Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden Final Season - Asaki Yume no Akatsuki

Do you enjoy: - Shallow characters? - Convoluted plots? - Inconsistent animation? - Deus ex machinas? No? Then steer clear of Magia Record. I’ll admit I had very, very low expectations for this final season. I moved forward, however, willing to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, I was not. Basically everything I wrote in my review for the disastrous 2nd season holds true for this finale; the direction is jarring, the pacing is way too fast, etc. All of these issues persist in the remaining 4 episodes. I will say, though, that I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much. There are a few moments, especially in the last 2 episodes, that are genuinely hilarious for all the wrong reasons. Some really absurd scenes are played completely seriously; shoutout to the giant magical rocketship, and that part where Iroha tackles two children through the air at mach speeds. As long as Magia Record isn’t made canon in the 4th Madoka movie, we can all just pretend this was a bad dream. Love that.

“But this is no tragedy, your hope and subsequent despair allow us to extend the universe’s lifespan” Magia Records has finally come to an end and unfortunately outside of the beautiful visuals, it simply does not live up as a successor to the original series. But I am sure everyone expected that right? Madoka Magica was a masterpiece and there is no way some soulless gacha cash grab was ever going to reach the same heights and it would be ridiculous to even make the assumption that this was likely or possible. This review will instead focus more on Magia Records as a stand-alone series with limited references or comparisons to the original series, essentially I will consider Magia Records on its own merits. In case you’re wondering why this review has a relatively alright score, my final explanation is at the bottom, you can skip to it if you like as it summarizes the overall review. The story finally concludes on the previous seasons and most of what we wanted to know are largely revealed, explanations on what happened to UI, what the magical girl salvation system was and why everything about the city diverged so much from the original plot of the series. While the conclusion does not generally resolve every potential loose end, certainly not to my satisfaction at least, it does at the very least finally reveal most of what is going on. Essentially 2 girls who really looked up to iroha decided to make a special magical girl region where they would intentionally create and mass farm witches for their grief seeds such that the average magical girl will not have to worry about becoming a witch ever as long as they have a doppel. The drawbacks of this system, as Iroha points out, are obvious, the system sacrifices a massive number of innocent humans who are basically being put into the equivalent of chicken farms to be turned into fodder for witches to be raised and consumed by magical girls. This effectively destroys the entire reason for magical girls to exist, at least from the point of view of Iroha who wanted to save innocent people. I think this explanation is alright and for a spin off series it’s a satisfactory plotline. I actually liked who the final antagonist ended up being, even if it was obvious, it fits that a completely insane person took over and was responsible for most of their problems, a divergence from the overly rational Kyubey. If the incubators were utilitarian to a fault, enough that their ridiculous plans that imposed a great deal of suffering to a small number of sentient lives could be justified, insane magical girls are the opposite, they deal immense suffering on a widescale just so a few of them can live free. While the execution could have been better in prior seasons and this specific season could have had a more thorough conclusion, it does fit the series to have the magical girl’s heroic deeds die in the background without anyone ever acknowledging them. Ultimately the story like the original is about hope in a situation of overwhelming despair and uncertainty, it can stand on its own feet and is generally watchable, I wouldn’t consider this story exceptional but stand-alone it’s at least a 7 out of 10. My single largest complaints would be the lack of properly cleaning up the ending and the very jarring flashback information dump transition between the ending of the prior season and the start the current one. I assume that they were trying to do an episode 10 from the original Madoka Magica, but this did not work very well due to the time gap between seasons and where the previous episode ended. In addition, I did not like that the entire battle with Walpurgis Night was basically skipped over, that Kuroe as a character was basically pointless, and while the final antagonist made sense, they got beat so quickly that it makes your head spin on how fast the pacing was. This finale really could have used just 1 or 2 more episodes to cover Alina and Walpurgis Night more thoroughly. In terms of visuals, its similar in quality to the previous season with fewer over the top well animated scenes, there are some very stand out moments of animation but nothing to the level of Sayaka fighting Patricia or the team fight against the guard in the witch farm in the previous season. Shaft still makes very interesting visuals, some of the most unique out of any anime, I love these character designs and the futuristic look of the city along with all these interesting new witch designs and very graphic depictions of combat. In addition, the faces of despair with Iroha at the start were amazing, I loved characters reacting when they were confronted by each other and learning about what was really going on and the emotional struggles that were occurring. As for the witch designs, as previously mentioned they were interesting, I loved how exceptionally imposing this version of Walpurgis night looked with the approaching storm clouds at ground level, it perfectly captured the immense threat level they posed compared to every other witch. Some particularly beautiful scenes that stood out included the galactic rail reference with Yachiyo finally coming to terms with what happened with her friends, the backgrounds and the train flying through space were just so pretty to look at. Overall, in terms of visuals this anime was as expected and thankfully demonstrates that Shaft can still deliver beautiful and unique anime, overall, an 8 out of 10 for art and animation. For sound, this season did not rely much on recycling the original series soundtrack which I thought was a nice touch. While yes, the current soundtrack does not come close to the masterpiece that Madoka Magica is known for, on its own it’s not really bad. The music adds appropriate emotional weight to scenes, especially scenes like the one where Iroha connects all the magical girls and the scene where they fight Walpurgis Night, ultimately the uplifting and epic moments alongside the intense combat moments are properly complemented. The sound effects for combat and the effects for magic use are solid, the ED at the end of the series is absolutely perfect to end the series with as well, I cannot complain about the sound design and while it’s not exceptionally good it works just well for Magia Records and was fairly original. I would give it a 7 out of 10, close to an 8 but not quite there. For characters, I think there isn’t much to write about here, most of the main characters had their loose ends tied up and they had their final growth moments or explanations on their motivations, I do feel like Touka and Nemu were a bit unrealistically smart for preteens but given how much information they had access to it fits that they figured out Kyubey in advance. I think if you enjoyed the characters from the previous seasons, there isn’t any particular out of character behavior that would turn you off at this point. Some things I really enjoyed was Yachiyo finding closure, the reveal of UI and understanding why the original Wings of Magius leadership went through with their plan. Additionally at the start of the finale episode I thought it was hilarious how Iroha wasn’t a marshmallow like Madoka and just repeatedly popped Kyubey when she realized what the incubators were using magical girls for. Though I do wonder what exactly happened with the main cast after their appearance, feels like a good portion of their appearance from the previous season was skipped over which was a bit disappointing, seems like the implication is that this timeline is a dead end as well since Homura would have to reset it. Overall, I think this spin off was a solid 7, this might come as a surprise to the reader if you made it this far given my introduction at the start, however I would like to explain my reasoning as follows. My enjoyment for it Magia Records was fairly high due to the good production, satisfying, even if rushed, tying up of the plot and enjoyable side characters. I did state this series …

