Chapter 2

As per Mugi's suggestion, the girls of HTT decided to marathon Madoka Magica over the weekend. The plan was to watch the first four episodes Friday night, episodes five through eight Saturday morning, and the final four episodes Saturday night. The girls of HTT decided to hold this weekend watching over Yui's place, with the thought being that if any messes were left in their wake, Ui could be safely relied upon to clean them up!

"She'll also serve us refreshments!" joked Mugi, causing everybody but Azusa to laugh or chuckle.

"Poor Ui…" sighed Azusa.

"Don't worry, Azu-nyan!" piped up Yui, "I'm sure Ui will love helping us out for a great cause like making a movie!"

Thankfully for HTT, Yui's words proved right.

Ui kept the drinks and popcorn coming while Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Mugi, and Azusa all crowded around the TV screen. Mugi had popped in the Madoka Magica Volume 1 Blu-Ray, while Ui had turned off the lights. It was time to enjoy the show!

During Episode 1…

"That opening dream sequence was intense!" Ritsu exclaimed.

"And very scary!" Yui said in a deep dramatic voice, looking shocked.

"I hope I have a stunt double for that opening scene…" Azusa stated.

"You will, don't worry." Mugi reassured her.

"Hey, I think I know how that cute, adorable, white cat-thing grants wishes!" Yui piped up.

"Oh?" asked Mugi, her interest piqued, "And how's that?"

"That big monster in the opening scene looks like a giant lamp when in silhouette!" Yui exclaimed excitedly, "So I'm sure if you just rub her, a big, giant genie comes out and grants you a wish! And turns you into a magical girl!"

Ritsu grumbled and facepalmed hard over Yui's theory here. Mio chuckled nervously, knowing that Ritsu could get explosive during those moments when Yui is uniquely silly. Thankfully, Ritsu's focus would soon be elsewhere.

"Yeah, there's my character!" Ritsu said, while watching Madoka meet up with Sayaka and Hitomi.

"Wow, everyone has such colorful hair…" Yui observed.

"It's not hard to tell that this is an anime." Mio joked.

"But those three girls are a lot like us aside from that." Ritsu stated with a smile, pleased at the sight of Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi getting along well.

"Hey, Mugi, who's going to play that green-haired girl?" Yui asked, "She seems pretty important!"

"Yeah, if Yui and I are going to share a lot of scenes with her, I'd like to know too!" Ritsu chimed in.

"I thought our fellow graduate Himeko Tachibana would suit Hitomi Shizuki well." Mugi stated, "So I already asked her about it, and she said she'd love to play this role if Yui is Madoka."

"That's really good casting." Mio said, "I definitely see some similarities between Himeko and this Hitomi character."

"Nice, my character has the sparkle effect!" Ritsu exclaimed, as such sparkles came on the screen accentuating a sudden gesture by Sayaka.

The HTT girls then quietly watched the scene of Sayaka tickling Madoka.

"…So Ritsu's character is gay?" Yui asked, based on Sayaka expressing a desire to make Madoka her wife.

"Y-Yui!" Ritsu exclaimed in anger, while Mugi blushed with a blissful look on her face.

"W-well your character just proposed to my character, and everything!" Yui answered in reply.

"I-It wasn't a proposal, you dork!" Ritsu exclaimed, now blushing red, while grabbing hold of Yui and shaking her a bit, "I'm sure it was just a joke."

"It probably was just a joke." Mugi quickly interjected, "Besides, Sayaka has a big crush on a male character in this movie."

"He better be hot!" Ritsu said with a big smile.

"Oooo…" Yui said, as she focused back on the screen, "I'd say the hottest character in this is Azu-nyan's!"

Now it was the scene where Akemi Homura, the mysterious new transfer student, walked into class.

"Wow, she has great screen presence." Mio said about Homura.

"She's downright scenery-chewing!" Ritsu exclaimed, "Yeah, Mio, maybe you couldn't handle playing her."

"This role…" said Azusa, her eyes swirling with excitement at the sight of her character on-screen, "Is going to be a wonderful challenge!"

The HTT girls then remained silent while watching the scene where Madoka and Homura head towards the nurse's office.

