Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge Volume One Review

Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Can I just start by saying how much I adore Madoka Magica? Okay, adore might not be the best adjective, obsessed and complete lust might be more fitting terms.  After stumbling across the series due to curiosity of why said series was so hyped back at the end of last year I have completely fallen in love with the series and the characters. I cannot even recall how many times I have re-watched the series, I stopped counting after a while.

My point; I love this series and it has claimed the title of the best anime in this authoress' book.  And by extension the mangas have also been a major reading staple.

And this, Homura's Revenge has been a series I have been very excited about being released and eager to see what was in store for our puella magis.

At this point it is critical to add a major spoiler warning. Not only for the contents of this specific manga, but the entire Madoka Magica series!




If there is one thing I am a major sucker for it is AUs. Alternate Universe. Tales that play off  'what-ifs' and hypothetical instances. Homura's Revenge is one of the cases.

Set during a time-line one can place as prolonged to the series and Rebellion, we are reunited with Homura during the mist of the battle between herself in the final battle between herself and that of Walpurgisnacht. It is at this time Homura starts to realize that her actions to protect Madoka may have put her in much more harm. But before Homura can choice the next course of action, Madoka declares that Homura no longer has to do it alone- that she will become a magical girl herself.

But to Homura this is not accepted. Her entire mission and reason for reliving the same time-line again and again was to unsure Madoka's safety and later prevent her from ever contacting. If she allows such actions she has once again basically fails Madoka. Not knowing what else to do, Homura grabs Madoka tightly and resets the time-line in hopes of starting over yet again.

For perhaps once, Homura's plan works- in this new time-line not only is she reunited with Madoka, but Madoka has retained her memory from the last time line. After some argument about Madoka wanting to still become a magical girl despite everything, the duo decides to work together to spare their friends, Mami, Sayaka and Kyouko from their previous fates by doing what they did before, and work past the failures.

The plan is simple, primitive. But complications arise when it is realizes that they where not the only time-travelers, Kyubey had been hanging onto Madoka during the jump and also has all of his memories. After being wronged time after time by his hands, Homura is not thrilled at the news nor pleased when Kyubey states he wants to help their cause.  But there is no choice, after all they need him to play his part to even have a chance of saving the others.

But Kyubey is never looking out for the girls, only himself and his goals. And this time his goal is to take advantage of the poor relationship between Mami and Homura by using Mami to kill Homura and then be able to contact Madoka.

Most of the first in this series is very close in terms of story-line to that off the series. But Madoka's knowledge and the strong bond between Homura and herself act as a ripple effect in this universe. Even though Madoka tried to keep it together she finds herself excited to see Mami once more and often reacting very differently to things then she did before that leads to suspicion.

The expression that the path to hell is paved in good intentions rings to the truest form in this case. Despite doing what they could, Madoka nor Homura are able to prevent Mami's death- in fact this time it causes both Sayaka and even Kyouko to detest and hold Homura responsible for it.

Because of Homura's action of bring Madoka even deeper  in, more has changed than meets the surface. Dynamics and even relationships have altered, and the first volume ends with the meeting of Sayaka and Kyouko- who somehow already known one another.

Admittedly this is probably my favorite of the Madoka mangas. It is great to see a cast of faces that are known and loved retrun for another round in one of countless time-lines they lived though. Seeing Madoka and Homura not only interact, but able to be alone together and show-case their relationship was probably one of my favorite things narrative wise. The argument in the school hallway was very cute and showed both the strength of wills for both girls, Madoka longing to become something and take the weight off Homura's shoulders and Homura's desire to protect Madoka.

Even though going in I knew that Kyubey would be taking advantage of everything he could, it never hit me that he would try and enlist Mami to take Homura out of the equation. If there is one character I truly hate with a passion it is Kyubey.

The art was great and very in-sync with that of the animated counterparts. The expression where fantastic and well depicted the dialog.

The only big negative thing in regards to Homura's Revenge is that we must now wait until October for the rest. If you are a Madoka fan I urge you to pick-up or download the latest installment of the series.


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