Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Puella Magi Madoka★Magica

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As someone who watched the anime first, I found the manga to be equally entertaining.

The manga is much shorter than the anime, with each episode compressed into one chapter. However, this does not detract from the story much at all.

Personally, I found the manga art style better than the anime. The manga art style was very expressive and helped convey the characters' emotions beautifully. The witch labyrinths were not as effective as in the anime, but still very surreal.

Even if you haven't watched the anime, the manga is still a brilliant read. I would recommend that you read this now.

Let me just start off by saying that I read this before watching the anime which isn't what a lot of people did (since the anime came first before the manga) so my heart lies with the manga rather than the anime (though I do love both)

There are some scenes (minor things, nothing too big) that were added into the manga that aren't in the anime that REALLY makes me wish that everyone would take the time to read this, even if they have already seen the anime. I think they just add this little touch that makes things so much more powerful, especially ... towards the end of the manga, like the very last chapter is just, it really leaves off and wraps the story up into a pretty little package compared to the anime ending.

This manga is the most beautiful thing. The art is INCREDIBLE and it never wavers throughout the entire 12 chapters. The facial expressions are really I think what makes this so special. The facial expressions that the characters make when they are in pain and are suffering are so much more powerful than they are in the anime, they really bring a whole new level of emotion to the story of Madoka and without them I feel like maybe I wouldn't have felt as strongly about the story and as strongly for the characters as I do now.

If you have not watched the anime yet, I actually really suggest reading this before because they are different enough to the point where the story is not a boring repeat as some anime/manga adaptions are. They have different art styles and the action scenes sometimes in the manga may seem a little hard to understand (you are still able to get the general gist of everything don't worry!), so the anime I think clears up any confusion after reading.

I love the anime and the manga and in no way is this review intended to bash or criticize the anime in any way, really, I enjoy both of them so much.

The manga is beautiful. I wish everyone could take the time and just read through these 12 chapters, because it is worth it.

I am notorious for picking up manga, reading halfway, and then dropping them. Waiting a few months, maybe read a few more chapters, drop them again. I will have you know that Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is the only manga I have ever read continuously without stopping. I honestly read all 12 chapters/3 volumes in one sitting.

Starting with the story, I found it extremely original. The idea of "magical girls" has obviously been done before, but never like this. A single wish puts these young girls at the heart of demise, struggling to fight the despair in the world in order to save others. Their powers ... come from their own souls, and unless they slay witches, their souls become cloudy and dark themselves. Without giving away too much, I will definitely say this story was deceiving at first glimpse. The twisted plot may be why I enjoyed it so much, but I will definitely say the story itself makes it worth reading. It's relatively short compared to many other manga, so I really would recommend just trying it.

As far as art goes, it's not horrible. Many people will argue with me saying that the art is supreme and heavenly over others, but the reality is the art is good. The art is up to par with other mangas definitely, but I would not go as far to say it's superior. Luckily, the art will not make the manga hard to read as the characters are still beautifully drawn and the Puella Magi outfits are stunning and original.

The character this story has is absolutely outstanding. The reason I could read Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica without stopping is because of how much you could relate to the characters. There's the main protagonist Madoka Kaname who is the classic sweet girl main character, however the decisions she makes do separate her from the "classic clueless shoujo protagonist". Miki Sayaka is the most relatable for myself, being that she is conflicted with doing good deeds for herself or for others, and if she does the potential consequences of it. Sakura Kyoko is the counterpart for Miki Sayaka, who made a contract with Kyuubey in order to make her father's wish come true, only to have great despair thrust upon her family. Mami Tomoe fights to save others, Kyuubey creates the Puella Magi, etc. etc. All-in-all, the characters are very fun, very original, and very relatable.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica, and would definitely recommend it to everyone. This shoujo manga is not what it seems! You may find yourself asking the very common question, "why?"

I just saw there were any review, so I decided to make one. My English is not the best, but I do what I can.

So far, the story is the same from the anime. Maybe there's some differences in dialogs, but so far, it's the same. For me, I think that Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is a "Chef-d'oeuvre", the story is well develloped, there's no plot hole, and it's really a fun read.

The art is really good and cute, the witch and familiars too. In the anime, it was real picture, but in this, the drawing give them a cute but deadly look.

The character ... are developped really well, we know how they think, and the reasons behind.

