The first episode seems to establish the plot focus about this girl named Iroha Tamaki, who happens to have Madoka’s color palette. Rather than be allowed to freely express like its main series counterpart, it winds up feeling substance-less, focus-less and ironically, far closer to a traditional Magic Girl series.īecause of the nature of this show, I’ll judge the series by two angles, one as its own story, and one as a companion to the Madoka franchise it proclaims itself a side story of:
Despite the admirable effort from the artists and Yūki Kajira, Magia Record’s characters and plot structure are held back very far, likely by how a TV series must accept its mobile game design mentality. For the sake of providing business revenue, these work fine, however scummy they are, but what happens when transferring that mentality to a non-interactive medium where quick story is the most important? very specific factors emblematic of their origin, and of those adaptations, an increasingly common source of anime recently are gatcha games: free to play games tailored to get people to dump money to gamble for character growth and collection. Light Novel adaptations tend to feature basic protagonists bereft of the thought focused complexity their written works offer. When anime are produced based on ongoing manga, one can exact lingering focus on iconic shots and a tendency to go on and on as long as it takes. Original anime (like the original Madoka series) are practically guaranteed to have a beginning, middle and end, but when based on a source, there’s certain elements that become byproduct by the source’s nature. But when a chance encounter with a tiny Kyuubey seems to trigger distant memories, Iroha is compelled to investigate the mysterious city despite the danger.Īn underappreciated factor when looking at any individual anime series is the nature of its source material, provided it has one. After veteran magical girl Yachiyo Nanami is forced to save her, Iroha vows to never return. Unfortunately, she discovers that the witches in Kamihama are far more powerful than usual. One day, Iroha hears rumors of a city where "magical girls can be saved," and finds herself on a sunset train to Kamihama City. Yet Iroha has no memory of her wish, and even Kyuubey, the white fairy himself, seems to have no idea what Iroha requested of him. Armed with a magical crossbow and the ability to heal injuries, Iroha seeks out the labyrinths where witches hide and defeats them before they can prey on humans. Iroha Tamaki, a kind-hearted middle schooler from Takarazaki City, is living proof that these rumors are true. However, in exchange, she will become a magical girl and must put her life on the line to slay fearsome and ferocious witches. Rumor has it that if a young girl strikes a bargain with a white fairy, it will grant any wish her heart desires.