Another episode that’s pretty easy to sum up. Members of the old and new casts band together to fight Mami and Tsuruno, who are confirmed to be corrupted and possessed by Uwasa. Sana and Felicia arrive to help, though Felicia runs off because she sucks. Mifuyu communicates remotely to help everyone understand the show’s plot and she and Momoko convince Mitama to tell them how to save Mami and Tsuruno.
I have mixed feelings on Magia Record‘s newer cast of characters and while I’ve always loved the Holy Quintet, they’re an unnecessary addition to the show. That said, I figured seeing them team up for a fight would at least be cool. You get some of that at the beginning and at the end of the episode and those scenes are well animated for the most part. That said, the bulk of the episode is just the characters hiding from Mami and Tsuruno’s attacks and reconvening to form a game plan. I wonder if this is a deliberate move to draw less intensive animations. After Episode 6, I buy it.
How funny that the show immediately addresses Homura’s ability to freeze time. Not that it always guarantees victory but it is an extremely useful ability so the show has to immediately establish how it factors into a given action scene. Evidently, the show decides to pause it for the time being (no pun intended). I can see Homura regaining it and needing it to use for something dire next episode.
Felicia running off after the first go around with the Uwasa girls really annoys me. What causes that is Yachiyo vowing to protect everyone, making Felicia argue with her over their future, namely their inevitable transformation into witches. I can understand Felicia’s frustration as Yachiyo’s vow can be interpreted as an empty promise but her leaving is just dumb. She gains nothing from doing this and it’s incredible inconsiderate of her to ditch when her friends are trying to save Tsuruno. Maybe the show just wants her out of the action for a while so that she can swoop in and turn the tides but this is a lousy excuse to set that up and I don’t think Felicia is likable or cool enough to deserve it.
We learn Mitama’s backstory in this episode. That does sidetrack the episode from the big fight but honestly, I think it’s a pretty riveting backstory. Mitama has no combative abilities so she works as a coordinator who offers items and services in exchange for Grief Seeds. She can manipulate Soul Gems, which suits her line of work, but that forces her to see all the suffering and despair her clients go through. To stay sane and continue working, Mitama closes her heart, hence the uncaring and business minded facade we’re accustomed to. It’s a solid backstory that justifies her personality. If you had told me that Mitama would be one of my favorite characters in the show, I wouldn’t have believed you but here we are. I’ve so far enjoyed every scene she’s been in this season.
Momoko being the one to open Mitama’s heart is bit of a stretch to me, if only because these two never really interacted with each other in a meaningful way. And no, Momoko admitting that she doesn’t know her friends well enough doesn’t excuse the writing. If anything, it feels like a defense the writer(s) came up for this point of criticism. I do however find it funny when Mitama declares that Momoko has to pay her triple the usual fee and later, changes it to covering her expenses for the rest of her life. She’s mutating Momoko’s promise to be by her side, in a way that falls perfectly in line with her personality, and I’m all for it.
So all the gang really needs to do is perform that technique that allows them to combine their powers, “Connect”, on Tsuruno and Mami (I haven’t asked this before but is the name of this technique a pun?). Sayaka volunteers to use it on Mami while Yachiyo volunteers to use it on Tsuruno. Unfortunately, Yachiyo’s attempt doesn’t seem to work as it mangles Tsuruno’s body and the Uwasa fused with her body is still in control. I don’t know, maybe Tsuruno needs all of her close friends to connect with her. If that’s the case, it sure is a shame that Felicia isn’t around (man, screw this character). I hope Tsuruno gets to do something once she’s restored, assuming that’s what happens next. Her getting possessed and changing her hair color to blue had me curious but that’s in service of the plot and less so the character itself. Tsuruno already didn’t have much to do in Season 1. If anyone in the main five needs the spotlight, it’s definitely her.
Watch Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 2 -The Eve of Awakening- on Crunchyroll and Funimation
Xenodude Scribbles 
“Connect” is a combat mechanic in the gacha game; its name is a reference to the OP song of the original series. Not surprisingly, there’s also a game mechanic called “Magia”. Disappointingly to yuri fans, there is no game mechanic called “Luminous”.
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