I got to hand it to Magical Girl Raising Project; it does a good job multitasking between all of its characters when it’s taking a breather. This episode particularly had to juggle between a handful of things: the aftermaths of both La Pucelle’s and Magicaroid 44’s deaths, Ripple’s backstory, Sister Nana trying to form an alliance, and Snow White’s new friendship(?) with Hardgore Alice. That’s a lot of ground together and this episode impressively and succinctly gets to all of it in just half an hour.
Let’s first talk about Hardgore Alice who has been rising in prominence as of late. Not going to lie, her presence actually kind of adds some levity to the story for me. That one time she got decapitated was indeed chilling but the more times MahouIku brutally mangles her body, the more the edge begins to err on the side of slapstick. More humorous is how she interacts with Snow White. Maybe I’m misinterpreting things but I couldn’t help but laugh when Snow White tried running away from Alice only for the latter to appear right behind her. The music even came to a halt to make the jump cut work more effectively. Then there’s the way Alice leans when talking to her peer. Is that meant to be eccentric or does she just have bad posture?
I joke but truth be told, I find Alice’s contributions to the story very interesting. Her special ability is certainly one of the coolest we’ve so far in this anime. Alice can regenerate from seemingly any injury so long as some part of her remains. Think of it like Cell from Dragon Ball Z and yes, it’s probably as overpowered as it was in that anime. It certainly makes for a challenge for the more bloodthirsty characters. Mary tries killing Alice this episode to avenge Magicaroid and much to her embarrassment, that ends up being easier said than done. It makes me wonder what would happen if Alice went against Cranberry; she may be one of the few who could go toe to toe with the latter.
The relationship between Alice and Snow White is proving to be really interesting. It’s hard to tell why the former has been helping the latter; even she claims she just feels like doing so. But since Snow White is still alive and Alice even gave her one of Fav’s items that boosts her luck, surely that must mean Alice can be trusted. I did joke last episode that she might be a big fan of Snow White but to be honest, I’m hoping that isn’t too far fetched. Maybe she really does admire Snow White’s nobility and selflessness and she’s making sure that the latter survives this bloodbath.
At first, I thought being privy to Ripple’s past was a bit random but maybe it was intentionally placed here. It’s probably another use of “death by flashback”, at least it feels that way when you also factor it in with Calamity Mary wanting to meet with Ripple (that surely won’t go well). Still, this flashback scene does explain Ripple’s personality. You find out she’s dealt with a lot of gossip and harassment due to her mother’s numerous marriages which explains why she lives by herself and only opens up to a handful of people.
More importantly, this adds weight to Ripple’s friendship with Top Speed. The latter’s cheery and inviting attitude must’ve been so refreshing for her. The scene where the two are just sitting on a park bench certainly benefits from the context. It’s already a nice break away from violence but it also just feels like two friends having a chat, which must be something Ripple rarely got to enjoy up until now.
As an aside, Top Speed’s only 19?! I thought for sure, she was much older than that.
Nice to see that Sister Nana is actually making some progress with building her resistance. Granted, it was kind of obvious to expect Snow White joining given that she just lost her one guardian and unsurprisingly, Hardgore Alice would follow suit. Also, trying to recruit Swim Swim and her lackeys sounds like a really bad idea. Still, progress is progress so if Nana survives whatever trap that gang cooked up, then give her a pat on the back.
Thanks for reading!
Magical Girl Raising Project is officially available on Crunchyroll.
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Xenodude's Scribbles 
Something of an interstitial, but an important ep nonetheless. But aren’t they all important? As you said, they’re incredibly efficient in their use of time.
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