Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 1 by Magica Quartet

I know that may sound odd, almost irrelevant, but here me out. Something else that, perhaps, isn’t terrible important plot wise but something I very much appreciate being included is Madoka’s family. But it isn’t a wish that would benefit her, and so she waits, contemplating her options and tries to figure out what would be best. While Madoka doesn’t have any sort of deep wish, Sayaka does. Madoka and Sayaka, while friends, are quite different in some important ways. This grapple with what to do is enhanced by Sayaka, Madoka’s friend and fellow potential magical girl. I think this is the only magical girl manga where the main character really grapples with this choice. Multiple people warn her about making a hasty judgement. The main character also doesn’t just blindly agree to becoming a Magical Girl. There is a real question as to whether all of the characters will come out unscathed when another battle starts.

The danger here feels much more real than in many other similar titles I’ve read.

These are formless, changing beings of utter grotesqueness. These witches aren’t the typical person with dark magical powers. Witches stalk certain places, warding off areas so regular people can’t find them where they spread darkness and evil. The world of Madoka Magica has a hidden side. But this isn’t a world of villains easily defeated by the power of friendship alone. Madoka is faced with a mysterious situation and the invitation to become a magical girl. The story starts out rather lightheartedly. Despite having many of the staples such as cute protagonists with candy colored hair and transformation scenes, a lot is done to avoid tropes and stereotypes usually associated with the genre. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is very much a subversion of the magical girl genre. The lost are not mourned here, and evil stalks the innocent. The world of magic is a world of high danger and seemingly little personal reward. If she speaks her deepest wish, she will be granted both magical powers and her wish. Yet here this girl, Homura, is and she’s fighting a rather familiar looking cat. Cats don’t offer magical powers in exchange for your deepest wish. The girl is familiar, a person from something Madoka knows must have been a dream. The story is written by Magica Quartet with the art done by Hanokage, and I cannot recommend this series enough.Ī new student transfers into first year high school student Madoka’s class. I think its safe to say that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is an international phenomenon. Release Date: (Original Japanese) Febru(English Translation) May 29, 2012

Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 1 by Magica Quartet