***Warning, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Rebellion is the third entry in the Madoka Magica film series. The following may contain spoilers for Rebellion as well as Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Beginnings and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Eternal. Reader discretion is advised.***
Film Synopsis
The life of a magical girl is not an easy one. There will be hardships. There will be difficulties. It can even get quite dangerous. For Madoka Kaname (voiced Aoi Yuki) this is how things are. That’s why she’s thankful to such close friend to rely on. Fellow magical girls Sayaka Miki (voiced by Eri Kitamura), Mami Tomoe (voiced by Kaori Mizuhasi), and Kyoko Sakura (voiced by Ai Nonaka). As well as recent transfer student Homura Akemi (voiced by Chiwa Saito).
Things will get tough. But together, these five can meet any challenge. When these five are together, everything is as it should be. Despair is nonexistent when you’re with the people you care about. So even in this world, happiness can be found.
And that’s the problem.
Things are perfect. Too perfect. Was it always like this? For Madoka and her friends, this answer should be obvious. Then why is there so much doubt? Why does everything not seem quite right?
It is true. The life of a magical girl is not an easy one. But how far that actually goes is a much dark reality than one would hope. The truth is so dark, perhaps a dream is better than the real world.
Film Positives
After Beginnings and Eternal, I don’t know if I can express of much I was looking forward to Rebellion. The unknown of another Madoka Magica story was exhilarating. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know what I was going to see. I didn’t know. And in a series like this, how can that not get you excited?
I went in with the highest expectations. And f@#$ me…I was not disappointed.
Beginnings and Eternal were fantastic. No doubt brilliant. Surpassing even the show’s high benchmark. But when you come down to it, they were still the show. Great for someone who’s never seen it. Yet, where does that leave people like me?
Crying for more when they’ve already got gold.
Rebellion felt like a movie. This is what should happen when a show gets adapted into a film. It went bigger. The scale was on a whole other level. It was still Madoka Magica. But it was the next step. Considering how the series ended, this was a huge step.
Here’s a compliment, Rebellion’s animation was the best of the franchise. I cannot believe I said that. This film was beautiful. I didn’t notice it during Beginnings and Eternal. While they were updates to the anime, they were updating a TV budget. It was amazing how much effort and time was on screen.
Rebellion was time, effort, and a little extra money. The results speak for themselves.
What happens when you take a witch’s labyrinth and set the whole story in one? The people at Shaft studios are veterans of Avant Garde animation. There were so many painstaking details in every shot. So many things were happening. Yet it never felt overwhelming. The visuals never took over the story. They helped guide it. They helped enhance it. But they replaced it.
And how’s this for an upgrade. Throughout the series, we saw lots of kick ass fights. Each character got their moment to shine. No one was the weak link. Everyone could hold their own. By themselves, they were hard to beat. Now imagine all five magical girls working together.
Homura, Sayaka, Mami, Kyoko all fighting side by side. And what’s this? Madoka too. It’s as epic as you can imagine. The battles in Rebellion were insane. The last time I was this enthralled in Madoka Magica fight was when I saw the series for the first time. Even then, I don’t remember it being this cool. There was an absolute amazing throw down between Homura and Mami.
Plus, there’s another thing I want to mention. No, it’s more than that. This is something I should’ve mentioned long ago. Shame on me for not. The voice acting has been superb. All the voice actresses have done an outstanding job. But there’s one I must give special credit to.
Chiwa Saito, the voice of Homura, gave an amazing performance. Not only in Rebellion but in the entire Madoka Magica series. Though this may have been her best. I’ve known for a while how good she is. Need more proof? She’s also the voice of Hitagi Senjougahara for the Monogatari series. Yeah, she’s pretty great.
This was a good movie and a stellar end to the trilogy.
Yet there was something only this film could do. And it took advantage of it.
The Story
Could you watch Rebellion first? No. I almost want to say yes, but…no. This is an end story. But more than that, Rebellion uses its status as an end story.
