WELCOME TO OCTOBER MAGICA!
'There are some who carry on the fight... By making a wish for hope and accepting a curse.
They are called magical girls.'
We're now onto 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie -Rebellion-, Vol. 1'. And pretty much all I said in my previous review below still applies.
A new detail, however: I think this is the first 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' manga to even mention, much less show, that Madoka's mother, Junko, and Madoka's teacher, Kazuko (whose biggest highlight - her humorous tangent in the classroom - is extended here), are friends; old schoolfriends, in fact, and Junko helps set Kazuko up on dates. And Madoka's little brother, Tatsuya, is a toddler once again.
It still kind of bugs me how vain, flaky, naïve and ineffectual Mami is as a magical girl veteran and leader of the group - the Puella Magi Holy Quintet! - at least in this volume - even though I know there is a good reason and intention behind that...
Additionally, this is the best, most ironic portrayal of Kyubey - because he doesn't talk. He exists to be a cute mascot character and pet to Madoka, like how Bebe/Charlotte/Nagisa is to Mami...at first...
'-Rebellion-, Vol. 1' is short and not-so-sweet. It is deceptively sweet (literally, with all the cake) and magical girl-y - a too-good-to-be-true, wish fulfilment dream, deliberately like 'Madoka Magica' fanfiction - that nonetheless gets you hyped up and wanting more.
The magical girl deconstruction isn't gone; it remains lurking in the shadows, just beneath the surface...
This reality is nowhere near what it seems.
It's a good manga adaptation of the first quarter/act of the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion' movie, and a good 'Madoka' companion on the whole, for fans to keep on their shelves.
The artwork is great, too.
Oh, and I mustn't forget how the manga highlights each magical girl's soul gem, baring their signature marks: Madoka's is shaped like a falling, expanding teardrop; Homura's is a diamond; Mami's is a flower/daisy; Sayaka's is C-shaped (it kind of looks like the clasp of a Poké Ball); and Kyouko's is an inverted eye. I will try to figure out the symbolism of them later. Maybe.
Next on the October Magica agenda, I'll revisit 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge!, Vol. 1'!
Happy October Magica!
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
It's a manga adaptation of the first quarter of the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion' movie, leading to its inciting incident. That is pretty much it. It's a short and incomplete volume.
The manga is a nice piece of memorabilia for any 'Madoka Magica' fan.
Though I don't like Mami's characterisation here. I don't remember her ever being vain and caring so much about beauty regimens. She's hardly motherly or mentor-ly at all. Odd considering that she's supposed to be the leader of the magical girls, I think?
The character interactions are not as strong as they could have been. They're too brief, and lack depth, especially between Madoka and Homura, shockingly. I hope the characters get a chance to develop further in the future volumes. Maybe the shallowness was intentional?
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie -Rebellion-' - showing an ideal world where all five magical girls from Madoka's team work together and are the closest friends. And their cute animal sidekicks are just cute.
A world that cannot exist. No matter how much the girls - or the fans - may want it to.
This might be the last 'Madoka Magica' manga I'll ever read. I think I've sated my fangirl thirst, for now.
For more of my 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' manga reviews, read:
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, Vol. 1'
and
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge!, Vol. 1'
Final Score: 3.5/5
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