Welcome back to Rising Sun. As we approach the twentieth post, I want to return to one of the first shows I reviewed: Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

As I stated in my previous review, Madoka Magica is the most unique magical girl anime show since Sailor Moon. The show, written by Gen Urobuchi, was a more realistic take on the genre and was almost universally loved. When Urobuchi created a rough draft for a sequel film, The Rebellion Story, shortly after the show ended, the staff decided it would be a good idea to recreate the series to prepare moviegoers for a sequel. The remake was split into two feature films, Madoka Magica Beginnings and Madoka Magica Eternal.

Beginnings covers the first eight episodes of the series, and Eternal covers the remaining episodes. Since the movies are remakes of a previously reviewed show, no synopsis is needed here. My following comments on the storyline are exclusively on changes made for the feature films. In these films, many irrelevant scenes involving the characters trying to decide on their goals are omitted, improving on already excellent pacing. Alterations on the dialogue get the moods of the characters across more effectively, and some of the scenes were merged together to further the film’s pacing.

Many people would assume that for the remake, Shaft would use the same animation as in the series, but this assumption is very incorrect. Both movies use all new animation to correct anatomical errors, give more detail and make the backdrops even more gorgeous. This also goes for the music. Yuki Kajiura has gone back and added more pieces to the film’s score, giving it more variety and emotional impact. The new vocal pieces, Luminous and Falling Light, emphasize the emotions the characters feel at the beginning and end of the story spectaculary. The series’ ending theme Magia was even remade for Beginnings to give focus on the bleak direction the story takes at the end of the first movie.

But the films aren’t perfect remakes of the show. The series’ opening credits were recreated for Eternal to serve as an intermission, which is unnecessary. And in my opinion, the movies, no longer restricted by length, could’ve benefited from the inclusion of the deleted scenes recorded in The Beginning Story book, especially since some of those scenes were included in the graphic novel adaptation.

Putting that aside, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Beginnings and Eternal are solid remakes of the show, and while they don’t bring anything new to the table, they serve as perfect recaps for fans and newcomers both getting ready to watch The Rebellion Story on Netflix. So if you’re in that position or are just looking for a new kind of animated experience, give these films or the television series a try the next time you’re on Netflix.