I want to start this review off with that I believe that Record gets an unfair wrap, as if it should be AS good as the og Madoka series. But because it's not, it's deemed bad as a result. Which is very unfair on the product itself. If you expected Record to be a standout, like how you would view Madoka, and because it's not, it's deemed as a failure in your eyes, that's not on Record, that's on you. While I'm not saying Record isn't flawed, there are many flaws. Even I who enjoyed it at first, have gotten somewhat tired of it's plot, and how it's progressed. But even then, it's not a bad show as one makes it out to be. Story and characters: 6-5. This can really be a it or miss. While there are some interesting and fun characters throughout the story, with complex backstories, that really push it. There are also blank pieces of paper, that just become overbearingly boring by the end of it. Which can be said about the same with it's on going plot. It reminds me of GT in a sense. Instead of getting to a point, it'll drag on, and on, and on, when really, they could've cut out certain things, and it would've made for a better viewing experience. It's not beyond bad, but could've been way better. Art and sound: 7 Most likely the main highlight. You know what you are getting when it comes to te Magica series. Visuals will look stunning, crazy, weird, all of the above. Along with a fitting track that makes, or tries to make things seem tense. There is a lot to appreciate about it, and love. If any detail that deserves praise about it, it's these two parts right here. Cannot fault the product for that. Record was an interesting series, that'll sadly get unwanted hate because of it not being on par with Madoka. Wich is unfair for so many reasons. Wile Record has dragged on by the end, it doesn't deserve the bad press it gets, while it's fine to criticize it, but if one expected it to be super amazing like the og, then thats on them. Record can still be a good watcoverall, so you should watch it.

The final season of Magia Record was an emotional roller coaster that made a conclusion far more satisfying than the ending of the original Madoka Magica series. While the character development might not have been as good, Magia Record had an improved setting that expanded on more of the Puella Magi universe. While keeping most of the original darkness of Madoka Magica, it also incorporates many themes and feelings present in “original” magical girl series, such as friendship and hope. It’s honestly crazy how one anime girl’s quest to find her sister led to a surreal rabbit hole of teamwork, chasing hope, meeting the original cast, and leading to an amazing, emotional battle against despair and a terrifying deathmoth (which somehow becomes even scarier). Making the last four episodes into a single season might be irritating to some, but releasing them like this allowed the animators to fill these four episodes with astonishing and fluid animation which surpasses that of the previous seasons. The final battle is amazingly deep, as iconic characters experience and overcome past and present drama as they fight against a potential apocalypse. Magia Record featured both losses and lessons that led to a bittersweet ending that somehow ends on a happier note. While we won’t spoil what happens, we can say that this story is better made then the original series (excluding Rebellion, which is still a masterpiece). Watch the ultimate conclusion of the suffering of megucas. (At least until Walpurgis Rising)

