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A review by megahugestrike
Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 1 by Magica Quartet
5.0
Whole series review (SPOILERS)
Very good manga adaptation of the anime! Madoka Magica was an anime original, so this manga was written based on the anime rather than the anime being based off the manga, the latter being the case for the majority of anime. While the manga follows the anime almost exactly, there are a few interesting differences, some for better and some for worse.
Character Designs
Kyubey's design from chapters 1-8 is very cute, but transitions to a creepy look after he is revealed to be "incubator" at the end of chapter 8. This is a change from the anime where his appearance never changes.
I think this change detracts from Kyubey's character a bit. The significance of his character isn't that he reveals himself as evil and was tricking the main cast in the first 8 episodes, but that he was unchanging from the start, the only change is that the main cast perceives him as more "evil" as the story progresses due to their own understanding of good and evil, which Kyubey himself doesn't understand. It could be argued that his appearance change after chapter 8 is how the main cast now views him, but I think the anime's rendition is better in showing him as how he claims to be, unchanging and devoid of any emotion.
Overall the character designs in the manga are more shojou-esque, rather than the extremely chibi Ume Aoki designs of the anime. The manga character designs are great and work well, giving the manga a slightly different feel which is more emotionally driven than the anime.
Gekidan Inu Curry Designs
The manga also does lose the unique Gekidan Inu Curry designs, especially in the witch fights, where the witches look more like normal monsters rather than give a feeling that they are truly in another world or dimension, which the art style in the anime succeeds at. This was the most apparent in Kyouko's backstory in chapter 7, which is told in a more traditional flashback style rather than the puppet style from the anime. I think this does cause the scene to lose some of its original meaning, as I interpreted the puppet storytelling from the anime was because of Kyouko's emotional difficulty when recalling her past, causing her to have to tell the story using puppets as a child would.
However, the manga version does give the scene more emotional resonance, as we see the face of Kyouko's sister who is killed a few panels later.
Pacing
Unfortunately, due to the faster pacing of the manga a lot of small things were lost. I was sad to see that my favorite bit of foreshadowing was cut out, when in episode 2 when Madoka asks Homura what she wished for, the anime has a closeup of Madoka's face to show it was her, while Homura just gets nervous and runs away in the manga. With the anime already being so detailed and already so fast paced, it is understandable that some details and small scenes were left out.
Manga Additions
There were some nice manga additions that added to its more emotional/character-focused style. For instance in chapter 4 when Madoka tells Homura she will never forget her. In the anime Homura remains pretty stoic in this scene, but in the manga she lets her guard down slightly, which I thought was a great change considering how many times Madoka has forgotten her in different timelines.
There was also a beautiful addition near the end of chapter 9, where after Kyouko's death Sayaka takes her hand, which fits the style of the manga well and closes out Kyouko and Sayaka's tragic arc.
The manga also had a great original ending of Homura and Madoka speaking to each other in a flashback to Homura's first timeline. This is similar to the addition in chapter 9, and while these may not have worked in the anime due to it being more plot-driven, I think they fit the style of the manga well. A nice way to end Homura's arc :)
Overall: 5/5
The manga has great art, and while some parts are missing from the anime, being able to experience the story again in a new style with additions definitely makes it worth reading and a great adaptation!
Very good manga adaptation of the anime! Madoka Magica was an anime original, so this manga was written based on the anime rather than the anime being based off the manga, the latter being the case for the majority of anime. While the manga follows the anime almost exactly, there are a few interesting differences, some for better and some for worse.
Character Designs
Kyubey's design from chapters 1-8 is very cute, but transitions to a creepy look after he is revealed to be "incubator" at the end of chapter 8. This is a change from the anime where his appearance never changes.
I think this change detracts from Kyubey's character a bit. The significance of his character isn't that he reveals himself as evil and was tricking the main cast in the first 8 episodes, but that he was unchanging from the start, the only change is that the main cast perceives him as more "evil" as the story progresses due to their own understanding of good and evil, which Kyubey himself doesn't understand. It could be argued that his appearance change after chapter 8 is how the main cast now views him, but I think the anime's rendition is better in showing him as how he claims to be, unchanging and devoid of any emotion.
Overall the character designs in the manga are more shojou-esque, rather than the extremely chibi Ume Aoki designs of the anime. The manga character designs are great and work well, giving the manga a slightly different feel which is more emotionally driven than the anime.
Gekidan Inu Curry Designs
The manga also does lose the unique Gekidan Inu Curry designs, especially in the witch fights, where the witches look more like normal monsters rather than give a feeling that they are truly in another world or dimension, which the art style in the anime succeeds at. This was the most apparent in Kyouko's backstory in chapter 7, which is told in a more traditional flashback style rather than the puppet style from the anime. I think this does cause the scene to lose some of its original meaning, as I interpreted the puppet storytelling from the anime was because of Kyouko's emotional difficulty when recalling her past, causing her to have to tell the story using puppets as a child would.
However, the manga version does give the scene more emotional resonance, as we see the face of Kyouko's sister who is killed a few panels later.
Pacing
Unfortunately, due to the faster pacing of the manga a lot of small things were lost. I was sad to see that my favorite bit of foreshadowing was cut out, when in episode 2 when Madoka asks Homura what she wished for, the anime has a closeup of Madoka's face to show it was her, while Homura just gets nervous and runs away in the manga. With the anime already being so detailed and already so fast paced, it is understandable that some details and small scenes were left out.
Manga Additions
There were some nice manga additions that added to its more emotional/character-focused style. For instance in chapter 4 when Madoka tells Homura she will never forget her. In the anime Homura remains pretty stoic in this scene, but in the manga she lets her guard down slightly, which I thought was a great change considering how many times Madoka has forgotten her in different timelines.
There was also a beautiful addition near the end of chapter 9, where after Kyouko's death Sayaka takes her hand, which fits the style of the manga well and closes out Kyouko and Sayaka's tragic arc.
The manga also had a great original ending of Homura and Madoka speaking to each other in a flashback to Homura's first timeline. This is similar to the addition in chapter 9, and while these may not have worked in the anime due to it being more plot-driven, I think they fit the style of the manga well. A nice way to end Homura's arc :)
Overall: 5/5
The manga has great art, and while some parts are missing from the anime, being able to experience the story again in a new style with additions definitely makes it worth reading and a great adaptation!