Talk:Magazines

Note: Effort is being made to identify, translate and sort what is on this page. Anybody who would like to add their input can do so on Translated Official Documents/Redesign (see Template:Document for editing subtilities). There is quite a lot of work ahead of us, so every contribution, as little as it may be, is greatly welcome. Thank you! --Homerun-chan 19:31, 11 June 2011 (UTC)

Note: Do not forget that there is a special category for translation requests. You can add files that need a translation by adding [[Category:Translation request]] to the description field. It is then not necessary to add them on this page then.

Unknown Interview

Unknown interview, as translated in these posts: >>45451122 >>45457658

今のところ、とんだオープニング詐欺ですよね（笑）。安易に変身しないのは、逆に「魔法少女になる」ということの重さを感じさせますね。その選択をするまでの物語ですからね。観る人は面食らうかもしれませんけど、幸いなことに今回はおもちゃを売る必要がないので出来ることだと思います
At this point the opening looks like an amazing fraud (laughs). Transformation is not easy, but I wanted the viewer to feel the weight of "becoming a magical girl". After all, it's the story until they make that choice. The viewers may be confused, but luckily I think we can do it because we don't have to sell the merchandising.

これがスポンサーありきの企画だったら、まず第1話で変身させないとぶん殴られるところですよ（笑）。でも、せっかくそういう形じゃない座組で作る作品なので、こういう時に出来ることなんでもやっちゃおうという感じです。
If this were a project with typical sponsors, we'd get slapped around if we didn't make her transform in the first episode. (laughs) But since we're fortunately not stuck with that type of project this time, we're proceeding along the lines of "let's do everything we can get away with this time!

キュウべえについてはいかがですか?この作品の鍵となるキャラカとおもいますが．．．．．．。
Oh, and what about Kyubee? I think he's the key character in this work......

Additional text from that interview which needs translating: http://green-oval.net/cgi-board.pl/a/thread/45448210#p45448210 Yil 16:51, 1 February 2011 (CST)

From Megami 2011/03. --0x99 00:18, 2 February 2011 (CST)

Added. --0x99 19:45, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

Megami interview

There's a translated Megami interview from around November 2010 which doesn't appear to be on the page, and doesn't include the Megami quote listed there. http://absolute.fanboi.us/2010/11/madoka-magica-megami-interview.html Can't be certain that this link will stay alive, so maybe we should copy the whole thing to a new page linked from the main documents page and credit absolute.fanboi.us as the source. Yil 03:58, 29 January 2011 (CST)

Kitaeri's radio regarding Sayaka

Summary from 2ch

キタエリの発言

• 現場では、完全に「さやかマギカ」と言われる

In the studio, we're all referring to this project as "Sayaka★Magica."

• 可哀そうな方向にしかいかないが、一寸の光はある

Things are going to move in a tragic direction, but there's a ray of light at the end of the tunnel.

• ３話以降（例のシーン）以降、ニトロ作品らしいダークな一癖も二癖もある話が展開されていく

After Episode 3, we're gonna have a Nitroplus-like development in the story. There'll be a twist or two in the plot, and it'll get dark.

• さやかには、話の核心を付いたセリフがあるらしい
• 自分からフラグを立てていき、さやかの周りでも引っくり返しが２～３回以上起こるらしい
• ほむら役の千和曰く、「さやかはおいしい役だった」とのこと
• キーパーソンになる

She'll become a key person.

Source:

• Clip recording that portion from Kitaeri's radio
• 2ch post summarizing her words

Should transcript/translate the relevant section. --0x99 00:37, 4 February 2011 (CST)

NT wordplay dump

[[File:Scans_from_Newtype.jpg|thumb|200px|Scans]]
=====Text in the scans=====
The large text that says "魔女" and "魔法少女" translate as "Witch, or Magical Girl," and is a bit of wordplay.

The kanji for magical girl is 魔法少女<br>
魔法 = way of magic / sorcery<br>
少女 = young girl<br>

The kanji for witch is 魔女<br>
魔 = evil/magic<br>
女 = woman<br>

Thus, 魔法少女, "magical girl," cannot be written without including the characters 魔女, "witch".

I feel this don't provide any new information, just explaining wordplay (which I guess should be on the trivia page?) So move here for the time being. --0x99 02:40, 10 February 2011 (CST)

Given Kyuubey's last line in Episode 8, my opinion is that this should probably be moved back into this page. Oatmeal 03:32, 25 February 2011 (UCT)

I believe it's better explained in Glossary page, since these two words are used throughout the series, not just in this scan. --0x99 18:55, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

Questionnaire

Questionnaire from unknown magazine

Found this posted on /a/, with the translation:

>Tomoe Mami: Mizuhashi Kaori
>I was drawn to the role since I've rarely been able to play a part like this before. I was allowed to choose which role I could audition for and really wanted to try her out so I'm glad I challenged myself this time around. And then when I heard the story setting ||I really wanted to play this role||, so I'm happy I got it.

Oatmeal 18:29, 20 February 2011 (CST)

It was Megami Magazine, same issue as what's already in the pre-broadcast section. The questionnaire itself is pretty interesting, someone might want to do a full translation. (If no one did, I'll do it later.) --0x99 18:48, 20 February 2011 (CST)

Another unknown interview =

雑誌インタビュー

-キュウべぇは殺された！と思ったら、直後に復活しましたね
an interview on magazine:
Q: I thought QB is killed, but then it resuurect.

虚淵：
前の個体の損傷が激しくなると、自動的に次の個体が生成されます。
そして魔法少女がキュウべぇを殺すと、ペナルティとしてソウルジェムの濁
りを濃くされてしまいます。
Urobochi: If QB suffers severe damage, a new body will be automatically produced. And then, the magical girl who done this will be seriously punished by tainting her soul gem.

それもキュウべぇは説明していませんが（笑）
Of course, QB will never tell them the truth.

