Episode revisions

Shaft, the animation studio behind the series, is known for making extensive modifications for rebroadcasts and disc releases of their series. The airing and release schedule for Madoka Magica allowed for several opportunities for that practice, as it consisted of:

• the original broadcasts on MBS and (one day later) TBS
• one week late broadcast on CBC
• webcast on Nico Nico Douga, Showtime and AnimeOne
• three months late broadcast on AT-X
• DVD/BD releases

The Great East Japan Earthquake occured shortly after Episode 10's original airing on MBS. For various reasons (speculated to be one or more of: the quake directly affecting the studio's building, TV stations extensively showing current reports, apocalyptic events depicted in the anime and Spring shows being already scheduled after stabilization), the series went on a five-week-long hiatus thereafter, also causing the DVD/BD releases to be postponed by one month. This may have given the studio more time to make revisions, although it should be remembered that the its building has been affected by the quake.

Episode 1

The original version premiered on MBS on January 6.

Webcast/AT-X version

This version was first shown on Nico Nico Douga on January 12. The same version was later shown on other streaming sites and rebroadcast on AT-X on April 2.

• In the original broadcast, all the background music (most notably, Magia played during the prologue scene) is played slower and at a lower pitch. In the AT-X version (and reportedly the webcast version, too), this was corrected, causing the need for the tunes to be edited differently to fit the video.

Blu-ray version

This version of the episode was released with the Blu-ray Volume 1 on April 27.

Some of those differences were first pointed on Amimone☆Nikki, a Japanese fan's blog.

• There are many slight lighting changes throughout the whole episode.
• There are many slight voice timing corrections throughout the whole episode (some lines are moved by fractions of second compared to the original version).
• The prologue scene was heavily modified, to keep it in line with Timeline 4 of Episode 10.
• A new version of the opening sequence is used.
• In mother waking scene, a mannequin near the bed has been removed.
• Direction of sunlight is changed in some shots of the walk to school.
• Girls' shadows are drawn in more detail in other shots of the same scene.
• Closeup shot of the teacher is re-animated.
• During Homura's introduction, her name on the whiteboard is moved to be visible.
• Sayaka's hairpin is removed (it was mistakenly drawn on the wrong side) in one of the shots in the classroom.
• Lighting is dimmed in Homura's high jump shot.
• Sayaka and Hitomi are shown giggling upon hearing Madoka saying she met Homura in her dream. Previous versions featured just a still picture.
• Lights glow in Kyubey chase scene is changed.
• A fence is added before Madoka in the shot where she meets Kyubey.
• Lines on Madoka's cheeks are less intense in a closeup shot of her afterwards.
• When Gertrud's barrier first appears, the images and runes are more clearly visible, the translucent "screen" is removed for most part, and smooth wipes are replaced by sharp cuts.
• Several cartoonish sound effects were added to the barrier's appeareance.
• Runes shown when Anthonies are reciting a poem in German are changed. It now features the so-called archaic script instead of the modern one and an entirely different text.
• The explosion in Gertrud's maze is animated completely differently.
• Mami's Soul Gem in her first shot is much smaller, and has little flowers sparkling around it.
• Mami is lit differently in a shot before her transformation.
• During Mami's transformation, Soul Gem has different shape and is glowing more intensively. The whole transformation sequence is also brighter.
• Final explosion of the fight is significantly brighter.
• During the talk between Homura and Mami after the fight, additional chains hanging from the ceiling are drawn.
• The episode has a proper ending sequence with an entirely new song. Hence credits superimposed on the last scenes are removed.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the original broadcast version and the Blu-ray release of the episode:

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Episode 2

The original version premiered on MBS on January 13 and was later published on web distributions sites on January 19 and rebroadcast on AT-X on April 9 without changes.

Blu-ray version

Some of those differences were pointed on Amimone☆Nikki.