It's really fun to read,I always wonder what will happen after the end of a chapter, even if I already know the answer.

If you like the original anime, you will like the manga. Even if you don't know the premise, read it, you won't be disappointed.

Like the artist herself mentioned in a side note, the manga adaptation of the insanely popular Puella Magi Madoka Magika anime was kept on a tight leash. The entire anthology for the dense 13 episode anime is 3 volumes, and while the artist does a fantastic job with what she has, It feels like her page limit was working against her.

Overall, I wish I could give this adaptation a better rating, but it just feels very rushed. I wouldn't recommend reading it before watching the original anime.

I really did not like this manga.

The first and foremost problem is that it’s difficult to read due to it seemingly being very disjointed. It jumps from scene to scene and explanation to explanation with little to no smooth transition making everything seem very abrupt.

The same reading difficulty actually applies to much of the manga content itself. This manga does a piss-poor job of explaining the plot and circumstances. It does an even worse job with character development. Most of the time, it seem like the author is rushing through the manga at break-neck pace and decided to ignore explanation of details for a clearer ... picture in favor of moving the plot along.

That is actually an uncommon experience for me. In most cases, the issue is that the plot drags and the manga would spend inordinate amount of time going over the same situation/information until it’s basically cemented into readers’ head. Madoka does basically the exact opposite.

Reading other reviews of this, it seems the most common praise I hear for it is that it’s much darker than typical magical girl faire. This is true and it allows for a more unique read…but honestly, it wasn’t really that special. Allowing character deaths, blood, and sorrow in a traditionally upbeat genre is a nice touch, but without a well presented story, it’ll just be a bad story with a nice touch.

I had originally planned to watch the anime afterwards as Madoka appears to be one of the few cases where the manga is an adaptation of the anime rather than the other way around, but I’ve decided to skip it now. Whatever popularity Madoka appears to enjoy, it obviously doesn’t fit my taste.

This manga is the one of many mangas out there that I really like. First of al I want to said about the story. Madoka Magica has a complex but well told story. And the whole story itself is well built with an enormous ending that you can't expect with. The death, the twist and everything! Many things in here that you may never thinking about so it's hard to guess the story unless you had read all the series and that is what makes the story really good. And last, I love the originality of this series, since there were no mangas that had ... similar story as Madoka Magica

The art in this manga isn't bad. Even it's look bizzare but that stil acceptable for me. They drew the characters and the details (weapons, background) nicely except during the fight scenes, they didn't drew it really nice, so it's a bit hard to follow their actions. But still, this manga has great art instead.

Third is the character, I found that the character is well designed. From their clothes, weapons and personality. For the weapon and clothes, it's good since they didn't add to many details in their clothes and weapons, but not really simple as well. Then their personality, the personality of each character is really hard to guess, especially Homura. I didn't wan't to spoiler but her personality is different when first you see her and when Walpurgis attack. So that what is one of the "twist" that this series given and I kinda like it.

If you looking for action but dramatical manga serial. I really recommend to read this one. But I also recommend this for those who start reading mangas because this one is really good manga. And for those who has watched the anime and if you like it, maybe you can read the manga as well since the manga has some differences (in art) compared to the anime.

Madoka Magica has to be one of the greatest pieces of fiction I ever read. Let alone the anime is outstanding. The dark atmosphere that we're given fits so perfectly , yet when you're confronted with what makes this story so dark you're still left speechless. The manga as well as the anime are pretty short with only 13 episodes in the anime and 3 manga volumes and an omnibus edition it still managed to have a perfect pacing. Evrything in this series is great: the art in both the anime and the manga even if they're different, the soundtrack that maked the atmosphere only ... darker; the story that manages to fascinate me and make me cry every time. I personally think it's a must read and watch for every anime and manga fan, if you haven't read it yet you're missing out on something.

as of writing this review, i still have not watched the anime. i have read the manga first.

when i first picked up this manga, i thought it was going to have some sort of sailor-moon vibe ish, where magic girls are just going to fight off evil and it was going to be cliche, however it wasn't that at all, and that is why i really like this manga. there are so many plot twists in this manga it was ridiculous.

i do have to say, i did have a bit of a hard time trying to understand the story, and even to this day of ... writing this review, i question myself of what happened on some parts.

maybe this is just me but i found some characters looked so similar that i couldn't really distinguish them when they're in black and white. making the story harder to understand because i thought one character was this other characters. then i just realised my mistake and i would have to flick back a lot of pages just to try to understand the story again. i'm the type of person who barely looks at the pictures and just reads the text, i like to imagine things what's happening, not see. although i do look at the pictures from time to time if they are salient or if the story gets a bit confusing.

what makes it more enjoyable is how short it is. it's only 3 volumes yet it is so good. when i first heard this was only 3 volumes, i had a vibe it was going to be bad, but to this day, this is my favourite manga so far as of writing this review.

so overall, i rate this manga 9/10
there are so many feels in this manga...