ちなみにキュウべぇが自分の死体を食べたのは、体がこの世界にはない物質
でできており、その証拠隠滅のためです。

By the way, the reason that QB consume his former corpse is because he wants to destroy the evidences of something should'nt supposed to exist in this world

--92.101.64.182 09:17, 26 February 2011

Not in both NyanType and Megami. Fake. (To clarify: only two anime magazines went on sale around that date.) --0x99 18:52, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

Magazine images and text

http://2cat.twbbs.org/~tedc21thc/new/pixmicat.php?res=4903 more magazine photos

This got posted in >>46512159 It's not clear whether it's a troll or part of a Megami interview. Seems worth investigating by someone who can actually read it.

追加：メガミマガジン読みながら

・ＱＢはウソを言わない。「彼女一人では荷が重すぎたんだ。」
QB does not lie, which refers to the very begining in Ep1: "She can't sustain such heavy pressure"

パートナーのまどかがいないから、ほむら一人。
・ほむらは弱い。
Without Madoka as her partner, Homura is alone. And weak.

本来の主戦は魔法少女なのだから、黒猫では弱くて当然。

This is because fighting is basically MG's job, a cat sure can't so much thing.

Googling for the same lines in other places turned up a post in a .tw forum:

Megami流出的消息

有捏到後來的設定和劇情
真假請自行斟酌...更清楚的掃圖尋找中
(如果這情報不適合出現在本版，請板務告知一下)

QBは最後までQBらしい
所詮奴はシステムの歯車でしかないのか・・・希望は何処に・・・

ＱＢはウソを言わない。
「彼女一人では荷が重すぎたんだ。」パートナーのまどかがいないから、ほむら一人。
ほむらは弱い。本来の主戦は魔法少女なのだから、黒猫では弱くて当然。

QB只是系統的一個齒輪，QB不會說謊，
「她一個人負擔太重了」是因為只剩焰一個人，同伴小圓不在的關係
焰很弱，因為主要戰鬥的人是魔法少女，黑貓當然是很弱的
如果這訪談內容是真的，那就可以確定焰就是那隻黑貓
應該滿多人猜這個可能性的0.0"
而QB部分和我感覺的一樣，就是一個中立的角色

雖然讓大家很不爽，但是他不會偏袒任何一方

--KM 16:36, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

No mention of Black Cat in both Megami and NyanType. --0x99 18:58, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

This just popped up on mangajet.com as to why episode 11 may have been delayed into mid-April.
It has to do with Urobuchi asking Megami Magazine to replace an article on Madoka. Maybe someone here can make use/make sense of it.
http://mangajet.com/2011/03/the-reason-why-madoka-magicas-new-episode-cant-be-broadcast-has-been-clear/
--118.22.250.212 16:14, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

I'm not good with google translate-language, but as a general piece of advice, don't forget which day it is (it's already April 1st in some parts of the world, including Japan). All articles getting released today are pretty suspicious... --Homerun-chan 20:10, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

Aha. Fair enough warning. Didn't think about that. But it's dated the 31st and I'm in Tokyo and its already April 1st here. I guess we'll see. But yeah anything posted in this 48 hour timeframe is suspect I suppose.

-- 118.22.250.212 00:32, 1 April 2011 (UTC)

Copypasta of translation is thus:

"Reading the explanation, we can know that it was difficult to broadcast the new episode shortly after the earth quake.

※The explanation

A witch who has strong power. It is perceived as a calamity. Homura proposes to fight against the witch with Kyoko"

And some 2-chan exposition- "Calamity…To all appearances, that broken city is an appearance after big earth quakes. Because the expression overlaps that real earth quakes “Madoka Magica” can’t broadcast the new episode."

NewType/Animedia scan

From an interview, not sure which image each line belongs with.

>46820187

<< Saito Chiwa (CV: Akemi Homura): >>
"Finally, there's only Madoka and Homura. Ep10 is definitely going to be AWESOME, which will makes you scream 'Oh you Urobuchi-san'"

Also from producer:
"I believe our audience will be HAPPY about ending"

Another paragraph in this magazine said: "QB may seems a merciless, evil creature; but it intends to save this universe."

--KM 18:31, 8 March 2011

Scan organization

The easiest way to judge which magazine the scan is originated from is to see when it was first posted.

6th~13th (release date is 10th every month), mostly NewType, Animedia or Animage.

22th~30th (release date is 25th every month), either Megami Magazine or NyanType.

Would be appreciated if someone could organize the gallery by date it was first posted. --0x99 20:45, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Gallery

December 2010

• 

  Also a 100 question survey filled out by Madoka. Mostly concerning mundane things -- what do you wear when you go to bed, are you left-handed or right-handed, have you ever been confessed to, etc. Still would be nice if more of these could come out with different characters.

• 

  A close-up scan of Madoka's questionnaire

• 

  A fan-made (fake) questionnaire for Kyouko

• 

  A fan-made (fake) questionnaire for Mami

• 

  A complete scan of Madoka's questionnaire

100 Questions Page contains translations. See the talk page for details on the ones for Mami and Kyouko, which are fanmade fakes.

February 2011

• 
• 
• 
• Img5.jpg
• Img6.jpg
• 
• 
• 

  Unconfirmed TL: Orico Magica Main highlight is on Kyouko and Mami in a different angle from the anime

• 
• 
• Unknown publication.jpg

  Animedia interview

March 2011

• Img11.jpg

  >Madoka will not transfrom the whole show >I'd more read it as a "does not" as that would be a lot less spoilerific thing to say, with the entire sentence being "A Mahou Shoujo where the main character does not transform".

• 
• 

  >Please first just watch episode 10. You'll see Homura in a much better light. And for any viewers out there who have been recording the whole thing, please watch the first episode before episodes 11 and 12. It'll totally look like two completely different shows. I think that's pretty cool. It's as if the first time you watched it you were completely fooled. But the good kind of fooled...maybe. Please watch all the way to the end. And set the bar high. This show will definitely surpass that.

• 
• 

  The title of the last picture is - Madoka telling Madoka "I want to help you"...

• 

  It's just Shinbo saying that he wanted Kyuubey to look cute, but the staff members made him look scary.