• Like in Episode 1, many voice lines have been re-timed.
• Pre-OP scene of Mami's fight and introduction is lit brighter.
• A new version of the opening sequence is used, like in Episode 1.
• Reflections in the mirror during the bath scene are much brighter.
• Interior of Mami's apartment is redesigned completely, with a round table, a different-legged triangular table, a different sofa, a stairway and many stuff inside (see picture on the right). Outlook is also slightly changed and only her name is on her nameplate instead of more (perhaps two) names. Note that many of these changes could be already seen in Episode 10, 12 and in AT-X version of Episode 4.
• Mami's Soul Gem is bigger when she shows it to the second-years.
• In the original print of the Blu-ray discs, there is a production error consisting of Mami's line "They [Soul Gems] are created when a girl chosen by Kyubey forms a contract" mistakenly replaced by a repeat of her earlier line "Being chosen by Kyubey means you're involved in this", which she said as one of first lines during the girls' visit. The mistake is likely due to two lines beginning with the same words (「キュゥべぇに選ばれた」) in Japanese. The defective version has already been recalled by Aniplex due to this issue and wrong lyrics of the character song printed in the booklet.
• Some shots inside Mami's apartment have characters redrawn in addition to a completely different background.
• Color of the sunset behind Mami's windows is different.
• Madoka is visible in some of the shots of Junko before the mirror.
• Shot of Mami's reflection in the table is zoomed out, showing much more detail.
• Madoka's face is lit differently during a closeup shot in Mami's apartment.
• Closeups of Mami's Soul Gem show a slightly different design of it.
• Fence on the school rooftop has a different pattern, to keep it in line with Episode 7 and AT-X version of Episode 4.
• Flash of Kyousuke's room now features a dark sunset or sunrise. He is also sitting straight, instead of laying down.
• When the girls go on a witch hunt, the lighting is darker, and blooming cherry trees are replaced by dead trees. The bridges also have different designs.
• The woman who jumps off the bridge has darker hair.
• The floor of the building where Gertrud is hiding is now patterned.
• Some shots inside the witch's barrier have different lighting.
• A place before entrance to Gertrud's chamber looks different.
• The witch's chamber feature more flowers in the background.
• Gertrud's name (in runes) is written in a smaller and differently colored font.
• The witch's movements after Mami is tied up and before she attcks with Tiro Finale, are different.
• Magical attacks during the fight have a brighter glow. In one shot there are also flowers sparkling around the beams.
• The ending sequence is added, like in Episode 1.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the original broadcast version and the Blu-ray release of the episode:

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Episode 3

The original version premiered on MBS on January 20. No changes have been spotted in either webcast (premiered on January 26) or AT-X (broadcast on April 16) version.

Blu-ray version

• Kyousuke's bed is modified like Episode 4 AT-X version.
• At Mami's buttle with Ulla, street lights is lighting and clouds are in the sky.
• In shots in the night street, effects of lights and shades are modified.
• The production error lower half of something long in Sayaka's hand is not drawn in one shot is corrected.
• In the shot of Madoka's note, her thumbs are not in the frame.
• The arrangement of bicycles and bicycle-stoppers in a parking area at the hospital is modified.
• The outlook of the hospital is entirely changed.
• Many changes are in shots of Charlotte's labyrinth. Some shot in the labyrinth are entirely changed.
• In the labyrinth, colors of Sayaka, Madoka, Mami and Homura are normal. In the broadcast version, they are vivid, dark and purplish, or Homura's colors are faint.
• Yellow glow from Homura-binding Mami's ribbons is reduced.
• Homura binded by Mami's ribbon is redrawn.
• Just before Mami's transformation, her ring is shining brightly.
• Mami's transformation is redrawn.
• Saying “I'm not afraid of anything anymore,” Mami is standing upright instead of bending her knee.
• Many shots of Charlotte 1st form are redrawn. Her eyes are turquoise like her witch card instead of black.
• The shot of Mami just before bitten is redrawn. She seems to be less surprised and not to understand what has happened.
• When Homura bombs Charlotte secondary, dessert-bombs are thrown to her from all sides.
• The production error Homura is in her magical girl costume after de-transformation to her school girl uniform is corrected.
• Charlotte's grief seed has a black interior when Homura picks it up, and it no longer looks like some sort of soul gem-grief seed hybrid.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the original broadcast version and the Blu-ray release of the episode:

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Episode 4

The original version premiered on MBS on January 27.

