The Importance of Reviews.
Reviews are an important aspect of TV & Film. A review from a credible critic can make or break a films success at the box office. Reviews are intended with the primary purpose of convincing a reader of the critics opinions and try to sway them into either seeing or not seeing a film.
Below is a review I have written on an anime film from Japan. I have purposely chosen this film as the masses of western viewers do no look into international films. This film is also the final film in a series of three movies. Will reading it make you curious to seek out the feature or will it make you turn away in disinterest?
Below is a review I have written on an anime film from Japan. I have purposely chosen this film as the masses of western viewers do no look into international films. This film is also the final film in a series of three movies. Will reading it make you curious to seek out the feature or will it make you turn away in disinterest?
Film Review: ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion’ After the Happily Ever After.
By Craig Patrick Arnott: September 1st 2014
Spiralling from the highly successful Anime series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a final chapter to the story, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion. This franchise took the rules of the light hearted Magical Girl genre and threw it out of the window. Typically Magical Girl series tend to be light hearted and comical to watch.
Some famous series from the Magical Girl genre are Sailor Moon, Cutie Honey and of recent years Pretty Cure. With them tending to have a focal point and a big bad for the girls to defeat. This is just really to give the story meaning as the main focus of the genre tends to be teenage girl using magic to transform and fight evil, while entertaining audiences with light hearted jokes and comical moments throughout. Puella completely ignored all of these rules and met with nothing but financial success for all involved.
Spiralling from the highly successful Anime series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a final chapter to the story, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion. This franchise took the rules of the light hearted Magical Girl genre and threw it out of the window. Typically Magical Girl series tend to be light hearted and comical to watch.
Some famous series from the Magical Girl genre are Sailor Moon, Cutie Honey and of recent years Pretty Cure. With them tending to have a focal point and a big bad for the girls to defeat. This is just really to give the story meaning as the main focus of the genre tends to be teenage girl using magic to transform and fight evil, while entertaining audiences with light hearted jokes and comical moments throughout. Puella completely ignored all of these rules and met with nothing but financial success for all involved.
Some famous series from the Magical Girl genre are Sailor Moon, Cutie Honey and of recent years Pretty Cure. With them tending to have a focal point and a big bad for the girls to defeat. This is just really to give the story meaning as the main focus of the genre tends to be teenage girl using magic to transform and fight evil, while entertaining audiences with light hearted jokes and comical moments throughout. Puella completely ignored all of these rules and met with nothing but financial success for all involved.
In the series we meet Kyubey who is a mysterious creature who can grant any girl a wish but at a price, she must become a magical girl and fight Witches while purifying those who have succumbed to the powers of a Witch. However she also has to purify her own magic with a Witch Seed to stop her Soul Gem from turning black resulting in her turning into a witch also. As the series progressed it is revealed Kyubey does not tell the girls the full details of his contract forcing many to question if their wish was worth it.
So much so with Homaru, one of the Magical Girls from the series, who is on a mission to destroy him which she manages to do several times. We saw our heroines go through true turmoil and tragedy throughout the series, including many dying as it progressed and how the others dealt with the loss.
In the series we meet Kyubey who is a mysterious creature who can grant any girl a wish but at a price, she must become a magical girl and fight Witches while purifying those who have succumbed to the powers of a Witch. However she also has to purify her own magic with a Witch Seed to stop her Soul Gem from turning black resulting in her turning into a witch also. As the series progressed it is revealed Kyubey does not tell the girls the full details of his contract forcing many to question if their wish was worth it.
So much so with Homaru, one of the Magical Girls from the series, who is on a mission to destroy him which she manages to do several times. We saw our heroines go through true turmoil and tragedy throughout the series, including many dying as it progressed and how the others dealt with the loss.
By the end of the series Madoka finally decides on her wish and makes her contract with Kyubey to become a Magical Girl. Surprising audiences her wish is so powerful she becomes a god who is on a mission to save every Magical Girl throughout time and save them from becoming a Witch. With her wish she alters all of reality bringing back to life her lost friends and causing all her loved ones to forget her. The series truly takes you on a journey of mystery and shocking revelations, thankfully the sequel film ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion’ gives us plenty more.
Instantly confusing from the second it starts we find Homura, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Madoka all together at school and as a team fighting Nightmares. All seems normal to all the girls to begin with and none seem to have concerns with how the world is. Not even Mami who is now living with a Witch called Charlotte, during the TV series Mami died by Charlotte biting her head off.
Instantly confusing from the second it starts we find Homura, Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Madoka all together at school and as a team fighting Nightmares. All seems normal to all the girls to begin with and none seem to have concerns with how the world is. Not even Mami who is now living with a Witch called Charlotte, during the TV series Mami died by Charlotte biting her head off.
However due to Homaru’s rare magical ability to travel through time she starts to notice not all is right in this world. Her first clue is when she and Kyoko cannot seem to leave to city on the bus.
With Homaru now asking questions things begin to take a turn towards to darkness seen from the TV series. It even gets so dark there is a scene that could be considered controversial by some where Homaru even considers killing herself. This is a fantastic example of how Puella does not follow the rules of the Magical Girl genre.
Eventually Homaru solves the mystery and it is a revelation that shocks you as it unfolds making you question all the things that make friendship. All of Homaru’s actions from the TV series and this movie opens your eyes and makes you question ‘How far would you go for your friend?’
Another nice part of this movie for the fans of the TV series is it saw the voice actors returning to their roles despite this film being made and released two and a half years after the series originally aired. This franchise on a whole does an extraordinary job of showing how any genre no matter how old can have new life breathed into it.
With Homaru now asking questions things begin to take a turn towards to darkness seen from the TV series. It even gets so dark there is a scene that could be considered controversial by some where Homaru even considers killing herself. This is a fantastic example of how Puella does not follow the rules of the Magical Girl genre.
Eventually Homaru solves the mystery and it is a revelation that shocks you as it unfolds making you question all the things that make friendship. All of Homaru’s actions from the TV series and this movie opens your eyes and makes you question ‘How far would you go for your friend?’
Another nice part of this movie for the fans of the TV series is it saw the voice actors returning to their roles despite this film being made and released two and a half years after the series originally aired. This franchise on a whole does an extraordinary job of showing how any genre no matter how old can have new life breathed into it.