The new Puella Magi Madoka Magica movie, Walpurgisnacht: Rising, was released in Japan on August 28. The film is a direct sequel to Rebellion from 2013, marking a return after nearly 13 years. To commemorate the release, Japanese media outlet Anime Freaks interviewed Nitroplus' Gen Urobuchi, who served as the main writer for the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica series and returned to write the script for the new movie.
Looking back at the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica series that premiered over a decade ago, Gen Urobuchi stated that he was able to write the work because he could empathize with the inner struggles of the magical girls and deeply care about the issues they faced. "I genuinely feel that I couldn't write it now. It's not just because I've gotten older, but also because the times have changed."
He said, "Back then, I could still imagine what young people were afraid of and what they were searching for. But now, I find myself unable to understand what makes the new generation, who grew up in an environment of smartphones and social media, happy or painful."
Interestingly, Puella Magi Madoka Magica was Gen Urobuchi's first time writing an original anime and his first venture into the magical girl genre. Coming from a visual novel background, he admitted that he wasn't entirely sure how to approach the theme, but accepted the project partly due to his "adventurous spirit." "I was happy to have the opportunity to try something I had never done before, and I felt that confusion itself was part of the experience—proof that I was still young at the time."
Gen Urobuchi also mentioned that, as references for "how to write a magical girl story," he was recommended to watch Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Le Portrait de Petit Cossette at the time.