Contrary to most, I actually really liked S1. I enjoyed the characters and the slice of life moments a lot, but I was hoping for a little bit more once the characters got developed. The last few episodes of that season set up some really interesting ideas, so I was really looking forward to what came next. S2 was strange for me. It starred the original cast despite already working with a large cast of characters set up in S1. It also seemed to be setting a lot of things into motion. By the time it had finished, it was hard to evaluate it on its own. Despite that, I was still eagerly awaiting the finale to see what was in store. So how did I feel about season 2.5? Pretty disappointed honestly. I strongly believe this show was at its best during the slice of life moments of S1. This season is just trying to do way too much. Story: Now I'm not the most attentive of viewers, but I like to think I can pay pretty good attention to things. I could hardly comprehend what was going on in this show, and it's something that I kind of felt about S2 as well. There is so much lore being thrown at you with the backstory of how the entire system was set up, and by the end, I just felt very confused. The final payoff with Iroha's sister was also super underwhelming and was not something that I personally liked. Character: The biggest flaw with this season for me. With so many characters and so much plot to get through, there are pretty much zero character moments or developments here which is a shame since I thought S1 did a great job developing characters. The side characters from S1 get no screen time. The OG cast, who were supposedly going to be main characters after getting a whole episode, disappear as well. I'm not sure they even get a single line of dialogue (I certainly can't remember if they did). Kuroe's character in general doesn't make any sense to me. She's a bit character in S1 and then randomly becomes a main character in S2. Then she is just somewhat of a side character here until she gets this whole undercooked backstory and then is just gone from the story in what I found to be an incredibly mishandled scene. Sound: Great stuff. Not sure who the composer was since no one is listed under this season (maybe Ozawa Takumi since they're listed under S1?), but they did a great job. Legitimately got chills just due to their soundtrack, so kudos to them. Art: Not the best, but generally good. I love the look of Shaft's art for Madoka and Magia Record. However, the animation got super sloppy at times. I know Shaft is kind of infamous for this and for fixing it on their blu rays, but some of it was a little egregious. Still, I would say it was overall a very positive experience. Enjoyment/Overall: I really wanted to enjoy this season after really liking S1. And for parts, I actually did enjoy it, as there are some things to like here. I still enjoyed seeing these characters, and the story was intriguing and unique. The problem, however, was that both the story and character developments were vastly undercooked and full of missteps. They weren't BAD, per say, but I was really hoping for a lot more from this show. I genuinely think it could have been great. It's an unfortunate end to the Magia Record story.

It's not often that I give 10s to something, as I'm often very critical of most media I consume, but Magia Record's final season was so emotional and raw to me that I created an account for MAL to give my take on it. I think Magia Record is a masterpiece. The anime has heavy emphasis on sociopolitical themes, capturing the rage of the last decade and really bringing it to life with characters I can really empathize and feel for. I also feel like it's very raw, emotional, and personal, and as a result, the vast majority of people who watch this anime probably don't get it. It's definitely not your wish fulfillment kind of anime, but it's more like End of Evangelion or Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, which is to say, by nature, it's extremely polarizing, but some will think it's the best, while others will absolutely hate it. If I were to describe Magia Record in one sentence, I'd say it would be a neo-noir turned action adventure anime featuring magical girls in a quest to find hope in a hopeless world. Some things I'd say that are similar to it thematically are Drive (2011), Blade Runner 2049, Cloudpunk, or a lot of other related Cyberpunk fiction or just neo-noir fiction. If you don't like any of the above, you should skip this anime and watch something else. Don't come expecting more Madoka Magica--Magia Record might as well be its own thing.

How can four episodes make me so pissed off? Istg, thank god it was only four episodes so that I was able to binge watch them and be annoyed that I wasted my time to this "ending" thingy or whatever. I could give a lower score, however the music/some of the pretty art mainly keep the score a bit higher. I was disappointed. I still am disappointed at this hot mess. I'm glad that its over so that I can go back with the OG timeline and believe that its the only plot line that exists. Do not turn mobile games into anime, if you cannot create a decent storyline. Skip the whole magia record, watch something else.

