Real quick: there is an Episode 7.5 on Crunchyroll’s stream for Season 2 but it’s a recap episode and a very standard one at that. I saw it and there’s barely anything to say about it so I’m skipping it. I will say this: it’s hilarious that the production committee banged out a recap episode right before the season finale. Usually, a recap episode gets dropped halfway through a show. Getting one this late is rare to see. It’s yet another sign that this season had production issues.
So after Yachiyo failed to use Connect to cleanse Tsuruno of her Uwasa corruption, she comes to the conclusion that she truly doesn’t know Tsuruno at all. Just as Tsuruno prepares to attack again, Iroha intervenes and all three girls somehow use Connect to enter a shared dream of some sorts. I have no stinking clue how this works but this isn’t the first nor the last time I’ve said that in these episode reviews and the show has to resolve Yachiyo and Tsuruno’s conflict so there you go.
In the dream, Iroha watches a play re-enacting Tsuruno and Yachiyo’s early days, when the villa comprised of them, Mifuyu, Momoko, and a fifth magical girl named Mel (Kanon Takao). I never directly mentioned Mel before (oops) but she previously appeared in Season 1’s penultimate episode via a flashback, where she ultimately transforms into a witch. This episode’s dream sequence reveals that on the day of Mel’s transformation, Tsuruno’s restaurant experienced a boon and the other four encouraged her to stay there while they handle a witch. After the fight, Yachiyo claims to Tsuruno that Mel die, hiding the fact that Mel became a witch. Just as Yachiyo steeled herself to get stronger and everyone began to drift apart from each other, Tsuruno blamed herself for Mel’s death and she vowed to become the strongest magical girl around. To hide any sign of weakness, she crafted the cheery personality we know her for. I was perfectly fine that Tsuruno was seemingly one of the sanest characters we’ve ever seen in the franchise but this gloomy backstory is pretty good. It sheds light on what exactly happened with the original Mikazuki group of magical girls and it provides some overdue insight in to Tsuruno’s character.
I’m entirely confident on why the past is presented as a play. I guess that’s a framing device to justify Iroha observing it all as someone who wasn’t there. It also allows Yachiyo and Tsurno to directly learn what the other has been going through, rather than go off of conjecture. If nothing else, it’s a more interesting route to take than a traditional flashback sequence. I kind of like Iroha’s inclusion in this scene. Maybe Yachiyo and Tsuruno could sort it out themselves but Iroha is a mutual friend of theirs and she’s the one who’s kept the present group together. Her acting as a mediary to the conflict is appropriate.
Now that she knows of Tsuruno’s turmoil, Yachiyo uses Connect on her again and this time it works. Seeing as it worked for Tsuruno, Sayaka proceeds to use Connect on Mami, freeing her as well. During the fight, Felicia, Momoko, and Mifuyu arrive to help and honestly, screw Felicia. This does allow Yachiyo reconcile with both Tsuruno and Felicia at the same time but I still think Felicia leaving just so that she can come back later makes her incredibly dumb.
Between this episode and the one before it, I’m really disappointed in the lack of teamwork between the Holy Quintet and the residents of Mikazuki Villa. There were a couple scenes last episode where the girls team up together and this episode gives us a cool scene where Madoka and Iroha combine their bows together to destroy Touka’s witch magnet thing but that’s about it. There isn’t even a fun interaction between the two casts after the fight. With Touka’s device destroy, Walpurgisnacht returns to its original course so the original cast leaves to confront it. They wave goodbye and then they’re gone. The original cast already feels tacked on and yet this show does the bare minimum to justify their inclusion into the plot. What a wasted opportunity. Also, I get Homura’s concern about fighting Walpurgisnacht again but this isn’t like the original show where it deliberately narrowed the available magical girls down to one or two. This is the first time the entire quintet is around to fight. I can’t imagine Walpurgsinacht posing much of a threat this time around.
As the Holy Quintet leave, Kuroe successfully makes it to the amusement park. As she tries to joins Iroha and co. however, an inner demon of some sort tells her that she doesn’t belong in that group and she seemingly disappears from the scene. I want to say this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Kuroe but her own show did forget about her for eleven episodes so I don’t know, it might take its sweet time revisiting this plot thread. It’s possible this is actually a tragic ending to Kuroe’s arc but that would mean we won’t get a proper explanation for what exactly is stopping her. I hope we learn more because I’ve kind of enjoyed Kuroe’s inner conflict, how she wants to be a better friend to Iroha but she’s unsure if she deserves to be a part of the latter’s circle.
After the fight, Iroha’s group proceeds to Touka’s castle with Nemu using her magic to prevent everyone but Iroha from entering. I’m very curious as to what Magia Record will do with Touka. To be frank, I think Touka has become extremely unsympathetic. She’s too bratty to be entertaining and more importantly, she’s done a myriad of crimes from kidnapping and endangering civilians to inhumane experiments with magic. She means well but she’s gone too far and the show would have to do a lot if it wants to redeem her. That apparently will have to wait as Nemu prepares to explain the truth to Iroha and Nemu, setting the story up for Season 3.
I think Season 2 is just okay. It’s not as frustrating as the first one, though part of that is me being more used to the show and accepting that it’ll never be as good as the original series. The season has its moments and some standout characters such as Yachiyo and Mitama. During the second and third episodes, I thought for a second that it was an improvement over the first season. Once the plot moved over to the Magius’ headquarters and it got stuck there for the rest of the season, the show started to lose me again. Magia Record is so close to clicking for me but it just can’t seem to stick the landing. I don’t know if the show will ever succeed now that there’s one last season left, and that season is only four episodes long, but I’m too far to quit the show so I might as well finish the whole thing.
Watch Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 2 -The Eve of Awakening- on Crunchyroll and Funimation
Xenodude Scribbles 
In case you don’t remember, Mel’s end was already shown in one of the flashbacks in season 1 episode 12. She didn’t just die, she turned into a witch before her friends’ eyes after exhausting her magic in battle to protect Yachiyo. Yachiyo, Mifuyu and Momoko couldn’t bear to tell Tsuruno (or anyone else) and so Tsuruno didn’t learn the truth about witches until she went to the Memory Museum with Iroha. The strain of knowing Mel’s true fate and keeping it a secret is what broke up Yachiyo’s group, Mifuyu joining the Magius and Momoko becoming Rena and Kaede’s mentor.
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Agh, you’re right. I went back to Season 1 Episode 12 and Mel was indeed there. I knew something like this would happen as it’s been years since I covered Season 1 and I didn’t have the time to rewatch all of it before getting to Season 2. I edited the post to acknowledge Mel’s previous appearance. Thanks for pointing this out.
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