Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 15, 2014

Note: This film is currently only available as part of Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie.

Aniplex was one of the producers of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and so it’s perhaps understandable why the label doled out the actual series in such small increments, in a trio of pretty expensive boxed sets that also included accoutrements like soundtrack CDs and other swag (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Box Set Volume 1, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Box Set Volume 2, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Box Set Volume 3). The label hedged its bets somewhat by also releasing the series in scaled down versions that were significantly less pricey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Volume 1, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Volume 2, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Volume 3). That glut of choices doesn’t seem to have been repeated with this new set devoted to the first two Puella Magi Madoka Magica feature films which were culled from the actual series, and this Limited Edition contains just the films (on separate Blu-ray discs) with accompanying DVD versions and an assortment of supplements, without an overkill of swag with arguably niche appeal. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a franchise which often seems to be as childlike as its heroine, Madoka Kaname, but which actually ends up offering some occasionally rather provocative musings about what wish fulfillment can really lead to. Despite its carnival like atmosphere, Puella Magi Madoka Magica actually turns out to be a kind of post-modern take on the Faust legend, as so-called Magical Girls find out the “contracts” they’ve entered into to obtain certain powers have consequences they never imagined could be possible.

The original anime version of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was frankly not all that long when you get right down to it (consider the number of episodes of Dragon Ball Z for just one salient example), and so the wisdom of taking a “slice and dice” approach to craft a feature film (or films) might seem on its face to be at least questionable. But Beginnings, the aptly title start up of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica tale, manages to get most of the major plot points on the screen without too much confusing condensation, so that those without an inkling of what a Magical Girl or Witch might be (at least within the framework of this franchise) will be able to more or less easily follow the course of events.

This film actually starts out pretty much exactly like the anime, with a brief tour of Madoka’s pretty normal seeming home life, which then segues into her equally normal seeming school life. However, things quickly change once she’s confronted by new schoolmate Homura and urged—in an almost menacing way—to never change the way she is “right now”. Those words turn out to have unexpected layers of meaning as the film (and its sequel) play out, but soon enough there’s more to worry about than mere words when Madoka and her best friend Sayaka Miki seem to get sucked into an alternate world at the behest of a little bunny-like creature named Kyubey. Madoka and Sayaka don’t quite know what to make of what’s going on, especially once Homura shows up and is herself confronted by another friend of Madoka’s, a young girl named Mami Tomoe.

It’s here that Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts to unravel what turns out to be a rather surprisingly arcane set of plot points the end up nesting inside each other like those old Russian dolls. Homura and Mami are both Magical Girls, tasked with eradicating Witches, who (in the universe of the show and films) are the cause of all the negative things that befall Mankind. Kyubey turns out to be a so-called Incubator, a creature who facilitates a normal mortal female’s ability to transform into a Magical Girl. However, the “contract” Kyubey extracts from each girl wanting to undergo this transformation turns out to have some fine print.

Beginnings actually utilizes about two thirds of the original series’ episodes, curtailing some of the intermediary decisions the various girls make on their way to becoming superpowered Witch fighters, but managing to keep the overall arcs relatively intact. The film does do decent service to Madoka’s initial hesitancies when she’s confronted with the possibility of changing her lot in life, but interestingly, the film tends to slightly mask what’s really going on with Homura, leaving that surprise at least partially to the follow up, Eternal.

Those who don’t have the time (or, frankly, the money—at least for the expensive boxed sets) to completely immerse themselves in Puella Magi Madoka Magica will find the outlines, and indeed even a bit more, in this well done Reader’s Digest version of the story. The only downside here is that the series is rather unusually layered, especially as it goes along, and some of those elements simply aren’t fully developed in this shorter revision.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Beginnings is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Aniplex with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Since a lot of the film was culled from actual preexisting material found in the series, it's probably no great surprise to discover that the video quality here is completely in line with the previously reviewed Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Box Set Volume 1 and Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Box Set Volume 2. The good news in terms of a pure visual experience is that this condensed version offers relatively less of the "everyday" shōnen aspects of the franchise and concentrates on the often spectacular magical elements. These sequences are awash in incredibly cool graphical elements, which include everything from text marching across the screen to what look like "pop up" butterflies to a monstrous Witch or two. As with the original series, line detail is exceptionally sharp, and the palette on display throughout the film is incredibly vivid and varied. The only real issue here is some prevalent banding, something that's especially evident when magical sequences quickly segue from light to dark and back again.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the original anime series, there are two surround tracks on Beginnings, albeit only one of them, the original Japanese language track, is offered in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. (For the record, the Japanese track is also offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and an English dub is presented in DTS 5.1.) The surround activity here is most noticeable in the "alternate world" sequences, where a glut of sound effects and underscore surge through the side and rear channels and create an all encompassing sound field that really helps to establish the reality of this often frightening environment. Dialogue is very cleanly presented, and while the English track isn't lossless, it should be noted that the voice work on it is well above average, capturing some of the nuance that the original Japanese track does.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Limited Edition comes in a sturdy chipboard slipcase that features art by character designer Junichiro Taniguchi. The set also includes an illustrated booklet. The supplements on this disc are:

• Textless Ending (1080p; 5:15)


• Trailer (1080i; 1:32)


• TVCM 1 (1080i; 00:49) features both 15 second and 30 second versions.


• TVCM 2 (1080i; 00:49) features both 15 second and 30 second versions.


• TVCM 3 (1080i; 00:49) features both 15 second and 30 second versions.


• TVCM 4 (1080i; 00:49) features both 15 second and 30 second versions.


• Credits

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps surprisingly, Puella Magi Madoka Magica makes the transition to (shortened) feature films rather well. While certain aspects are telescoped, when taken together, Beginnings and Eternal hit most of the major arcs while perhaps wisely jettisoning some of the more rote shōnen aspects of the original series. What this ends up doing is much more quickly revealing what a thought provoking franchise this outing really is. Like the Magical Girls themselves, Puella Magi Madoka Magica seems to be one thing, but turns out to be something else entirely. Graced by some incredibly vibrant animation, and buoyed by a well done surround track that was not available in the original version, this release comes Highly recommended.