Active Raid Episode 5 [ Bloody Mary ]

The beginning of this episode is almost a leeway prank, where everyone is drinking and having a good time until someone comments that Madoka didn’t come because she is secretly a spy. This sets off a joke where Asami has to go spy on Madoka, but found suspiciously that Madoka fell off the grid and had some suspicious company. That was great and all, but then the show cuts to the actual plot: they have to defeat a poker champion with some questionable unorthodox methods.

This episode had a lot more subtly funny moments that I liked from the previous episodes, perhaps it’s that way because there isn’t the severe focus of the rivalry? Ah who knows! In any case the gang very easily fits into their roles of unorthodox poker play, though seriously what jobs don’t these people have?, and Funasaka is the one they send in to represent them. Ironically we find Madoka’s true location is a gambling place.

It doesn’t take long for Funasaka to start losing despite his cheating technology and Madoka seems to react to this, with the show heavily implying that Madoka is a top knotch poker player – while we learn the guy that Funasaka is playing is actually a mastermind behind a bunch of poker disasters that killed people with rockets. Oops. And where did he get the rockets? Logos, of course! They switch out players and it still goes terribly until Madoka shows up. I don’t know Madoka is kind of charming with this whole Bloody Mary history. I have to give it to Active Raid for making people seem interesting.

I kind of think Madoka is an amazing character now. Something about a shy sideline character who just turns around and wears a completely fabulous outfit and destroys all with her freakin’ alter persona gambling is special in her own right!

Active Raid is the kind of show that is amusing. I would say this episode proves it is still capable of being funny and keeping a captivating plot, but I would say my feelings on the show remain mixed. It’s almost an episodic villain experience when it comes to Logos, they don’t intimidate me so much as they make me groan with their cheesy plots and inability to comprehend what might actually constitute something terrifying. Then again, I am watching a sentai parody anime so what the hell do I know about being scared of things? They barely had a reason to bring out the suits for a full minute in this episode, and it was amusing.

I am hoping the show can continue to expand on Logos and make them a bit more terrifying, but otherwise I feel better about the show as a whole. I have no idea why, but Madoka made the episode a bit more enjoyable for me.

Oki