One week after receiving the call from Tokyo TV, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was finally moved from its original late-night Saturday 1:00 a.m. slot to the prime-time Friday 8:00 p.m. slot.
The news of the schedule change was announced through a scrolling banner before the end of Episode 23 of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. At the same time, they joined forces with one of Japan's most popular newspapers, 'Mount Fuji Morning Post', to preview the final episode.
As expected, every copy of 'Mount Fuji Morning Post' sold that day was quickly snapped up.
Most people in Japan had rather different daily routines from those in China. Basically, students and office workers did not have the concept of "lunch" in the same way. It was not that they did not eat lunch, but that it was almost impossible for the whole family to eat together at lunchtime. More often, they ate bentos or purchased food at school or work.
The reason evening programming was called prime time was that most office workers and students had already returned home by then. It was one of the periods with the highest television usage.
Among these, the prime-time slots on Saturday and the legal day off, Sunday, were called the golden hours among golden hours. Only national-level dramas could air during those time periods.
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was not arranged for Saturday prime time because while a broadcast slot could be changed, it absolutely could not be delayed. Without a special reason, delaying the broadcast could provoke dissatisfaction among viewers and perhaps even produce the opposite of the expected result.
Then, on Friday night's prime-time slot, just how many Japanese viewers were sitting in front of their televisions, excitedly waiting for the conclusion to the story of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'?
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The Uehara residence, inside the Japanese-style living room. In the quiet atmosphere, only meaningless advertisements played on the wall-mounted television.
The short-haired girl sitting upright silently wrote a line in her notebook and showed it to Uehara Etsuki.
"Etsuki, are you waiting for the anime you helped produce to air?"
Uehara Etsuki, leisurely drinking tea in front of the short-haired girl, was slightly surprised and asked calmly:
"Kaoru, you know about this anime, too?"
"It would be harder not to know. There are too many channels of information. And because Etsuki also participated in its production, I became a little interested."
The girl quickly wrote another line without expression or speech, then tapped the notebook with her pen to indicate that she had finished.
"Hehe. How did you find it?"
"As an animated work, it isn't bad."
Holding her teacup, Uehara Etsuki smiled faintly.
"How rare. Even that anime didn't receive such praise from you. Indeed, I am waiting for this anime to air. Murasaki and I spent more than half a year participating in its production. Even knowing the content, watching it officially air still feels completely different."
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Sunrise Company. Although work hours were already over, the office of animation director Kitagawa Shūichi was still lit.
Sitting off to the side, Fujiwara Tora took out a cigarette and handed it to Kitagawa Shūichi, who was staring seriously at his computer screen.
"Want one?"
Kitagawa Shūichi returned from his thoughts and accepted the cigarette. After lighting it, he took a deep drag and exhaled white smoke, relaxing as he mocked himself.
"Somehow, I don't even feel this nervous when watching my own anime air."
Fujiwara Tora got up and opened the office window, then muttered:
"Same here. That guy Kamiyā's anime, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', has popularity that's... what was that word again? The one used to describe insanely high popularity."
"Phenomenon-level?"
"No, not that. Forget it. Anyway, it's even more terrifying than phenomenon-level. With popularity like this, once the anime finishes airing, it might change the entire structure of the industry. He really has something. Haha, either way, it doesn't have much to do with me as a production manager. With a guy like Kamiyā as a friend, I'll have plenty to brag about at drinking parties in the future."
Fujiwara Tora scratched his head and laughed heartily.
"I think you might as well just switch jobs and go over there."
Kitagawa Shūichi shook his head in amusement and used his mouse to open the streaming page for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' on NICENICE. Unsurprisingly, it had already been occupied by impatient viewers.
When he saw the popularity number under the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' feature page, he felt a slight sense of unreality.
Before the broadcast began, 'Mobile Suit 007' had ten times the popularity of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. Although he had said aloud that Kamiyā Yuu's strength could not be that simple, he had still been quite confident in his own work, 'Mobile Suit 007'.
But now, it was 'Mobile Suit 007' that had been left behind more than ten times.
Creating an impossible popularity myth in the industry with the magical girl genre—this achievement left Kitagawa Shūichi without even the opportunity to feel unwilling.
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The Andō residence.
"I'm done eating!"
After finishing a bowl of rice in a few bites, Andō Shū immediately put down his bowl and rushed toward the living room.
"You little..."
Seeing this, Andō Yuri immediately put down her own bowl and hurried after him.
"Me too. Mom, please handle the dishes today."
Mrs. Andō looked puzzled as the two of them ran faster than wild rabbits.