• 
• 

  According to Quarterly S magazine April 2011 issue, director Shinbo Akiyuki said he wants to produce a spin-off of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica. He thinks it's wasteful to let the unique characters go after the end of the current series and it's possible to produce a heart warming slice-of-life series where the characters live their lives smiling not crying.

• 1300371597377.jpg
• 

  This one is fan-made. Note: I don't know if this helps, but that bug-like thing at the bottom of the first Cross Review scan is called "Infector." It's apparently from the Hellgate series.

• 
• Unknown publication.jpg
• 

  Unknown publication of Shinbo's storyboarding for Episode 5 fight.

• 

  Several scans

• 

  A magazine scan

• Staffcomments1.jpg
• Staffcomments2.jpg
• 

  Mami's death bordered on guro to drill it into people's head: she's dead, period.

• 1301482539366.jpg
• Sleepover-text-crop.JPG

April 2011

• 

  This scan reveals that the swallowing sound Kyuubey made after eating his corpse was an ad-lib.
  Urobuchi: I want miyamoto-san to say "Kyuppui" when he finished eating. That was an ad-lib by Kato(Emiri)-san who is voice actor(Seiyu) as Kyubey.
  Shinbou: I think Kato-san was also suitable post(voice) (as Kyubey).
  Urobuch: It is rare that villain's voice is cute.

• 

  ある程度やった人が生活ものに流れていく気持ちが分かりますね
  I understand who works (around animation) somehow a long time trends(wants) to draw stories among usual days.

• 

  Everybody Loves Kyubey
  Kyubey, a character surrounded by mysteries whose extraordinary existence casts a shadow over the drama. His backstory seems to play an important role in the story, he gets shot full of holes and toyed around with. Not like a magical girl mascot, is his harsh treatment proof of his popularity? Maybe.

• Scan-1302534503749.jpg
• Pic-1302630181297.jpg

  The cover of Otona Anime vol. 20, an 80 page booklet describing the series.

• Compilation-1-jpg-95.jpg

  Several magazine scans. (Update images with translations in margins if they get translated)

• Compilation-2-jpg-95.jpg
• Compilation-3-jpg-95.jpg
• 
• Newtype-left-half.jpg
• Newtype-right-half.jpg
• 
• 

  Aniplex placed a full page ad in Yomiuri Shimbun (largest newspaper circulation in theworld) which 2ch sources estimate an expenditure of 49,455,000yen (approximately 600K USD). There were reports that Yomiuri Shimbun sold out in many places because of this ad.

• Translations Eva.png

  Translations of magazine scans and 2ch sources from a fan forum

• 

  According to [1], this article is about Producer Iwakami showing interest in a season 2 of Madoka.

• Magazine translation.png

  Translation of a magazine scan, source unknown.

• Magazine translation 2.png

  Continued translation of a magazine scan, source unknown.

May 2011

• 

  From Asahi Evening (朝日夕刊) newspaper. Seems to be a column deciphering some story-points. It talks about the girls contracting and then being forced to fight witches and the hidden magical girls equals witches rule. With this as the focal point in the last part of the story it gets its sci-fi twist. There is also something about galges being an influence. It also talks about the character growth. Madoka's mum leaving a strong impression as a working mother and with her rough speech, coming into confrontation with Madoka in ep 11. It relates to episode 1 where her mom choose the ribbons for her, but now she chooses her path for herself. That's also in relation to the episode 3 talk about her mom's lifestyle choice/dream and how she gets satisfaction out of that. There is also a mention of magic star magical emi having a similar theme?

• 

  From Lisani! (Listen Anime!) Vol.5. Manga is about Yuuki Aoi (Madoka seiyuu) and Kitamura Eri (Sayaka seiyuu) doing the recording for the scene in Ep.12 when Sayaka finally let go of Kyousuke. KitaEri delivered her words very grudgingly and alarmed Yuuki Aoi. Madoka and Sayaka are wearing the seiyuu's clothing.

• 

  Q: Homura looping over and over, the life of magical girls tending towards death and despair, how did this change according to Madoka’s wish? Due to the existence of witches being erased from this world the reason for Mami’s and Kyouko’s death, who got killed by witches, also disappeared; surviving they exist and fight the demons. Sayaka herself becomes a witch instead, as a result of fighting the demons she ceases to exist. Probably there in the other timeline everyone fought Sayaka who became a witch. In the world after the change it becomes a seemingly different development, the four fight the alternate demons and stop them by the means of Sayaka’s sacrifice. I also talked with director Akiyuki Shinbo a fair bit about that nicety. In the end one’s own self doesn’t fade away despairing, but because it fades away using up this power--the converting into a witch is also a different thing. I think, to save the city and helping someone pervaded Sayaka’s wish. If you think so even though Sayaka ceased to exist it might have been blissful, right? Mami, Kyouko and Homura will have the same fate. So Madoka comes for them and takes them along to a different universe. Her one brisk turn, Sayaka...

• 

  Regarding the new world, how has Kyouko’s destiny changed? In despair Kyouko voluntarily sealed away her original stance of wanting to help people. She was strong after arming herself with an armor of hopelessness and resignation, but the moment she empathized with Sayaka it crumbled down and she became weak. Kyouko of the renewed world doesn’t have to act tough again. She lives a life with pride, without deprecating herself or giving up from the start. The part of the seiyu comic above is mostly about Nonaka having to do half of her lines mumbling around because of Kyouko's constant eating. Alternative translation - Kyouko had originally wanted to save people, but that feeling turned to despair and she then voluntarily closed herself off from the world. She was certainly strong while wearing the armor known as despair and resignation, but her empathizing with Sayaka became a chink in that armor. With her new world view, she came to realize that even if she didn't put up her tough act around others that she would be fine. She became able to live a life full of pride like she did once before, a life free of self-derision and resignation.

• 

  Homura and her hammer space shield. Seems that Gen wasn't really fond giving her only this as weapon, but after seeing the storyboards it seems that he liked the whole pulling machine guns out of nowhere dynamic. The producers also liked it.

