This is a review of the manga adaptation of Puella Magi Madoka*Magica: The Movie -Rebellion-, and as such contains spoilers for the anime series Puella Magi Madoka*Magica.
Something is wrong with Akemi Homura. Or maybe something’s wrong with the world around her. Homura has joined Madoka, Mami, and the other magical girls to form the “Holy Quintet,” but nothing can quell her nagging suspicions that “reality is way off from how I picture it.”
The Movie -Rebellion- is set after the events of the main series of Madoka*Magica, exploring the world that remains after Kaname Madoka becomes something akin to the patron goddess of all magical girls. Her wish destroys magical girls before their souls corrupt into witches, so instead the team of magical girls fight against “Nightmares,” apparitions created by the negative feelings of people in the town.
Except that it’s not right, and Homura is the only person who feels as if something is wrong.
This manga is the first in a three-volume adaptation of the film Puella Magi Madoka*Magica: The Movie -Rebellion-, which released in late 2013 in Japan and in limited theater release in the U.S. the next year. Currently, the film is available on Netflix.
I saw the film version of The Movie -Rebellion- about six months ago, and when I found out the manga adaptation was coming to the U.S., I was intrigued. I’m a huge Madoka fan, and a movie poster of -Rebellion- hangs over my work desk. But despite my fandom level, I had a difficult time with the film. The animation borders on insane, and it’s very confusing to watch, especially when trying to read subtitles while visually picking out what’s happening on screen.
That said, I would highly recommend the manga over the movie version. The manga has been a much clearer read than the film was to watch. The pacing of Volume 1 is a slow start to the trilogy — so many of the pages are dedicated to a grand total of 2 battles that it feels like nothing happens to advance the plot or increase the reader’s understanding of events until almost the end. But this matches the pacing of the actual anime film, making it a fairly close adaptation of the movie.
The most remarkable thing about The Movie -Rebellion- is its art style. When watching it for the first time with friends, I believe the phrase “as if they were tripping on acid and also mushrooms” was tossed out. While the format of the media reduces some of the more confusing parts of The Movie -Rebellion-‘s art style, it maintains some of the weirdness of the film’s style, which is masterfully experimental in nature.
While not exactly my favorite part about this manga, it’s still beautifully done, and it not only fits with the movie’s style but also fits the overall plot of The Movie -Rebellion-. While it may disorient readers slightly at first, it does help to reinforce Homura’s unease as well as her chilling suspicion that everything is not, in fact, all right.
The Movie -Rebellion- is a great manga for those who have finished the Madoka*Magica anime and are interested to see more. It’s also great for particularly masochistic fans of Akemi Homura. Knowing how the film itself ends, I can promise that this trilogy will conclude with an ending that elicits the same feelings that certain episodes of the original anime do.
In other words: proceed with caution.
Story: 3 out of 5 stars
Art: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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Feliza Casano edits and writes for all sections of the site. In her approximate 2.3 hours of free time each month, she loves watching anime, reading science fiction, and working on her novels-in-progress. Keep up with her antics at felizacasano.com and follow her on Twitter @FelizaCasano.
This review is part of Madoka*Magica Week 2016. Check out other posts in the series here.
