Sequel to Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre(s): Magical Girl, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Psychological
Age-Appropriateness: 15+ (Disturbing imagery, violence)
Platforms: None (gotta buy it)
Episodes: One 2-hour movie
TheAwersome Rating: 8.3 / 10 (If you can get your hands on it, worth watching, but not critical)
Premise: Our magical girls of Mitakihara city are happily living their lives, going about their daily routines and occasionally fighting evil together. Homura feels that something is wrong with this too-pleasant atmosphere, however, but the others remain oblivious to it.
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: There won’t be much I can say without spoiling both this movie and the original series, so this will likely be brief. Where this movie stands out vs. the original series in my mind is in the animation and visuals. While similarly styled to what we saw in the series (or the two movies which retell it) it feels a lot cleaner in this, which is a real treat. The same thrilling suspense is here, as is the gorgeous music.
I feel that this movie is, however, a good deal harder to follow than the series. While we’re supposed to be as confused as the characters for a good part of it, you start to feel like you get your grounding once they figure out what’s going on, only to get hit with another curveball. While it’s SUPER interesting, the ending isn’t too satisfying. After mulling over it for a few weeks afterward, I liked it more after the fact. You basically need to watch it twice to fully see how artistically good it is, you miss a lot the first time through.
TLDR: Worth seeing if you get the chance; don’t sweat it too hard if you can’t find it though.
This one really is better giving it a second watch or just coming back to a lot of the parts. I’m reminded of old Wagner operas or Shakespeare pieces where there’s a LOT of good artistry that you see upon closer inspection and study that otherwise gets passed by. Foreshadowing and symbolism using musical themes (big time here), visuals, and analysis of duality between characters make this stand out. But again, as a one-time watch you miss a lot of it unless you come back to it.
A fourth movie has been announced for 2022.
At a Glance Anime 