Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion was released 10 years ago, and even after all that time, it still serves as one of the best anime sequels, if not the best. Puella Magi Madoka Magica became a worldwide sensation seemingly overnight, and the announcement of its official sequel naturally invoked excitement and trepidation. Seeing such a big anime be continued would always be exciting, but as is always the case with sequels, Rebellion ran the risk of tarnishing the original series, and with it only being a movie, there was also a chance that it wouldn’t have enough time to do everything it needed to do.

Fortunately, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion met all the expectations it had to live up to and more. Not only did Rebellion’s story follow up on the original anime in an organic and incredibly satisfying way, but it did so with a level of flair through its animation, voice acting, and all-around direction that made the anime’s aesthetic even better and still more than holds up a decade later. Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion has just as much merit now as it did when it was first released a decade ago, and here’s a breakdown of everything that goes into why that is.

Madoka Magica Rebellion’s Story Is A Subversive Masterpiece

One of the biggest things that Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion has going for it is how brilliantly subversive its story is. The film opens with what’s obviously meant to be an in-universe deception by bringing back dead characters and putting everyone into the sort of cliché magical girl anime Madoka Magica was meant to deconstruct. That works perfectly in the film’s favor, however, as not only is it entertaining to see the cast in a more conventional setting, but it helps to emphasize the underlying unease that something is wrong, a feeling the film does a great job of capturing with a shift in score and lighting.

Once Homura realized that they were trapped in a witch’s labyrinth, the story became about unraveling the mystery behind that, most notably figuring out how a witch can exist in Madoka’s reality in the first place. In the process of doing so, Homura becomes increasingly unstable until she finally lets out how sad she is to not have Madoka in her life. Chiwa Saito’s incredible delivery does a great job of conveying Homura’s sorrow and that continues right into the big reveal that the witch who trapped everyone was Homura herself.

The climax turns into a massive battle where Madoka and her friends must stop Homura from giving into despair and killing herself to protect Madoka from Kyubey, a battle that’s accompanied by the always amazing vocals of Kalafina. Madoka seemingly succeeds in getting through to Homura, and the film seems like it’s going to end on a somber, yet sweet note of Homura ing Madoka in the afterlife. All of that was immediately turned on its head, however, with the shocking twist that everything that happened was secretly part of Homura’s plan to steal Madoka’s godhood and reshape reality to her liking, most notably with Madoka coming back to life.

As sudden as it might seem for Homura to become a villain, it’s something that plays off of her arc in a very organic way. Homura was always defined by her obsession with Madoka, so seeing her willing to become the literal devil if it means keeping her around is a natural progression of her arc, and making her the villain for everyone to eventually come together to defeat has the potential for a myriad of creative and emotional stories. The various twists in Rebellion are as organic as they are exciting, and they serve to build a story that, even after a decade, still stands the test of time.

Madoka Magica Rebellion’s Animation & Direction Are Some Of The Best In All Anime

Another factor that goes into why Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion is how amazing its animation and direction are. For animation, the film takes the anime’s penchant for medium blending even further with puppets and even more paper cutouts in a way that never feels out of place. Even the regular animation looks amazing as every scene is filled with life and choreography that most anime never even attempt to convey, and Homura and Mami’s fight and Homura fully turning into a witch are two scenes, in particular, that especially stand out for how amazing they look.

Beyond the animation, of course, is the overall direction of the film. The film’s use of color and music is always on point, and whether it’s something surreal or something down-to-earth, they’re always used to maximum effect to highlight the mood. The overall shot composition is also great, as every scene is shot to both look great and perfectly convey whatever the current point of view character is supposed to be feeling at that moment. Akiyuki Shinbo and Yukihiro Miyamoto both returned from the anime to direct Rebellion, and it’s safe to say that their work here is just as good as it was there, if not better.

Madoka Magica’s Cast Have Never Been Better Than They Are In Rebellion

What ultimately sells Rebellion as such an amazing film, however, is how great the cast is written here. Homura’s character arc and the story surrounding it have already been discussed at length, but the rest of the cast is also handled well here; Madoka’s comion is made into even more of a strength, as is Sayaka’s heroism, Mami’s abilities as a leader, and even Kyubey’s villainy. Kyoko does get the least to work with out of the main cast, but she still adds plenty of life to the film, and the film wouldn’t work as well as it does if the cast weren’t handled with such care.

The cast of Rebellion are great as individuals, but where they truly shine is through their interactions with each other. The tenderness of Madoka and Homura’s relationship gets even more time to shine than it did in the anime, and it’s very refreshing to see Homura interact with everyone without being antagonistic. It’s also great to see Sayaka and Kyoko be genuine friends after not getting a chance before, as is seeing Mami getting to be friends with everyone as someone who’s truly happy instead of just pretending to be. They’re the sort of interactions the anime was woefully without, and seeing them here helps take Rebellion’s quality even higher.

Between its subversive story, amazing animation, dynamic direction, and creative character work, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion is the perfect sequel to Puella Magi Madoka Magica and easily one of the best sequel stories in anime. The film more than lives up to the legacy of the original anime, and even with it taking over a decade for its ending to be followed up with Walpurgisnacht: Rising, its sheer quality more than makes up for that. Any fan of Madoka Magica would be remiss to skip out on Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion, and it will be great to see what’s done to try and top it with Walpurgisnacht: Rising in 2024.