Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings

Madoka is a middle school student. One day she meets a strange creature: a small talking being that brings her an offer. She will make one wish, the wish will be granted, and in return she will become a magical girl and fight witches. Homura, newly arrived in her class, warns her not to accept. Her friends accept one by one, and what the bargain really is begins to emerge. Yukihiro Miyamoto directs. It is a Shaft production and is a cinema recut of the first half of the television series of the same name. What the series is known for is inverting its genre. Magical girl stories are a tradition aimed at children in Japan; this series uses the same form and carries it to a dark conclusion, and counts as a break inside the genre. The distinctive visual element is the witch sequences; they were made with collage by a separate art team and share nothing visually with the rest of the film. The music is by Yuki Kajiura. Some scenes were redrawn for the cinema version and the sound was re recorded. Being a compilation the structure is compressed and the end points of the television episodes are felt. Who it is for: viewers who like Japanese animation and narratives that break genre convention. Who it is not for: it does not complete itself, the first half is slow, and the subject is heavier than it looks.