After a series of delays, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising has finally premiered on August 28 in Japan. Coming to theaters after an almost 13-year-long gap, the film is a direct sequel to 2013’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion.
To commemorate the long-awaited premiere, Japanese media outlet Anime Freaks interviewed Gen Urobuchi of Nitroplus, the main writer behind the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica series, who also returned to write the script for the new movie.
Looking back at the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which premiered over a decade ago, Urobuchi says he was only able to write it because, at the time, he empathized with the magical girls’ inner struggles and was deeply concerned about their issues. “I earnestly don’t think I would be able to write it now. And it’s not just because I’ve grown older, but because the times have also changed.”
“Back then, I could imagine what young people were afraid of and what they were looking for. However, I’ve now found myself unable to understand what brings joy or suffering to the newer generations that have grown up with smartphones and social media,” Urobuchi comments.
Interestingly, Madoka Magica was Urobuchi’s first time writing an original anime, but also his first time writing a work in the magical girl genre. Coming from a visual novel background, he says that he didn’t really know how to go about the theme, but a part of why he was so on board with it was his “adventurous spirit.” “I was just happy to be given the opportunity to try out something I’d never done before, and the fact that I thought being confused about it is also a part of the experience proves how young I was at the time.”
As a fun side note, as references for “how to write a magical girl story,” Urobuchi says he was shown Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Le Portrait de Petit Cossette.
