L.S. Produ, President's Office
Lin Zhiyan was being interviewed by a reporter from an animation magazine.
Q: "President Lin, the final chapter of Rebellion Story, where Homura Akemi transforms into a demon, rewrites the world, and establishes new universal laws, is considered a stroke of genius by many viewers. How did you come up with this plot twist?"
A: "Actually, that idea came from our Assistant Supervising Director, Mr. Shinbo. When I was writing the script, I felt that ending it with Homura being taken away by the Law of Cycles would be too conventional. Moreover, she suffered so much in this film that I didn't want her to end up like that. I asked Mr. Shinbo about it, and he suggested having Homura confront the Law of Cycles. I thought it was a great idea and adopted it."
Q: "Now that Rebellion Story is complete, are you considering making another Puella Magi Madoka Magica theatrical anime film? While a reunion between Madoka and Homura would be nice, it feels like their conflict is bound to erupt eventually. At least one more film seems necessary, right?"
A: "Well... if there's another Theatrical Film, their conflict will inevitably erupt sooner or later. It would likely be a story of them loving and killing each other. But as L.S. Produ, an animation company dedicated to spreading and upholding love, neither I nor the company truly want to see that kind of ending. For me, it would be best if the story concluded with Rebellion Story."
Q: "So, you're not planning on making another Theatrical Film?"
A: "It's not entirely impossible. Let's see in a few years. Besides, production on the New Animation is already underway. Our current focus is on that, and we don't have the time or energy to consider a new Theatrical Film for the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series."
In reality, the concept for Rebellion Story had originally been proposed by Akiyuki Shinbo in another timeline. As the producer, Lin Zhiyan didn't need to ask any questions and could have easily taken all the credit himself.
However, considering he had no idea what the next Puella Magi Madoka Magica theatrical film would be about, he consulted Shinbo while writing the script.
Now, giving credit to Shinbo was essentially laying the groundwork for a future Puella Magi Madoka Magica theatrical film. If that happened, having Shinbo as the Supervising Director and Lin Zhiyan as the General Director would make it easier for the audience to accept.
Of course, there was no guarantee a new theatrical film would ever be made, but it was better to be prepared.
Since "New Animation" was mentioned, reporters naturally pressed for details. Lin Zhiyan didn't reveal much, only stating it would premiere in April 2008.
He needed to keep the audience's attention focused on Rebellion Story; it wasn't the right time to promote the new animation. Any promotion would have to wait until Rebellion Story had finished its theatrical run.
After the interview, Lin Zhiyan continued working on the new animation.
Meanwhile, Rebellion Story continued to be a massive hit in theaters across Japan.
As the official sequel to the phenomenal anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and with exceptionally high critical approval ratings, the film sparked a viewing frenzy upon its release.
In just five days, the theatrical film adaptation of The Otherworld Pioneering of the Vegetable-Growing Skeleton successfully surpassed one billion yen at the box office, drawing over 720,000 viewers. This achievement made it the fastest-ever late-night anime adaptation theatrical film to reach the one billion yen mark.
The Otherworld Pioneering of the Vegetable-Growing Skeleton
When the statistics were released, fans of the animation expressed their pride:
"As expected from the theatrical film of the strongest late-night anime, this record-breaking speed is simply unbeatable!"
"The TV series was so popular, and this new theatrical film is of such high quality. Plus, it came out just over a year after the TV series, so the hype hasn't faded yet. Reaching one billion yen so quickly is really impressive."
"It's already the fastest to hit one billion yen, but it should soon break the all-time box office record for late-night anime theatrical films."
"Breaking the late-night anime theatrical film record will be easy. It's just a shame the animation's audience is still relatively niche. If it were an all-ages animation, given the TV series' unprecedented popularity, this theatrical film might even have challenged the box office records for TV animation theatrical films."
"It's also probably due to the film being quite abstract and difficult to understand. Generally, the more abstract and difficult an animation is, the worse its commercial performance. To be this abstract and still break records so quickly is truly remarkable."
Box office records are categorized in several ways, as films are divided into animated and non-animated. Animated films are further classified into original animated films and television anime theatrical films. Television anime theatrical films can be further subdivided into daytime, primetime, and late-night slots.
Naturally, different categories have different records.
The box office records for both original animated films and animated films are currently held by Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. It would be impossible for Rebellion Story to break this record.
Primetime television anime often have a broader audience, making it relatively easier for their theatrical adaptations to achieve high box office numbers. Therefore, it would also be difficult for Rebellion Story to break the box office record for television anime theatrical films.
However, as some fans have pointed out, Rebellion Story could easily break the box office record for late-night anime theatrical films.
The film's box office revenue exceeded 2 billion yen in just over a month. By the end of its run, the cumulative box office total reached 2.38 billion yen, far surpassing the previous record for late-night anime theatrical films.
While it still fell short of the box office records for television anime theatrical films, Rebellion Story's late-night anime theatrical film grossing 2.38 billion yen was more than enough to prove its immense success.
Its critical and commercial triumph didn't end there.
In terms of awards, Rebellion Story also swept them up with ease.
The Japan Media Arts Festival's Animation Division had already recognized the TV series, so it didn't give an award to the theatrical film this time. However, both the Tokyo Anime Awards and the Kobe Animation Awards presented their Excellence Awards in the theatrical film category to Rebellion Story.
Furthermore, as an animated film rather than a TV series, it was eligible for film awards. The theatrical film won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Animation, a prestigious award in the film industry.
In summary, Rebellion Story was a resounding success in all aspects. Like the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica TV series, it has secured its place in anime history.
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