I feel that this review warrants a brief explanation of my decision-making process when it comes to choosing what to review. Simply put, there is no process. Almost three years ago, I decided that I was going to write a review of every novel and manga that I read and every anime that I watched. I don't just review things that seem interesting to review, nor do I seek out things that I think I'd be particularly good at reviewing. I arbitrarily review every anime that I decide to watch. I only say that because I'm not sure I'm personally equipped to review Magica Record. Towards the end, I realized that maybe I'm just not the person to "get" the show, through not much fault of its own.
But the show, as they say, must go on, and I won't let Madoka, er, Iroha, be the one to break my resolve. Besides, my review could still prove helpful to someone.
I actually have a history with the Madoka franchise, albeit not a particularly rich one. Part of this is because I only watched its most famous entry, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I remember enjoying it well enough when I watched it four years ago. I had basic knowledge of the show, so I already knew about the "twist," but that didn't make the anime any less impactful for me. It was tense, unsettling, yet still emotionally poignant. While the show isn't one of my favorites (though that "10" I gave it implies otherwise), I still thought it was great. So great that I didn't really want it ruined in light of the mixed reception I heard regarding the movies. But still, I'll watch them eventually. My lack of investment probably keeps me from being a Madoka "fan," but the interest was there if a new anime cropped up. And lo-and-behold, soon, that anime was on the horizon. I didn't know much besides it being the adaption of a phone game, but I was optimistic that it would be as good as the original.
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story/Gaiden (commonly shortened to either Magia Record or Madoka Gaiden) centers around Not-Madoka, Iroha Tamaki, who cannot recall the wish that facilitated her transformation into a magical girl. Until recently, she also lost her memory of her ill younger sister, Ui. In the current day, Ui has disappeared and Iroha seems to be the only person in the world who is aware she existed. Iroha catches wind of a rumor that magical girls can be saved if they go to Kamihama City . When she arrives, she bonds with other magical girls, fights monsters known as the Uwasa, and finds herself wrapped up in a mysterious group, Wings of Magius, whose goal is to liberate all magical girls...
The art direction is as beautiful as ever. Transformation sequences are amazingly animated and the fight scenes are fluid to the point of hecticness. I enjoyed the show's linework. The uwasa's labyrinths are as trippy as the witches of the past and I'm so for it. Dramatic lighting also goes a very long way in setting up a tone of dread.
And speaking of "tone," another thing that I can commend this show for is its mood. It is in some ways similar to the original show and in others a departure from it. Madoka did a chillingly good job of fostering a sense of creepiness and dread due to the horrible things that we witnessed. MagiReco, takes a different approach in fostering unsettling feelings. Nothing quite as gruesome happens in this show as OG Madoka, but fans of the original will come to expect there to be, and thus will be on guard the entire time. Don't let this fool you into thinking Magia Record lets its predecessor do all of the work, however. Magia Record, while not quite scary, can be creepy with its monsters and the psychological effects they have on the characters and their relationships. No principal character meets a grim demise like in Madoka, but because of that, you're left asking “when”? Like Madoka, the anime uses a grim fantastical setting to raise unsettling psychological questions. I'm impressed that Magia Record managed to capture the creepy essence of Madoka while very much doing its own thing with it. It still feels like Madoka without being a retread.
Unfortunately, I think my problem is that I wish it was more like Madoka in some regards.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the type of person who feels a sequel should be the same as the originall, but I just didn't find Magia Record as compelling as the original show for a myriad of reasons.
First of all, while I didn't dislike the characters, more often than not, they didn't resonate with me. They have interesting backstories — Felicia's desire to kill all witches because they're responsible for her parents' deaths and Yachiyo's wish to advance her career are just two examples. These backstories are the strongest things these characters have going for them, for they’re what tether us to them and make us care. Unfortunately, my interest didn't extend much past the backstories. It seems like the characters are given the briefest moment to shine before being shooed away to make room for whatever monster-of-the-week the cast will be dealing with next. While the characters are still around, they feel more like setpieces. It feels like characters drop out of the show when in reality, they drop out of importance and focus. I can tell you their background, I can tell you some of their personalities, but I could not, for the life of me, tell you what most of them do.
As indicative of this, when episode three aired three months ago, I wrote, "Rena doesn’t deserve Kaede." From this it's clear that Magia Record can make me feel things and its characters can rope me into their dramas. But if you told me that Kaede and Rena dropped out the show after this episode, I'd believe you. If you told me they were there but didn't do anything, I'd also believe you. Maybe they continued to do things, but their actions were so small that I forgot in the time between watching the show and writing this review.