"He he!" Yui giggled, "It's cute how much those two characters are like Azu-nyan and me."

Azusa blushed over that, but didn't know what to say to it.

"Azusa's character is very mysterious." Mio stated, "Her warnings are like riddles."

"I guess that's the dark and mysterious transfer student for you!" Ritsu stated in a very hammy and theatrical voice, causing Mugi and Yui to giggle a bit.

The HTT girls then quietly watched on, with Yui and Ritsu paying particular attention to the characters they would soon be playing. Soon it reached the scene where Kyubey calls out to Madoka.

"Heh" chuckled a teasing Ritsu, "This Madoka really is like Yui. Only Yui would listen to voices in her head like that."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?!" Yui asked, in an exaggerated crestfallen way.

"Wow, Azusa's character did a real number on that cat-like creature." Mio observed, "Is Homura the villain?"

"I-I don't have to play a villain, do I?" Azusa asked.

"Don't worry." Mugi stated, "Your character isn't really a villain."

"Hhmmm…" mused Ritsu contemplatively, "This show has a very intriguing narrative! It's hard to know what's what here!"

"That's one of the things I loved about it!" Mugi exclaimed.

"Woah, she just used a fire extinguisher and saved Madoka!" Ritsu shouted, pumping a fist at Sayaka's sudden appearance, "My character rules!"

Yui's eyes soon went wide in bewilderment over the SHAFT-y visuals.

"Wow, what a bizarre world." Mio exclaimed, as Madoka and Sayaka were sucked into a witch's barrier.

"Ha ha!" laughed Ritsu, "Those little creatures look like the guys on the Pringles box!"

"They're making me hungry!" Yui cried.

"It looks like they are hungry for you, Yui." Azusa joked.

"No, I don't want to be eaten!" Yui cried, "I'm too young to die! Hold me, Ritsu! Hold me like your character is holding mine right now!"

Ritsu and Yui then held each other and pretended to be afraid, imitating what their characters were doing on-screen.

"Don't worry…" Mugi said with a knowing grin, "Help is on the way!"

The other HTT girls then blinked over what came next.

"Mugi wasn't kidding!" Ritsu exclaimed, "What a great entrance for your character, Mugi."

"The best is yet to come!" Mugi said with a wide smile.

The HTT girls then had their eyes glued to the screen, carefully taking in Mami Tomoe's first appearance, particularly her magical girl transformation scene.

"That's a great twirl she did." Mio stated, "Your character is very nimble and has such an air of refinement to her."

"She certainly is a lot like you, Mugi." Azusa said with a smile, while shooting a look over to Mugi.

"Thank you." Mugi said, blushing slightly.

"…Wheeee!" exclaimed an excited Yui, "Look at all those muskets!"

"Mugi's character is a one-woman war machine!" Ritsu shouted.

"Excellent action scene." Mio said with a smile.

"And she landed just like a cat!" Azusa exclaimed.

"And you're the perfect judge of that, Azu-Nyan!" Yui cheerfully joked.

"It's not hard to see why you like this show and this character, Mugi." Mio said.

"Yes, this particularly scene is when the show completely won me over." Mugi stated, "I'll admit that!"

"Oh look, Azu-nyan's character is back." Yui stated.

"Oooo… tense stand-off scene!" Ritsu, "Are we going to see two magical girls go at it?!"

"Not yet." Mugi said, "But don't worry, Ritsu. This show has many great action scenes!"

As the night went on, Mugi's comment would definitely prove to be true, at least in the eyes of her and her four dear friends.

After Episode 2…

"My mom… I mean, Madoka's mom… seems pretty important." Yui said, "Who's playing her, Mugi?"

"Sawa-chan should!" Ritsu exclaimed.

"Yes, I've already approached her about it, and she's very excited over getting to play this role." Mugi confirmed with excitement of her own.

"Wow, you're right on the ball, Mugi!" Azusa stated.

"Just like her character in this show is." Mio added in with a playful grin.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you're the real star of this show, Mugi." Ritsu said, raising an eyebrow, "My character is a bit mopey, while yours is just blowing everything away!"

"Hey, at least your character gets to swing that fancy baseball bat!" Yui said.