I think almost every weeb worth their salt has an opinion on Madoka so I hope mine is worth listening to.

Madoka Magica is a cultural touchstone for Otakus everywhere.
It was many peoples first anime and it revolutionized the Magical Girl sub-genre, as it popularized the whole "magical girls but grimdark" trope that has become so common now.

So why is it scored so average by me?

Well its not without its issues. The art (especially action scenes) is difficult to follow, some characters (Mami) feel rather bland and clearly exist only to die. The plot is also rather poor and the ending veers into a textbook ... Deus Ex Machina.

However. Those issues included, it is still an important turning point for Otaku culture and worth a read for that alone. A more casual reader could also forgive pretty much every flaw I mentioned and would definitely enjoy it.

Though I don't think Madoka is the best ever, it is definitely something with a broad enough appeal for me to recommend it to pretty much anyone.

*Please note that I'm reviewing the first series ONLY.*

This manga was a breath of fresh air that I can't even begin to describe.

I heard a lot of odd things about this series, such as "Practically a horror manga" and "An extremely dark and depressing take on magical girls" and I was a bit worried at first. I couldn't find a definitive answer on what it felt like reading this, so let me sum it up.

It isn't that bad. Yeah, some parts are dark and depressing, and there's a bit of gore, but it isn't that bad. Yes. This specific take on Magical Girls is ... depressing, but this isn't the first time a manga/anime tackled that concept. I think the reason why this one stands out is its broad appeal. The characters are deep, the art is... well, I'll get to that later, and the story is extremely comprehensive. Not only that, but the ending left me shocked from the shear effect it left on this world. The few deaths left me surprised and startled, as I did not see them coming, and all in all I felt so good once I finished it (not because the story was totally happy) but because I had never read anything like it. My big gripe with this series, however, is the art. The art of the characters and their expressions is outstanding and does a great job at conveying emotion, but the backgrounds are a different story. Half the time I didn't know where the characters were until they outright said so, and most scenes in the school, Madoka's home, and the city were just gradients. It took me watching the anime to understand what was going on in the labyrinths and understand what the witches actually looked like. I'm well aware that these things are meant to be abstract, but I was annoyed because I was invested in the story and characters but the art made it so I couldn't figure out what was going on. However, that is my only major complaint. This series is a slightly dark, highly interesting series that I seriously recommend.

Madoka Magica is a fresh take on the magical girl genre and an unholy union of shoujo and horror.
Story/ Plot (8): The story is actually quite good. The plot is something creative, something that we've never really seen before. There are commonly utilized plot devices like character death and dreams, but the combination of this with the horror aspect of the witches and deception actually creates a really good manga recipe.
Art (10): The art of this series is absolutely gorgeous. It's minimalisitic and well defined and it knows what it wants to be. It's shoujo to the max--little girls with round faces and huge ... eyes and unrealistically colored hair. The outfits are well thought out and the expressions convey what need to be conveyed. In a lot of ways, the art of the manga is significantly better than that of the anime.
Character (7): These characters are very formulaic; there's really nothing new here. The strength of Madoka Magica does not lie in the character development. That being said, the characters are not ignored and are actually well done. Characters are developed predictably, but well.
Enjoyment (9): This manga is so much fun! It's thrilling and fun and terrifying and heartbreaking and there's not much to say besides that. The relationshiops that develop, the situations, the guessing, it's all electrifying and makes this story simply excellent.
Overall (8): Madoka Magica reads like a fairy tale. It's short and does what it intends to do: to tell a good story. It says what it needs to say and leaves it at that. And it does this very well. If you like shoujo manga and fantasy, then you'll like this a lot. Think Sword Art Online + K-On.

