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Puella Magi Homura Tamura ~Parallel Worlds Do Not Remain Parallel Forever~ #1
Puella Magi Homura Tamura, Vol. 1: ~Parallel Worlds Do Not Remain Parallel Forever~
The life of a magical girl isn't all fighting witches and collecting grief seeds. When they aren't kicking butt, Homura Akemi and her friends face the same trials as normal high school girls! In this four-panel comedy, glimpse a sillier side of the girls from the bestselling Puella Magi Madoka Magica series!
120 pages, Paperback
First published October 26, 2013
About the author
Magica Quartet
168 books214 followersA group collaboration consisting of director Akiyuki Shinbou, writer Gen Urobuchi, the original character designer Ume Aoki, and the producer Atsuhiro Iwakami.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 27, 2016
This is a masterpiece
April 28, 2019
Like with other 4-koma manga, this was my toilet reading for a little while. Except I basically read the second half of the book in one sitting because I had some Arby's that really fucked me up lol
I love Homura, but I must be a complete idiot because it took me way too long to realize the "Tamura" joke.... Like, obviously her family name is Akemi, but I totally brainfarted and bought the manga thinking "Oh, sure, Homura Tamura, definitely her name, nothing weird about this." Then I started thinking it's weird that it's somehow supposed to be funny that Madoka stubbornly calls Homura by her family name rather than her given name.
Anyway, this is a 4-koma manga by the creator of Yurucamp. The idea is that Homura's constant time travel leads her to parallel worlds where shit is often way off-kilter, compared even to the general weirdness of the "magical girls vs. witches as done by Studio SHAFT" of the main series.
It must be noted, this entire manga runs on the assumption that the reader is familiar with the main anime. A lot of stuff is spoiled otherwise. For the most part, all five girls are characterized by the most basic of their individual traits. In the cases of Mami and Sayaka, this involves death. A large amount of earlier strips in this volume make fun of Mami's death in Episode 3, usually by having her randomly die early on in Homura's new time loop. Sayaka's thing is mostly about becoming a witch about as fast as Mami is seen dying. Kyouko gets off a lot easier, as her only character trait here is that she eats a lot. Kyubey's whole thing is making contracts. Madoka is mostly based around whether or not she'll accept Kyubey's contract; a lot of jokes are about Madoka doing a contract as soon as she's asked, often with silly wishes. Homura spends most of the manga as the straight-man to all the silliness going on, but often she falls into the trap of her being in love with Madoka, and a lot of jokes involve Homura dropping some seriousness in favor of acting like a dirty old man, sweating over the idea of touching Madoka's hair or something.
There's a surprising amount of continuity here. There's a chapter about a world of Mamis led by a Queen Mami, who explains her power is the result of killing off all the other Mamis from other time flows. There's another chapter about a world of Homuras described as a hub for various Homuras stopping in from different points in time. There's a joke about how certain characters act more abnormal the further from Homura's original time each new time flow is, with the result being many warped-looking Kyubeys throughout the volume.
A minor downside: insofar as this volume is composed of several chapters each composed of several smaller 4-koma strips, there are some strips that end without punchlines, instead setting up jokes for the next strip. To me, this is a bit of a slight against the AFRO's chosen format. I just personally don't like when 4-koma strips are refused a punchline in order to directly set up another strip, as it makes me think "Why not just make a normal manga?" There are cases with "no punchline" being the punchline, and that's fine, and it's also fine to set up a future joke for Strip B when Strip A has its own joke, just I feel it's wonky to have essentially seven panels to set up a joke that could have just been done in a basic 4-koma format.
I love Homura, but I must be a complete idiot because it took me way too long to realize the "Tamura" joke.... Like, obviously her family name is Akemi, but I totally brainfarted and bought the manga thinking "Oh, sure, Homura Tamura, definitely her name, nothing weird about this." Then I started thinking it's weird that it's somehow supposed to be funny that Madoka stubbornly calls Homura by her family name rather than her given name.
