Puella Magi Oriko Magica

"Who in the world is this young girl standing before Mami and Kyoko...?"^[1]

Which would be, an incident that would change her destiny--
Which would be, the beginning of a whole another magical-girl tale--

Puella Magi Oriko Magica is a manga Spin-Off of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, released shortly after the anime's conclusion. It is written from a draft by the creators of Madoka Magica and is illustrated by Mura Kuroe. Unusually, it was released as a series of trade paperbacks/tankobon instead of being serialized in a magazine, similar to the manga adaptation of Madoka Magica.

Oriko Mikuni, a new Magical Girl, sees a vision where a powerful witch attacks Mitakihara City. As she realizes that she is unable to fight the witch herself, she receives another vision of a little girl. She quickly tells Kyubey that this girl is a very good magical girl candidate.

Elsewhere and elsewhen, Kyoko Sakura fights a witch in a new city. At the end of the battle, she finds a little girl, who was orphaned when her parents were killed by the witch. This girl, Yuma Chitose, is the same girl Oriko saw in her vision. In a rare moment of compassion, Kyoko decides to look out for Yuma, though she is adamant that Yuma should not become a magical girl.

As she continues to fight witches, Kyoko realizes that despite the large number of witches in the city, there are no other magical girls. Kyubey reveals to her that all of the previous magical girls in the city were killed...by other magical girls.

And so the stories of these girls, as well as those of Mami, Homura, and Madoka, converge...

A bonus chapter entitled Noisy Citrine will be released in the second issue of Manga Time Kirara Magica, the official Madoka Magica magazine.

Late Arrival Spoiler Warning: Puella Magi Oriko Magica was released after the conclusion of the anime. It is expected that the reader will have watched the anime first. This page will have marked and unmarked spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which will ruin your enjoyment of it if you have not seen it already. This is in addition to the spoilers this page will have for Oriko Magica itself. Avoiding this page is highly recommended for those who have not seen the show, and is highly suggested for those who have seen the show but have not yet read this manga. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Tropes used in Puella Magi Oriko Magica include:

Alternate Timeline and/or Prequel/Interquel: It's not known when, what period, or what individual timeline this takes place in.
Antagonist Title
Art Shift and/or Genre Shift: Happens quite often to some characters when they shift between serious and humorous moods.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Kyouko specifically tells Yuma not to contract with Kyubey because of this. She doesn't listen.
Big Damn Heroes: Let's just say that each character gets to be a Big Damn Heroes for someone else. Must be a Running Gag...
Bittersweet Ending
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Mami, Kirika and Kyouko.
Bloodier and Gorier: Compared to the Madoka anime (not the manga, which is quite violent), which never went past a bit of blood. Oriko's very first chapter has people being eaten alive.
Brains and Brawn: Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure.
Call Forward: The story begins with Oriko having a vision of a powerful witch destroying the city, similar to Madoka's dream in Episode 1 of Madoka Magica.
The Cameo: Charlotte in chapter 3.
- Blink and you might miss this - the first chapter has a (rather gruesome) image of Kyoko's sister.
Class Is in Room X-01: Just like in the manga adaptation of the anime, Mami is shown to be in class 3-A.
Continuity Nod: In Chapter 2, Kyouko mentions that she wanted to have a dream when she believes she's going to die.
- Images from Episode 10 appear in Chapter 6.
Covers Always Lie: That girl with green hair? She's not Oriko.
Decoy Protagonist: Much like the anime, the title character of Oriko Magica isn't exactly the main character although in this case it's because Oriko is the Big Bad. Kyouko and Yuma are the main characters in the first volume, with Mami taking a supporting protagonist role. And then, like the anime, Homura ultimately takes the role of protagonist from all of them.
Demoted to Extra: Homura and Madoka only appear briefly in volume 1. Sayaka is only mentioned. Justified because this is a prequel, and thus happens before Madoka and Sayaka meet Kyubey. Or rather, this is a rare timeline where Homura was able to stop Madoka and Sayaka from meeting Kyubey. Since Homura's not Adorkable and seems to know what's going on, it's not the first timeline, but rather something inbetween the 3rd or 4th timeline and the one in the show.
- All three girls get expanded roles in the second volume.
Diabolus Ex Machina: Right when it looks like Homura might save Madoka in this timeline, Oriko fires a parting shot that kills Madoka.
Divided We Fall: The magical girls pair off in four distinct groups: Kyouko and Yuma, Mami on her own, Oriko and Kirika, and finally Homura with Madoka and Sayaka though the latter two don't contract in this timeline.
Doomed by Canon: Madoka. On the other hand, Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka all make it in this timeline. Yuma would count too, if we actually knew what happened to her in the anime.
Downer Ending: Oriko's plan is thwarted, Oriko and Kirika are killed, and neither Madoka nor Sayaka contracted. But not so fast, bucko. With the last of her strength, Oriko shoots Madoka with a remnant of Witch!Kirika through the chest/stomach, instantly killing her. Here We Go Again!
Do Not Go Gentle: Delivered by, out of all people in the world, Yuma Chitose when Mami and Kyouko have hit their Despair Event Horizon and are ready to lay down and die. This parallels with Madoka, in which both Yuma and Madoka want to find a purpose in life.