• 

  A list of groups who worked on the anime with basic biographical information and a staff list. It was written by Gekidan Inu Curry in a very strange, obnoxious style. The sections mainly talk about how the producers are happy to have worked on the show. For example, the director said "My favorite part was when we finally got the show to launch."

• 

  Source: Megastore June 2011 interview Gen. Summary translation: The producers wanted Gen to submit a plot with overly brutal killings, and killing them off slowly taking 2-3 episodes...so Gen delivered with that in mind.

June 2011

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q - So what is the magic power of Kyouko? A - Regarding Kyouko, it is really very special. Because she got her wish of "getting people to listen" while in fact it was something like charming or hallucination, she got the magic power related to those things. However, because she lost her family, she totally negated those power with her subconscious mind. As a result, she fought only with the magic power she learnt later. This is the "hidden setting" (ura-settei) for her, although we never got to tell it in the anime. Alternative translation from /a/ - Kyouko's magic is actually rather unique. Due to her wish for "People to listen" her true magic is about　shining light on things and illusions and such. That's the kind of magic she had. However, after losing her family she began to subconsciously reject that magic, and thus by the time of the events in the anime she had already lost those powers. That's why she only fought with the magic she learned after that. We had that all set up behind the scenes, but were never able to work it into the story to explain it explicitly.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q - This is also something that has got divided interpretations. It seems that when Kamijou went back to school, he neglected Sayka. What happened there? A - To make it really clear, Kamijou-kun did not see Sayaka as a potential love object. He saw her as just a close friiend. Of course he was thankful to her when she came before everybody else to congratulate him. But he did not hold any kind of thought like seeing her as a potential love object or carrying any romantic love feeling. And the fact that he did not notify her about his discharge from hospital was just because he was in such a hurry. And he did not say anything to her at school was also because he was so occupied as there were so many girls who greeted him before then. Something like..... it would be great if I could call out at Sayaka, but I just was not able to...like that. Alternative translation from /a/ -I believe the explanation behind this one is already generally understood, but when Kamijo returned to school it looked as if he'd started ignoring her. Why was that? To put it bluntly, Kamijo simply didn't recognize Sayaka as a member of the opposite sex. Just a close friend. Of course he's grateful to her for celebrating his recovery before everyone else, but it didn't make him fall in love with her, or allowed him to see her as a woman or anything. When he was discharged from the hospital too, he didn't let her know only because things were happening to quickly, and when her returned to school, he had his hands full with other girls welcoming him back so he never greeted her. It would have been nice if Sayaka had made an effort to reach out to him then, but she was already at the point where she couldn't do that... and that's how it is.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. (Top excerpt) Q - Kyouko was always eating some snack. I really wanted to know how she got those food. A - Probably by stealing or something like that. For example, possibly she used magic power and stole it from a store nearby, or broke open an ATM and got the money (laugh). Absolutely brute force. Although she would not go so far as harming other people, I could imagine there were many cases of bugglary in the town of Mitakebaramachi. Although she looked like a villain, she became a bad girl only in order to vent out her desperation, and by doing so she managed to carry on living. Alternative translation from /a/ "Kyouko is always eating some kind of snack, but I wonder, how does she manage to get so much food? It's probably all stolen. If I had to say she probably used her magic to steal from the local stores and break ATMs to get the money inside them (lol). It's actually pretty hard work, it definitely is. I doubt that she went as far as to hurt anyone in the process, but I think there must have been quite a lot of cat burglary stories going around. That kind of mischievous activity seems fitting for her. But, it's thanks to her becoming so mischievous* that she was able to shake off her despair and it's thanks to that that she was able to survive the hard times she went through." *lit. "Bad Girl"

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. There's a few place in the script that I'd like to touch on, first about Mami and Kyoko. How is their "wish" connected to their powers when they became magical girls? In Mami's case, her wish of "to connect lives" gave her the power to "tie" and "combine" things together. That's why her power comes from the ribbon. By using the ribbon as a weapon, she can use that to produce guns that are useful in a battle. In ep3, Homura is stopped in her tracks by being tied up. That is her true magical power. She has the most experience so has a lot of different magical powers beyond those of her original powers.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. In ep3, where Mami fails in her battle with the witch, it had a big impact in how it was presented but, how was that written in the script? Mami's magic was to tie things, so to go against that, the witch was made to shed it skin. Even if bound by a rope, another would come out from the open ends. The witch was made to be unbeatable by just tying it up. That was the fault that killed Mami. Well, it was a shocking scene. In the script it just said, "The head is missing but in a way that can't be seen" and it was done in a way that I wanted it. It was a bit odd that the witch was so cute. The details were handled by Inukare-san, but that opened this production, and I believe it made it a much deeper story.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. In episode 9, we saw Kyouko desperately try to save Sayaka, but why did she go so far for her? It was probably because she saw Sayaka as "What I could've become". There's also the part of her that resented the fact that she didn't stay true to her beliefs. If Kyouko had followed what she believed in the same way Sayaka did she might have fallen into the same trap. That's why, Kyouko probably thought that by saving Sayaka from that trap that she'd be able to save herself as well. She became much more serious than she usually was, and did things she normally never would have done. As a result, ended up destroying herself. Looking at it that way, I think it's likely that even though she put up that bad girl act that Kyouko didn't really have much self-confidence. I'm quite confident in saying that is the best way to look at it.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q – It was very shocking to see Mami fall into panicking when she learned the true nature of QB in Ep.10 that we just discussed. A – If you consider various aspects of Mami like her fastidiousness, or the fragility unique to her, I think her reaction was actually natural. But since Mami got very popular when the anime was broadcast, I got worried about how that scene would be received. While she was in an onee-san (elder sister) role up till ep.3, deep down she was a girl that had fragility inside. At the end she was the one who was least able to bear the truth and the moment she learned of it she could only break down. That dependable onee-san image was really her pushing herself, in her own way, and glossing things over.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. In the last episode we saw the "Walpurgis Night", but what kind of witch is it specifically? It has the destructive power to bring about natural disasters powerful enough to blow away an entire town, but originally it was a single witch. It's a witch that has grown from the combination of countless other witches. Walpurgis Night combines with other witches in the same way two powerful tornadoes are able to combine and become larger. It's essentially a "conglomeration"-type witch. Because it's so powerful, it rarely shows itself. The design we used was actually the very first one we received from Inu Curry*, but when we saw it we all thought "Damn this is good." I myself had imagined a more Godzilla looking monster (laughter), and I must admit when I first saw that crazy looking upside-down ballerina I thought to myself "What the heck is this thing?" * - A design studio, they've done some stuff with Gainax and (obviously) SHAFT.

