Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie - Walpurgisnacht: Rising
Shaft
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Synopsis
Don't let the frilly outfits and cute mascot fool you — Madoka Magica has always been the kind of story that lures you in with sparkles and then breaks your kneecaps. This fourth movie, Walpurgisnacht: Rising, picks up after the events of Rebellion, continuing the tangled, increasingly painful story of Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi in the city of Mitakihara. If you've been following these girls through their cycles of hope, sacrifice, and cosmic-scale suffering, you already know this franchise doesn't pull punches. For newcomers — go watch the original series first, seriously, because context is everything here. Studio Shaft brings back their signature blend of gorgeous traditional animation and deeply unsettling surreal collage visuals, the kind that make witch labyrinths feel like fever dreams you can't shake. Yuki Kajiura's score does the heavy lifting on atmosphere, shifting between haunting and devastating without warning. The drama here is psychological and emotional, less about flashy battles and more about what these characters owe each other and themselves. If you liked the existential weight of Neon Genesis Evangelion or the layered symbolism in Revolutionary Girl Utena, this operates in similar territory — fairy tale aesthetics wrapped around something much darker and more philosophical. It's a movie that rewards you for paying attention and punishes you for getting attached. Which, honestly, is the whole Madoka experience.
📚 THE SOURCE MATERIAL
An original work — not adapted from manga, light novel, or game. The Madoka Magica story was created directly for anime by the team at Shaft, writer Gen
Urobuchi, and production company Aniplex in 2011. Walpurgisnacht: Rising is the fourth film in the franchise and the direct sequel to 2013's Rebellion, which ended on a cliffhanger
that left Homura Akemi having rewritten the laws of the universe to keep Madoka by her side.
For eleven years, fans have argued about whether that ending was the most selfless act of love in anime history or the most terrifying act of control. Walpurgisnacht: Rising is the story
that answers it.
Episode Guide
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Characters
Homura Akemi
Saitou Chiwa
Madoka Kaname
Ambrós Carmen
Kyouko Sakura
Landa Lauren
Sayaka Miki
Riva Gea
Mami Tomoe
Meynen Julia
Kyuubey
Di Pisa Loretta
🎬 STAFF & STUDIO
Director: Akiyuki Shinbou
Shaft's signature director. Known for the Monogatari series (2009–), Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) and its films, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2007), and a distinctive visual
style that has defined Shaft's identity for two decades.
Co-Director: Yukihiro Miyamoto
Longtime Shinbou collaborator. Directed March Comes in Like a Lion (2016) and has been co-director across the Madoka Magica films.
Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi
The writer behind some of the darkest, most philosophically dense anime of the last 15 years — Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011), Fate/Zero (2011), Psycho-Pass (2012), *Thunderbolt
Fantasy* (2016). Known for subverting genre expectations with brutal clarity.
Music: Yuki Kajiura
One of anime's most celebrated composers. Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero, .hack//SIGN, Madoka Magica, Kara no Kyoukai. Her score defined the emotional architecture of the
original Madoka, and she returns for Walpurgisnacht: Rising.
Studio: Shaft
The studio behind every Madoka Magica entry, the Monogatari series, and Shinbou's signature visual language.
What this lineup signals: The original creative team is fully intact — Shinbou, Urobuchi, Kajiura, Shaft. Madoka's power was never in its twists alone; it was in how every element
worked together to feel dangerous. Having the full team back means this isn't a cash-in sequel — it's the continuation the creators always intended.
🎯 ADAPTATION EXPECTATIONS
What's being covered. Plot details are deliberately scarce — Shaft and Urobuchi are keeping the story under wraps, which tracks for a franchise
built on subversion. What we know: the film is the direct sequel to Rebellion, and the title references Walpurgisnacht, historically the most powerful witch in the Madoka universe.
What fans hope for. A resolution that earns both sides of Rebellion's ending. Homura's choice reads as either devotion or tyranny depending on who you ask. The film has to pick a
side — or find a third option nobody saw coming. Given Urobuchi's track record, bet on the third option.
What fans worry about. Anything that resolves the tension cheaply. Rebellion's power came from refusing to offer easy answers. A Walpurgisnacht: Rising that ties everything up with
a clean bow would betray the franchise's entire thesis. Fans would rather it end messy and honest than tidy and safe.
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