*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tanpopo Ohaniami is offered the chance to be a magical girl and fight the Fiends that plague humanity. But the Fiend that has been her companion her entire life, Shade, doesn’t want her to get involved in this dangerous conflict.

This is gorier than I’d expected. Fiends eat people, and it actually threw me off for a second to go from the cute stuff to a severed head and body horror. Now, I love me a twist on the magical girl genre, and this is a compelling start. We have our plucky main character, hard-ass magical girl veteran, a supernatural sidekick, and hints of something bigger at play. Everything I like in an opening volume. The art fits both the cutesy stuff and the horrific, with some impressive creature designs. Just be aware that while this isn’t Magical Girl Apocalypse (at least not yet), it’s no Card Captor Sakura. It gets dark. 4 out of 5.

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July 22, 2016July 21, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Finally Watched it: “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” vol 3.

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Again,this volume follows the manga but there are some more strange camera angles or the calm voice of the actor not matching the screaming face of the animated figure (or the reverse). But the music is amazing and the movements are clean and smooth. The plot is tight and there are so many anime out there with tons of filler that it’s nice to see a narrative get to the point and stay there.

I had fun watching this series and I think it’s a wouldn’t mind coming back to watch more than once. It’s dark but also adorable and heartfelt. I’m glad I took time for this one. Anything that thoughtfully turns tropes upside down is welcome. Its super creepy that Kyubey is one obvious metaphor for being taken advantage of during one of the most vulnerable time in a young person’s life. And poor Homura… But seeing her in action?! Picking up all those techniques?! Fucking WIN!

Now, I have been poking around and there are other manga for this series that I may try to hunt down and read. If I can find them, I may review those as well.

All in all, this was fun and I LOVE being back into anime again.

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July 15, 2016July 6, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Finally Watched It: “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” vol 2

puella-madoka-magica-vol2 — (Image Source)

This volume follows the second volume of the manga pretty closely and while the voice acting and music keep their quality, there were a couple of questionable camera angles that had me confused. They were super diagonal or oddly framed in a way where you know no human being would have deliberately placed a camera. At one point two characters were sitting at a table and I think the camera would have to have been sitting on the girl’s lap, at an angle, with the zoom at 150%. This only happened a couple of times so it wasn’t too distracting.

The tone also is constant but I was a little taken aback by the gore being blacked out. Perhaps I’m spoiled by other anime were zero fucks are given and people spill gallons of blood all the time. I wonder what this would have looked like if the animators were really allowed to let loose.

Overall, I’m enjoying this! I don’t know if this is an anime I’d watch more than once, though.

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June 24, 2016June 23, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Finally Watched It: “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” vol 1 by Magica Quartet and Hanokage

Obviously, this is the anime which tells the same story as the manga I have been reading and reviewing. And it was completely worth it to see this on screen.

The story is the same but it was so awesome to see the characters moving and talking. The soundtrack is amazing, the animation is clean and sharp, and the voice acting is on point. One thing I will say that the anime does better than the manga is the witch labyrinths. Seeing that in color and moving was like seeing a twisted wonderland where all the cute things are designed to kill you. And I’m thinking this is entirely the point.

The anime shies away from gore but it does take more time to revel in the horror. You can turn a page fast but having to watch the characters cry and suffer is a different experience.

Again, I am enjoying the different take on magical girls. I’ve said that a lot, but it’s true. There is another volume (so I don’t feel guilty for watching this before reading volume three since volume three isn’t on this DVD) which I’m waiting to get into my hot little hands and of course, I will be reviewing it.

Seeing the same ole stories in a new light is always fun and I can’t wait for the next one!

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