different than Nico's Soul Gem).

Kazumi takes the hand of Nico's body and finds it's cold. As she shouts Nico's name, a voice says "You called?" Everyone is shocked to see another Nico standing behind them. As Kazumi asks what's going on, the other Nico walks up to the first Nico's body, puts her arm around her neck, and with a disturbing expression says "Switch". She then touches the hair of the body, and it's face suddenly vanishes. Jubey, a disturbing grin on his face, says that the body was Nico's "spare" and "compensation for Nico's contract". Kaoru asks why Nico didn't tell them. Nico says that to deceive an enemy, you have to deceive your allies. Kaoru punches her, then gives her a hug. Nico then says they should cut to the chase. Kaoru tells Saki Kazumi can handle it.

The scene switches to Mirai's teddy bear museum, "[[Angelica Bears]]". Mirai says that in Japanese it's called "Ashitaba" (literally "tomorrow's leaf") and says that Kazumi came up with the name. As they walk inside, they step onto a magic circle. Umika holds out her ring, suddenly transporting them all somewhere else. Umika tells Kazumi that the museum was born from them meeting with her. The walk up to a giant door, which opens into a giant room filled with girls floating in tanks. The middle of the room contains a pile of Soul Gems. Umika explains that after they take Soul Gems, they put the empty shells of the magical girls into "[[the Freezer]]". Kazumi says that Ayase was right, and asks why they're doing this. Jubey says that it's their response to the magical girl system, which is full of contradictions: Rejection.

Umika explains that witches are the end state of magical girls. Umika tells Kazumi that they lied to her when they said that sometimes the Soul Gems of magical girls go out of control. Jubey, grinning, explains that Soul Gems are the extracted souls of magical girls. Kaoru admits that they're like zombies, but it's preferable to dying to a witch in one shot. Jubey then says that the Pleiades refuse to fight without feeling pain. Kaoru responds by saying that if they do that they'll cease being human. Umika explains that the magical girls they capture are placed in a barrier that separates them from their Soul Gems and puts them in suspended animation, preventing them from becoming witches. Kaoru says they hope to find a way to completely clean the gems and turn them back into humans. Until then, they'll keep fighting. This is their "rejection" of the magical girl system. Nico then takes out a container that has the Soujus, their Soul Gems, and the Soul Gem and body of another magical girl. The bodies of the magical girls have been shrunken to the point where they can be picked up by one hand. Nico puts into two new containers, saying they "will keep on waiting for the prince's kiss." Kazumi asks when everyone found out about the connection between magical girls and wishes. Umika touches her forehead to Kazumi's, telling her to remember everything.

The story flashes back into the past. Umika, Kaoru, Satomi, Mirai, Nico, and Saki are standing on a catwalk. They are all displaying a witch's kiss on their necks. Kazumi sees a vision of each girl's past and their despair. The girls jump off, as a voice says, "Everyone should just die." The voice is cut-off by a familiar spell with ribbons wrapping around the girls, stopping their fall. Their savior is none other than Kazumi, who says, "Ciao! You suicidal girls!"

Kazumi then opens up a witch's barrier around herself and the girls. Familiars appear and start attacking the normal girls while Kazumi watches. Kaoru tries to use her crutch to fight them off, but falls down. Umika shields her with her body. Mirai does something similar for Saki. Satomi asks why Kazumi isn't helping. Kazumi responds by asking why they don't want to be eaten if they want to die. She then pulls six firearms from her hat and drops them on the ground. The familiars combine, revealing that they were actually a witch. The girls pick up the weapons and fire at the witch, deflating it like a balloon. It re-inflates itself and charges. Kazumi stops the witch with her cross, saying that "As long as you keep trying to live, you won't fall into despair" and that there's always hope. She then fires "Limit Esterni", destroying the witch.

As the barrier disappears, Saki asks "What was that?" A silhouette appears behind her, looking similar to Kyubey. It turns out to be Jubey, who says that was Magical Girl Kazumi, who hunts witches. A loud growling noise is heard, which turns out to be Kazumi being hungry. It's revealed that her ahoge was absent in the past (though the symbol is still on her hat and earring-bell). The scene changes to Kazumi's house, where she eats with the Pleiades. She talks about how her grandmother said that people eat plants and animals to live, and so they have a duty to them to keep living. She asks the girls about her strawberry risotto, which was passed down from her grandmother. When they respond positively, Kazumi says that her grandmother would be happy to hear that. Saki asks where her grandmother is now, prompting Kazumi to reveal that she had passed away. She tells them not worry. As Kazumi goes to get desert, Saki asks her how she became a magical girl.

Kazumi explains she became a magical girl the day her grandmother died. The story flashes back again to Kazumi's past. She narrates that she was studying abroad when she learned that her grandmother's condition became critical. While hurrying home, she ran straight into a witch's barrier. Fortunately, she's saved by Mami Tomoe, who destroys the witch with "Tiro Finale". When Kazumi thanks her, Mami tells her to get going and be careful. At Kazumi's home, a doctor explains that her grandmother only has a few days left unless she's hooked up to a respiratory machine and it's unlikely that she'll wake up. Kazumi says that her grandmother would never want to go on life support. Later and alone with her grandmother, Kazumi starts crying and says that she wants her grandmother to open her eyes, just once more. Jubey appears on the windowsill, saying that he can grant her wish if she makes a contract and becomes a magical girl.

Jubey tells Kazumi being a magical girl is difficult. Kazumi is fine with that and wishes for her grandmother to return to her normal self as long as she remains alive. Jubey asks if she's fine with not curing her grandmother's illness. Kazumi says she wants to, but it wouldn't be respecting her way of life. The contract is established. Kazumi's grandmother wakes up, asking if it's a dream. Kazumi says it's her last dream, and asks her grandmother if she can teach her how to make strawberry risotto. Kazumi spends the day learning cooking skills and advice from her grandmother. She tells Kazumi that people can't fall into dispair as she gives Kazumi her earring-bell; the same earring-bell Kazumi has worn throughout the series. The flashback in a flashback ends as Kazumi says her grandmother went to heaven the next day. (She incidentally reveals the name of her cat, Toto.)

Saki asks why Kazumi didn't just wish her grandmother to be healthy, saying Kazumi is now all alone. Kazumi says her grandmother will always be in her heart, just like Miyuki will be in Saki's heart (Miyuki here is revealed to be Saki's sister). Mriai asks if she can be a magical girl. Jubey tells her she can if she accepts her fate of fighting witches. Mirai says she can accept anything. Umika, Kaoru, Satomi, Nico and Saki quickly chime in agreement. Kazumi cheers over having new friends. Mirai questions the fact that she's a friend, prompting Saki to thank Mirai for protecting her. Jubey tells the girls to give him their wishes. Mirai says her wish was already granted by having friends. Saki suggests wishing for the friends that have always protected her - Mirai's teddy bears. She points to a number on it, asking Mirai if it's her 666th friends. When Mirai asks how Saki knew, Saki explains that her sister did the same thing. Mirai decides to wish for a museum for all her teddy bears. Kazumi suggests calling it "Angelica Bears" which is a pun on Mirai's name and the Ashitaba plant (Mirai's name means "Future Young Leaf", Ashitaba means "Tomorrow's Leaf" and is in the Angelica genus).

Satomi then wishes to talk to animals. Nico whispers her wish to Jubey, embarrassed to say it aloud. Saki wishes for her sister's flower to bloom forever. Umika wishes for an editor to recognize and handle her works preciously. Kaoru wants to help the people that were hurt in the match where she had her injury. Kazumi asks her about her injuries, but Kaoru says she'll just return to the field with her current legs. The contracts are completed, and Kazumi names their team the Pleiades Saints. The scene cuts to the girls fighting a witch. Kaoru destroys it with her spiked shoes. Jubey asks about her strengthened magical girl body. Kaoru is very happy about it. Kazumi calls Kaoru's attack Capitano Potenza ("Captain Power"), and reveals she wants everyone to call their attacks, even recording them in a book. Kazumi reveals that she's following the lead of Mami Tomoe and says she won't cook for the girls if they don't do it. Saki then notices Kazumi's earrings are missing. Kazumi guesses she lost them in the battle, but admits it's okay because her grandmother won't disappear from her heart. Later on, Kazumi receives a new pair of the earrings. Kaoru explains that Saki asked her dad to get them while he was on a business trip. Kazumi thanks Saki, while Mirai has an unhappy expression on her face.

Later, Kaoru and the other Pleiades (except Kazumi) wonder why Kazumi is late, having been told Kazumi was bringing a new friend. Jubey appears, saying a witch's barrier is nearby. They run to Asunaro Dome, where they see Yuuri Asuka transform into a witch. After the battle the girls are stunned. Satomi asks if magical girls turn into witches. Jubey explains how witches are created, and says his job is to gather the energy form the conversion of hope to despair. Kaoru grabs Jubey while he explains that immature witches should be called magical girls. Suddenly Umika grabs Jubey and slams her head against him. A laser fires from her eye into his. Jubey falls down and asks why Umika is looking scary. Umika explains to Kaoru that she rewrote Jubey's memories, preventing him from making contracts. The story then returns to the present. Kazumi says she remembers hunting magical girls after Yuuri, but then suddenly falls over. The symbol for the Evil Nuts appears in her eyes. Satomi looks on in shock, as Kaoru says everyone's tired. Umika leads Kazumi out as Kaoru says they should rest for the day. Saki remains in the Freezer, looking at the pile of Soul Gems. They include two Evil Nuts. We then find Satomi is walking up behind her. Saki asks why Satomi is there. Satomi pulls her hand to her mouth and says, {{Spoiler| "Saki, let's kill Kazumi-chan." The last panel has Satomi giving a sinister grin.}}

==Powers, Weapons & Abilities==
[[File:Limiti Esterni.png|thumb|320px|''Limiti Esterni'', Kazumi's finisher]]
Her weapon of choice is a large cross-shaped staff. She can use the cross as a melee weapon at close range, but it's most effectively used to fire magic beams from a distance. Her attacks have a large range, enough to hit the target with pinpoint accuracy even when fired from outside a witch's barrier.
Her final attack is ''Limiti Esterni'' (English: ''Outer Limit''), a very powerful beam, larger than the cross' width.

Therefore, she's best employed as a sharpshooter in a team: maintaining some distance from the target, and firing away when the opportunity arises while the other girls weaken and distract the target. To take advantage of this, the other six Saints can cast a joint binding spell, ''Episodio Incrocio'' (English: ''Crossover Episode''), powerful enough to hold down a witch, making the target a sitting duck for Kazumi's blasts.

Her ahoge seems to have a mysterious ability to track down pseudo-witches, apparently at a farther distance than a Soul Gem could. However, it has no reaction to common witches.

Additionally, in chapter 1, she was able to transform a time bomb into a dud by concentrating. The same kind of power is seen when she turns a witch into a pseudo-[[Puella Magi]] in chapter 6. It is unknown what kind of power this derives from.

In Chapter 8, Jubey says her magic is "sacrilege" but then he quickly corrects himself and says it's "destruction". In Japanese, both are the word "hakai", written in different characters.

==Trivia==
*Like [[Madoka]], both are friendly, gentle and they want to be helpful to other people. And initially they were average magical girls who died and became "special" because her friends made her that way.
* Her outfit, sporting dark, suggestive clothes, a magical cross, and a large witch hat, gives her a "cute witch" look. Given that the same name is used for the creatures they are fighting, this gave birth to a number of theories.
** She even has a black cat named Toto.
* The symbol on her earrings resembles her ahoge and her witch's hat, and is in two places on her Soul Gem.
* Her earrings were a gift from someone. Given that they possess at least some sort of magic power, this may have wide implications.
* Apart from functioning as a pseudo-witch detector, her ahoge also seems to respond to emotions: upon reuniting with Kaoru and Umika at the end of chapter 3, it's shaped like a heart.
* The artwork updates in volume 1 of ''Kazumi Magica'' reveal that Kazumi's earring-bell is her Soul Gem. This makes her the first magical girl we've seen who doesn't wear her Soul Gem as a ring when she's not transformed.
* According to a Q&A with the author in Volume 2, her cat's name is Toto. This is later revealed in-story in Chapter 12.
* Kazumi's magical incantation in Japanese is, "Chichinpurin", which is a pun on “Chichinpui", a stock magical incantation in Japanese. "Chichinpurin" has been translated throughout the series as “Bibbity Bobbity Boo”. In keeping with the food puns in the chapter titles, “purin” means “pudding”.

