Puella Magi Madoka Magica Vol.3 by The Magica Quartet, Hanokage(illustrator): manga review

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Lottie Eve

Magi Madoka Magica Vol.3 by The Magica Quartet, Hanokage(illustrator)

Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica #3

My rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Genre: Magical Girl, Urban Fantasy, Seinen

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: December 11th 2012

Synopsis: Madoka is horrified to learn the true nature of the witches she and her friends, the Magical Girls, have been fighting-and the terrible fate that awaits any Magical Girl who accepts Kyubey’s offer of power. Having watched countless Magical Girls sacrificed for the larger aims of his people, Kyubey is only interested in securing more girls to that end, and Madoka is left with his chilling reminder that she too is destined to be a Magical Girl of incredible power… Can Madoka and her friends escape this tragic fate?

My thoughts: The end of this amazing manga is here…and I am extremely depressed. I have already watched the anime and even as a write this review I am listening to the kick butt ending song of the anime. And now that the manga is over I don’t know what I am going to do with myself!

I have learned very early in the reading of this manga series is that Puella Magu Madoka Magica is not just an interesting read but an experience. It changed how people looked at the magical girl genre. I am sad to see the manga(and anime) end but I don’t think it could have ended any better.

In the final volume of this manga many things are revealed. What exactly Kyubey is and why he is on earth. Some interesting information about Homura. Why the Magical Girls are needed. And more.

I also liked the relationship between Sayaka and Kyouko in this volume. It was bittersweet, heartbreaking, but it was oddly positive. It is kind of funny since they tried to kill each other the first time they say each other.

Towards the end of this volume things get a little confusing. There are a lot of time skipping and such. It is not difficult to keep up but it can be tricky.

The ending of the final volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not exactly happy but not sad either. It is in between. Madoka and her kindness really shines in this volume. I recommend having a box of tissues ready when you start getting near the last chapters. I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

The manga does the anime (the original source material) justice. I believe that both the manga and anime are worth diving into. There are so many things that the anime has that the manga lacks. A great soundtrack but Yuki freaking Kajiura, the characters are even more fleshed out, the animation is unbelievably amazing, and there is more focus on showing the surreal worlds that the girls fight witches in. But the manga is a great experience in its own right.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Vol.2 by The Magica Quartet, Hanokage: review

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Lottie Eve

Magi Madoka Magica Vol.2 by The Magica Quartet, Hanokage(illustrator)

Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica #2

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Genre: Magical Girl, Urban Fantasy, Seinen

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: While Madoka continues to deliberate over the decision to join Akemi as a magical girl, her best friend, Sayaka, seizes the chance to wish for the recovery of the boy she loves. But when Sayaka is caught in a territory dispute with a more experienced (and more deadly) magical girl named Kyouko, Madoka is reminded that being a magical girl is more than a matter of donning a frilly costume and fighting evil… it is also a matter of life and death!

*My manga reviews may contain spoilers

My thoughts: Just like volume one, volume two of Puella Magi Madoka Magica has amazed me. This manga makes the reader feel for the characters in a natural not manipulative way. Again I have no idea how to describe this manga as well as the synopsis above does… I am sorry 😛

We are also more properly introduced to a character that was shown briefly at the very end of volume one. This character is Kyouko. The red-haired girl on the cover. She is not a very likeable character at first. She is selfish and doesn’t care much for the well-being others. Oddly, I was able to warm up to her and her greedy habits. She is always munching on something.

Homura is still trying to protect Madoka and the reader really gets the feeling that she genuinely cares about her. Homura is still a mysterious character but the little piece of information we get tells a lot about her character.

We also get to learn more about Sayaka’s character. I thought that she was a heartbreaking girl. She very rash when she was making her wish. Sacrificing a lot to help the one she loved but in the end all she got was devastation and when she finally broke down it was absolutely shocking.

And Kyubey just became the sociopathic Nightmare of my nightmares.

Another thing that I love about this manga is the chapter titles. In a few words they are able to show what the characters are going through in that particular chapter and I think it is amazing.

Chapter 5: There’s No Way I’d Regret This

Chapter 6: This is Definitely Odd <—Beauitful!

Chapter 7: Can You Face Your True Feelings?

Chapter 8: Such A Fool

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is still managing to be a haunting, bloody, and emotional manga that has blown my mind to a million pieces.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Vol.1 by Magica Quartet, Hanokage: review

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Lottie Eve

Magi Madoka Magica Vol.1 by Magica Quartet, Illustrated by Hanokage

Paperback

Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica #1

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Genre: Magical Girl, Urban Fantasy, Seinen

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 29th 2012

Synopsis: In this world, there exist strange creatures who have the power to grant one wish to a chosen girl. However, in exchange, that girl must then become a magical girl and use their powers to fight against witches, evil creatures born from darkness that are responsible for murders and suicides.

In the city of Mitakihara, a schoolgirl named Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki are approached by a familiar named Kyubey, who offers to grant each of them one wish in return for making each of them a magical girl. Another magical girl named Homura Akemi tries to prevent Madoka from making such a deal, while Kyubey urges Madoka by telling her she will become the most powerful magical girl. However, contrary to the glamorous notions one would expect, a magical girl finds herself dealing with death, isolation, loss of humanity, agony over the value of her wish, and existential crisis. Madoka, following her friends, soon sees the darker side of being a magical girl, and because of knowing the truth about being a magical girl, she questions if she should become one as well.

My thoughts: You know, those magical girl manga that are super cute? You know, those magical girl manga that make you happy? You know, those magical girl manga that make you laugh. Well, this isn’t one of those magical girl manga. Puella Magi Madoka Magica starts out very light-hearted but as the reader turns the pages the story gets more and more mysterious. And then is starts to become absolutely heartbreaking. I really can’t write a better synopsis than the one shown above so please read that.

I really liked the characters in this manga. Madoka is very easy to like as she is kind hearted and sweet. Sayaka is energetic and happy. Homura is very mysterious but you get the feeling that she is truly trying to help the girls. And Mami has a good head on her shoulders.* I felt sorry for them and the situation they are in.

The art is magnificent. The illustrator put a lot of details in the girl’s clothing when they transform into their magical girl form. Here is Mami’s uniform:

Her uniform is my favorite 🙂

The worlds in which the girl’s fight witches in a drawn in a really unique way. They feel very surreal and creepy, in a way. It makes reading the manga even more enjoyable.