This whole series was so good! I rated all of them a 10/10 by how good it was. But these 4 episodes really did the series justice! It's perfect. I cried so much though. I love this series since I was a kid. So good! I was mad for a second at the end but I'm so glad I just let it happen. The more I thought about it the more I realized it all made sense. I loved the last part of episode 4. It was so wonderful. When I first watched 2 episodes when this series first came out I didn't care and couldn't get into it. But now that it's over I'm so so happy with it. I'll definitely rewatch it sometime in the future. Since I do that with the original. I love magical girl shows.

"Being a magical girl is suffering" has never been more true than with this final season of Magia Record. Following in the footsteps of Rebellion and fracturing its community irreparably. Despite the fact that the identity of the source material was built on optimism, where the weak Puella Magi of Kamihama shared their sufferings and supported each other in order to build a common future, DoroInu had the courage to attack us head-on with one of the most tragic finales. Yet sign of a new dawn. This final season makes a point of revealing the cost of imposing an ideology without exploring the heart of the problem. Because in Magia Record, everything is a matter of perspective. The purpose isn't to know what is right, but for whom it is right. Keeping only the need to believe in something as its foundation. This work has always dealt with the notions of strengths and weaknesses with great sensitivity. For the Puella Magi, it is not their physical or mental condition that will define their ability to survive, but their ability to express themselves. Between those who are able to converge their hopes in the bonds they have forged, and the others trapped in their fears without anyone to listen to them. And it is with great bitterness that Magia Record will take this duality to its climax. Because the unfortunate ones, far from the spotlight or the slightest attentive ear, desperately seek a way to externalize their rage, their anxiety, their loneliness. Waiting for the people who will take the time to listen to them and understand the source of their discomfort, but paying the price of the ignorant who will condescendingly tell them that everything will be fine. If this fundamental notion of harmony is so convincing, it is precisely because Magia Record has the audacity to question the quality of its protagonists through failure. What DoroInu wanted to do with this final season was to present a non-romanticized vision of the world of Puella Magi. To restore the tragic nature of the system in which they operate, with no miracle that will ultimately save them all. A fatalism emphasized by the recurrence of patterns related to the rails of destiny, especially for one of the heroines, and the testimony of a one-way journey to a destination to which she can only surrender. Her conclusion strikingly bring us back to reality, leaving no room for denial once the visuals and musical accompaniment reach their climax. It's a raw realization of the limits of the protagonist's ideals, who has no choice but to bear her responsibilities in the latent austerity of the world of the Magical Girls, without magic, without prayers. The story of Magia Record is a succession of failures that are the consequence of numerous misunderstandings, from the very beginning. Failing to save a loved one, failing to mourn, failing to understand one's weaknesses, failing to make the world a better place... failing to accept failure. This ambition to make each character revolve around this theme serves to blur the line that separates who is right or wrong. Because the antagonists are no longer justified by their place in the plot, but instead by their thematic opposition. Between those who refuse to admit their mistakes, and those who are capable of doing so. In Magia Record, however, there is a certain beauty in tragedy. The whole story is the result of a genuine and eternal love that four young girls shared. Bonds of rare authenticity that unfortunately propelled them into despair despite all the kindness of their actions. A drama treated with maturity, without psychosis, without madness, and always justified with a certain rightness. The many farewells that punctuate this final season come to perfect the melancholic and dreamlike mix unique to this work, taking inspiration from Kenji Miyazawa's stories to offer us sumptuous visual and auditory compositions. An omnipresence of the afterlife magnified by the numerous starry sky backgrounds that make it a resting place for willing souls. Each leaving a precious legacy in the acceptance of their destiny. Each completing their existence by now shining brightly alongside the other stars. Guiding the new generation and giving them a hope to cling to. So that all are capable of moving forward with confidence towards their future, however painful it may be. Perpetuating the memory of their elders and sharing, united, a new breath in the acceptance of their regrets, in their mourning, or in the influence of their past failures and mistakes. By facing their destiny, that of disappearing and being forgotten, the Magical Girls of Magia Record put an end to their own chronicles, ignored by all. It may not offer the most optimistic resolution, but there is a certain charm to be found in this raw and authentic portrayal. Despite an absolutely disastrous production and a tone opposite to that of the source material, the anime succeeds in being thematically coherent. I don't particularly agree with the many changes made, but I respect this adaptation for being one of the rare typical works of its director. But it would be dishonest to conclude this review on such positive notes. In reality, Magia Record struggles to deliver its message. This is due to numerous questionable choices resulting from the change in direction that occurred with season 2. One problem arises from the justification of certain tragedies, primarily packed in those four unfortunate episodes. Another, a recurring symptom of the adaptation, is the uneven pacing that leaves little time to digest the numerous important subplots of the anime, ultimately depriving us of a true epilogue. After being led in all directions, without returning to the foundations that had been slowly laid out during the first season, the conclusion of Magia Record lacks authenticity. What makes me doubt this ending is the imbalance between the theme of family and that of failure, between hope and despair. A final season that closes the curtain on this whole story in a myriad of emotions. Benefitting from exquisite visual and auditory narration to convey its messages of understanding others and accepting failure. Special mention to Midori Yoshizawa, who is a true maestro and to whom I owe the best episodes of the series. My only hope is that Shaft gives her the opportunity she deserves. I do regret, however, the clumsy execution that tarnishes the conclusion. Nonetheless, Magia Record remains an experience with a strong identity and one that I am proud to have witnessed. I will never thank DoroInu (and their team) enough for working tirelessly on this adaptation and thus allowing fans of the side story to have proof of its existence.