==Speculation==
{{spoilers|media=anime|episode=8}}
[[File:Kazumi bodies.png|thumb|Kazumi, what have you done...]]

* Given her outfit, one of the earliest speculations about Kazumi was that she was a witch that was turned back into a magical girl. This is becoming increasingly unlikely. However, it is still possible for it to have some so-far unknown meaning.
* Chapter 9 raises the possibility that {{Spoiler|Kazumi is a clone, or has been cloned. Notice that the bodies in the above picture resemble Kazumi herself.}}
**Chapter 13 {{Spoiler|confirmed this as true. The original Kazumi turned into a witch and died and the current 'Kazumi' is the Pleiades' 13th attempt to revive her.}}
**{{Spoiler|Chapter 13 revealed that the original Kazumi was actually named Michiru Kazusa. The name Kazumi might come from '''Kazu'''sa '''Mi'''chiru}}
* The fact that her ahoge can track pseudo-witches, but not normal witches, hints at some sort of close relationship between her and Yuuri.
** Alternatively, she may have a connection to the pseudo-witches and the Evil Nuts - see below.
* Additionally, both girls' Puella Magi outfits are revealing and sport a large witch hat, which strengthens the theory.
* After Kazumi is implanted with an Evil Nut in Chapter 5, her hair grows down to her mid-back. It returns to normal after the battle. Judging by the fact that the Evil Nut's influence caused her hair to grow, and the length of her hair when found in the trunk, she may have been implanted with one some time before she was kidnapped.
* In Chapter 8, the Soujus pull out a box of Evil Nuts. Since Yuuri had already died, this suggests that some other party created the Evil Nuts and distributed them to Yuuri and the Soujus. The biggest candidate for this other party may well be ''Kazumi herself.'' Kazumi is innately capable of sensing the pseudo-witches formed from Evil Nuts, something that the other magical girls are unable to do. Furthermore, this innate sensing ability ''only'' works on the pseudo-witches and not on actual witches. It is depressingly plausible that Kazumi can only sense pseudo-witches because they are actually creations of her own magic - the symbols on the Evil Nuts even somewhat resemble Kazumi's ahoge! This would mean that Kazumi is actually the real villain of the series, and is trying to use other magical girls to kill the Pleiades Saints. She may have even erased her own memory just to throw off any suspicion, making her amnesiac self the "innocent malice" of the series's subtitle.
* After Chapter 11, some fans began to speculate that Kazumi's earrings were a gift from her ailing grandmother. Chapter 12 revealed that her grandmother did give Kazumi her earrings, but she lost them. Saki gave her a new pair. On the other hand, this doesn't explain how Kazumi's Soul Gem can turn into one of her earrings.
*Chapter 12 revealed that Kazumi's wish was to {{Spoiler|bring her grandma out of her coma, but not to cure her illness}}.
* One of the possible kanji spellings of Kazumi's name is 一三, literally the numbers "one-three". It is speculated that it may be a reference to {{Spoiler|the current Kazumi being the ''13th'' clone of Michiru, as well as this fact being revealed in the ''13th'' chapter of the manga.}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Outfit composite.png|A comparison between Kazumi and Yuuri's outfit. Notice the similarities.
File:Kazumi earring gift.png|Kazumi receiving her beloved earrings.
File:Kazumi flashback 1.png|Assorted flashbacks. Take special note of the six figures dressed as witches.
File:Limiti Esterni 2.png|Another look at ''Limiti Esterni''.
File:Kazumi flashback advice.png|This is presumably Umika.
File:KazumiBellSoulGem.png|Kazumi's earring bell transforming into her soul gem.
File:J13 23.jpg|Kazumi's soul gem
File:Kazumi skirtless.png|Whoopsie.
File:Kung fu girls.png|The picture shown to Kazumi to show Umika and Kaoru are her friends.
File:NicoAndKazumiMagic.png|Kazumi and Nico's magic are perfect opposites.
File:Mahou shoujo kazumi magica fanart.jpg|Art by Takashi Tensugi of Kazumi, Umika and Kaoru.
File:Kazumi_Hanokage.jpg|Artwork by Hanokage, artist of the ''Madoka Magica'' manga.
File:Img 1517482 62419947 2.jpeg
File:KazumiVol1Covers.png
File:Kazumi bonus.jpg
File:The_innocent_malice_vol_2_115.jpg|Kazumi getting excited over the prospect of going to an amusement park with everyone.
File:111003 kazumi.jpg
File:Screen_shot_2012-02-05_at_12.16.19_PM.jpg
File:Screen_shot_2011-12-08_at_12.23.17_PM.png
</gallery>

==Fanart==
{{fanart}}
<gallery>
File:18918858 m.jpg
File:Short haired kazumi.jpg
File:MG Kazumi.jpg
File:20344510_m.jpg
File:Tumblr_lgvdc3iAzT1qhpin0o1_1280-1.jpg
File:Madoka_magica_et_kazumi_magica_by_cresento-d4b7e1n.png
File:Lolibaka.com_148586.png.jpeg.png
File:Kazumi_magica_by_yunare-d3hhdzj.jpg
</gallery>

==External Link==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1si2gTo1I Youtube clip of a commercial voiced by Aoi Yuuki, Madoka's seiyuu, promoting the Kazumi manga.] (Dead link.)

[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-16T14:32:35Z

KFYatek: /* The Dub */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, the Kyoko girl, Lauren Landa. She is certainly the worst among the cast in terms of pronouncing Japanese names. She makes the name of her own character sound more like "Kiyoko" than "Kyoko" :/ But thankfully Kyoko doesn't say people's names too often, and in terms of the actual dialogue, she might actually be better than I expected. She has a totally different voice than Aipon, but it might actually work; she seems to authentically like her character, which will certainly help. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:32, 16 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==
[[File:Madokamine.jpg|thumb|You're MINE, Madoka, MINE MINE MINE!]]
February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:: The thing is, though, didn't Kyubey sound a bit "emotional" himself originally? I just saw all four of the episodes, subbed, of the LE that arrived early for me, and he doesn't seem to be talking with the same lack of passion that we've tended to associated with him after knowing more about him. I feel that many fans have just over-credited Kyubey with an emotionless voice, as if he was fully lacking any personality '''on a vocal level''' for all twelve episodes. Its this beginning part of the series, in this 1-2 episode period before the first big jump down the rabbit hole abyss, that he goes all chirpy salesman the most, and tries to appeal to the girls the most on an emotional level.[[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 04:09, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
:::I'm not saying that Kyubey was totally and utterly emotionless in the original. Just that he was noticeably less emotional than in the dub. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 04:27, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::You're confusing the former, which is Japanese Nico with the latter, English Niconico. They're different sites for viewing. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 22:18, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which wasn't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took liberties here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Licensing in USA

2012-02-16T14:16:30Z

KFYatek: /* Online distribution */ illustrations

[[File:Otakon_Poster.jpg|thumb|150px]]
== Initial News ==
On July 1, 2011, Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/aniplex-usa-adds-madoka-magica-blue-exorcist-on-home-video announced] at Anime Expo that they had acquired Puella Magi Madoka license for the US. Since then, Aniplex USA has established a [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/ website] for Madoka, with links to twitter, facebook and youtube channel. The release will have both English subtitles and dub options.

== DVD/Blu-ray release ==
[[File:Madoka-Magica-V1-Assets USA Aniplex.jpg|Volume 1 Limited Edition Box|thumb]]
Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/madoka-magica-to-get-english-bds-starting-february-14 announced] a three Blu-Ray and DVD release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica at the New York Comic Con panel. The first volume will be released on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 14, 2012. The second volume will follow on April 10, and the third volume will ship on June 12. Pre-orders started on [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/product-combo1.php October 17, 2011]. There will be a limited edition box with the DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and the original soundtrack. The box will also bundle the following: 24-page booklet, a double-sided poster, Kyubey stickers, collectible "Preview Illustrations" of episode 1-4 postcards, a trailer collection, and credit-less opening and ending animation footage.

The following voice actors were announced:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95337 Christine Marie Cabanos] as Madoka
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95781 Cassandra Lee] as Kyubey
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=104914 Sarah Williams] as Sayaka

On December 16, 2011, Aniplex announced the rest of the key cast:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=70779 Lauren Landa] as Kyoko
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=8519 Carrie Keranen] as Mami
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=53287 Cristina Vee] as Homura

The official dubbed trailer has also been released and can be watched on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTRlKXrCXk YouTube].

=== Disc Specs ===
Languages: Japanese & English 
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 for Blu Ray, Linear PCM for DVD 
Subtitles: English 
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 
Region: no region 
Rating: 13 UP

'''All Volumes''' 
∗ Original Japanese and English languages 
∗ Textless Opening 

'''Volume 1''' 
∗ Ending theme song "Magia" music video by Kalafina 
∗ Trailer collection 

== Online distribution ==
[[File:Madokamine.jpg|thumb|The dub has become a meme even before its release...]]
[[File:Nico dub poll results.jpg|thumb|Poll results]]
=== NicoNico ===
On Friday, February 10th, 20:30 PST (Feb 11, 4:30 UTC), the [[Episode 1|first episode]] with English dub and Japanese subtitles (which were a transcript of the original dialogue) streamed for free on [http://live.niconico.com/watch/lv79795448 Nico2], as well as on Japanese [http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 Nico Nico Douga]. The broadcast was available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Japan, and has attracted 56485 viewers, who wrote 95826 comments.

After the broadcast, NicoNico conducted a poll to rate the show among the viewers. 78.8% has rated it "very good", 17.0% "OK", 1.5% "not very" and 2.7% "bad".

=== Crunchyroll ===
The anime streaming site [http://www.crunchyroll.com/ Crunchyroll] announced on February 15th that [http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-751053/puella-magi-madoka-magica-comes-to-crunchyroll it has acquired rights to stream the series on the site]. The series will be streamed on a weekly basis, with each episode premiering on Wednesday at 10:00 PST (18:00 UTC).

The series is streamed with original Japanese audio and English subtitles. Up to 1080p quality is available for premium users. The streams are available in North America only.

== Manga ==
[http://www.yenpress.com/ Yen Press] [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/yen-press-adds-madoka-magica-soul-eater-not-yuki-chan announced] at the New York Comic Con that it licensed the [[Madoka Magica (manga)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga]], story by Magica Quartet, art by Hanokage.

The first volume will be released in May 2012, the second in August 2012 and the third and final volume in December 2012. Each volume will retail at $11.99 and contain approximately 144 pages. Manga description from [http://www.yenpress.com/puella-magi-madoka-magica/ Yen Press]:

''When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname feels she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student from one of her dreams…a dream where she is approached by a cat-like creature who offers Madoka an opportunity to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with the very cat-being from her dream! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the cat gives her a choice: Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?''