First webcast of the episode was on Nico Nico Douga on February 2. Little is known about that version of the episode, since the web videos are not viewable outside Japan.

AT-X/Blu-ray version

Episode 4 has been broadcast on AT-X on April 23. A heavily modified version of the episode was shown, featuring numerous updates:

• Kyousuke's bed is modified, featuring new bed-head design.
• Several shots in the pre-OP sequence are lit differently. Most notably, closeups of Sayaka are now not shaded, as the sunlight is behind her. Shots of Kyousuke, both while him doing his rehabilitation, and during a flashback, are darker.
• In the original version, in the middle of Madoka's line "I'm grateful I can eat Papa's delicious breakfast", there was a cut to a shot of the whole family. In the revised version, closeup shot of Madoka lasts until the end of that scene.
• During Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi's walk to school, lighting is darker in shots from the side.
• The English lesson on the whiteboard is different. It contains sentences iii and iv, rather than the sentences i and ii that appeared in the original version.
• A zoom-in shot of Homura during classes is redrawn (her left eye is now visible) and the zooming is slower.
• School rooftop (most notably, its white tall fence and its checkered floor) has been updated, to keep it in line with what's seen in Episode 2 (Blu-ray), Episode 7.
• Mami's emptied apartment's nameplate and the apartment itself has been updated, making it much more full and cozy, to keep it in line with what's seen in Episode 10.
• In the scene where Madoka and Homura are talking while walking on a bridge, the far shot of the bridge is lit much darker.
• In shot where only their shadows are visible, white lines on the road are added.
• One of closeup shots of Madoka's legs during the scene is darker lit. Her legs are also now blocking the sunlight.
• In one of the far shots, the sky is darker.
• In the scene where Sayaka visits Kyousuke in the hospital, the lighting is a bit different.
• The shot of Kyubey standing in the window features him drawn as much darker silhouette.
• When Madoka is strolling through the city, the shadows underneath her are moving differently.
• In the closeup shot of Madoka, tops of buildings on her sides are removed.
• The whole scene is lit darker, including Hitomi in the shot where Madoka approaches her.
• In the building where the suicide pact members gather, the lights have different glow to them and the whole hall is lit darker.
• In Madoka's flashback of her mom's teachings, the pictures on the walls appear fainter, and her night shirt is blue instead of green
• The bottles with the cleaning products are now clear steel canisters, with no label, both in the warehouse and in Madoka's flashback.
• The larger detergent canister is now white and has no label.
• The room Madoka escapes to is lit fainter, making the scene less purple-tinted.
• The first images which appear on Elly's screen are timed differently.
• There is snow falling inside Elly's barrier.
• Waves originating from Elly after Sayaka's first strike are rainbow-colored.
• The liquid spewing out of Elly after being hit is now black instead of white.
• Elly's Grief Seed is now visible after Sayaka defeats her.
• During a short shot of Homura after Sayaka's fight, she is seen standing on a different construction.
• When Kyubey is seen sitting with Kyouko, he is drawn as a dark silhouette.
• The far shot of Kyouko and Kyubey is darker and has a lens flare effect.
• Kyouko's grin now shows her chin flexed.
• The ending sequence is revised:
  • Kanji spelling of the Kamijou surname is changed from 上條 to 上条, to keep it in line with the later episodes.
  • The constant glow at the center of the screen is removed.
  • The eye around Madoka appears later, but the whole scene is zoomed out more quickly.
  • A different effect is used to end the animation.

Here is a visual comparison between the original and AT-X versions:

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The same version seems to be used on the Blu-ray Volume 2, which was released on May 25.

Episode 5

The original version premiered on MBS on February 3. No changes have been spotted in either webcast (premiered on February 9) or AT-X (broadcast on April 30) version.

Episode 6

The original version premiered on MBS on February 10. No changes have been spotted in either webcast (premiered on February 16) or AT-X (broadcast on May 7) version.