SPOILERS FOR THE ORIGINAL MADOKA MAGICA SERIES When I watched the first season of Magia Record, I knew it wasn't going to be 100% faithful to the game. I knew it was going to cram as much story as it could into 13 episodes. Despite this, I enjoyed it! The ending of the first season was surprising yet interesting and emotionally impactful. Season 2 built on this momentum. Even though the first three episodes were different from the game's story, they were amazing! And with where the season left off, I was excited for what Season 3 could do. Yeah... in hindsight, I should have known trying to wrap a series up in four episodes was a bad idea. I guess I just hoped they could pull it off. I will give credit to the animation and soundtrack, but those are pretty much the only thing I enjoyed. The pacing was similar to the first season, particularly with the anime-original events. A lot happened in succession, so it was hard to process. The events themselves, which I normally appreciate, were also just... no. I will break down the worst offenses while doing my best not to spoil anything: 1. Kuroe. She was a MINOR role in the first season, with suddenly a LOT more relevance in the second. Not my favorite part of the second season, but I decided to give her a pass. Yeah... I could no longer give her a pass here. She was already affecting the plot for no reason; this time, she is directly involved with Iroha's character motivation and growth. And she had a whole episode dedicated to this- which, because it's 4 episodes, is a quarter of the season! WHY?? We have Yachiyo for that! We have Ui! There was also an anime-only event that later affected Iroha on the same level... they literally had her go through the same development twice in a row with 2 different characters just because they couldn't drop this character!! 2. Character death that was not in the game. Again, I stand by some of the anime-only choices. I was actually fine with 3 of the deaths in the anime, as they made quite an emotional impact. One of them was ridiculous though; the character stopped being relevant to the main group in the anime. Where's the impact? The character WAS relevant to two side characters, but do we see these side characters grieve her at all? Also, this was supposed to be a spinoff lighter in tone. I guess nothing says "light spinoff" like 5 or 6 character deaths! 3. Final moments. First off, the anime literally rolls the credits as soon as the main five girls gather after saving the day. They basically said "Oh no, we're not giving any sort of closure, bye!" Luckily there was an after-credits scene, but it was also a pretty bad way to end a series. "Hey so we saved a town, but our lives still suck and we will continue to suffer." Yep, this is what Madoka sacrificed herself for. 4. The HUGE middle finger to Iroha's character motivation and goals. I will argue that Madoka is a better protagonist than Iroha; that being said, I STILL respect Iroha enough to allow her to achieve her goals, even if she has to make big sacrifices to do so. There was NO reason Iroha couldn't go through the emotional developments she went through and still have completed her goal. That's what happened in Madoka Magica; even though Madoka sacrificed her entire existence, she completed her goal of saving others. What the writers did made me genuinely angry. 5. They shafted (no pun intended) the original cast. Yes, I know it's a spinoff. Yes, I know the main cast would have a minor role in the story. Except... they didn't? Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka appeared in the first season and were part of the main plot. So were Madoka and Homura, along with the previous three, in the second season. There was an ENTIRE EPISODE dedicated to Homura, Mdaoka, and Sayaka learning the truth about Magical Girls. Now all of a sudden they don't exist? They're shown for only ONE SCENE? AND THEN WE GET TWO SECONDS OF CLOSURE (NO, MORE LIKE WRAPUP) IN THE AFTER-CREDITS?? TLDR: Bad pacing, filler character, writers gave a middle finger to the main character and the audience on several occasions throughout. And... I guess I will wrap this review up as badly as the series was wrapped up. Thank you for reading. Bye!