== Gallery ==
=== DVD/Blu-ray Volume 1 ===
<gallery>
File:Aniplex QB valentine and madoka limited edition box set.jpg
File:Limited edition box set front and back.jpg
File:Madoka limt ed box inside.jpg
File:Animeplex goodies limited ed box.jpg
File:Animeplex limited ed ost.jpg
File:Collection of end card illustrations.jpg
File:Www.dotup.org2636915.jpg
File:Gertrud+Little Anthonies+Victims of Mustaches.JPG
</gallery>

== See Also ==
* [[Translated_Official_Documents_Miscellaneous#Overseas.2FInternational_Licensing|Other International Licensing]]
* [[Translated_Official_Documents|Translated magazines]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2011/otakon/8 ANN on the Madoka premiere viewing Q&A]
* [http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2011/07/30-1/otakon-2011-atsuhiro-iwakami-all-about-madoka Crunchyroll on Atsuhiro Iwakami panel]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CTHwEZK2JA Aniplex USA Madoka trailer with translated subs]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhMzOA9l8c Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Madoka Kaname]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXbnOfi1WA Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Voice Director]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQp-SWibyQ Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Sayaka Miki]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_XJIN6oW8 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Mami Tomoe]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIpYnJyf-0 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Homura Akemi]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fkNH0YjLh4 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyubey]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9eW0IDrQ0Y Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyoko Sakura]

File:Nico dub poll results.jpg

2012-02-16T14:14:48Z

KFYatek:

Licensing in USA

2012-02-16T14:13:44Z

KFYatek: documented online distribution

[[File:Otakon_Poster.jpg|thumb|150px]]
== Initial News ==
On July 1, 2011, Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/aniplex-usa-adds-madoka-magica-blue-exorcist-on-home-video announced] at Anime Expo that they had acquired Puella Magi Madoka license for the US. Since then, Aniplex USA has established a [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/ website] for Madoka, with links to twitter, facebook and youtube channel. The release will have both English subtitles and dub options.

== DVD/Blu-ray release ==
[[File:Madoka-Magica-V1-Assets USA Aniplex.jpg|Volume 1 Limited Edition Box|thumb]]
Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/madoka-magica-to-get-english-bds-starting-february-14 announced] a three Blu-Ray and DVD release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica at the New York Comic Con panel. The first volume will be released on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 14, 2012. The second volume will follow on April 10, and the third volume will ship on June 12. Pre-orders started on [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/product-combo1.php October 17, 2011]. There will be a limited edition box with the DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and the original soundtrack. The box will also bundle the following: 24-page booklet, a double-sided poster, Kyubey stickers, collectible "Preview Illustrations" of episode 1-4 postcards, a trailer collection, and credit-less opening and ending animation footage.

The following voice actors were announced:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95337 Christine Marie Cabanos] as Madoka
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95781 Cassandra Lee] as Kyubey
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=104914 Sarah Williams] as Sayaka

On December 16, 2011, Aniplex announced the rest of the key cast:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=70779 Lauren Landa] as Kyoko
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=8519 Carrie Keranen] as Mami
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=53287 Cristina Vee] as Homura

The official dubbed trailer has also been released and can be watched on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTRlKXrCXk YouTube].

=== Disc Specs ===
Languages: Japanese & English 
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 for Blu Ray, Linear PCM for DVD 
Subtitles: English 
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 
Region: no region 
Rating: 13 UP

'''All Volumes''' 
∗ Original Japanese and English languages 
∗ Textless Opening 

'''Volume 1''' 
∗ Ending theme song "Magia" music video by Kalafina 
∗ Trailer collection 

== Online distribution ==
=== NicoNico ===
On Friday, February 10th, 20:30 PST (Feb 11, 4:30 UTC), the [[Episode 1|first episode]] with English dub and Japanese subtitles (which were a transcript of the original dialogue) streamed for free on [http://live.niconico.com/watch/lv79795448 Nico2], as well as on Japanese [http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 Nico Nico Douga]. The broadcast was available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Japan, and has attracted 56485 viewers, who wrote 95826 comments.

After the broadcast, NicoNico conducted a poll to rate the show among the viewers. 78.8% has rated it "very good", 17.0% "OK", 1.5% "not very" and 2.7% "bad".

=== Crunchyroll ===
The anime streaming site [http://www.crunchyroll.com/ Crunchyroll] announced on February 15th that [http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-751053/puella-magi-madoka-magica-comes-to-crunchyroll it has acquired rights to stream the series on the site]. The series will be streamed on a weekly basis, with each episode premiering on Wednesday at 10:00 PST (18:00 UTC).

The series is streamed with original Japanese audio and English subtitles. Up to 1080p quality is available for premium users. The streams are available in North America only.

== Manga ==
[http://www.yenpress.com/ Yen Press] [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/yen-press-adds-madoka-magica-soul-eater-not-yuki-chan announced] at the New York Comic Con that it licensed the [[Madoka Magica (manga)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga]], story by Magica Quartet, art by Hanokage.

The first volume will be released in May 2012, the second in August 2012 and the third and final volume in December 2012. Each volume will retail at $11.99 and contain approximately 144 pages. Manga description from [http://www.yenpress.com/puella-magi-madoka-magica/ Yen Press]:

''When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname feels she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student from one of her dreams…a dream where she is approached by a cat-like creature who offers Madoka an opportunity to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with the very cat-being from her dream! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the cat gives her a choice: Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?''

== Gallery ==
=== DVD/Blu-ray Volume 1 ===
<gallery>
File:Aniplex QB valentine and madoka limited edition box set.jpg
File:Limited edition box set front and back.jpg
File:Madoka limt ed box inside.jpg
File:Animeplex goodies limited ed box.jpg
File:Animeplex limited ed ost.jpg
File:Collection of end card illustrations.jpg
File:Www.dotup.org2636915.jpg
File:Gertrud+Little Anthonies+Victims of Mustaches.JPG
</gallery>

== See Also ==
* [[Translated_Official_Documents_Miscellaneous#Overseas.2FInternational_Licensing|Other International Licensing]]
* [[Translated_Official_Documents|Translated magazines]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2011/otakon/8 ANN on the Madoka premiere viewing Q&A]
* [http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2011/07/30-1/otakon-2011-atsuhiro-iwakami-all-about-madoka Crunchyroll on Atsuhiro Iwakami panel]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CTHwEZK2JA Aniplex USA Madoka trailer with translated subs]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhMzOA9l8c Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Madoka Kaname]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXbnOfi1WA Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Voice Director]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQp-SWibyQ Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Sayaka Miki]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_XJIN6oW8 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Mami Tomoe]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIpYnJyf-0 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Homura Akemi]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fkNH0YjLh4 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyubey]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9eW0IDrQ0Y Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyoko Sakura]

News

2012-02-16T14:00:37Z

KFYatek:

==February 2012==
;February 10th
:Premiere of English-dubbed episode 1 for US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan at [http://live.niconico.com/watch/lv79795448 Nico2] (English) or [http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 Nicovideo] (Japanese).
;February 15th
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts streaming in North America on [http://www.crunchyroll.com/madoka CrunchyRoll].
;February 16th
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica received a Best TV Animation Award at the [[2012 Tokyo International Anime Fair]].

==January 2012==
;January 14th
:''The Puella Magi Wiki'' is One Year Old! It has been one year since this wiki started, the day after [[Episode 2]] aired. At that time, the wiki was mainly meant to gather the theories, speculation and findings discussed in the [[Threads|Madoka Threads]], and not that much of canon or official information. It is only after that that it started to grow and include other kinds of information.
;January 7th
:''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' One Year Anniversary: It has been one year since Madoka Magica initial airing!

==December 2011==
;December 21st
:A browser-based, multi-player ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica Online]]'' announced. More information at the [http://mm.my-gg.com/ official website].
;December 15th
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica [http://twitter.com/#!/madoka_magica/status/147168054927826945 awarded] 2011 Animation Grand Prize in the [[Japan Media Arts Festival 2011|Japanese Media Arts Festival]].

==November 2011==
;November 25th
:[[Madoka Secret Project]] announced.

;November 7th
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica movie series announced! More information in [[NewType 2011-12|this month's issue of NewType Magazine]].

==October 2011==
;October 14
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica has had a three-volume BD/DVD release confirmed by Aniplex USA, with a special collector's box announced and Madoka's, Kyuubey's, and Sayaka's VAs announced. Pre-orders go up Oct. 17th, and the first volume will be released February 14th. [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/madoka-magica-to-get-english-bds-starting-february-14 Details here].

;October 8th
:Puella Magi Madoka Magica won awards in twelve categories, including best TV animation and director, in [http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/?no=4471 NewType's new annual anime awards]. Madoka previously won another award this year, [[Animation Kobe 2011|Anime Kobe 2011 TV Feature Award]].

;October 3rd
:Happy birthday Madoka!

== September 2011 ==
;September 21st
:The sixth (and last) volume of ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' is now available in Japan. Along with the two last episodes of the series, and the usual [[Blu-Ray_Volume_6_Booklet|booklet]] (including Ume Aoki's 4koma), this volume is also shipped with the third part of the [[Soundtrack#OST_Volume_3|soundtrack]] (containing some of the most-awaited tracks of the series). [[Products#Blu-Ray_Discs|More information]] -- [http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004XCMYEG/ Buy at Amazon Japan]

;September 3rd
:The official website announced that '''Puella Magi Madoka Magica''' has won the Best Television award at the 2011 (16th) Animation Kobe Awards.[[http://www.anime-kobe.jp/anime-kobe/ Details]]

== August 2011 ==

;August 24th
:The fifth Blu-Ray/DVD volume is out! It contains Episodes [[Episode 9|9]] and [[Episode 10|10]], as well as the third [[Drama CD 3|Drama CD]], Sayaka and Kyoko's character song, and the usual [[Blu-Ray_Volume_5_Booklet#Ume_Aoki_.2F_4koma_Part_Five|4koma]] by Aoki Ume. [[Products#Blu-Ray_Discs|More information]] -- [http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004RCJJFE/ Buy at Amazon Japan]

;August 8th
:On the 8th of August a PSP game was announced. The game will be a dungeon adventure RPG featuring the original storyline including new plots. There are 2 editions planned: Regular edition: 6480 yen Limited Edition: 11900 yen. Includes a figma (Madoka School Uniform ver.), BD, QB Pouch, Handkerchief and more
:''(source needed)''

;August 2nd
:Aniplex announced they would release a 496-pages-long archive book ("Puella Magi Madoka Magica Production Notes") at Comiket 80 (Aug. 12-14, Tokyo). [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-08-02/madoka-magica-496-page-archive-weighs-in-at-1.6-kg More information at animenewsnetwork]

== July 2011 ==

;July 31st
:Aniplex of America announced at Otakon that Madoka Magica would get an English dub. [[Aniplex_USA_Madoka_Premiere#Summary_of_Observations_of_the_Iwakami_Q.26A|More information]]

;July 30th
:Madoka Magica has now premiered in the US, at Otakon (Baltimore, Maryland). [[Aniplex USA Madoka Premiere|More information]]

;July, 27th
:Madoka Magica BD/DVD vol. 4 is out. Along with [[Episode 7]] and [[Episode 8|8]], this volume also features the long-awaited [[Soundtrack#OST_Volume_2|Original Soundtrack, Volume 2]] 
:[[Products#Blu-Ray_Discs|More information]] -- [http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004P4RTKQ/ Buy at Amazon Japan]

Talk:Otona Anime 2012 Annual Issue

2012-02-13T03:46:51Z

KFYatek:

==Necessary==
Well, this page very need someone to translate, with many valuable information and reference service. --[[User:Minata Hatsune|'''Minata Hatsune''']] ([[User talk:Minata Hatsune|talk]]) 14:54, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
:These images are too small to clearly identify words. We need some more clear scan. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 16:48, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
::Can we contact [[User:Randomanon|Randomanon]]? This user may provide a clearer than this scan. Besides, I also think [[LisAni! Vol.4.1|this interview]] should be translated. It seems pretty big to see the words. --[[User:Minata Hatsune|'''Minata Hatsune''']] ([[User talk:Minata Hatsune|talk]]) 03:43, 13 February 2012 (UTC)
:::You can contact him through his talk page if you want, but I don't think he'll be able to do anything. As far as I know, he searches for the scans in various places rather than doing them himself. He's also damn good at it, so if he hasn't posted better scans yet, then quite likely they don't exist (yet). And as far as I see, the LisAni interview is even less readable than this. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 03:46, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-12T04:27:53Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==
[[File:Madokamine.jpg|thumb|You're MINE, Madoka, MINE MINE MINE!]]
February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:: The thing is, though, didn't Kyubey sound a bit "emotional" himself originally? I just saw all four of the episodes, subbed, of the LE that arrived early for me, and he doesn't seem to be talking with the same lack of passion that we've tended to associated with him after knowing more about him. I feel that many fans have just over-credited Kyubey with an emotionless voice, as if he was fully lacking any personality '''on a vocal level''' for all twelve episodes. Its this beginning part of the series, in this 1-2 episode period before the first big jump down the rabbit hole abyss, that he goes all chirpy salesman the most, and tries to appeal to the girls the most on an emotional level.[[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 04:09, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
:::I'm not saying that Kyubey was totally and utterly emotionless in the original. Just that he was noticeably less emotional than in the dub. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 04:27, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::You're confusing the former, which is Japanese Nico with the latter, English Niconico. They're different sites for viewing. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 22:18, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which wasn't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took liberties here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-12T04:27:31Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==
[[File:Madokamine.jpg|thumb|You're MINE, Madoka, MINE MINE MINE!]]
February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:: The thing is, though, didn't Kyubey sound a bit "emotional" himself originally? I just saw all four of the episodes, subbed, of the LE that arrived early for me, and he doesn't seem to be talking with the same lack of passion that we've tended to associated with him after knowing more about him. I feel that many fans have just over-credited Kyubey with an emotionless voice, as if he was fully lacking any personality '''on a vocal level''' for all twelve episodes. Its this beginning part of the series, in this 1-2 episode period before the first big jump down the rabbit hole abyss, that he goes all chirpy salesman the most, and tries to appeal to the girls the most on an emotional level.[[User:Animerican-Redeemed|Animerican-Redeemed]] 04:09, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
:::I'm not saying that Kyubey was totally and utterly unemotional in the original. Just that he was noticeably less emotional than in the dub. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 04:27, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::You're confusing the former, which is Japanese Nico with the latter, English Niconico. They're different sites for viewing. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 22:18, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which wasn't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took liberties here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Hitomi Shizuki

2012-02-11T21:29:30Z

KFYatek: English VA (source: MAL)

{{spoilers|margin=325px}}
<blockquote> ''"But two girls mustn't do such things! That's forbidden love!"'' - Hitomi Shizuki, [[Episode 2]].</blockquote>

{{Infobox_character
|name=Hitomi Shizuki
|image=[[File:Hitomi Chara Sheet.png|300px]]
|jname=志筑仁美（Shizuki Hitomi）
|voices=Japanese: [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=357 Ryouko Shintani] English: [http://myanimelist.net/people/11370/Shelby_Lindley Shelby Lindley] Italian: [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=26265 Debora Morese]
|age=13-14 (estimated)
}}
==Official Info==
* Hitomi is a close friend of Madoka and Sayaka.
* She is a girl who likes piano, classical Japanese dance, tea, and so on.
* She is able to learn a lot
* She is quite rich.
*Hitomi is the class monitor in Madoka's class.

==Trivia==
<blockquote> ''--"Everyone here will die!"'' ''"That's right, all of us will embark on a journey to a better world! Do you understand just how wonderful that is? Our living bodies are holding us back."'' - Madoka Kaname and Hitomi Shizuki, [[Episode 4]]</blockquote>
*The first character in her last name (志) means "purpose" or "will." The last character (筑) means "architecture."
*Her first name is written using a combination of the kanji 仁 (meaning "charity" or "benevolence") and 美 (meaning "beauty").
*She attends after-school classes in Piano, Japanese dance and Tea ceremony, feeling obliged to make time for them even when she might reasonably be expected to focus on her studies.
*In [[Episode 4]], Hitomi was among the persons who got a witch's kiss and were driven into a suicidal trance. She spends her apparition talking about going to a better place and attempting to join the others, who then stage a collective suicide. Madoka manages to save Hitomi and the others by tossing their supplies away, but is swallowed into a the witch [[Elly]]'s barrier and Sayaka, now a Magical Girl, saves her.
*Having noticed Sayaka's crush on Kamijou, Hitomi confronts Sayaka and tells her that she will tell her feelings to him if Sayaka doesn't do it first. This act, unbeknownst to her, contributes to Sayaka's despair. She is still apparently unaware of such a fact in [[Episode 9]], since she tries to ask Madoka if something has happened but Madoka doesn't tell her anything.
*Hitomi did indeed talk to Kyousuke, but in the anime it was a silent conversation, and neither the audience nor Sayaka (who was lurking around) know ''what'' she was telling him. This has raised fan speculation about her intentions: it is possible that she was actually speaking on Sayaka's behalf, telling Kamijou about how Sayaka feels about him instead of about her own feelings. If this ''is'' true, this would make Sayaka's becoming a witch all the more tragic.<ref>Pointed out at [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica TVTropes Wiki]</ref>
*Hitomi and Kyousuke are seen holding each other's hands (with Sayaka standing behind a tree only a few feet away) in the manga, making the above speculation untrue for manga canon. However, this has no reflection whatsoever on the anime canon, as the manga adaptation has already explicitly differed from it. (Note, for example, the two young men whom Sayaka overhears on the train: she ultimately kills them in the manga, whereas Shinbo stated that they lived in the anime. Gen Urobuchi stated in the same interview that the script left the interpretation open to either possibility.)
* According to Kazuko and Junko's conversation in [[Episode 11]], Hitomi apparently took Sayaka's fate (or better said, the little bits that normal people know about it) rather hard. They say "She (Sayaka) was fighting with one of her friends over a boy", and then add "This must be really hard on the other girl, too. Normally it'd just wind up a bittersweet memory, but with this happening..." <ref>From [http://onezerotwo.net/scripts/madomagi-11-final.ass Nutbladder Fansub's version of episode 11].</ref>
* Hitomi is last seen in [[Episode 12]], anxiously waiting behind a stage curtain for Kyousuke who is about to go through a very important music audition.
[[Category:Characters]]
* A good number of Japanese fan art pictures depict her scheming with a somewhat malicious expression on her face, and in some cases having a fixation on punching people in the tummy. This darker, scheming Hitomi can be attributed to a humorous overreaction to how she was unintentionally part of Sayaka's slide into despair. The tummy punching comes from the episode where she was under the influence of a [[Witch's Kiss]], and appeared to punch Madoka in the stomach while stopping her from leaving the warehouse where she planned to commit mass suicide.
*Ryouko Shintani (Hitomi) states in the audio commentary for [[Episode 7]] Blu-ray, that she too loves [[Kyoko]].
**She also said although Hitomi looks weak, she is mentally strong, in contrast to Sayaka. Although Sayaka looks bright, she actually has little self confidence, and won't seek help from others by saying it, so she in fact is mentally weak.
***Both Aoi Yuuki and Chiwa Saitou agree her view.
****Chiwa Saito thinks that girls like Hitomi are probably the only ones who could be able to get hold happiness for themselves.
***Ryouko Shintani also described Hitomi to be a pretty wicked girl in matters of love, but she also added that Hitomi was a sincere and pure Ojou-sama.
****Ryoko Shintani admits that she admires Hitomi's strength and her confidence on herself. She wishes that she could be more like Hitomi.
**Ryouko Shintani explains that she didn't originally auditioned for the character of Hitomi but since she wasnt good enough for the other roles, she went with Hitomi instead.
***When asked which characters she wanted to try first for the audition, she asked for Sayaka and Homura.
*According with [[Animedia_2011-05#Shintani_Ryoko_.28Hitomi.29_Data_File|Shintani Ryoko's file data]], she decided to become a seiyuu so she could become [[wikipedia:Sailor_Moon|Sailor Moon]]. Instead, she ended up playing an unpopular non-magical girl on a popular magical girl anime.
**Making some fans [[Talk:Animedia_2011-05|feel sorry for her.]]
*In the Audio Commentary for [[Episode 8]], [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=26469 Junichiro Taniguchi] (Chief Animation Director) states that Hitomi was the hardest character to draw in regards to facial expressions, since she has the largest rate of change, obtaining uniformity was difficult. In contrast, Homura was the easiest to draw, as a cool character she has a lot of outside influence which helps to decide how to draw her facial expressions.

==Hitomi in Oriko Magica==
<blockquote>''"I can't take any more... I'd rather die than remember this..."'' - Hitomi, [[Oriko_Magica#Chapter_6:_Someday_isn.27t_today|Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Chapter 6]].</blockquote>
*Hitomi is mentioned in Chapter 3 but does not appear until late chapter 4. Although she is never a candidate to be a Puella Magi, she is still in [[Homura]]'s protection circle.
*In Chapter 5 and 6, she went with [[Sayaka]] to escape the familiars' attack after they get separated from [[Madoka]]. When she saw a dead body, she cried and could not bear any more. But Sayaka then found a door to a safe place where they met [[Madoka]] later.
*In Chapter 7, when the dying [[Oriko]] used her last bits of life {{spoiler|to murder Madoka via impaling her in the chest, Hitomi was seen next to Madoka's blood-covered and lifeless body in the real world, mourning for her death alongside Sayaka.}}

==Gallery==
=== Official art ===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="left">
File:Heightchart.jpg|Official height chart. Hitomi is the tallest girl.
</gallery>

=== Screenshots ===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="left">
File:Madoka_ Sayaka_Hitomi.gif|Hitomi & friends
File:Hitomi shocked.jpg|
File:Hitomi shizuki 20092.jpg|
File:Hitomisayaka.png|
File:Madoka7.jpg|
File:Xp1lhs.jpg|
File:Madoka-1-14.jpg|
File:Hitomi tummy punch.gif|Hitomi tummy punch
File:Height of 3girls 2.jpg|The last peaceful time of the 3 girls
File:Hitomi choking.gif|Hitomi choking
File:Hitomi Embarassed.gif|Hitomi Embarassed
File:Madoka_Sayaka_Hitomi_playing.gif|Madoka Sayaka Hitomi playing
</gallery>

===Fanart===
{{fanart}}
<gallery>
File:(Ka-9) Right back at you.jpg|
File:Himoti going overseas.jpg|
File:Hitomi thriller.jpg|
File:Hitomi The Scream.png|
File:Hitomi2.jpg|In-universe, it should be noted that Hitomi is a stand-out in looks
File:Threefriends.jpg|
File:Hitomishampoo puella.png|
File:Hitomismiling fanart.png|
File:Punchpunch uhoh.png
File:Hitomi what a witch.jpg|Way to ruin the moment, Hitomi.
File:Hitomi becomes a Puella Magi.png|Hitomi becomes a Puella Magi
File:Hitomi vs sayaka win fanart.jpg
File:Hitomi fanart puella magi.jpg
File:700325.jpg
File:655747.jpg
File:487364.jpg
File:489608.jpg
File:481961.jpg
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

Kazuko Saotome

2012-02-11T21:28:30Z

KFYatek: English VA (source: MAL)

<blockquote> ''"I have something important to discuss with all of you today. Make sure you pay attention."'' ''"Should a sunny-side up be hard or soft?!"'' ''"What do you think, Nakazawa-kun?!"'' - Kazuko Saotome, [[Episode 1]].</blockquote>

{{Infobox_character
|name=Kazuko Saotome
|image=[[File:Kazuko Saotome Sheet.png|300px]]
|jname=早乙女和子（Saotome Kazuko）
|voices=Japanese: [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=2068 Junko Iwao] English: [http://myanimelist.net/people/1054/Karen_Strassman Karen Strassman] Italian: [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=26237 Debora Magnaghi]
}}
==Official Info==
<blockquote>''"Using fried eggs to determine a woman's charm is really wrong. Girls, please be careful not to date guys who won't eat your half-cooked eggs and insist they have to be fully cooked."'' - Kazuko Saotome, [[Episode 1]]</blockquote>

* Kazuko is Madoka's class teacher. Her relationships with guys don't last very long, and so she's extremely frustrated in these regards. Many of her classes involve her complaining about men.

* She also seems to be a friend of [[Junko Kaname]], Madoka's mother. They refer to each other by first name (something relatively rare in Japan, outside of close family members and friends), and they are seen together having drinks in [[Episode 11]].