Episode 7

The original version premiered on MBS on February 17. No changes have been spotted in either webcast (premiered on February 23) or AT-X (broadcast on May 14) version.

Episode 8

The original version premiered on MBS on February 24. No changes have been spotten in either webcast (premiered on March 2) or AT-X (broadcast on May 21) version.

Episode 9

The original version premiered on MBS on March 3.

Episode 10

The original version premeried on MBS on March 10. Next day was the Great East Japan Earthquake, causing the episode not to be aired on TBS and starting the six-week-long hiatus for the series.

Webcast version

This version premiered on Nico Nico Douga on March 16. It features several updates compared to the original broadcast.

• When Madoka and Mami attack Izabel in her barrier, the original version has highly stylized black-and-white blobs. The revised version show more detailed laser beams.
• One of the shots of Walpurgis Night in Timeline 1 is mirrored, compared to the original version.
• Kyubey is removed from the scene when Madoka becomes a witch in Timeline 2.
• The color scheme of the aforementioned Madoka's transformation into a witch is reversed - it was a white energy blob and black lightning in the original version, but it's a dark energy blob and a white lightning in the revised version.
• During the battle with Oktavia von Seckendorff in Timeline 3, her full name (in runes) is shown. In the original version, only "Oktavia von" is readable: "Seckendorff" was misplaced off-screen, as seen by the tips of the O, R and F runes at the bottom edge of the screen.
• Spots of grief in one of Homura's shots when she's making a promise to protect Madoka are timed differently.
• Two first shots of Roberta's barrier are discolored.
• Kriemhild Gretchen's name in Timeline 4 is shown (in runes).
• A big tree is seen next to the platform where Homura and Kyubey stand after Madoka's transformation.
• Homura is seen walking through the "tunnel of time" in shots where she was walking just on a dark background in the original version.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the original broadcast version (left) and the webcast revision (right) of the episode:

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TBS/CBC version

The series went off hiatus and finished on April 21 on MBS and TBS, and on April 24 on CBC. Since TBS and CBC haven't shown Episode 10 until then, all three episodes were shown one after another on these stations.

The version of Episode 10 aired then features few further revisions:

• Several shots (especially those featuring explosions and magical attacks) are slightly darker.
• When Madoka is guiding Homura to the nurse's office in Timeline 1, shots showing windows when they are walking near solid walls are corrected to show solid walls instead.
• The first shot of Walpurgis Night in Timeline 1 is mirrored as well.
• The far shot of Walpurgis Night features the witch lit darker than in previous revisions.
• When Homura first sees her Soul Gem in Timeline 2, the shot of her hand is dimmed to the bottom left corner.
• Before Homura's introduction in Timeline 2, a shot of the school's front gate is shown instead of a generic image of the glass building.
• The rain is heavier during Homura's practice with golf club.
• The time stops a little later in this scene, showing the moment the rain fall stops.
• In another shot of this scene, a rain droplet is added in front of the camera.
• Inside of Patricia's skirt has a bug pattern to it.
• Kriemhild Gretchen's Grief Seed is filled black instead of being translucent. Moreover, it stays on Madoka's hand instead of floating in the air.
• Oktavia von Seckendorff is shown moving just before the explosion that kills her. In earlier revisions, a still picture of her was shown.
• Black spots in one of Homura's shots at the end of Timeline 3 are revised again. They are now bigger and less transparent.
• Madoka's Soul Gem is fixed in one of her shots during the same scene.
• When Homura approaches Madoka in Timeline 4, the light is turned on in Madoka's room.
• The rotating platform Homura is standing on during the fight with Roberta is discolored in the first shot, so is her cage and the shot when it explodes. The entire Roberta's barrier is more stuffed, with more familiars, and precious jewels: mainly diamonds and rubies.
• The aforementioned explosion is brighter and has a glow effect to it.
• The shot in which Homura appears before Madoka in Timeline 5 is darker.

Below is a visual comparison between the webcast and TBS versions:

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Episode 11

The original version premiered on MBS and TBS on April 21, together with Episode 12.