guys this is only the anime ending i promise the game story is really good like MAL wants me to write a longer review but there's nothing else to say. other than the first episode, which was for the most part a faithful adaptation/expansion of the game story, and some brilliant standout moments in animation that easily make the art a 9, this new "bad ending" isn't bad for being the worst possible outcome for this scenario; it is bad for being Fucking Bad. and there isn't much else to say about it. i love magia record, i like it almost more than i like the original madoka although i acknowledge of course it's not actually better. the characters, the interesting take on the world of madoka, and the overall more hopeful story make it worth it for me. but this was bad. i desperately wish this anime adaptation was just the game's story, especially since magireco is so hit-or-miss among the madoka fandom. i want people who think it's just a soulless gacha game to see what i see in magia record. but this doesn't show that. honestly if you want my opinion i'd say watch up to like the end of season 1, then read from the game story starting from chapter 7 to the end of arc 1 for the real end of the story they're telling here. after that if you're really interested season 2 is a fun watch with some interesting twists & a great adaptation of tsuruno's arc, but i can't honestly say you should even bother with this final season. it is worth skipping altogether.

Having played the game before watching the show, it felt like a gut punch seeing the events that happened in the anime. I actually really liked the story the game had, which gave this more hopeful, happier tone. The show however, decided to go at a more depressing route, but it was still enjoyable, that is until the last 4 episodes aired. Despite some differences, I'd most of the episodes from the first episode till this point was pretty accurate to the game, with some differences that were still pretty enjoyable to watch. But these last 4 episodes were...frustrating. Character deaths that definitely could have been avoided, character decisions that felt really stupid, leading to more deaths, and a random villain plot at the very last minute which made no sense. They even threw aside the Walpurgisnacht climax they've been building up so don't expect anything to come from that. I don't hate this show, but I am quite disappointed with how the story turned out.

Magia Record is by all means a disaster in terms of plot, yet I can’t bring myself to hate it. The writers tried to do so many things at the same time, and they all ended up coming out as one big and confusing plot. However, there’s something so charming about Magia Record - they really tried. The writers could have taken the easy route and just done Madoka Magica 2.0, but instead they tried their best to make Magia Record its own separate thing (aside from the needless inclusion of the original 5 Madoka Magica girls, but I’d prefer to forget that part since I feel as though they were forced to include them due to the game). Magia Record is disorientating at times, but somehow it seems to work to its advantage. It’s as if the writers are trying to show the viewers how truly chaotic and tragic the lives of Magical Girls are - how everything can change in an instant. The actual premise of the finale is really cool, I just feel as though 4 episodes wasn’t nearly enough to get the story and messages across. (Spoilers for episode 4) The final scene of Madokami holding the Magia Record book sums it up perfectly - This might not be the main story, this might not be the best story, but it’s still a story that holds worth, it’s still their story. (End of spoilers) Magia Record is a perfectly imperfect spin-off show, and I’m fine with that. Being forced to use an ongoing gacha game as the base of your story can’t possibly be easy, but the writers still did a good job all things considered. As chaotic and unpolished as it was, I enjoyed watching Magia Record, and I’ll definitely be rewatching it in the future.

