Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook "You Are Not Alone"

Summary

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook "You Are Not Alone", a compilation on a wide variety of information on Madoka Magica, was released on August 27th, 2011. The table of contents reveals these categories of information: Illustrations, Episode and Characters, Cast Interviews, Materials, and Staff Interviews.

Table of Contents

A look at the sample pages from the Guidebook reveals it contains a wide range of information, including:

Prior illustrations from magazines and other sources
Episodic coverage and character pages including commentary
Staff Interviews with cast members
After-recording report comic reported and illustrated by hanokage, author of the Madoka Magica manga.
Design, sketches and other production-related material similar to Production Note or Art Book
Staff Interviews with many staff members
Staff behind-the-scenes discussion
Early character designs of initial concepts

Translations

Puella Magi Madoka Magica After-recording Report

Translation courtesy of symbv from evageeks forum.

Episode 11: Part 1
Full written translation

Part 2: Pre-recording
Full written translation

Part 3: Recording
Full written translation

Part 4: Walpurgis Nacht
Full written translation

Temporary title is “Mahou Shoujo Apocalypse”

File:Guidebook Scan 01.jpg

[EN: Ume Aoki is original character designer and Atsuhiro Iwakami is the main producer]

Aoki – Later when I watched it again from ep.1, I got the impression that the heroine kept changing from one to one. From ep.4 it is the story about Sayaka and Kyoko, and when it is near the last part Homura starts to get more noticeable. At the end Madoka becomes the proper protagonist.

Iwakami – About the characters, to be honest at the time when I read the screenplay I could not read this far. Indeed it became like an omnibus where there is Mami arc, Sayaka arc, Kyoko arc etc. In one sense it is like Bakemonogatari in which the composition is to showcase the appeal of each heroine by turn, and then I thought “I see, so it is what it has become.”

Interviewer – By the way, how about making the protagonist Madoka and other girls junior high students?

Iwakami – Primary school student, if in 3D form, will give the impression of child actor, not idol. However, if it is junior high student, people will recognize her as an idol, and I thought it may get easier to get people to watch it. So even before Urobuchi-san finished writing the plot, [I gave ?] the condition of “make [???] mahou shoujo of junior high students..... [more text on the next page]

Data in production stage

Planning Memo (Upper right)

Story keyword

When the wish of a magical girl comes true, she becomes a witch.
Based on friendship between an idealistic girl and a realistic girl.
The idealistic girl claims that to become a witch is bad. But she exhausts her power for the world and becomes a witch...

Main characters are the two above, with additional two, total 4.
If sub characters are counted, total about 7 characters.
Protagonists are about 15 years old.

They may use magic to transform.
But they are mainly wearing uniform.
Although it is subtle whether they are in magical school, the school is serious and strict.

Visual image

The image of 4 girls are as follows:
- The idealistic girl: bright, and looking forward.
- The realistic girl: seem to know everything as an adult. She is excellent in both knowledge and physical power.
- The talented girl: comes from witch's blood. She has inborn magic.
- The learned girl: learning magic systematically. She looks like an otaku.

The tragic fate of magical girls, and the decision. ...(their serious face?)
Needs some gadgets of magical girls, like sticks, bracelet or necklace.
An animal who guides them to their fights.
- While looking cute, he will say something terrible like "Do you have desire to improve the world, even have to pay your life". He is so cruel because he knows everything.

Minutes (Lower right)

(ToDo)

Series Proposal (left)