From the beginning, things were strange. Kind of a bad word to use for this show, but moving on. It was hard to place what was happening. Rebellion started as a retelling of the story. Going in, I thought this could be a possibility. Upon seeing this, I tried to make sense of everything using that assumption. But there were just enough things that weren’t right.
Certain elements almost lined up. It was all almost perfect. Except it wasn’t and it was bugging me.
Why was Sayaka here? Why was Madoka here? Why was Kyoko here? Why was Mami hanging out with a witch that had been defeated? Why was Homura in her…not bad ass look? And the film and the story ignored all of it.
This was a giant tease for the longest time. The answer was out of reach. But for the precise, right amount of time. And then…boom.
Once the realization hit, everything turned on its head. In an instant, a wave uncomfortableness washed over everything. It was kind of horrifying. It was a level of tension not felt since the first time the series entered a labyrinth.
What got me the most was the music. It sounded light. It sounded peaceful. It was harmonious. But then why the hell did it feel so sickening. This wasn’t the music that should’ve been playing. It wasn’t matching. This wasn’t right. It was an utter mind f@#$. And my God was it great.
Only Rebellion could have done this. If you’re planning to watch the Madoka Magica series, save this one for last.
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| From left to right: Kyoko, Sayaka, Mami, Homura, and Madoka |
Film Negatives
This is a problem. For every single reason, Rebellion should’ve been the pinnacle. It took the series to the next level. The animation was better. The story was more intense. It was a full upgrade. This was an amazing film. It should be the best the film.
So why is it not?
To answer that, we need to remember exactly what Rebellion is.
The series ended. By extension, Beginnings and Eternal ended the story. Anymore wasn’t needed. Madoka Magica had finished. To add extra would be risking a lot.
For one, the story’s end could become compromised. Start fiddling in the what-happens-next territory and story can get lost. It’s almost the same as starting again. But now with the burden of established rules. This isn’t a task to take on a whim.
Except Rebellion pulled it off. It did add more. It succeeded in its continuation. The film never redid anything. None of the established truths got ignored. Everything that had happened, happened. They were important and they feed into this story. You couldn't ask for a better addition.
Rebellion was on its way to sending off the Madoka Magica story once and for all. It was a thing of beauty. The film had gone dark and grim. Yet the light at the end of this long tunnel was there. It was all leading to an amazing ending.
Then why did it keep going?
Wait, what? Why? You finished it. It was over. Okay, so there’s a bit more that’s going to happen. Oh…oh this is the route you’re going to take. Alright then.
What’s even more annoying is the fact that the actual finale was good. It was a Madoka Magica ending. And if anything, it left the series open for more installments. If those ending coming to pass, great. But that's not the world at the time of this review.
Thus, the ending to Rebellion was unsatisfying. After it took the satisfying ending away.
If this was how the story was meant to end that would be fine. That’s not my problem. But this feels as if it got tacked on. And only for the purpose of leaving the ending open for more. God damn it. There is merit in finishing a story. This is a virtue. To know when enough is enough.
Rebellion had it too. It was right there. But alas. Son of a bitch. I’m actually really upset about this.
Final Thoughts
I have a fundamental problem with how this film ended. That’s not going to go away. But like I said, it wasn’t executed bad. It was Madoka Magica and Rebellion was great. And what a way to celebrate two years.
The best animation of an already beautiful series. A masterful use of circumstances. Brilliant performances. And, albeit annoying, the possibility of more. Yeah, I could be doing worse.
Although I want to give it to Rebellion, I’m going to say Beginnings was my favorite of the trilogy. Except it doesn’t matter. I cannot recommend this film series any higher. This entire franchise is something to behold. It is quite special. If you haven’t seen it already, you are in for a treat.
That concludes Anniversary Week. Thank you so much for following me on this journey. And thank you to all you who have made the past two years an amazing experience.
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