Almost instinctively, Mihari clicked on the newly popped-up post.
The content was clear and straightforward, just like the title suggested.
Another refresh.
Mihari noticed a surge in the number of comments under the post.
"Are you serious? Magical girl = God? laughs"
"Wow, Shueisha's power is incredible!"
"50 yen per post, DM me if you're interested."
Reading these comments, Mihari felt her blood pressure rising.
"Of course, there's a volume for sale, just take one look and you'll see the quality—yet people are talking nonsense just to bash it? Can't stand seeing others doing better, huh?!"
Though she couldn't deny Madoka Magica was a fantastic piece, calling it 'divine' was too much, too exaggerated.
"Where does the company find these trolls? Can't they be a bit more professional?"
Complaints aside, if everyone shared a common enemy, they needed to unite!
With a click of the mouse, the page updated and switched.
"Huh? it's just a few second ago, and there are already a few pages of new comments?"
The most extreme post had about 10 pages in 10 seconds, but this one was already closing in on that number...
"These trolls are getting lazy!"
If the wrath of the people boiled over, who would calm it down?
The answer is—was the author!
No one else could attract more hatred than the creator.
It was perfectly natural for the anger to be directed their way.
'Wait, is this some kind of subtle troll?'
Mihari suddenly had a realization.
She looked at the latest comments and froze.
These comments... weren't what she expected at all!
"Damn it! The post owner beat me to it!"
"Even if I'm nailed into a coffin, I'll scream: 'Madoka Magica, you are my God!'"
"This is just the beginning! I need more!! Keep drawing!!"
Scrolling down, Mihari was stunned to find that over 90% of the comments were full of praise?
There were a few harmless comments like "Has Shueisha increased its troll army?" or "Where's my share of this money? Hook me up." but they had no real bite.
What is going on here!?
Where did all the usual trolls go!?
Realizing something was off, Mihari went back to the main page.
Refresh!
"The most shocking and delightful work I've seen this year – Magical Girl Madoka!"
"Tezuka Award nomination, Madoka Magica deserves it!!"
"I apologize for doubting Shueisha's decision. Thanks to the Love and Hope Warrior-sensei for such an amazing work!!"
"We all owe an apology to the Love and Hope Warrior-sensei!!"
"The story behind this makes me think... Did we ever truly understand the magical girl genre before? What made us think it was childish?!"
...
Mihari stared at these new posts, her eyes wide.
The phrase "Madoka Magica, is my God" might have been a bit ambiguous before, but now it was crystal clear. Everyone was leaning heavily into praise.
Such a stunning shift made her question: Was this really the same forum where everyone was trashing Madoka Magica just a day ago?
Unfortunately, data never lies.
A quick glance at some of the posts showed that the discussions were full of analysis and praise for the plot.
Of course, there were complaints about the tragic turn for Sayaka and the cruel truths revealed by Kyubey's words!!
From the passionate fans' emotions, it was clear...
Madoka Magica was taking off!!
Meanwhile, earlier that day, Tanaka, who had bought the book, rushed back home.
"Who would've thought I'd run into those two guys in that situation?"
At least in the end, the three of them reached a mutual understanding.
No one blew the lid on anyone else.
But that didn't stop Tanaka from chuckling at his two friends internally!
"Those two childish guys! They're in high school now, but they're still into stories about magical girls?!"
After all, he was just fascinated by the characters, never caring about the plot.
"But 740 yen for one volume?! Are you serious?!"
That was almost enough to buy two volumes!
Tanaka knew the price wasn't that bad for a manga with 230 pages in a large format.
But since he only bought it to collect, not read, it didn't feel worth it at all!
As he mourned the price, an idea started to form in his mind—maybe he should take a peek?!
"No, no! Why am I even thinking about this?!"
"Tanaka, you're a man! How can you look at something little girls like?!"
"..."
"Hehehe, my sweet Madoka, so cute!"
"This transformation... so cool!!"
Already immersed in the plot, Tanaka let out a laugh that would make his parents dial 911 if they heard it.
Fortunately, he was alone in his room, and no one would see this moment that, looking back, would make Tanaka ashamed enough to erase it from his memory forever.
"I've got nothing to lose now!"
"Oh, what a magnificent line!"
"Remember, transform! And become even stronger!!"
"Go and bring victory with flair!!"
With excitement and impatience, Tanaka flipped to the next page.
??
Tanaka couldn't believe his eyes, his expression drained of all color.
That powerful senior... she actually...!?
"AAHHHHHH!!"
The shock was so intense that Tanaka let out an uncontrollable scream, prompting his parents to rush in for a "heart-to-heart" talk with him.
The next day, the three friends met up at their usual spot.
"What happened to you guys?"
Seeing his friends limping, Tanaka was shocked.
The response he got was two eye rolls and the same question in return.
"What happened to you?!"
The way they all walked was oddly similar, almost like they were all in the same boat.
At that moment, everything was unsaid but understood.
The three of them shared a knowing glance, silently heading toward Toyogasaki Academy.
After a while, Tanaka couldn't hold it in anymore and grimaced:
"Madoka, my Madoka!!"
"Love and Hope Warrior, you're dead to me! Don't make me find out who you really are!!"
Seeing this, the other two dropped their act.
"Love and Hope? Throwing knife like plot around with such determination, how dare you!"
"I can't go back, I'll never go back! Give me back my original magical girl image!!"
"I will find you Love and Hope Warrior!!! And I will kill you myself!!