Lin Zhiyan ultimately agreed to collaborate with Fuji Television. As a condition of the partnership, he secured a significant amount of resources from the network.
With the overall direction set, he quickly finalized the next animation project.
However, the new animation wouldn't be ready anytime soon. Production would have to wait until the current theatrical film entered its final stages. The new film was scheduled to premiere roughly six months after the theatrical film's release, in April 2008, so it was still a long way off.
For now, the focus remained entirely on the theatrical film.
It was scheduled to be released on October 5, 2007.
In March, after the two compilation films were released, the main visual for the new theatrical film was unveiled.
The five original magical girls were all featured in the visual, along with a new character: the beautiful girl version of Dessert Witch Charlotte, the entity that ate Senior Mami's head in the third episode of the TV series. Of course, her true name wasn't Charlotte, but Nagisa Momoe.
Because Nagisa Momoe was a completely new character for the audience, the release of the main visual sparked an immediate discussion.
Everyone was guessing who this unfamiliar character might be, with many suspecting she was a new magical girl.
In April, the first promotional PV was released. Though labeled as a PV, it primarily consisted of the opening three to four minutes: the main group of magical girls fighting a nightmare together at night, set to a nursery rhyme-like insert song. The clip showed them resolving the nightmare.
Homura Akemi didn't appear in this scene, but she was actually present and helped out without showing herself.
The segment had a distinctive style. Despite being less than three minutes long, it left many fans thrilled and even more eager for the Theatrical Film.
However, the PV also raised more questions about the film. Online discussions buzzed with speculation:
"What's going on with this new theatrical film? Didn't Madoka become a God? Wasn't Sayaka taken by the Law of Cycles? So why is she fighting alongside Kyoko and Senior Mami? And are they even fighting Witches? Did I just see the Dessert Witch that ate Senior Mami's head?"
"Where's Homura Akemi? Everyone else is here, but she's nowhere to be found."
"Is this set before or after the TV series finale? Could it be some fragmented memory from one of Homura's countless loops?"
"It doesn't look like it's after the TV series finale. In the last episode of the TV series, the Main Character had already become a God. But in this new theatrical film clip, she's wearing her regular magical girl outfit, not the Madoka God attire."
"But it can't be before the finale either. Where did this harmonious moment come from?"
"Could this new theatrical film really be an entirely new story, completely unrelated to the TV series?"
In the past, Lin Zhiyan would always hold a Project Announcement Conference before the premiere of a new work, introducing the basic details of the project to the media and audience.
The goal wasn't to spoil the plot, but also not to leave the audience completely in the dark and bewildered.
Although this was merely an extension of the TV series and not a completely new work, a Project Announcement Conference could still have been held.
However, despite the possibility, he had no plans to hold one this time—or, rather, he might never hold another one in the future.
After all, his conferences had invited not only media reporters but also "fans" of his several animations.
No one knew whether those fans were genuine loyal supporters or anti-fans disguised as fans. The fraudulent promotional tactics had stirred up too much animosity, and from now on, he needed to keep a low profile and exercise caution to avoid putting himself in danger, even if he was likely being overly suspicious of those "fans."
In short, he needed to be more careful and prudent.
Moreover, the primary purpose of previous Project Announcement Conferences had never been to introduce the new animation to the media and audience, but rather to promote it.
Now that his fame had grown and he had secured additional promotional resources, he could completely abandon methods like the "Project Announcement Conference."
Of course, not holding a conference was one thing, but some general information about the new theatrical film was still necessary. However, there was no need to reveal it too early. He decided to let the audience discuss it first, maintaining the hype leading up to the film's release, and then release a small teaser when the time was right.
In May, promotional efforts continued. Since the official release was still some time away, instead of releasing a second trailer, they released information about the new character Nagisa Momoe and her voice actor.
The voice actor remained Kana Asumi, just like in the original version.
When the first trailer was released, some viewers noticed the presence of Dessert Witch Charlotte, which caused considerable confusion. When information about the new character was revealed, and the audience discovered that this new character was the beautiful girl version of Dessert Witch Charlotte, the confusion only deepened.
However, neither Lin Zhiyan nor the animation studio's official channels revealed much information.
It wasn't until August that the film's second promotional trailer was released.
This time, it wasn't just a single clip, but a promotional video compiled from several cuts across the entire film. The production staff information was omitted, but the content primarily showed the five original magical girls and the new character Nagisa Momoe getting along harmoniously.
In September, a new main visual was released, this time featuring only Homura Akemi. The dark background and the camera angle made her appear somewhat lonely.
By this point, the crucial information revealed was that this theatrical film would be Homura's story, making her the most important character—even more so than the main character, Madoka Kaname.
It was only then that Lin Zhiyan posted on the internet to explain the situation:
"This is an extension of the TV series, set after the TV series concluded. It's not an entirely unrelated new story.
The TV series' narrative framework was complete, and the content felt very satisfying. However, the fact that Homura and Madoka had to part ways in the end left many feeling it was a great tragedy and a profound regret.
This theatrical film is primarily intended to mend that regret, to give those who felt lingering sadness after watching the TV series a happy ending. That's all."
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