Anyway, this is a 4-koma manga by the creator of Yurucamp. The idea is that Homura's constant time travel leads her to parallel worlds where shit is often way off-kilter, compared even to the general weirdness of the "magical girls vs. witches as done by Studio SHAFT" of the main series.
It must be noted, this entire manga runs on the assumption that the reader is familiar with the main anime. A lot of stuff is spoiled otherwise. For the most part, all five girls are characterized by the most basic of their individual traits. In the cases of Mami and Sayaka, this involves death. A large amount of earlier strips in this volume make fun of Mami's death in Episode 3, usually by having her randomly die early on in Homura's new time loop. Sayaka's thing is mostly about becoming a witch about as fast as Mami is seen dying. Kyouko gets off a lot easier, as her only character trait here is that she eats a lot. Kyubey's whole thing is making contracts. Madoka is mostly based around whether or not she'll accept Kyubey's contract; a lot of jokes are about Madoka doing a contract as soon as she's asked, often with silly wishes. Homura spends most of the manga as the straight-man to all the silliness going on, but often she falls into the trap of her being in love with Madoka, and a lot of jokes involve Homura dropping some seriousness in favor of acting like a dirty old man, sweating over the idea of touching Madoka's hair or something.
There's a surprising amount of continuity here. There's a chapter about a world of Mamis led by a Queen Mami, who explains her power is the result of killing off all the other Mamis from other time flows. There's another chapter about a world of Homuras described as a hub for various Homuras stopping in from different points in time. There's a joke about how certain characters act more abnormal the further from Homura's original time each new time flow is, with the result being many warped-looking Kyubeys throughout the volume.
A minor downside: insofar as this volume is composed of several chapters each composed of several smaller 4-koma strips, there are some strips that end without punchlines, instead setting up jokes for the next strip. To me, this is a bit of a slight against the AFRO's chosen format. I just personally don't like when 4-koma strips are refused a punchline in order to directly set up another strip, as it makes me think "Why not just make a normal manga?" There are cases with "no punchline" being the punchline, and that's fine, and it's also fine to set up a future joke for Strip B when Strip A has its own joke, just I feel it's wonky to have essentially seven panels to set up a joke that could have just been done in a basic 4-koma format.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did Not Finish
January 24, 2016I feel bad since this was a First Read's book, but this is completely inaccessible without having read the main series and knowing the characters in advance.
No rating because I can't properly judge the content, but if you're not previously familiar with the property don't bother.
No rating because I can't properly judge the content, but if you're not previously familiar with the property don't bother.
November 19, 2015
SUPER WEIRD AND CUTE.
I loved it.
I loved it.
October 21, 2021
Do you enjoy the Madoka Magica franchise but need a break from its morbidly depressing storylines? Well, how about an absurd gag manga from the creator of Yuru Camp? Illustrated by AFRO, Homura Tamura is a goofy acid trip, charting the long-suffering Homura's course through dozens of shifting timelines, each kookier than the last. In various chapters, Homura becomes a master chef, a maximum security prisoner and a reckless motorcycle vigilante; battles mecha-sporting Sayaka and a chocolate-devouring Kyoko; forms a comedy team with Mami and tries to restrain a bomb-obsessed Madoka; discovers a universe full of Mamis and (a lovely running gag) a wayside planet where dozens of Homuras commisserate about their misadventures, drink beer until they vomit and perform groan-inducing sketches. Each scenario develops a lively mini-universe that plays with the tropes and characterizations we all know from PMMM and its spinoffs. The characters are flanderized to hell and back: Madoka is a naive dope who keeps fudging Homura's name; Sayaka is violent and impulsive, once contracting with Kyubey to obtain sugar for her tea; Kyoko loves snacks; Mami dies gruesomely at the drop of a hat. At three volumes (360-ish pages) the joke eventually starts to wear thin, but there's enough variation and cleverness in the stories themselves that all but the most humorless Madoka fans should come away satisfied.
