(Quick Update) I’m back! This is Mono (7Mononoke), returning from the world of obsessive minecraft and intensive mental health management! Although I’ve had a few posts lately – about Netflix’s Pluto – those were written in advance and published at prescheduled times. I haven’t actually worked on any blog stuff for the last 3 or 4 weeks. As a result, I’m behind on covering the seasonal anime I chose for Fall 2023. My plan is to get back into it this week and continue my episode reviews.
Now then, with that update out of the way, I do have an actual topic for today’s little Anime Rant: the upcoming fourth Madoka Magica movie. The Japanese title is Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Walpurgis no Kaiten, which translates to Magical Girl Madoka Magica: Turning of Walpurgis. The English title uses “Rising” in place of “Turning” so it’s technically Madoka Magica: Walpurgis Rising. It will be released sometime in the Winter season of 2024.
I’ve been a fan of this anime franchise for about nine years. Since the third movie, Madoka Magica: Rebellion, was released in 2013, some fans have been waiting for a full decade for the continued story. Despite the long, long time between third and fourth movies, I’ve never lost my passion for Madoka Magica. I’m still just as excited as ever, especially since this new movie will probably be in keeping with the themes and story of the past installments. (Most of the core writers, staff, and voice-actors are the same.)
It’s not often that I try to make predictions about upcoming anime. I prefer to wait and see, enjoying it without trying to guess things correctly the first time. I’m also terrified of looking like an idiot, so I tend to not commit to any predictions. But in the interest of stretching my mind and challenging myself, I’ve decided to be bold this time.
Please note that my predictions and notes will not be super detailed or reflect hours of thought. There are many others who have spent much more time on this, but my effort here is just a step above minimal. With that in mind, here are my very rough predictions about Madoka Magica: Walpurgis Rising.
Predictions: General Plot
Let’s start with something obvious: the main story will continue. In other words, the movie will show what happens after Homura’s transformation into the “Devil.” This is as opposed to a world that’s completely independent of the events of Rebellion. However, it may not always be obvious that this is the same story. Much like in Rebellion, the plot and setting will be convoluted. The trailer suggests that dreams are an important theme, so there may be dream sequences and illusions to further complicate things.
We know Walpurgis is one of the main points of focus for this movie. This witch is a calamity that eventually ends the world if not stopped. I think this is all but confirmed, so it’s not really a prediction, but I’ll make a statement anyway: I think Walpurgis is Madoka from another timeline. As the most powerful of magical girls, according to the rules of magic, she also became the most powerful witch after despairing.
The real question is not the past identity of Walpurgis, but rather, how she can be defeated in Homura’s closed universe. The Law of the Cycle is supposed to stop Walpurgis from destroying the planet. But in Homura’s world, the Law of the Cycle has been broken. It doesn’t exist. All that exists in its place is some little girl named Madoka. Therefore, the major conflict of the movie will be Homura’s quest to destroy Walpurgis without involving Madoka. That’s my prediction, anyway.
Predictions: Homura, Kyubey, and Sayaka
Whether or not I want it to happen, I seriously doubt Homura will be “redeemed” from her “demonic” ways. I think she will remain manipulative and try to trap Madoka in a safe world forever. It’s possible that Madoka will find a way to “save” her this time, but still, I believe Homura will fight it to the very end. Extrapolating from that, the outcome of the movie may be that Homura is defeated and Madoka is freed.
Many fans have theories about why Sayaka appears in the trailer covered in bandages. On that topic, my prediction is that Sayaka will struggle a lot in this movie, probably as a result of resisting Homura’s control. The bandages may be a metaphor for her mental anguish. Alternatively, the bandages could symbolism the fact that her true power is wrapped up and sealed. It’s also possible that Sayaka was literally, physically harmed in some way, but I suspect the bandages are mostly symbolic.
My next prediction is that Kyubey will have a critical role. He/it will either be working for Homura as a slave, or else acting as a force to fight Homura in the shadows. Given the creature’s manipulative and strategic nature, it will likely have a plot to free itself from Homura and regain power. I suspect Kyubey will rope Madoka and company into helping it by playing the part of a helpless victim. Damn that creature.
Closing Thoughts: Visuals
My last note is a prediction of the visual quality of Walpurgis Rising. I believe it will be excellent and creative, with a lot of eerie and trippy elements like the third movie. Based on the trailer, it seems like the style has changed just slightly so that the girls have slightly more realistic proportions. I prefer stylized animation for magical girls, but the changes don’t seem significant enough here to throw me off.
I’m also predicting that, unfortunately, there will be light fan-service. Although mild in my mind, this was still an issue in Rebellion, what with sexualized clothing designs, off-putting camera angles, and “teases” about Mami’s breasts. I don’t expect any nudity or outright sexualization in the fourth movie, but there may be more of what we saw in Rebellion. The topic of pandery visuals in Madoka Magica is a can of worms I do not wish to address at this time, so I’ll just wrap things up here.
That’s all for my predictions and thoughts. Again, these were surface-level, minimum-effort contemplations based on seeing the trailer two or three times. I hope you enjoyed this post nonetheless. Please let me know any thoughts you may have about my article or the upcoming movie in the comments. Thanks for coming to Anime Rants.
Thanks for reading~
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