I said in the last episode review that I’m generally indifferent towards Iroha (Momo Asakura) so it’s awkward for me to admit that this episode is actually the most I’ve cared about the character in quite some time. I suppose that’s indicative of Magia Record as a whole. I can never bring myself to write it off completely when episodes like this manage to keep me invested.
So after finding Iroha, Yachiyo and Kuroe find themselves in a dream world created by the former’s Doppel, akin to a witch’s labyrinth. Here, Iroha still fights against witches as a magical girl but for the most part, she’s enjoying an idyllic life with fake versions of her friends. It reminds me of the setting in Rebellion though this take on the scenario ends on a much happier note.
At first, I thought I’d be indifferent to Iroha’s dream. Magia Record‘s main cast wasn’t fully assembled until late into Season 1 so the group dynamic didn’t have a lot of time to shine. There’s a good chance that Iroha dreaming up a bunch of fun adventures with her friends will fall flat. Conversely, the lack of time Iroha got to have with the other main characters does work in this episode’s favor. She wants a fun life with her friends and that got cut short so this dream is her trying to reclaim what was robbed from her.
Curiously, everyone in the dream knows Kuroe, despite the fact that none of them have ever met her before. I could chalk this up to Iroha trying to make sense of Kuroe’s presence though we do learn that when the real version of a person is absent, Iroha’s mind creates a fake version to replace them. It’s possible that Iroha had a fake Kuroe running around in her dream. I can see Iroha’s subconscious including Kuroe in her dream. They weren’t particularly close with each other but when you think about it, Iroha wouldn’t have met Yachiyo and the others if Kuroe never suggested that they check out Kamihama City. It’s thanks to Kuroe that Iroha found her circle of friends so I can see Iroha wanting to be closer with her and including her in the dream.
Aside from Iroha’s friends at the villa, Nemu and Touka also make an “appearance” in the dream. While the two resemble their present-day counterparts, they live in a hospital much like they did in the past. Curiously, Nemu and Touka sing a song together about all the different Uwasa that’s appeared in the show so far. Nemu said in the last episode that she created the Uwasa so it’s possible that she and Touka envisioned this phenomenon when they were little. What I don’t get is how Iroha knows about this. Maybe this is based on a memory buried deep in her mind.
The strangest detail in all of this is the lack of Ui. You’d think in an idealized dream world, Iroha would include her sister but instead of creating a fake Ui, Iroha represents her with a stuffed bear with a pink wig. Frankly, this is sometimes a very funny image. I particularly lost it at this one scene where Yachiyo sits down and stars at the bear, trying to figure out what to do with it. That’s definitely in the running for the most amusing shot in this entire show. Joking aside, it is eerie that Iroha chooses to imagine Ui as a stuffed animal when she technically knows what her sister looks like. I’m guessing it’s a representation of Iroha’s waning confidence in finding her sister. She’s afraid she’ll never find Ui or that Ui isn’t real at all and these uncertainties causes her to picture Ui as a stuffed animal that a kid might use as an imaginary friend, rather than a real person.
Yachiyo ends up destroying the Ui bear, causing Iroha’s Doppel to go berserk. Kuroe joins Yachiyo in defeating it, which is a nice direction to take with this character after having her spend time with Iroha and learn more about the latter. I’m shocked at how wholesome the ending is. I mean, Yachiyo and Iroha’s reunion is very touching but this is Madoka we’re talking about here. It likes to keep happiness at a minimum and I know now from the movies that it’s more than willing to pull a fakeout for the sake of it. Then again, Magia Record doesn’t quite have the same bite as its parent show so it feels a bit safe to assume that there’s no trickery here.
After the ED, we see Madoka begin searching for Mami in Kamihama. I am curious to see what role Madoka will play this season but I am worried that she might overshadow the main plot of the show. Even as someone who prefers the old cast, I don’t want the new cast to get the short end of this stick. This episode manages to get me invested in Iroha and her quest to find Ui again and I’d hate to see that go to waste.
Watch Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 2 -The Eve of Awakening- on Crunchyroll and Funimation
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