Puella Magi Madoka Magica became an instant phenomenon when it first hit screens in 2011. Its dark magical girl tale resonated with audiences and spawned a massive franchise that has received several spin-off titles, including three films. Now, nearly 10 years after the previous one, Madoka is getting a brand new movie.
Announced with a slew of other things as part of a celebration of Madoka Magica's tenth anniversary, the movie is called Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Walpurgis no Kaiten, which translates to Restoration of Walpurgis. During the announcement, both a piece of key art and a teaser trailer were shown. The art shows Madoka Kaname in a pane of shattered glass while a dark hand reaches out towards her. However, it is the text in the teaser that has caught fans' attention. The text references the previous movie, 2013's Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, saying that the film continues that tale while also being a new beginning.
Brace for spoilers. At the end of Rebellion, Homura Akemi made herself into an all-powerful demon. She then captured Madoka and split her divine goddess self away from her mortal self. Homura takes Madoka's role as creator of the universe and puts the normal Madoka in a new universe, one where she can live a normal life without the pain of being a magical girl, unaware of the events of the series. Homura also promises that she will make Kyubey and the incubators pay for what they have done.
However, Homura notes that if Madoka regains her memories, she could rejoin with her divine self and that Madoka and Homura may end up being foes and facing each other in battle. The movie ends with Madoka seemingly starting to regain her memories and a shot of a heavy door that has been tied shut with a ribbon. Could the glass in the key art represent Madoka finding her way out of her universe and fighting the now-demonic Homura? Or could the shadow hand be the remains of Madoka's divine self, reaching through reality to try and rejoin with her other half? Or maybe a new entity is lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment.
Many fans are also talking about the title, as Walpurgis plays a massive role in the series in the form of a monstrous witch called Walpurgisnacht. This giant, horrific creature is the most powerful witch the magical girls fight and seems to arrive on the same day in every time loop. Every attempt at defeating Walpurgisnacht fails until Madoka makes a wish that erases all witches from both the past, present and future. This wish causes her to become a divine being but erases Madoka from history and along with everyone's memories of her. Homura is the only person who can remember her former comrade. The restoration of this witch could mean horrible things for the world, and it must be asked who would want such a thing to happen.
The trailer also confirms that the original Madoka team is coming back for this movie, as it is written by Gen Urobuchi with Akiyuki Shinbo directing. The original voice cast will also reprise their roles, including Aoi Yūki as Madoka Kaname and Chiwa Saito as Homura Akemi. It has also been confirmed that SHAFT, the animators of the original series, will be animating the movie, and series composer Yuki Kajiura will be handling the soundtrack.
The movie does not have a confirmed release date at this time. However, it is presumed that it will be at the tail end of this year or early next year to fit in with the other anniversary offerings. One thing is certain: when the movie does release, Madoka fans will be lining up to find out what this chapter of the story has in store for them.