Review of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

It's always unfortunate when an adaptation falls short, since it does a disservice to the fans as well as the original property. An anime adaptation of the mobile game of the same name, this anime is blessed with the surreal visuals of the original Madoka anime and held back by its hasty approach to adapting its property's story. Tamaki Iroha is a magical girl, which in the Madokaverse means she's a punching bag for the inevitably terrible things that happen when you sign a contract with that white rat Kyuubey. The problem is that Iroha does not remember what her wish was, and Kyuubey does notknow what it was either. Then she hears a rumor that magical girls can be saved in a place called Kamihama. She very quickly learns that not only are the witches in Kamihama insanely overpowered, there are all sorts of strange things going on that pose an even greater danger than witches.

First, the positives: Magia Record is actually quite pretty. Whether it's inside the witch labyrinths or in "normal" environments, a high level of detail is present. The witch labyrinths are fascinating, as they were in the original Madoka anime and the Rebellion movies, with contrasting animation techniques used to create an environment that is alien, threatening, and eye-catching. The music is a mix of tunes from the original series and remixes from the mobile game, all of which makes for an engaging audio experience. However, it's also clear they were operating on a budget, as the fight scenes between the start and the end definitely were not getting the same fluidity that the average Madoka fan would expect after Rebellion. That leads to the second and greater problem, the story. This an adaptation of a video game, and while I did not play the original game's story, I have been playing Exedra, the second Magia Record mobile game, which includes what I assume is a condensed version of the original game's story. When compared to the anime, a ton of things were skipped which I think were rather essential for building up the characters and story. As a result, this adaptation suffers from "I'm in a hurry to get you there" syndrome, while not letting viewers have enough time to bond with the characters. We certainly bond with Iroha, but there's another half-dozen girls we have to get to know, along with returning magical girls and antagonists, so the experience is more shallow than it should be. Frankly, it needed at least another six episodes to properly adapt the Exedra version of the game's story, so I don't know how many more it needs to properly adapt what was in the original game. Worse, from what I can guess, this is about 3/5s of the way through the main story, and from what I can tell, the subsequent seasons are shorter, so I have concerns.

I have mixed feelings about this adaptation. I've been enjoying the Exedra game, so I'll probably watch the subsequent seasons, but I'm not convinced it'll be the best way to experience the story. I think I'd call this a supplement to the story for those who know it and have played the games. If you're a Madoka fan, you may end up disappointed, but if you still decide to try it, approach it aware of its flaws up front. Don't expect it to be better than it is.