Magia Record Final Season Episode 10

Magia Record Final Season Episode 10

The Plan Must Continue

I’m now two episodes into the Final Season of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story. And so far, I’m still not seeing why people think this “season” is so bad. Well, that’s not all true. I can see a few things people may take issue with, and I’ll address those in this review.

But, I’m still thinking that there must be something egregious coming in the final two episodes. So far, I don’t see the issue. I still have the season rated as a 10, which is 2 points higher than Season 2 and 4 points higher than Season 1.

The first thing I could see people having an issue with is the twist that came in the first half of the episode. Despite getting her memories back, Touka still supports Wings of the Magius — and so does Nemu.

Nemu and Touka (and chibi-Kyubey) reaffirming their commitment to their plan from the anime series Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season Episode 10
Nemu and Touka (and chibi-Kyubey) reaffirming their commitment to their plan

You’d expect that this is the point of the series when they realize the error of their ways. They would then fight alongside Iroha and her friends to defeat Embryo Eve as she goes out of control.

But, that’s not what happens. And, I can see how that could have annoyed some people. But, I like how things turned out. I wasn’t expecting it and I don’t think it takes away from the series. It’s a good twist.

The fact that Touka and Nemu are still committed to their plan is great. I like that they’re making the choice they know Iroha and Ui wouldn’t want. They’re not doing this to be evil. They believe they need to make the difficult choice to sacrifice magical girls to save them.

Saving Magical Girl Souls

The next part I could see people taking issue with is how Momoko and Mifuyu save the souls of all the magical girls. They saved everyone from turning into their Doppels. I completely understand if you want to call this a Deus ex machina — it pretty much is.

But, allow me to make an argument in its defense. First of all, magic. Second, they have to pay a price for saving the souls of these girls. And third, it actually fits well into the themes of the series.

I don’t think I need to explain the first point. But, the second point is why I’d say it’s not a true Deus ex machina. There was a drawback to saving all those souls. Momoko and Mifuyu had to give up their own lives in exchange (more on that in the next section).

Sana's soul being saved by Mifuyu from the anime series Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season Episode 10
Sana’s soul being saved by Mifuyu

The third point is the one that justifies the inclusion of this scene. Have you watched Madoka Magica? Rebellion? The previous two seasons of Magia Record? If so, you should know that self-sacrifice for the sake of others is a major theme.

(Almost) every magical girl we know of sold their soul to Kyubey for the sake of someone else. In the original series, Mami sacrificed herself to protect Madoka and Sayaka. Kyouko sacrificed herself for Sayaka. Homura sacrificed herself for Madoka. And Madoka sacrificed herself for all magical girls.

In the Wraith Arc, which wasn’t shown in the anime, Sayaka sacrificed herself for her friends. And in Rebellion, Homura once again sacrificed herself for Madoka. In Magia Record, we hadn’t had a girl sacrifice her life until now. But, again, most of them gave their souls to Kyubey in exchange for helping others.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Continuing on with Momoko and Mifuyu sacrificing their lives is there an issue with this? Sure, if you like Momoko or Mifuyu you’re going to be sad. But, is them dying a sign of bad writing? I don’t think so.

Also, considering this is Madoka Magica, I’m not actually expecting them to remain dead by the end of the series. My bet is that everyone who died or is going to die will come back to life somehow.

But, I’ve heard that the end of this season isn’t actually the end of the Magia Record (game) story. So, it’s very possible that Momoko and Mifuyu are still dead by the end of the season. If the anime covered the entire story, their resurrection would be far more likely.

Momoka and Mifuyu dead with their soul gems shattered from the anime series Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season Episode 10
Momoka and Mifuyu dead with their soul gems shattered

Now, would a resurrection render their sacrifice meaningless? I don’t believe it would. First of all, their sacrifice may very well be what allows whoever resurrects them to do so. For example (this isn’t going to be the case) let’s say Sana resurrects them.

If that happened, it would only be because Mifuyu first sacrificed herself to save Sana. Or, even if it’s Ui who resurrects them, their sacrifice still would have played a role. Saving all the other girls might help out in defeating Embryo Eve.

Regardless, I also don’t believe their sacrifice would be meaningless. It’s the intent behind their actions that counts. What makes their sacrifice such an important moment is that they chose to do so for someone else. The same is true for any magical girl.

Even if they’re resurrected, that choice still stands. Nobody can take that choice away from them.

Conclusion

Do you agree with my assessment of Magia Record Final Season Episode 10? Or, do you think this wasn’t a good episode? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 11 is available now.

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