Magia Record's first season wasn't amazing, but I enjoyed it, and wrote that it shows a lot of potential. Thankfully, Season 2 shows that faith in the show was founded, as this was a big improvement on the first season even if it feels like just half of a larger season.
Season 2 continues right where the first left off, with most of the cast having joined the increasingly evil Magius, and Iroha seemingly dead. Yachiyo saves Iroha early on in the season with the help of her friend-turned-Magius-member Kuroe, so the plot shifts to them trying to break into Hotel Faint Hope, the Magius HQ, to figure out what the Magius are, and who Iroha's sister is. Meanwhile, there's a fantastic subplot about Madoka and Homura trying to save Mami from the clutches of the Magius. Both storylines are entertaining and focused, and I actually really found myself liking Kuroe as an addition to the main cast. Compared to Season 1, the tone has become much darker in the best way possible. The Magius's plan is unveiled in a series of genuinely grim twists that wouldn't feel out of place in the original Madoka series, and with characters beginning to die, the stakes are higher than ever. The pacing is also much stronger, reigning back the first season's massive cast to the main triples of Iroha/Yachiyo/Kuroe and Madoka/Homura/Sayaka. All of the minor characters do get at least one episode to shine, but the plot never comes to a halt to fixate on any of them. (Side note: Iroha actually wins fights this season, making her a much more effective protagonist). As a whole, this season has been a fantastic improvement, and while still not on par with the original series, I feel like I can genuinely call it great.
My biggest issue with Season 2 of Magia Record isn't really the show's fault. It's pretty obvious that this was originally supposed to be part of a much larger season that got cut in half due to the pandemic, resulting in a finale that, while not bad, does feel like it ended just as things were really getting started. Similarly, Episode 6 suffers from some pretty weak and unfinished animation compared to the others, probably for the same reason. Outside of that episode, though, the animation looks incredibly good. The Uwasa and Witches still look striking and inventive, and the fight scenes are on another level compared to pretty much the entire franchise. There's a big emphasis on cool showcases of teamwork and sick combo attacks, leading to setpieces that can rival the action in Rebellion in sheer spectacle. Similarly to last season, the music is good, even if it's not Yuki Kajiura level. However, we did get an episode entirely composed of music from the original series, which was absolutely fantastic.
I found myself enjoying most of the episodes this season, but there were a few highlights that particularly stuck out:
I Had A Feeling We Could All Become Magical Girls Together: This felt exactly like an episode from the original series in so many ways. Seeing Madoka and Homura again, the returning music, the emotional hook of the characters dealing with the Soul Gem reveal, it's like nothing changed. It also showed just how much of an improvement this season would be. Homura, Sayaka, and Madoka actually had a lot of character depth, the fight scenes were great, and the pacing was fantastic. It left me very optimistic for the rest of the season.
Can You Accept This?: This felt like the "Madoka Episode 3" of the series in the best way possible, essentially killing off the show's first character: Kaede. The reveal that your Doppel form can take you over, that the Magius contains those with Doppel Syndrome in an isolation ward, and that it all happened to Kaede is a twist on par with the original series. There was also another fantastic teamwork-heavy fight sequence.
You're Not Strong At All: As mentioned above, this finale definitely wasn't as good as Season 1's. A large portion of it is focused on Tsuruno's backstory, the Kaede hook from last episode isn't addressed at all, and some of the conflicts are resolved a bit too quickly. However, I did still like the ending a lot. The action scenes were great and utilized the whole cast, the triple cliffhanger is a super exciting hook for Season 3, the theatre visuals were beautiful, and Tsuruno's backstory was not only affecting but solidified her as one of my favorite Magia characters.
Overall, while the impact of the pandemic definitely shows, this season of Magia Record was a massive improvement over the first, fixing a lot of my issues with the show. The action is great, the twists are dark, Madoka and Homura get some great screentime, and the show finally feels like it stacks up against the other entries in the franchise.
4/5 Stars
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