Puella Magi Madoka Magica Parte 3 - La storia della ribellione

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion" is a movie sequel for popular "Madoka Magica" anime series. It is preceded by two movies which retell the events of the anime. "Rebellion" is a first proper sequel with new story.

All sequels following a successful work of art are automatically suspicious of being blatant attempt on cashing in on the previous achievements. The creators may run out of ideas, get lazy or just lose interest in continuing story at original level of creativity. This is absolutely not the case with "Madoka Magica 3". I'm still surprised how good this sequel actually was.

Everything what TV anime series was praised for is present in the sequel. Soundtrack is equally good and animation style is even better - while equally imaginative it's even more psychedelic, more detailed and more stunning. The storytelling is as brilliant as it was in original series. It gradually reveals the new mysteries of the (now slightly different) world and is meant to surprise the viewers and to shatter their expectations. And yes it does shatter them! At least one of major plot twists (there are many) is of the category "Absolutely didn't see that coming!". And yet it isn't some random event pulled out of thin air - immediately after re-watching one will definitely see why it made perfect sense.

This particular plot twist is a reason why not everyone liked the movie, there were even accusations of "ruining the franchise". I can't delve into details why I find these accusations unfounded. If you like the original series you must watch the sequel to see for yourself.

Well, it isn't. We return to the Madokaverse to find a world that's not quite the same as we left it, making us ask ourselves, is this the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? The beauty of the Madokaverse keeps growing, and I can't wait for the future of this Puella Magi Madoka Magica!

The original series and the movie duology that retold it ended with a finale that was heart-rendingly bittersweet yet incredibly positive, but also had a slight note of dissatisfaction. Rebellion seeks to rectify that and just... doesn't?

From a technical standpoint, the movie is fabulous. The soundtrack is lovely, and the visuals are gorgeous. What surprised me even more was the imagery: Where I found the abstract depiction of the Witches odd and jarring in the series (and to a lesser extent also in the duology), I found it absolutely beautiful in Rebellion.

But as fantastic as it looked, it could not hide some problems with the pacing I feel this movie has. A runtime of almost two hours certainly isn't short, so I wonder if it was truly necessary to spend five minutes on a fairly silly 'magical transformation' sequence that is meant to be partially satirical. Similarly, there were two quite long fight scenes that just dragged on where nothing really mattered. IMHO the pacing is one if this movie's biggest flaws; I was never quite bored but I certainly came close occasionally.

The biggest flaw, however, is the plot, or rather its conclusion. I love the premise, I love how it is revealed, I love how it is concluded. I don't love what happens after the conclusion of the premise. Similarly, I love how all our favourite characters are there, and I love how the writers managed to unify their tragic fates with the positive premise (particularly Sayaka). I don't love what they did to Homura at the end.

All in all I find the final choice the maker's did to be a questionable one. They did not want to conclude their movie trilogy with a clichéd, super sappy, overly perfect ending. Turning clichés around is one of the most beloved and major themes of Madoka Magica, so I suppose it fits the modus operandi. But the series and duology are also so beloved because their final message is so utterly positive, and the one of Rebellion just isn't. I don't really see why.

It's a bit similar to the duology, where Beginnings ended with horrible revelations and Eternal tried to fix anything, only that there is no fourth movie to fix Rebellion's ending. Which is so weird because the movie had its perfect ending, and then threw it away for another dramatic twist that just didn't get fixed in the end.

From a theatrical standpoint, I guess this is excellent. From a personal standpoint I find this fairly unsatisfying. Still an amazing movie, though. You just might want to replace the last ten minutes with 'And then they lived happily ever after' in your head.

My Favorite Thing In The World So Excellent And Breathtaking

Madoka Magica was, and still is, one of my favorite Anime series. The show had amazing animation, great soundtracks, action, emotion, and a great amount of character development.

Knowing the first two movies were a review of the show, I was intrigued to see what the third movie would have to offer, given the ending from the original series/duo-logy was one of the most powerful of any show I had ever seen.

This movie in my opinion was a huge letdown. The beginning had many aspects I enjoyed from the original series, but as the movie progressed I could sense it struggling to keep the balance of its characters, and flowing as the first two movies did. The movie seemed choppy and I struggled to connect in the same way as I did with the original series.

If you are content with giving up on the touching experience from the first two movies, feel free to ride a less emotional, confusing, and character altering experience. This movie lacked many of the qualities that kept me watching the original series, and overall left a sour taste in my mouth. Besides a scene here and there, I contemplated turning it of numerous times.

As a huge fan, the artwork is still wonderful, the music is great, and the action scenes are thrilling. however, if the emotional ride, the characters, and the story are what compelled you to watch Madoka Magica, I highly recommend you stick to the series, as you will be disappointed with this movie.