March 4, 2018
Ahhh, I’ve missed Homura and friends. This was a much-needed, light-hearted, and laugh-out-loud spin off where Homura keeps encountering dozens of strange alternate universes. These include: one where she has 300 soul gems, one where Kyouko robs chocolate factories, one where she’s in a TV studio, one where everyone worships Mami, and many more. I loved the humor, especially after reading so many dark spin offs. What especially got me was all the different Kyubeys. They were so hilarious and creepy. 5/5 stars!
June 20, 2022
I knew the tone of this book would be a large contrast from the original story as this is a comedy. I wanted to try something light and funny but I didn’t end up enjoying this as much as I thought I would. I guess turning tragic events into jokes isn’t my cup of tea. I did think a good deal of it was funny and it’s got the absurdity that may be popular on the internet. However some jokes feel too repetitive. It’s not really my thing, it didn’t pull me in like I hoped, but it is a quick, low-stakes read that provides a laugh to those fond of the story of Madoka Magica.
June 18, 2018
This isn’t for people who haven’t watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I’m saying that now. You can watch PMMM on Netflix, though, I must warn you, you may not come out the same.
With that outta the way... I really love this 4koma manga. It ponders the question of how Homura’s time-traveling worked rather humorously, and I really recommend it for fans of the series.
With that outta the way... I really love this 4koma manga. It ponders the question of how Homura’s time-traveling worked rather humorously, and I really recommend it for fans of the series.
January 24, 2020
(3.5/5)
A genuinely funny, nonsensical look at Homura's potential alternative timelines with high quality art from Afro (Laid-Back Camp).
I can't wait to read the other entries: I hope that things remain as funny as this volume!
A genuinely funny, nonsensical look at Homura's potential alternative timelines with high quality art from Afro (Laid-Back Camp).
I can't wait to read the other entries: I hope that things remain as funny as this volume!
December 2, 2021
It's cute and it's actually funnier than I expected. I wasn't a huge fan of a couple of the bits where Homura was kind of fawning over Madoka, since I find the age dynamic there really weird, but other than that I liked it. I'd read it again.
July 17, 2024
I really loved the book! It was so funny. I've always wanted to see a funnier side of Madoka Magica and I finally got to see it. Homura suffered so much in the anime series and I am happy she got a funnier side in the book. If you love comedy and Madoka Magica then this book is definitely for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2024
If you haven’t seen the original manga or anime, I wouldn’t recommend this. If you loved those, this is a funny and quick read
December 10, 2016
chibi
April 27, 2020
Greatest thing I’ve ever read
Also, it’s absurd to me that for some people, this is their first intro to Madoka!?
Watch the anime, people
Also, it’s absurd to me that for some people, this is their first intro to Madoka!?
Watch the anime, people
July 17, 2019
I was looking forward especially to this trio of manga comics after reading the rest of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series. This is the fifth of the spin off series and is a joke series. Unfortunately, it was the only one of the five series that my local library didn’t have copies of, so I had to wait until I had the funds to buy the trilogy myself. I cannot say that I was disappointed with this mini-series.
Of course, I would say you would have to have some familiarity with the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series to get much out of this trilogy. This series basically covers what happens to Homura as she travels to all of the other worlds that weren’t discussed in any of the other books from the main series or other spin-offs. It was probably to my benefit that I read this series after reading the other four series set in this universe.
While most of the other series are rather dark and serious, the Homura Tamara series pokes fun at the whole Madoka Magica universe. If you like books that make fun of themselves, then you will certainly enjoy this particular spin-off series.
Homura is also one of my favorite of the magica girls so I’m glad to see her in the spotlight again (especially where she’s the heroine and not the villain).
I gave this series four stars! It’s funny for a Puella Madoka Magica fan but if you aren’t familiar with the whole universe of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I wouldn’t suggest starting with this comic series. It is rife with plot-based spoliers and most of the jokes won’t make any sense since they play off the earlier manga.