• 

  Source: July 2011 issue of Megami. Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q – The last scene made a deep impression. What do you think about Homura there? A – (Saito, Homura's seiyuu) I could tell that by Homura doing that scene things that were not put into words could hold such a strong message. My job is to use words and so it was just walkover, and yet it got me to feel the sense of overwhelmed defeat that, to Homura, still felt great. Homura is a character that worked by painstakingly bearing in mind that she always distills her mind into the minimum dialogues. And so depending on how the viewer feels about it, his view of her could be very different. All those many things that she carried on her back also produced a depth in her that even I was not able to tell. More than anybody, she could not live by herself and was the most depending on Madoka, but yet as this feeling got so strong and deep..... Even in ep.8 when she tried to call out Madoka's name, she could not raise a voice. When human was so overwhelmed with emotion, she could not say anything. Therefore, my own interpretation regarding the ending of the last episode is that, as the basis for her existence has disappeared all she could do is to keep taking action. It was indeed very sad thing, because all the ground for her actions was based upon Madoka. I felt that I have learned that the deeper a human feeling is actually the harder for it to show up on the surface. (Mizuhashi, Mami's seiyuu) She must have thought about many many things while she went through all those many loops. (Saito) In ep.10 she tried to tell everybody about QB, but she got suspected by Sayaka that she was intending to cause a fallout within the group... She must have thought, because of that “words” could really have no meaning at all. Although I cannot say whether the answer she came up was right or wrong, and I am sure people will have different views regarding her fighting till the end alone, for me I came to it with very much a sad mood. (Mizuhashi) Yeah, she could no longer see Madoka. Besides, nobody remembered Madoka any more. (Saito) Everyone is calling that final ending as “Homu-Q-END” (lol). Something like, “Homura and QB?! That is the most impossible scenario!” It was such a sequence of surprises to see that “Homu-Q-END” really came true.

• 

  Source: Animedia, July 2011. Shinbo: Toward the end of the last episode, after Madoka had disappeared, I thought Kyubey should only move his mouth as one of the things that had changed in the new world. But Miyamoto-san (saiyuu series director) objected to that (lol). Kato: Oh i see. even if Kyubey's magical girl system had changed, the rest was unchanged. He's only partners with homura for percentage's sake. So we made an effort not to change how they use their technique. From another TL: Shinbo talks about having Kyuubey move his mouth, not "only his mouth" since you know, he never moves it. Also he says the only thing that changed was him being with Homura, not that it's for percentage sake. Also, rather than "technique" "how the characters act" would be better.

• 

  Source: Animedia, July 2011. Shinbo: Before the Madoka Magika after recording started, we all went to a shrine to pray for a hit. At the time, the person representing the voice actors was Kato-san. Kato: Kt was the first time I had ever participated to pray to get a hit. It was interesting, the priest read the title like [ma---ho---usho---jo---]. Shinbo: it was really hard to not laugh. like [o----o----ki----no---ume----] (lol). Probably Kyubee's popularity at that time was a blessing. From another translator: This is about how they all went to pray for Madoka to be a hit before the dubbing. Katou (kyuubeey's VA) talks about prayed "Ma~Hou~Shou~Jo~" and "A~o~ki~ U~me~" and jokes about how "maybe that's why Kyuubey got so popular".

• 

  Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q - Ah, I see... A - And so, with the change in style, producers from the same age group finally appeared. And finally the flow that had one joining because he loved anime started to change. But whatever is said, the impact of "Evangelion" becoming a hit was huge. Without that there could not be the time we have now. Q - You think so? A - Yes, no doubt about it. If that did not become such a hit, probably we could not have made anime like we do now. But then only "Evangelion" was really a kind of exception (lol) Q - Ah, that is true...(lol)

• 

  Translated by symbv from evageeks forum. Q - (too little left to translate properly) A - No, I could not tell a single bit. Although in general I could tell that whether the anime would be abandoned by fans or taken in by them would be decided by the development in Ep.3. "Madoka" is a work that made my heart beat faster. And then it was indeed taken in. By the time I strongly felt a premonition of this becoming a hit, I thought so good that I had done that. I felt relieved. "Madoka" was a work that was really hard to make, and I got really scared, to the extent that I would not be able to decide what to do if because of that [the anime] got abandoned. Q - But then, as in Bakemonogatari as well as Madoka, the audience ..... till the end.....

• 

  Source: NewType, July 2011. The names of the characters Madoka, Homura, etc. and the key staff who worked on Madoka (Shinbou, Urobuchi, etc.).

• 

  Source: NewType, July 2011. Summary - A long interview on Urobuchi's thoughts on how well Madoka went, how it was different from stuff he did before, what it was like working with SHAFT, etc. Detailed translation requested.

June Summary Translation

The following is a translation by symbv from evageeks forum of a 2ch post summarizing points of interest from the Megami July 2011 issue.