Episode	Story
01	A scene of destruction. All characters are dead miserably. Homura is fighting a terrible monster with blood on her. Madoka is watching this but she can do nothing. But it seem she can save all of them by becoming a magical girl. As soon as she makes up her mind to make contract with a fairy, she wakes up. Is this a dream? In a peaceful morning, she is going to school with her good friend, Sayaka, as usual. Here comes a transferred student called Homura. She is the girl in Madoka's dream. But after school, Madoka sees she killing a cute animal. Then Homura come to attack Madoka and Sayaka, who are trying to protect that animal.
02	(Mami appears. Mami explains about magical girl to them.)
03	(Madoka almost makes a contract. But Mami dies, and Homura saves her. At the same time, Sayaka makes a contract)
04	(Kamijou quarrels with Sayaka so that she makes a contract. Kyoko appears)
05	(Kyoko attacks Sayaka. Homura agrees that Kyoko can be the backup. Madoka now in middle of Sayaka and Homura.)
06	(Kyoko's past. Kamijou recovers. The three tiers (Sayaka, Homura & Kyoko, and witches) are fighting endlessly. Madoka is worried about how to help Sayaka.)
07	(Kamijou fully recovered. But he is going the way out of Sayaka's expectation. Sayaka doesn't give up her duty as a magical girl. To make Sayaka back to a regular girl, Madoka steals and throws away her soul gem. To Madoka's surprise, Sayaka doesn't move anymore. The fairy tells her the truth.)
08	(Sayaka is no longer human. But she overcomes the sadness. She simply bears the fate to do witch hunting just like Mami. Madoka considers to become a magical girl again to help her, and Homura comes to argue with her. At the beginning she rebounds strongly because of embarrassment from her over simple consideration, but Homura convinces her by all means. Meanwhile, Kyoko starts to have sympathy with Sayaka, although they are incompatible, still fighting against each other.)
09	Sayaka falls into despair definitely (caused by Kamijou?)
10	Sayaka finally become a grief seed and hatches a witch. Kyoko killed the witch but also sacrifice herself. The fairy tells the truth to desperate Madoka. He also tells her that he has seen countless examples of this but he is still unable to understand how human thinks. And a new witch with unseen power is approaching. It seems there's no way to protect the city unless Madoka becoming a magical girl.
11	Homura confesses to Madoka about her ability and object. She also tells Madoka that she has done that many times. This is the timeline Madoka keeping alive the longest. Although she cannot save other girls' lives, it might be a chance to change Madoka's fate. Homura swears that she will protect Madoka with her own life. But Madoka is still unable to understand. The final fight is coming in such situation.
12	Madoka arranges her feelings about Homura. The fairy predicts that Homura won't have a change to win. He suggests Madoka to make a contract, and says her soul gem is so enormous that the power of her wish is much more than others. The final battle between Homura and witch comes. Homura cannot stand up with such a great power difference. This scene is the same as Madoka's dream.
13	Is there a way to save all magic girls? Madoka finally makes contract with the fairy. "I wish to become the existence to eliminate all witches from past to the future!" ...... Madoka finally understand how hard Homura did for her, and the friendship between them. ......

Witch Design

Labyrinth design

Episode	Concept	Words
3 (Part)	Cafe for two （２人カフェ）	"My dream is tea time." （私の夢はティータイム） When the witch dies, the magical girl steps on the cups and breaks them.
3 (Part)	One hole cheese cake	"It's really a delicious cheese cake. My dying mother wanted to eat it, but maybe I should have cured her disease instead. However, that surely wasn't possible." （とてもおいしいチーズケーキ。死にかけのお母さんが食べたがっていたの。でも、もしかするとお母さんの病気でも治してあげたらよかったカスラ。けれと、きっとそれはそおいうことでもないのダワ。）
4	Snowglobe （スノードーム）	"I have only one wish. Box up that memory." （私の願いはただひとつ、あの思い出をとじこめて） When the witch dies, the lights on the Christmas tree and merry-go-round short out. There's a 'basssh!' sound.
7	Church	"I wish you, although not seen from me, to be happy." （まだ見ないあなたが幸せであるように） When the witch dies, the stained glass collapses and drops into the air. There's a 'baaaaaaahn' sound like from a pipe organ.
9	Trains	"My wish is somewhere not here." （私の願いはここではないどこか） In the final scene, the magical girl kills her from behind in the first carriage, and the train derails.
10 (Patricia)	Blue Sky	"It's raining again today. How long will I continue to be unlucky for?" （今日という日が雨だなんて私はどれほどついていないんだろう） When the witch dies, it rains heavily. There is a sound like an aircraft crashing.
10 (Roberta)	Dolls	"I wish for friends. Friends who won't dislike me." （私の願いはお友達。私を嫌いにならないお友達） When the witch dies, the bird cage is getting shot down and spilling a circular rain of blood.
Set-constructing witch (Walpurgis Night)	Stage	"Everything in this world is fake. My life is nothing more than a drama that you penned. Please, prove it. "Faust" is on show." （この世界はすべて嘘でした。私の人生はあなたの書いた戯曲にすぎません。それを証明して下さい。「ファウスト」が上演中）