How Has Her Mindset Shifted While Playing Madoka in the First New Entry in 13 Years? Interview with Aoi Yuki for Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising

— Did you take a different approach compared to the TV series or Rebellion?

Yuki: I don't think Madoka herself ever changes. After all, this is a world Homura-chan created because she "doesn't want Madoka to change." She's pulling out all the stops to keep Madoka just as she is, which, in a way, makes that lack of change terrifying.

Madoka is naturally kind, so when she meets someone new, a part of her inevitably evolves to adapt to that person. That instability is naturally expressed through elements outside of my voice acting, so I tried not to overdo it.

Her immature, unstable energy was something I possessed naturally back then (in my teens during recording), so I could bring it out effortlessly. This time, however, I had to be intentional about it. After all, there's about a 20-year age gap between me and Madoka now (lol).

— Since this is a defining role from early in your career, was it difficult to approach it based on your past performance?

Yuki: Back then, I suffered and struggled right along with Madoka, and I even felt frustrated by her excessive kindness. I approached it with a real sports-anime mentality, throwing pitch after pitch until I got an OK. But when you reprise the role later, you have to consciously recreate that.

Trying to recreate that desperation on my own made me realize that some of it only came out because of where I was in life back then. But as a professional, I tackled it with the mindset that showing how well I could recreate it was a test of my skills.

— Since many of the characters you've played recently have strong eccentricities, rewatching your past work really highlights how surprisingly pure Madoka is.

Yuki: Quirky characters allow me to just flip a switch and turn them on! But neutral characters like Madoka require me to constantly adjust the dial while acting, which makes them insanely difficult.

My own colors have started to show through over the years, and I think the audience is conscious of my personal image now too. So it's tough to get them to forget all that and simply experience her as Madoka.

Also, playing a "normal girl" is the hardest thing of all... Her personality is defined by how others interact with her, so it depends entirely on her surroundings. Creating this character in isolation is extremely tough, but that's precisely what makes Madoka so endearing and sweet. That's why I love Madoka so much more now than I did back then. I'm starting to side with Homura-chan in just wanting her to be happy (lol).