Magia Record 2nd Season Episode 3

Where is Ui Tamaki?

The identity of Ui Tamaki has been a mystery since the start of Magia Record. And although we’re already on the 3rd episode of the 2nd season, we’re not really all that much closer to learning the truth. In fact, whether or not she ever existed at all is still a bit unclear.

When we first got to see “Ui” within Iroha’s dream world, my first thought was that Ui was never a real person to begin with. Perhaps Ui was actually a stand-in for Iroha herself. Or maybe Iroha simply made up Ui because she wanted a “real” younger sister, not just Nemu and Touka.

Both of those theories are still on the table at this point, but I don’t have much confidence in either of them. There was one detail shown in this episode that contradicts both of those theories. However, I think we have to take everything relating to Ui with a grain of salt at this point.

You may have noticed that we actually got a shot of Ui’s funeral in this episode. That seems to answer all the questions about Ui. Where is she? Dead. Why isn’t she in Iroha’s dream world? Only the living are present. Where does Iroha’s stress come from? Her suppressed memories of Ui’s death.

We also know that Ui has been living in the hospital since she was little. This implies that she had some sort of chronic illness, which is likely what led to her death. And, if the Eternal Sakura is where Iroha and Ui are going to be reunited, that seems to imply death as well.

But, as I said, we should take everything about Ui with a grain of salt. The shot of Ui’s funeral may have just been to illustrate that Iroha was afraid of losing Ui to her illness, not necessarily that it happened.

Iroha’s Dream World

Something that’s important to keep in mind is that the dream world featured in this episode was a product of Iroha’s Doppel. This wasn’t the Eternal Sakura that created the dream world. Within the Eternal Sakura, the real Ui is probably present.

Now, since it’s been a while since season 1, I don’t quite remember everything we’ve seen in the series regarding Doppels. But, I feel like this was the first time that a Doppel created a labyrinth as a Witch does.

Is this going to be something we see more of throughout the series? Can Doppel users learn to create their own labyrinth at will? Or was this merely the product of Iroha’s emotions becoming unstable and her soul gem getting too clouded?

I guess if magical girls are able to create labyrinths via their Doppels, it would be kind of similar to how domains work in Jujutsu Kaisen. But at the same time, this dream world created by Iroha’s Doppel didn’t give Iroha or her Doppel a distinct advantage.

It’s not like the fight against the Rumor we got in Episode 1 of this season, where the terrain within the “labyrinth” (I don’t know what to call it for a Rumor) gave the Rumor an advantage. The only advantage here was that the location of the Doppel was hidden.

I get the feeling that magical girls using their Doppels to create labyrinths isn’t going to be a thing, though. They tend to fight already within labyrinths of some kind. I’m not sure what the logistics of a labyrinth within a labyrinth would be anyway.

Welcome Back

At the end of the episode, Yachiyo and Kuroe rescue Iroha from the Eternal Sakura. This was probably my favorite scene of the episode just because the visuals were good. But, it also brought a few questions regarding Iroha’s time within the Eternal Sakura to mind.

For starters, she mentioned that she was waiting for Yachiyo to save her. So does this mean that Iroha was conscious or otherwise aware that she was within a Rumor? I had assumed the Eternal Sakura would have put her within a dream world much like what her Doppel did to her friends.

Also, if it did put her into a dream world, did she meet Ui there? Unfortunately, we don’t have any answers. If Iroha did meet Ui within the Eternal Sakura, in my mind that would confirm that Ui is already dead. Though, I guess she could simply be suspended within it, not dead.

If Iroha didn’t meet Ui within the Eternal Sakura, then it could mean either that Ui is still alive somewhere in the world or that she never existed in the first place. I don’t think we’re going to get an answer to those questions, though.

I get the feeling that Iroha wasn’t necessarily conscious, but that she could “feel” that Yachiyo was going to save her. She might not have understood what was going on or why she needed saving. But at the very least, she knew she was supposed to be waiting for Yachiyo.

And since she didn’t immediately mention that she did or didn’t see Ui within the Eternal Sakura, my guess is that she doesn’t remember what she saw. If she had a similar dream to the one Yachiyo and Kuroe were in and remembered it, she definitely would have commented on Ui’s presence or lack thereof.

Conclusion

What do you think of Magia Record 2nd Season Episode 3? Where do you think Ui is? Are magical girls going to start creating labyrinths to fight? And do you think this is the last we’re going to see of the Eternal Sakura? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Key Mochi~ for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika and Senpai tiers respectively this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 4 is available now.