Webcast version

Internet distribution of Episode 11 started on Nico Nico Douga on April 24. This version features few additional shots not shown in the original broadcast, probably as a form of self-restraint censorship:

• Several shots in the shelter were added. One of them shows a replica of a satellite map made after the 2011 Touhoku Earthquake.
• A closeup shot of Homura's leg broken under a rock is added.

Below is a gallery of some of the shots added in this revision:

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Episode 12

The original version premiered on MBS and TBS on April 21, together with Episode 11.

Opening sequence

The original version of the opening sequence was used only in the broadcast versions of first two episodes. Later releases feature slightly modified versions of it.

Episode 3–4 version

The original broadcast of Episode 3 was the debut of a significantly reworked version of the opening sequence, featuring following revisions:

• The background of the first shots is in significantly fainter colors (Some fans assume less yellow represents Mami's disappearance). Patterns of falling colored circles are changed.
• The first title logo is not shading off.
• Madoka's transformation now occurs within a spherical bubble. The background of the scene is now a darker shade of yellow and features more runes, now animated.
• The transformation animation itself now features more visual effects, which are also brighter.
• Kamijou's hair is light brown instead of silver.
• In the shot with umbrellas, the ground's paint pattern is different.
• Zoom-upping Madoka is added a filter.
• In the scene of Madoka running through the city, she is running faster, exploring more areas. There are more walls visible, though, and the sky is darker.
• In a subsequent shot, there is more contrast, and another fence is added before the camera.
• The beam of light next to the skyscraper resembling the Burj Khalifa is more visible and reaches higher.
• Subsequent shot of Madoka is darker.
• The shot of the moon (showing names of the show and the episode) is much brighter, but the colors are fainter.
• The final shot of Sayaka, Amy, Madoka, Kyubey and Mami is brighter and the camera zooms out faster.

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Episode 5, 7–9 version

This version is almost identical to the episode 3's version. The differences are:

• The color of rain smudges on Madoka's window in the shot featuring her in bed.
• Madoka's sheet and Kyubey has different forms in some shots of her bed.
• Umbrellas are shaded as if they are 3DCG models.
• The shot of stepping Madoka from the underside is totally re-animated, most notably, her petticoat is more ruffled.
• Homura and Madoka's close-ups in the sunset town are re-animated, most notably, Madoka's bunches are longer.

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  On the top is the episode 3 version. The bottom is how this shot looks in episode 4 onwards.

Episode 6 version

This version was used only in broadcasted Episode 6. By contrast, on webcasts the common (Episode 5's) version is used.

It differs from the more common version in the far shot of Madoka's transformation, which now features

• A background in alternating colors instead of static yellow.
• Madokas move their bodies instead of being upright.

Subsequent closeup shots are left unchanged.

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  Screenshot on the top is from Episode 5, on the bottom from Episode 6. Note that the bottom screenshot is zoomed in and cropped.

Episode 10–11 version

This version is identical to the version used in episodes 5 and 7 through 9, except that the final shot now features Homura and Kyouko.

Note that in Episode 10, the usual opening sequence is used as the ending sequence (the episode lacks a proper opening sequence), and thus features a different credits roll.

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Blu-ray version

The version used on Blu-ray releases (and available in a credits-free version on Blu-ray Volume 1) is very similar to the one used in the broadcast version of Episode 6. There are some further changes, however:

• Closeup shots of Madoka's transformation scene now feature multi-colored background, like the first shot, and the biggest rune chain now casts a shadow.
• Madokas when her clothing appears in her transformation are redrawn. Her petticoat is shorter then her thighs are barer, and it is more ruffled like the later shot from the underside.
• The subsequent scene, where Madoka is running through the city, is now brighter, and feature shading on Madoka's drawing instead of flat-filled colors seen in previous versions.

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  TV (ep3 onward) version on the top, BD version on the bottom.

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  New version of Madoka running scene. BD version is on the left, TV on the right.

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  A comparison of the TV opening (episodes 1-2 version) and the BD version.