Interest

Madoka Magica Film Strip Auction Ends at US$13,600

A Yahoo! Auctions Japan user named "Artisan531" auctioned a film strip from the first Madoka Magica compilation film, and the auction ended on Sunday at 10:48 p.m. in Japan (9:48 a.m. EDT) after overtime bidding with a bid of 1,080,001 yen (about US$13,600). The final bid has not been verified yet.

The auctioned strip features frames of characters Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname cuddling in the opening sequence of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1: Beginning.

The film strip was part of a gift campaign for viewers who saw both Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1: Beginnings and Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 2: Eternal. The first film opened in Japan on October 6, and the second followed on October 13.

There are few other auctions of film strips from the same opening sequence. The auction by user "Nyantosuicyoken" also closed on Sunday at 274,000 yen (US$3,460). The user "akaringo282000" is auctioning another set of two strips — one without text on it — with a current high bid of 521,000 yen (US$6,570). That auction will end on Wednesday. Still another auction by "tessa_wispard" has an opening price of 2,160,000 yen (US$27,200) with five days left to go, but with no bidder yet.

Similar anime film strip rewards were auctioned in the past, albeit with lower bids. A theater chain worker held unauthorized auctions of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's' strips intended for audience members this summer. A film strip auction for The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya ended with a 356,000-yen (US$3,990) bid, and a strip from the Macross Frontier: Itsuwari no Utahime film sold for 174,000 yen (US$2,130) in 2010.