Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 2: Eternal

Asfaria★ 10

I've never been a fan of recaps. I never understood why things needed to be shown multiple times further decreasing my enjoyment of it with every repetition. So going into the recently subtitled Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica duo of movies, I was really wondering what I would think of it. I'm not the biggest fan of the anime series (at least I wasn't before watching these movies), and, while I think it's good, it never left a very big impression on me. The reason I'm writing a review of the second movie instead of the first, is because this movie finally succeeded at leaving that impression withme that I have missed both times I have watched the anime. I've heard people talk about feeling a "void" after finishing an amazing anime, and Eien no Monogatari has successfully left me with that feeling. I just can't think of anything to do right now other than writing a review or going to bed early. As with the first movie, Eien no Monogatari is a recap which follows up and retells the last four episodes of the anime. While the first movie was about an episode and a half shorter than the original material it retold, this movie is actually slightly longer (around 20 minutes more) and it really helps it pace the story much better than before. Story - 10/10 The story now begins to shift from the main quintet of girls to just Madoka and Homura. It becomes more focused on the idea of the "Magical girl" and exactly what they are. It delves a lot into the psychological aspect of the story as Madoka's conflict of whether to become a magical girl or not reaches it's climax after witnessing the tragedies occurring around her and knowing that more are yet to come. I've got to give it up to Gen Urobuchi for being able to create this psychologically intimidating situation for Madoka so well. As the mysteries about Kyuubey come to light, his explanations for why he has done everything he has is amazing and really eye-opening. It really takes apart different aspects of the human race like guilt, emotions, and why we consider some things more important than others, and looks at it from the perspective of something that is not only not human, but does not understand our human perspective on any of these topics. And then it starts to really focus on Homura. Episode 10 of the original Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica anime was one of the best episodes I've ever seen, and this movie pulls off that segment even better than before. It has more time, better animation, and some new soundtracks that make it the highlight of this movie in my eyes. Art - 9/10 Speaking of the art, it's all redone amazingly. The original anime had some sloppy, rushed animation which has completely vanished in this movie (and the first movie as well). There are still a few still shots that last maybe a little too long, but the action scenes, emotions of the characters, and the backgrounds are all a huge step up from before. The added time in this movie allows for a few new shots to be shown and for many previous ones to be given more depth. Overall, the art is the biggest improvement from the series. Sound - 10/10 I always loved the Madoka★Magica soundtrack, and thought it was one of the best in all of anime. I have no idea how they made it better despite how amazing it already was, but they sure succeeded. I thought it had one of the best soundtracks ever, but now I know that between these two movies, I cannot think of a single anime in existence with a better soundtrack and I am not exaggerating. They reused all of the old songs, and even added a few new ones with a new, amazing ending credit song as well. The voice acting is just as good if not better than before. I really can't compare overall because I would have to watch the anime and movie side-by-side to do so, but there are a few parts where I'm sure the movie has the anime beat, especially when it comes to Madoka's voice actress. Character - 10/10 The characters become fewer in this movie as it begins to focus on Madoka and Homura, so it's a good thing that those two are one of the best duos in anime. I'll admit, I always liked Sayaka the best and cared less about Homura because of that, but this movie really made me like Homura much more than I ever did before. With the little extra time this movie has, her character is given even more focus and extremely well written development. Madoka as well I felt was stronger in this than before. Her psychological distress was less rushed in the movie and given more time to add to the emotions and darkness of the story and helped build her character. The other characters, especially Kyoko, have some emotional scenes that also top the anime in my opinion (well definitely Kyoko's, the others are about the same). Enjoyment - 9/10 (Amazing) I actually enjoyed this more than the original anime. Sayaka being my favorite character, I enjoyed the middle of the anime series the best, but with these two movies, I actually enjoyed the end of the story more. The new, brilliant art, new additions to the already amazing soundtrack, and the slightly longer time allowed this movie to go above and beyond the already great anime. I can't wait for the third movie with new material and I'm really hoping it will just as good (maybe better if we're really lucky) than these two movies.

Stark700★ 9

Madoka movie 2 review (part 2 of the epic trilogy): Well as mentioned previously, this movie is the 2nd part of the trilogy installation from the Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica saga. The movie covers the remaining 4 episodes from the original TV series. While the first movie was titled 'The Beginnings', this is where it it ends from where the TV version left off. This movie is essentially another recap of the TV series and thus, there is no original material in terms of storytelling or plot twists. However, that doesn't mean viewers should pass up a chance to give this a shot though because not only doesit bring refreshment, it also brings that sense of magical feeling you might get once again like never before. Indeed, Madoka is like a magical girl theme series like no one has ever seen before especially to those new to the franchise. The movie starts off from exactly where The Beginnings left off related to Sayaka. The OP song remains the same that is orchestrated by the talented ClariS (Luminous). What the second movie offers though is even more of a darker tone related to the Mahou Shoujo theme. Madoka learns it the hard way from the very beginning from Homura. Both the physical and mental scares remains in Madoka's mind along with Kyouko. They bring out the psychological style of what PMMM was, is, and continues to be. As for the movie itself, Kyuubey still remains the all unforgiving antagonist with his devilish smile and mind games. It's a mind twist itself after all. Like the previous film, this one also boosts talent in terms of voice acting and emotions. Madoka's VA Aoi Yuuki is especially noticeable because her character suffers throughout her experiences with the events in this movie. In fact, she struggles with her current situation and the words from Kyuubey. She knows they are true facts but hard to accept them as reality. Even Kyouko whom originally started as a confident girl is now struggling with her situation and some startling revelations. They are all suffering with the fate and what they must endure. The movie also spells out the new destiny that Madoka must embrace just like she did in the original TV series. Along with the startling revelation made in the beginning, Madoka must make difficult decisions even if it's by herself. In fact, she wrestles with her own feelings and true facts in regards to her best friend, Sakaya. It's painful to watch but it's also the grim reality of how dark the movie is, just like the original TV series. Kyuubey further fuels the darkness with his plan and ambition to make Madoka into a Mahou Shoujo no matter what the cost. Despite this though, fans from the original TV series may also remember a bit of Homura. For newer fans, it is a new insight to her character as we see another side of her, or rather in a different way. We see all the magical girls but then, there's some of things we don't expect..(for newer fans that is). Be ready for another twisted ride. The OST of the movie remains top notch. We can give our thanks to Kajiura Yuki who is able to bring out her talent at its finest. The emotional scenes are played solemnly with the pacing while the action scenes possesses that full throttle feeling of fighting. The artwork takes its majestic style to its own right as well. The way the characters are crafted along with the Witches makes them seem more grim than usual. Of course, the fantasy world also remains surreal with its cutting edge style. Additionally, there's the grey and red coloring backgrounds that almost seems to bleed in with the style of the series. Even though it seems that the movie portrays the TV series for a recap, it is still just as dark in many ways. Thank you Shaft. Overall, this was another great film. Despite being a recap, it still had the tone of the TV series with its great cast of characters, supreme OST, unique artwork, and a grim story of magic. It is a world that the characters live in with darkness. The movie is a good wake-up call for those who still comes back once and awhile to relive the experience of PMMM. It is through these experiences where we realize just how dark some series can be. A magical girl theme series unlike most others, Puella Magi Madoka Magica takes the magical girl idea to a whole new level, a level that is unparalleled to what I've seen in recent years. There's pain. There's sorrow. There's emotion. There's betrayal. There's solitude. Then, there's Eternal.