I liked reading this manga a lot. The anime is pretty much identical
Art:
The art is really well drawn, a lot of the panels look very detailed and the art stays very consistent throughout. The character designs really shine through with the costumes that each magical girl wears. I think that a lot of thought was put into how each outfit looks and the costumes go well with the characters personality.

Fight scenes:
One con that I experienced in the book is that the fighting scenes can be a bit difficult to read. The panels are very chaotic so it takes a bit to read. Each ... one seems to be spaced out fairly well with filler in some parts that make the plot enjoyable.

Characters:
I liked the characters. Madoka is a great protagonist and works well with all the other characters. My only complaint is that her naiveness throughout made it a bit irritating. Homuras dark and mysterious personality helps with pushing the story further. They are well rounded with motives, interesting backstories and their strengths and weaknesses are balanced out.

Plot (Slight spoilers ahead):
The plot is unique. This is a manga that takes the magical girl genre and twists it to be a horror that can give a refreshing change of pace. This is a big strength as a lot of magical girl mangas can be a bit repetitive with how the story goes. I wont give too much away with what happens but fair warning that there is violence. Not enough though to where you would have to reflect on your choices. The soul gem concept is very unique and gives a lot of debate on ethics. The witch concept is something that makes being a magical girl morally gray.

Who would I recommend this to?
I recommend this manga if you want something that is new. The mix of lighthearted magical girls and horror works well so if you want that give this a try.

In the year 2011, an original magical girl anime called Puella Magi Madoka Magica aired on Japanese TV, but it was different from the typical happy, lighthearted, idealistic magical girl anime. This anime was a deliberate deconstruction of the genre, analyzing and examining it from a more critical, realistic, even dark angle. Most magical girl anime focused on young girls who encounter cute animals, transform into heroes, and fight evil. Surprisingly, it was very well received on both sides of the Pacific for its new take on the genre, though it wasn't the first to really do so. The anime came first, but it was ... adapted into a manga that basically told the story of the anime without much changes save for some small aesthetic ones. I already did review the first anime when it first came out, but reading over the review again, like with my original AnoHana review, it just looks way too overly gushy, fangirly, and not very professional. I plan to rewrite it in the future, once I rewatch the anime. I just finished re-reading the manga today despite having owned it for years, and I think it's a decent adaptation of the manga.

Madoka Kaname is a normal girl with a normal life, but lately she's been having strange dreams involving a furry white animal and a black haired girl. The next day, said black haired girl, Homura Akemi, transfers into her school and seems to have her eye on Madoka. Later, Madoka and her friend Sayaka encounter said furry white animal, Kyubey, along with a friend of his, Mami Tomoe, who happens to be a magical girl. Kyubey wants to make contracts with Madoka and Sayaka so they can become magical girls and fight grotesque beings called Witches, and in exchange, he grants them each one wish. But as the girls learn more about the Witches, magical girls, and what it means to become one, they start to wonder just what is going on. What is Kyubey, and what are his plans? Why does he want Madoka to become a magical girl specifically, and why is Homura intent on keeping Madoka from becoming one?

Now, trying to translate a show or game into a comic format is no easy feat. Every piece of media has techniques that make them different from each other, and what may work in an anime may not translate well into manga. Often times, comic adaptations may not be able to feel true to the source material its adapting. Thankfully, the Madoka Magica avoids this pitfall. The artwork for this manga is pretty typical of cute shoujo manga, with the characters having round, soft facial features, big eyes, and everyone being much less angular than Shaft's animation style makes them look. Shaft's art style in the anime is pretty hard to capture in manga format, especially the Witches' parallel dimensions, so it's no surprise that the mangaka skimped on those details, especially in regards to the setting. But for what its worth, she does at least manage to do justice to the Witches' designs and does a decent job at making them look just as creepy as the anime made them, with great use of shadows, shading, and thick linework. Such techniques are also used to sell the fight scenes, which manages to work here, since comics can't make use of actual animation.

