WELCOME TO OCTOBER MAGICA!
And welcome to 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story', the spinoff of the spinoff, 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story'.
It is Mami's mystery story, concerning Kamihama City, the setting of 'Magia Record'.
Why have so many strong and powerful witches and familiars seemingly migrated to Kamihara, while other cities such as Mitakihara and Kazamino are depleted of their witch population? Hence the economical risk of the lack of grief seeds for magical girls.
Magical girl detective Mami Tomoe is an outsider to the cast of magical girls from 'Magia Record', and she'll even become a mentor and confidante to a couple of them.
However, she will not like what she will discover in Kamihama, which is what should be impossible; a madness, an anomaly in the magical girl community, circle and cycle. Nothing that will makes sense to her, as it goes against everything she's always known about magical girls.
Nor will she trust every magical girl she comes across.
Mami may be a cool, collected, confident, smart, talented, and experienced veteran magical girl, but she is a flawed human with her own conservative ideas and views, concerning her role and field of knowledge. Her closemindedness, fears, insecurities, loneliness, vulnerabilities, and susceptibility may be her downfall.
This goes so much deeper and more serious than a turf and territory war...
In the first volume, Kyouko shows up for two chapters, as a partner and friend to Mami, and Madoka cameos in the first chapter (as a civilian and friend, though it is implied she is a magical girl here, but then, where is Homura?!). Kyubey slinks along now and then throughout, and it is clear even to readers unfamiliar with 'Madoka Magica' that it is he who Mami should distrust, not any fellow magical girls.
Tsuruno Yui is in this volume, too; not just Iroha, Rena, Kaede, Momoko, and Yachiyo.
The artwork is fine, smooth, sleek, and slightly stylised. It is not like the anime, or the first manga adaptations of 'Madoka Magica' at all.
But my biggest gripe with it is...look, Mami has always been the 'Madoka' magical girl with the...most development...in her chest area, since she is the oldest and most mature of the group, as a veteran, mentor, and big sister figure. But good grief, the art in 'Another Story' is...another story altogether, because there her breasts are so huge that her shirts, as both a civilian and magical girl, have boob socks! Or close to them! They are blatantly in the readers' face more than once, and even the story, through one of the characters, remarks on them!
I thought the whole of 'Madoka Magica' was better than this kind of fanservice, and childish humour. It's worse than the torso and belly exposure of most of the 'Magia Record' magical girls' outfits. And isn't Mami supposed to be fifteen or sixteen? She's still a minor, what the hell?!
Ugh!
Anyway, 'Another Story, Vol. 1' is okay, overall. Nothing particularly groundbreaking or exciting yet, and the ending is rather frustrating. It features one of those insultingly annoying and drawn-out clichés in fiction, where a source of conflict could be easily resolved if the characters just talked to each other, using their words. Communicating as human beings would.
And why does Rena constantly refer to herself in the third person? Does she do that in any other series? If not, then why here?
But I like 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1' regardless, and its characters and ideas, that befit 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Thus concludes my last manga rereview for October Magica.
My final October Magica post/rereview will be something...different. Yet enlightening.
Enlightening and enchanting, like I couldn't be for these posts, not like how 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' deserves.
Stay tuned.
And vigilant and careful, but openminded, caring and loving.
Happy October Magica.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
This 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' manga is Mami Tomoe's mystery story about the decrease of witches in her city, and an increase of witches in another city. That city is the setting of 'Magia Record'.
In 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1', the magical girls from 'Magia Record' infrequently appear and mostly separately, and they are greatly amateurs compared to the competent, confident and experienced Mami. Kyouko Sakura is Mami's sometimes partner. Madoka makes a very brief cameo in the first chapter, where she's just lounging at home. Kyubey is here, too. Homura and Sayaka don't appear at all.
This is Mami's story, through and through. She's a gunslinging, tea drinking, magical girl detective, concerned but hardheaded.
There is a big witch battle at the beginning, but otherwise, the fight scenes happen off-page.
It is very simple... at first.
It is not straightforward for any 'Madoka Magica' fan who isn't familiar with 'Magia Record' - it can get confusing. I know I was a little confused, as it had been years since I read the first volume of 'Magia Record'. But 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1' will likely sate the thirst of fans of the original anime and manga. Everyone in it is in character.
Is there a running theme of loneliness and needing friends and teammates? It's about Mami, so that's probably the case. The detective's case. Heh.
Okay, I'll shut it now.
If you have read and liked 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Vol. 1' and 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Vol. 1', then check this additional manga out.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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