• メガミ7月
• まどか特集部分
• Megami July
• Madoka Special

虚淵

• 企画段階からああいった形で魔法少女の運命を描くつもりだった
• アフレコ途中から監督がさやかを気に入ってしまいどうにか生き返らせられないかと言ったが無理だった(笑)
• マミは「モノを結び合わせる」という能力に特化している。魔力の本体はリボン
• 杏子は「人に話を聞いて欲しい」という願いをかなえたので実は眩惑とか幻覚と言う能力を持っていたが
• 家族を失ったことでその力を潜在意識で完全否定してしまった。そのため本来の魔力を失って
• 後付けで学んだ魔法の力だけで戦っているという裏設定が。 上条はさやかを異性として意識していない。ただの親友。この作品は「折衝」というテーマがあった。相互理解のしようがない連中だったとしても 共存だけは諦めてはいけない。キュゥべえを吹き飛ばしておしまいというオチにはしたくなかった

Urobuchi

• He had planned the fate of the mahou shoujo like in the anime since the early planning stage.
• During the off-recording (seiyuu dubbing), director (Shinbo) got really attached to Sayaka and asked Butch-Gen whether something could be done to get her back but Butch-Gen said impossible (lol)
• Mami has the specialized power to "link and tie up things". The tool of the magic power was ribbon.
• Kyouko had a hidden settai (design): Since Kyouko got her wish of "getting people to listen" realized so in fact she had the power to cause illusion or hallucination, but shocked by the loss of her family, she completed negated her power by suppressing it into her subconscious mind. So she lost her original magic power and she only fought with the magical power she learned and acquired later.
• Kamijou did not see Sayaka as a love object. She was just a close friend of his.
• This work also has a theme about "compromise". Even though they were same types who never tried to understand each other, they still would not give up trying to co-exist. And there is a keen intention not to allow an ending where QB was simply just blown away.

新房

• アニプレ岩上Pの思惑が当たった感じ。みんなでイベントを成し遂げたような感じ 非常に良かったな、こういうこともあるんだと思った。
• 10話はシナリオ削ってもらったので、できればちゃんとした形でやりたかった。ちゃんと作ると45分ぐらいになるから無理だが。

Shinbo

• Iwagami producer from Animplex got his prediction spot-on. He now felt it was one big event that could only be accomplished by everyone's effort and it was so great that he had not had such feeling before.
• Ep.10 was made only after the trimming of the screenplay. If possible Shinbo would like to make it in its complete form. But to make it in complete form, it will need around 45 minutes so perhaps it is not possible...

(symbv: this confirmed the suspicion from many in 2ch. Now the speculation is whether the full Ep.10 may come out in OVA or movie format)

その他

• ファミレスで食事をしながら9話の台本を読んだらさやかが大変なことになっていてびっくりした。(野中)
• オーディションを受ける時に音監からしつこいくらいに「この子、3話で死ぬよ?いいの?」と聞かれた(笑)(水橋)

Miscellaneous

• Nonaka (Kyouko's seiyuu) I read the screenplay of Ep.9 in a family restaurant while having a meal. I was so shocked when I saw Sayaka undergo that!
• Mizubashi (Mami's seiyuu) When I went to audition, the sound director kept asking me "this character will die in Ep.3 ! You OK with this? Really?" (lol)

---

A compilation of the scans discussed in this section.

These are translations of magazine scans on /a/, with reference thread posts, from April 2011 timeframe. >>47950014 1 - The Secret of Homura's Room Homura's room is drawn in an other-worldly manner [TL note: this is also the word used for witches' barriers]. The truth is that it's supposed to be a holographic projected image. At its basis, it's an apartment set up around a dinner table and the like. >>47948969 2 - In episode 8 it was revealed that there are multiple Kyubeys, but are their personalities difference? Urobuchi: There are many bodies, but only one consciousness. Therefore, even if you kill the body, there isn't any sort of damage. Killing one is just like pulling out a single strand of hair. The scene where Kyubey eats his corpse, and then comes in from the stairs in the script.　I was trying to write Kyubey as something that humans can't relate to. Think like, "If your brother really died, what would your response be." >>47949220 3 - Urobuchi: Even though it's a 1-cour broadcast period, there were a lot of things to chip away at. I keep thinking very hard about the developments in the next Madoka (note: this comment was made on 3/13) TL note: Cour = a Japanese TV season of 12-14 episodes. >>47949471 4 - There's only half of the show remaining: It's a somewhat short story, so do the two of you think you would want to make a sequel (Madoka 2)? Shinbo: I've thought a lot about what to do if there were 2-cours, what would go into all 12 episodes. I think I could really expand the world from what we've made so far. >>47949703 5 - Urobuchi: Thinking about ending the story cleanly, it's somewhat troublesome. If it were 2-cour, there might be the possibility to develop things with more breadth. But I'd be worried about what I would write as a continuation if this were the case. >>47950350 6 Urobuchi: When I was writing the script, since the monster design and the visual design weren't completed, there was no decision on the fight scenes. So in the script I wrote, "In this scene 'She says this line while fighting," just a rough outline. At the time Mami's Finisher was called "Ultima Shoot" (laughs), but I thought that was really lame, so during recording I was translating it on the internet. I tried Spanish and Greek, and then finally decided on the Italian "Tiro Finale." >>47917408 7 Shinbo: "In the anime, Sayaka didn't kill the two hosts." Urobuchi: "It can be interpreted as both ways in the scenario, so Hanokage-san interpreted it as if they're killed in her manga version."

---

Q - In future, do you think you want to do more original anime?
Shinbo (S) - I have such thought, although I do not hate adapting anime from original works either.
Q - Any idea of what you want to do?
S - Not really. Mystery or something mysterious, and then Horror. But perhaps horror is not possible, because I have got to the point of not really watching much horror these days. And then I think perhaps it's good to have more mahou shoujo, but this time it is more slice-of-life and girl-next-door. I would like to try this different variation of mahou shoujo. And then there is also something like the world of Ikki Kajiwara. It may be interesting to do something like Ai to Makoto*, something that brings two polar opposite together.... But before that, I may need to do the second season of PMMM. If it is possible, I would definitely want to do that.

• Ai to Makoto is a manga from 1973-1976 and was very popular in its days. It is about a well-bred girl from a very rich family crossing path with a juvenile delinquent boy. It was adapted into both tv drama and movies but I don't think there is anime adaptation.
  

-- Alternative translation of the same interview:
Q: From now on, do you want to make original works?
Shinbo: Yeah, I have a feeling like this. Of course, it's not that I hate adapted works.

