SHAFT Has Too Much Spare Time

SHAFT evidently has an excess of free time – a comparison of two frames from the televised, Blu-ray, and film versions of Madoka Magica’s first episode show that they’ve made the setting more panache every time.

Starting with the original TV debut, the roof of Madoka’s place of learning was lined with a basic wire mesh fence – a common sight when speaking of urban life. Yet then onto the optical media, the barricade was made into a rather ornately patterned gating instead – and also notice how the floor went from an arrangement of plain solid white tiles, to a checkered style much more appealing. Overall, the improvements aren’t particularly dramatic – however, they are certainly notable.

Then arrives the film’s rendition of these frames, and the floor looks to have reverted to a single tone – albeit this time around, being a tile made of fancy high-end stone, which one can insinuate as per its tone, and the other surrounding elements. The school building has gone from that of a lowly modern institution, into something of established lineage and prestige – architecture clearly pulling heavy inspiration from gothic stylings.

And as for the fence, it looks only short of having been recreated in pure gold – with the expansion also resulting in that it gives off a stronger shadow. As a side-note, the benches have also multiplied quite extensively as well.

Now as for the meaning and reason behind these edits, perhaps it’s more straightforward than it seems – each time SHAFT releases Madoka to a new medium, they acquire that much more currency. Whatever the actuality behind it however, at this rate, the Blu-ray release of the film will feature the school towering over the entire city – constructed with platinum and travertine.

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