You know Touka and Nemu have lost their marbles if Kyubey of all people is calling them out on their plan. I can’t completely blame Kyubey for failing to understand why the girls are trying to change the system, the plan really is that insane. That said, it is rich of him to argue against the plan and explain the ultimate goal of the magical girl system for the umpteenth time while also failing to understand its flaws and how said flaws spurred these girls to where they’re doing now. Also, I don’t particularly like Alina, I’ve never found her very interesting or entertaining, but her being a complete psycho and the person Kyubey is talking to during his scenes is funny. Arguing with Kyubey already doesn’t go anywhere so the show might as well pair him with someone who just wants to see the world burn.
So at long last, Iroha reunites with Ui. I guess the small Kyubey’s body is a pocket dimension. Who knew. The reunion is short-lived however as Ui sends Iroha back into the real world so that the latter can stop Touka and Nemu. Even as someone who’s been indifferent to this whole quest, I think scene is pretty sad. Iroha has finally found her sister and that should be cause for celebration but this neither the time nor the place for it. Adding to the weight of this scene is the possibility that this is the last time Iroha will see her sister. Ui’s soul is intact but that could very well change once Embryo Eve is defeated. Plus, who knows what’ll become of Ui’s body once Embryo Eve is defeated, assuming it’s still there.
Once Iroha returns to the real world, this episode becomes a Kuroe centric one. That’s right, the show has decided that now is a good time to put spotlight on her. The penultimate episode of this entire series. I suppose Kuroe’s inner demon and Doppel corruption is a loose end but this is a very strange move. We’re in the middle of Touka and Nemu’s grand plan but this show decided to get sidetracked one last time and focus on the character who’s sort of been a thing since the beginning. Go figure on that.
For what it’s worth, I think the stuff with Kuroe is alright. In a flashback, we see Kuroe help another magical girl (Yukako Kiuchi). When the other girl asks for a Grief Seed to purify her Soul Gem, Kuroe says she doesn’t have any and runs off, never seeing the other girl ever again. It’s a simple yet effective bit of backstory that explains Kuroe’s hesitation with joining Iroha’s circle of friends. Having abandoned a fellow magical girl before, Kuroe feels she doesn’t deserve any companionship. In the present, Iroha tries to save her from her Doppel and she offers to be her friend, showing that she very much wants to be Kuroe’s friend as she did in her dream back in Season 2 Episode 3. I see what the show is trying to do here. It’s having Iroha save one more magical girl from despair, just like she did with Yachiyo and the others. That and it’s also aiming to break her.
Like with the deaths of Mifuyu and Momoko, I’m surprised that Magia Record has Kuroe transform into a witch, if only because the show hasn’t been that cruel for most of its run. Granted, it’s nice to see this side of Madoka again and the lack of a witch transformation up until now does make Kuroe’s fate hit a bit harder. I also like how this scene banks on how accustomed your are to the Doppel system. Like obviously, Kuroe wouldn’t become a witch if her Doppel is active. However, Kuroe’s Doppel has her flying up in the sky until she eventually reaches a barrier Alian set up for Kamihama to help maintain the Doppel system. Once she gets past the barrier, Kuroe loses her Doppel and her witch is free to materialize. It’s a sneaky little timer that you may miss because you’re so used to magical girls averting their fate with the Doppel system. By the time you realize it’s there, Kuroe’s fate is already sealed. And if you do know it’s there beforehand, the scene becomes a race against time for Iroha to save her doomed friend.
Having Iroha kill Kuroe before she has to go stop Touka and Nemu is a very calculated move on the show’s part. This is the first time she’s truly failed at saving someone from their despair and that’ll undoubtedly be at the back of her mind when she confronts her surrogate sisters. Killing Kuroe might also serve to steel Iroha for what she might have to do next. There’s a good chance that talking Touka and Nemu out of their plan won’t work again and Iroha’s only other option is to use force.
Watch Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season -Dawn of a Shallow Dream- on Crunchyroll and Funimation
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