Review of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion (2013) by Psychog — 24 Sep 2014

It's hard to rate Rebellion on it's own, mainly due to the fact that by the end, it's clear that the narrative is not finished. The twist at the end of the movie is clearly a set-up for a continuation of the series, be it another movie or a second anime season. Generally speaking, there wouldn't be an issue with this, sequel baiting is very common.

The problem here is that the Madoka Magica series already received an ending that brought closure for the characters and the viewer at the end of the original 12 episode series. Perhaps not the happiest of endings but it was an ending most would have been content with, the series felt complete. So to continue the story and have a well loved character act so out of character in order to set up a further continuation is extremely disappointing and one can only hope that the inevitable sequel can wrap up the series in a more appropriate way.

In terms of the animation and sound, it's brilliantly done, the movie looks and sounds amazing, improving in many ways on that of the original series. We'll just have to wait and see if the next film can fix the feeling of disappointment and non-closure that the ending of Rebellion has left us with.