"I'm sorry Ui. Your big sister... let you down." Story: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season continues, and finishes, our journey with Iroha Tamaki and friends, as they look to stop Touka and Nemu from finishing their plan to launch Embryo Eve at Walpurgisnacht. Based on my opening quotation by Iroha, you can likely tell the mood that this finale seeks to invoke upon its audience. To start off, there is a lot to unpack here, and that's kind of the final season's biggest problem. There are still a bunch of loose ends to tie up with regards to what we saw in the previous two seasons and while Season 2 answers some questions, it didn't touch on them all. They clearly know how they wanted to answer everything, but with only four episodes to address this, it really feels rushed. The pacing is unfortunately too quick to really dig deep into what we see on the screen, including some pretty major fights that occur during the course of the series that really don't go our Magical Girls' way. There are snippets of our characters feeling like there's no real hope here and I thought it was well executed. The obvious storyline is what happened to Ui, and they do a fantastic job at showing her storyline from her point of view. Simply put, I loved it. There's a very good season Magic Record had all the conflict with the magical girls that it does, and linking it back to Ui's storyline was one thing that I felt was done really well. I really liked the obstacles that get in our girls' way, and if only there was more time to stretch out that last episode, it could have ended on a much higher note. You get to the end and notice that one of the main plot points has not changed even in the slightest. (7/10) Characters: Iroha is the obvious lead here, and even though she didn't have as much screen time as we were likely expecting, it was done so at the expense of Ui and her crew which was the right call. Iroha unfortunately doesn't screen leader to me, and the decisions that she makes along the way don't come even close to Madoka and her crew. She just wants it to end well, and I wasn't a fan of the script that was used with her. Ui, on the other hand, doesn't have a lot to her until her storyline wraps up. Then you see what her and her friends are feeling when all is said in done. I liked what they did here because it presents us with a bit of a Catch-22, all because Iroha wanted to be the responsible sister. Yachiyo was the star of the first season and even though you can tell that her principles held constant here, she really doesn't have a ton of screen time, along with Sana, Felicia, Tsuruno, Kaede and Rena. They kind of just fill the spots of "another magical girl". This is a shame because of how much screen time they collectively had in the first season - this kind of makes it feel like a waste because it reduces them to much less than what we believed they'd be. To see not even Yachiyo get meaningful screen time after a big deal was made of her in the first season is rather disappointing. Kuroe, Momoko and Mifuyu were a little more involved here than the others. Alina Gray is someone we don't know what to feel about when we first see her, but she was one that probably needed some more explanation, based on the decisions she makes at the end. I wasn't impressed. You're probably wondering if any of this connects to Madoka and her crew, but they were mostly absent in the final season. What really impressed me was how they were implemented into the end of the first season and the entirety of the second, and to see them not even involved here will disappoint plenty of audiences. The ending kind of takes a hint at them, but that's about it. (6/10) Art: The animation here is fine, but it's definitely a step down from the second season, for whatever reason. The second season had a lot of fantastic animations and even though this season has a lot of spots for flashy art, there were a lot of instances of characters not looking right and fights looking straight up flat. So while the fights had a ton of colour and witches still looked amazing, the dip in quality is pretty disappointing. (6/10) Sound: This was probably the aspect that kept constant throughout the series. TrySail's Lapis is a fantastic song that has the tune that mirrors the pessimistic plotlines that follow around our crew into the finale. The OST was also a fantastic addition here. Voice work was equally up to the task, with Kira Buckland (Iroha), Mela Lee (Nemu) and Cassandra Lee Morris (Kyuubey) likely being my favourites. (9/10) Overall: To see Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season finish on such a low note of not addressing one of Magia Record's plotlines is really disappointing. The overall story and animation take a dip from the, mostly strong, season 2 and makes for a questionable way to finish. There are some strong elements for sure, and yes, it's still a magical girl storyline but an incomplete one. Which is why I'm excited for whenever Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie - Walpurgisnacht: Rising is coming. The main Madoka storyline is simply better. (7/10)

