Magical Girl Film Gets Pushed Back An Entire Year
Magical girls doing magical things is a common anime plot, but none does it in such a dark and terrifying way as Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Though the last update of the story came as a movie over a decade ago, fans still can’t stop talking about this amazing series and the story. Fans hoped that the story would be continued this year in the new movie, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising, but unfortunately, they will have to wait at least another year due to production delays.
A Year Delay
Originally Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising was meant to be released in the Winter 2024 season, which would have had it coming to theaters near the beginning of 2024, based on anime release schedules. However, the film never came out.
While there were rumors the film was delayed, there was no official announcement until the middle of August 2024. On the social media statement, the team said Walpugisnacht Rising was delayed until Winter 2025, or the beginning of next year, supposedly.
How Seasons Work In Anime
However, when it comes to movies like Walpugisnacht Rising, the release seasons aren’t always the same as anime seasons; for the anime industry, the order of seasons is Winter (January to March), Spring (April to June), Summer (July to September), and Fall (October to December). With movies, though, it seems winter gets pushed to the end of the year, with spring then landing in the first quarter.
A Sequel To The 2013 Movie
If this is correct, it means Walpugisnacht Rising wasn’t meant to be released until the last quarter of the year, sometime between October and Fall. In this case, the announcement for the delay comes at least two months early, and the movie is still at least a year out. The team cites production delays behind the wait for Walpugisnacht Rising, but no specifics have been provided.
Walpugisnacht Rising is set to be a direct sequel to Rebellion, a Puella Magi Madoka Magica movie first released in October 2013. Walpugisnacht Rising will be the fourth movie from the series, alongside the one season.
The Returning Cast
The movie is set to have a returning cast, with Aoi Yuki (Erased) as Madoka Kaname, Chiwa Saito (Bakemonogatari) as Homura Akemi, Kaori Mizuhashi (Hidamari Sketch) as Mami Tomoe, Eri Kitamura (Blue Exorcist) as Saya Miki, Ai Nonaka (Negima!) as Kyoko Sakura, Kana Asumi (The World God Only Known) as Nagisa Momoe, and Emiri Kato (Darker than Black) as Kyubey.
Additionally, most of the crew will be returning as well, with Akiyyuki Shinbou (Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season) as the director under Studio Shaft (March Comes in Like a Lion). Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass) will also be returning as the scriptwriter.
Get Caught Up On Crunchyroll
The original season received a lot of love for its genre twist, earning an 8.37 out of 10 average score on My Anime List. It also has a popularity ranking of 103. The series comes across as a simple cure anime on posters and short trailers, but the actual story quickly grows dark.
Walpurgisnacht Rising’s full plot hasn’t been released yet either, but the story appears to focus heavily on the continuing distance and dark relationship between Madoka, Homura, and the other magical girls. There are also theories that timelines or doppelgangers may also be involved in the storyline.
While it’s unfortunate that Walpurgisnacht Rising was delayed, fans can still dive back into the magical world. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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