A magical girl fights a monster in an alley. Just when things look dire, another magical girl with white hair saves her in the nick of time. She’s never met another magical girl, and she’s eager to be friends, especially when the white-hair girl introduces herself as Suzune.
“Pleased to meet you… Suzune!” she says. Then Suzune cuts open her throat.
Puella Magi Suzune Magica is a story of a magical girl assassin set in the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a magical girl anime that aired in 2011. The titular character of the spinoff is a “magical girl” assassin in both senses of the phrase: she’s a magical girl who assassinates people as well as someone who assassinates other magical girls.
But Suzune isn’t necessarily the protagonist of the spinoff: the more important POV characters are Arisa and Matsuri, two middle-school girls who are part of a larger group of magical girls. And with the plot being what it is, I’m sure you can see where the conflict of the manga is going.
The driving factor of Suzune Magica is the mystery of why Suzune is murdering other magical girls, as well as whom among Arisa and Matsuri’s (relatively large) group she might be killing next. Since the manga largely shows the plot from Arisa and Matsuri’s side of things, Suzune’s motives are unclear; veterans of the franchise, though, probably have at least a little bit of an idea why.
As a long-time fan of the franchise – and having read a large number of the different manga spinoffs – Suzune Magica is one of the first new storylines that made me experience a renewal of love for this series. The biggest draw has always been the darkness of the plot in Madoka Magica in contrast to its sweet and almost childlike art style, and in that sense Suzune Magica doesn’t disappoint. After all, Suzune commits horrifying atrocities after pleasantly asking her soon-to-be victims for their names.
But the true draw of this spinoff is understanding, as someone who’s familiar with the franchise, why Suzune has chosen her path and the moral quandary of the situation. Would I make the same choice in her position, or at least a similar one? Is death at Suzune’s hands murder or mercy for the magical girls?
Suzune Magica is a spinoff that provides a new story for old readers while remaining accessible to new fans, as well. While I would definitely recommend this manga for Madoka Magica vets, it’s a great stepping-off point for new readers as well as anyone with fresh scars from the anime.
Story: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Art: 3 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.
