Hollywood got a taste of anime glamour Tuesday night at the Egyptian Theater with the premiere of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: The Rebellion Story. I spoke with Marketing Specialist at Aniplex, Joanna Metoki, about the event. She mentioned the first people to get in line arrived around noon (the event page said doors open at 5:30PM with the film starting at 7PM). Anime fans are dedicated! Regarding the fans, Metoki said, “you could feel the excitement” and that you “could tell the fans were serious about this movie.” She also added “the fans were amazing!” I asked Metoki which Madoka character she liked best and she said Mami was her favorite because “she was so passionate about what she was doing,” and she liked that Mami was a mentor and helped the other girls.
From Left to Right: Christina Vee (Homura), Sarah Williams (Sayaka), Mitsutoshi Kubata (President of Shaft), Atsuhiro Iwakami (Aniplex producer), Lauren Landa (Kyoko), Cassandra Lee (Kyubey), Christine Marie Cabanos (Madoka), Alexander von David (English ADR Director) *The voice actors are from the English cast*
As I surveyed the fans I noticed many cosplayers dressed in Madoka Magica outfits. One of the first groups I talked to came all the way from Las Vegas, Arizona and New Mexico to attend the premiere! They arrived in full cosplay around 2PM. When asked if they had trouble picking out who will cosplay which character, they said their choices just fell into place. They have all been cosplaying for a few years and met mainly through conventions but stayed in touch via Skype. This event was such a big deal to them that they planned their trip as soon as they saw the trailer on part 1 and 2 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie (part 1 and 2 screened together last year).
From Left to Right: Ana, Katrina, Aubree, Jude
Another friendly group came from a closer location, Claremont, CA. They also have been cosplaying for a few years and met through school. Last year, some of them saw part 1 and 2 twice because not everyone could make it to the same screening. Jacob decided to crossplay (dress as a character of the opposite sex) because there really are no boys in the show. He also mentioned that it was actually nice to wear a skirt and tights. I was rather impressed that he even wore fake lashes thought he mentioned they were hard to put on.
From Left to Right: Jacob, Samantha, Madelynn
Getting in line somewhat on the later side, around 6PM, this young lady still managed to rock her cosplay. She attended a screening last year but was not able to make it to the premiere. As soon as ticket sales were announced (a friend clued her in) she made sure to get a ticket to this year’s premiere! She mentioned she has been casually cosplaying for about five years and she chose Kyoko because she likes that Kyoko is bratty in order to cope with the troubles she has endured.
Hope
Along with cosplays of specific characters, I spotted a cute gothic lolita outfit. She mentioned she had just got the dress and wanted an occasion to wear it. The premiere of an anime film was the perfect opportunity and she felt the unicorns on the dress suited the event. She was also sporting a Madoka key chain/charm that she purchased at last year’s event.
Karlee
Not only were there fans who cosplayed, there were some professional cosplayers at the event that posed on the red carpet with the voice actors, handed out gift bags and added a huge slice of kawaii (Japanese for ‘cute’) to the event. I spoke with Madoka herself (Jessie) about her experience at the event.
Characters from Left to Right: Mami, Kyoko, Lauren Landa (English voice of Kyoko) Homura, Madoka, Sayaka
K: How was it cosplaying at the Madoka premiere?
J: A lot of fun! It’s always nice getting to meet people who go to these events and work with the companies.
K: Did you make your costume?
J: Yes.
K: How did you get involved with Aniplex?
J: I was hired by ACParadise
K: Are you a fan of the Madoka series?
J: Yes!
K: Any memorable moments from the premiere?
J: The producer wearing a tie to match my costume was pretty great, plus the movie was amazing.
At the screening, there was a pretty awesome merchandise table that had domestic merchandise and special merchandise imported from Japan just for the event! Aniplex provided a printed sheet/purchase form that people were able to look at before they reached the actual goodies. They also made announcements when items sold out (many items did sell out!) so that customers knew before reaching the cash register. The merchandise that remained after the premiere will be sold at the Downtown Independent screenings, so if you could not make the premiere, you might be in luck! Anime Jungle was the exclusive vendor selling the merchandise this year (as well as last year) and I spoke with their general manager, Tetsu Shiota. Anime Jungle is a store in Little Tokyo (as well as in Japan!); they usually have a booth at conventions and at special events.
I also interviewed EJ Rivera, Marketing Specialist at Aniplex, about the event.
Congratulations on a sold out premiere! How do you think the event went overall?
Thank you very much. The event went pretty well. It was great to see the fans having a great time and enjoying Madoka Magica together along with our special guests.
Were you surprised by how quickly tickets sold?
Very surprised; tickets for the event sold out immediately after they went on sale. It pretty much shows how strong the following is for the Madoka Magica Series.
What was your favorite part of the evening?
My favorite part of the evening was the Talk Session following the movie; it was great to see both Mr. Kubota (President of SHAFT) and Mr. Iwakami (Aniplex Producer) provide some in-depth insight on the Madoka Magica series and –Rebellion– itself. It was also great to see the fans enjoying the Talk Session. We definitely wanted to give the fans a unique and special experience at this event.
The premiere expanded from last year’s premiere! Why the change in theater and scale of the event?
Seeing how popular the first two movies were here in the US, we really wanted to give the fans a memorable experience when attending this event. We weighed our options and believed the Egyptian Theater would be the best venue to host this special event.
How are fans receiving the film?
From what I saw from the US Premiere Event, it looks like the fans enjoyed the film. It was great to see everybody in the theater clapping once the credits started.
Any final comments on the event?
On behalf of Aniplex of America, I would like to thank everybody who attended the Madoka Magica –Rebellion– US Premiere Event here in Los Angeles, CA. We hope that you enjoyed the event and we look forward to organizing more events like this in the future.
Hope you enjoyed my coverage of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: The Rebellion Story premiere. Click here for additional screening dates and locations. Check back soon to read my review of the film!
Here are some pictures of the lovely and handsome people involved with the film on the red carpet!
Sarah Williams (Sayaka)
Christina Vee (Homura)
Lauren Landa (Kyoko)
Cassandra Lee (Kyubey)
Christine Marie Cabanos (Madoka)
