Review of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

**TL; DR or for a spoiler-free review.** 7/10. I am a huge fan of the original Madoka☆Magica. All the elements of the anime really work well together and make the end product really special, but I sadly can’t say the same for Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden. Now, this anime is still good, don’t get me wrong, but it can’t hold a candle to the original. The art, story, sound, and characters are all above average. So, if you have played the game, read the manga, or just love the Madoka☆Magica then check this series out you probably will at least like it. **SPOILERSAHEAD! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

Story (7): The story is good. It’s well written and has some great character moments. However, unlike the original, this story moves at a much slower pace. The slower pace of this season makes the story less interesting and engaging. There is a teaser at the end of one of the later episodes that being “This affects all magical girls everywhere.” This is a great way to leave an episode. This will make the viewer want more and watch the next episode, but this teaser wasn’t revealed until two episodes later. Writing like this makes the pace slow and feel like filer as opposed by a critical point in the plot. Along with that, there are some plot points that go basically nowhere and don’t serve the plot at all. This issue along with the constant promise of more to come makes the pacing feel sluggish. Another issue is that this side story seems to have missed the point of the original. Along with missing the point this series also tries to recreate the magic of the original. You probably still can remember the feeling you felt when you realized that Madoka Magica isn’t about cute girls being magical girls, or when you learned about the magical girl’s major vulnerabilities, or why the grief seeds are so important. The issue isn’t that the story doesn’t do new things, the issue is that the story tries to get the viewer with the same twists that the viewer already knows and because the viewer already knows these plot points the reveals carry less weight and are less impactful.

Art (8): The art is wonderful. Shaft hits hard with the animation quality and it looks very similar to the original. However, the animation isn’t perfect for a few reasons. One problem is the contrast between the “witch world” and the real world. The contrast isn’t as shocking and as drastic as the original. This gives off a, possibly unintentional, melding of the two worlds. There may be an explanation for this however, it may be the use of CGI during the series. The CGI isn’t bad for the most part. There are a few shots where the CGI is pretty rough looking, but overall the use of CGI is almost unnoticeable. The use of CGI may be why this series looks a little bit off. If you take still images from both shows and but them side by side, then it becomes evident that there is a change for the worse in this side story. What that change is, I don’t know, but this change makes this series look slightly worse than the original.

Sound (6): The music as a whole is fine. The music itself is good. The OP, for example, has both slow parts and fast-paced parts. This is an excellent example of the dichotomy of the magical girls in this series. That being, of simultaneous selfishness and selflessness. However, quite a bit of the music is poorly implemented. Such as the music volume throughout the entire series. It is often too loud and feels like it is trying to drown out the character’s dialogue. Another issue is that there is too much of it. It feels like there is always music going in the background causing no chance of reprieve. The final issue is that the music is trying to hard to make the viewer feel a certain emotion. That is the point of music in media after all, but when the music is too loud, too frequent, and trying too hard, the music becomes grading after a while.

Characters (7): The characters are good. They have good chemistry with each other, and the viewer gets the feeling that the characters have known each other for a while before this series started. But, this chemistry takes a lot from the original because a lot of the character’s personalities are copy-pasted from the original. Such as the tsundere, the one who is over her head, and the one how wants to kill all of the witches. The colors of the characters are the same as the first one too. Those are, of course, the witches being represented by the colors pink, blue and, purple. Now the witches being represented by the colors red and yellow don’t have a new witch using their color, but they show up in the anime instead.

Enjoyment (8): When the story was progressing well I felt engaged and wanted more. When it was slow and plodding I was bored and wanted to do something else, or watch a different show. The great animation is what really sells it for me. The music can be annoying at some points, and it may even be unnecessary at some points too. However, despite the problems in this anime, I did really enjoy the ride.

Overall (7): Now, it is widely known that a good sequel proverbially jumps off from the original, exploring new ideas or situations. A bad sequel proverbially wallows in the original, exploring nothing, and keeping it safe. Other than a few instances, Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden mostly jumps off and has a separate identity than the original. Despite some hiccups along the way, this side story was a good show and I really enjoyed it. If another season is made then I will watch it, but I do how a few of the issues highlighted above are fixed. If these problems are fixed, then the next season will be better than this one, and that prospect really excites me.