[the format of the above paragraph is a (not so) subtle nod to a recurring theme of the new series]“Have you heard? Has anyone told you? The rumor about the new Madoka Magica anime. It’s called Magia Record, like the mobile phone game with the same name it is adapting. They say it is a Side Story, and not the sequel to the 3rd Madoka movie (Rebellion) everyone has been waiting for. If you watch it, you may find yourself disagreeing with strangers online on whether it is great or terrible, boring or engaging, a worthy successor or inferior to the original masterpiece. But beware! Watch out! This story is not yet finished. Only the first season, with 13 episodes, has been released. The concluding Season 2 is in production, but without a release date yet. Or so they say. Manage your expectations!”
- Uwasa (Rumor) of the new Madoka Magica anime
Given both the local (SF Debris Chaos Mode) and global (pandemic) circumstances, this is definitely NOT the best of times to talk about this, but I’ve got some free time so I’m doing it anyway.
In case you are unaware of it, a 13-episode season of Magia Record, a brand-new TV series in the Madoka Magica universe, just (last week actually) finished airing in anime streaming services around the world. The series is also already getting an English dub (episode 9 of which streamed yesterday and will be fully released in 4 weeks), while the (Japanese) Blu-ray volumes will be out by July 8th (no info yet on physical editions of the dubbed version). However, despite already having one more episode than the 12 of the original series, the story of Magia Record is only half-way finished, and a 2nd season is required for the conclusion. Thankfully, Season 2 has officially started production (no ambiguity if it will eventually happen) but it doesn’t have an announced released date yet. Either a Fall 2020 or a Winter 2021 release is speculated to be very likely. Due to this (and the specific nature of the story told) I believe that it would be ill-advised if Chuck were to tackle the new series before the arrival of Season 2, while it is incomplete. So, even if everything else wasn’t messed up already, even if the request queue wasn’t still locked (and still long, I assume), this would definitely not be the ideal time to bring the series up for Chuck’s consideration, anyway. But I figure that it doesn’t hurt to at least raise the awareness that Magia Record exists, and that (in my opinion) it deserves that special SF Debris treatment in due time.
I’m also a bit itching for some spirited discussion with anyone here who HAS seen the new series, so I will proceed to give a review of my opinion about it, while avoiding any spoilers. I’m also working on an even more detailed (episode-by-episode) and full-on spoilery analysis, which I will post as soon as it’s done.
Magia Record is an interesting case. As a follow-up (though a Side Story, not a Sequel) to one of the greatest and most unique shows of the past decade, it has some awfully big shoes to fill. To make things more difficult, not everyone from the creative team that made the original is back behind the helm. Most notably, the lead writer of the Madoka Magica series and the Rebellion sequel movie, Gen “the Butcher” Urobuchi, has no involvement this time around. Original series director Akiyuki Shinbo also has a vastly diminished role (animation supervisor), while the phenomenal original series (and movies) composer Yuki Kajiura is replaced by Takumi Ozawa (who thankfully does an astounding job). On the other hand, returning are the series main character designer, Ume Aoki (ensuring a consistency in the design of the new magical girl protagonists) as well as Gekidan Inu Curry, the creative duo behind the groundbreaking surrealistic/psychedelic visual effects of the Witch labyrinths (also crucial in order for the show to “feel” like Madoka Magica). In fact, the latter’s role has been increased tenth fold, since Doroinu (one of the two people consisting Gekidan Inu Curry) is now the general director of Magia Record and he also assumed significant writing duties (essentially being among the lead writers).
