An underappreciated factor when looking at any individual anime series is the nature of its source material, provided it has one. Original anime (like the original Madoka series) are practically guaranteed to have a beginning, middle and end, but when based on a source, there’s certain elements that become byproduct by the source’s nature.
When anime are produced based on ongoing manga, one can exact lingering focus on iconic shots and a tendency to go on and on as long as it takes. Light Novel adaptations tend to feature basic protagonists bereft of the thought focused complexity their written works offer. Videogame based anime often have
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very specific factors emblematic of their origin, and of those adaptations, an increasingly common source of anime recently are gatcha games: free to play games tailored to get people to dump money to gamble for character growth and collection. For the sake of providing business revenue, these work fine, however scummy they are, but what happens when transferring that mentality to a non-interactive medium where quick story is the most important?
That‘s the main issue with Magia Record. Despite the admirable effort from the artists and Yūki Kajira, Magia Record’s characters and plot structure are held back very far, likely by how a TV series must accept its mobile game design mentality. Rather than be allowed to freely express like its main series counterpart, it winds up feeling substance-less, focus-less and ironically, far closer to a traditional Magic Girl series.
Because of the nature of this show, I’ll judge the series by two angles, one as its own story, and one as a companion to the Madoka franchise it proclaims itself a side story of:
As its own story:
The first episode seems to establish the plot focus about this girl named Iroha Tamaki, who happens to have Madoka’s color palette. As a magical girl fighting mysterious creatures, she’s trying to find her sister named Ui: supposedly the reason why she became a magical girl in the first place, but whom no one else remembers. It also introduces a girl named Kuroe, seemingly a friend of Iroha’s who already made her wish to become a magical girl, but the circumstances didn’t last. Strong start, but rather than go any further with Kuroe, she is quickly removed from the series to spend the next two episodes on a hastily rushed conflict between two new characters the audience is given no time to care about.
This leads to Magia Record’s greatest sin as its own plot: focus. The show has a severe issue with understanding what deserves attention. Rather than having a central drive that every element works towards, the series instead focuses on several smaller stories that are both underdeveloped and have little to no lasting payoff. Top this off with an overabundance of character designs, likely present to convince players of the gatcha game to grind for them, and you have a series with only the thinnest connective tissue.
See, Episodes 2-3 start and resolve the conflict of two characters. Episodes 4-5 introduce another character in a place that seems relevant but is quickly forgotten after. Episodes 6-7 focus on yet another character’s conflict to create and resolve. Episodes 8 to about halfway through Episode 10 do the same for another character who becomes irrelevant immediately following. During this time, over 10 other supposedly significant characters are introduced claiming to have a reason for existing and not getting to do anything beyond stating exposition. Episode 11 is purely an excuse to bring characters to a location, while Episode 12 explains the magical girl system of the series. Not showing by example, telling how the magical girl system works.
In all this time, there is zero progression on Iroha’s goal to find her sister, which keeps her as a one-note character who has nothing else to define her or drive her drama: a puppet to tour through various disconnected plots without anything interesting learnt about her in the slightest. Heck, we don’t even get to know what her relationship to Ui WAS like in order to flesh her out some. This causes the series as a whole to effectively have a non-plot: with no active villain, clear solution or ticking clock.
Suppose you could argue the Wings of Magius fills the villain role, essentially a magical girl Illuminati, but they function more as a recurrent obstacle than an active villainous force, with new members being introduced left and right, a confusing morality position and no real intricate planning. In episode 11, one of its members even cutely panics when questioned.
To make matters worse is the effect on the pacing and character interactions this non-urgency has. The arcs don’t have enough time to simmer before the next one immediately follows, and more characters bloat the cast. Even if characters like Sana and Felicia had any interesting character moments or traits during their arcs, they are quickly forgotten by the time their arc ends with no further advancement, which leads to very boring character interactions between Iroha and her friend group separating the arcs. The only recurring character who acts consistently different enough from the rest is Yachiyo as the group’s senior. She has her own conflict regarding a friend that joined the Wings of Magius but it’s forcibly restrained by the show’s lack of focus. I never got the sense that her plot had development or follow-through when it’s scattered in bits and pieces across other soon to be irrelevant plots.
Going into the series as its own thing, the first cour presents it as a visually-stylized and musically strong, but basic, segmented, plotless and unfocused series where nothing is given the impact it deserves. Then there’s how it compares to the original show.
As a spinoff of Madoka Magica:
When it comes to how it compares to the near decade old series it spun off from, it’s even less effective. On a positive note, it does retain a lot of the artistry from the original. The characters all look cute and have colorful outfits with several nice little details. Certain episodes have the occasional cool cinematic shot, Kamihama City is often painted orange by the sunset and while the Witch Realms aren’t as specially themed as those presented in the original, the otherworldly stylization around them is retained, particularly in episodes 5 and 7. Similarly, Yuki Kajira does a competent job with the soundtrack. It again, isn’t nearly as memorable as that of the original series for me, but it did a good job adding epicness to certain combat encounters when the writing can’t.