But how is the manga different from the anime? Frankly, it isn't. It basically retells the anime's story completely, with no big, significant changes whatsoever. Both the anime and manga play out exactly the same, and the only real differences are mostly aesthetic ones, such as the design for Homura's shield, the town the girls live in not looking as sharp and modern as the anime, the Witches' barriers not being as detailed, so on and so forth. None of them effect the story progression in any way, and at three volumes, it's a fairly short read. But the manga does leave out some things from the anime while adding its own touches. For one, Mami makes an appearance before she officially meets Madoka and Sayaka for the first time as a magical girl, whereas she doesn't have that in the anime. The manga leaves out some funny scenes, such as when Madoka and her baby brother wake up their mother in a dramatic fashion, and the scene after that is shortened, with Madoka and her mother's discussion about their teacher's love life being left out. Unlike in the anime, Kyubey is made capable of making facial expressions instead of having the same expression all the time. Also, for all you lesbians out there, the manga cuts out Hitomi's infamous "girls can't love girls!" line, and she mostly playfully ribs them about how close they suddenly got. That's really about it. From what I've heard, the artist, Hanokage, was given a very limited page count for working on the manga, so I guess a lot of these changes were because she had to condense the anime into the limits of her allowed number of pages, which may have resulted in the decision to leave certains scenes out, which is understandable, especially since this was her first foray into manga.

The characters are the same as they are in the anime, all of them fulfilling certain archetypes: Madoka's the plain nice girl, Sayaka's her boisterous, happy-go-lucky friend, Homura's the mysteriois stoic girl, so on and so forth. They're not bad, but in any other kind of anime, like a slice-of-life one, they'd be rather bland and milquetoast, and the setting is the only reason they're so memorable. The development they do get is relatively well done, mostly because since the manga is so short, it can't waste any time on filler and meandering, so it has to lay all its cards out on the table straight out, making sure everything fits together and is utilized effectively. The fast pacing, every character having a specific purpose, the rules the story sets up, the deep exploration of the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences that come from being a magical girl, if there's anything you can say about Madoka Magica, it's that it manages to make everything fit together into one package, and it works!

I'll review the anime again once I've rewatched it, as I know my old review is little more than a crappy gush fest. As for the manga, it does its job, and is a decent read on its own. If you don't want to watch the anime, the manga is readily available everywhere, and Madoka Magica itself is wonderful for what it is, and I highly recommend you check it out.

I have already seen the anime beforehand, and I am not one to read manga. My perspective might be a bit biased because of that, but I feel like sticking to the anime is the best option.

The manga version still does a good job of feeling and looking like the actual anime, as the story remains relatively the same and the art style is not only perfectly replicating what the anime was stylized like, but in my opinion even outdoes the anime artistically. However, the manga is shorter than the anime, and the anime was already constrained to only 12 episodes total with almost every ... minute containing plot-heavy scenes.

Because of this, the pace of the manga isn't as welcoming as the anime, which I thought had very good progression. The manga can be completed in no more than a few hours, for some people only 2 even. This makes the manga feel like the stort is rushing itself.

That's not to say the manga version still isn't enjoyable or anything, because you'll still be getting the same experience mostly, but I feel like getting the manga is really just determined by if you enjoyed the anime enough to the point that you want to see what it would be like.

I definitely enjoyed the anime more, but that's like 90% because of nostalgia lol

The manga felt like it had some extra breathing room for all the characters to grow a little more. It might not be that noticiable but I thought it was neat.
However, a lot of Madoka's visual oomph was lost - which is why I prefer the anime. The surreality of a lot of scenes is lacking to say the least. This is especially noticable in the witch labyrinths. The art is by no means bad (quite the opposite) but I think - visuals wise - Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica works a little ... better as an anime.

Still, worth a read, esecially if you're a fan of the anime!

The anime of Madoka Magica has a great story with compelling characters and engrossing plot twists that the manga of course adapts as best as it can. The art is fantastic, and the story is mostly the same—but I really think it could have benefited from more than 12 chapters. The whole thing feels really rushed, and if I hadn't watched the anime first, then some of the plot threads wouldn't really make sense. Nothing is really given room to breathe.

It's a great accompaniment, but I still recommend watching the anime first so that the narrative and the plot twists can have their maximum effect.

I tried to get into this manga because I had friends who liked it when I was in high school. I personally don't think I should have bothered. What I read was a boring story with predictable tropes and dismal artwork. I understand it's based off the anime, but the artist definitely took some liberties. Flipped ahead to the end, and was not surprised at all. I also feel like the characters are boring, especially Madoka. She was insufferable. I'm sure teens might like it, but it's just too bland for my taste. As I get older, more of the childish stuff is just not ... interesting to me at all. I grew up loving Sailor Moon (still do) and this has some similarity, but it just...is not for me. Maybe it's because I'm old, lol.