Speaking of writing, an essential (and contentious) part of Magia Record’s identity is that the series adapts the plot of the eponymous mobile phone game. Said phone game is a tactical combat/visual novel game of the “gacha” genre (similar in nature to the “collect-them-all” Pokemon games) which means that it has a vast cast of hundreds of collectible characters (though only few of them are important in the main story), long dialogue sequences (that flesh out the personalities of the characters), and an episodic structure with a slow-moving and complex overarching plot. The writers of the anime adaptation have made some changes to the plot in an attempt to streamline it and accommodate the different nature of a TV series, with varying success: the cast is still expansive (especially compared to the literally spartan original series), with main characters, secondary characters, important antagonists, original series cameos, and lots of minor cameos aimed towards players of the game, often resulting in arguably cluttered and insufficient character development due to lack of time and focus. In my opinion, this problem never rises to a degree that bothers me, but it is a common complaint from both hard-core fans of the original laser-focused series as well as fans of the game (because a lot of dialogue is by necessity removed in the adaptation process). Similarly, the episodic structure is still carried from the game to the anime, while the slow-burn (and intricate) main plot tends to give the appearance of lack of progression. This results in some viewers feeling that the pacing is both frantic and glacial at the same time, even in the same episode. The story is also very obviously not written with the intent of being split where season 1 ends, and despite some admirable efforts towards that goal, episode 13 doesn’t completely feel like a season finale.
The quality of the animation is generally very high (better than the original series in fact, in many cases, though obviously worse than the high-budget films that followed) but varies wildly, with quite a few poorly animated scenes showing up (primarily) in the second half of the season. [It is worth noting that Studio Shaft, Madoka’s animation studio, is historically notorious for releasing sub-par, shoddy, or unfinished animation for their TV broadcasts and then fixing it for the Blu-ray releases. This happened in the original Madoka series as well. So, there’s a significant possibility that we will again see animation improvements/corrections when the Blu-ray disks come out]. I also agree with criticisms that fight choreography is for the most part stiff and uninspired, leaving a lot to be desired, with a few bright exceptions. On the other hand, I find the overall art direction to be superb (not surprising given the series director), with detailed, gorgeous backgrounds, and bold creative choices in color, lighting, and viewing angles. Combined with an amazing (and fitting) soundtrack, Magia Record’s atmosphere is breathtaking and absolutely deserving to stand alongside the original series and movies.
The popular reception of Magia Record season 1 makes for an interesting study. The Japanese audience seems for the most part to love the series, judging from social media reaction as well as the sales of the first (out of 5) blu-ray volume that has already been released. Western audiences, on the other hand, appear significantly more negative. At least among the most vocal members of the fan base (and based on ratings in popular anime web sites) disappointment and lack of interest are the prevalent sentiments expressed (though avid supporters of the side story also exist). These negative opinions predominantly stem from unfavorable comparisons to either the (almost flawless) original series or the (much more content-heavy) Magia Record game itself, and the subsequent very high expectations that arise from those. While it is an undeniable truth that Magia Record cannot reach anywhere near the astronomical heights of the tightly-woven Madoka Magia narrative (heck, not even Rebellion achieved that, and it was written by the same person), I personally find a lot of the criticism to be unfair or short-sighted. Magia Record doesn’t even attempt to replicate Madoka Magica (apart from some surface-level nods to the original series, like a new pink-haired, shy, and kind main protagonist, or a few fan-service cameos and references) but it plows through some very intriguing narrative territories, vastly expanding the Madoka universe in the process. Magia Record cannot be considered to occupy the same genre (psychological/existential drama) as Madoka Magica, as it is instead more of a mystery plot combined with a found family narrative. But this naturally clashes with the desires of people who want “more Madoka”, if their definitions of “what Madoka is” are tied closely to the type of story that the original series is. [I feel compelled to add that despite my usage of a few “harsh” words in this paragraph, I don’t mean to diminish the – perfectly valid – opinions and experiences of those critical of the new show, I’m just a bit saddened by the fact that it seems to not resonate with quite a few of the old series fans.]
In my opinion, Magia Record (Season 1), while undoubtedly flawed (especially next to the perfectly polished gem that is Madoka Magica), has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in a while, and definitely scratched MY need for “more Madoka”, while still leaving me wanting more (thank our Goddess of Hope – or the Demon of Love – for the confirmed Season 2). For me, the series would be worth it purely for being a visual and musical “feast”, but I also love its worldbuilding, the concepts it introduces and the ideas it explores, while warming up to its extended cast of characters, and cheering during its many moments of awesomeness (it also has much more humor than Madoka!). All in all, I am so grateful that Magia Record exists.
So, has anyone here seen Magia Record (Season 1)? What do you think of it? I look forward to your opinions (make sure to mark spoilers if you post any), and I’ll try to post my (spoiler-full) detailed review soon.