Other than that though, the similarities feel skin deep. While Madoka Magica felt like a harrowing character story told through the lens of the common magical girl setup, Magia Record IS the common magical girl setup with only the occasional lasting dark drama moment.
While the original show avoided the chance to make the common Magical Girl squad by creating personal conflict rifts between prospective members that grew and changed, this show forms its core team almost immediately and forms it arc by arc in a similar way to any standard Magical Girl show, but without the standout traits for each member. Light conflicts never affect the ties that bind. Hell, Magia Record’s introduction of Dopples muddies the well-established nature of the Witches, since Iroha’s soul gem goes dark to become one, only to have the process quickly reversed.
There are a lot of things you can say about how well the original show pulled off what it did, but one element that can’t be denied was its focus. In its 12-episode run, it was able to properly pace itself so that the storyline and theme evolution moved along at a steady clip. The main cast was kept small; characters only got focus when it was important in the long-term and character action correlated with the show’s themes. When Sayaka’s arc took focus, it had significant focus over several episodes with a resolution that filtered out several dramatic twists by showing them to us by Episode 8. These same twists are shown in Magia Record Episode 12, with the panache of an elementary school lecture divorced from any and all interesting drama. Almost appropriate that the episode was titled “Why is this so unbearable?”
Somehow, Magia Record even managed to bungle some of the elements I took issue with in the original series. To some, Madoka was a bland character without much personality or presence herself. But you could argue the simpleness of Madoka’s character was intentional, since the plot challenged her all loving heroine ideals. There was a clear sense that all the conflicts and gut punches shaped her decision making as the “main” character up until the story’s conclusion. She could’ve been uncertain or insecure or “whiny” but those played off of her established character.
Iroha has none of those things. She’s a bit more assertive than Madoka was but nothing about her character or way of thinking changes in the series. She maintains the same sense of non-personality the entire series, never having any interesting character development, never changing her goal, never making meaningful choices, etc. Madoka carries herself in the story because of her flaws; Iroha is purely carried by separated scenarios.
Then there’s the worldbuilding. The small scope of the original series was something I was initially critical of since it implied the Magical Girl system was a constant worldwide, but we only saw one city. Magia Record does conceptually improve with new worldbuilding points, like a Magical Girl Hall of Justice of sorts in Kamihama and the Wings of Magius, but even then, they’re not really fleshed out beyond existing. Characters from this secret base get the paltriest amount of screen time and character depth in the series.
Last but not least, the original Madoka series was 12 episodes and it managed to tell a complete story within that time. This show ends desperate for a second season even while spending ¾ of this season on events that don’t matter to anything in the long run besides showing off blandly undeveloped character designs. The final episode tops it out by desperately overloading itself with fanservice that'll only make sense with the original in mind in a desperate plee to get OG series fans to stick around.
Conclusion
While flaws in the actual narrative could fall on the video game’s writers, the way it’s presented makes it feel like it was limited by being a mobile game in ways not adaptable for its strengths. Go full stop quantity over quality with the characters, since they’re just ways for people to sink money into upgrading and collecting them. Make the plot scenarios separated so they can support short-burst gameplay with grinds in between. And throw in characters from the original series like Mami and Kyoko regardless of how well they actually fit to heighten appeal.
I’m tempted to give the show a higher score on the basis of its animation talent (maybe so without Episode 12). Shaft’s directors are likely trying the best they can, but you can get the animation experience by watching good AMVs on the series. And honestly, out of other shows where the stellar animation quality far, far outweighs the writing on display, like Guilty Crown and Demon Slayer, at least those had consistent story tracks to make the animation highs meaningful in context despite their narrative fumbles. This didn’t have that. All this needed to do was bank off the goodwill of the franchise’s prior success and put talented artists on the project to be a success, regardless of how much effort actually went into this being a structured TV series. Magia Record on its own is a bland and very unfocused Magical Girl series and practically a lesser knockoff of the original Madoka Magica. I am very disappointed with how this series turned out, as it feels like even at this stage, the story could have been more substantial.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Magia Record
Japanese: マギアレコード 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ外伝 (TV)
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jan 5, 2020 to Mar 29, 2020
Premiered:
Winter 2020
Broadcast:
Sundays at 00:00 (JST)
Licensors:
Aniplex of America
Studios:
Shaft
Source:
Game
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#51462
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1450
Members:
159,967
Favorites:
865
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 77 / 82
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Your Feelings Categories Mar 28, 2020
An underappreciated factor when looking at any individual anime series is the nature of its source material, provided it has one. Original anime (like the original Madoka series) are practically guaranteed to have a beginning, middle and end, but when based on a source, there’s certain elements that become byproduct by the source’s nature.
