Gzerble

You know, it really is hard to judge a recap on its own merit. Especially when it is a recap of one of the most innovative shows of the past decade. A lot of fat is trimmed, and what we have is a tight package that is more uptempo than the series. Of course, the worst part is that Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari takes everything that is the setup for the dramatic climax of the series, with only the mild payoff.

The lack of the climactic ending ultimately means that the story doesn't achieve the heights the original series does, and the characters gain less development. But that is missing the point. Judging Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari as its own film is easy. That is due to a very careful bit of editing.

The deconstruction of the magical girl takes a less patient and far more brutal approach in the film. Each battle is followed by the increasingly horrible revelations, and a far more accute sense of just how damaging the price paid is. The first battle somehow fits with the standard magical girl shows, and it is followed up much more realistically, but starting the second battle we go into an escallation of understanding what happens behind the scenes.

Still, the film is only two hours, and as such does not have the time to develop the rich psychological and philosophical implications that the series had. Nevertheless, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari is not only enjoyable, but fantastic. As its own film, it is a powerful offering, and will leave you waiting for the next installations.

Writing (Story and Characters):

Allow me the leisure of not elaborating too much on specifics. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari does something incredibly brave by ending with an ominous note and a promise of what is to come... we feel that the story awaits completion, and that it does. But whereas most films that do that are the second of a trilogy, this one is just the first. As such, the ending is particularly jarring.

A familiar plot to those who have seen the series; an edited exposition of the original series. That is the simplest way to explain it. There are tradeoffs, where the character driven element is more subdued and the action gains a greater focus. In the end, the story of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari is more balanced than that of the original series. Still, there is a loss of depth, and some explanations are skimmed or skipped.

Where Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari suffers most compared to the source is the characters. The loss of over a quarter of the running time removes a lot of backstory and depth from the characters. Still, the narrower focus on certain characters removes the arcs each focused on a different character and give the cast a more cohesive feel which makes up for some of the ground lost. Just like the story, the characters remain well above average despite the loss in patient delivery.

To say that the movie does as well as the series is too much. The writing suffers from the time constraints of the movie. Yet it gives a far harsher edge to the deconstruction of the magical girl in return for it. Where the series is patient, the movie cuts to the chase. From a strict script perspective, it is a very well executed movie script, written very well from a technical perspective. Just don't expect it to live up to the glory that was the series, after all, not only is it shorter, but lacking the final dramatic arc.

Art (Animation and Sound):

From an aesthetic standpoint, the artwork enjoys the tighter packaging and sharpening up. The battle scenes remain gloriously metaphorical and potent works of art, and we get to revel in them. The narrower focus helps the outcome's psychological effects to take the center of the stage, and as such the voice acting becomes a better fit. The patented Shaft camera angles work so well when they are used, and the artwork has been touched up in the right places for a true cinematic experience.

Starting to talk about the animation specifically, we must talk about the battles. The use of many forms of media, from a mashup of photos, CG, and hand drawn parts (both crude and detailed in parts), these are some of the greatest artistic triumphs anime ever had. The backgrounds remain detailed and clever. The character designs are distinct, though they (and the transformation sequences) are not groundbreaking in any way. Still, this is well into the top tier of animation because Shaft's penchant for artistic risk taking which is proudly cinematic to begin with just revels in the cinematic medium.

Where the animation enjoys the tighter story, the sound does as well. A lot of the faults due to pacing (especially with the voice acting) end up amelliorated or completely removed from the film. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari still has some flaws, but overall, it is professional and a great fit for the series. There are some minor quibbles about details here and there that don't allow me to say that the sound is truly exceptional, but it is great.

As a whole, the artwork of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari is doubtlessly in the upper echelon of anime. There are the occasional cuts which are a tad gimmicky, and the sound could be a bit more intense if there had been more use of ambient noise, but these are minor details. There is a huge amount of life the art breathes into the story, and some of it is downright jaw-dropping.

Overall:

On its own merits, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari is a great movie. It is obviously waiting for a sequel, and yet, it successfully recreates and even reimagines the first eight episodes of the series through use of sharp editing. Just don't expect viewing the movie to be a happy experience.