Q: Do you have any ideas as to what you'd want to do next?
Shinbo: Let's see. A detective in a strange story, maybe. And then, I'd like to do a horror anime. But it's getting harder and harder to do a horror anime. It doesn't seem like nowadays, many people want to watch a horror anime. And as for magical girls, I'd like to do a more slice-of-life anime. I think I'd like to try doing a different genre of magical girl anime. Also, I want to make something with a world like something Ikki Kajiwara would make. I think creating something as extreme as "Ai to Makoto"...oh, but before all that, I'd like to try for a second season of Madoka. (hahaha) If I could, I would definitely want to do it.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Blu-Ray Discs

From volume 2's booklet, translated by symbv at forum.evageeks.org.

The ED starts to run from Ep.3. Although the song used in ED was also used as an insert song in the advant (pre-title sequence), Hirofumi Suzuki-san, the animator who helped put the ED animation in place, said that this got to start from Ep.3 as it fits perfectly the taste of this work. When I was working on some Mahou Shoujo works in the past, I had asked him to help on ED animation. This time I followed that past flow and asked the same thing.

The storyboarding and directing for the OP was by Tomoyuki Itamura. Because it was the OP for Mahou Shoujo show, I wanted to put in some transformation footage. I told Itamura-san, "It does not matter if it is not some awesome OP. Please make it in a video that will get people to want to watch the show once they watched the OP video.". He worked very hard on it and drew the part where Madoka did her best (learning as a mahou shoujo).

From Ep.3 the real taste of the work is finally becoming clear. One of the attractive things about an original work is that the audience is not able to tell what will happen afterwards. And combined this with speculation over how the development will go, it becomes part of what made the work interesting. Atsuhiro Iwagami-san, the producer, said it from the very beginning, "I want this to become a work that develops in a way that subverts prediction." And the final product indeed developed precisely as Iwagami-san imagined.

It was really hard work checking the storyboard of Ep.3. The mood was becoming heavy, and on both physical strength and mental strength sides I was absolutely worn out. Perhaps it had something to do with my age. If I could have done this while I was still young at age, I might be able to storm up ideas while directing this kind of work. What happened was Yukihiro Miyamoto-san, the series director this time, calmly dealt with issues and thus allowed the work to proceed.

After that, as the story progressed, storyboard checking work gradually became harder. I did not want to show cruel scenes; I wanted to show the feeling of those people who had to face those situations. In order to make it a more interesting work, I put in my ideas during the storyboard task.

There may not be many times I can make this kind of work in the rest of my life. When I thought about that, I stopped trying to get sloppy or slacking.

Post-earthquake tweets

Not sure if relevant, but still interresting ...

note:otokomatsuri1=Yukihiro Miyamoto (series director of Madoka Magica) butch_gen=you should be able to find by yourself ... (snip) --Homerun-chan 19:28, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

Given it's relative popularity on Twitter, this section has been moved to the actual page. Feel free to remove it if you find it out of place. --Homerun-chan 19:35, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

Changed my mind, it really is out of place. Left it in comments just in case. --Homerun-chan 19:41, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

I've reorganized the page a bit, it should be more fitting now. --0x99 07:35, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

"MBS Broadcast Delay of Madoka" phone calls

The poster ID:oq9nsYz30 has only exactly one post made on that day (2ch randomize user ID every midnight); it's likely this one is a troll. Most likely 騎士ヴィスクエア, a famous troll in 2ch anime boards, who samefag on Madoka thread everyday using his mobile phone/P2 account/his PC, posting similar contents. I've removed it until there is any further proof on the topic. Original content is posted below. --0x99 03:21, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Q:震災で休止された番組が続々放送されているがこの番組のみ長期の休止になった理由は何か
A:『震災の影響での休止である』と、それ以上のことはこちらには伝えられていない

Q:長期の休止の理由が明確にされてないがそれはなぜか
A:不明。明確にされてないのは確かなので番組の担当に伝える

Q:インターネットの配信も休止されているのはなぜか
A:不明。こちらには伝えられていない。該当の問い合わせ先に問い合わせてほしい

Q:放送がこのままされない可能性はあるのか
A:不明。問い合わせセンターには2週間先の番組放映情報が伝えられているが、現時点でその番組は2週間先までは放送する予定に入ってない

Q:衛星放送番組による後追い放送は行われているが休止が続いた場合、こちらが先に放送する可能性はあるのか
A:通常ならあり得ない。MBSにて放送される可能性がある現状のままだとMBSが1番に放送しないとインターネット配信も衛星放送もない

Q: The shows suspended due to the earthquake are now being aired one after another, but what's the reason for only this show being in long-term suspension?
A: We weren't told anything more than "it is on suspension due to the effects of the earthquake".

Q: Why hasn't the reason for the long-term suspension been clarified?
A: Unknown. They tell the person in charge of the programming that it's certain that it hasn't been clarified.

Q: Why is the internet distribution also suspended?
A: Unknown. We haven't been told why. I'd like you to inquire the correspondence for such.

Q: Is it possible that it will remain like this and not be aired?
A: Unknown. Our inquiry center is told programming broadcast information two weeks ahead, but at this point, they have no plans to air the show in the next two weeks.

Q: Shows broadcasted by satellite are aired after [regular broadcast], but in the case that the suspension continues, is it possible that they'll air it first?
A: Normally that's impossible. In the current state that it can be aired on MBS, if MBS doesn't air it first, internet distribution and satellite broadcast won't happen.

Regarding the April Article of Megami

I just thought I'd like to add a note about Monster Hunter and its relevance to Madoka Magica. Monster Hunter is a very popular video game series that revolves around the concept of (in one of the developers' own words) "hunting really big monsters with really big weapons;" this article lets us know that both Gen Urobuchi and Aoki Ume, apparently, are fans of the games!

