A c80 release from Yuugen (of the doujinshi circle Caslton), “if” is exclusively a Madoka Magica themed full-color illustration doujinshi of the utmost quality. My decision to purchase this book was based solely on the fact that it includes my absolute favorite piece of Madoka fanart thus far. To my delight, the rest of the content is on par with the beauty of this illustration.
"if" cover - Homura and Madoka
The cover image, which wraps around to the back, can also be viewed at Yuugen’s pixiv as a photoset. Clearly, Homura is giving Madoka a good talking to on the matter of whether or not she should become a magical girl.
Intro Page
Page 1 is a colorful collage which previews all of Yuugen’s artwork therein. I’m actually pretty impressed by the graphic design here.
Homura
We are greeted reluctantly by an angry Homura with guns. Of course she is presented in a way which allows easy pantsu viewing access.
Sayaka and Kyouko
Next is a sweeping image of Sayaka and Kyouko flying over the city. Notice that Kyouko can’t even put her Pocky down long enough to go into battle. I suppose it’s a good thing anime girls can’t get fat.
Pillow Talk
It seems as though Homura and Madoka are having a girl’s slumber party here. Oh, if only their lives were so quaint.
My personal favorite...
This is the illustration that drove me to purchase this doujinshi. The tears flying out of Madoka’s eyes as she reaches for Homura’s hand, Kyouko using Kyuubey as a hang-glider and Mami worrying about flashing her pantsu all contribute to an image that brings out the more adorable side of the series. (Of course, if this was all the show consisted of, it wouldn’t be the brilliant series that it is!) I strongly encourage you to check out the digital version of this illustration here, as my photo clearly does not do it the justice it deserves.
Cover Illustration
Once again we’re presented with the cover illustration; this time without any text. Make sure you check out the digital version of this one as well.
Sexy Mami
No Madoka doujinshi would be complete without some busty Mami fanservice. The illustration is actually done so that her foot in the foreground appears out of focus, so that’s not part of my camera trickery. Those blue popsicles that are so popular in Japan are actually flavored like ramune soda. They’ve become a Japanese trademark of scenes depicting hot summer days!
Guest Illustrations
There’s a filler page or two (not pictured) and then two guest illustrations. The bad-ass Homura is by Shirabi (digital version) and the bundle of chibi characters is by Noro (digital version). Shirabi’s Homura is probably my 2nd favorite illustration in the whole book!
4-Koma
Throw in a couple more filler pages and there’s a few more pages full of 4-Koma (4 panel comic strips) before the end of the book. I only photographed these pages for example. There’s more of ’em!
Credits
There’s another collage type page where Yuugen mashed all of his drawings together into one image, and at last we’re presented with this credit page which I sort of feel obligated to photograph just because.
Once in awhile I spend a lot of money on a doujinshi that ends up being mediocre and I’m kicking myself for a long time afterwards. I like to think that by reviewing the books I buy that I can help others to avoid the same dilemma and also discover awesome new artists. This particular book is one I am so pleased with that it makes up for some of my lesser quality purchases and reminds me just why I buy doujinshi in the first place. If you love Madoka and are a doujin collector, I certainly consider “if” a must-get.
p.s. – The actual title on the book cover is “if ~ to a world whitch is kind to all ~”, but I’ve corrected the spelling error in my review title. If you’re doing a search for the book, it may be to your benefit to consider typing in the misspelling.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: c80, doujinshi, madoka, mahou shoujo madoka magica, yuugen
Plastic Pleasures 