"That's true!" Ritsu said with a grin, "I do like how Sayaka is quick to defend her friends, and support Mami. And she is courageous! I relate to her that way."

"I'm glad to hear it." Mugi said, "What do the rest of you think of your characters so far?"

"Homura is so cool…" Azusa said, "But I wish she was more open about her true feelings and intentions, whatever they are."

"He he!" giggled Yui, "That reminds me of a certain special someone."

"A-Are you saying I'm like that?!" Azusa asked, with a touch of hurt and anger in her voice.

"You were, at one time." Mio stated, "But you grew out of it."

"Kind of like you yourself did, Mio." Ritsu added.

"Yes, we've all really grown as friends together." Mugi said cheerfully, "That's why I think this is a great movie project for us to work on! "

Mugi then turned her attentions to Yui.

"So, Yui, what do you think of your character, Madoka?" Mugi asked.

"She's a bit more laidback than I am." Yui answered, in a surprisingly thoughtful tone, "But she's fun-loving, and jumps into things pretty well. So she's like me that way! I'm a bit disappointed she hasn't become a magical girl yet, that's all. I mean, she's the titular character, isn't she?!"

"…Well, you'll probably need to be patient on that front." Mugi said, with a touch of nervousness, "But don't worry, your character has a lot of great moments over time."

"Anyway, time for the next episode!" Ritsu exclaimed, pumping a fist, causing Azusa, Mio, and Yui to cheer in turn.

"So are you all enjoying the show itself?" Mugi asked, with a smile of relief.

"Definitely!" Yui answered, "It's a really fun and colorful show."

"You should have told us about it before, Mugi." Mio stated with a smile.

"It's great that we all like it!" Azusa chimed in.

Mugi was very pleased. But knowing what happens in Episode 3, she was a bit worried that these sentiments would not remain…

After Episode 3…

An eerie silence permeated the entire room. Ritsu was still in open-mouth shock. Mio seemed petrified. Azusa seemed sad. Yui… was crying, loudly.

"W-why did that have to happen?!" Yui asked, as tears streamed out of her eyes.

"H-Hey now… it's just a TV show!" Ritsu piped up, although in a tone that betrayed how she was trying to calm herself as well as Yui.

"That scene must have been very tough for you to watch, Mugi…" Mio said in a deeply sympathetic tone, "At least when you watched it the first time."

"It was." Mugi admitted, "I mean, she was the character I identified the most with, of course. But at least it was a very memorable send-off! And she had some great scenes before it, right?"

"This isn't your typical magical girl show, is it?" Mio asked, with a touch of nervousness in her voice.

"No, but that's partly why I like it!" Mugi said, "It's very mature. And don't worry, it won't all be sad."

"…So stop crying, Yui!" Ritsu said, while shaking her crying band-mate.

Mugi grinned over that comment, knowing well what one of the main challenges of playing Madoka Kaname would be…

After Episode 4…

"Yeah, now that's more like it!" exclaimed Ritsu, pumping a fist, "Flying through the air, kicking butt, slicing and dicing the enemy… Take that you witches! Ha ha ha ha!"

"You're really getting into this, aren't you?" Mio asked with a grin.

"Of course… my character is so much like me!" Ritsu shouted, "That's totally what I would have done myself! Well, except the fondness for classical music… I mean, a violinist?Really?!"

"Speaking of which, who's playing him?" Azusa asked, "He seems like a fairly important character."

"I have a distant relative who's a very good actor." Mugi answered, "His name is Itsuki Koizumi. I think he'll be perfect for this!"

"I'm a bit worried about my character." Mio said, "Now that we finally get to see her. I don't think she's much like me."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something there, Mio." Ritsu said, "We got through that Romeo and Juliet play together, right?"

Yui then yawned.

With it getting late, the HTT girls decided it was time to call it a night. They chitchatted a bit about the four anime episodes that just watched, and about the challenges that would come in successfully acting these roles.

They'd finish off watching the entirety of Madoka Magica on Saturday, taking many careful notes on their respective characters.

Mugi was so very happy that everybody was really putting their all into this. She couldn't wait for the filming of the live-action Madoka Magica movie to begin!

But there would be many challenges, some predictable and some perhaps surprising, to come…