"Wait, why did you two eat so little and so fast?"
The first thing Andō Shū did upon arriving in the living room was turn on the television and check the clock hanging on the wall. It showed that there were still ten minutes until eight o'clock—the broadcast time for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Andō Yuri walked over, placed one hand on top of his head, and asked with a smiling face:
"Andō Shū, what is the meaning of this?"
Andō Shū looked innocent.
"Sis Yuri, I just want to watch a TV program."
"I know. Unfortunately, I also have a program I want to watch, so I'll have to trouble you to go back to your room and watch it on your phone."
"Sis Yuri, you're the one who has a computer! Why are you fighting me for the TV now!?"
Andō Shū shouted in indignation.
"Isn't that obvious? Of course, the TV has a better viewing experience."
"Then please show some consideration for your little brother's situation. No matter what, I'm watching TV today."
Andō Shū refused to yield an inch, even waving the remote control in his hand.
Both of them knew there was no room for negotiation. 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was the kind of show best experienced while watching alone.
Their gazes sparked fiercely.
An unavoidable battle was about to begin.
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A vast wasteland shrouded in darkness.
There was not the slightest sign of life here. No wind. Within sight, there was no trace of a horizon, no rising and falling land, no sand or stone.
As though to define the difference between heaven and earth, the entire sky was also covered by a deep, dark curtain. The overly monotonous color swallowed everything like a black hole.
In this empty world, a black-haired girl lying on the wasteland slowly opened her eyes.
Startled, she stood up and looked around at the strange environment in confusion.
Everything had vanished.
Everything had turned into nothingness.
That silence filled the girl's heart with immense fear.
She carefully observed her surroundings and seemed to discover a faint clue.
"This place is..."
The silent world heard the girl's murmur.
Although there was clearly no sign of life, a young voice answered Akemi Homura's question.
"This is the new universe reconstructed based on Madoka's wish. The rules of the universe have already been rewritten."
The empty darkness covering the sky receded.
Akemi Homura was immediately shaken by the scene before her.
She seemed to be standing on an endless meteorite. After the darkness withdrew, a magnificent starry sky unfolded before her eyes. Brilliant galaxies interwove and revolved in reverse. Indescribably dazzling cosmic light intertwined, forming an enormous galaxy that occupied her entire field of vision.
Such a breathtaking sight was something ordinary people could never possibly witness. It was more magnificent and vast than any scenery on Earth.
The only thought anyone seeing this scene would likely have is how tiny they were.
"The universe... How is this possible?"
Akemi Homura also saw a shattered planet not far away.
The originally azure planet had been drained of all vitality and turned withered yellow. Half its body had been crushed by an overwhelmingly powerful force.
That region was shrouded in hellish crimson. Magma that devoured all life churned everywhere, yet because of the planet's gravity, it did not break free and drift into space.
The final traces of memory in her mind told her that this was caused by her after transforming into the [Nutcracker Witch].
Before transforming into the [Nutcracker Witch], her final obsession had driven her to seek salvation through countless loops.
When she realized that she had already become a witch, everything collapsed along with it.
Then why did she still possess consciousness after becoming a witch?
"You are the user of magic that crosses time and space. Then let us witness it together—the ending of Kaname Madoka's existence as a magical girl."
At the end of the universe, the brilliant galaxy abruptly dimmed.
A black meteor wrapped in strange colors tore through the magnificent cosmic void, ripping apart that breathtaking scenery.
Everywhere the black meteor passed, everything was dyed black. Its trail was filled with eerie, unknown matter that radiated an ominous aura.
Shrill screams of despair entered Akemi Homura's heart.
In an instant, that black meteor that tore through the universe broke through everything, scattering and devouring a vast galaxy far away.
If the universe made people feel its vastness and grandeur, then this black meteor was despair beyond all words.
Compared to it, even [Walpurgisnacht], which they had never been able to defeat before, was not worth one hundred-millionth of this black meteor.
"That is the Grief Seed brought forth by her prayer."
"How could this be!?"
Akemi Homura trembled and muttered in a broken voice.
She watched helplessly as the black meteor swept across the starry sky before her. Then the black trail left behind by the meteor expanded endlessly, enveloping the entire Milky Way.
The blazing sun was gradually corroded by dark power. Its flames vanished, and black marks symbolizing death appeared on its surface. Before long, it completely became a dead star in the universe.
"The price of realizing such an immense wish—the amount of curse Madoka must bear. Do you understand?"
So close to a universe of despair, Akemi Homura felt even her heart being corroded.
