Mahou Shoujo Ore – episode 4 [Cyborg v Magical Girls]

I was ready to drop Magical Girl Ore like a hot potato, I’m sure it’s been pretty apparent in my reviews but it’s brand and style of comedy has just been falling flat for me for some reason. At least, this was the case for the first three episodes. Something in episode 4 clicked with me, I found myself laughing more then any other episode. There was something charming about this episode that I haven’t really seen in the previous episodes. Perhaps it was the addition of characters, such as Fujimoto and the two unnamed idol girls that I assume to be the anime exclusive magical girls? Perhaps it was the way things were executed?
I can’t even tell you honestly.

The episode is pretty simple. The cyborg we saw at the end of the previous episode comes to tell the magical girls that they are intruding on his territory. That he will protect this city and Mohiro Mikage by himself. Though when the recording studio is overrun by demons, it’s the magical girls that do a majority of the damage to them and Fujimoto [the cyborg] seems beaten up and worn down from taking on a small group of them.

A few things in the episode that just really worked for me were:

-“plunging the city into the darkness will help in our human kidnapping plan.” the demons at the beginning of the episode going to cut the power lines before being stopped by Fujimoto.
-The boat during the intense violence scene. Things like this will always remind me of school days and thus get at least a decent chuckle out of me.
-Mohiro going over to thank Magical Girl Ore for saving him while the camera’s were on. Leaving the studio in an uproar and questioning the relationship between them and if the magical girls are real and this isn’t just some gimmick for their idol debut.
-Hyōe being transparently evil. Like come on, is anyone even shocked that he’s behind all this?
-The entire after credits with Fujimoto.

While the magical girls have their moments, I am beginning to think that Magical Girl Ore’s strength lies with it’s side cast. Saki isn’t that interesting, she is a girl with a one track mind towards Mohiro. Sakuyo is also very one track and if nothing else a little creepy in that predatory manner displayed when they are transformed in particular.
However, their Manager with his magical girl obsession while kind of one track is also rather funny. I can’t tell if he has deeper motives then just being magical girl obsessed. Is he secretly evil and working with Hyōe? Is he just a helpless fanboy? How does he know about magical girls to begin with? I mean, outside of popular media and the way  they are normally displayed because he wasn’t put off by this whole turning into a guy thing in the slightest.
What is Hyōe’s deal? Why is he evil? Why is he working with the demons?
And Fujimoto is something else. I wasn’t even really sure I was buying the whole cyborg thing until the after credits where he gets stabbed while saving a old lady from getting her purse stolen and through the pixelation of the violence you can see some silver . Also, just how old is Fujimoto? Since he did bring up Saki’s mother at her age. Do cyborgs age? Do Androids dream of electric sheep? Also what kind of cyborg has like 5 brothers who all look identical?

Episode 4 was good enough to get me to step back and decide that maybe it was still too early in this shows run to be dropping it. Also, at the end of the day I’m a simple girl…put Ogata Megumi in anything and I will probably watch at least the episodes she’s in. Lo and behold, I was right in remembering that she was going to be in this and she was voicing Fujimoto. Next episode seems like it is going to be running into the line of the fanservice/beach/hot springs episode kind of thing. Let’s see if this shows style of parody can work with a tired old trope.