English Dub Review: Magia Record “It’s Proof of the End of a Friendship”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Iroha is still investigating the disappearance of Uri so she heads to Satomi Medical Center. On her way there, she gets into it with another witch, but is saved by a set of new magical girls including Momoko Togame, Kaede Akino, and Rena Minami. They agree to help her look for Ui, but Kaede and Rena get into an argument that leads to Kaede getting snatched up by the Chain Witch. We also get to hear rumors of the Friendship Ending Staircase.

Our Take

I’m still in awe by the direction lead by Gekidan Inu Curry who flawlessly integrates numerous types of visuals that really help Magia Record. This time, not only are the background visuals exquisite, but the close-up shots were also very well done.

The narrative of the show is a bit juicier than most series that revolve around magical girls. We’ve already started in on a conflict that already dispels whatever unity the team had and that was in a matter of maybe 10 minutes or so and that was before we learned that Rena has a few secrets that, for whatever reason, she didn’t feel like divulging to the rest of the squad. Also, what’s going on with this ‘Friendship Ending Staircase’. We get a quick shot of Nanami which may explain some things, but that’s just a guess at this point.

The music adds a creepiness to the series that helps lend to the overall direction of the show. Inu’s writing helps the direction which is good because then it leaves us with killer cliffhangers like we got this week. This is one of Funimation’s stronger series going right now, and if it meant we had to sacrifice Interspecies Reviewers for this one, then, I’m all for it.