[guncannon109]

So last night I watched the dub of Madoka Magica: Rebellion Story with my brother and I think I have finally nailed down my opinion on what might possibly be the most polarizing anime film since End of Eva. Keep in mind that this is going to be a spoiler heavy analysis so anyone who has not seen the movie at this point stop reading now! You have been warned.

First off I think it's best to start off with what I think everyone can agree with, this movie is a land mark on visual spectacle alone. The series itself had several moments of jaw dropping gorgeous and stunning animation with it's unique art style but Rebellion Story takes everything the series did and escalates it. Two shots of note that my brother pointed out was 1. Sayaka's sword jabbed into Homura's shield with the camera placed within the cogs of said sheild and 2. Kyubey being cast in the shadow of a falling blimp as his eyes illuminated from the darkness.

Now then, on to the movie itself I still stand that the middle portion (starting from Homura's reversion from Moemura to her more well known self up until the last fifteen minutes of the film) is where the movie is at it's high point with enough suspense, beautiful cinematography/animation and just good writing to keep any fan of the series invested and satisfied with the movie's mere existence. However then there's those other two parts and, well... let's touch on those briefly shall we?

Yes, the first third or so is a jarring opener for those going into this expecting it to pick up exactly where the series left off but those who have seen this know that this is an intentional choice in order to leave the audience just as confused as the characters are about the whole thing and once the charade is lifted I must say that it's at least an interesting change of pace to say the least. As for the ending of the film, having since this in english I now have a better understanding of the film and can say that it was foreshadowed and does not come right out of left field as some claim. My only complaint is that it leaves off on a cliffhanger and, with a continuation having yet to be announced, goes completely unresolved and might come off feeling like a giant middle finger to some viewers.

Speaking of that dub, this might just be just me as I find that I often have a better time following dialogue spoken in my native tongue but I found that without the need of having to shift my eyes back and forth from the subtitles and what was going on on screen it was much easier to pick up on several subtleties woven into both writing and animation. One example being Mami attaching one of her ribbons to Homura as she past by her in her apartment before their big fight (best scene in the movie, FYI) and was a nice touch that shows just how much thought went into this film from a technical standpoint. I should also give credit to the english cast which really stepped up their game for this outing. Cristina Vee and Casandra Lee were still great as Homura and Kyubey respectively but I'd also like to give mention to Sarah Williams' stand out performance as Sayaka who single handedly stole the show for me and made one of my least favorite of the five lead characters into a strong second. Sorry Kyoko, but you've been dethroned.

In conclusion, after now having seen this film a solid three times (once in theaters, again online and a final time in English.) and can finally close the book on this story and deem Madoka Magica: Rebellion as a perfectly acceptable continuation of one of my personal favorite anime shows but only a great one had it been given a proper conclusion. Here's hoping we get a sequel in some form later on down the line... keyword being "hoping" of course.