This series is starting to try a little too hard now.
What They Say:
With her memories returned, Akari runs away from the organization, saying she can’t fight anymore. Admist all of that, a Daemonia appears. Despite having no other choice but to fight, Akari tries to run away from the fight. Just as she is in danger, Meltina and Priscilla show up to save her, but for some reason, Akari stops them from attacking the Daemonia…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Since the beginning, this series has felt a lot like it was going for the same themes as Madoka Magica. In the second episode, it settled into some tropes more familiar with the standard magical girl series of old, but with a definite dash of the darker ideas presented in Madoka throughout every instance. This episode really goes all-out with that aspect, to the point that it feels like it’s trying to outdo its successful predecessor. Unfortunately, it comes across as pretty obvious that this attempt is being made for similar results, rather than because this is a story that the creators have their hearts genuinely invested in. And when something tries too hard to be something else, the result is always worse than if it had just left well enough alone.
The major focus of this episode is that Akari is able to hear the thoughts of the Daemonia, the monsters she’s forced to kill, which used to be humans themselves. This is some pretty standard moral conflict material, and most of the thoughts and developments throughout the episode are about what you’d expect them to be. By the time the episode concludes, Akari has advanced in having found an answer for herself, but it feels like the potential for real moral dilemma for the rest of the series is somewhat swept under the table in favor of an easy resolution to the episode.
Although some of the imagery for the battles and the overall aesthetic can be interesting and creative, much of the episode is awkwardly directed, written, and animation, taking away from the impact the concepts explored clearly want to evoke in the audience. Akari’s detention is abrupt and seemingly inconsequential as her treatment seems fairly cushy and doesn’t last long. When the climactic scene hits, the Daemonia she has to face, as well as the ridiculously drawn-out reactions of the victim it has in its sights, all make it feel rather silly. That’s a problem when the series is practically begging you to take it seriously.
To give a cliffhanger after the relatively happy ending of an otherwise intentionally very grim episode, the talking animals seen in previous episodes make more cryptic dialogue, hinting that far greater drama lies in store for Akari and the rest of the cast, but it’s all so incredibly hard to take as seriously as it wants to be, due both to the slight incompetence on presentation of the series as a whole and the fact that… well, the mysterious figures who may be the main antagonists appear to be normal animals. If the idea is to try for the “mascot is actually the cruelest being of all” deal that Madoka went with, this is another sign that a lot of the essential nuance was missed in creating this.
In Summary:
Although there are definitely positive traits to the episode overall (as with the entire series thus far), all signs are pointing more and more to the series trying far too hard to be a very serious story in the same vein as the beloved Madoka Magica, and as is often the case when something like that is attempted, it doesn’t accomplish its goal, and becomes very difficult to take seriously as a result.
Grade: C
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.