When anime are produced based on ongoing manga, one can exact lingering focus on iconic shots and a tendency to go on and on as long as it takes. Light Novel adaptations tend to feature basic protagonists bereft of the thought focused complexity their written works offer. Videogame based anime often have ... Mar 28, 2020
Magia Record is not Madoka 2.0.
I feel like that really needs to be said. Despite “side story” written in the title, being a part of the Madoka franchise comes with huge expectations--expectations that Magia Record never attempts to meet. This is not a sequel to Rebellion, nor an attempt at recreating the magic (heh) of Madoka. After all, the original was practically a statement for mahou shoujo and was such a groundbreaking and well-acclaimed series, you only really get one of it per genre. This doesn’t excuse all of Magia Record’s potential faults, but I think a large wave of backlash towards it ... Mar 28, 2020
This is an anthology series set in the Madoka universe. Okay> >
But believe me, I wanted this to be another impeccable entry in Madoka Magica’s ever-expanding library of consistently high quality spinoff titles (except for Suzune). I wanted this to be a bonafide 10/10 for me. Sadly, as you might see in many reviews, this series suffers from pacing issues that unfortunately buries any of the genuine Madoka-esque greatness that is there to people who aren't as passionate for the brand. While this story isn’t nearly as bad pacing-wise as the original Oriko Magica, nor does its narrative and characters stoop to be as collectively ... Jan 25, 2020
As a big fan of studio Shaft and the original Madoka, i realy wanted to love this one. Not seeing Gen Urobuchis name anywhere near the project had a little red light going off in the back of my head, but i thought Shaft would still handle it in a decent way.
The structure is odd and switches from a fast to a very slow pacing, seemingly at random. Heavy dramatic scenes are followed by parts that seem to ignore the moments before, sometimes with the same characters in new locations, a light hearted feeling and nobody even mentioning the dramatic stuff that happend just ... Jan 25, 2020
I wanna start off this review by saying I'm not sure why some find this to be either boring, or not interesting??? Like I really don't get it.
I find this completely interesting, and I love the themes within it. It keeps me interested on a week by week basis. Instead of starting all cute and calm like how Madoka was, this comes off strong for me right from the get go. Which sets up the show nicely in my book. It really makes you think with everything they've set up so far. I also adore the main girl, her story is not only ... Mar 30, 2020
This review of Magia Record contains spoilers to both Magia Record and some plot points of the original Madoka Magica!! For anyone who has not seen Magia Record, there will be a spoiler free TLDR at the end of this review.
Let me preface this review with a disclaimer as well. I will be comparing and contrasting some aspects of Magia Record with the original Madoka Magica, which I know is a point of contention among some viewers (though I will not compare it to Rebellion, because I feel it’s unfair to compare a TV anime with an anime movie because of the scheduling constraints TV ... Mar 28, 2020
-Note: English is not my native language, I apologize for possible mistakes. (This review does not contain spoilers)
This was one of the most anticipated releases this year, the love I have for Madoka is enormous, so my expectation for this spin-off was perhaps too exaggerated for something that ultimately turned out to be nothing more than a long commercial or advertising for the game with the same name. I'll start with the good things of Magia Record. As always, SHAFT studio work is just from another planet, beautiful shots and scenes, continuously well-kept visual work, along with beautiful OST at all times, characters have nice design, ... Jan 28, 2020
FOURTH EPISODE IN.
The art is amazing. Coming from playing the game, seeing the witches animated is such a satsifying and terrifying experience. Yachiyo is looking great. Hot damn, that White pants and blouse combo has me sweating. I appreciate that they adapted the story to make it fit the animated format. So far all the changes have been really good and keep the tone of the story as it was originally. I think they have actually managed to make it even more surreal and creepy. I dont reccomend watching this as your intro to Madoka Magica. Sound is good. A lot of it sounds like ... Jan 25, 2020
To begin this review, I'd like to say that I've seen the entire original Madoka Magica TV series and all three movies and am also a player of the Magia Record game, although I play the EN version and am not caught up on whatever events have transpired in the JP version.
For this review, I am focusing mainly on the anime (and not the game), but I may comment on some choices the anime makes in adopting certain aspects of the game. This review contains a few spoilers, but nothing too major. Take caution in reading it though. STORY: 6 Magia Record doesn't come close to the ... Feb 8, 2020
2011: I want to be a magical girl to help others!
2020: I want to be a magical girl to save my dear sister who basically doesn't provide empathy for the viewer to care. In fact I recognize all the merit that Madoka has for his original production, ideas and characters, even though some are plot devices, but he was still daring and ventured in his narrative to surprise, it is something that few shows that want to work on a dark theme of a genre can do it. I admit I don't like Urobuchi's writing, but I still recognized his potential in Madoka's first anime in ... Jan 28, 2020
Being a fan of the Original series and the movie Rebellion, I was excited about Magia Record as soon as I found the game is being adapted into the anime. Being a side story, this is not intended to surpass the original, but give a whole new experience which is not dark and shocking as the original storywise, but this doesn't make the story bad at all, which we'll see as the plot progresses.
