What exactly is it that makes Madoka Magica so great? Is it the jaw-dropping story? The characters? The premise? The directing? The production quality?
I think it is all of these things and Madoka would have never gained its attention if everything didn’t come together so well into one cohesive machine.
So does Magia Record deliver on these things to be a good side story to plug into the Madoka Universe?
Short answer is: Like 80%, but that final 20% is the writing itself...
Long answer:
Magia Record looks, sounds and feels like Madoka. SHAFT’S legendary director Shibou’s work oozes out of Magia Record just as well as it does from the original. That sense of mystique and unease that made Madoka so special are all present, with highly experimental and eccentric shot composition and artstyle filling the screen at every step.
The show’s story is even highly parallel to Madoka’s, with many of the same narratives with some adjustments showing up, creating a comfortable contrast. Same can be said for many of the characters, acting as direct comparisons for characters from Madoka.
Above all, Magia Record tries hard to extend Madoka’s universe. New concepts are introduced, further information given on some of the key ideas in the original, new takes on magical girls are presented. Such as some rather unique wishes the girls could have or the sorts of magical girls that can even exist.
But wait, it gets even better! In season 2, the show also hires some extremely talented key animators and has some absolutely jaw dropping sakuga to elevate the fight scenes, bringing a whole new dimension to Madoka that we never knew we needed.
However, that is as far as the good goes… For beyond that, Magia Record is riddled with extremely oversaturated plot lines, trying to juggle a metric ton of character arcs simultaneously and some extremely ambitious macro plots, while not really managing to flesh out the characters in a meaningful way, making the entire cast feel difficult to root for and a story difficult to follow.
The story IS coherent and one can with a bit of attention follow the trail without issue, however that doesn’t save the characters. Being a gacha adaptation, the show juggles too many characters, tries to show off too many ideas.
Overall, I do believe Magia Record is worth a watch, if you are interested in the Madoka Universe as a whole, the different sorts of additional setups that are possible with the premise and enjoy Shinbou’s directing a great deal. But if what pulled you to Madoka was really the entire Madoka-Homura story and its suspense, with the rest of the cast also featuring tightly written character arcs, you are likely to not be satisfied with this production.
Side Note: Even if what I wrote here discourages you from watching Magia Record, I highly recommend checking the sakuga scenes from s2 over at sakugabooru or a similar site. They are absolutely fantastic and a must-watch.
