Review of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

First of all, I didn't play the mobile game, so I can't compare both media. When Magia Record anime was announced, I didn't have too high expectations. A spin-off is rarely as good as the series of origin... But, I decided to watch it anyway, because a new Madoka series is not something to miss. Story: The plot seems interesting and innovative at first. However, I don't know why, but, it doesn't work. (spoil) In the first episodes, the research of Iroha's little sister mixed with the fights against rumors, and the mystery of Magius is nice to follow. As things progress, it becomes less and less credible.The revelations are weak (you understand in 2-3 episodes what happened to Ui and her friends). Sometimes, the Magius seems way too powerful, or very cliche and lame (a mysterious organization with girls in black capes...)
Not everything to throw away, some rumors are cool and raises the interest of an episode.
It's complex to define, but there is something wrong with this story. Emotions are mismanaged. It does too much or not enough.
5/10

Characters:
There are too many characters.
Many of them aren't memorable (I can barely remember their names).
By introducing such a considerable amount of characters in 13 episodes, they cannot all have development or backstory (Except the five main characters minus the girl with fire fan)
Consequence: it is hard to feel empathy for characters you know nothing about.
A lot of characters are okay in a video game but in less than 5 hours, it is difficult to treat them decently.

Plus, I think some characters are very similar to the five original Puella Magi.
For example, I feel like Yachiyo is almost a carbon copy of Homura: a cold mysterious girl with a tragic past.

I think this problem is due to the fact that many characters in Madoka Magica and Magia Record have a "generic anime cliche personality" (not a problem usually but when two characters have the same manga girl type, it is so noticeable). In the end, the characters are very plain.

4/10

Art:
The art still is the same as the previous Madoka Magica series works.
Witches' designs and animations are created by Inu Curry.
They are as good as his previous creations for the series.
Some scenes (mostly fights) in the first half of Magia Record are incredibly done (flawless and fluid animation).

However, in the later episodes, the quality of the animation declines. The last episode is really mediocre (very static, many off-screen).
It's unsurprising coming from Shaft. This is their big flaw in most of their tv series...

7,5/10

Sound:
Unfortunately, the OST is not composed by the talented Yuki Kajiura.
She is replaced by Takumi Ozawa for Magia Record.
He follows Kajiura's footsteps, alternating calm/soothing music, and disturbing and strange choirs.
Many tracks are brilliant (cf: "La gis sulva za Celow") even if some are a bit overused...

The opening and the ending are ok (pleasing to listen but not breathtaking)

8/10

Overall:

The bet was to create a series in the direct line of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Was it a success? Yes. Was the anime a masterpiece? NO.

Magia Record follows well Madoka Magica, visually and acoustically speaking. The story tries too, with characters with various personalities and a tragic storyline.
But, it doesn't work. The feeling of surprise and novelty brought by Madoka Magica no longer works.
It's a rather good "dark magical girl anime" but it's disappointing for a Puella Magi series.
I hope this will not reduce the chances of having a potential follow-up to Rebellion. I cross my fingers so that season 2 corrects the script errors and weaknesses in order to have a real conclusion.

6/10