After many delays, “Puella Magi Madoka Magica 4: Return of the Demon King” finally premiered in Japan on August 28. Released nearly 13 years after the last film, this film is a direct continuation of the 2013 film Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Hangyaku no Monogatar.
To commemorate the long-awaited premiere, Japanese publication Anime Freaks spoke with Gen Urobuchi from Nitroplus studio, the main screenwriter of the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the scriptwriter of the new film.
Looking back on the original series launched more than ten years ago, Urobuchi said that he was able to write this work only because at that time he deeply understood the inner suffering of magical girls and became deeply interested in the problems that troubled them.
I honestly don’t think I can write this right now. Not only have I aged, but times themselves have changed. Then I understood what young people fear and what they seek. Now, however, I find myself wondering what exactly brings joy or pain to a new generation that has grown up with smartphones and social networks.
Interestingly, “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” is not only the first time Urobuchi has created an original animation script, it is also his first “Magical Girl” type work. Coming into the industry from the visual novel world, he wasn’t sure how to approach the subject, but agreed to the project largely because of his “adventurous spirit.”
I was just excited to try something I’d never done before; the fact that I accepted my confusion as part of the experience only proves how young I was at the time.
It’s funny, but as an example of “how to write a magical girl story”, Urobuchi has shown the anime “Magical Girl Nanoha” and “Cossette no Shouzou” (“Portrait of Little Cosette”).
