'Magia Record' - One of the first 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' spinoff manga I decided to read. Mostly because of the beautiful cover art. I never played the mobile game this was based on.
But yeah, it turns out that another story can be told in this universe, without the original main characters (so far, and you can bet it will get complicated later), barring a littler, cuter, supposedly innocent Kyubey.
Iroha Tamaki is an established magical girl. She has parents, a seemingly normal life, pink hair, and an awesome transformation outfit; and she is trying to uncover the meaning behind her dreams of a little girl she can't remember ever knowing. The answers may lie in Kamihama City, which is very dangerous territory for magical girls as it contains a slew of strong witches and familiars. So naturally there are a lot of other magical girls there. Iroha's goal is to track down a tiny Kyubey who may be the key to everything she wants to know. Like her past; with details such as:
What was her wish?
In Kamihama City Iroha runs into Momoko Togame, Yachiyo, Mitama Yakumo (aka Coordinator), Kaede Akino, and Rena - all of whom resemble the magical girl cast of 'Madoka Magica', without being the same characters exactly. But is Iroha getting in too deep? There is definitely more to this mystery than what is revealed to her - and it doesn't concern just herself. But she wants to be involved, because she wants to find the little girl in her dreams, if she's still alive. She also wants to help her new potential friends, despite them clashing, where she doesn't know the whole story of what's going on between these magical girls.
Iroha's only concerned and wants to understand everything. She cares. But the deeper and quicker down the rabbit hole she digs, the harder she might fall...
What a compelling mystery story! With an abundance of dynamic female characters (Iroha's dad is shown to be the only male character, if Kyubey doesn't count, and Dad appears in two pages), cool outfits, weapons and powers, cool witches and witch wards, and a main character to root for.
Iroha is assertive and brave, but is overall an inexperienced and naive magical girl (no one seems aware of the true nature of magical girls yet). She is below average - which puts her at a dangerous disadvantage in Kamihama City - but she has potential. Her personality is like a combination of Mami Tomoe's and Madoka Kaname's.
I also like how Yachiyo's looks and personality are pretty much Homura Akemi's, with a bit of Kyouko Sakura added in there. Yachiyo is tough, but is fair, just, and a little snarky and teasing, under her cool, emotionless girl warrior exterior.
There is more than meets the eye here; more darkening and crumbling underneath the cute, altruistic hero's story surface. An aesthetic that's like the original series, even though nothing directly dark, brutal, depressing and nihilistic has happened yet. It's a quiet kind of peril so far.
'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Vol. 1' - A spinoff manga that comes recommended by me. Something gigantic and tragic is lurking within the sweetness and magical girl drama. Like the worst witch's ward. Some secrets should perhaps stay hidden.
Final Score: 4/5
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