Good morning. Today for Rising Sun, I’m not doing a review, but I want to talk about an issue that anime fans have expressed an interest in.

When I started the blog, I said that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a must-see, and that it’s sequel The Rebellion Story was a natural and unexpected continuation of the series. But what I didn’t say was that The Rebellion Story, while closing another chapter of the series, also left things open enough for a fourth movie.

You see, a year or two ago, a trailer for a new film entitled Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Atonement Story circulated on YouTube. That sounds good, right?

Sadly enough, said trailer was just a very clever (if not cruel) April Fools joke by a fan of the series. It was just a prank, and I accept that. However, I find a fourth movie to be a good idea. The show’s creative staff did say they wanted to do more stories involving the characters, and some fans weren’t exactly satisfied with The Rebellion Story‘s ending. (All I’m going to say that it’s called The Rebellion Story for a very good reason.) So that makes a future fourth film a natural decision, especially given the previous films’ enormous box office returns in both Japan and America.

That said, I just treat the joke trailer as a imagining of what could happen in a hypothetical fourth film, and given how the last film was Rebellion, Atonement would be a natural theme for the next film. I say it’s up to the staff to decide if they want to do a fourth film, but if they do, I’m sure that fans will enjoy it. Until then, just remember the words of that sweet song from The Rebellion Story: “Mada dame yo/Not yet…”

Have a different opinion? Let me know in the comments.