The cold spreading through her body and the weakness of having her strength drained away made her fall to the ground. She hugged herself, trembling.
The power of despair that filled the universe surged and rolled, forming a massive dark wave capable of devouring the cosmos as it spread in all directions.
"Hope equal to the creation of a universe demands an equivalent balance. In other words, Madoka created a curse of despair powerful enough to bring the universe to its end."
The young voice was innocent, yet carried a faint trace of mockery.
"That much is only natural."
The black meteor that was the [Grief Seed] sank into the depths of the universe, becoming an unstable black vortex.
Against the endless starry sky, this black vortex shimmering with brilliant colors did not seem especially conspicuous. But when the view drew closer, one could discover that all surrounding galaxies had been dragged into its center by an unknown black force. Every second, hundreds of millions of planets were devoured by this Grief Seed.
The red light on the shattered Earth gradually disappeared.
The unknown dark power devoured all the heat of the planet's magma. Then Earth was annihilated into dust.
Before long, the [Grief Seed], having absorbed enough power, exploded outward with a roar. It spread with even more frenzied force than when it had devoured the universe earlier.
Akemi Homura did not know how large the universe was. She only knew that the starry sky within her field of vision had been covered by a layer of black.
All the stars had lost their light.
Then she saw it.
Something born from the unknown black substance covering the universe—
The [Witch of the Universe], a colossal existence that would bring the entire cosmos to an end.
"Ah... ah!"
Akemi Homura's heart sank into complete despair. Her trembling hands covered her face as she broke down crying.
At that moment, a familiar, gentle voice rang out.
"It's okay."
Akemi Homura froze. Tears slid down her face as she searched for the source of the voice in shock.
She saw the black curtain covering the universe split open. Incomparably radiant light flashed forth, dispelling the chill she felt throughout her body.
"My wish was to erase all witches."
"If that truly came true, then my own despair no longer has any meaning."
In the far reaches of the universe, Kaname Madoka floated in space, gazing gently at the pink Soul Gem in her hand.
Madoka's eyes became resolute.
When she clasped the Soul Gem in both hands, clear light burst from her palms and illuminated the entire universe.
"I no longer have any reason to despair!"
Unlike the transformation of any other magical girl, Kaname Madoka's clothes changed into a noble and elegant pure white dress. Her body also grew into that of an adult, and at that moment her aura underwent a complete transformation.
From a soft and adorable pink-haired girl, she became a true goddess of gentleness.
The goddess raised the longbow in her hand high.
As the bowstring formed from unknown energy was drawn back, an incomparably complex magic circle began forming before her. Layer after layer unfolded and intertwined, as though following indescribable laws.
Following the trajectory of the universe, Kaname Madoka used the authority she had gained to rewrite the rules of the universe.
She surpassed space.
She surpassed time.
A law that stood above the entire universe was formed.
Kaname Madoka released the bowstring.
Through the magic circle, the power of law manifested and became the force that shattered the black curtain covering the universe, overwhelmingly crushing the [Witch of the Universe].
From the far end where the arrow vanished, white light spread outward, covering the entire universe that had been destroyed by the black curtain.
Although Akemi Homura was also enveloped by the white light, unlike before, what she felt this time was warmth.
In the final moment, Akemi Homura desperately reached out toward the direction where Kaname Madoka existed and cried out:
"Madoka..."
She felt that from this moment onward, she would lose Kaname Madoka.
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This night was destined to be anything but peaceful, especially for those viewers waiting in front of their televisions to watch 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
The story that had lasted twenty-four episodes finally reached its conclusion.
And it was a result that exceeded everyone's imagination.
It was not that the ending itself was unexpected, but that Episode 24 was simply too well-made.
The most crucial plot and character expressions resonated with one another. Through Episode 24, the feeling conveyed by the entire anime was elevated.
Looking across all of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', the plot was tightly connected from beginning to end, without the slightest drag.
Episode 7's divine reversal, followed by the cruel truth about magical girls revealed through Mami's death; Episode 17, where Sakura Kyōko and Miki Sayaka explained the meaning of magical girls' existence and the despair they faced; and Episode 24, which gathered up the clues from before Episode 7 and used the plot built throughout the entire anime to create an ending beyond expectation.
Many viewers had originally believed that Episode 17 was the peak expression of the entire anime.
In reality, it was merely groundwork for the final episode.
Kamiyā Yuu's strategy of pouring the budget into Episode 24 was extremely successful.
Only by giving viewers a true visual feast could they be shocked from the bottom of their hearts by the story's development.