The first season of the Magia Record anime was admittedly...kind of half-baked. Furthermore, since then, I was able to play a little bit of the mobile game before the North American version got shut down. Yeah, I'm still not over that, Aniplex, and I never will be. Having done so, a lot of the changes the anime made from the mobile game were pretty surprising to me, and I don't mean that in a good way. But I'll elaborate on that further down. So while the first anime season tried, it often meandered, had too many characters to keep track of, its characterization of Yachiyo could be pretty inconsistent at times, it often had too many subplots that didn't have much to do with the main narrative, and it basically bit off more than it could chew. So it was no surprise that a second season was announced...with said season then getting split into two different series due to production troubles and COVID. So this review will cover both Eve of Awakening and Dawn of a Shallow Dream, because they're basically the same season, complete with the same opening and ending songs. Season 3's episode count seems too little to convey my thoughts on just that without taking into account everything that happens in season 2. Plus, I think it's stupid that these seasons had to be split into 8 and 4 episodes when they could have easily just been one 12 episode season from the start. Eve of Awakening takes place right after the events of season one, so I'm going to try to keep spoilers to an absolute minimum. One thing to note is that it seems like the producers for Magia Record got the message about the first season's flaws, and seemed to go out of their way to rectify them in seasons 2 and 3. And frankly, I'm impressed with how much they managed to do in a short amount of time. The pacing is much faster, and the creators decided to go all out in moving the story forward, so the story no longer feels like it's just meandering along aimlessly with no direction. Important plot twists are revealed that explain pretty much everything, a lot of the side characters and villains get fleshed out more, including characters who didn't receive much time in the limelight in season one, and it completely ditches the formula of tracking down rumors. Plus, remember my complaints about Iroha being reduced to a damsel in distress in the first season even though she's the main character? Well, Eve of Awakening and Dawn of a Shallow Dream finally allowed her to get stronger and be more proactive like she was in the game, so kudos to the producers for rectifying that. Even Kuroe, an anime original character who flat-out disappeared for half of season 1, gets to come back and do stuff in these two seasons. The animation and the music are the same as ever, so I don't have much else I can add to those that hasn't been said already, except for one thing: Mad props for bringing back Credens Justitiam and using it more than the original Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime did. So taking all these things into account, these two seasons of Magia Record should be absolutely amazing, right? Well...unfortunately, if the rating didn't clue you in, seasons 2 and 3 still have pretty glaring issues that prevent Magia Record from achieving true greatness. For one, episode one of Eve of Awakening brings back the original PMMM girls, and it absolutely expects the viewers to already have seen or be familiar with the original anime. Plus, if you haven't seen PMMM originally, that single episode is going to spoil A LOT of important plot twists for the uninitiated viewer. Furthermore, the original PMMM girls play a pretty big part in Eve of Awakening, so not only are these final two seasons impossible to watch without having seen the first season of Magia Record, you won't be able to understand much of what goes on unless you've seen PMMM. This'll especially be confusing for those who aren't familiar with the twist behind Homura in PMMM. I can easily picture someone reading about Homura's characterization in PMMM, starting to watch this, and being like "Why is Homura shy and moe here? Isn't she supposed to be some stoic badass?" So yeah, Eve of Awakening and Dawn of a Shallow Dream are absolutely not anime to show to new viewers or anyone who hasn't seen PMMM or the first season of Magia Record at least. This also has the problem of the show not being allowed to stand on its own two feet, relying solely on its parent property rather than being allowed to stand as its own entity. But hey, all of this might be alright as long as the finale was good, right? Boy howdy, don't even dare expect Dawn of a Shallow Dream's finale to be anything good. Without spoiling anything, let's just say that it completely renders all the girls' struggles to be in vain and ending on a much bleaker note than the game does. Say what you will about PMMM's finale, it at least had some current of hope and was more bittersweet without relying too much on the bitter. No, I still haven't seen the Rebellion movie, and based on what I've heard about it, I don't think I want to. Magia Record's finale basically renders Iroha's whole quest to be completely and utterly pointless, and I'm not the only one that thinks this, either. Even Japanese fans, including people who both have and haven't played the game, hated the finale, to the point where dans who played the game straight up told anime-only watchers to play the game. And for us North American fans, that's impossible since Aniplex shut off the fucking game over here, and really, the only way for us to get even a glimpse of Magia Record's main storyline is through the manga, which is being released at a snail's pace. That, or somebody posting English translations of the Japanese version of the game on YouTube or something. So yeah, the whole thing is really frustrating, and I say this as somebody who enjoys Magia Record! The other issue I have with the finale is what it did with Alina. I'm not going to spoil what happens to her here, but I REALLY didn't like what the anime did with her in the final episode, as it just felt forced and unneeded, further adding to how utterly miserable the finale was made to be. It's a shame, because the anime and the manga are really the only legal ways North American fans can see Magia Record in any capacity, and considering even manga adaptations of mobile games don't always cover the entire story, even that's not a guarantee! (Granblue Fantasy's manga is the best example of this) But for what it's worth, the anime did make an effort to rectify a lot of season one's flaws, even if it didn't make the landing at the very end, so I'm willing to give it some leniency in that regard, along with the other positives I mentioned above, like the animation and music, along with trying to flesh out characters that didn't receive much development before. As flawed as Magia Record's two seasons are, I still enjoyed them for what they did manage to offer, but I absolutely would not recommend using this as baby's first anime, or for anybody who hasn't seen season 1 of MR or even the original Madoka Magica anime.

why 10 point but Not Recomemended ? huh . Cause they cut all the cute of Alina . I watch all the anime just because her and SHE ONLY ON AIR FOR 6 MIN ???? Why you guys could do it with a char like her ??? I love Alina. I love how she speaks Italian mixed with Japanese and English. I love her accent. I love her sarcastic attitude. I love how she isn't afraid to say what she thinks. I love her crazy ideas. I love her relationship with Karin. I love her paintings. I love how she puts everything she has into her art. I love the way she teases Mifuyu. I love her crazy plans. I love her design. I love her clothes. I love her hair. I love her eyes. I love her color palette. I love her doppel version. I love her witch version. I love her soul gem. I love her expressions. I love her power. I love her colorful cubes. I love how she praises herself. I love how she spins around. I love how everything reminds me of her. I love how she says "Let's party!" before fighting. I love her voice. I love her workshop. I love her artwork. I love her smile.

I had really low espectations for this last season. Since the very beginning, I didn't think the "anime only" changes were that good in comparison to the original game story, the different narrative way( skipping very important sub-arcs), the inclussion of new characters (the most annoying plot hole solver), and the story does too many twists in ths final season. It's a really poor adaptation of the original story, and every new season it made me ask myself "can it really get worse?", sadly it did. Most stuff didn't make that sence to be honest. The art direction was amaring excpt for the exra background megucas, the soundtrack was ok for Magia Record standards. the character development was really mediocre in this final season, feels find of innecessary tbh. Felt a lot like Power Rangers. -