It's a very minor point but what’s up with Iroha's partner, Kuroe? She appears in the first episode and is seemingly never acknowledged again. I don't know why but this has really irked me since episode two.
Nevermind, she apparently reappeared in episode thirteen, so this particular critique is borne from my own idiocy, but more on that briefly (though, in my defense, her reappearance was as unacknowledged as her disappearance).
Another minor point, but I enjoyed it when characters from the OG Madoka popped in from time to time. Unfortunately, these tend to err more on the side of cameos (though Mami's shaping up to be pretty prominent). I guess this is to theoretically let the new characters shine, to mixed results, as detailed above.
And as I hinted before, a personal problem with this show isn't so much a problem (which implies fault) but more a barrier to entry: I'm not the most astute of animegoers. Subtleties seem to evade me. It can be hard for me to grasp the bigger picture. Subtitles, which tend to demand a high amount of focus, aren't my preferred mode of watching, though I manage. All of this is simply to say that I might struggle with a complex show. And that isn't to say I haven't dealt with obtuse shows before: for one, I just finished Kaiba. When I didn't understand something, I'd consult a discussion thread. Generally, I'd underestimate my intelligence and I'd find I'd the meaning without needing to read the thread.
That wasn’t the case with this show.
I was very, very lost while watching Magia Record. I swear, every time I blinked I’d miss crucial information. Recaps (such as PlanetJane's) and discussion threads were my lifeline. If you're anything like me, you'll absolutely need them to parse through what you just watched. I'm glad that these resources exist, but I dislike that it felt like I needed them.
And I dislike even more the fact that I can't quite articulate why I felt the anime was so confusing. Was it just dense? Was it very subtle? The fact that I can't quite place my finger on it causes me to believe I'm just dumb. This conclusion isn't born completely out of self-loathing, however. When I commented on a discussion thread to state I didn't get the significance of the numbers in episode six, I was accused of either trolling or not paying attention. I guess I'm just too dumb for this show. Again, maybe I’m just not the type of person to “get” Madoka Record.
Then there's the main, fatal flaw that I found; the cardinal sin of any form of entertainment: I found this show kind of boring.
It would be disingenuous to state that I found it all boring. there were certainly interesting parts, but overall, I found it kind of listless. I somewhat attribute this to the very thing I praised before: its tone. While it does a very good job of creating dread without things getting as dark as its predecessor, the flipside of this is that, a lot of the time, it feels like we're building up to something that never comes. There's a distinct feeling of tension that's unresolved. It's like a balloon that's being continuously being pumped. It's dangerously close to popping but then it's allowed to deflate. This continues to happen and soon, you've come to expect it and thus it offers no excitement. It doesn't feel like anything really happens in this show and that's supremely frustrating given the tension. Humorously, my younger brother refused to watch this show due to finding Madoka Magica too creepy, but the reaction is largely unwarranted in regards to Magia Record. In the final episode, when something substantial finally does happen, I was so desensitized by Magia Record's goading that my reaction was an unenthused, "yeah, that's kind of cool."
I know this can come across as me being upset that this isn't Madoka Magica. I'm fine with a follow-up not being the same as the original. My problem is that Magia Record's difference, its lack of payoff, makes for a somewhat lackluster story in general, not specifically in the context of the series.
In a vacuum, all of this would probably amount to me giving Magia Record a six at best. But then came the announcement: Magia Record would be a split cour show, with the second half presumably premiering next year. This revelation forced me to recontextualize the show and reassess it in light of it. The lack of payoff could be due to this being only the beginning of the story; the exposition and the beginning of the rising action. Presumably, the crap would only start really hitting the fan after the first season. In light of the second season, my biggest gripe can be justified fairly well. The characters should have more of a chance to shine, as well.
But the fact that this is the first half of a story can only help*so* much. Ideally, the first half of a story isn’t a snore. Ideally, the characters will still be engaging. Ideally, you have more than atmosphere to carry you through. I acknowledge that I watched the show somewhat incorrectly due to thinking it was supposed to be self-contained. However, I also acknowledge that even as the set-up to something larger, this still has some big issues.
Yet, these issues aren't enough to deter me from watching the second season. If I hated the show, I wouldn't look forward to its continuation. Even if it was sparse, there was something that I enjoyed in Magia Record. While it might be naive, while it might lead to disappointment, I'm optimistic that I'll enjoy the conclusion to Magia Record even if I didn't enjoy the first all too well.
Wow, looking forward to the next entry even after the previous one burned me? Maybe I really am a fan.
6.7/10
D+
Though I’m going to have to do a lot of studying to be prepared for my second go of Magia Record.
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