Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice, Vol. 2

Needless to say if you haven't read vol 1 then you should be doing that first. I will be splitting the review into story and art sections: Story 9/10: So it's really picking up now. While the first volume stayed more of the light hearted side this volume begins letting us into the darker aspects. Hints of dark past and some revelations as well as a pretty well done cliff hanger leave me wanting to know what's in the next volume. On the bad side though the story is feeling a bit rushed. Art 10/10: The color page at the start is absolutely beautiful. The action scenes this time around are a bit clearer which I appreciate. Again design-wise everything is great; the witches are especially nicely done. Total 19/20 (4.75/5 rounded up to 5)

The story is good. The seller stated this book was used but it's looks like it's in brand new condition. I got lucky to pick this up. Thank you.

On the whole, Kazumi Magica definitely has a different feel than the main Madoka Magica series. It started out with a nice premise in vol 1: protagonist Kazumi wakes up with no memories except for her name. Yup, she's a magical girl, part of a group calling themselves the Pleiades. What I like about it is that Kazumi starts off with all these cool powers and abilities, unlike Madoka who was indecisive about the whole make-a-contract-and-I'll-grant-your-wish business. Kazumi jumped straight into the fight, and though she started off a bit weak due to her amnesia, her friends' support and her own determination quickly brought her up to par. Not instantly, but the progress wasn't dragged out for drama either. It was a refreshing change from Madoka, who did have noble intentions, but constantly needed protection from her friends until much, much later. Volume 2 opens up and immediately catches the readers' attention with a kidnapping. The perpetrator has a personal grudge against the Pleiades, and is willing to go to extreme lengths just to show how bad they are. I thought the situation was handled quite well, starting with a their supposed 'crime' that was explained as being done for the greater good. Both sides' stories were given enough exposition for the reader to judge themselves. And the Pleiades get some nice characterization too - they're not just some happy-go-lucky MG team - they have an important mission and feel obligated to fulfill it for the sake of everyone, not just themselves. This is all new to Kazumi but rather than cower in the shadows and let her friends take care of the 'lesser evil', she decides to take responsibility and get her own hands dirty. BUT! Rather than wallow in sadness like a lot of angsty main characters do, she instead acknowledges that she had to do what she did, and so did her friends, and it was much better than the alternative. The arc ended on a mature note that was very well done. As for the artwork: I really like it! The girls' costumes have their own individual design and match the girls' personalities/powers. Kazumi's cute, slightly childish girl-witch outfit shows how she's the 'newcomer' of the group; Umika's seriousness and her power to cast spells from books is reflected in her white robes and nunnery garb; Saki's authority and bossiness is paired with a military uniform, and so on. The witches' designs are cool, and they follow the same theme as Madoka where their appearance is an allegory or symbol for human attributes like ambition, beauty, or lost love. The scenes are mostly well done though sometimes in fight scenes things can get hard to follow, so occasionally a character is left bleeding and I'm wondering, "How did THAT happen?" It wasn't really out-of-the-blue, it's just that some panels could use a bit more focus on the girls' actions or their weapons when everything's happening really fast. Facial expressions are well-done and you can almost tell what a character is "thinking" just by looking at them when things are tense, like when Yuuri questions the Pleiades about their 'crimes' in front of Kazumi. I would recommend this volume and the preceding vol.1 for anyone who likes Madoka, or magical girls, or cute things. The characters are very 'human' and don't follow some of the more unrealistic fiction stereotypes of being too powerful, too full of themselves, or too angsty. AND, unlike a LOT of manga with a lot of girls in it, there's no over-emphasis of the characters' assets - which can often be inappropriate in tense situations. The storyline itself can get serious, but it's for a good reason and shows the depth of the characters: sometimes as noble, self-sacrficing heroes ... other times like pressured and stressed individuals just looking to end to their problems. Initially light-hearted in vol.1, with light elements of action, but becomes something more by vol.2, with lots of stuff about the magical girls' lives to think about. I find the characters very likeable and you just feel like you want to know more about their adventures, about their world. As for whether Kazumi Magica is better or Madoka Magica is better ... I'll have to go with Kazumi. It's just much more fun, honestly. So yeah. READ IT.

Book arrived earlier than first expected and it's in great condition, no damage was found on the package or book.