STORY : 8 The story focuses on new characters. You'll see the usual enemies of Magical Girls, along with some new ones. The pacing might feel slow or fast depending on whether you've ... Mar 28, 2020
Allow me to preface this by stating - Madoka Magica is one of my favorite anime of all time. Even so, I went into this with tempered expectations, knowing it was tied into a gacha game. Even so, I was still disappointed.
Story: 1 Seeming like something out of a fanfiction at the best of times, and the ramblings out of a middle schooler's first creative writing project at the worst of times. Art: 7 The art is decent most of the time. All of Curry's art is still absolutely wonderful to behold. But an over-reliance on blatant 3D as well as several animation errors easily pull you ... Mar 30, 2020
I will start by saying that I think any kind of art review should be able to first and foremost consider the piece of art in question on its own. It would be simple to just compare this series to the original Madoka Magica, which was the original work upon which this series spins off. However, that would not be fair nor, in my opinion, helpful to people who are reading reviews.
Magia Record is better than most anime out there in every way. The art and sound, as virtually everything created by Shaft, is of the highest quality. It's creative and elicits strong emotions in ... Feb 4, 2020
As a huge fan of the original Madoka Magica tv series and the movies I was really hoping forward to watching a continuation or side story to the already existing material, but this feels like a botched attempt to replicate Bakemonogatari.
What I liked: -It looks and sounds mostly like the old anime, although the music doesn't stand out as much as the original -It still has that crispy unique artstyle that changes to borderline absurd when the witch fights happen And thats it The issues: -It keeps shoving characters in my face that I don't care about, like, they introdouce 5 characters in 1 episode and expect me to ... Mar 28, 2020
For a mobile gacha game, Magia Record’s story is serviceable. It’s the perfect breather in between gameplay, and it’s constructed in a way that allows many characters to coexist. Overall, it keeps the player coming back thanks to the pull of the mystery, as well as the ever-growing roster of magical girls to collect.
As the first anime installment in the Madoka Magica franchise since the Rebellion movie, Magia Record needed to be more than serviceable. The original twelve episode series, as well as its movie, are extremely well-regarded thanks to their iconic characters, intriguing plot, and immaculate pacing. It’s been a long seven years since ... Feb 5, 2020
I am a huge fan of the original story " madoka magica" i had high expectations for the side story didn't even play the game and waited patiently till 2020
And here is what i think about the show: 1- the major problem with this show that it's too fast, they introduce you to 3 girls at once in one episode and forget about a girl we saw in the first one ! What is going on ! Are they supposed to be humans or just walking figures , they also force these emotions they try so hard to make it sad and dark, there is no ... Mar 28, 2020
Let me make this clear. Despite being apart of the same universe and franchise, MagiReco is not a Madoka sequel nor does it offer the same type of story and deconstruction of the genre like its predecesor.
MagiReco is very much its own story, driven by character interactions and development rather than shock value and fear like Madoka. That doesn’t mean it’s not as good, it’s just a different type of story. Do not come into this expecting people to lose their heads. Despite the differences, I enjoyed this more than the original. MagiReco and FGO both aired during the same time and provided very ... Mar 28, 2020
I feel like there's a lot of people who said this show was "fine" or "average" because it's not as groundbreaking as the original Madoka, which I think is kind of unfair. Why would you expect the same kind of mindblowing revelations from this show that Madoka had, when it literally says its a spin-off set in the same world? Too much drama in the same vein as Madoka would make it feel cheap, in my opinion.
Personally, I enjoyed this show because it introduces so many characters (which I admit can get annoying to follow for some people), giving the viewer insight towards ... Mar 29, 2020
I have the original Madoka Magical series a perfect 10. This is nothing like that series. Aside from a few very superficial connections, they aren't related at all, or really even similar in any manner. Without getting into the events of the original show, which I highly recommend, it doesn't seem possible that this show could even cannonicly exist in it's universe.
I could not follow the story of this series. The main character is searching for her sister, but never actually tried to do anything that would lead her to find her sister. It's not really clear how she lives, or why anything related to ... Jan 14, 2022
When I first started Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, I wasn't sure why the MAL rating was so low. Everything seemed to be there in the early going and Iroha, our main character, seemed to be going after something that was obtainable. However, unlike its Alternative series, it doesn't answer any questions. I'll be writing this review with the assumption that you've seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica beforehand.
Story: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Starts us out with Iroha, who is a magical girl from Takarazaki City. She goes about her life fighting witches and seems ... |