While we can already see that almost all of the witches faced by the girls thus far are "really big," some of the girls' weapons also have analogues to weapons used in the series: Madoka has a bow (which, coincidentally, is one of the more difficult weapons to use), Mami has a bowgun (with the heavy bowgun being similar in heft to the gun that appears for her "Tiro Finale"), and Sayaka uses long sword-like attacks. It is worth noting that no spear- or chain-like weapons, such as Kyouko's, exist in the series yet. 64.89.144.100 03:03, 11 April 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure how this is relevant. I mean you are basically saying "because the monsters are really big and the game has swords, bows and bowguns, clearly this series is inspired by Monster Hunter". Well, okay. I mean. What about all those really really really old stories about man besting dragons? Or heading down the same path, clearly Madoka is an homage to Megaman Zero. Zero's basic weapon is a sword (Sayaka), but he also gets a shield (Homura), a variety of guns/busters (Mami) and a spear+whip combo (Kyouko). He doesn't get a bow, but that's alright, because Madoka is also the only magical girl not to actually be a magical girl in the series! But wait it doesn't stop there. Zero battles Mavericks, which like him, used to be Reploids (disregarding the fact Zero is a speshul flower), most of which are bigger than him, some of which have giant monster forms as well. TL;DR: you can make a series analogous to any other series with just a bit of brain juice and enough effort. I'm not trying to be a jerk, just pointing out that if we start tagging every single series that is similar to Madoka based on very very loose tropes like their weapons or colors, we'll be here all night. Case in point, did you notice the six primary characters of Madoka (IE magical girls + Hitomi) match the colors of the original six Power Rangers? SPECULAH: HITOMI AS GREEN RANGER.

Actually, he's saying "because Urobuchi explicitly said he was inspired by Monster Hunter in an interview, clearly this series is inspired by Monster Hunter." [[2]]

That's what I meant. (I'm a "she," coincidentally, but that's a minor detail.) Since Urobuchi mentioned his and Aoki Ume's love of Monster Hunter, I thought it would be interesting to look into the series and pick out what might be influences from the games. (Of course, I also wanted to pimp out the games, too, but that's also a minor detail.) Momoism 18:31, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Fate/Zero Volume 1 Postface

Urobuchi Gen wants to write stories that can warm people's hearts.

Those who knew about my creative history would probably furrow their brows and think this is a cold joke. Actually, I couldn't completely believe it, either. Because when I start typing out words on the keyboard, the stories my brain comes up with are always full of madness and despair.

In fact, I wasn't like this before. I've often written pieces that didn't have a perfect ending, but by the last chapter the protagonist would still possess a belief that 'Although there will be many hardships to come, I still have to hold on'.

But from I don't know when, I can no longer write works like this.

I am full of hatred towards men's so-called happiness, and had to push the characters I poured my heart out to create into the abyss of tragedy.

For all things in the world, if we just leave them alone and pay them no attention, they are bound to advance in a negative direction.

Just like no matter what we do we can't stop the universe from getting colder. It is only a world that is created through a compilation of 'progresses of common sense'; it can never escape the bondage of its physical laws.

Therefore, in order to write a perfect ending for a story you have to twist the laws of cause and effect, reverse black and white, and even possess a power to move in the opposite direction from the rule of the universe. Only a heavenly and chaste soul that can sing carols of praise towards humanity can save the story. To write a story with a perfect ending is a double challenge to the author's body and soul.

Urobuchi Gen had lost that power. It still hasn't recovered. The 'tragedy syndrome' is still continuing within me. Is this a terminal disease? Should I give up on the pure 'warrior of love' that I've longed for? Ascend a pallid battle steed and reincarnate into a dispenser of this virus... Could it be that I can only create pieces that give men courage and hope in my next life? (When I wrote this, I wrote 'courage' as 'lingering ghosts'. Could this be because of using 'ime' - Ah, I wrote 'ime' as 'hatred' -are there no chances of recovery for me?)

Honestly, I even wanted to break my pen. I remember watching Spiderman II. When I saw Peter wishing that he doesn't have the power to change his body, I also thought 'Perhaps, I wish to never write another script again!'

Therefore, I visited my friend Nasu Kinoko's house on the afternoon of the next day, and wanted to tell him my true intention. But before I spoke with him about what I've been thinking in my heart, Takashi Takeuchi got ahead of me and started talking. And as soon as he spoke he brought up an unthought-of proposal.

The parts afterwards are the same as Kinoko's notes. Although the initial plan was just a short piece describing the duel between Kiritsugu and Kirei, the wings of imagination can't be stopped once it is spread opened and finally all seven Masters and their Servants are gathered together. I found myself once again immersed in the joy of weaving together a story. It can be said that the launch of Fate/zero saved my writing career.

Right now, I've writing a piece that is saved and has a perfect ending. To be more accurate, writing a part of this piece.

Yes. This marvelous piece called Fate - its perfect united ending surrounding the protagonist Emiya Shirō is a set fact. No matter how cruel the end of Zero turns out to be, it wouldn't affect the perfect finish of this entire work.

Right now, I've finally got a chance to write a tragic ending according to my heart's desire. No matter how I display the darkness inside my heart, from an overall look I am nevertheless a partner of 'the warrior of love, Nasu Kinoko'.

Ohhh yeah.

Umm. Although it didn't completely solve my problem, however, to allow me to once again discover 'the self that has the joy of creation' is already a big improvement.

Right now, I'm moving forward step by step. No matter where I end up in the future, I am already very happy at the moment.

According to current projections, Fate/zero should end in four volumes.

Translated Post-Series Documents

I've seen some stuff floating on /a/, namely a translated picture of the design behind Homura's 'wings' as well as Demons. No doubt, we're gonna be getting some Word of God possibly explaining or detailing the final two episodes, as well.

Could we make sure to upload it here and have it translated, when and if any crops up? Sadly I've lost the page I'm talking about up there, but I'm sure someone saved it.

Unknown old interviews

Quite a long stuff, so I'm even more surprised it's nowhere on the wiki. It has been posted on Canned Dogs as a scan and translation on March 5th. Don't know what magazine it is, or who is being interviewed. --KFYatek 19:33, 27 April 2011 (UTC)

There's also the famous interview with Gen with info about the cat in Drama CD... it's also a month old now, and was first referred on the wiki only recently... --KFYatek 19:39, 27 April 2011 (UTC)