Yuma: When I was being bullied by Mama, I always thought it would be better if I died. But when I was being attacked by the witch and was about to die, I desperately tried to survive!
Mami: We'll turn into witches someday, you know.
Yuma: Someday isn't today.

Foregone Conclusion: As this takes place in a previous timeline, it's already established that Madoka will either die and/or contract and become a witch by the end and Homura will try again.
- Since Oriko was released after the end of the anime, it can also be established that everything that happened in it will ultimately be altered by the Cosmic Retcon.
Foreshadowing: Kirika's introduction at the end of chapter 2 already implies that she's not exactly good.
Idiosyncratic Chapter Naming: As with Madoka, all chapters are named after a line said in them.
Karmic Death: Yuma reveals that she was constantly abused by her mother. In a brief flashback, it is shown that Yuma's mother is killed by a witch, and it was neither fast nor painless.
Male Gaze: A few times, but this is an especially noticeable example.
Mortal Wound Reveal: After a near-fatal fight with Mami, Kirika reveals to Oriko that her Soul Gem is cracked. In a pre-Madoka-Ascension world, this is worse than actually being mortally wounded.
Mythology Gag: Mami first appears in chapter three after she's defeated Charlotte, the exact opposite of how things happened in Madoka. Mami even remarks that she would have been killed if she had let her guard down.
No Ending: Kind of. After Madoka dies, we just see a single panel of Homura's shield, followed by a small scene between Oriko and Kirika that's presumably in the afterlife. Of course, the anime reveals what ultimately happens, but Oriko's ending is very abrupt.
- Possibly averted now that the bonus chapter is announced.
No Name Given: Witch!Kirika. Odd, considering that all the witches in the first volume were named. However, from how her barrier has it written before the main room's door, her name might be Margot.
Panty Shot: Yuma pulled one on Mami, reducing her into a crying wreck.
Taking You with Me: Witch!Kirika is destroyed, and Oriko knows her plan has failed. What to do? Shoot Madoka dead with the last of her power to deny Homura victory.
- Though it was more like taking Kriemhild Gretchen with her, as she's foreseen that Homura won't be able to prevent Madoka from contracting.
Third Line, Some Waiting: The main plot is about Kyoko and Yuma, while the secondary plot is Mami investigating the magical girl killings. Both these plots are connected via Oriko. The C plot is Homura's attempts to protect Madoka, which ultimately takes over the plot. Again..
Together in Death: The final fate of Kirika and Oriko.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kirika Kure and Oriko Mikuni.
Tragic Mistake: This timeline would have continued, with most from the original anime (plus Yuma and minus Kazuko and many classmates) alive if Madoka hadn't decided to try and help Homura, getting herself killed in the process.
Transformation Sequence: All of the magical girls do this, but the most obvious one is Oriko's in chapter 1.
Two First Names: Still present with the new characters.
Wham! Episode: In volume 1, the fact that Oriko is not the green haired girl on the cover and the reveal that Oriko is actually an antagonist.
- In Volume 2 has the following:
  - Chapter 5: The witch Oriko saw was Kriemhild Gretchen. Oriko's true goal is to kill Madoka.
  - Chapter 6: Oriko began the magical girl killings and made Yuma contract just to distract Kyubey from Madoka.
  - Chapter 7: Just when it looks like Oriko has been defeated and that this timeline will turn out differently, a Diabolus Ex Machina occurs and Madoka dies. Here We Go Again, but what did you expect?
Villainous Breakdown: Oriko is normally cool, calm, and collected -- until Witch!Kirika is defeated and she realizes that the world she envisioned will never come to be. Figuring out that QB saw through her plans didn't help her any.
What Happened to the Mouse?: We don't know what happened to Oriko, Kirika, and Yuma in any of the anime timelines, including what happened after the Cosmic Retcon. We also don't know why this timeline was different, although Oriko's wish to know the meaning of her life is the sort of wish that could change dramatically simply because of small changes in the timeline.
Xanatos Roulette: Oriko began the magical girl killings and tricked Yuma into contracting to distract Kyubey from Madoka and to ensure Madoka would be placed in a position where she would get killed. Kyubey eventually sees through it.

↑ She's not Oriko.

[1] She's not Oriko.

[1]