Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge!, Vol. 2

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge! #2

by Magica Quartet, Kawazu-ku (Visual Art), Masugitsune (Visual Art)

Homura vs. Sayaka and Kyouko?!
Even with Madoka's help, Homura has failed to rescue Mami from her fate--worse, she may actually have brought it about. With both Sayaka and Kyouko looking to exact their revenge for Mami's death, Homura has to concern herself with her own survival--on top of trying to save her friends! Can anything derail the tragic fate that awaits them all?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Comics

162 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2013

About the author

A group collaboration consisting of director Akiyuki Shinbou, writer Gen Urobuchi, the original character designer Ume Aoki, and the producer Atsuhiro Iwakami.

Reviews

[Eden Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous story.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent ending, bit sad about it though. :(

[Bruno Mtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

El ultimo capitulo fue bueno, pero todo lo demás fue demasiado forzado, tenia potencial como historia alternativa, pero desperdició el concepto que lo hacia algo diferente.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect 5/5 if not for the ending. The AU adaptation continues from Sayaka's downward spiral after becoming a magical girl. The story continues to be an excellent ride full of fun and fresh takes on the events from the anime. Old plot elements are mixed in with new ones such as Sayaka becoming a witch taking place after a fight against Homura with Kyoko .
The art continues to pop off extremely well. Some of the artisitc highlights show how strong the use of special effects and magics are in this manga such as the fight with Homura against Kyoko and Sayaka and the fight against Walpurgis Nacht. They feel almost screen-capped in with how well they pull off the original style and how well-drawn they are.
I did not mention it in my review of the first volume but I enjoyed the more tender insight given to Homura in this series. You can see how her scuffles with friends from previous timelines takes a toll on her and how much she hates hurting them by playing the "bad guy." This was in the show but wasn't given a key focus like it is here.
My only real gripe is the ending. I find it to be a great ending but a bit of a weird character moment for a particular character. Why did Homura react the way she did? I feel like she would've rewinded time almost immediately. I get the point was to help Homura kill Walpugis Nacht to keep this timeline happy but in the show iirc Homura rewinds pretty quickly on. She also doesn't seem too angry that Madoka is a magical girl. She seems to accept it and be happy about it since the wish was a good one since Madoka liked it? It's sweet and touching to see Homura and Madoka together but it's weird that is seems to betray Homura's character in the way it is handled.

[ElsaMakotoRenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this Madoka spin-off. No it doesn’t tell us anything new about Homura and Madoka and the other three girls, but I really enjoyed seeing them interact in another timeline. (And really, Homura’s plan would have worked if Kyubey hadn’t come back in time with her and Madoka. Too bad Homura didn’t attempt taking Madoka back in time with her again. I know Homura can’t really have her wish completely fulfilled if she brings Madoka with her but the poor girl ends up sad and miserable no matter what she does, so I wish she had tried again. Perhaps Madoka could have helped her feel better or something.)
Sure they don’t get a happy ending here since it’s one of Homura’s previous (failed) timelines but it did have a satisfying conclusion, and I loved the very last page. This little two-volume series absolutely CANNOT be read without reading or watching the original series first. It will make no sense. If you enjoyed the original series, you’ll enjoy this. Just don’t go into it expecting mind-blowing changes in the story because it is still a failed timeline of the same month and so the plot isn’t THAT different from that of the main series.
I’m still giving it 5 stars because I really liked it and it gave me exactly what I expected and wanted, the story of a previous timeline and more Homura and Madoka friendship interactions.:)

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spin-off of the original series. In this version, Homura managed to pull Madoka into her reset of the time line and world. This means that Madoka also knows the truth about Kyubey, the witches, and magical girls this time. She and Homura are on the same side and can work together to try to prevent their friends from dying. This is one of the main differences from the usual story.

Madoka's awareness doesn't save Sayaka or Mami, both of whom still die because of their contracts with Kyubey (and their refusal to listen to Homura). Unlike in the other timelines, however, Kyouko survives Walpurgis Nacht because she helps Homura and Madoka defeat the witches. The only problem is that Homura ultimately fails in this timeline again because Madoka makes a contract to save Homura from dying after Walpurgis Nacht. As Homura's wish is to keep Madoka from becoming a magical girl and putting herself in harm's way, she has to continue her journey through time loops.

Homura is my favorite of the magical girls in this set of series because she is loyal to a fault. She is the anti-hero because she was ultimately painted as the antagonist in the first series because Madoka and Sayaka were blind to what Kyubey was actually doing and how the magical girl contracts actually worked. Everything she does is for Madoka so you can read Homura's devotion as love for her. Honestly, I thought that was beautiful and heartbreaking that she would put herself through endless time loops in an attempt to try and save Madoka from becoming a magical girl.

I gave this mini-series three stars! There was less horror element in this side-series than in the other Puella Magi Madoka Magica series I've read. The horror was down played since it was expected that the reader already knew the plot twists from the original series. So this is much less shocking than the first series. This also wasn't as violent as the other series though of course, there's still some fighting and deaths of characters (Mami and Sayaka).