Of course, I would say you would have to have some familiarity with the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series to get much out of this trilogy. This series basically covers what happens to Homura as she travels to all of the other worlds that weren’t discussed in any of the other books from the main series or other spin-offs. It was probably to my benefit that I read this series after reading the other four series set in this universe.
While most of the other series are rather dark and serious, the Homura Tamara series pokes fun at the whole Madoka Magica universe. If you like books that make fun of themselves, then you will certainly enjoy this particular spin-off series.
Homura is also one of my favorite of the magica girls so I’m glad to see her in the spotlight again (especially where she’s the heroine and not the villain).
I gave this series four stars! It’s funny for a Puella Madoka Magica fan but if you aren’t familiar with the whole universe of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I wouldn’t suggest starting with this comic series. It is rife with plot-based spoliers and most of the jokes won’t make any sense since they play off the earlier manga.
May 21, 2019
This was hilarious. If you like Madoka Magica I would DEFINITELY recommend this comedy spin-off. Ridiculous and absurd hijinks ensue for poor hapless Homura (Tamura) but it all oddly is explained in a somewhat logical way. In the process of her time travels, Homura ends up in numerous odd trippy alternate dimensions. Playing the straight man to the other magical girls’ utter ridiculousness, she tries to make sense of these alternate universes as she tries to get back to “her” universe. The running jokes will make no sense without the context of the original series, so I wouldn’t recommend going into this blind.
However if you enjoy ridiculous and somewhat dark humor and you love the original series I’d HIGHLY recommend this! I thought it was hilarious. I know humor is hit or miss and doesn’t make everyone laugh, but I personally was greatly entertained.
...The only bad thing is the whopping $17 cover price, especially when the volume is only about 120 pages. Still, 5 stars from me!
However if you enjoy ridiculous and somewhat dark humor and you love the original series I’d HIGHLY recommend this! I thought it was hilarious. I know humor is hit or miss and doesn’t make everyone laugh, but I personally was greatly entertained.
...The only bad thing is the whopping $17 cover price, especially when the volume is only about 120 pages. Still, 5 stars from me!
July 23, 2016
This is - by far - the WORST *Puella Magi* manga that I have ever read! It tries far too hard to be funny, and fails miserably at doing so. Nothing in this made me laugh, and I did not enjoy 98% of the stories, even though I really like Homura Akemi. It was kind of a struggle to get through actually, and I kept hoping that it would end soon, even though it is shorter than the other *Puella Magi* mangas.
Overall, a big letdown. I wouldn't recommend this to you, unless you're a completionistic person that desires to read all things *Puella Magi*, like I do.
Overall, a big letdown. I wouldn't recommend this to you, unless you're a completionistic person that desires to read all things *Puella Magi*, like I do.
Read
August 15, 2015I tried several times to read it but couldnt get very far so I have given it to my granddaughter who knew what is was about right away. I asked her to read it and will give her opinion when she is finished. Will update and let you know what a 13 year old think! Jana Morgan
March 30, 2016
Kind of confusing as an entry point to the Puella Magi world! My full review is posted at No Flying No Tights.
August 6, 2015
Ehhh it was alright silly and kinda boring
September 13, 2015
A ridiculously silly 4-panel take on the Madoka Magica series. :)
December 18, 2015
4.5 stars
January 6, 2016
absurd and highly entertaining
January 12, 2016
2.5 stars. There were some gags that were funny, but for the most part I struggled to get through it.
August 30, 2023
อ่านสมัยมัธยม แฟนมาโดกะต้องอ่านจริง ๆ ตลกบ้าบอมาก ขำน้ำตาไหล 55555555 เสียดายไม่มีแปลไทยต่อ
Read
September 8, 2015couldn't get through it - just makes a total mockery of the tragedy that is the MQ.
December 26, 2018
I nice sot of 4-Kama stories which involve multiple what if scenarios.
Includes multiple colour pages.
Includes multiple colour pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews