Through Madoka's sacrifice, no magical girl will face the tragic fate that once awaited them, though not one remembers the name of their savior-save Homura Akemi. Clinging to the memory of her dearest friend, Homura struggles to rely on her teammates, even when failing to do so has allowed the giant wraith to devour her powers! To reclaim her powers, Homura begins a desperate search for the giant wraith, finding help in the most unlikely of places...
A group collaboration consisting of director Akiyuki Shinbou, writer Gen Urobuchi, the original character designer Ume Aoki, and the producer Atsuhiro Iwakami.
This continuation of Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc sees Homura growing more wary of the new, post-Madoka world and with very good reason. The Wraiths, previously an indefinable collection of bad energy, become semi-sentient beings who can impersonate humans and know exactly how to manipulate their victims. Homura finds that she's lost her power after a Wraith attack and becomes increasingly consumed by self-doubt and isolation. Unable (and unwilling) to confide in her fellow Puella Magi (whom she avoids with a newly-developed memory-warping power), she proves an easy mark for the Wraiths, one of whom boldly impersonates Madoka in a bid to defeat a greater evil. The manga has all the usual angst and tortured introspection common to the franchise, which will likely make it feel redundant and repetitive to less charitable readers. The Wraiths still remain a less-than-great antagonist compared to the Witches, despite their new abilities (though Wraith Madoka has her moments of guileless charm). What works here is what usually works in this series: the characters are sharply drawn, with Mami stressing under her role as Self-Appointed Team Mom, Kyoko coming to terms with her feelings for now-departed Sayaka and even non-Magical friend Hitomi having a neat moment in the spotlight. Homura's self-loathing provides the story's engine, and as always it's both complelling and painful to watch battling her grief. The main complaint about this arc, again, is that it offers Madoka veterans little new in a lore or narrative sense: but for fans, time spent further exploring these flawed, fascinating protagonists is reason enough to read it.
Ah yes, PMMM Wraith Arc v2, in which poor Homura is slowly losing her mind as we march toward the events of Rebellion...
Reading Wraith Arc having seen Rebellion many times over honestly makes a lot of what is happening even more of a punch to the feels since we know what will happen to her later on.
5 stars, art is lovely as usual, and would highly recommend to any PMMM fan. Very very excited for the next volume to release in English!
Starts to drop seeds about how this series leads into Rebellion. Although in a way it raises more questions than answers, we begin to see both emotional and plot progression that could set the stage for the world of rebellion and the people the cast become. Greatly hoping that the final third volume delivers on this, however even if it doesn't it remains one of the most true to source Madoka adaptations in both tone, plot and character. Being a true "mystery box" just as the original series was, where we are tasked with watching the secrets of this world unfold, and the dark philosophical propositions that even in a world meant to be free of suffering, everything still has a price, and everything balances out in the end.
Now THIS is a story worth telling! This really recaptures what makes this story special - the doubt, the questions, the mysteries, the lingering grief and unfolding consequences that come out of bigger story moments. The characters here are all grappling with the main plot in a very tangible and emotional way and Homura really shines in her unique position in the narrative. I absolutely love the ideas it's toying with by the end of this volume, and the ramp into Rebellion is incredibly clear and haunting all the way thought.
it hit so close to home when homura said she couldn't remember what was real or not, which memories were real or something she made in her head. or even worse, how she clung to the idea of someone whom she couldn't be sure still existed. she was on the automatic mode that one day she would reunite with madoka through some miracle but when they took part of her heart away, which contained her memories and feelings towards madoka, what was left for her to hold onto?
Un segundo tomo bastante interesante. La historia toma un camino peculiar. Me gusta mucho como exploran al personaje de Homura. Me resulta muy interesante como van mostrando sus dudas, la hace sentirse mas humana. Se a donde no tiene que dejar, ya que tiene que darle el pie a rebellion, y aún así me intriga ver como llegan ahí.
Well this got crazy lol it was cool seeing Homura’s thought process as she struggles to understand her role as a magical girl in this Madoka-less world. And then a cliffhanger ending to top it off 👌
The second volume of interquel depicting the events that happened between Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion is even better the first.
Starting with a meeting with a `Madoka` Homura question what she is fighting for and she believes is the truth. Her soul is getting cloudier which will makes a great conclusion in the final (next) volume.
Kyubey seems to be hiding something (likely the plan to capture the soul gem before it is taken by the law of the cycles)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.