The anime of Madoka Magica has a great story with compelling characters and engrossing plot twists that the manga of course adapts as best as it can. The art is fantastic, and the story is mostly the same—but I really think it could have benefited from more than 12 chapters. The whole thing feels really rushed, and if I hadn't watched the anime first, then some of the plot threads wouldn't really make sense. Nothing is really given room to breathe. It's a great accompaniment, but I still recommend watching the anime first so that the narrative and the plot twists can have their maximum effect.