At this point, Magia Record’s mobile game root becomes more and more apparent, as we encounter brand new characters with brand new rumors. Episode 5 closes off the Shrine Wish arc to a decent effect, with many intriguing ideas along the lines. Iroha and the after credit scene reveal that our little magical girls can transform into something dangerous. It becomes more apparent to me that these girls are the cause of these mysteries around Kamihama city. And maybe, like the original series, it speaks the core ugly truth about our magical girls: they can never grow up. As long as they have to fight these witches in ongoing battles, is there time for them to grow up to be an adult at all?
Another interesting aspect of the Shrine Wish arc is that Yachiyo and Iroha’s subjects, turn out to be fake – in the manner that they are more constructed around Yachiyo and Iroha’s memory of them. And because Iroha’s memory of Ui is basically wiped off, Ui’s version comes off as a broken record. Yachiyo’s deceased friend Mifuyu is more tricky in that aspect, and given how she nearly fools Yachiyo we can see clearly that her death in the past has a profound effect on Yachiyo. I’m not too fond of the appearance of Mami in this arc, and by extension, Kyouko in episode 6 so far. For once, Mami serves as a big DEUS EX MACHINA and then comes and goes when the plot doesn’t need her anymore. Yes, Magia Record is about Iroha’s quest to find her lost sister, but the inclusion of the old cast for now doesn’t really add much to the show, except for reminding us how inferior this adaptation is in comparison to the show that inspires it.
Episode 6 introduces us to a new magical girl, Felicia, who is strong but her irresponsible action upsets the harmony of her team, the Wings of the Magius and the Lucky Owl Water myth. On a positive note, the myth itself is intriguing enough, boasted by another strong background designs by Shaft with abandoned mall design and creepy atmosphere. But in contrast, I still don’t know what affect the Lucky Owl Water would cause once all the lucks run out, and Magia Record makes no attempt at all to give it any suspense. The fact that it connects that plot thread to the whole cultish group feels very clumsy to me, as well. They pop up from nowhere and immediately offer Felicia something she’s too tempted to refuse. It’s good to break our character apart, it feels half-baked though when we don’t really care about that said character because she just gets introduced in this episode. As it stands, Magia Record feels too unfocused with too many side-quests and side-characters to pull its punch, but at least Shaft’s amazing set-pieces still make it a worthy watch.