[Lee Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want someone to love me as much as Madoka and Homura love each other. T_T

Kyubey was a blast in this spin-off. And it was awesome to see Kyoko interact more with Homura and Madoka; she's kind of sidelined by them in the main series.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about all these alternate storylines once I finished the manga adaptations of the series. But I loved them all. It's one of those rare time travel stories that only gives me a *mild* headache trying to keep up with it, and allows room to play.

The only thing I wish was different about the manga overall is that we would get to see the witch forms of EVERY character, not just Sayaka and Homura. I wish Kyoko, Mami, and Madoka had their own too. But as it is, I loved this entire journey.

5/5 stars for this volume too. Favorited.

Now into completely new territory with all new magical girls. Honestly, I'm nervous. The artwork for the Kazumi series looks... meh. Why her buttcrack gotta hang out of her costume? :|

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madoka and Homura's joint attempt to save as many magical girls as possible while also trying to save the town from Walpurgis Nacht and finishing these quests without Madoka becoming a magical girl herself... is a very thin margin for error.

And everything seems to be going wrong even as we gear up for Walpurgis. But instead of going back to try again, they stick with this timeline (because Madoka wants to try and save everyone in this timeline even if they're doomed), even going so far as to sacrifice their lives. Even as Madoka becomes a magical girl with the stipulation the Homura live, Homura still tries to sacrifice her life to save Madoka, which is going to cause her to despair and turn into a witch that will destory the world! But even though they manage to survive, Homura has to start over alone because the end result can't have Madoka be a magical girl.

Clearly the correct answer to this tragic cycle is to save-scum your way into having everyone on your side.

This series has 2 volumes.

[Santiago Bueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

El final de este spin off de Madoka Magica es mas o menos lo que esperaba. Con un par de sorpresas, pero no se salió demasiado de lo esperable. Igualmente me gustó bastante, aunque debo admitir que es quizás el menos logrado de los que leí. El concepto me encanta, pero la ejecución por momentos tambalea, con personajes que no se sienten del todo ellos mismos. Fue divertido de leer y es un mundo que me gusta mucho leer, con eso fue suficiente para mi para ponerle las 4 estrellas.

[Sophie Nguyen]

extremely strong premise that expands homura’s narrative. not a storytelling powerhouse but does ask the important question: what if? it hurts to see how much of an idiot sayaka is in every timeline. sighhhhhh oh homura.

[Ravencrantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me: wow it looks like we might finally get a happy ending!
Book: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I love Homura she deserves to be happy ;-;

[Frances]

amazing

[nana ❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

já não tava gostando da arte e aí esse desfecho pior ainda tchau

[vênus · Rating 2 out of 5]

in my mind it's a 2.5 star but since goodreads won't allow me to give half a star... country girls make do

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting variation.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge! is another Madoka spin-off with a (somewhat) fresh take on familiar characters. In this story arc, Homura manages to pull Madoka back into her time loop with memories intact, making it easier (both hope) to avoid repeating past mistakes. Unfortunately, Kyubey also retains his memories this time around, and immediately starts playing the Magical Girls against each other. Homura and Madoka try their best to navigate existing pitfalls, new conflicts and the demon cat's scheming, all of which prove far easier said than done.  

Those craving more Madoka content will probably be satisfied by Homura's Revenge, and there are new tidbits here to justify the manga's existence. This story does a better job elucidating Homura's powers and the degree of actual control she can exercise with them. The first volume, however, fumbles the  premise by enforcing the status quo (poor Mami never gets a break!); eventually things get more interesting when Homura and Madoka come into conflict with Kyoko and Sayaka, allowing for some fresh dynamics and divergence from the story we've all experienced multiple times by now. It's better than your average cash cow cash-in, but much more than The Different Story it feels a superfluous addition to the Madokaverse.  

[Feliza Casano · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not exactly a spoiler to say this, but Homura fails to save Madoka again, except that in Homura’s Revenge, she also manages to attract the intense dislike of the remaining magical girls — not unlike she does in the anime, although it’s much worse in this particular manga. The second volume of the manga focuses on Sayaka and Kyouko battling Homura to get revenge for Mami’s death, which also highlights the overall despair of Homura’s situation.

(Full review at Girls in Capes.)

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this okay. I like the premise and I'm a fan of the show so seeing it twisted around seemed extra promising. Still, I felt that the creative team could have done more. The characters ended up having an opportunity to rewrite their destiny but had their actions forced into the same though their meddling. And while that in itself is a powerful message of the futility of their journey, it came across as being too similar to the original to be new. I still purchased the series for myself and another set for a friend. It just didn't turn out to be as unique as I hoped it would be.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

How different actions can lead to the same results is interesting. In the original Mani died because Homura did not come quick enough. In this version ironically she died because she got distracted when Homura came. The main difference is that kyoko is still alive for the final battle. While Madoka did made a contract (Homura live) she did not turn into a witch. As timelines go this one has a pretty good outcome. Still as we all know time was reset at end.