==Speculation==
* Some fans speculate that Kazuko presumably is having a secret love affair with [[Nakazawa]]-kun, due to the fact that she is always inquiring Nakazawa-kun about her dates. One possible explanation is that Nakazawa-kun simply just looks like her dates; another possible explanation is that he is the mysterious man himself and Kazuko is using these moments to grill him about what went wrong.
**There is also some speculation that perhaps Kazuko has a crush on her student, but because it is a forbidden love she is not allowed to express her true feelings for him openly. Or perhaps it is Nakazawa-kun who wont allow the forbidden love to flourish and develop for it would become a scandal if it was known.
***Because of her powers over him as a teacher, perhaps she hopes that one day he would be forced to acknowledge his feelings for her.

==Kazuko in Oriko Magica ==
Kazuko appears briefly in [[Oriko Magica]]. {{spoiler| She dies after being devoured by a familiar.}}

==Official Art==
<gallery>
File:Artbook Sensei Drawing 1.jpg|Sketches of Kazuko Saotome.
</gallery>

==Screenshots==
<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
File:Hitomi_Shizuki_with_Brown_Haired_Girl.jpg
File:Saotome the egg question.png|Just your typical morning.
File:Answer me nakazao.png|Saotome-sensei always chooses Nakazawa as her victim.
File:Nakazao gives the correct answer.png|Nakazawa learning how to appease women at a young age.
</gallery>

==Fanart==
{{fanart}}
<gallery>
File:Kazuko and Hidamari Sketch.jpg|Fan illustration
File:Junko kazuko fan lovestory.jpg|If her dates with men (Nakazawa-kun) fail, there is always plan B.
File:Junko kazuko in bed.jpg
File:Nakazawa and Saotome likes them young.jpg|Ms. Saotome likes them young.
</gallery>

[[Category:Characters]]

Tomohisa Kaname

2012-02-11T21:27:41Z

KFYatek: English VA (source: MAL)

{{Infobox_character
|name=Tomohisa Kaname
|image=[[File:Tomohisa Kaname.png|300px]]
|jname=鹿目知久（Kaname Tomohisa）
|voices=Japanese: [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=2044 Tetsuya Iwanaga] English: [http://myanimelist.net/people/336/Kyle_Hebert Kyle Herbert] Italian: Luca Gignone
}}
== Official Info ==
* [[Madoka]]'s father. A stay-at-home dad. He does housekeeping, cooking, laundry and cleaning.
== Gallery ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="left">
File:Madoka family.gif|Madoka's family
</gallery>
[[Category:Characters]]

Junko Kaname

2012-02-11T21:26:58Z

KFYatek: English VA (source: MAL)

<blockquote>''"That looks pretty good. Now all your secret admirers won't be able to resist you." --"Like I'd have any." "You have to think you do. That's the secret to being pretty."'' - Junko and [[Madoka]], [[Episode 1]].</blockquote>

{{Infobox_character
|name=Junko Kaname
|image=[[File:Junko_Kaname.png|300px]]
|jname=鹿目詢子（Kaname Junko）
|voices=Japanese: [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=248 Yuuko Gotou] English: [http://myanimelist.net/people/327/Carrie_Savage Carrie Savage] Italian: [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=26269 Maddalena Vadacca]
}}
==Official Info==
<blockquote>''"You need to learn how to make mistakes before you grow up. When you are young, you can recover quickly when hurt." "When you get older it's harder to make mistakes, as you get more responsabilities the less mistakes you are allowed to make." "Being an adult is hard for everybody. That's what alcohol is for."'' - Junko, [[Episode 6]].</blockquote>
* [[Madoka]]'s mother. A fine business lady. She loves to chit chat with her daughter in the morning while doing her make-up.
** Urobuchi created a family with a strong mother and kind father to create a strong background for Madoka, the kind of family where a girl would develop a strong sense of courage.
* In the Drama CD ''[[Drama CD 2|"Sunny Day Life"]]'', Junko admits to Madoka that she was a poor student and spent most of her time doing naughty things.
**{{Spoiler|Sukeban Junko? If true, it wouldn't be a surprise.}}
***Apparently [[Blu-Ray Volume 4 Booklet|Shinbo agrees.]]
***Urobuchi had always wanted to create a [[Guidebook#PAGE_120|strong-minded female character]] like Junko. He wanted to create a family that would not be confined to the idea that heroism is reserved to men's role, he wanted a concrete example where women can also be heroic and strong.
****Junko's [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yanki Yankī] (delinquent girl) speech style is purely Urobuchi's taste.

==Trivia==
* She likes to high-five her daughter.
* She wants to get rid of some co-workers.
* She is quite close to Madoka's teacher [[Kazuko]], often meeting over a drink.

==Observation==
*The Anime doesnt explicitly states what is Junko's occupation. One clue indicates that Junko was reviewing [[Madoka's_House#Bathroom|past currency trades]] and it may be related to her work.

==See Also==
*[[Animedia_2011-05#Goto_Yuuko_.28Junko.29_Data_File|Goto Yuuko Data file]]

==Gallery==
=== Official art ===
<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
File:Junko-scan.jpg
File:Junko and kids.png
File:PN 12.jpg|Sketches from Production notes.
</gallery>

=== Screenshots ===
<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
File:Madoka family.gif|Madoka's family
File:Junko smile.gif|Junko smile
File:Junko wakes up.gif|Junko wakes up
File:Drunk Mama.jpg
File:Junko's words of wisdom.jpg
File:Junko make up.jpg
</gallery>

===Fanart===
{{fanart}}
<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
File:Happy mother's day.jpg
File:Junko Mahou Shoujo MILF.jpg|"MOM?! WHAT THE--"
File:(Gakubuchi Aiko) Thanks☆Kyuubey 42.png|Junko is so understanding...
File:Kaname junko MILF fanart.jpg
File:Junko vs homura.jpg|
File:Junko kazuko fanart girl love.jpg|Has anyone noticed that Junko spends a lot of time with Saotome-sensei?
File:Junko and madokami.jpg
File:Madoka and junko together.jpg
File:Chibi junko sleepy fanart.jpg
File:Portrait junko fanart.png
</gallery>

[[Category:Characters]]

Kyousuke Kamijou

2012-02-11T21:26:09Z

KFYatek: English VA (source: MAL)

<blockquote>''"I can't move my fingers anymore. I can't even feel pain. My hand is worthless! [...] I won't be able to use my hand again. It would take a miracle or some kind of magic to heal me."'' - Kyousuke Kamijou, [[Episode 4]].</blockquote>

{{Infobox_character
|name=Kyousuke Kamijou
|image=[[File:KyosukeCharacterDesignWebsite.png|300px]]
|jname=上条恭介（Kamijou Kyousuke）
|voices=Japanese: [http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=5641 Seiko Yoshida] English: [http://myanimelist.net/people/7992/Marianne_Miller Marianne Miller] Italian: [http://myanimelist.net/people/1163/Renato_Novara Renato Novara]
|age=13-14 (estimated)
}}
[[File:KyoSaya.jpg|thumb|right|Kamijou and Sayaka during childhood, from a magazine]]
[[File:KyoFamily.jpg|thumb|right|Kamijou's family]]
==Official Info==
Childhood friend of [[Sayaka Miki|Sayaka]]. A violin prodigy, but an accident left him unable to play ever again. Sayaka and Hitomi have crushes on him.
== Trivia ==
<blockquote>''" I don't want to listen to music anymore! How can I listen to something that I can never play?"'' - Kyousuke Kamijou, [[Episode 4]].</blockquote>
*He is the violinist who appears with Sayaka in the OP.
*[[Episode 1]]: [[Madoka Kaname|Madoka]] guesses that he is the reason Sayaka wants to go to the CD store.
*[[Episode 2]]: He is shown bedridden in the hospital when Sayaka comments that there must be many who would trade their lives for a wish and that life has been too easy for her.
*[[Episode 3]]: Sayaka visits him in the hospital twice. At the start of the episode, Sayaka gives Kamijou a CD by David Ostriakh, and they share his headphones and listen to Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" together. Kamijou fingers the notes as he listens and then he cries. Later, Sayaka tries to visit him but is turned away; the explanation given by Kamijou's family is that he isn't in good shape. Madoka and Sayaka then find a [[Grief seed]] embedded outside the hospital.
*[[Episode 4]]: Sayaka visits him in the hospital and tries to talk with him about music, but he accuses her of mocking his inability to play the violin anymore. He reveals that the current state of medicine is incapable of healing his left hand, saying that it would take a miracle or magic for him to play again. It is revealed at the end of the episode that Sayaka used her wish to heal his left hand, in exchange becoming a magical girl for [[Kyubey]].
*[[Episode 5]]: Kamijou regains the ability to play the violin after Sayaka's wish repairs his hand. She claims it to be the "happiest moment of her life"
*[[Episode 6]]: Sayaka goes to visit him at the hospital, but is informed that he was discharged and didn't inform Sayaka. She goes to visit him at his house and she hears him practicing his violin. She is about to enter when she is confronted by Kyouko who criticize her for making a selfless wish for his sake and speculate that she should've crippled him futher. (unbeknownst to everyone yet, Kyouko did make a selfless wish herself, but it only brought tragedy)
*[[Episode 7]]: Kamijou returns to school, but still needs crutches.
*[[Episode 8]]: [[Hitomi Shizuki|Hitomi]] speaks to Kamijou. It's still not known what she exactly told him.
[[File:Maybe_kamijou.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Kamijou in Sayaka's flashback.]] In the manga version of [[Episode 8]], however, it does look like Kyousuke accepts Hitomi's feelings as they're seen holding each other's hands.
*[[Episode 12]]: Kyousuke briefly appears while Sayaka and Madoka's souls watch over him (and Hitomi waits for him at the side) as he performs during an audition. As he plays Gounod's Ave Maria, Sayaka and Madoka talk things over one last time, and are able to pass on. Later, Kamijou performs as a professional, and once he finishes his recital he whispers Sayaka's name.
*Ume Aoki explains in the BD/DVD episode 2 audio commentary that Kyousuke's hair is gray. Like many characters, his hair and eye color match each other.
* Some design documents indicate that he is [[Puella_Magi_Production_Note#Oktavia_von_Seckendorff.2C_Timeline_3_Version|a guitarist in another timeline]], although this is shown in neither anime nor manga versions. There has been [[Homura_Akemi#Different_Universes | various speculation]] about the possible reasons for the change.

==Speculations and Observations==
*Kamijou has been confirmed as Sayaka's crush, and is her childhood friend. How she met Kamijou is unknown, but perhaps she has only been able to spend more time with him after his injury. She bought the disc for Kamijou.
*Kamijou was a famous violinist that Sayaka admires. However, for some reason, he had to be hospitalized and couldn't play the violin anymore. Upon getting her wish, Sayaka then feels guilty to be so lucky and thinks about him and his misfortune.
*In Episode 3, [[Mami Tomoe|Mami]] warns Sayaka that there is a difference between wanting to grant another's wish, and wanting to be the person to grant another's wish. This is possibly foreshadowing to negative consequences that will happen if Sayaka makes her wish to help Kamijou regain his health. It ended up playing into the events that lead to Sayaka becoming a witch: Kamijou, once he is healed, presumably begins a relationship with Hitomi because she openly showed her feelings to him, which breaks Sayaka who felt that she wouldn't be able to do so due to her Magical Girl condition.
*Japanese spelling of Kamijou was initially 上條. But in the ending credits of episode 7 and after, it was changed to 上条. Both are common Japanese surnames with the same pronunciation and similar meaning, so that it doesn't seem to have any importance for the story. The change was also made in AT-X version of episode 4.

==Kamijou's Feeling Towards Sayaka==
[[Megami_Magazine_2011-07#Kamijou_and_Sayaka|An article]] indicates that that from the very beginning Kamijou only considered Sayaka as his close friend and never had any romantic feelings for her. He never considered her to be a potential lover, and it is for this reason that he failed to notify Sayaka when he was discharged from the hospital. He was in such a hurry to get back to his normal life that he never had any thoughts of anything else. When Kyousuke goes back to school, he is already surrounded by other girls and friends, which is why he didn't say anything to Sayaka. He was already overwhelmed by a welcoming crowd. It never occurred to him that there could be something special between him and Sayaka.

Gen Urobuchi's comment on Kyousuke in [[Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica_Official_Guidebook_"You_Are_Not_Alone"#Page_120|Guidebook]]:
*I just do not feel that even if she hooked up with Kyosuke that girl would really be happy ever after. Most likely Kyosuke is a guy who will stand her up in dates and go to practice the violin.
*Kyosuke, a man who could not notice that "Hm? this girl seems to have some feeling for me..." even after so much self-sacrifice from her is simply no good.

There's no explanation regarding Kamijou's feeling towards [[Hitomi Shizuki|Hitomi]] before she tells him.

==Gallery==
=== Official art ===
<gallery>
File:Sayaka and Silver-Haired Boy.jpg
File:Apricot +5.jpg|[[Ume Aoki|Ume]] Madoka doujin "RKGKMDK" from COMIC1☆5, under Apricot+ alias
File:Madoka_BD2_Ume_4koma_TL.png|Ume Aoki's 4koma from the Madoka BD 2 fanbook
File:Kyousuke's feeling.jpg|Article that explain about Kamijou's feeling towards Sayaka.
</gallery>

=== Screenshots ===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="left">
File:BD OP Kyousuke hair color.jpg|Corrected hair color in the BD/DVD from the broadcast version, to show clearly as gray
File:Kamijou in the hospital.gif|Kamijou in the hospital
File:Kamijou playing the violin.gif|Young Kamijou playing the violin
File:Kamijou on hospital roof.gif|Kamijou playing the violin on hospital roof
File:E4_sayaka_kyousuke.jpg
File:Picture 12.png|A moment between Kyousuke and Sayaka from the PSP game.
</gallery>

=== Fanart ===
{{fanart}}
<gallery>
File:Oh U.png|How the Yurifans reacted when they saw Kamijou for the first time. The hate still lingers.
File:Kyousuke's hand.jpg|Everyone has a dark side, even Kamijou.
File:Sayaka Kamijou genderbender yuri.png|Some yuri fans can't stand Kamijou, but they are ok if he was a girl.
File:Sayaka Kamijou genderbender.png|
File:Gender bender female hitomi.jpg
File:Female kyousuke photoshop.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T19:12:53Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==
[[File:Madokamine.jpg|thumb|You're MINE, Madoka, MINE MINE MINE!]]
February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which wasn't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took liberties here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

File:Madokamine.jpg

2012-02-11T19:11:13Z

KFYatek:

File talk:Highschool DxD ep 6 contract please.jpg

2012-02-11T15:46:34Z

KFYatek:

LOL. Cannot unsee nor cannot unheard... --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 15:06, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:Too bad it's just liberal subbing... There is nothing about a contract in that particular line. Anyway, I don't watch this show, but it seems weird... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 15:46, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T13:33:42Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which wasn't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took liberties here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T13:31:56Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

On another note - anyone else noticed how the Japanese subs were an exact transcript of the original dialogue? Which weren't a faithful translation of the English audio at times since the dub took libertiese here and there. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

File talk:Madoka magica to be broadcast in italy fanart comic japanese.jpg

2012-02-11T13:24:10Z

KFYatek:

I am sure everyone has noticed, Mami's attacks/names wont be as cool in Italy because... well, they are in Italian!... --[[User:Mutopis|Mutopis]] 10:52, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:...unless they will translate them to some other language... I can't think of any language that could work, though... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T13:14:45Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:I agree that Mami's voice is worst part of the whole thing. On the other hand, Tatsuya's voice is so adorable and Sayaka sounds like KITAERI. I found it pretty weird that they re-dub Anthony voice, though. (Oh I wish I could watch it without lagging every 3 seconds.) --[[User:0x99|0x99]] 06:24, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
::Anthonies were dubbed in Italian too. Yes, it's weird. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 06:35, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Maybe the Japanese are just giving copies without Anthonies' voices to the dubbing companies and they have no choice but to redub them. Anyway, the "English" Anthonies were much closer to the original and much better-sounding overall, than the "Italian" ones, at least to my ear. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 13:14, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

FYI- 37K viewers, 88K comments, overall high approval rating on [[:Media:Ep 1 English Feedback.png|Nico live broadcast of ep 1.]]
:When the stream closed, [[Media:Madokadubnico.PNG |it was reading]] 39,176 visitors and 93,216 comments. [[User:KM|KM]] 10:37, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T05:49:17Z

KFYatek:

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T05:49:01Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
OK, managed to finish the episode. Well, Mami's voice is definitely the worst part of this dub IMO. I didn't make it to the /a/'s ep2-4 streams, but the lines that are in the Mami's VA video ("Tiro Finale"... OMGWTF) don't help... ;] Well, we won't be hearing her too much anyway xD --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:49, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in USA

2012-02-11T05:23:48Z

KFYatek: /* February 11, 2012 */

== The Dub ==
Somehow, the voices from the English-dubbed trailer seem really bad to me. Madoka, Sayaka and Kyubey are pretty OK, but Mami, Hitomi, Kyoko and (especially!) Homura totally lost their character from the original... Well, thank God we have multiple audio tracks and softsubs, they ought to be the best invention in home video technology ever ;) --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 17:32, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

:They all sound horrible to me... --[[Special:Contributions/84.77.58.17|84.77.58.17]] 18:48, 17 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm really disappointed by the dub so far. All the characters sound forced to some extent, Sayaka by far is the worst in this aspect. Madoka is trying too hard to sound "cutesy", Mami sounds like she is in her 30s, Homura has no personality and sounds like she is reading a script. On the brighter side, Kyoko is alright as far as dubs go (but lacks the Nonaka Ai charm) and QB is... mediocre. I never trust dubs, but this one really did let me down. --[[User:Lord Chestnut|Lord Chestnut]] 19:15, 17 December 2011 (UTC)
:Sayaka's voice itself is actually a good match, but she and the rest of the cast didn't show any acting ability. Relistening to it, it seems like it's not the quality of the dub relative to the typical dub that's so bad, but rather the exceptional work of the Japanese VA's, which was clearly above the level of the average Japanese-version anime, added so much to the characters that they make "typical dub" feel like "amateurish butchery." I wonder how much time the dubbing staff spent listening to and understanding the nuances, emoting, and precise voice control in the original.[[User:KM|KM]] 04:29, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't like the dub. The voices are trying to imitate the 'cutesy' way the Japanese speak and it sounds really fake and stiff. All the girls sounded similar to me, reminds me of Puchi Puri Yuushi. There's not distinction to the characters. Most dubs I've watched so this, they try too hard and it just flat out fails. Like someone in another thread mentioned, that unnatural/stiff sound in the voices isn't present in original English cartoons. If they voices /are/ better in the anime and the trailer was supposed to fool us, I'll be damned. Though it's highly likely that won't be the case. I just wonder what goes on in the VAs/director's heads when they do dubs. Do they even know the personality of the character they're supposed to be portraying? Also, to quote someone on YT, "cutesy doesn't translate well to this language". That's my opinion, anyways. [[User:ViralJuggernaut|ViralJuggernaut]] 07:54, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Sooo, another sample video is there. Unfortunately it's region-locked, but fortunately, there are proxies ;) Anyway, technicalities aside - not in the slightest did that convince me that the dub might be better than I think it'll be. It may be cruel, but it seems that the problem is kind of lack of emotions to the show from the cast. When Aoi Yuuki is talking about the show, for example in the BD/DVD commentaries, she really feels attached to it and it's clear that she had put her heart into the recording. And Christine Marie Cabanos in that interview seems as plain as humanly possible. It gave me a feeling of "oh well, just another dubbing session, not much to say about it". The only thing I wonder about is - is the dub bad, or are the original seiyuu just ''that'' good? --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 01:51, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I can't comment on dubs because I don't follow them. But I can say the way the seiyuu talk about Madoka is unusually passionate. They're all very good seiyuu and Japanese fans have repeatedly praised the quality of their performances in Madoka. --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 02:16, 14 January 2012 (UTC)
:I liked what I heard from that guy they had on the script. He seems to be putting thought into it. But on the VA side I got the impression that they were overwhelmed and learning as they went along. That probably means making a trailer composed entirely of lines from the very beginning wasn't the best way to show off. As for Aoi Yuuki, she's totally off the deep end even by hardcore standards, and puts average Japanese VAs to shame. If you try to find someone to dub James Bond, Connery will make them all look like amateurs, especially if they are amateurs.
:One interesting thing he mentioned was that the dubbers expected a veteran to do the lines in single takes, but they ended up doing lots of retakes and spending time trying to get it right. The JP interviews said they expected to spend a lot of time doing retakes, but ended up nailing things in one shot very often. Kind of reminds me of sports, one team is getting out of their usual comfort zone for a big game, and another is aiming for the championship and has one of those days when they're in the zone and can't be stopped. [[User:KM|KM]] 08:14, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
::So I watched the director and Sayaka interviews. And you're right, the director guy seems to be genuinely enjoying the show and the work he put into it. Sayaka's VA is actually not so bad, either. Not the level of KitaEri, but she'll definitely be one of the better voices of the dub. Any clip of the dub featuring Mami, though, is just... That voice just doesn't suit her. At all.
::I'm curious to hear more scenes of Kyubey and Homura next ;) And well... I just wonder how eps 10-12 will end up in the dub. Those were so epic performances of the original seiyuu, and I can't help being afraid of those eps getting ruined by the English VAs... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 11:02, 20 January 2012 (UTC)
:::Is there any method to view those videos outside of US? I'm unable to view those videos. But I'm very interested in them. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 12:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)
::::You need some kind of proxy. [http://proxyultra.com/ This one] seems to work pretty well. You can also try eg. ones listed on [http://freenuts.com/top-10-free-online-proxy-websites/ this site] or google "youtube proxy". --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)
:::::Thank you very much. It works. [[User:Yorkwoo|Yorkwoo]] 19:12, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
::I kind of like the attitude of Mami's VA. She actually may not turn out bad in this role, but it's a totally different way of portraying her than in the Japanese version. Kaori Mizuhashi's Mami is much more cheerful and high-spirited, while Carrie Keranen is just gentle and caring. "Tiro Finale" with American English accent is just awful, though, sorry -_- --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 16:30, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Cristina Vee is awesome. In general, I mean. She contributed to Haruhi dub adverts, she dubbed Mio in K-On, she has some skills and... well, is awesome in general. I liked her interview the best so far. But... she's also NOT the right person to do Homura. The voice just doesn't go together with image well. She would be great as Mami or Sayaka, I guess, but Homura is definitely not the right character for her... I have really weird thoughts about the guys who did the US casting... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:28, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

== February 11, 2012 ==

February 11, simulcast Nico broadcast in of Ep 1 in North America, Japan, UK, and Australia with English dubs and Japanese subs. 2012/02/11 (Sat): 13:00 Opening 13:30 (JST). http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv79795448 --[[User:Randomanon|randomanon]] 12:36, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
:Well, Saturday 13:00 JST is:
:* Friday 20:00 (8 PM) PST (US West Coast)
:* Friday 23:00 (11 PM) EST (US East Coast)
:* Saturday 4:00 (AM) UTC (UK)
:* Saturday 12:00 (noon) WST (Western Australia)
:* Saturday 15:00 (3 PM) AEDT (South-Eastern Australia)
:I think the live stream won't be too popular among UK fans ;) But still, that's great news, it may mean that a UK license is around the corner - hoping heavily for it! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:16, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

OK, so I actually happened to stay up this late and find a (somewhat) working proxy, so I watch it, until ca. the time Mami shows up, the proxy went down at that time, so I couldn't hear her. Anyway, the dub was better than I thought it'll be, it flowed quite good, and the voices fit. Surprisingly even Homura. QB shows a little bit too much emotion, though. I'll comment on it more once I watch the Mami scenes, but the dub seems OK, definitely not worse than the Italian one. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 05:23, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Licensing in USA

2012-02-10T12:53:35Z

KFYatek: /* Release News */ vimeo was deleted

[[File:Otakon_Poster.jpg|thumb|150px]]
== Initial News ==
On July 1, 2011, Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/aniplex-usa-adds-madoka-magica-blue-exorcist-on-home-video announced] at Anime Expo that they had acquired Puella Magi Madoka license for the US. Since then, Aniplex USA has established a [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/ website] for Madoka, with links to twitter, facebook and youtube channel. The release will have both English subtitles and dub options.

== Release News ==
[[File:Madoka-Magica-V1-Assets USA Aniplex.jpg|Volume 1 Limited Edition Box|thumb]]
Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/madoka-magica-to-get-english-bds-starting-february-14 announced] a three Blu-Ray and DVD release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica at the New York Comic Con panel. The first volume will be released on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 14, 2012. The second volume will follow on April 10, and the third volume will ship on June 12. Pre-orders started on [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/product-combo1.php October 17, 2011]. There will be a limited edition box with the DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and the original soundtrack. The box will also bundle the following: 24-page booklet, a double-sided poster, Kyubey stickers, collectible "Preview Illustrations" of episode 1-4 postcards, a trailer collection, and credit-less opening and ending animation footage.

The following voice actors were announced:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95337 Christine Marie Cabanos] as Madoka
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95781 Cassandra Lee] as Kyubey
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=104914 Sarah Williams] as Sayaka

On December 16, 2011, Aniplex announced the rest of the key cast:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=70779 Lauren Landa] as Kyoko
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=8519 Carrie Keranen] as Mami
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=53287 Cristina Vee] as Homura

The official dubbed trailer has also been released and can be watched on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTRlKXrCXk YouTube].

== Disc Specs ==
Languages: Japanese & English 
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 for Blu Ray, Linear PCM for DVD 
Subtitles: English 
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 
Region: no region 
Rating: 13 UP

'''All Volumes''' 
∗ Original Japanese and English languages 
∗ Textless Opening 

'''Volume 1''' 
∗ Ending theme song "Magia" music video by Kalafina 
∗ Trailer collection 

== Manga News ==
[http://www.yenpress.com/ Yen Press] [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/yen-press-adds-madoka-magica-soul-eater-not-yuki-chan announced] at the New York Comic Con that it licensed the [[Madoka Magica (manga)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga]], story by Magica Quartet, art by Hanokage.

The first volume will be released in May 2012, the second in August 2012 and the third and final volume in December 2012. Each volume will retail at $11.99 and contain approximately 144 pages. Manga description from [http://www.yenpress.com/puella-magi-madoka-magica/ Yen Press]:

''When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname feels she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student from one of her dreams…a dream where she is approached by a cat-like creature who offers Madoka an opportunity to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with the very cat-being from her dream! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the cat gives her a choice: Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?''

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Aniplex USA Madoka Magica Volume 1 box 01.jpg|Preview of Volume 1 limited edition box
File:Aniplex USA Madoka Magica Volume 1 box 02.jpg|Back of box.
</gallery>

== See Also ==
* [[Translated_Official_Documents_Miscellaneous#Overseas.2FInternational_Licensing|Other International Licensing]]
* [[Translated_Official_Documents|Translated magazines]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2011/otakon/8 ANN on the Madoka premiere viewing Q&A]
* [http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2011/07/30-1/otakon-2011-atsuhiro-iwakami-all-about-madoka Crunchyroll on Atsuhiro Iwakami panel]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CTHwEZK2JA Aniplex USA Madoka trailer with translated subs]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhMzOA9l8c Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Madoka Kaname]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXbnOfi1WA Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Voice Director]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQp-SWibyQ Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Sayaka Miki]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_XJIN6oW8 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Mami Tomoe]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIpYnJyf-0 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Homura Akemi]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fkNH0YjLh4 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyubey]

Licensing in USA

2012-02-10T12:45:43Z

KFYatek: /* External links */

[[File:Otakon_Poster.jpg|thumb|150px]]
== Initial News ==
On July 1, 2011, Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/aniplex-usa-adds-madoka-magica-blue-exorcist-on-home-video announced] at Anime Expo that they had acquired Puella Magi Madoka license for the US. Since then, Aniplex USA has established a [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/ website] for Madoka, with links to twitter, facebook and youtube channel. The release will have both English subtitles and dub options.

== Release News ==
[[File:Madoka-Magica-V1-Assets USA Aniplex.jpg|Volume 1 Limited Edition Box|thumb]]
Aniplex USA [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/madoka-magica-to-get-english-bds-starting-february-14 announced] a three Blu-Ray and DVD release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica at the New York Comic Con panel. The first volume will be released on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 14, 2012. The second volume will follow on April 10, and the third volume will ship on June 12. Pre-orders started on [http://www.madokamagicausa.com/product-combo1.php October 17, 2011]. There will be a limited edition box with the DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and the original soundtrack. The box will also bundle the following: 24-page booklet, a double-sided poster, Kyubey stickers, collectible "Preview Illustrations" of episode 1-4 postcards, a trailer collection, and credit-less opening and ending animation footage.

The following voice actors were announced:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95337 Christine Marie Cabanos] as Madoka
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=95781 Cassandra Lee] as Kyubey
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=104914 Sarah Williams] as Sayaka

On December 16, 2011, Aniplex announced the rest of the key cast:

* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=70779 Lauren Landa] as Kyoko
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=8519 Carrie Keranen] as Mami
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=53287 Cristina Vee] as Homura

The official dubbed trailer has also been released and can be watched on [http://vimeo.com/33740013 vimeo] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTRlKXrCXk YouTube] (the YouTube version is currently broken).

== Disc Specs ==
Languages: Japanese & English 
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 for Blu Ray, Linear PCM for DVD 
Subtitles: English 
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 
Region: no region 
Rating: 13 UP

'''All Volumes''' 
∗ Original Japanese and English languages 
∗ Textless Opening 

'''Volume 1''' 
∗ Ending theme song "Magia" music video by Kalafina 
∗ Trailer collection 

== Manga News ==
[http://www.yenpress.com/ Yen Press] [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-14/yen-press-adds-madoka-magica-soul-eater-not-yuki-chan announced] at the New York Comic Con that it licensed the [[Madoka Magica (manga)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga]], story by Magica Quartet, art by Hanokage.

The first volume will be released in May 2012, the second in August 2012 and the third and final volume in December 2012. Each volume will retail at $11.99 and contain approximately 144 pages. Manga description from [http://www.yenpress.com/puella-magi-madoka-magica/ Yen Press]:

''When a new girl joins her class, Madoka Kaname feels she recognizes the mysterious, dark-haired transfer student from one of her dreams…a dream where she is approached by a cat-like creature who offers Madoka an opportunity to change destiny. Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of fantasy…until she sees the transfer student fighting with the very cat-being from her dream! And just like in Madoka’s dream, the cat gives her a choice: Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire? What will be the cost of having her wish come true?''

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Aniplex USA Madoka Magica Volume 1 box 01.jpg|Preview of Volume 1 limited edition box
File:Aniplex USA Madoka Magica Volume 1 box 02.jpg|Back of box.
</gallery>

== See Also ==
* [[Translated_Official_Documents_Miscellaneous#Overseas.2FInternational_Licensing|Other International Licensing]]
* [[Translated_Official_Documents|Translated magazines]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2011/otakon/8 ANN on the Madoka premiere viewing Q&A]
* [http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2011/07/30-1/otakon-2011-atsuhiro-iwakami-all-about-madoka Crunchyroll on Atsuhiro Iwakami panel]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CTHwEZK2JA Aniplex USA Madoka trailer with translated subs]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhMzOA9l8c Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Madoka Kaname]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXbnOfi1WA Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Voice Director]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQp-SWibyQ Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Sayaka Miki]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_XJIN6oW8 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Mami Tomoe]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIpYnJyf-0 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Homura Akemi]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fkNH0YjLh4 Madoka Magica English Cast Video: Kyubey]

Talk:Licensing in Italy

2012-02-09T14:40:47Z

KFYatek: /* The dub */

Italian anime fans are lucky. To have such fresh and great series in streaming and TV, and a DVD/BD release as the first nation in the West, even before the US... And not only Madoka, you'll get AnoHana as well... I don't know if living in Italy is that great, especially hearing about all that crisis and politics stuff, but still, it's certainly a great place for the anime fandom, I'm jealous.

The Italian BD release seems splendid as well. Too bad it's still pretty expensive... I mean, it's cheaper than both the Japanese and US releases, but still... eh... I have my hopes for a UK license, the releases there tend to be very cheap and have subtitles in a language I can understand ;) Too bad it looks like that's not going to happen :( --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 19:13, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

:It's not that hard living here. It's harder to find work than usual, that's true. Taxes taxes taxes... And we need a bomb on our Parlament to get rid of all those corrupt and greedy mob. However, I think we'll be fine in one or two years. I hope.
:About the Fan Edition... Yes, it's a bit expensive. But look: Nendoroid! That's around 40€ alone! What the hell? They caught me off guard with this. By the way, the shipping is free (because on Amazon.it if you buy more than 19€ you don't pay shipping). Don't know about Amazon in other countries. So only 124.17€ for me.
:I'm confident about the dub: most of the VAs I chose won :) [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 20:00, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

::Yeah, that Nendoroid is definitely the highlight of that Italian limited edition. But well... if I'm going to pay for an official release, I'd very much prefer to have subtitles in some language I can understand, to be able to actually watch the series off those discs instead of buying them just for the sake of buying. And I don't know any Italian, so unfortunately, your release is kind of out of question to me, regardless of the price...
::I'm not even dreaming about a Polish license, the anime market here is practically non-existent. A UK release would be perfect, especially considering that Amazon UK is shipping for free to Poland for orders over 20 or 25 GBP (I don't remember clearly). But I guess I'll need to go for the American or Australian version one day... Well, I want to have an official release, the show and the creators certainly deserve the money from me, but, well, call me stingy, but I'm not really comfortable with spending that much on it...
::That's good to hear that living in Italy is not that bad despite all that those recent affairs. I wish you all the best in getting out of that! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 21:55, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

:::IIRC, the Australian BD edition is only $35, $40 with the artbook. But the shipping would be pretty expensive I think, so it's not a very good choice.
:::I understand what you feel. It's pretty useless to buy something in a unknown language and just stare at it. That's why I don't buy so much. There's not so much anime to buy in Italy. Most editions are crap.
:::Best whises from Italy, hope Poland (and other countries too, anime is not that popular in Europe today) will get some good editions. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 22:37, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

::::I just checked it and it seems that the shipping rates from Australia are not that much different from the ones from the US. It depends on the shop of course, but still the Australian release may be the way to go.
::::Anyway, you made me look more into the Australian limited edition release, and, although it's hard to find any clear info about it, it seems to have everything the American one, except the other format disc, ie. you pay for either the DVD or the Blu-ray, not both. And no wonder it's much cheaper that way. Really, the DVD+BD editions are quite ridiculous for me. I don't know, maybe they are marketed towards hardcore fans (hence it's the collector's edition) who don't have a Blu-ray player yet, so that they can watch on DVD now, and enjoy glorious HD later when BD players become commonplace? But if I have a Blu-ray drive already, what's the point of owning a DVD as well for me? And paying almost twice the price for it...
::::Unfortunately, both the American and Italian releases go the DVD+BD way for the collector's editions... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 00:49, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

::Not to dampen the enthusiasm(i have preorderd all three boxes myself) but watch out for the nendoroid: it's still good, but it's not the complete one, is the petite version which is smaller and without accessories. The value of it would be around 5/6€ at max. Of course the petit nendoroid it's sold out by itself, so for collectors it can be interesting. --[[Special:Contributions/87.6.38.228|87.6.38.228]] 10:47, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

The sales rank of the first volume on amazon.it have reached the top spot [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/googlechromescreensnapz.png/ now] on the [http://www.amazon.it/gp/bestsellers/dvd/ref=pd_dp_ts_dvd_1 general] dvd category --[[Special:Contributions/87.6.38.228|87.6.38.228]] 10:32, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

== The dub ==
Well, not bad. Not bad. Madoka, Mami and Homura are ok for me. Kyubey it's a bit expressive but it's ok. Sayaka it's ok too. Other characters (Hitomi, Madoka's family, Kazuko) are good. Now for Kyoko we'll have to wait for some weeks.

Great dub afterall. [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 10:30, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

:I managed to find a recording of the first episode from Rai4. I don't speak any Italian, but... this dub seems to work, it's quite good indeed! Madoka sounds a bit too cheerful to my opinion, and that deep voice of Homura... I don't know, maybe I got too used to Chiwa Saitou ;) And I can't believe they actually redubbed Anthonies' voices! xD And Mami is just perfect! She sounds almost like Kaori Mizuhashi, I can't believe it! Pretty good dub, overall! --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 09:59, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

::Yeah, Anthonies were weird. I was like "wait WHAT?". Maybe they were dubbed for the sake of understanding?
::What do you think about Sayaka? I read on 4chan a lot had "eargasms". [[User:Kraff|Kraff]] 12:56, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

:::Sayaka will always stay KitaEri to me, and it'll even take time for me to accept KitaEri in other roles as well ;) When I hear Karen in Nisemonogatari this season, I can't get Sayaka's image out of my head... and the fact that Karen acts all righteous and gallantly doesn't help either... so Italian Sayaka... not bad, but I still prefer the original. --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:38, 9 February 2012 (UTC)
:::Oh, and... well, it may be terrible, but I think that any attempt at rating any dub of Madoka is too early before hearing ep10. I'm very curious how the dub VAs (both Italian and English) will handle the Voice Actors' Hell which is Madoka ep10... --[[User:KFYatek|kFYatek]] 14:40, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Licensing in Italy

2012-02-09T14:38:23Z

KFYatek: /* The dub */

Talk:Licensing in Italy

2012-02-09T09:59:33Z

KFYatek: /* The dub */

User talk:0x99

2012-02-07T19:14:47Z

KFYatek: /* CloudFlare errors */ new section

Community:Wish theories

2012-02-06T12:20:35Z

KFYatek: can be here, but don't mark it as "confirmed" since this is obviously not canon

{{spoilers}}
[[Kyubey]]'s proposition includes granting a wish in exchange for the person to become a [[Glossary#Magical_Girl|mahou shoujo]]. This page lists those who have encountered Kyubey and guesses about wishes. Note that these are ''speculations'' and not the character's actual wishes.

== Madoka's Wish ==
[[File:Mami is Back!.jpg|right|150px]]
{{wish_inline
|title=Deus Ex Machina or "I wish Mami were alive"
|status=debunked
|episode=10
}}

Madoka wishes Mami back to life. This one is so easily corrupted, especially if the "Witches are fallen magical girls" theory proves true. You wished her alive Madoka, you never said as a magical girl!

This theory has been proven wrong in Episode 10, where Madoka is a magical girl, even when Mami's still alive. However, being that Madoka's wish is never actually seen, this may be a wish in an alternate timeline somewhere in the series.

{{wish_inline
|title=Procrastinating Until the End of the World
|status=debunked
|episode=10
}}
Madoka resists making a wish until the very end of the series, when the apocalyptic scenario from her dream comes into play, and she uses her wish to solve everything at once or cause a global reset. "I wish everything would go back to the way it was before I met Kyubey!"

This, however, does not come to pass in Episode 12, the only timeline in which she could logically make this wish.

[[File:Drunk mom morning rescue.jpg|right|50px]]
{{wish_inline
|title=The Human Instrumentality Project
|status=debunked
|episode=12
}}
Madoka wishes to end all suffering. Everyone gets hugged and turns into [[Morning Rescue]].

This wish is never made by the end of the series, and presumably did not happen in the previous timelines as otherwise the whole suffering scenario wouldn't exist.

{{wish_inline
|title=Timeline 1 - Save that cat!
|status=confirmed
|source=[[Drama CD 1]]
}}
The first Drama CD of Puella Magi Madoka Magica reveals that the reason that Madoka became a Puella Magi was to save a cat from being run over by a car. She admits that she is a text book example of someone who became a magical girl on a whim without thinking about it. Her wish was born from the kindness toward a cat. Truth be told, no fan (as I know) saw this one coming, yet at the same time it is not surprising considering this is Madoka we are talking about.

Note that it is also very likely that she made the same wish in Timelines 2 and 3, though this is not confirmed.

{{wish_inline
|title=Story timeline - I want to change everything!
|status=confirmed
|episode=12
}}
Madoka's wishes for a way to save all her friends and change the magical girl system permanently.

This comes to pass in Episode 12 where Madoka wishes to purge the world of witches, though at the cost of her existence.

[[File:Love wish.jpg|right|150px]]
{{wish_inline
|title=Timeline 4 - I want the power to protect Homura-chan
|status=unknown
}}
In Timeline 4, seeing Homura getting beaten up by the WN, she wishes that she could have the power to protect Homura, no matter where she goes, so that she will never have to suffer because of her anymore. That can explain why in Timeline 4, she suddenly had awesome powers, and in Timeline 5, she still had those powers according to Kyubey.

{{wish_inline
|title=Fight to save people
|status=unknown
}}

Madoka wishes to help everyone in need, from suffering people, to the fallen such as Mami, to the witches lost in grief. She becomes a magical girl with the potential to solve any problem, but neither she, nor Kyubey, nor other magical girls have any idea how her powers work, so saving the world is still easier said than done.

Unlikely given that she probably made the same wish that she did in Timeline 1, though this is not confirmed.

{{wish_inline
|title=Power to Defeat the Most Powerful Witch
|status=unknown
}}
Witnessing Homura fight against an impossible foe, Madoka simply wishes for power -- enough to instantly defeat even the most powerful witch.

This could be her wish in the timeline where Madoka defeats the Walpurgis Night easily but turns into an even more destructive witch afterward. However, this obviously does not apply to Madoka of timelines where she was already a magical girl when meeting Homura.

[[File:No matter how impossible.jpg|right|45px]]
{{wish_inline
|title=Timelines 2-3 - Cake
|status=unknown
}}
Madoka wishes for cake.

Unlikely given that she probably made the same wish that she did in Timeline 1, though this is not confirmed.

{{wish_inline
|title=Timelines 2-3 - I want to become a magical girl
|status=unknown
}}
Very obvious. Just like in Episode 1, but because Homura intervening her making this wish in the current time.

Unlikely given that she probably made the same wish that she did in Timeline 1, though this is not confirmed.

{{wish_inline
|title=I wish that Incubators had nothing to do with the planet from the very beginning!
|status=unknown
}}
In a parody 4koma seen in the [[Blu-Ray Volume 6 Booklet]], Madoka wished that Incubators never existed from the very beginning. It is unknown what timeline this could happen in, but maybe in that timeline, Madoka made that wish. As seen in the comic, the outcome was that Madoka lived in a cave.

== Homura's Wish ==
{{wish_inline
|title=Do you really want her dream to come true?
|status=debunked
}}
Homura might have used her wish to help someone else (Madoka?) and is the person Mami was referring to when asking Sayaka whether she wanted to make someone's dream come true, or be thanked for making it come true.

{{wish_inline
|title=If you do, you'll lose everything
|status=debunked
}}
Homura might have wished to become the perfect girl and undo her previously unhappy life. She was a classmate and friend of Madoka, which is why she knows her way around the school. However, everyone's memories of Homura vanished because she wanted her old flawed, bullied, unpopular self to be forgotten.

{{wish_inline
|title=Anywhere but here!
|status=debunked
}}

Because Sayaka wished to heal Kamijou, she received healing powers in addition to the powers all other Magi have.
Homura has a unique power as well - She can either teleport or move faster than the human eye can follow. This suggests that her wish had something to do with movement. One likely conclusion to draw from this line of reasoning is that she used her wish to run away from something, possibly an abusive family.

{{wish_inline
|title=I wish my Oneesan was an unstoppable magical girl!
|status=debunked
}}

Rather than choosing to be a magical girl herself, she was wished into being a magical girl -- perhaps from someone who loved her, such as a little sister. The little sister, or someone similar (another member of the family? A friend?) specifically wishes that Homura would be unstoppable, and ends up becoming a magical girl alongside her, but then dies in battle later. Homura, however, has become "immortal". If this was so, this would make her the one Mami is talking about when she warns against making wishes for other people. It also explains why she doesn't die/become injured when Charlotte chomps on her, why Kyubey seems to flipflop on his involvement in her wish, why Homura seems so mature (and claims to have seen many magical girls die in her lifetime), and why she doesn't appear to have any family (all of her family members have died from old age). (Original poster: The "immortality" bit of this might not apply since episode 6; every Puella Magi is effectively immortal if her soul gem is not destroyed. Not to mention this theory doesn't explain Homura's superspeed.)

{{wish_inline
|title=I want to redo what I did wrong.
|status=confirmed
|episode=10
}}

Homura wishes to avoid a fatal outcome and go back in time to redo everything.

Revealed in episode 10. Homura from timeline 1 wished to go back in time and save Madoka from her fate. The exact wording of her wish was "I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. Instead of being protected by her, I want to protect her!"

== Mami's Wish ==
[[File:Manga_Mami_Wish.jpg|thumb|right|Mami's wish as shown in manga ver.]]

{{wish_inline
|title=I don't want to die, period
|status=unknown
}}
The most likely wish, as it is confirmed in general theory. Mami wished to be saved/not to die, with no further qualification.

{{wish_inline
|title=I don't want to die alone!
|status=unknown
}}

Before she met Madoka and friends, [[Mami]] was all alone-- her apartment was empty except for her presence, and had no contact with her family. When Kyubey made his offer, Mami wished to not die alone. As in many "deal with the devil" stories, the contract is upheld, yet in a twisted manner: Mami made new friends and immediately died before their eyes. This seems to be proven wrong in Episode 10, however, during one of the occurrences in which she dies.

{{wish_inline
|title=Please help...
|status=manga
}}

In manga canon, her wish is shown to be simply "please help" after being questioned by Kyubey about her wish in a car accident.

{{wish_inline
|title="To connect to life": Tie to life (or Staying Alive)
|status=magazine
}}

The only official information regarding Mami's wish in the anime can be found [[Megami Magazine 2011-07|in a magazine article]] (''"To connect to life"'') but doesn't give enough information. The only other clue to her wish is [[NewType_2011-07#Mami_Character_Description|"Staying alive"]] in another article. It is speculated that this can be interpreted as "Tied to Life" (''"to connect to life"'': another way of saying she wanted to "live", which would be her actual wish.) which gave Mami her ability to use magic ribbons. The lack of concrete official information makes this data incomplete and it is only speculative at the moment until sufficient information is given from the creators. We do not know the exact wording of Mami's wish but given the clues we can interpreted it along the lines of ''"I want to keep my connection to life"''. This interpretation should not be taken as factual until further information is provided.

One possible interpretation to Mami's ribbon powers and her wish to live could be connected to Buddhist beliefs. The idea in Buddhism is that the life we are living right now is just a temporary phase. Death is not the end, instead it's the time for your soul to begin a new journey. And thus "wanting to live" is equal to "have a lot of attachment to this world" in Buddhist expression, rather than "fear of dying". Mami's wish was generated from her strong attachment to life and her power took the form of literal attachment: being able to tie things together.

== Sayaka's Wish ==
{{wish_inline
|title=Kamijou
|status=confirmed
|episode=4
}}

Sayaka has wished for Kamijou's arm to be healed. As a side-effect, the wish granted her the ability of fast recovering. Whether there are any downsides to this wish (such as the healing being temporary, Kamijou being killed shortly after his recovery, etc.) remains to be seen.

== Kyoko's Wish ==
{{wish_inline
|title=I want to eat
|status=debunked
}}

According to abandoned child theory, she once almost ended up starving to death and wished for food when Kyubey appeared with his proposal. Since that time she does not have problems with hunger as long as she gets Grief Seeds.

{{wish_inline
|title=Someone believe my father
|status=confirmed
|episode=7
}}

Kyoko wished people to believe in her father's unorthodox teachings.

[[Category:Speculah]]