"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
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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.
Apr 14, 2023
"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 ... |
